Chapter 168: Chapter 168 - Trouble With The Dark Knight?!
Logan and Silas brought the crates down into the training chamber in Logan’s room, their footsteps echoing softly against the reinforced floor.
’’What the hell is in all of these crates?’’ Silas asked, frowning as he used his wind element to let the crates levitate behind him.
’’All of them have essential resources I need,’’ Logan answered, unlocking his door. ’’You’ll see it in a second since I need your help with what I’m going to do.’’
Silas raised an eyebrow, staring at Logan with confusion and curiosity in his eyes.
As they stepped into Logan’s room, Silas continued walking towards the training room.
Logan locked the door behind him before also following after him, a small grin on his face as his heart pounded.
The second Silas turned the corner, he froze, his eyes locking on the large mana circle in the center of Logan’s training room.
’’...What is this?’’ he asked hesitantly, eyes darting to Logan.
’’A circle that I need for the technique I’m about to learn,’’ Logan answered honestly, not surprised by Silas’s uncertainty.
Silas glanced at the circle again, narrowing his eyes at all the unfamiliar engravings he saw inside it. ’’Are you sure this is safe?’’
Logan stepped into the training room, shaking his head. ’’No,’’ he answered. ’’That’s why I need you to help me in case something goes wrong.’’
Silas frowned.
’’You are going to need to explain a little more than this,’’ he said, cautiously following after him.
’’I know,’’ Logan said, gesturing towards the far end of the room. ’’Could you place the crates over there?’’
The place Logan pointed at was right beside a large pile of bones.
Silas nodded, using his wind element to float them right beside the place Logan needed.
After he released them, he turned to Logan again.
’’Alright,’’ he said, putting his hands on his side. ’’Could you please explain what is going on?’’
Logan crouched by the nearest crate, unlocking it with a faint click. Cold undead mana spilled into the room as the lid came free, revealing a dark thorned rose.
He continued, unlocking crate after crate, each revealing more absurd S-rank treasures in an abundance that normal people could only dream of.
As Logan unlocked each crate, Silas’s expression shifted to discomfort.
He understood very well that Logan was planning something big with such a large amount of resources... but he couldn’t tell what from either the resources or the mana circle.
After unlocking all the crates, Logan took a few steps back, picking up the black briefcase he’d been handed personally.
’Now the final check,’ he thought, eyes locked onto the briefcase. ’The Dullahan Soul Fragment.’
As he forced mana into the complicated engravings on the briefcase, the latch unlocked.
A deep aura spread through the room as Logan opened the lid. It was cold and hot at the same time, but far less impressive than the Queen of Thorn’s pressure.
’’Bones, Soul Fragments, Cores, Elemental resources?’’ Silas began from behind him. ’’What exactly are you planning to do with all of this?’’
Logan carefully set the briefcase on the ground before turning to him.
He exhaled slowly, maintaining his calm expression. ’’It’s a Diamond Grade technique given to me by Allen. It’s called the Dark Knight summoning technique.’’
Silas stiffened, his eyes narrowing. "Summoning?"
Logan gave a small nod, gesturing at the bones, cores, and the circle. ’’Using the mana circle, the soul fragment, core and resources, I can forge an undead creature that is permanently bound to me.’’
Silas raised an eyebrow, though uncertainty was clear in his eyes. ’’And there’s no risks to this?’’
Logan raised his shoulders. ’’I’ve already performed one of the risky parts myself, other than that, I have no idea.’’
Hearing that, Silas’s expression shifted slightly, a deep frown appearing on his face. He risked his safety alone, again.
’’That’s also why I need you here,’’ Logan continued, crouching down near the circle. ’’I have no idea if the creature I create is fully under my control or if it can hurt me.’’
Silas’s jaw tightened, his unease clear. ’’And you’ll still go along with the technique despite these risks?’’
Logan shrugged. ’’I’m sure of its immense power,’’ he said. ’’Which I not only need for my own safety in the future, I also need it for the upcoming competitions.’’
’’I’m sure there’ll be more SSS-rank students with similar risky techniques. If I take the easy way out now, I’ll remain far behind forever.’’
