The Smiling Death-Chapter 293: Death’s Darkness

Amon extended his other hand.

Mana stirred inside his body, flowing smoothly through his veins. He focused, and darkness gathered on his left palm.

A familiar sensation spread through his body as mana was consumed. Black mist condensed slowly, forming a sphere of darkness above his hand. It was dense, heavy, and cold. The same darkness he had used countless times before through his element.

Now, both of his hands were raised.

On his right palm rested the darkness born from Death’s Darkness. On his left palm floated the darkness created by mana. Amon stared at them silently.

At first glance, both looked similar. Both were black. Both swallowed light. Both radiated a cold presence.

But the more he observed, the clearer the difference became.

The darkness created by mana was thick, controlled, and stable. It obeyed him completely, responding to his thoughts with precision.

The darkness on his right hand was different. It was deeper. It was blacker. It was more chilling, sending shivers down his spine.

It was not just swallowing light. It erased it. The air around it felt heavier, colder, as if something unseen was pressing down on the space itself. Thin smoky trails leaked from it, twisting unnaturally, as if they were alive.

As if they had some will of their own. Yet they obeyed him completely.

This darkness didn’t feel like an element. It felt like something else. Something very dangerous.

Amon narrowed his eyes, carefully comparing the two. "So this is the difference..." he murmured.

The mana-formed darkness felt like power he used. The darkness born from his ability felt like power that belonged to him.

It didn’t drain his mana. It didn’t strain his body. Yet it carried a pressure that made even him feel uneasy.

Though it did give some strain to his brain, it was not a big deal. Using Death’s Shadow from time to time had improved his mental strength.

Amon slowly clenched both hands. The mana darkness dispersed immediately, dissolving back into the air.

The other darkness did not vanish at once. It lingered for a brief moment, clinging to his palm before slowly fading away, as if unwilling to leave. But when Amon gave a small command, it vanished instantly.

Amon stared at his empty hand. Then he laughed softly.

"Hah... this is amazing."

A grin spread across his face, sharp and amused.

"So that abyss wasn’t for nothing after all."

He could feel it clearly now. This wasn’t just an upgrade. This was a change at the very core of his existence.

Amon looked into the surrounding darkness of the forest, his eyes gleaming faintly.

"If this is what Death’s Darkness can do..." he muttered.

His smile widened. "...then I really did become something troublesome."

Amon turned back and looked into the deep forest. Everything there was dark. The fire’s light could not reach it.

But Amon could see everything. Night didn’t feel dangerous to him. Amon walked toward the forest.

Stomp.

Stomp.

"Maybe... just maybe... it will be more useful in darkness." Amon didn’t know why, but he had a feeling that he could use it much better in pure dark space.

Once he stepped away from the firelight, Amon exhaled deeply.

"It feels more powerful here..."

He could feel it clearly. His body felt slightly stronger in the darkness. Slowly, he extended his hand into the empty space before him.

Focusing, he commanded his ability and waited to see what would happen. The darkness around him trembled. Then it began to move on its own, slowly gathering and drifting toward him.

"What the—?!" His eyes widened in shock.

The darkness was responding to his command.

Cold, smoky dark matter flowed toward Amon in massive amounts. Far more than anything he could ever produce using his own mana.

Then Amon commanded the darkness to wrap around his body.

Excitement surged through him. He wanted to see what would happen if he covered himself in this darkness.

The smoky darkness rushed forward, wrapping around his body. First his feet, then his arms.

Soon, his entire body was coated in black. The darkness clung to his skin like dark armor, reinforcing him and enhancing all his physical abilities.

Dark trails leaked from his body.

"This... this is amazing!" he exclaimed in disbelief.

Next, he commanded the shadows to gather around his feet.

Bending his knees slightly, Amon dashed forward.

He vanished from his original position.

His speed was unbelievable. Far faster than ever before. In an instant, he landed on the branch of a nearby tree, then leapt from one tree to another.

Not a single sound was made.

It was as if the darkness itself was concealing his presence.

If someone were standing nearby, they wouldn’t hear or see anything. Amon looked like someone who had completely merged with the darkness and shadows.

His speed had increased several times over. If he reinforced his body with mana, he could move even faster.

His physical strength had also risen dramatically. He felt like he could shatter a huge rock with a single punch.

He wanted to test it, but stopped himself. The noise would echo through the silent forest.

Still, curiosity overcame caution.

Amon drew his sword. Instantly, the darkness in the air wrapped itself around the blade.

He landed on the ground and swung his sword in a wide horizontal slash.

[Umbral Veil Sword Art: First Form — Crescent of Dusk]

A massive black arc surged forward.

But within the darkness of the night, it was completely invisible.

The slash was so wide and powerful that it cleanly cut down five massive trees in a single strike. As easily as slicing through butter.

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

"Wow... this is overpowered," Amon muttered in awe.

"With this, I could fight a master-ranked opponent on equal footing..."

Of course, it was only during the night.

"Hah..." Amon rubbed his forehead. It was slowly throbbing. He needed to train much harder to get used to these abilities.

Using both of them at the same time would be a real challenge for him.

His feet were wrapped with both darkness and shadow.

Then he noticed something new. Soon, his expression turned shocked and even more excited.