Myriad Devils-Chapter 161: I know I’m a genius, but this is too much!

’Seth, I’m sure you and the devil are one and the same. You must think highly of yourself too?’ Anon adorned a cold smile.

’Hehe, I’ll make you beg for death. I’ll have you crawl across earth in embarrassment. I’ll completely crush your mind.’ As he said this, unknowingly, his eyes had become bloodshot.

His nails were long and much sharper than the average human. It dug into the rocky wall and left beastly scratches as he walked out of the tunnel.

Until now, he had yet to absorb the memories of this wraith, however his heart was thumping too rapidly, and his blood was flowing too ferociously. His body was heating up to such a degree that it affected the outside world.

Thump! Thump!

"Hah..." Anon came to a halt.

Releasing a deep sigh, he took a seat at the tunnel’s entrance and casually assumed a meditative posture.

Hmm?

Anon exhaled a breath of corrupted energy. It was crimson in color and shimmered like starlight, faintly glowing in the darkness.

’So that scene was the essence of its memories?’ Anon mused.

As his soul devoured the wraith’s, and the malevolent energy was purified under the tempering of his will, streams of memories poured into his mind realm.

Though mostly fragmented, the most interesting fragments of memories greatly resembled the scene he had been brought before in that crimson world.

Oh?

A faint smile suddenly appeared across Anon’s face.

’When I begun acquiring memories, I also had a mind that this would be the case. After I realized how fragmented the memories were, I doubted whether it will come to fruition, however it seems I was overly worried.’ Anon chuckled.

In a dark world, Anon stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Currently, he had a humanoid figure which was condensed from his willpower.

Ever since he began battling foreign souls that invaded his soul, it became increasingly easier for him to enter this realm after he entered a meditative state. Standing in the dark space, Anon observed with great intrigue.

In the distance, a blood red figure held a staff tightly.

Assuming a battle stance, this blood red figure began moving. His movements were initially slow, but as time progressed, it grew increasingly faster.

Behind this blood red figure was a lofty apparition.

As the blood red figure’s movements grew quicker and more refined, the humanoid apparition behind him also became more distinct.

Eventually, the humanoid apparition solidified into an actual person cladded in blood red armor and a staff in hand.

At the same time, the blood red figure completed its set of movements and was replaced by the armored apparition.

As the armored figure completed its own set of movements, the two figures began moving in tandem, their every stroke of the staff operating in perfect harmony with each other.

Without even realizing, their staves merged and their movements became one.

Before Anon’s eyes, their was only one figure remaining, its lower body adorned in battle armor, and a bare upper body resembling the initial blood red figure, the two, now one, began a fourth set of movements.

’This is another core memory, Blood Deity Staff Art.’ Anon’s figure, condensed from his will, waved his illusory hand, causing the figure’s movements to suddenly rewind.

From one figure, it separated into the blood red figure and the armored figure. Then the armored figure dissipated into an illusory apparition behind the blood red figure, before the apparition finally faded as the blood red figure restarted its movements once more.

This time, Anon appeared at the figure’s side, and in his hand, a staff condensed from nowhere.

The blood red figure’s movements were even slower than before as Anon replicated its every movement time and time again, patiently following as the figure’s speed increased and its power transformed.

.....

Lost in cultivation, time unknowingly grew meaningless.

When Anon opened his eyes once more, there was a strange blood-red glow that crystalized and shattered under the intensity of his radiant suns.

Anon rose to his feet and stretched, yawning casually.

’Absorbing memories is the best way to learn battle arts!’ Anon sighed. He found that his speed of comprehension was much greater than before.

Though his soul and willpower had undergone visible improvements from a fundamental standpoint, he did not want to believe that these two things alone were responsible for how quickly he mastered the Blood Deity Staff Art.

The only other aspect to look at which might have affected his speed of comprehension, was how he came in contact with it in the first place. Absorbing the wraith’s memories were akin to absorbing its experience when it was alive and in the midst of mastering the battle art.

