Hero of Darkness
Hero of Darkness - Chapter 13: The Regret

Gobsmacked! Kahn's jaw hit the ground as soon as he heard the information. This wasn't just some higher version of a species, it was a descendant of an ancient Godbeast!

Although Kahn had no idea of what these Godbeasts were but given the fact that the word 'God' was in the name, it was enough to give him a clear idea of how strong that mythical creature might be. Even for a descendant, the Somir in front of him was already a very strong creature.

If not for Kahn using a despicable & underhanded method like using the kids to kill the mother, he possibly couldn't have done it unless he had reached the same level as the one lying on the ground.

"Absorb!"

Kahn spoke & the Ability Absorption divine ability started working, but unlike the previous times, it took around 4 minutes to finally absorb the new abilities. But at the end of it, there was still 80% of the flesh and blood from the original body was left as it is. The system probably absorbed only that was enough & left the rest.

Ding!

[The host has acquired the following abilities :

Poison Acid

Paralysis Gaze

Poison Immunity (Grandmaster Rank)

Acute Sense

Somir's Scales

Basilisk Bloodline absorbed : 30% purity

Note : Acute Sense merged under Survival Intent Blessing. The accuracy of Survival Intent ability increased by 40% and the range increased to 15 meters.

Synthesis Divine Ability activated!

Host can merge Predator's Eyes & Paralysis Gaze to create a new skill. Would host like to perform the synthesis?]

"Synthesize." Kahn said without a hitch.

[Synthesis complete. Host can now divert his killing intent towards a single target and the target will be paralyzed on the spot, unable to move its body for the next 20 seconds.

Works only on target weaker than the Host.

The host must name this first Merged skill.]

Kahn thought for a moment about the most fitting name. With this newly created skill, he could simply make anyone attacking him stop midway through their attack, paralyze them on the spot and simply walk towards them and end their lives under those 20 seconds. This was him simply executing his enemies.

"Executioner's Gaze."

[Congratulations to the host for creating the first skill. The efficiency of Executioner's Gaze increased by 50% and time extended to 30 seconds.]

"Bloody hell!" Kahn shouted and started laughing like the Joker.

This new skill was just too OP. Imagine if he could upgrade this ability in the future and use it on multiple targets at the same time. He'd be able to face any Ambush with ease. Even with just a single target, this could save his life if he were to fight someone who's attacking from a long distance like an Archer or attacked him from stealth like an Assassin. Kahn would be able to sense the attacker with his Survival Intent and then use Executioner's Gaze to root them on the spot. This skill will definitely be one of his trump cards.

After finally stopping his maniacal laughs, Kahn activated and tried out Somir's Scales ability. Quickly, Black hexagonal skin as hard as an iron shield appeared around all over his body. And the best part was that it was very lightweight and didn't hinder Kahn's physical movements at all. This was by far his best defensive skill because even Wilker hide skill put a lot of restrictions on his body parts with all the spikes and bulged-out regions which would become a problem if he was wearing any clothes and had to use this ability to protect himself. If he was forced to use it among a crowd, he'd be labeled as a monster or a mixed race.

Kahn wandered a bit and asked the System,

"Hey system, this wasn't listed in the Abilities of the Somir when you scanned it. So how did I get this ability ?"

[Ability Absorption divine ability can extract all forms of physical & magical abilities, bloodlines of rare species & skills from any targeted being.

Somir's scales are its unique & exclusive physical ability. Extremely rare even amongst other Descendant species of Godbeasts. The scales can't be broken through even with Alpha Wolf's claws ability the host already has.]

This gave Kahn another revelation.

If they had not used the Gigantic boulder's speed and weight while forcing the Somir to use its body to protect the eggs, they possibly would never have managed to kill it.

Forget killing it, both Kahn & Omega's most offensive abilities & skills wouldn't have even left a scratch on the scales.

"Is the Goddess of Luck in love with me?" Kahn asked himself.

First, it was the pack of wolves he luckily managed to kill just in time before his Berserk God Mode ended and now this terrifying creature which he couldn't have managed to kill even with all his attacking abilities without dying at least a hundred times before he could even make it bleed.

"Oh my God! Is this the legendary Plot Armor?!" Kahn asked himself, full of awe & disbelief.

Because given how things were going in his favor whether it was keeping his life in the last moment or gaining abilities suitable and to his advantage given his current situation, there was definitely someone akin to a God helping him from behind the shadows.

Author : *tips imaginary hat* Yare yare daze.

