Extra Borne: Transmigrated Into A System Apocalypse Soulsborne Novel-Chapter 67 - 65: Race Against Time (2)

The mist rose around me once more, curling and twisting like restless phantoms. It seeped from my body in waves, carrying a chilling calm that belied the chaos unfolding. I steadied my breath, feeling the cold energy wrap around me like a second skin. My Mist Sword pulsed faintly in my grip, an extension of the mist itself, alive with its own unspoken intent.

Ahead, the five Hands of Altronotch stood unmoving, like harbingers of doom carved from the void itself. Their pitch-black armor warped the air around them, bending light and space with the weight of their presence. The ground beneath their feet burned... not with fire, but with raw annihilation.

Their blades shimmered in the dim light, their edges alive with a volatile, multicolored glow that flickered like dying stars. Each movement they made, no matter how small, carried a intentional menace. They didn’t need to speak. Their presence alone spoke volumes: I was not meant to pass.

One of them moved.

No warning. No sound.

One moment he was standing among his brethren, his void sword at his side, and the next, he was gone.

Before my mind could register his disappearance, he was an inch away from me. His blade had dematerialized, replaced by a fist wreathed in pitch-black energy, its form writhing with impossible shapes.

Boom!

The impact tore through me, splitting my body in half as if I were no more substantial than smoke. Darkness surged through the space I had occupied, dissolving it into nothingness.

But it was not me.

It was my clone.... a projection of mist designed to bait the strike.

I materialized behind him in an instant, the mist solidifying into flesh and form. My sword was already mid-swing, its edge carving a deadly arc toward the gap between his helmet and his collar.

The strike was swift, precise...

Kang!

A deafening clash of steel erupted as another Hand intercepted my blade with his void sword. The sheer weight of the block sent shockwaves rippling through the air, forcing me to take a step back.

Before I could recover, my senses screamed.

Two more of the Hands lunged at me, their pitch-black swords arcing through the air with lethal speed. I barely managed to parry the first strike, my mist blade clashing against their void-forged edges. Sparks of dark energy erupted on impact, each one burning hotter than the last.

Kang! Kang!

I spun to deflect the second attack, the heat of their presence searing against my skin. Their strikes came faster, relentless, each one heavier than the last. Their movements were impossibly precise, coordinated in a way that left no openings.

But I couldn’t falter. I couldn’t stop.

The Tower of Rebirth loomed in the distance, its jagged spires reaching toward the broken sky. Every second wasted here brought me closer to failure, closer to Yadred’s rebirth.

I dissolved into mist again, my body breaking apart into a swirling cloud that danced around their blades. They slashed through the air, but their strikes found nothing but empty space.

Reforming behind one of them, I imbued my mist sword with more mist energy and swung with all my strength.

The mist-enhanced slash carved through the air like a predator unleashed, aiming for the chest of one the Hands of Altronotch..

But he was faster than I anticipated.

The Hand turned in a blur, his void sword flashing as he deflected my attack. Another Hand lunged at me from the side, his fist glowing with black energy that radiated sheer annihilation.

I dissolved again, the mist pulling me out of harm’s way just as his strike shattered the ground where I had stood. The force of his attack left a smoking blood soaked ground, the air around it rippling with heat.

Their power was overwhelming. Their void aura alone made every breath feel heavier, every movement slower. It wasn’t just a fight... it was survival against beings that shouldn’t exist.

But I wasn’t without my own advantages.

As one of them charged me, I let my hypersensitivity guide me. Every step they took, every subtle shift in their stance, every flicker of their weapons.... I felt it all.

I moved before he could strike, sidestepping his blade and countering with a mist-infused slash. The attack landed, carving into his armor and sending pitch dark void liquid cascading from the wound.

For a moment, he staggered.

But only for a moment.

Another Hand was upon me before I could press the advantage, his blade cutting through the air with impossible speed. I parried, the force of his strike sending vibrations up my arm.

The fight was unrelenting.

