novelno Chapter 297: Breath of Death
Chapter 297: Breath of Death
The sky of the Necrotic Realm remained ashen.
However, unlike the previous oppressive, light-drinking grey of a tomb, the
current atmosphere possessed flickers of vitality. Great mats of Imperial vines
crawled up the ossified structures, and purple flowers bloomed from skeletal
eaves. These were flora transplanted from the Evernight Empire, bio-engineered
by the Arcane Legion to thrive in a high-necrotic environment.
On the ground, squads of skeletal laborers were paving the thoroughfares. They
moved with clockwork precision and seamless coordination, showing none of the
chaotic "logic errors" from a few days prior.
Skele-Greed stood in the Grand Plaza of the Transit Hub, nodding with
satisfaction. His dust-caked work robes had been replaced by a tailored black
tuxedo, and his silver hair was combed into a sharp, professional style.
Elegance. Composure. This was the silhouette of an Imperial Secretary of State.
"Adjunct," Greed said, turning his head.
"At your command, sir."
Thanatos, the former Sovereign of this world and current Deputy Commander of the
State Army, offered a respectful bow.
"The foundational infrastructure of the Hub is secured. I am handing the
oversight of the secondary phase to you." Greed retrieved a thick dossier from
his robes. "These are the construction logs and the updated Management
Protocols. Adherence is mandatory."
Thanatos accepted the file, flipping to the first page. The text was microscopic
and dense; the Table of Contents alone spanned a dozen pages. His soulfire
flickered with a sharp, jagged pulse. This workload...
"Is there a calculation error?" Greed noted the hesitation.
"Negative, sir." Thanatos suppressed the impulse to rattle his bones. To be
fair, he was one of only two Deputy Commanders in the entire Empire—a rank
technically rarer than a General. This level of paperwork was merely the "tax"
on his status.
"Excellent." Greed patted the Skeleton King's shoulder. "Apply yourself. The
Master places a high statistical value on this project."
"I understand."
Greed turned toward the teleportation array at the edge of the plaza. He had a
mountain of variables waiting for him back in the Empire. The Faith Ascension
System had just been opened to the public; the Logistics Department was likely
in a state of terminal burnout. Then there were the personnel rotations after
the Decoration Ceremony, the supply-chain expansion for the board game
industry...
Thinking of the spreadsheets made Greed's non-existent head throb. He let out a
long sigh and accelerated his pace.
Just as he was about to step into the event horizon of the gate, the Necrotic
Realm shivered.
Greed halted. His soulfire narrowed into sharp points. That resonance...
In the next heartbeat, a wave of invisible force erupted from the deep wastes,
sweeping across the entire Plane at the speed of thought. It was a pressure that
struck directly at the soul.
Greed felt his internal logic stumble. His very essence felt like a candle in a
hurricane, on the verge of being snuffed. But the strange part was the
signature.
It held no malice.
On the contrary, it radiated a sense of absolute belonging. It felt like...
returning to a familiar hearth. Warm. Secure. Stable.
Greed closed his eyes, analyzing the energy. A moment later, his sockets snapped
open.
"This is... the Master's Authority!"
His voice carried a note of religious ecstasy. Across the plaza, every skeletal
worker ceased movement. They tilted their skulls toward the sky. They couldn't
see the energy, but they could feel the laws of their world being rewritten.
"As expected," Greed murmured to himself. "The Sovereign planned the
optimization from the beginning."
He recalled the fishing rods in the warehouse. He had interpreted them as a
cryptic metaphor for patience. Now he realized they weren't hints—they were just
discarded traces. The Master hadn't been dropping clues; he had been anchoring
his presence.
And now, the wait was over. The Sovereign had claimed the marrow of the world.
Greed turned to Thanatos. "Did your sensors detect that?"
"Affirmative, sir." Thanatos's voice carried a rare note of awe. "The Authority
has... fused with the Planar framework."
"Correct," Greed nodded. "From this cycle forward, this world is the Sovereign's
absolute domain. Any entity hostile to the Master who dares to manifest here
will be localized and suppressed instantly."
"It is the ultimate 'Home-Field Advantage'."
Greed straightened his collar, returning to his mask of detached elegance. "I
must depart. Manage this sector with clinical precision. This world was
hand-tuned by the Sovereign; no errors will be tolerated."
With that, Greed stepped into the gate. A flare of light claimed him, and he was
gone.
Thanatos stood alone, staring at the empty array. He looked down at the mountain
of paperwork in his hand and let out a dry, clicking sigh. I suppose this is the
price of survival.
The Edge of the Realm.
Kaito stood in a field of jagged ruins, looking down at his hands. More
specifically, he was observing the invisible ripples of force radiating from his
bones.
"[Authority: Breath of Death]," he murmured.
He had merely intended to test the output parameters of the new skill he had
gained upon reaching Tier 7. He hadn't projected that the energy would simply
overwrite the entire Planar atmosphere.
"Is this... a happy accident?"
Kaito scratched his skull. He could feel it now—the Necrotic Realm had become an
extension of his own Od. Any creature entering the plane was now subject to the
"Breath."
Entities below Tier 5 would experience instantaneous biological conversion into
Skeletons. Those above Tier 5 would suffer a crushing gravity-debuff and a rapid
drain on their internal reserves. It was a passive, permanent defense-system
that required zero maintenance.
"Acceptable."
Kaito nodded. The security rating of the Hub had just spiked by several levels.
He turned back toward the construction site on the horizon. Greed was likely
already in transit back to the capital. Kaito wasn't worried about the Empire;
with the Faith Ascension system online, Greed would handle the influx of gold
and power with his usual greedy glee.
Kaito stretched, preparing to resume his "archaeological" scavenging.
Then, a thought occurred to him.
"By the way... what is that brat Bochi currently doing?"
Kaito initiated a Soul Link with the six Shadow Guards. As the Phantoms reported
the coordinates and the atmospheric conditions of the target world, Kaito's
soulfire flickered.
"...A blue star? Modern architecture? Zero atmospheric Mana?"
Kaito paused. How did that child end up on Earth? Or a coordinate similar to it?
He checked the danger-rating and Bochi's current parameters. He realized the
slime was now a Tier 7 Calamity. In a low-magic world like that, Bochi was
essentially a walking apocalypse. Nothing there could statistically threaten
him, especially with six Shadow Guard phantoms playing backup.
"Whatever. Let him play," Kaito chuckled, closing the link.
"The boy earned a vacation. And besides..."
Kaito recalled the Faith points he'd spent. Bochi was now a high-tier asset. In
a coordinate like that, he could basically do whatever he wanted without
triggering a retaliation.
"I'll let him explore. It'll give me some peace and quiet to scavenge."
Kaito hummed his little tune and vanished deeper into the ruins. He had
localized a bone-rod signature earlier—the balance felt promising. It was time
for some real treasure hunting.
☆☆☆
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you