Born In Ashes: The Enigma-Chapter 261: Edge of Null Genesis

"Mandate of the Scale is a skill that my class granted me upon promotion to Epic Rank. What kind of terrifying skills would the Judge Class grant me once I reach Legendary Rank, Planetary Rank, or even higher?" Azrael took a deep breath, still reeling from the absurdity of his class.

"No wonder even the Class Change item for the Judge Class was something that even Mom couldn’t hold," He muttered with a faint shake of his head, then turned his attention to the next skill.

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---) Covenant of Binding (Class Skill): Upon activation, forms a binding contract between the Judge and the target. Once invoked, the target becomes unable to defy any command related to the covenant’s terms. Breaking the Oath triggers the Wrath of Law, consuming part of the target’s soul and permanently reducing their stats by 50%. Can be used to form contracts with up to three individuals. Ineffective against individuals who are two ranks above you.

====

"A contract skill..." Azrael murmured, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he studied the skill description.

But a moment later, his pupils contracted to the size of needles.

"F**k..." He couldn’t help but swear, jumping out of the now nearly dried cosmic energy pool.

He quickly reread the skill details, and when he confirmed that he hadn’t misread anything, his breathing quickened.

"Is this for real?" He muttered under his breath, his heart racing with excitement.

At first, after reading the Covenant of Binding, Azrael hadn’t paid much attention to it. In Genesis, there were many artifacts related to contracts that could achieve similar results. In fact, most people used such contract-type items when making deals, since they were fairly common.

So, at first glance, the skill hadn’t seemed too special to him.

However, after carefully rereading the description, Azrael noticed something truly absurd.

’The skill details say that I can form contracts with anyone who isn’t two ranks higher than me...’ He thought to himself, his expression hardening. ’But the most important part is that it doesn’t say the contract must be formed with mutual consent. That means, as long as I use this skill, I can forcefully form a contract with someone, even if they don’t agree!’

As the realization struck him, Azrael couldn’t help but imagine using the Covenant of Binding on a Legendary Rank warrior, with terms stating that the target must become his servant and obey all his commands without resistance.

"This... this skill is simply broken," He muttered aloud, staring at the details of the skill with a speechless expression.

Of course, the effect of the skill wasn’t absolute. If the target truly wished, they could still break the covenant, but doing so would consume a portion of their soul and permanently reduce their stats by 50%.

That kind of backlash was far too terrifying for anyone to willingly endure.

"This skill can be used on anyone who isn’t two ranks higher than me... That means, if I wanted to, I could easily obtain three Legendary Rank warriors as my subordinates instantly," Azrael said, narrowing his eyes slightly.

But of course, he had no intention of using such an overpowered ability recklessly.

In fact, beyond forcing subordination, this skill could also serve as a powerful strategic tool in desperate situations.

If Azrael ever found himself facing a powerful enemy he couldn’t defeat, and that enemy happened to fall within the usage range of Covenant of Binding, he could simply use the skill to turn that opponent into his subordinate.

He even smirked at the thought of making such an arrogant foe run naked through the city for daring to attack him.

"I can only form contracts with three people for now. I am not sure if that number will increase in the future, so I will have to use this skill wisely..." He muttered in a low, thoughtful tone, his eyes reflecting a deep glint. Then, his gaze shifted toward the next notification.

"Fallen Star has evolved, huh..." He said with a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips before opening its updated details.

"It’s a pity that even though Abyss also has a contract with me, it can’t evolve alongside me until I find the rest of its fragments and complete it."

As he spoke, the updated status of Fallen Star appeared before his eyes, and he quickly noticed the changes.

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---) Name: The Fallen Star

---) Type: Weapon-Type Soul Armament [Grows along with its user]

---) Status: Unawakened

---) Abilities: Sword Domination, The World, Edge of Null Genesis

---) Sword Domination (Passive Ability): Increases the power of all sword-type attacks by 75%.

