Danmachi: The Quiet Reincarnate

Author: As promised! If we reach 700 power stones then another chapter. And also you have to join the patreon, what can't spare a dollar for your favorite author? Fuck off, what kind of fucking love is that? Though join if u love me, lol. 

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Cael moved, a burst of uncontrolled, pure power. His silver sword threaded among the War Shadows' shapeless bodies.

The air sang with the fast, staccato beats of his Hestia Sword, each blow marked, each marked for the pounding red centers. The monsters tried to bind him, their shapeless bodies swirling, but he moved in instinctual synchrony, anticipating their shifts. He did not battle; he flowed.

The tiny, irrelevant scratches on his armor were singing to the Hestia Sword. Each fresh nick, each little whisper of pain, made the blade hum louder, more rapidly. Bladebond was claiming power, its wickedness a corrupted blessing.

The sword was an extension of his arm now, sharper, faster, hungrier. He plunged, a rapid, powerful thrust, and one of the final War Shadows broke apart into mist, its core exploding with a dying ember.

The other shadows cursed with rage, their actions twitching spasmodically. They recognized they were threatened. Cael was merciless, exploiting his advantage.

Another thrust, another core going off. Then another, then another. In a matter of seconds, the cavern was still, the dispersing wisps of dark vapor dissipating.

He stood amidst the scattered Magic Stones, his chest heaving, a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead. The sword cuts on his armor were small coals, a low-grade, chronic ache.

The Crimson Rebirth began its brutal labor again, an ancient, internal fire that ate away at his very being. His body cramped, muscles knotting, bones pulsating with the violent, forced rebirth. He gritted his teeth, a strangulated howl trapped in his throat.

When finally, at long last, the pain ceased, shaking him but renewing him, Cael took a deep, shuddering breath. "Right," he growled, the word a weary expulsion of air.

He took the last of the Magic Stones, their warmth a small solace. He could feel the subtle differences in his body, the infinitesimal improvements. It was always monstrous, but always, he was more powerful.

He moved further on the 7th floor, the purple glow of the crystals growing stronger, casting long, uninviting shadows. The air thickened, grew colder, with a faint, metallic taste that held the promise of wider, more ominous encounters.

The hallways narrowed, curving and twisting like the insides of some beast. He knew what lay ahead on these lower levels of the fifth floor.

Then the silence was broken by a low, guttural shrill that seemed to shake through the very rock on which he was standing. It was deeper, more savage than he'd ever heard from the monster he faced.

A skeleton figure came swinging into sight around a twisted corner. It was a Killer-Ant.

But it's body was 5 Times bigger than that of a normal killer ant, it's chitin from the normal red was dark purple. 

Its armored body was huge and encased in thick, heavy chitin, with razor-like mandibles that ground menacingly in the stifling hush.

Its malevolently glowing, unnatural-colored eyes locked onto Cael.

This was no common Killer Ant; its enormity and dark purple color suggested far more than a mere common soldier, a possible irregular.

Cael's hand tightened around the Hestia Sword.

The low thrum of Bladebond already sensing the impending battle.

The fight before had tired him, and Crimson Rebirth had just completed its vicious work.

But the low tingle of this new strength flowed under his skin.

He sensed the icy variation in the atmosphere.

The denser presence this creature commanded over anything he'd battled on the previous floors.

The Killer Ant emitted a third guttural shriek.

Its sound vibrating through Cael's very bones.

And attacked.

Its multiple legs churned the ground, moving with terrifying velocity.

Its enormous head lowered, mandibles extended.

Cael danced.Not with the frenzied spurt of the War Shadow duel, But with a measured, precise elegance.

He dodged the first lunge.

The Killer Ant mandibles closed on thin air with a crunching report like grinding stone.

The force of the blow created a wind that whipped his black hair.

He swung the Hestia Sword in a wide circle.

Searching for a vulnerable area in the dark chitin.

The blade bit down—

But rather than cutting deeply,It skidded in a piercing shriek.

Scoring only a shallow scratch.

The purple armor was heavier, more resistant than he expected.

The Killer Ant stepped back—

Then struck with one of its fat, segmented front legs.

Cael barely dodged to the side.

The clawed limb ripping a shallow gash in his light armor.

The pain was immediate and stinging, though minor.

