PATH OF THE STAR HUNTER

636 Chapter 636 Desmond, a magnet for strange phenomena.

According to the explanation that Desmond obtained from Titania that was later supplemented by Kyuru, the formation of an elemental seed was a fundamental step for the progress of any mana user.

Although both fairies did not explain the subsequent steps, Desmond knew that he was currently in a stage of mana accumulation, condensation, and purification, with the final result being the condensation of one elemental seed for each element he would master.

In theory, Desmond should have condensed his elemental seed during his advance to the three-star class, but that had changed thanks to Titania’s gift. However, Titania’s gift was more than just facilitating that breakthrough; her true gift was the unparalleled quality and purity of the elemental seeds she gifted Desmond with. Thanks to Titania’s gift, Desmond’s talent and potential in those three elements were only one level below that of a true Natura.

Whether luck could be considered a part of talent or not, it was undeniable that Desmond’s current talent, potential, and combat prowess were deeply tied to the elemental seeds bestowed by Titania.

To put it in perspective, even Desmond, someone so talented that even Elaisa considered him a glitch in the system, was still a couple of rungs below the Natura regarding his affinity for the elements. Still, his absurd ability to fight stronger adversaries was based on affinity.

When all was said and done, Titania’s gift was so precious that it was simply impossible to value. It was the equivalent of opening up a whole world of limitless possibilities that Desmond could access with his newfound talent.

Now, why was all this relevant? Well, Desmond was pretty sure that the quality, purity, and potency of the new elemental seed housed in his heart was on the same level as a true Nature, something that should be impossible. These implications were too vast and complicated for Desmond to consider in his current circumstance.

As if it were responding to Desmond’s thoughts, the electric mana seed inside Desmond’s heart emitted some faint shrieks that, for some reason, Desmond heard inside his head.

Other than associating the sound with the squeal that high-voltage electricity makes, Desmond got nothing from those squeals. However, he was still left with a confirmation of his first guess. Whatever was in his heart, Desmond was sure it was a life form of some kind.

.....

A second later, Desmond scribbled a second note on his information about this strange life form. Apparently, the life form was some kind of parasite or symbiotic life form, as he could feel this new alien elemental seed passively feeding on the mana within his body.

In fact, Desmond could feel this new elemental seed discreetly stealing small strands of mana from his other seeds. Desmond didn’t panic because this electrical presence wasn’t simply plundering his mana reserves.

Though dim, this seemingly invading and chaotic electrical existence was releasing low-frequency pulses of electrical mana through his body, bit by bit burning away the accumulated unholy essence.

Although Desmond was unaware of the exact nature of the lightning entity, for now, it seemed to be a good thing for him, so he would have to postpone his analysis of said entity and concentrate on dealing with the current situation.

Once again, responding to Desmond’s positive thoughts, the lightning seed responded with a series of electric squeaks that, for some reason, sounded like the joyful smile of an infant.

Doing his best not to think about the strange implications of having a strange child form inside of him, Desmond rose from the ground and took back his sword, < Heaven’s End>, which had at some point fallen from his hand. . To Desmond’s surprise, the sword also did not seem to have been affected by the unholy essence of this world.

If possible, Desmond would experiment with the lightning mana to see if it had some sort of cleansing effect on this evil essence or if the phenomenon was due to his new elemental seed, but he didn’t have time for that.

Suddenly, a massive pressure completely covered the area, not just the room Desmond was in but the entire mansion as well. That otherworldly sensation, almost burning to the touch, told Desmond everything he needed to know; the ancestor of the Licht clan, that old monster, was here.

Desmond didn’t even have the energy to curse out loud anymore. Instead, Desmond hurried inside the mansion where the vault was supposed to contain the Licht clan key. In the distance, Desmond could hear the explosions, probably caused by that old monster looking for him with a rather aggressive and destructive approach.

Not interested in being smashed to pieces, Desmond did what he could to get to the vault before he was hit by that old monster. Anyone who dared to block Desmond’s path met the same fate, involving mana-coated metallic projectiles traveling at high speeds.

