Ex-Rank Awakening: My Attacks Make Me Stronger - Chapter 298

Chapter 298: EX 298. Origin
The succubus’s life flashed before its eyes, a life long buried beneath layers of corruption and hunger.

Before the monster, there had once been a woman.

A courtesan of rare beauty and poise, the head of the infamous pleasure house Harlot’s Paradise. Men of wealth and power had fought for a night in her arms, each paying a small fortune just to be near her warmth.

But time was cruel.

In her line of work, youth was currency, and her value bled away with every passing year. The joints stiffened, the sickness crept in, and the sparkle that once drew men like moths began to fade. When the body could no longer endure, when the potions failed and the charms wore thin, she was cast aside for fresher faces.

That was when she found it.

A whisper in the dark. A promise from something beyond mortal understanding, the Tether of Corruption. It offered her youth, beauty, adoration. A second chance. All it asked for was the life essence of men.

She accepted without hesitation.

And so began her descent.

Her beauty returned, but her heart became a pit of endless greed. Men perished by the dozens, drained dry to preserve her perfect skin and alluring smile. What had once been vanity turned into addiction. And now, that addiction had twisted her body into something inhuman.

Today, her delusion would end.

The creature burst from the ruins of the pleasure hall, its body a grotesque blend of woman and beast. Wings torn from shadows flared behind it as its crimson eyes locked on Leon.

“Ad…ore…mmm…ee…” it rasped, voice dripping with corrupted charm.

Leon’s brow creased. Disgust flickered across his face. “Still trying that nonsense?” he muttered under his breath.

She lunged.

Leon met her halfway, his boots cracking the stone beneath him as he charged.

In his mind, Originus, the ancient dragon bound to his soul spoke with calm finality.

“It’s ready. I’ve calculated every weak point. You can end this now.”

Leon’s fingers tightened around his blade.

“Good,” he said quietly, eyes cold as steel. “Handle the rest.”

The succubus shrieked, summoning a vast crimson magic circle behind her. Corrupted energy hummed through the air, warping the cobblestones, distorting light itself. It was her final act of desperation.

Leon exhaled once.

His aura flared, a silent roar that swallowed the world around him.

Then, his voice cut through the chaos, So Clear, So Commanding, So Absolute.

“Formless.”

The word itself seemed to slice the air.

The blade in his hand shimmered, its edge losing shape, its form dissolving into pure, unrestrained intent.

And in that instant, the world held its breath.

****

Time itself seemed to hold its breath.

The instant Leon swung Void Blade and uttered the word—”Formless”—the world froze. Even the clash of their speeds, fast enough to shred sound itself, halted mid-motion. Dust hung motionless in the air. The city’s ruins, mid-collapse, stood in eerie stillness.

But the stillness did not touch the blade.

Cracks began to spiderweb along its edge, glowing faintly with violet light. Leon’s body moved within the frozen world, his swing continuing in agonizing slowness, like a god dragging his hand through creation. The fractures on the blade deepened, one after another, until with a sharp, voiceless snap, Void Blade shattered.

And the shards moved.

Countless fragments of the broken weapon scattered across the air, darting faster than light, streaking toward the succubus frozen mid-lunge. The first shard tore through her crimson magic circle, shattering it like glass. Her core, pulsing behind it, cracked apart, scattering fragments of mana that glittered and froze midair like suspended stars.

Then came the rest.

The shards crisscrossed the air, weaving a silent massacre. They tore through flesh, wings, and sinew; pierced her thick skin, split her limbs, and carved through her organs. Yet still, she remained trapped, her expression twisted in fury, her body frozen in motion, her punch forever half-thrown.

Leon stood mid-swing as well, time crawling around him like thick tar.

If someone were to look upon them now, it would seem like a painting of death, a still frame etched into eternity.

The shards finished their dance. One by one, they returned, drawn back toward the hilt hovering in Leon’s grasp. As they reassembled, the weapon hummed, a low, resonant sound that echoed like the whisper of the void itself.

Then, with a soft ripple, time resumed.

Leon stood behind the monstrosity, his blade lowered, stance steady, the faint hum fading into silence.

Behind him, the succubus shuddered. Her corrupted magic erupted in a burst of crimson light. For a brief moment, her body tried to hold together—but the injuries were too severe. Her chest caved, her wings split, and her form collapsed in on itself.

Their was no scream. No plea. Only quiet retribution.

The body hit the ground with a dull thud.

And the still air of the ruined city whispered again

as if even the world itself acknowledged that Formless had judged and ended her.

****

Leon’s breath came in shallow pulls as his blade dissolved into light. Void Blade unraveled into a stream of black motes that coiled back into the tattoo etched across his right hand. The mark pulsed once before dimming, leaving only the faint ache of overuse.

He dropped to one knee, the ruined ground cracking beneath him. His vision wavered. Every nerve in his body throbbed, but none compared to the pounding behind his eyes, a deep, searing ache that felt like his skull might split.

What he’d done wasn’t human. Controlling fragments of Void Blade, each shard moving faster than light, obeying his will through the stillness of warped time, was beyond the limits of mortal control. Even with Originus handling most of the calculations, the mental strain tore at him like molten chains.

Still, Leon managed a weak grin. If he had to, he’d do it again.

Victory had a price, and he’d long accepted that.

“Are you okay, boy?”

Originus’s deep, ancient voice echoed inside his mind.

Leon winced, clutching the side of his head. “Yeah… just—” he muttered through clenched teeth, “—don’t talk so loud. Makes the headache worse.”

The dragon chuckled faintly, the sound fading into a satisfied hum. ‘Rest, then. I’ll gloat about my brilliance later.’

Leon exhaled, letting the silence settle. The monstrous body before him began to crumble, flesh turning to fine ash. The air shimmered as the lingering corruption was drawn into him, threads of dark essence winding into his core.

At first, it felt like any other absorption, a dull pull followed by warmth. But then, something shifted. A pulse, that felt not only familiar but wrong.

Leon’s eyes snapped open. His heartbeat quickened. This energy… he knew it.

It wasn’t just corruption—it was the same taint he’d sensed in the real world. The same corruption that threatened every world tied to the Trial Realm, only fainter, diluted and unrefined.

He stared at the last embers of ash drifting away, his jaw tightening.

“…Was she a demon?” he whispered.

The question lingered in the cold air, heavy and unanswered.

Even Originus stayed silent.

****

A/N: Almost at three hundred let’s go!!!. Reaching this far wouldn’t be possible without you guys, thank you for sticking along this far…. Now send golden tickets for Mass release muhahahah ^ _.^