The man unveiled his hood.
He was in his mid-30s, with dark brown hair, emerald green eyes, and striking features.
"Pure vessel…Or I should call you Ed Orves." The man spoke, locking eyes with Ed. He wasn't smiling. Not rage. It was a face of neutrality.
"Who are you?" Ed asked, puzzled. His brows frowned with a troubled expression.
"That's not important, what's important is that thing," He spoke, pointing at Veneol.
Ed followed his point and understood what that man meant.
"Let me clarify something. I'm not here to fight in your stead," He spoke in a way that left no negotiation.
"This is your fight, pure vessel," Once again, he used the strange term unfamiliar to Ed.
"Why do you keep calling me The pure vessel?" Ed asked, expecting an answer.
"That's for another time." Whenever Ed asked things related to the unknown, that man would refuse to answer.
"Then if you aren't here to help me fight, then how can I fight such a monster?"
"I have reached the limit for soul Corruption. My attacks don't hurt him!"
"No matter what I do its useless, and you expect me to win?!" Ed kept rambling until he was out of breath and stopped. Ed was frustrated, not able to do anything against Veneol, who wasn't even in the 40th rank. He was a mere 60th batch nightmare lord.
"There is just one way," he met Ed's eye, kneeling.
"Fight! No matter how much you suffer, no matter how hard the time is, no matter the timeline, just fight."
"If you can do it. Then a mere nightmare lord is nothing. But the current situation isn't good," He spoke as white flames appeared.
"Fifteen minutes…that's all you got. " It's the power you wield far in the future," He said as he smiled.
A pause and continued.
"If you can't master this, die here, though we want the pure vessel. So survive and prove the world once again who is the Stardust bearer!" He said with conviction, his voice laced with warmth and resolve.
Ed couldn't understand what he meant by the latter part, but he understood the first.
"I'll see you," He said as he placed his white, flaming palm on Ed's back, as a strange red aura and blue spirit energy coiled on Ed's body.
After that, that man's silhouette vanished.
Before vanishing, he said it in barely a whisper.
'It's been a while…my king,' Words only he could hear, not Ed, no one except him alone.
-
-
-
The flow of the world returned.
Time resumed in motion.
The massive spike about to strike Ed suddenly crumpled. No one knew but Ed and that mysterious man. Having no name was inconvenient, so Ed decided to call him a "Choronaut".
The air around Ed was intense; the pressure was so crushing that everyone on the battlefield became wary of him.
[Future memory acquired]
-Timeline: Unknown.
-Due: 15 minutes.
- - -
The system message rang beside Ed's ear. But it was different. Too extraordinary a sort Ed never saw.
Then an interface appeared before Ed's eye. A wide interface, then a video played of a young man fighting monsters, an opponent. It was Ed, but far in the future.
The system helped Ed decipher the combat principles he used.
"This headache again…" As the process was done, Ed clutched his head hard enough. The pain subsided in a short amount of time.
"I have fourteen minutes only, I can't waste any more time," Ed muttered under his breath.
Ed drew his sword and enveloped a red aura.
Veneol narrowed his eyes, seeing the strange red aura.
"Again with the tricks, huh. As I said, it's useless," Veneol said as he leaped toward Ed.
Veneol's fist swung against Ed's torso.
It sent Ed flying.
Ed failed to activate his technique, all the while he was running out of time.
"This is hard…" Ed thought.
"Crimson Soul!" Again, a red aura enveloped Ed's sword. But this time it was dense more condensed.
A strange red aura flashed.
Ed swung.
Veneol charged.
In mid-fight, the red aura vanished. Ed failed again, unable to harness his prowess.
"It's useless, mortal," Veneol said coldly.
"Crimson Soul." Then a new light, the red was redder and the blue appeared bluer. His aura was now more violent and chaotic.
Ed had succeeded in reflecting the powers he used far in the future.
All of a sudden, red energy from the earth erupted.
The ground started to crack.
It trembled violently.
Without warning.
Huge red spears erupted from the earth.
It struck Veneol. The veins on the skin of Veneol started to quiver and bulge. Then, in mid-air, the spear shifted its motion and lunged at Ed.
Ed caught it, then the red spears dissolved and entered Ed's body. On the opposite side, Veneol's skin was losing its luster.
"What's this? Why am…I" Veneol pondered. He was puzzled. Strength leaking from his body. As if he were drained constantly.
"What a terrifying power, Ed Orves. I guess that's what they called you." Veneol said as he rose to his feet. Sure, Veneol's strength was drained, but he was far from dead.
"Soul Light of Heavens," Ed muttered.
He raised his sword high above the heavens.
Blue aura formed in the heavens. Clouds hovered in the sky. Black clouds.
Tharrr!!!
Thunder fell on Ed's sword. Red—blood red aura surged where Ed stood.
Ed leaped. The place where Ed stood was shattered.
Black sludge rained down on Ed—not ordinary sludge, poisoned. The source was Venezuela.
Ed charged.
Veneol leaped.
'Five more minutes,' Ed's mind raced.
"Thunder Soul: Ed Orves style!!!" Ed screamed as he swung.
Ed was faster. Too fast.
At the final moment, Ed poured everything he had and struck Veneol.
SLASHHHH!!
Catastrophic damage. Too fierce.
Rubbles scattered. Craters appeared at random.
Smokes rose.
The smokes cleared up.
Ed's Thunder Blade protruded from behind Veneol.
Pool of black blood.
Stillness. Total stillness.
"But…how?" That's all Veneol could utter, coughing blood.
Veneol was defeated. A mortal had defeated a nightmare lord, not even an S-rank. The youth's Slayed nightmare Lords beyond their capabilities. They were far ahead of their mates.
Ed collapsed on the place.
[Quest complete]
[Soul adaptation stage 1 obtained]
[stage 1: Regeneration]