CHAPTER 69: NEW SKILL.

The knowledge was imprinted right into his soul...

It was strange, muddled, and it filled him with a sense of existential dread he didn’t know was possible.

Dread that nearly had his heart beating right out of his chest.

Like he was staring right at the vastness of the void beyond the skies where the stars hung sallow.

But it was also soothing and calming. Almost lethally so...

It formed a strange contrast and then a balance.

Nero saw himself swimming in an ocean of stars. The darkness of the void was all around him, but their light dimmed it all.

It was warm and soothing. But the coldness of the void was still ever present.

Just when he thought it would last forever, a sharp pain jolted him away from the feeling.

His eyes widened and his veins popped.

The pain came from his chest.

And the moment it appeared, it only increased.

’Shit.’

A guttural cry of pain tore from his throat as the pain intensified, pushing the bounds between what was supposed to be possible.

Beads of sweat poured down his face as he clenched his claws around his heart, drawing blood as he tried to relieve himself of the pain.

The torture continued for some time until it finally subsided.

By the time he came back to his senses, Nero found himself lying in a pool of his own sweaty grime and blood.

He let out a groan, a scowl on his face as he turned a fearful gaze at the sapling.

’That thing is evil!’

After taking a moment to calm down, he carefully observed his body.

Nothing seemed to have changed on the outside. However, he could tell that something as different about him.

He drew the Silver Blade and put it to his face.

His expression twisted into a humorless smile,

’As monstrous as ever...’

His features seemed more Abominable than human. Sheathing the blade, he was silent for a moment then spoke,

"Oracle, what just happened?"

{The Heretic’s soul and body successfully resonated with the Fruit of Zoan}.

Nero let out a sigh,

"That’s good news then, I guess."

{The process has been completed}.

Almost immediately, Nero felt a subtle warmth flow from his chest into the rest of his body, filling him with a comfortable feeling.

Pain he didn’t know existed was smothered out. The feeling was so good, he unconsciously let out a pleasurable groan.

When it was over, he was filled with so much vigor, he worried he would burst from the surplus energy.

’This is incredible!’

Without wasting any more time, he envisioned the golden runes.

***

Name: Nero.

True Name: Armageddon, Angel of Judgement.

Seal Rank: F

Seal(s): Seal of Divinity (locked).

Relics: Silver Blade, Wandering Spirit’s Journal, Waterskin of Purity, Travelers Charm.

Skills: Heretic Eye, Shadow Shift, Vineheart.

Description: Wanderer.

Sins: Heretic, Witness.

{Heretic}: You are one who truly does not believe. Thus, you have been deemed a Heretic by the heavens and have acquired the Curse of the Divine Will.

{Witness}: The Heart of a Heretic is the One true witness, for it is the only thing not bound by belief. The Witness cannot be easily afflicted by knowledge and madness.

Seals of Sin: (130/1000).

***

His eyes quickly scanned through the runes before settling on something unfamiliar.

"Vineheart..."

The name of the skill was quite... unique.

He focused on envisioning the details of the skill.

***

{Vineheart}: The essence of a dead god now lies within the Heretic, granting him enhanced regenerative capabilities and increased stamina.

***

Nero raised a brow, "Regeneration?!"

He hesitated for a moment then quickly drew the Silver Blade.

If what the runes said was correct, then...

He lightly placed the blade against his flesh and exerted a bit of force.

With how sharp the Silver Blade was, it didn’t take much effort for him to draw blood.

A reddish black line appeared on his blemished skin and a drop of blood slid down and plopped onto the ground.

Nero waited for a bit.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, he noticed the wound begin to close up. In less than a minute, to his utter amazement, the wound has vanished without leaving even a scar.

The only evidence of its existence was the trail of blood on his arm and the drop on the ground.

A grin unconsciously appeared on his face,

"Incredible. How incredible!"

Such a skill could practically be considered am immense boon far greater than anything he currently has at his disposal.

While weapons were great and all, ultimately, his goal was to survive. A healing skill provided what weapons couldn’t provide. Although he had survived up until now, it had always been by the skin of his teeth.

A skill that would heal him passively would to an extent, grant him an extra safety net.

’And then, there’s the other aspect...’

An improvement in his stamina. He could feel it.

Radiating from his heart was seemingly boundless energy that washed through every part of his body. It was a feeling that nothing could beat.

He clenched his fists and threw a punch forward.

The air before his crackled and was displayed under the force of raw physical power.

His eyes shone with a golden radiance.

He was much stronger than he had been when he started his journey of damnation.

Much stronger than he had ever expected to be.

And this was just the beginning.

The further he went down this path he had been shackled to, the more powerful he would become. He knew that for a fact.

However with such power came the risk of potentially losing himself.

Losing everything that made him who he was.

Nero let out a sigh.

In the end, whatever happened could not be changed. All he could do was turn his gaze forward.

And so with that in mind, he glanced at the sapling.

Its vibrant green was a rare sight in this cursed world.

He slowly bowed his head,

"Thank you."

Then he rose to his feet.

With a powerful leap, he gained some height and began scaling the inner wall of the great tree.

In a few moments, he was in the broken edge again.

Taking one last look at the insides of the great tree, he took a step and slid down the other side.