"EXTRACT!!"
As he spoke, a black smoke drifted out of the body of the Minotaur's body and was instantly absorbed into Vritra's body, after the process was over he turned and glanced over the place.
"I have already fused all the weapons here and taken as many souls as I can for now, still that is already quite a big army of demonic souls. So Yasmine, shall we leave?" stretching his body he questioned.
Vritra had collected the souls of many of the demons he had killed from Goblins to minotaurs, but since Nihil-Anima Mythic halo was still weak so there was a clear limit to the army he can keep for now, even his level didn't allow him to extract the souls of all the demons he had slaughtered.
But as both of them grow stronger in the future, Vritra was sure just the army of his demonic wraiths would be enough to wipe out a kingdom or two, maybe continents and even planets...
He threw these exciting thoughts out of his mind for now, and concentrated on the presence situation, he didn't have enough time to even test his weapons or this world shattering Mythic Halo, now that he has found a way to leave this god forsaken hell, he wished to return to the capital and check up on his mother.
After making sure she is fine, he could always come back to smash the remaining levels in the death canopy and also getting the dragon's physique and bloodline while raising his army at the same time.
"Sure, but don't let my existence be known by anyone. It will put both of us in great danger, also I am curious how did you end up in this hellish place?" Yasmine asked before instructing him to go to the same place from where he had fallen in the trap.
"Sigh It's all because of those shitards, I am going to rip them to pieces after I return. If I hadn't jumped here then I would already be dead..." While they chatted, Vritra soon arrived at the destination instructed by Yasmine.
Just as he arrived there, Yasmine controlled it and opened a path in front of him revealing a long stairway leading up.
"Anyway, I am sure you already know him but meet my friend Zengis, he has been a great help in my time here." Vritra spoke pointing to the stone like weapon floating around him.
"Hehe Sure, I have been watching your interaction with… Zengis, you are really strange." Yasmine laughed, after spending some time with him she didn't seem as stiff as before.
Vritra continued to climb up the stairs as he placed Zengis back into his inventory, he was deep underground and had to climb for quite some time before bright sun light finally hit his face.
Vritra climbed the steep stairs, his senses alert despite the exhaustion weighing down on him. As each step creaked beneath his weight, the path behind him began to close, a shifting wall of stone blocking the passage back into the labyrinth over each floor.
His ragged clothes were wrapped around body, drenched in blood from the gruelling battles he had endured for so long, and the scent of death clung to him like a second skin.
He was finally out of the eerie silence of the canopy that had gripped him in a deadly grip, Vritra did not pause as he climbed. His eyes, filled with a faint anticipation, scanned the surroundings, and he moved forward without hesitation.
The moment Vritra stepped out of the labyrinth's exit, a strange silence overtook the entire area.
There were no talking, howling or even footsteps; it was completely silent except for the whistling of the wind, not even curious glances from adventurers from the labyrinth or the vendors in the market situated nearby.
Instead, people immediately stopped what they were doing, even the beasts that were roaming in the forest nearby.
All the bodies froze, movements halted, and then, as if responding to some invisible signal, the entire plaza erupted into chaos.
Vendors abandoned their stalls. Shoppers dropped their goods. Animals tied near carts began pulling at their reins, some outright fleeing. Within seconds, the busy marketplace was a ghost town.
A deadly pressure descended over a large space, most people had fainted under the crushing pressure and few even choked, gasping for breath. Even the beasts in the forests several miles around the labyrinth seemed to feel some kind of disaster as they abandoned their houses and fled at full speed.
Screams of the humans and beasts soon filled the space, even the adventurers who were around or on the first to fifth floors felt the deadly presence and panicked, they either hid or fled out of the labyrinth in haste.
Vritra stood there, barefoot and wrapped in nothing but a tattered cloth, soaked through with dried blood and grime.
His body was lean, yet clearly defined, with muscles shaped from months of battle and torment, compact and carved like sculpture. His hair was long and dishevelled, face obscured under the layers of dust and curtain of his black eyes, and his pitch black eyes half-lidded with exhaustion.