I dissolved, reformed, struck, and dodged in a desperate dance of survival. The mist became my shield, my weapon, my escape. But even with my abilities, I was being pushed to my limits.

Their void swords sliced through my defenses with unnerving speed, each strike threatening to erase me from existence. Their speed transcended time, their strength shattered the earth, and their endurance made every blow I landed feel meaningless.

But I couldn’t give up.

Not when the Tower of Rebirth was so close. Not when the clock was still ticking.

As I dodged another strike, I caught a glimpse of the tower’s crimson glow pulsating in the distance. Each thrum sent waves of raw energy rippling through the battlefield, a reminder of what was at stake.

I clenched my jaw, summoning every ounce of strength I had left.

The mist surged around me like a living thing, ready to strike again.

This wasn’t over.

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Not yet.

Swoosh!

I darted forward, the mist rising around me as I dematerialized my mist blade. My eyes locked onto the nearest of the Hands, and without hesitation, I imbued my fist with mist energy.

He moved to meet me.

The gap between us disappeared in an instant, and we clashed in the middle. My mist-empowered fist collided with his void-wreathed armor fist.

Boom!

The ground beneath us shattered, mud and blood exploding outward in a violent spray. The impact sent ripples through the air, my bones rattling under the force of the blow. I barely had time to recover before my detection screamed... danger!

One of the Hands had vanished.

I felt him behind me before I saw him. The void sword arced down toward me, a deadly crescent of annihilation aimed at my spine.

But it wasn’t me.

The blade sliced through a figure that dissolved into mist, scattering harmlessly into the wind.

"Cunning wanderer..." the Hand who struck me growled, his voice a low, guttural rumble that shook the earth. "You will not escape us."

I materialized a short distance away, my mist swirling around me like restless ghosts. "Right back at you...." I shot back, my voice steady despite the adrenaline coursing through me.

Another of the Hands stepped forward, the ground trembling under his feet. His voice was calm, almost reverent. "Yadred shall be born anew. You are but a forgotten shadow... you cannot stop it."

I wiped the blood from my mouth and tightened my grip on the mist sword. "I’ll decide when I need lectures," I said quietly. "Not you."

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Around us, the distant roars of void creatures clashed with the cries of the forsaken knights and roamers still locked in battle. My mist swirled around me, and their void energy radiated outward like a black sun. The tension was a taut wire, ready to snap.

Crack.

The sound of my foot breaking the blood-soaked mud was the only warning.

And then, we moved.

Clang! Kang! Clang!

The battlefield erupted into chaos as I faced all five of them at once. Their swords came at me in a whirlwind of destruction, each strike heavier, faster, more precise than the last. Their sheer speed was unnatural... movements so quick they seemed to defy time.

I dodged one strike, dissolving into mist to avoid another. Their void swords hissed as they cut through the air where I had just been, their energy crackling with destructive intent. My hypersensitivity screamed at me, guiding my movements, but the relentless assault was unyielding.

Every parry sent vibrations through my arms, every dodge forced me closer to the edge of exhaustion.. if I hadn’t taken the energy pill Geralda gave me, I would have been dead by now.

Clang!

Their presence burned at my skin, the weight of their void aura pressing down on me like an unrelenting tide.

I reformed at a distance, my breath ragged. But even as I pulled away, one of them was already on me.

Stab!

I felt the void sword pierce through my chest, its edge cutting deeper, splitting me in two with horrifying speed.

Void energy surged through the wound, erasing everything it touched. My body fell apart, dissolving into nothingness.

But it wasn’t me.

The Hand who struck me staggered, a faint hiss escaping from his armor. Black void liquid seeped from a wound on his shoulder, dripping onto the ground like molten tar.

He looked down at the damage, his voice a low growl. "Impossible..."

Not far away, I stepped out of the mist, my mist sword shimmering faintly with traces of void energy. I let the blade hang loosely at my side, its edge dripping with the same black liquid.

I smirked slightly, wiping at the blood on my face with the back of my hand.

"Got you..."