Chapter 237: Guilt''s Weight


    ?


    Emir, who was now surrounded by monsters, stood his ground.


    ''Pity.''


    He didn''t run away.


    Or rather, he couldn''t.


    In the ''novel,'' Morgiana attempted to escape after figuring out that killing monsters made her feel heavier.


    ''Kill... kill... kill... kill.''


    But every time she hid away in an unpopted cave...


    ''Run... please.''


    Monsters would arrive right after.


    They chased her till the ends of the underground space, never stopping.


    Only then did she realize that the ''scent'' her relic emitted had not gone away.


    For it to be gone, one had to kill enough monsters to quell its hunger.


    It was a clever trap.


    ''SAVE ME!''


    The more monsters a candidate killed, the heavier they felt.


    And that would turn into emotion.


    Annoyance, anger, and fear, whatever they may be...


    Any would cause the cycle of killing to start again.


    A never-ending cycle of artificial obesity.


    ''End it, I beg you...''


    Until the moment... when death would bring it all to a close.


    ''Hmm...''


    Emir essed the relic, and after a moment, a small holographic screen showed itself before his irises.


    {0/10}


    ''So I need to kill ten... That ain''t too bad.''


    He looked around in slowed time, his Temporal Perception ability long since activated.


    The monsters before him were of one kin.


    ''Spiders?''


    Fangd.


    ''Fangds... FUCK!''


    Generally known as spiders.


    They were of all shapes and sizes.


    And they towered over him, with the shortest among them at least thirty meters tall.


    Their exoskeletons were ashy gray and marbled with splotches of muted colors.


    "They look kind of scary...''


    Their enormous legs were covered in a textured pattern resembling rocks, effectively camouging them in their subterranean environment.


    ''Hehehehehehehe.''


    Some of therger spiders boasted bodies reminiscent of ornate carapaces, spiky protrusions, and w-like appendages.


    Others had streamlined forms that seemed tailored for swift movement through the cave''s tunnels.


    ''I don''t... I can''t see...''


    Their eyes were perhaps the most unnerving aspect of their appearance.


    Like countless small sapphires, their orbs glistened with intelligence.


    A stark reminder that the weakest of these creatures were no lower than Fiends that housed two Aether cores.


    ''Life.''


    The space was filled with the echoes of their chittering legs.


    And the musty scent of the cave mingled with their almost metallic odor.


    "Aha..."


    An amused Emir picked out the weakest among them in a moment.


    His eyes settled on those that appeared the fastest.


    ''These guys got strong legs but a weak exoskeleton.''


    Then he used his Aerialis aspect, allowing Aether to strengthen his legs.


    Like a coiled spring, his knees crept low and...


    Whoosh.


    Emir flew over the Fangd, his hair iling around by pure speed he was going at.


    ''Slow.''


    The G-forces he underwent in those milliseconds would exhaust even the toughest of jet


    pilots.


    But his body didn''t appear to be affected at all.


    He was now a Seraphim and his body''s organs, bones, and even individual cells grew to match


    his title.


    Of course, the G-force generated in this instance was nothingpared to when he used his


    sh Step ability.


    But that''s when Aether came into y.


    "They''ve got nothing on me!''


    When an ability was used, Aether was what managed, controlled, adjusted, and took care of


    the Celestial''s body.


    An ability path was followed for a reason.


    It was not just to execute the ability, but to take care of the aftermath as well.


    Whoosh!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Emir''s thoughts paused as his vision was nketed by massive cobwebs that were spewed out


    at him.


    ''Dammit!''


    He didn''t feel threatened by them, however.


    His flight suddenly stopped as his body hit a cluster of concentrated Aether.


    One of his own making.


    Emir began his fall to the ground.


    While in the air, he unsheathed his two swords.


    "Aetheric des."


    They shone a bright dark, their glow bouncing off his face.


    ''Three...''


    He shifted his stance, leaving his left leg behind his right.


    ''Two...''


    His hands switched their grip on the swords.


    ''One...''


    His arms were now raised near and above his head.


    ''Boom.''


    Emir''s body, which leaned forward was a fraction of a second from reaching the ground.


    Crack!


    The rocky floor beneath his right foot crumbled as hended.


    His body continued forward, as his arms reached the ground before his left leg.


    After a quick body roll, both his legs were now fully straight, dashing forward.


    He never stopped his momentum.


    ''АНАНННАННАННАН!"


    Emir let it drag him to higher speeds.


    Now in front of him stood a Fangd, many meters away from its kin.


    He had flown away for a reason.


    Those faster spiders would reach him first, allowing for easy killings.


    His eyesight was once again blocked by a nket of cobwebs.


    ''What''s this?''


    Theynded on him...


    ''I can''t move...''


    Or so it appeared for a fraction, as it was only an afterimage.


    ''No... I... I don''t want to die.''


    Emir sidestepped at thest moment, appearing ten meters to the right.


    Then, with another powerful step, he materialized before the Fiend.


    His swords hovered above the point where the abdomen connected to the cephalothorax.


    Swoosh!


    The swords met little to no resistance on their path.


    They easily cut through the monster as its venom sttered all over his augmented suit''s


    force shield.


    ''Serves you right.''


    A vicious... purr resounded as the Fiend attempted to attack Emir, only to find its body cut in


    half.


    Thud!


    Its purring cries fell on deaf ears as he killed it with a stab right in between the eyes.


    Then, right after, he hid behind its body to avoid another cobweb spree.


    ''Cry...''


    While taking cover, he took the time to break off the pointy parts of the spider''s legs.


    With two in each hand, he jumped up, reaching high in the sky.


    And four spikes shot out to meet them before they could even think of attacking.


    Four Fangds fell.


    ''Five more.''


    Emir looked down to see their kin approaching, and judging by the trembling ground, they


    were quite mad.


    ''Just... kill me.''


    But again, that didn''t matter to him.


    They could do nothing against him.


    His eyes, which saw the world in a slowed state, locked on their prey.


    ''You''re next.''


    ...


    ''Save me, please, don''t leave me behind, please...''


    After no more than twenty seconds, five Fangd were stuck to the ground, dead.


    Emir had used the same bait-and-switch tactic as before, easily killing them.


    Now he was running away, jumping from one rock formation to the next.


    ''Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please.''


    His body felt slightly ''heavier,'' but it was minuscule, as his strength was that of monsters.


    The relic on his finger had emitted a gentle but long pulse before the ''scent'' had stopped


    releasing.


    ''Kill it! KILL IT WITH FIRE!''


    So his location was no longer broadcasted for all to see.


    ''WHY ARE THEY STILL CHASING AFTER ME?!''


    Emir searched for a few minutes and stopped when he found an unpopted cave that


    remained high up on the right wall.


    It was simr to the outside space in appearance, the only difference being their size.


    ''I NEED TO HIDE! A CAVE, WHERE ARE THE FUCKING CAVES?!''


    With a few steps forward, he reached the inside of the cave. Emir proceeded to sit down while resting his back on a wall. ''Now... how do I help that idiot?''