The Hestia Sword hummed. A low, hungry buzz that vibrated in his hand. Bladebond kicked in.A well-known, comforting evil.

The sword felt quicker. Lighter. An extension of will, powered by the clean, small wound.

The dulled sensation from before the wound was gone. Replaced by a sharp, almost living connection.

Cael hesitated not.

He struck forward. Not blind, But hitting the space between the plates of chitin on the creature's belly.

An opening he'd noticed in the beast's desperate turn.

The Hestia Sword, empowered with Bladebond's tainted blessing, Slid through with revolting ease.

The Killer Ant screamed. A piercing, frantic yell. Its enormous body recoiled. Kicking wildly within the small chamber. Its eyes burned even more intensely with agony and rage.

It wildly struck at the air, One of its legs landing a glancing blow across Cael's chest.

He reeled back against the jagged rock wall. A second piercing pain. Another warning of blood running beneath his armor.

The throb of Crimson Rebirth was a familiar presence. But now, the agony from the Killer Ant's strike blended with it, And the Hestia Sword stirred. It quivered. Seeming to hum with increased power, Its silver sheen glimmered within the purple radiance.

Cael launched off the wall, ignoring the new aches. He ghosted past, dodging the Killer Ant's thrashing form. His mind, dispassionately mathematical, monitored every movement.

The creature was powerful, but its movements—though strong—were becoming predictable due to its agony.

He thrust the sword in again, deeper this time, twisting the blade, striking for the center.

The Killer Ant shuddered. Its screams ran out into a bubbling gasp as its enormous body collapsed. Purple chitin began to crack, a network of hairline fractures spreading across its enormous body.

With one final, desperate shudder, the vile Killer Ant fell. Its numerous legs twitched, then went still. The unnatural glow in its eyes faded. Its massive body disintegrated into sparkling dust, leaving only a single, anomalously large and dark magic stone. It hit the ground with a soft thud, softly glowing with an evil color.

Cael stood over the carcass, his chest heaving. Perspiration dripped from his chin, and the cuts in his armor throbbed like hot brands. That guttural bellow of the monster echoed in his mind.

This was a true test—a creature well beyond the run-of-the-mill Killer Ants he had thus far faced on this level. An Irregular, perhaps. Or simply a strong outlier.

Then, the all-too-familiar rush began—Crimson Rebirth.

His frame stiffened. Muscles tensed with unimaginable power. An inner, burning fire burst, speeding outward from his core and engulfing each nerve.

He fell to his knees, clenching his teeth until his jaw ached. A strangled scream became lodged in his throat as his bones shrieked at forced reshaping. It felt like invisible, burning red needles ripping him asunder and stitching him back together.

His whole body screamed. Every cell struggled, rebelling against the agony as his very nature was rewritten against his will.

He bashed his forehead against the damp, cold stone of the dungeon floor, white-knuckled, fighting to suppress the animalistic howl constricting his throat.

This stung differently. More finely. More deeply. The excelia from such a formidable opponent had charged Crimson Rebirth to unprecedented levels of intensity.

It had been an eternity—a long, agonizing unfurling of power, fueled by raw, unadulterated pain. 

The spasms finally ceased. Cael trembled, bathed in sweat. But he was stronger than he had been before. His breath hitched on a caught gasp as he struggled to his feet, limbs heavy but functioning.

His form had altered once more, imperceptibly. Power had unfurled in the aftermath of torment. Just as the note had threatened.

He took up the big, ominous magic stone. Its somber surface flashed in the dim purple light of the cavern. It was denser than a regular stone, and its strange, cold energy throbbed from it.

He continued on, deeper into the 7th floor.

The atmosphere chilled. A heavy silence wrapped around him. The twisting passages drew him down further, away from what was known and into the unknown.

The metallic scent in the air grew stronger—a sign of the dangers that existed deeper.

He had seen what was down there. The atrocities that held in the lower floors of the fifth floor. But the shifting floors of the dungeon were confusing. He was currently on the 7th floor but needed to move upwards.

He had gone further than intended, swept up by the excitement of combat and the Dungeon's unyielding push. Now, he must reverse course—to locate the path up.

The prospect of encountering stronger monsters going back bothered him.

There was no alternative.

He had to adapt.