The group decided to settle in that crumbling house for at least the night.
The interior was cramped.
Old.
Damp.
Cracks covered the walls while roots pierced through the partially destroyed ceiling.
There was still plenty of time before nightfall, but no one seemed willing to continue walking today.
Especially after everything that had happened.
The seven Awakened settled down as best they could inside the small house.
It was uncomfortably cramped.
But sufficient.
Besides...
Everyone there had many questions.
Many things to talk about.
Or at least almost everyone.
Acheron clearly had no interest whatsoever in that conversation.
She didn't seem curious about the outside world.
Nor about governments.
Nor about humanity beyond America.
In fact...
She seemed to consider all of that absurdly irrelevant.
Then her violet eyes slowly moved toward Samael.
He remained quiet in a corner.
Distracted.
Clearly unable to pay attention to half of what was happening around him.
"He'll do, I guess..."
Acheron thought as she observed him.
Then she simply walked over to him.
And grabbed him by the arm.
"It'll be fun to torture him... I mean, train him."
— Hm?
Samael looked at her without understanding anything at all.
— Where are you taking him? — Liu immediately asked, stepping into Acheron's path.
Her voice turned cold instantly.
Cyrene also turned toward her companion.
— What are you planning to do, Acheron?
The purple-haired girl seemed genuinely confused by their concern.
— I'm not interested in this conversation.
Her tone remained completely casual.
— So I'm going to train him.
She cast a brief glance at Samael.
— After all, he can't even pay attention properly right now.
Samael remained silent for a moment.
...She wasn't wrong.
Ever since he had seen that Cursed Creature, his mind seemed constantly disconnected from reality.
As if part of him were still trapped on that impossible mountain.
Liu still didn't move out of the way.
— You...
She clearly wanted to say that she didn't trust her.
But Acheron interrupted her first.
— Relax, blindfolded girl.
Her tone sounded almost bored.
— I'm not going to do anything to him.
Then she simply walked past her, dragging Samael along.
Liu watched the two of them leave.
Clearly uncomfortable.
But at the same time...
She knew.
If Acheron truly wanted to hurt them, no one there would be able to stop her.
Samael still looked lost as he was dragged outside the house.
"Where is she taking me?"
He even tried to resist at first.
But he quickly realized something important:
Acheron was absurdly strong.
No matter how much he tried to plant his feet into the ground...
It seemed completely useless.
So after a few seconds, he simply gave up.
And allowed himself to be dragged along.
Samael found himself behind the crumbling house.
The wind silently crossed the ruined streets while Acheron stood before him.
No guard.
No defensive stance.
As if she simply didn't believe Samael was capable of hurting her.
Which... honestly... was probably true.
Then Acheron slowly drew her sword.
SHIIIING—
The violet blade left its sheath.
The purple blade was slowly swallowed by a deep crimson red as it emerged.
Acheron simply raised the sword.
And cut the wind.
The very next instant—
Samael's mind became completely clear.
The crushing weight disappeared.
The sensation of distortion vanished.
The memories of the mountain still existed...
But they felt distant.
As if they were separated from him by an invisible barrier.
His perception returned to normal.
His consciousness as well.
Samael's eyes widened.
— What... did you do?
His voice carried genuine disbelief.
Acheron slowly sheathed her sword.
CLICK.
— I separated you from the encounter with the Cursed Creature.
Her tone remained casual.
As if she were talking about something simple.
— Unfortunately, it won't last more than ten minutes.
She let out a small sigh.
— And it also consumed practically all of my soul essence.
Outwardly, Acheron looked exactly the same.
Calm.
Indifferent.
But internally...
Her soul core was almost dry.
And the burden of that cut pressed down on her entire body.
As if something invisible were slowly crushing her bones.
Even so, she didn't seem to care.
Samael stood still for several seconds.
Trying to organize his thoughts.
Because now...
Without that influence distorting his mind...
He could finally fully comprehend what had happened.
And that frightened him even more.
None of this existed in the novel.
Not the colonies.
Not the natives.
Not Acheron.
Not those absurd laws governing America.
This had already gone completely beyond everything he knew.
— Are you going to keep staring at me until you become an idiot again? — Acheron complained.
Samael finally snapped out of his thoughts.
Then he summoned his Ascended spear.
At the same time, he summoned his sword, Folly, and coated his arm with soul essence.
Without hesitation...
He threw the spear like a projectile.
BOOM!
The weapon tore through the air violently.
In less than a second, it was already in front of Acheron's face.
CLANG!
She deflected the spear with her still-sheathed sword.
Completely casual.
Samael charged immediately afterward.
Folly sliced through the air in several rapid strikes.
The first attack.
Acheron merely tilted her body slightly to the side.
The blade cut through empty space.
The second attack.
She deflected it using the sword's sheath.
The third.
The fourth.
The fifth.
All of them missed.
Or rather...
She made them seem like they missed.
— Our way of manipulating soul essence is divided into four stages. — Acheron explained calmly.
Then she struck.
Samael raised Folly by instinct.
BOOOOM!
The impact launched him several meters backward.
— The first stage is called "Connection."
Samael slid across the ground before regaining his balance.