Unfortunately, Desmond faced more resistance than expected. Even his pistols failed to accelerate his advance enough to escape that damn bag of bones with a mania for spectral fire.

In an attempt to buy time, Desmond tossed what was left of his explosives down a side hallway. The dozen alchemical grenades littered the hallway floor, and Desmond detonated them just a couple of seconds later without hesitation. Now Desmond could only pray that the trail of fire and debris would deflect that old monster for even a few more seconds.

Barely a dozen seconds later, a series of massive explosions to the side of him told Desmond that the old monster had taken the bait, something that would have cheered the hunter if it weren’t for the fact that that time didn’t seem long enough for the plans to take off.

Seeing the long hallway filled with more Licht clansmen ready to pounce on him like mad dogs, Desmond cursed under his breath. Since that old monster was already basically hot on his heels, Desmond decided to drop whatever limitations he had on going on a rampage in a big way.

Desmond placed the ring, <Fated Star>, on his right index finger and activated the internal mana circuits. He used one of the ring’s stored abilities. “Get out of my way. < Leviathan’s Wrath – Jormungand>.”

The huge serpent made of aquatic mana opened wide a path, ferociously charging at anyone who dared to oppose it. The sheer force of the impact left behind a path of devastation in no way less than all the explosives Desmond had used a minute ago.

In the distance, the ancestor of the Licht clan, Emerard Licht, watched an entire section of the mansion suffer a tremendous amount of structural damage visible even from the outside; added to the absurd fluctuations in mana left behind by Desmond’s attack, it didn’t take a genius to know exactly where the intruder was.

Contrary to what Desmond would have expected, however, the Licht Clan ancestor only glanced in Desmond’s direction for a moment before resuming his supposed search for the intruder in another direction.

Back in what was left of the corridor, Desmond gunned down the few people still standing as he sprinted toward the half-collapsed door of the vault he was headed for.

After firing one last bullet and blowing off the head of another Licht Clan member, Desmond frowned as he saw the current state of his weapons. Although it was difficult to see with the naked eye, the platinum shine on both weapons now looked different, less glorious, and pure. Desmond could already deduce that the corrosion from this place had invaded the weapons.

That was the inevitable result of exposing anything to the noxious environment of this place. It was already a miracle that Desmond could remain intact; of course, he wouldn’t be in such good shape if he didn’t have Nicolai’s blood running through his veins. Even so, Desmond could feel the pulses of lightning mana sweep through his body, slowly removing the unholy essence that had managed to seep into him.

Seemingly out of nowhere, an arc of yellow lightning shot from Desmond’s palms, mercilessly lashing both silver pistols. Under Desmond’s intrigued gaze, both guns returned to their silvery shine. However, some damage from the strong electrical currents could be seen.

Satisfied, Desmond calculated that the pistols could withstand at most a second purification before the damage from the process rendered them useless. Although it might not sound like much to Desmond, it was still a resource he got back, not to mention his newly purified elemental seeds.

At this point, Desmond faced the vault door with a thoughtful expression. Although slightly distracted by everything happening simultaneously, Desmond did not miss the absence of that old monster from the Licht clan.

By Desmond’s calculations, that old bag of bones should already be bathing this place in its spectral fire, certainly not wreaking havoc on who knows what place in the distance. While others might have found what was happening convenient, Desmond found it too convenient, enough to arouse suspicion.

Desmond got a headache trying to handle all the tasks at hand, as well as discovering what the hell was now lodged in his heart and the intentions of that old monster. So, he decided on the simplest option: stop thinking about it.

“I’ve always been a magnet for all sorts of strange phenomena, to begin with; there’s no point in worrying too much about it at this point.” Desmond commented wryly as he shrugged. A second later, Desmond kicked down what was left of the vault door, and there was what Desmond had been looking for; the fifth key to open Lilith’s tomb, conveniently placed in the most visible point of the vault.

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