Silas remained silent for a moment, clenching his fist. ’’Alright,’’ he said. ’’Just tell me when exactly you need me to do anything.’’
Logan smiled slightly, appreciating Silas’s trust.
’’If everything goes well, you won’t need to do anything,’’ he said, giving a small nod. ’’However, I need you to promise me to not interfere unless I say so.’’
Silas nodded slowly, a thin sword made of ice forming in his hand as he took a few steps back. ’’I’ll keep my distance.’’
’’Thanks,’’ Logan said, turning his head back.
He let out a deep breath, glancing at all the items.
’Well then,’ he thought. ’Now I can fully focus on this.’
He needed to move all the additional elemental items near the circle, while the core, soul fragment, and bones needed to go in the middle.
Minutes passed as Logan followed the exact arrangements, before he could finally come to a halt and prepare himself for the final steps.
’Now it’s just the summoning,’ he thought, taking one final glance at Silas.
He closed his eyes, going through all the steps one last time.
Logan’s eyes snapped open before he crouched down to the mana circle.
He extended his hand, pressing his palm against the outer edge of the mana circle. The engravings flared up instantly, veins of crimson and black light racing across the stone floor.
The air inside the training room changed even further, a bone-chilling coldness spreading through the room in waves.
Silas’s brows furrowed as he felt everything change around him.
"This already feels wrong," he said, his ice sword lowering slightly as his eyes darted around the chamber.
Logan couldn’t hear him, his eyes locked on the center of the circle.
After the circle was activated, he stood up, extending his hand towards the middle of the circle.
The undead chamber in his heart immediately responded, releasing immense amounts of undead mana towards the core resources.
The resources alongside the circle began to react as the circle started pulling in their mana at the same time and funneled it into the soul fragment.
The Soul Fragment shook, its fiery black with red mana shaking as it started floating in the air.
Thin black lines extended out from the core like nerves. At the same time, the S-rank core started floating into the air too.
The black lines connected to the core in an instant, releasing a wave of black mana.
Silas tightened his grip on his sword. "Logan..."
"I know," Logan said, his voice strained, his body trembling under the mana drain. "It’s working."
The pile of bones on the ground started rattling.
One by one, the bones were lifted from the ground, hovering in the air before cracking and reforming around the core and soul fragment.
Logan clenched his jaw, feeling his mana drain exponentially.
The bones in the air slowly bonded with the dark threads, forming a humanoid shape around 12 feet tall.
’We are getting to the final steps,’ Logan thought, clenching his fist. ’I’ve just formed a link with the Soul Fragment. Now I need to awaken it.’
But before he could get to action, he felt a deep chill roll through his body.
’’What?’’ he said, almost losing his focus.
A familiar sickly green mana radiated from his body, frightening Logan instantly.
The mana flowed out from his arm in an instant, soaring to the skeletal figure in the mana circle.
Before Logan or Silas got a chance to interfere, the mana penetrated the Dullahan soul fragment.
The reaction was immediate.
The soul fragment convulsed violently, its black-and-red glow twisting as the sickly green mana devoured it inside. The skeletal frame jerked in the air, bones grinding together with a screech that made Silas flinch.
"Logan, what the hell is that?!" Silas barked, taking a step forward, sword raised.
Logan’s eyes widened, panic flashing across his face as he recognized the aura. ’The same energy... as in that dream?’
His chest tightened, his control over the circle slipping as the foreign mana dug deeper into the fragment.
As the black-and-red glow vanished from the soul fragment, the training room started shaking violently.
Mana started getting absorbed from everything around them as a deep pressure pushed down on Silas and Logan.
A sickly green flame flickered to life inside the skeleton as it absorbed the mana from all the extra resources Logan had bought.
Logan fell to the ground, clutching his heart as he felt the undead energy go haywire in his undead chamber.
’It’s growing too strong!’ he thought, immediately putting his attention on his heart.
He had already linked the soul fragment with the undead chamber, thus the feedback from the skeleton almost made his heart burst.
The skeleton floating in the air paid no attention to Logan, using the absorbed mana to grow taller and wider.
At the same time, a thick armor formed around its chest while a golden crown formed above its head.