Dual System: Ascension of A Nameless Nobody

"But yeah, he's here. Which…I don't have to explain why that's a bad thing," he scratched his head.

"I was hoping a bastard like that would've fallen into the pits of hell by now," Yeong-Un kicked a pebble, "That's just one more damn thing to worry about, huh?"

"If player killers like that are allowed, what about GOETIA users?" Korain asked.

He nodded, "Yeah, well…I also ran into a GOETIA user in Minjing."

Korain almost didn't look surprised, "...Really?"

"I didn't think it was important at the time," he explained, "I was wrong–sorry."

Though after what he experienced and what they were all going through, nothing was held against him.

"What happened with that?" Korain asked.

"Yeah. Encounters with those scum is always messy," Yeong-Un huffed.

He looked the other way, "...I took care of it."

The two members of Gangcheori looked a bit surprised, sharing a glance between each other before looking at him again.

"Nice," Korain complemented.

"Good job," Yeong-Un added.

He scratched his head, fiddling with his hair, "Enough about that. So we know GOETIA members are here as well as Baek-Hyeon. Besides monsters and whatever else, we've got to watch our backs around other people, too."

"Nothing's changed there," Korain breathed out, "That's been our battle for a while."

Archie finally added himself into the conversation, "GOETIA users, eh? Sounds scary."

"Yeah, well, let's just hope we don't run into any of them," he said.

All conversations between players within the chamber were cut short as from behind the dragon statue, footsteps sounded out, echoing off of the primordial walls.

"Welcome, warriors from another world."

–

[Outskirts of Yinlong]

"I'm starting to feel like we haven't made any progress…" Sol groaned.

Despite leaving the bounds of the forest, he still found himself in ever-expanding nature, devoid of civilization.

"Ha-ha! Try to be optimistic for once, you pessimist! It is very dazzling to moan-and-groan all the time!" Tsukikage laughed.

"Yeah, easy for you to say," he sighed.

Leading the way, the silver-haired androgynous figure walked beside the calm river, which flowed with a gentle rush through the greenlands.

"Let's just follow the river," Xiaodan suggested, "It's our best bet."

"See?" Tsukikage looked back at him with his shining, pink eyes, "Be more like your friend here! He's flashy, dazzling, and optimistic–like a ray of sunlight dancing on the grass!"

Xiaodan was a bit overwhelmed by such powerful compliments as he nervously chuckled and continued marching forward.

The bandana-wearing young man only sighed out, "...Somebody has to be the realist around here."

In the far distance, there was a mountain that caught his eye; though the unknown region was plentiful with colossal rocks, this was an exception in how clouds seemed to curve around it in the perfect shape of a ring.

Weird, he thought.

Either way, it was the direction they were heading. There were some slimes that crossed their path at times, though the gelatinous creatures seemed to at least realize they weren't a match for the humans as they bounced onward.

"I wonder if the others are doing alright," Xiaodan said, looking up.

He walked beside the silver-haired boy, holding his orange-tipped spear in his hand, "If I'm alive, then they sure are. Let's see…Yeong-Un is too ferocious to die in an uncool way, Korain is way too much of a badass to go down, Ma-Ri, well, I can't imagine her losing; Eunji might be a bit of a coward like me, but…she always pulls through. And Jeong-Hui…he's got a special knack for living."

Xiaodan seemed relieved by his words, smiling and nodding, "Yeah, you're right. I just…really hope Jeong-Hui made it. After all he did for me…I wouldn't have even had the chance to enter the Tower, let alone be here."

"Then make sure you thank him when we meet back up," he smiled.

"Right," Xiaodan's smile brightened.

From the back, Tsukikage was watching the flank as his earrings jingled with a passing breeze. Though something seemed to catch his attention as he suddenly stopped, calling out as he held his hands out.

"Come out, whoever is trailing us!" Tsukikage yelled out.

"Huh?" Sol stopped, looking back at the man, "What're you talking about?"

"I don't see anybody…" Xiaodan said, glancing around.

The two who were confused looked in the same direction as Tsukikage, finding a sudden aura of shadows coalescing before shaping into the form of a human. Though it was clearly not a normal human, as the person had two horns and a green-scaled tail swaying behind their back.

It was a man dressed in black garbs, dressed like the shadows themselves with amethyst eyes and black-and-purple hair.