---) The World (Active Ability): The Fallen Star can alter its weight according to the user’s will. At its peak, this ability allows the sword to become as heavy as the entire world. Currently, the user can increase the sword’s weight by five times. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

---) Edge of Null Genesis (Active Skill): Channel 50% of your cosmic energy into the Fallen Star, invoking the Law of Null Genesis. Upon activation, release a single slash that temporarily erases a random conceptual trait of the target—such as Energy Regeneration, Cosmic Energy, Class, Trait, etc. If the difference in rank between the user and the target exceeds three ranks, there is a chance of failure. The greater the difference in rank, the higher the chance of failure. Usable once every five hours.

====

Azrael immediately noticed the improvements in Fallen Star’s previous abilities.

The power boost from Sword Domination had increased from 60% to 75%, and with The World, he could now multiply the weapon’s weight by five times instead of the previous four.

However, what truly drew his attention was the newly unlocked skill of his Soul Armament.

"A new skill... and a conceptual one at that," Azrael muttered, genuine surprise flickering in his eyes as he read through the description of Edge of Null Genesis.

He had read about conceptual skills before, abilities capable of erasing the very essence of existence.

This wasn’t sealing, disabling, or suppressing, it was true erasure.

In a literal sense, Edge of Null Genesis could temporarily erase a random concept from existence.

For instance, if his attack struck a target and the erased concept happened to be Cosmic Energy, that opponent would instantly lose every trace of their energy, not even a single point would remain. And that was only one possible outcome.

The skill could just as easily erase a target’s Class, rendering them unable to use any of their class-related powers or abilities.

"Although it consumes 50% of my cosmic energy to use and the concept erased is chosen at random, this skill could easily become a game-changer if it happens to erase a vital trait," Azrael murmured, deep in thought.

He was more than satisfied with the evolution of Fallen Star.

Opening his updated status window, Azrael scanned through it before nodding in satisfaction.

===+

---) Name: Azrael Thorne

---) Level: 26 (Epic Rank Warrior)

---) Class: Judge

---) Traits: Infinite Comprehension (Eternal Grade), Cold Blooded (Orange Grade — Evolvable)

---) Soul Armament: Fallen Star (Unawakened)

---) Attribute: Astral

---) Rune: Rune of Spirit

---) Substance: Nether Wind

---) Title: ??? [Locked], Slayer

---) Bloodline: ??? (Eternal Grade) (Unawakened)

---) Strength: 230

---) Agility: 220 (+44)

---) Stamina: 260

---) Cosmic Energy: 356

---) Spirit: 130 → 140

---) Free Stat Points: 28

---) Skills: Cosmic Energy Breathing Method (Middle Level), True Focus (Entry Level), Unyielding Body (Middle Level)

---) Class Skills: Absolute Decree, Balance Severed, Mandate of the Scale, Covenant of Binding

---) Meditation Technique: Sun, Moon, and Star Sutra

---) Essentia Arts: SkyRift Slash (Entry Level), Eye of the Eternal Storm (Entry Level), Wings of Wind

---) Intent: Tyrant Intent

---) Shop

---) Inventory

---) Task: Make the Seed of the End within you acknowledge you as its master.

(Reward: ???)

---) Task Points: 134,045

====

"My physical stats haven’t changed, but my Spirit has increased by ten points..." Azrael muttered softly, raising an eyebrow in mild surprise.

’It must be because my spirit is now linked to my core, that’s probably why it increased by ten points,’ He thought, before closing his status window and stretching his body.

He assessed his condition, and upon realizing that most of the strain caused by the Unyielding Body technique had faded, he nodded in satisfaction.

"At this rate, it won’t be long before my body fully recovers, and I can resume training in the Unyielding Body again," Azrael said with a faint smile before leaving the cosmic energy chamber.

After taking another shower and changing into a fresh set of clothes, he pondered his next move.

"I already know which attribute I want to embed, I just need to buy it from the shop. As for the Rune, I’ll have to check the academy’s collection myself."

Muttering to himself, Azrael left his mansion, deciding to personally inspect the available runes.

However, the moment he stepped outside, his smart band vibrated.

He glanced down and saw that it was a message from Elyara.

Raising an eyebrow, he opened it and began to read.

As his eyes scanned the message, a surprised expression appeared on his face, followed quickly by a faint smirk.

’I was already planning to test my new powers inside the Tower of Trials,’ He thought. ’But I suppose testing them against her will be even better.’