The incident on the ship was resolved after Lex regained her sanity, but it told Niki of another reason he was walking a lonely path. For him, the darkness felt like a home, but that wasn''t the case for others.


    The dark energy invaded their hearts and pulled out their darkest fears and ws, rooting them in their mind. A touch with the explosion of his darkness made Lex''s mind grow unstable.


    Niki knew this wasn''t a typical event but one induced by the Abyssal Art awakening. However, it made him more contaminating to the people around him, and he could see the fear in Yuxi''s eyes as she helped the Gunmaster stand.


    "There are more and more reasons for us to separate, huh?" Sergio stood beside him and sighed. Then, against Niki''s wishes, the alchemist grabbed his shoulder in reassurance. "Don''t worry, boss! If it''s only this issue, then there must be a potion to solve it!"


    Niki could tell that the alchemist was genuine, but he pulled away as he shook his head. The alchemist''s arm froze midair as he slowly lowered it.


    "I don''t n on changing, nor am I nning on running away," Niki said to him with a frown. "This darkness is a part of me, and I''m not nning on treating it like a disease."


    "I didn''t mean..." Sergio shook his head before going silent. "I understand," he gave a nod as he walked toward the two girls. "Then I guess the end is near."


    "It is," Niki stared at the stars above him, and he could tell they were approaching the forgotten ind. Finally, their journey ising to an end.


    ***


    Three dayster, Niki spent sitting on top of the mast, shed by without the group realizing. He nced down at the three people having their meal as they chatted about the battle they fought earlier.


    "One of the birds stole a vial from my hand. Luckily it was an explosive one!" Sergio said with augh. "I guess he was just tired of living, poor fe," he sighed.


    "It''s a better n than just standing there to be blown into nothingness," Lex smiled before she gulped down her soup. Then, Yuxi and Sergio began talking in signnguage.


    They invited him to eat with them, but Niki refused. It wasn''t that he was edgy, but he simply had no appetite after using the Abyssal Art. However, there was a different kind of hunger awaiting him.


    It scared him that the only way for him to be satisfied was to devour humans, but it wasn''t as disturbing as it first was. There was only the dread of being a time bomb for hispanions, as he might devour them if he didn''t find another human soon.


    There were still two days left before he needs to the curse festers, so he hoped that he would be done with the ind by then. Niki looked at the map again, and he could tell that they were close.


    "Here, Boss!" A te appeared beside him on the watchtower, and Niki simply sighed and ced the map away. Sergio gave a bright smile as he held the te of handpicked delicacies for him. "I''m sure that you must be hungry after that show!"


    Sergio was referring to Niki''s power obliterated the flying monsters, making the group shiver in fear. The Abyssal Art utilized his mana''s bane of elements to destroy the world''s phenomena and structure, bringing chaos.


    Arts made mana more specialized, and they were one of the few things that depended on a person''s hard work and understanding to grow powerful.


    "I''m not hungry," Niki shook his head, but the disappointment on the blonde young man''s face made him sigh and take the te. "I''ll try to eat it."


    "Hehe, you won''t be disappointed!"


    After he said so, Sergio jumped down to have another lesson about signnguage with Yuxi. Lex sat on the side, tweaking with a few machines she created. As for Niki, he stared at the food before cing a veggie in his mouth.


    It was delicious, but it also made him feel like throwing up. There was something wrong with his stomach, and he could tell that he was changing. This change began after the awakening of his bloodline, but it was increasing by the day.


    ''Am I no longer human?'' Niki turned to see Sergio stealing nces at him to make sure he was enjoying the food. Then, after a sigh, Niki began eating without the food reaching his stomach.


    In the corner of his pocket dimension, the bites began to appear. It was a deceptive move toward his friend, but Niki didn''t want to make him worry, as they must have noticed he wasn''t eating for the past few days.


    As he expected, Sergio grew cheerful after Niki finished the meal. He felt sorry that he wasn''t as genuine as his friend, but they were never meant to be the same.


    Then, he saw the edge ofnd from within the clouds. Of course, anyone who saw it would dismiss it as simply a shadow, but Niki knew that there must be a flying ind somewhere around.


    "Gunmaster," he didn''t say her name. "Fly us higher than before, as high as you can," Niki said after he jumped down tond in the middle of the deck.


    "Aye, aye, captain."


    Lex went into the core room, and Alias began to rise higher than before. Unfortunately, the ship started growing unstable the higher they rose, and mana currents left marks on the hull. However, Lex''s control was precise, and it made sure the ship didn''t topple.


    As the clouds clouded their view, Niki could feel the presence of condensed mana in front of them. He squinted his eyes as Alias rose more, but an ominous feeling overtook his heart.


    "Slower!"


    Alias began to slow down, and they rose higher without advancing. Slowly, they were leaving the clouds until Niki saw what gave him the ominous feeling.


    A barrier appeared in front of the group, and clouds surrounded it. As Niki saw it, a feeling of despair bloomed in his heart. There was no mention about this barrier being in this ce, and if he as he guessed it to be, then his efforts would be for naught.


    "What do I do next?"


    Lex came out and asked him, but Niki didn''t know where to go from here. He looked at the barrier stretching into the distance, revealing no gaps whatsoever.


    "Let''s try to destroy it," Niki suggested, wanting to see if it was indeed as he guessed. Lex nodded and walked toward one of her crates, taking out a giant gun that looked like a portable cannon.


    "You better cover your ears," Lex said as she took out a helmet and wore it, surrounding her head. She carried the gun toward the edge of the railing and aimed at the barrier.


    The rest of them retreated away from the gun as she began to load it with mana crystals. Then, she pulled a few triggers, and the temperature started to rise. Lex took a firm hold of the gun as she looked at the barrier from beyond her helmet.


    "3, 2, 1..." she counted down slowly. "Fire!"


    A trigger was pulled, and a weapon was fired. The light blinded the group''s vision as Alias was pushed far away from the barrier. Niki saw the shot leave the gun as the deafening sound shook their core and feared that it wouldn''t break the barrier.


    The mana explosion tore through the clouds, creating a tunnel through them. It reached the barrier in an instant, but it felt as it moved ever so slowly.


    ''If this doesn''t work out, then this barrier is one constructed by that skill.''


    A couple of skills shook the world to its core, and they were all of the Legendary Tier. They were called Absolutes because they cared not about strength nor rank as long as their conditions were met.


    The conditions were bizarre and had nothing to do with the user''s mana, which is why they were manifestations of omnipotence. Whoever used these skills could contend against higher ranks and might even emerge victoriously.


    This was what Niki needed: a power that could help him until he grows powerful. However, he knew he was weak, and he could only use preparations to win against the powerful.


    ''Yet now,'' Niki watched the mana st strike the barrier, and a giant explosion urred. ''It seems the property that I seek is the one hindering me the most.''


    The explosion began to disappear, and the three walked toward the railing to see the result of such destruction. However, against all expectations and power, the barrier stood firm without a hint of a crack.


    ''At least it''s true,'' Niki thought to himself as he grabbed the railings. ''Whoever has this skill can be called The Invincible. The name is befitting,'' he remembered the name of the skill he desired.


    Absolute Shield.