The Ruined Death Knight

"4 Years." Danzel said as his grip on their neck tightened more.

"No, more than that, I always asked myself what you all were. At one point I even thought that I went mad." Danzel said with a hind of anger, that slowly grew with time.

"At first I thought that I was cursed in watching pointless illusion's inside my mind. Or maybe seeing people from the previous owner of this body before I came to be..." Danzel said in his cold voice.

"After all, I sensed no mana or life force in being the culprit of your creation. Not even Velkir was able to see a hind of foreign energy on you all. So I couldn't help but think that I was insane pretending to be sane, heh, hahahah!" Danzel said as started laughing maniacally with his shoulders trembling with anger.

Which resulted in him increasing the strength of his grip on the two "illusions" of the man and old woman slowly disappearing.

Seeing that happening, Danzel's ethereal eyes flared up.

"So laughable..."

Changing his posture, he dragged the two "illusions" and slammed them to the ground with a single swift motion.

*Brggh!!!

Despite the two "illusions" being seemingly ethereal, Danzel touched them as if it made them semi-physical in nature. Which resulted in breaking the wooden floor.

Which resulted in them breaking down and starting to disappear before Danzel's eyes.

"Ah~there goes the floor..." He mumbled as he let go of his grid and slowly watched the two disappear.

'The soul essence is gathering to me before disappearing. Why is that the case?' Danzel would have frowned if he could?

If the soul essence was being spent somewhere, he would feel more comfortable. But what it looked like to him was the soul essence of the "illusions" was simply gathering around himself and disappearing or becoming invisible in front of his sight.

For a moment he weighed the idea of upgrading his [Eyes of Damnation] with his remaining XP in hopes to see what was happening. Though he abandoned the idea shortly after.

"It doesn't even seem to get consumed, but simply disappear, also..." Danzel mumbled as turned his head slightly and gazed at the woman with the black clothes.

Exterting his strength on his legs, and moved with such speeds that might have been seen as instant teleportation to others of inferior strength.

Now standing in front of the blacked clothed "illusion", Danzel stared down with his cold ethereal eyes.

"The fact that the soul essence that you guys are made out of feels extremely similar to my own is weird. It isn't my soul essence and yet it feels it is...why?" Danzel said with his chilling voice and waited for a response, only to get none.

"Am I missing something? If the soul essence came from me, I should have realized it. Or am I still lacking in perceiving my own and the soul essence around me?"

"I also have to figure out how you guys are made or at least where that soul essence goes. It has to have some sort of vessel to store what you guys are made out of. There is also the possibility that soul essence can exist without a vessel, but that would go against my observations... not to forget that it seems like their soul essence doesn't get spent. A way to recycle the soul essence maybe? But that wouldn't make sense as it would be the same as using energy that is being spent..."

Several ideas came into his mind, and the longer he thought about the existence of those "illusions" the more possible possibilities of the nature of soul essence came to his mind.

The "illusion" of the black-clothed woman stayed silent for a bit more, silently staring at Danzel and thinking out loud. But that soon changed when she opened her mouth.

"Please, don't p-"

Alas, before she could finish her sentence, an ethereal blade stuck through her chest. With the blade came ominous laughter from behind.

"Hehehehe~" The one laughing of course was none other but an ethereal copy of Danzel, piercing with his sword through her chest.

Danzel's ethereal dark green self is none but the manifestation of the [Soul Ender] skill that Danzel possesses.

Twisting the ethereal sword in the "illusions" chest, she immediately after crumpled into soul essence as just like the other two, traveled towards him before disappearing.

The ethereal version of Danzel that was laughing ominously then walked straight to Danzel and became one with him.

"Despite the two looking similar, the skill is different that does "illusions". So annoying." Danzel shook his face in annoyance.

Seating on the bed that he was readying a moment ago, Danzel had lost his mood to continue reading the book of Nersan'rah.

He silently contemplated the information that he had gained from the appearance of those 3 "illusions".

But before he could come to a clear conclusion, he sighted out loud as he watched how the last and most annoying "illusion" came to be.

"Sigh, rare seeing you, when was it the last time you decided to come out?"

Similar to the other "illusions" he couldn't see his face, but based on his clothing and body structure it was clear that it was a man, different from the one that constantly blamed him.

The sole "illusion" that brought him immediate anger simply by his words was similar to when he faced a human by instinct but much worse.

"...What have you done?" The "illusion" spoke slowly and with hints of anger in his voice.

"You mean the three others that came before you? Isn't it obvious?" Danzel said as he clenched his hand and resorted to using [Grasp of the Undying].

The ethereal skeleton hand firmly gripped the man's neck.

Though that didn't halt the man's ability to continue talking.

"I finally can take a good look at you. Last time I missed it in the church, but no matter. And as for what I am about to do, The same that I did to the other that came before you." Danzel said in his cold voice.

The "Illusion" of the man though continue speaking as if the ethereal hand didn't even bother him.

"You haven't even realized what you are doing...You are but a hypocrite. You could have done better and yet, look at yourself. Have you still not realized it?"

"Hah!" Danzel scoffed at those words.

"Could have done better? A hypocrite? You all repeat nothing but empty words. I would much more like discussing how you all are being made instead of hearing empty words that I had long grown tired of." Danzel said, but despite his words, he activated the main effect of [Grasp of the Undying].

Pulling the "illusion" towards him while setting, Danzel draws his sword and lets the "illusion" be pierced by his sheer momentum.

"Actually, don't even bother. I wouldn't even bother to take the words of foreign entities seriously..."

And just like the others, the "Illusion" of the man broke down into soul essence, but unlike the others, despite being destroyed, Danzel could still hear his words.

"You fool, you don't even know what you are doing. But no matter~" Suddenly, the voice grew much more grim and cold. As if the "illusion" was replaced by another entity.

"Till you meet your final moment, I shall await thee moment. And for the better or the worse, I shall decide thee souls fate, even if it means-"

Before the cold voice grim voice could finish, in lighting speed Danzel drew his sword and swung at the soul essence that was disappearing.

Making the voice around him disappear for good.

*Brghhh!

Danzel swing into the air alone generated a wind blade that cut the ceiling of the house clean and that was without the support of mana or any other energy. But just his own physical power.

With the wooden parts of the ceiling falling down and crashing, the snow of the outside night started to fall on top of Danzel.

Surrounded by his death aura unconsciously, Danzel spoke out loud.

"The moment that you speak of shall never arrive. Whoever close I come, I will never meet my final moment, even if my soul were to grumble and to be ruined, the moment will never arrive." He said with his chilling voice and hollow eyes staring at the night sky of the world.

He blankly stared at the night sky with now his hollow eyes, his mind lost in thoughts.

What pulled him out of such thoughts was the creaking sound of the door opening and an eye peeping at him.

"Rue..." Shiro said while looking at Danzel's concern.

Danzel tilted his head in confusion.

"Shiro? What's wrong? Why are you pretending to be hiding?"

Tilting the door open, Shiro walked carefully into the house.

"Ehm...I just finished my lessons with Anabast. I left them as I grew a bit tired for today." Shiro said as she peeked at the broken floor and the ceiling.

"So, ehm...did I come in a bad time or did I miss something while I was gone?"

Hearing her response made Danzel be reminded of the broken floor and the ceiling of the house that they were staring at.

Which made him feel awkward.