"Whew.. Protagonist halo huh.." he spoke to himself and then examined his body again. The scales covered many vital organs on his body such as his heart, his abdomen, neck region and private parts. His shoulders & arms looked like Batman's Batsuit from The Dark Knight only with hexagonal patterns in his case. His entire body had become a walking and breathing armor.

Apart from his face, he could cover his entire body in these ink black yet shiny and lustrous scales which even reflected the sun rays to some degree.

Kahn finally got a hold on his emotions and tore through the abdomen region of Somir which wasn't covered by these scales. And took the core out of the Somir's heart.

But unlike all his previous encounters with the monster, this core wasn't red but Violet in color and radiating a faint glow as well.

"System, what rank would the Somir be at compared to all the Monster species in your knowledge ?" Kahn asked. He wanted to grasp exactly what level of monster did they luckily killed.

[According to System's database, the Somir would be ranked at Legendary level. Just below the Mythical and Godbeast Level.]

At this point, Kahn grew numb & forgot to even breathe.

"What the fuck? Legendary Level ? Did I just pick a fight with a Legendary monster and even managed to kill it without dying?" Kahn sat on the ground, completely out of his wits.

[For what it's worth. The Somir in front of the host is only 50 years old. A fully matured Somir would be at least Level 200 and around 500 years old. The host has lucked out.] The system replied trying to console Kahn.

"Yes, extreme luck. Otherwise even that boulder wouldn't have managed to kill it, rather the boulder would've cracked instead if it was a matured Somir." Kahn finally came to terms with his luck.

"Hey system, will there be any side effects if I eat it in one go? This core looks extremely high grade & powerful. I won't explode right after eating it, right?" Kahn asked, he wasn't stupid to eat out something that looked so powerful & full of magical energy.

[No. Ability Absorption divine ability will control the flow of the mana absorbed and distribute it inside the host without causing any side effects to the host's physical body.] System informed Kahn.

"Truly a Cheat code." Kahn sighed and ate the Violet Core of Somir. A sudden surge of energy emanated from the core as soon as it reached inside Kahn's stomach.

Kahn quickly signaled Omega to be on guard and sat on the bare ground with his legs crossed, in a Buddha Lotus position just like those Cultivation Manhuas & Novels. He understood how crucial this moment was. His entire body felt like it was breaking through its limits every second and Kahn went into a meditating state, focusing on the flow of Mana inside his body while trying to comprehend how Mana itself functioned in this world.

From what God of Darkness told Kahn back then, the magical energy in Vantrea was so abundant that creatures here absorbed it inside their Souls which eventually allowed their bodies to adapt to it and become fortified with time.

And otherworlders like Kahn who were summoned here had Souls far stronger than the creatures living here so their Souls could absorb both Magical & Natural energy in this world far many times faster and process it in a short time.

During his meditative state, he felt that something inside him was becoming more larger and denser as the core was being absorbed at a fast pace.

Ding! Ding! Ding!..... The notification sound in his head kept ringing more than two dozen times and the aura Kahn was radiating was becoming denser and the area covered under it was expanding gradually. Kahn was Leveling up at an unimaginable rate.

After 2 hours of being in this state, Kahn finally opened his eyes. With mental clarity so many times higher than before, the reach of his eyesight becoming so sharp that he could even see every single hair on his arm & even count them without losing track. His entire thought process became 3 times faster than before and his demeanor changed from a warrior-like man to a warlord who controlled everything around him.

This wasn't just physical or mental change, rather a complete transformation for Kahn. As if he was born anew and lived through decades of life fighting battles and reigning as a King.

Kahn was no longer an uninformed man. He understood one thing after his body and mind underwent this massive change. He had somehow managed to inherit the will of the Somir.

"System, give me all the details on my Attributes & Skills. A detailed report." Kahn ordered. Even the way he interacted with the system had changed.

Earlier, whenever he asked any questions or commanded the system, it was more like him relying on some external being who he needed. But now, the way he commanded the system was more like a Tyrant giving an order to one of his subjects.

[ Host Attributes and Skills are as follows :

Name : Kahn (Host)

Species : Human

Level : 30

Strength : 60

Agility : 60

Dexterity : 90

Defense : 50

Mana : 150

Divine Abilities : Ability Absorption, Dimensional Law, Synthesis

Blessings :

War Dominance (Stage 1)

Weapon Mastery (Master Rank)

Combat Mastery (Master Rank)

Survival Intent (Stage 1)

Berserk God Mode ( 5 times the physical strength)

War Deity Body (Stage 2)

Gifts : All Languages Knowledge known to the War Deity.

