The first time Kallen had seen them; right after taking the Dragonborn princess’s life, he had been shocked. This weapon was far beyond his initial evaluation. It wasn’t just a well-crafted Saint artifact; it was something else entirely.
This all cemented his theory about the Dragonborn race being special and highly mysterious in some way. But to hand a weapon of this caliber to a 1st Ascension ascendant? That was as insane.
His gaze darkened as he pieced things together. He still didn’t know why they had attacked the Crimson family, but there was no doubt in his mind that the Dragonborn were behind the operation.
The way the two other assailants had behaved around the princess made that clear. And only now did he realize just how their stupidity, or rather, their servitude, had saved his life.
If this assassin had fought him seriously from the very beginning.... with a calm mind instead of being blinded by emotion like in their battle just now, Kallen had no doubts that he would have died within the first two minutes.
His stats weren’t high enough to bridge the gap between them. Even after breaking his first racial stat limits and undergoing brutal training, his current strength was barely comparable to a mediocre mid-level 1st Ascendent powerhouse.
The only reason he had managed to keep up with the princess, even after she locked him into a death strike, was because of his superior combat skills and sheer force of will.
That would actually be selling himself short; a person who hasn’t even awakened his core, let alone even gained a single level, having these kind of stats was unbelievable.
But too many things had worked in his favor during this battle.
Most crucially—the explosion that had destroyed almost the entire castle.
The fallen rubble had played a key role. It had helped him eliminating the princess’s mobility, good thing he was close to her at that moment to quickly finish her off.
It had removed the archer from the equation, and the princess’s death in turn destabilize the assassin’s mind, handed him the twin kunai blades, and gave him just what he needed to clinch victory.
However, what Kallen didn’t know was that the archer had been the most dangerous of them all—a bonafide 2nd Ascendant powerhouse.
If they hadn’t been holding back to let the princess take the kill; likely to use Destiny Snatcher on him, Kallen would have died before he even had the chance to fight. Had that archer attacked from the get-go with an intent to kill, he would have likely died in his sleep.
But why would they, or rather, the princess want to snatch his Destiny for?
Kallen didn’t know what fate had in store for him, nor did he delude himself into thinking he was some "chosen one." That was as stupid as it could be.
But he was certain of one thing: in this life, he would do anything and everything necessary to never lower his head to anyone.
When one surrenders their footing, they invite the weight of another’s might. Not even those apex lifeforms he had met in that astral temple before his reincarnation, would make him lower his head.
That, however, was the problem.
He had yet to achieve anything. He was still unawakened. And aside from the Limit Breaker Physique which came as a result of the Pathfinder title and its active effect, there was nothing else attributed to him.
Did reincarnation grant him some kind of special quirk that he hadn’t discovered yet?
Thinking back, he had received divinities, along with the things Samaelas had given him. But the problem was, he couldn’t find any of them. He didn’t even know how to access them.
But surely, the ability DESTINY snatcher couldn’t... well, snatch those things from him... right?
His Limit Breaker Physique had activated because he broke past his racial stat limits without an active flow or stored dynamis in his body. He was still unawakened. And since the Dragonborn princess was already in her 1st Ascension, he didn’t see how Destiny Snatcher could have worked on her.
Or was there a different way these things worked?
Because the Records called it DESTINY snatcher. He didn’t know what difference destiny had from DESTINY.
And Kallen had no idea why the Existential Compendium would display its records in all caps, just like it had with TABOO. But he was certain there was something to it.
He was lacking too much information to make any concrete connections. And he didn’t like that at all.
Something was working against him in the background. Some forces were going after something about himself that he didn’t even know about yet.
It felt like he was being toyed with, led by the nose like some pawn in a game he didn’t even know he was playing.
The feeling was irritating.
There was no point dwelling on it for now.
He turned his attention to the Records flashing in his consciousness, the black letters burning themselves into his mind.