The air seemed heavy, thick with an unknown fear.
In the distance, Vritra noticed all the changes occurring all of a sudden, everyone was fleeing in terror. His gaze followed their erratic movements, wondering what could have caused such a commotion. Were they being hunted? Or perhaps an enemy was nearby? Maybe some demon?
He instantly became alert but couldn't sense any danger around.
"Is there some kind of threat around?" he asked, his voice hoarse from drinking too much of the demon's blood.
Yasmine's voice echoed in his mind, calm and steady, but there was a trace of something… amusement.
"Yes. They are fleeing after sensing the thick deadly pressure of some dangerous demon, the killing intent in the air must be really suffocating for them all."
Hearing her words, Vritra was even more alert as he looked around and tried to sense any demon nearby but couldn't find anything at all, even the humans who were around had already fled or just fainted on their spots.
"I can't sense anything, is there really a demon here?" Vritra questioned with a sceptical look on his face but then he thought of something: "Don't tell me they can sense your presence, is it you who scared them all?"
"No, it is you who looks like a walking calamity, its like fresh blood is oozing out of your body filling the entire atmosphere… haha those poor souls, they must be feeling dread, to them you must seem like a very strong and dangerous demon from the lower levels of the labyrinth." Yasmine spoke, her tone joking.
"Huh?" Vritra's brows furrowed in confusion.
He focused on all the beasts fleeing, their instincts driving them to panic, and the humans in the marketplace who were running and murmuring among themselves, clearly disturbed.
"My killing intent? But I can't sense anything..." Vritra mumbled in confusion as he looked down at his body, aside from the fresh air nothing seemed to be different.
"That is because you have already gotten used to such environment, you have slain thousands of demons and the killing intent you are unconsciously releasing is quite terrifying for these people. It will be hard for you to control it yet, and it might attract strong people and demons to you." Yasmine explained then she pondered in her mind.
'Is it just me or is there a sense of demonic aura present around him? Maybe it is because he had been devouring so many demons each day, anyway I think it will be back to normal as he stop eating them but is he really a human?'
Vritra took a deep breath, trying to feel anything strange around him, he did feel something bloody in the air but he didn't seem to have any control over it.
It had been months since he had truly been able to feel the sensation of a peaceful moment. But now, as he stood here—his body bathed in blood, his clothes torn and filthy—he could faintly feel the weight of his own presence.
"Can you help me control it?" he asked, fully aware that he couldn't head back to the castle while carrying such heavy presence.
Yasmine's reply came instantly. "It's not something that can be simply controlled in a short time. Once you experience some peaceful time you will naturally learn to keep your intent hidden, but for now I will help you contain this suffocating aura."
Vritra nodded, although he didn't completely trust Yasmine yet but with the condition they were bonded she won't be able to harm him in anyway.
All of a sudden, the heavy pressure from the air disappeared as if it never truly existed, even Vritra sensed the iron scent of blood from around him weaken.
'I should leave before people start to notice me.' He thought.
His feet moved on their own as he walked away from the labyrinth and turned towards the forest, his body moving as though on autopilot while he was still trying to process the knowledge about the killing intent and observing his surroundings. He had changed greatly since the time he had arrived in this place; it wasn't just his strength.
As he walked into the surrounding forest, he sensed the tension in the air around him. The faint and distant sounds of beasts—chirps, rustles, the occasional birdcall—faded into nothingness; there wasn't a creature in a long range around him.
He moved deeper into the trees, the shadows of the forest wrapping around him like a cool embrace. After more than five months without access to clean water or even the luxury of a proper meal, his body was in dire need of water. His throat was dry, the more demon blood he drank the thirstier he always felt but at least it kept him alive.
"I need to find water first," he muttered, almost to himself, while scanning the surrounding.
"I can sense a stream of water not too far away from here, just head south." Yasmine spoke.
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