Abilities & Skills :

Alpha Wolf's Claws

Alpha Wolf's Howl

Long stride

Sprinter

Hunt Perception

Predator's eyes

Panorama vision

Wilker Hide

Acute Sense

Poison Acid

Poison Immunity (Grandmaster Rank)

Somir Scale body

Executioner's Gaze ]

Finally, after going through everything he possessed till this point, Kahn stopped thinking about his current state and calmed his mind.

Without wasting any more time, he jumped inside the nest and came closer to the Golden shelled eggs that the mother Somir died protecting.

Kahn had no regrets for what he did until now, but after inheriting the Somir's Will. He felt an innate form of connection towards these eggs as if they were his own kin, like they were his own children.

He touched 2 of the 3 eggs with his hands and commanded the system again.

"Check their situation. Can they survive?" Kahn spoke.

[Scanning complete. Both the eggs are in the midway of maturity. However, they have already formed the traces of their bloodline & their cores..]

At this moment, the system voice stopped as if hesitating to reveal more. But then after a long pause, it continued again.

[But without Mother Somir managing heat temperature to help their maturity, the embryos will die in 2 days. Only the heat received from the mother Somir can ensure their survival.]

As soon as the system told him this, he put his hand on the 3rd egg only to receive the same response from the system.

Kahn clenched his fists and a look of regret was on his face. He knew it was the will of mother Somir making him think this way because Kahn's action in pursuit of strength & survival led to this moment. So what if this was a Kill or be Killed world? Did he really have to attack the Somir in the first place? He could've gone somewhere else and left the Somir who was only guarding its eggs alone. And these rare eggs would one day breed life of their own. At the end of the day, these were Sentient beings just the same as Kahn was. Kahn didn't just kill their mother, he also gave these little ones a death sentence.

There were two conflicting sides in his head, one was justifying his actions while the other one was berating him for being heartless.

Tears trickled down Kahn's eyes as he looked towards the eggs and then the dead body of the Somir lying outside the nest. Unlike his own family who were never there for him.. This legendary creature which was a mother itself gave its life for the children without even flinching twice. This motherly love was something Kahn never felt in his previous life.

"I'm sorry!" Kahn said and wiped off the tears.

The Somir was indeed a Legendary creature to have its core form a will. So naturally, this will was making Kahn feel guilty for his actions. Kahn understood this as well but couldn't find a way to justify his doing either.

"System, tell me. Is there a way I can save these eggs?" Kahn asked.

[With our current situation & abilities at the host's disposal, it's impossible.]

"Dammit!" Kahn cursed, feeling even more regret than before.

[System detects that the Host's mind is being influenced by the Will of the deceased Somir.

Taking precautionary measures. Would host like to terminate this external consciousness?]

System asked, there was indeed a way for Kahn to not feel guilty any longer. And he'd be back to being himself before he absorbed the core.

"Wait!" Kahn said. He did not want to run away from his doing.

"Can I merge them and create a subordinate?" Kahn asked the system.

[Yes. Since the embryos haven't formed a full consciousness, they can be considered lifeless beings. But host will need a dead body to merge them with. Or the resultant subordinate will not possess any physical abilities of this species since the embryos haven't developed any of them at this stage. With multiple cores and bloodlines that are yet to be awakened, the embryos will not yield a proper form of their species either.]The system gave all the possible outcomes to Kahn should he choose to use them for creating a new subordinate.

Kahn understood what this would mean. A being that won't be useful to him or won't even have a proper consciousness even after going through his Synthesis divine ability. Kahn had no options available.

But then he suddenly saw the dead body of the mother Somir and had an idea.

"System. Completely terminate the external consciousness." Kahn commanded the system.

The next second, Kahn felt all the guilt he felt disappear as if nothing happened at all. His innate connection to the eggs was severed as well. And now he was back to his clear & focused mind he gained after he absorbed the core of mother Somir. But this didn't mean that he had forgotten what he felt just a few seconds ago.

Kahn wrapped his arms around one egg and lifted it, taking it closer to the dead body of mother Somir. He repeated the same action for the remaining eggs and came close to the head of the Somir. He gently patted on the lifeless head of the Somir and said with eyes full of regret and determination at the same time.

"I'm sorry. This is the only I can make sure that your children didn't die in vain. And whatever comes out of this procedure, I promise you that I'll make it so strong one day, that even the Ancient Godbeast like the Basilisk will not be able to stand on even grounds with it.... That will be my penance for condemning your children to the fate of death."