[Thieving Blades] (Soul-bound Cursed Artifact)
[Status: Severely Damaged]
[Ownership Status: Unbound]
[Physical Attack: (-)]
[Dynisis Attack: (-)]
[Special Effect: Soul Attacks]
[Set Artifacts: (2/2)]
[Wailing Soul] (Passive):
[Once bound, each attack deals both physical and dynisis damage.
Successfully striking an opponent with both blades in succession triggers soul damage.
Consumes the user’s dynamis with each strike.]
[Soul Sacrifice] (Active):
[Once per month, the user can sacrifice a fragment of their own soul to inflict tenfold soul damage upon an opponent.]
[DESTINY SNATCHER] (Active) [Unbound Skill]:
[Once per year, allows the wielder to steal the DESTINY and milestone record, of a beaten and slain opponent.
[Requirements: Cleared]
[Thieving Blades wishes to bind with you.]
[Do you wish to bind with the Cursed Soul artifact, Thieving Blades?]
Kallen’s mind was filled with questions as he read through the records again, his fingers tightening around the twin kunai.
_’What the hell is a weapon doing in the hands of a mere first Ascendant princess?’_
This wasn’t just any powerful artifact, it was Forbidden! He didn’t know exactly what that meant, but the implications were clear.
If it was forbidden, that had to mean it was something beyond the level of a Saint-class weapon. After all, things weren’t forbidden unless they were dangerous enough to warrant restriction.
But there was something else that gnawed at him.
And more importantly—why did its records state that it was severely damaged when it looked fresh from the forge? ...Well, aside from the bloodstains.
If it was this powerful while being damaged, how much stronger would it be when fully restored?
Kallen exhaled sharply.
There was no hesitation.
The kunai blades trembled violently in his grasp before turning blisteringly hot. A searing pain shot through his palms as if molten metal had been poured onto his skin.
Instinct screamed at him to drop them, but his hands refused to obey.... no, the weapons refused to let go. It was as if they had fused to him, branding themselves into his flesh.
A matching heat flared from deep within him, spreading like wildfire through his being, igniting something far more primal than mere pain. It wasn’t physical, it felt phantom and still very present.
The agony stretched on for what felt like an eternity, but in reality, only minutes passed.
Then, just as suddenly as it began, it stopped.
Kallen collapsed to one knee, his breath ragged and uneven. He had lost count of how many times he had felt this level of torment tonight. His entire body trembled from the aftershocks, yet... there was something else.
He flexed his fingers, feeling the lingering sting in his palms. Then, before his eyes, the scorched flesh mended itself in mere seconds. Even his other wounds; his sprained ankle, his bruises, the dull aches from the battle, had vanished without a trace.
A slow smile curled his lips.
That assassin’s DESTINY was an excellent choice to steal.
Kallen’s gaze shifted back to the kunai in his hands. Their appearance had transformed.
Originally, the weapons had been elegant yet unassuming, simple twin kunai with ghostly, transparent runes carved into their handles. The small, circular openings at the base of each handle were adorned with delicate, six-sided glassy stars.
Now, however, they radiated an different feeling.
The first blade now bore shadowy black runic etchings that swallowed all light, as if guarding secrets from beyond the void. The circular hole at its base now cradled a smoky, completely transparent gem, that was oddly reflective, reflecting even the faintest glimpses of the surroundings.
Running along the bladed edge, from base to tip, was a single silver-stroke rune, thin yet bold, glowing faintly like the last remnants of moonlight before dawn.
The second blade was its eerie counterpart. Its handle was laced with glass-like, reflective runic etchings, catching even the faintest glimmers of light and twisting them into illusions. The gem set into its hole was a deep, impenetrable black, like a piece of the void itself trapped in solid form.
This blade, too, bore the same silver-stroke rune, its presence undeniable and foreboding.
Kallen turned them over in his hands, a quiet fascination gleaming beneath the veil of his unperturbed eyes.