Reincarnated with SSS-Rank Trait and Unique Ability-Chapter 25: Extraction Complete

***

[ Extraction Complete! ]

[ Extraction Complete! ]

***

Just as the message faded, Aster lunged forward—hatred burning in his eyes, blood still dripping from the wound on his leg.

His Jian clashed against Ares’s katana. The sharp ring of steel echoed through the cavern, blending seamlessly with the rhythm of battle raging between the instructor and Teon.

But then—something changed.

Aster’s presence shifted. He activated his Soul Weapon’s enchantment.

Flames erupted along the length of his blade, turning steel into a firestorm. He struck again and again, each swing a blazing arc of fury.

Ares held his ground, blocking each attack, but the searing heat licked at his fingers with every parry. The fire bit deeper with every blow—yet he stood firm, refusing to yield.

One of the twin spirits fell during a violent exchange, disappearing in a shimmer of shadow. The opening allowed Ares to cut a shallow wound across Aster’s torso, but it wasn’t enough to slow the attacker, blinded now by rage, swinging his flaming blade with reckless fury.

Aster’s weapon carved through the air in a blazing arc. Ares was a moment too slow.

With a silent command, he sent the second twin spirit forward.

The spectral figure took the blow in his place, vanishing in a burst of dark mist. And just like that, Ares was alone.

The two combatants paused.

Aster’s grin twisted with satisfaction, his Jian burning violently in his grip.

"What now, kid? Your little helpers are gone."

But Ares wasn’t listening. His focus turned inward, to a place only he could reach—his core.

He felt them—the two new Soul Weapons resting inside him like dormant beasts, waiting to be unleashed.

And with them... something else.

Enchantments.

A pulse of power surged through him—familiar, yet entirely new.

Aster noticed the distant look in Ares’s eyes and charged, his blade raised high, ready to finish it.

At that exact moment, Ares reached for it—the enchantment of one of the daggers.

His eyes widened, lips curling into a subtle smirk.

Mana twisted around his katana. A stream of water coiled along the blade like a living serpent, glimmering with energy.

Aster’s eyes went wide, but he was already mid-lunge.

Their blades collided—and the water surged forward in a sudden, violent wave.

The torrent extinguished the raging flame in an instant as steel met steel.

Before Aster could react, Ares summoned one of the daggers into his left hand. He shifted his footing, ducked low, and with a fluid, brutal motion, he drove the blade up into Aster’s chest.

The man jolted and then froze. His eyes locked on the dagger embedded in his chest, flickering with disbelief.

His grip slackened. The dark Jian clattered to the ground with an echoing clang.

Ares stared into his eyes—steady, cold—before yanking the dagger free. Aster’s body collapsed in a heap, blood pooling beneath him, the light fading from his eyes as death claimed him.

A few heartbeats passed.

Then, glowing letters flickered into view.

*

[ Requirement met. ]

[ Extract Soul Weapon? ]

[ Yes ] [ No ]

*

Ares replied "Yes" in his mind, then exhaled sharply. The adrenaline drained from his limbs, and the weight of the battle began creeping in, fatigue tugging at his bones.

Across the cavern, Teon caught sight of Aster’s death—and in that moment, his focus faltered.

The instructor’s blade slashed across Teon’s torso, drawing a fresh river of blood.

Teon staggered back, hissing in pain, his gaze locked on his fallen comrade. Rage twisted his features.

"Tskk. This weakling... getting killed by a damn kid." He spat on the ground, then closed his eyes for a fraction of a second, reaching inward, toward the core of his power.

He activated his Soul Weapon Enchantment.

Nothing changed outwardly. No flame, no light. Just a stillness.

Then he moved.

He blurred forward, so fast the air split in his wake.

Viktor grimaced, barely managing to raise his blade in time. The impact rattled his arms—Teon’s strength had increased dramatically.

The clash escalated. Blow after blow, Teon’s strikes grew faster, heavier, more brutal. The balance tipped. Slowly but surely, the instructor was forced onto the defensive.

Ares’s eyes lifted to the battle, and a dark expression settled on his face.

The instructor, whom he had always seen as unshakable, was beginning to falter.

With the last remnants of mana still flickering inside him, Ares activated the Enchantment of Father’s Will one last time. A spectral image of Aster began to rise, dark, translucent, and silent as smoke.

It lingered for only a moment before Ares gave the mental command.

The spirit lunged toward Teon, just as a powerful gust of wind surged across the battlefield, aimed squarely at the assassin.

Teon evaded the gust with ease, barely acknowledging it. But then his eyes locked onto Lucian.

The boy trembled under that gaze. Clutching his staff, he sent another blast forward, just as the spirit of Aster arrived at Teon’s flank.

Steel met steel.

A ringing echo shook the cavern walls as the first clash landed, then a second, then a third. Teon was now facing not just the instructor, but also the vengeful echo of his fallen comrade.

Even with the unnatural strength granted by his Soul Weapon Enchantment, Teon began to get pushed back. Fighting two opponents at once started to prove too difficult.

Blood welled from deep gashes across his chest and arms. His breathing turned ragged. In contrast, the instructor, with his enchantment fueling constant regeneration, looked almost untouched.

Soon, Teon’s back hit the jagged wall of the cavern.

Trapped and cornered, he gritted his teeth as he prepared for the incoming attacks.

With no room to evade, he managed to deflect only one of the blades.

The instructor’s strike sank deep into his abdomen. Blood erupted in violent spurts, painting the ground in crimson.

Ares stood still, watching silently as the instructor raised his blade once more, then swung it for the last time in a wide, horizontal arc.

With a heavy thud, the head hit the ground, rolling to a stop beside the lifeless body.

The battle was finally over.