Chapter 271 Two Of A Kind (1)
Chapter 271 Two Of A Kind (1)
Death is a fascinating thing. Some yearned for it and embraced it as a new beginning. While some thought it was the end of their lives. For some, it was the start of a new life, and for some, it was the conclusion. Ashton didn't believe in either.
One did not need to be afraid of death nor do they need to embrace it as an old friend. Death only served one purpose... to make sure no one grew stronger than death itself. It was supposed to serve as a measure to stop an individual or an entire civilization from becoming unstoppable.
Every city, country and planet had to abide by this rule. If there was always a bigger fish in the sea, here Death was the biggest fish. A megalodon maybe? In other words, Death existed to keep the universe in check.
But was death the end of everything? Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. There was no definite answer to it and there would never be one either.
However, at times people were so scared of death, that they did everything they could to evade it even if it meant living an unnatural life by sacrificing countless innocents. The existence of Lich and the undead was a 'living' proof of it.
For the undead, death didn't mean a thing as they were already dead. They enjoyed 'death'. The more they spread it, the happier they were. It was the only reason those fuckers did what they did. In a sadistic way, they wanted the entire world to experience death as they did, not as an enemy, but as a comrade.
Conquering the werewolves and attacking the vampires were just excuses they wanted to make. Only to blame the responsibility of their sadism on the others.
Ashton entered the now abandoned academy, death was the only thing that greeted him. As he crossed corridor after corridor hoping to find Anna and the director, he only found death, hiding in every corner.
He did come across some familiar faces from time to time, which made it all a bit more difficult. He had sworn he would kill the werewolves for what they did to him... but now he didn't want to. Yet, he had to.
[You can't save them all. Remember that.]
Ashton nodded as his claws took the life of yet another familiar face. Werewolves weren't the only ones to die there either. Since the vampires were also studying in the same facility, there were bound to be their corpses as well.
It didn't seem like the vampires even got a chance to fight back. Even though the vampires did not need to breathe, the smoke could enter their bodies through other passages, such as their mouths as they speak.
Once the smoke was inside, it was over for them. The presence of the smoke in their bodies would trigger the 'Coffin' and... that's it.
'Should I convert them into-'
[Don't even think about it. What good would resurrecting them do? They are weak and would have died sooner or later-]
"I got your point so shut it."
The fact that a higher civilization could have been involved in this mess was already infuriating Ashton. On top of that, Astaroth's comment on the uselessness of these people was a bit too much for Ashton to handle.
The Abyssal Smoke might have made him feel good, but it couldn't turn him heartless. He was angry at the inability of all of them to protect themselves and the undead bastards for creating such a mess. At the same time, he was a bit sad as well.
No matter whether he hated them or not, seeing so many people die was enough to ruin even a devil's mood. Ashton shook the random thoughts out of his head and focused on the incoming horde. Another horde of undead creatures who thought of him as food to satisfy their hunger...
Ashton took Balmond out and rushed straight into them. With a simple swing, a couple of heads were severed. The next moment, the bodies of the undead exploded, covering Ashton in black smoke.
It was the final defence move to take down more people even in death. However, their pathetic tries to take him down were hilarious. Had it been a normal person, they would have been killed in an instant. Either because of the injuries or because of the smoke.
But Ashton wasn't an ordinary person. The more they wanted to take him down, the stronger he became.
"Get out of the fucking way!" Ashton yelled before slashing them up like a possessed man.
The abyssal smoke might have made him strong, but it was also messing up with his head. Astaroth knew this, but he also wanted to thoroughly test the effects. That's why he kept observing Ashton quietly.
As he was making quick work of them, his heightened perception sensed something. A faint sound of a heartbeat.
"Someone's alive here?"
[Looks like it's coming from below.]
That was all, Ashton wanted to hear. He summoned all of his strength and punched the floor, breaking it apart with ease.
[Right ahead of you!]
Ashton charged in the direction Astaroth pointed, like a mad man. There were a couple of zombies in the way, but Ashton killed them without even raising a finger. He finally came across a room, Kakaroff's corpse was pinned to the wall right in front of him.
Sadly, he had already turned into one of them. The potioneer Ashton that remembered was no more. Instead, a vile creature had taken his place.
"I'll put you to rest."
Ashton slowly walked up to his former teacher and plunged Blamond right through his chest. Setting his corrupted soul free. Next to Kakaroff was Anna. Several black patches could be seen on her injured body.
The Abyssal smoke was slowly turning her as well, but for some reason, her body was able to fight back.
[It's the fire coursing through her veins. The flames are keeping the smoke at bay for now. At this rate, she would eventually be converted into one of them.]
"Not on my watch." Ashton squatted next to her, gently lifting her head and placing it on his lap, "If I absorb the smoke from her body she would be able to-"
[There's no time for that. It'll take too long for the crystal to absorb it. We'll have to use some other method.]
"Like what?"
[You have to turn her. Turn her into a Zompirewolf. It's the only way.]