"Who is that…?" Sol said, holding his weapon up.

Just then, the status of the enigmatic figure appeared:

[Yinglong Empire | One of The "Twelve Winged Generals" | Ash, The Black Death | Level 46]

Such a level immediately caused his hands to sweat as his grip on his spear faltered; it wasn't just him, either, as Xiaodan was noticeably sweating, standing beside him with his hands raised in a combat stance, but neither seemed ready to combat such a foe.

Tsukikage remained standing strong though as he manifested twin blades forged from cosmic energy, "...And who might you be? You're not very flashy at all, and looking at you is quite depressing."

The tan-skinned man from the shadows kept his distance, but a malicious energy still poured from his position, "I was merely here for reconnaissance. Why'd you go and have to notice me? I just needed some information. What a bother. I wasn't looking to fight today."

"Oh?" Tsukikage said.

In the hands of the gloomily-dressed man, dark smoke billowed before revealing curved blades, held in a reverse grip like onyx talons. This same smoke poured out from Ash's position, causing the foliage to wilt as a smog surrounded the field.

"I'll eliminate you all right here," Ash said, "In the name of the Great Emperor."

The black smoke enclosed around the three, with Sol and Xiaodan naturally standing back-to-back, unknowing of what to expect.

Tsukikage faced the Winged General, calling out to the two behind him, "I'll face this one. You two hold off the small fry."

"The small fry–?" Xiaodan repeated, "What's he–?"

It was then that they both figured out what the flashy man was referring to, as from the veil of smoke, creatures of black miasma crawled out, groaning as they emerged from the lifeless darkness.

"Eek!" Sol squealed, raising his spear.

[Abyss Fiend | Level 20]

Though the level of the undead soldiers were manageable in a vacuum, there were a high number of them, all surrounding the two.

"C'mon, Sol! We can't just stand around!" Xiaodan said.

Without hesitation, the silver-haired martial artist was already jumping into action, using a quick succession of blows to repel the nearest undead.

Though there was some delay in his motivation, the bandana-wearing spearman did join his comrade in battle, thrusting his spear against the many, mangled bodies of the abyss-born fiends.

"Get back…! Don't touch me! I'll get tetanus!" He yelled out.

–

While they handled the fiends from the black smoke, Tsukikage glanced back while holding his celestial-forged blades.

…I'll just have to trust that those two can handle themselves, he thought.

Ash was obscured by smoke as it oozed directly from his pores, making it difficult to track him as he slowly began to move towards the man, "I can tell just by looking at you. You're somebody that I can't allow to live."

"Oh? Is that a compliment?" Tsukikage smiled.

"Take it for what you will," Ash said, "A threat like you needs to be snuffed out."

In that instant, the black-dressed, draconic man vanished as only smoke was left from his position, reappearing behind the jewelry-wearing eccentric within the blink of an eye.

Fast, are you? He thought.

The curved blade was already inching near his throat mere milliseconds after the last word had left Ash's mouth, but it failed to reach.

"--!" Ash cancelled his assassination attempt halfway through.

Tsukikage vanished even faster than the Winged General had, distorting the space around him and even causing the blade to seem to wiggle and curve at many ends.

What is this? My blade…can't move further? Ash questioned.

This mysterious power caused the wary fighter to vanish back with his smoke, keeping his distance as he watched space settle before the jingle of earrings subtly met the horned man's ears.

"Behind you," Tsukikage whispered into his ear.

It was that hum of space being distorted again before the presence of the well-built man was felt in full behind the gloomy-attired Yinlong general, who swiftly jumped back, invoking a spell to counter.

"Ghastly Hydra!" Ash invoked.

Forming from the endless smoke at the dragonkin's disposal, dragonheads were shaped, roaring out and launching towards Tsukikage, who spun his cosmis-shaded swords around with a smile.

"I like it! Quite flashy, indeed!" Tsukikage yelled.

As he swiped his blade around, emitting powerful, pressurized bursts of winds with each slash, he cut the smoke-born hydras before they could use their intangible jaws to ensnare him.

Though it didn't seem to quite work as though the smoke was parted and bisected, it reformed, allowing the hydras to continue chasing towards him without losing a moment.

"Oh?" Tsukikage watched.

Ash kept his distance, allowing more smoke to pour from his sleeves to extend the range of the hydras, "...Brute strength won't save you against my hydras. Die."