But Acheron was already in front of him.
The sword came directly toward his temple.
Fast.
Precise.
Deadly.
Samael threw himself to the side immediately.
The blade passed grazing his face.
— This stage can be reached through long periods of meditation.
Acheron continued explaining as if she weren't nearly crushing Samael.
— The objective is to merge your spirit with your soul essence.
Samael listened attentively.
But he didn't even have time to respond.
Because Acheron disappeared again.
She appeared behind him.
Her foot came down violently.
If that attack landed...
Every bone in his body would be crushed.
Without time to think, Samael simply followed his instincts.
His body lunged forward in a desperate forward roll.
BOOOOM!
The ground exploded behind him.
Stones flew.
Cracks spread through the concrete.
Samael's eyes widened slightly when he saw that.
"...She's really trying to kill me."
— The "Connection" stage drastically reduces soul essence waste. — Acheron continued as if nothing had happened. — And greatly improves physical enhancement.
Then her violet eyes met his once more.
And for the first time...
A small smile appeared on her face.
— Now stop running.
Special Note — Chapter 100
Honestly... I never imagined this fanfic would reach Chapter 100.
When I started writing it, it was simply because I loved Shadow Slave and wanted to tell a story that entertained me. Back then, I wasn't even sure I could finish ten chapters, let alone one hundred.
To be completely honest, grammar was never my strong point. Back in school, I definitely wasn't the best student when it came to writing. That's why looking back now and realizing I've written all of this still feels a little surreal.
I'd also like to take this moment to thank a few people.
Karr_Knight, every chapter I find myself waiting for your "hi." It may seem like a small thing, but it always makes me happy and helps me keep writing.
CuriousPhilosopher, your comments make me reflect on the story in ways I never expected. Many times they've brought genuine smiles to my face. Seeing someone analyze characters, scenes, and details with so much attention is still something that surprises me.
Joe_Borden, welcome aboard. I've read all of your comments, and they were very important to me as well.
And, of course, thank you to everyone else who has followed this journey so far. Unfortunately, I can't mention everyone's name, but please know that every comment, every like, and every read made a difference.
Thank you all for following Sam's journey this far.
And... please be a little patient with him.
Now, I think it's only fair to let Samael thank you personally.
Samael looked from side to side, clearly searching for anything to focus on other than the people standing in front of him.
The tips of his ears were slightly red.
His fingers fidgeted nervously as he tried to ignore his embarrassment.
"This is so embarrassing..."
He took a deep breath.
— First of all... hi, Karr_Knight.
His voice came out quieter than he intended.
Samael took another breath.
— Honestly, it's kind of embarrassing knowing there are people following my life.
He looked away.
— But... thank you for making it this far.
For some reason, that simple sentence felt harder than fighting a Nightmare Creature.
Then he remembered something.
Or rather...
Someone.
Standing beside him, Elizabeth was staring at him with a serious expression.
— Please don't do anything stupid.
She crossed her arms.
— And don't forget to thank them properly.
— I am thanking them properly! — Samael protested.
— You're trying.
— That counts.
Elizabeth simply sighed.
Samael cleared his throat and looked forward again.
— CuriousPhilosopher... thank you for paying so much attention to me.
His face grew slightly redder.
— Honestly, it still feels strange knowing someone analyzes my life that much.
He looked away for a moment.
— But thank you.
Samael remained thoughtful for a few seconds.
— Ah... and to everyone who criticized me along the way...
A smile appeared on his face.
— I'll remember that.
The smile wasn't exactly reassuring.
— Every single one.
Elizabeth immediately smacked the back of his head.
— Thank people without threatening them.
— I wasn't threatening anyone!
— Of course you weren't.
Samael ignored the comment.
— Joe_Borden, welcome. Even if this is embarrassing, please keep following my journey.
He scratched the back of his neck.
— And thank you for all your comments.
For a few seconds, Samael fell silent, trying to remember if he had forgotten anything important.
Then he nodded.
— Thank you very much, everyone.
— Are you done? — Elizabeth asked.
Samael immediately covered his face with both hands.
— Liz... I want to disappear.
— Come on. It wasn't that difficult.
She pointed into the distance.
— And Liu is already looking for you for training.
Samael instantly looked even paler.
Elizabeth then turned her attention toward the readers.
Her lavender eyes carried an unusual seriousness.
— Thank you for taking care of him.
After saying that, she gave a small bow.
— Goodbye.
Then she simply turned around and walked away.
A few seconds later, a beautiful woman with blue hair appeared, casually strolling by.
Haru.
She released a small cloud of smoke into the air.
— Have any of you seen a lost boy around here?
Haru looked around for a few seconds.
— Weird-colored hair.
She thought for a moment.
— Actually, that doesn't narrow it down much.
With a shrug, she continued walking after Elizabeth, not realizing the other woman was already long gone.
Soon after, another figure appeared.
Liu.
A wooden sword rested in her hand.
Her long white hair swayed gently in the wind.
The young woman looked around for a few moments.
— Sam?
Silence.
— Sam.
More silence.
She stood there quietly for a few seconds.
Then she sighed.
— He ran away again.
With the same calm expression as always, Liu began searching for him.