’It’s a pity that these are still fragmented memories, so I was only able to absorb some fragments of its experience, otherwise I would’ve probably mastered it much quicker. However, that may not have been ideal either.’

’Due to the fragmented experience, I was able to use it only as a reference and my natural comprehension ability allowed me to quickly master the technique.’

’On the other hand, if I only absorb the wraith’s memories and experience, learning it through this way, though I might technically master the battle art, it wouldn’t be true mastery. The strength I’d be capable of displaying through the technique would be hindered.’

’After all, this happened back when I tried copying Seth’s movements rather than making it suited for myself.’ Anon smiled thoughtfully.

Anon then waved his hand and began exiting the tunnel.

At his side, mystical characters broke out of the tattoo etched onto his hand and began seamlessly merging together in the air, eventually transforming into a certain cloud severing spear.

Stepping onto the empty air outside the cavity, Anon walked in the darkness, centering himself in the third layer of the mind swallowing abyss.

Taking a seat and assuming a meditative posture, he remained floating in the air, his cloud severing spear resting across his thighs.

’Mastering the staff technique is the first step, whereas transforming it into a spear technique is the more difficult act. However, because the staff and the spear are inherently similar, at least in shape, it makes things easier.’ Anon pondered.

’The most glaring change is that a staff technique utilizes blunt attacks, whereas the spear has a head that is sharp and piercing! But understanding these differences makes adjusting this Blood Deity Staff Art rather simple, especially since I’ve already mastered it in its staff form.’

Anon spun the spear and stood up.

His figure blurred as he began maneuvering through the air, striking with his spear. Wherever he went, he left a trail of bloody light in his wake.

’It was barely perceivable after devouring the remnant souls.’ Anon mused.

Though he thought that altering the technique would be simple, it was still an energy consuming process that needed constant trial and error, and quite a bit of deductions on his path.

’After devouring the first wraith, I sensed it then, and it was a little more noticeable.’ Anon showed a slight smile as his blurred figure faded away.

’But it was the second wraith that must have truly benefited my soul and will, however the fragmented memories, the religion, and Seth’s involvement... These things distracted me greatly, so I didn’t pay it much heed.’

The spear soul outlined on the body of the cloud severing spear, creating afterimages that appeared no different than its real form.

Upon closer inspection, from these afterimages, one could even see faint crimson patterns slowly etching themselves on the body of the spear.

’And now that I have devoured three wraiths, I can somewhat confirm this. Just as the spirit nurtures the body, and the body nurtures the spirit in turn, allowing my strengthened body to benefit my injured spirit, the same applies to my soul.’

’As it grows, both my spirit and body undergo fundamental improvements. I clearly feel much lighter than before.’

’It’s so faint that it almost feels as if my strength hasn’t actual increased, however this feeling of lightness definitely isn’t fake either.’ Anon’s figure appeared in two spaces simultaneously.

Both figures seemed real, and in a way, they were.

’As the physical body improves, its ability to affect space also improves. This isn’t a mere afterimage, or false body.’

’Directly affecting space, and appearing in two places simultaneously, allowing for the creation of two true bodies.’ Anon lightly shook his head.

’Although I’ve yet to reach that level, my physical strength is definitely heading toward such a direction. I thought that, upon leaving the drifting rock territory, the improvement of my physical body would stagnate, however its strength has skyrocketed instead.’ Anon deduced.

Such control over space...

Anon did not hear of any third worlder capable of doing this merely with their physical bodies.

Or more accurately, maybe only the most powerful fourth worlders who had principles related to the physical body were capable of doing such.

Hmm?

’Already?!’

The two Anon’s came to abrupt halts as one disappeared and the many false bodies dissipated, leaving only a single Anon in the empty darkness.

’I only deduced these movements for the spear form, however it still should’ve taken time to master them. How could it be so easy?!’

’I know I’m a genius, but last time I remembered, it wasn’t this exaggerated.’ Anon sighed in amazement.

’Blood Deity... No, I’ll name it Deity Transformation Spear Art!’ Anon smiled.