Extra Borne: Transmigrated Into A System Apocalypse Soulsborne Novel-Chapter 48 - 46: Pursuit

The Roamer’s claws sliced through my mist form with the ferocity of a predator denied its kill. Tendrils of vapor scattered in its wake, twisting and reforming in the stormy air. It couldn’t harm me... not yet. But I knew better than to grow complacent. Creatures like this always found a way.

I needed to buy time.

With a thought, I summoned two mist clones. They materialized instantly, their forms wreathed in shifting gray tendrils. Without hesitation, they lunged at the Roamer, a desperate attempt to divert its attention.

But it didn’t even pause.

The creature’s glowing ash blue eyes flickered, and in that moment, my clones disintegrated. Not just their forms.. their very essence. The backlash hit me like a darkness to the chest. A searing pain tore through my mind and soul, threatening to drag me out of my mist form entirely. My vision wavered, a kaleidoscope of light and shadow.

I clenched what remained of my will, forcing myself to stay ethereal. If I materialized now, I’d be as good as dead.

Ahead, the desolate village loomed closer, its jagged outlines barely visible through the torrent of black muddy battered rain. The storm overhead raged on, multicolored lightning splitting the ashen gray sky in deafening bursts. Yet all of it felt distant.. muted by the sound of my heart pounding like a war drum in my chest.

Fear clawed at my insides, raw and suffocating. It was the kind of fear I hadn’t felt since facing the Crimson Death Worm, a terror that threatened to consume me.

I was running, but to where? To what end?

The truth gnawed at me.

Every move I made was pointless. Running wouldn’t save me. Hiding wouldn’t work. If I kept moving, the Roamer would eventually catch up, and worse, it might figure out how to harm me even in this form. If I stopped and materialized, it would annihilate me in a single strike.

There was no escape.

No salvation.

No hope.

This world had no place for the weak or indecisive.

My mist form shooked at the realization, my thoughts sharpening into a singular focus. I needed to adapt, to change. My survival depended on it. I would have to kill it.. or be killed.

I gritted my teeth, allowing my mist to flow in my subconscious, forcing my trembling heart to still. My emotions, the storm of fear and doubt, were shoved into a corner of my mind and locked away. A cold clarity replaced them, my thoughts shrouded in the mist that now formed my body.

The Roamer was upon me. Its massive frame loomed out of the darkness, rain sliding off its sinewy, ash-colored flesh. It didn’t swipe this time; it had learned. Its intelligence was terrifying, a cold calculation that made it far more dangerous.

Its serpent-like tail slithered behind it, glistening with venom that could melt through any armor or defense. The tail shot forward, aiming to pierce through my very existence.

In that instant, the Lantern of Aureal pulsed.

A golden light erupted from the artifact, warm and blinding, bathing the Roamer in its glow. The creature recoiled, letting out an ear-splitting screech that shook the earth beneath us. Its strike faltered, the deadly tail retracting as it staggered back.

Before It could process what had happened, a streak of blue light tore through the storm. It came from the ruins of the abandoned village, a vortex of energy so fast and precise that my eyes couldn’t track it.

The arrow struck the Roamer square in its chest.

The impact detonated with a deafening boom, the force of the explosion tearing through the air and hurling the creature backward. The storm seemed to still for a moment, the multicolored lightning frozen in the sky as if time itself had held its breath.

The Roamer’s core, a pulsing, blackened sphere embedded in its chest, cracked.

The beast fell.

The ground trembled as its massive form hit the earth, its body still as smoke covered the area.

I exhaled, the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding escaping in a shudder. My form shifted, the mist coalescing back into flesh and bone. I stood there, human once more, the Lantern of Aureal clutched tightly in my hand.

But my gaze wasn’t on the fallen Roamer.

It was on the village.

And the one who had fired the shot.

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I had been counting on this. Every step, every calculated move, led to this moment. The village was my only advantage... a ruined maze of shattered structures where desperation could masquerade as strategy. I slowed my pace deliberately, testing the limits of my mist clones, learning how far I could stretch them without immediate detection.

Ahead of me, one of the clones... my last gamble gripped my bow. Its ethereal fingers stretched the string taut, materializing an arrow brimming with volatile blue energy. The arrow swirled and twisted, its power barely contained as the vortex pulsed with light.

All I needed was for the Roamer to step into range.

The trap was perfect. Everything was already set, it was only remaining for the target to come closer in a reasonable range where the arrow will not miss..

And finally, it paid off, I thought, an exhale escaping me,

But something was wrong.

There was no notification. No system prompt.

Wait… don’t tell me...

The Roamer burst from the smoke where the arrow’s explosion had landed, its battered form silhouetted against the flashing multicolored lightning in the dark ashen sky. Its massive body, dripping with acidic blue ichor, moved with unrelenting rage.

I froze.

Before I could dematerialize back into mist, its jaws clamped down on my arm with bone-crushing force.

Pain.

It wasn’t just pain.. it was a universe of agony tearing through my nerves. The Lantern of Aureal slipped from my grip, splashing into the black, muddy ground. My instinct screamed at me to cry out, but I couldn’t afford that luxury. Not now.

The Roamer lifted me effortlessly, shaking me like a predator savoring its kill. Its jagged teeth sank deeper, grinding into the bones of my arm. I could feel them splintering, shattering under its relentless bite.

But I didn’t stop.

I couldn’t stop.

Gritting my teeth against the searing pain, I materialized my Mist Sword in my free hand. Its spectral mist created blade shimmered faintly, a fragile hope against the overwhelming despair. With every ounce of strength I had left, I drove the blade into the Roamer’s flesh.

Dark blue ichor erupted from the wound, splattering across my skin. The acidic blood hissed and bubbled on contact, searing through flesh like molten metal.

"Aaaargh!" The scream tore from my throat despite my resolve, but I kept stabbing. Over and over, I thrust the blade into its body, each strike fueled by desperation.

The Roamer’s jaws tightened further, its intent clear.. it wanted to break me, to remind me that resistance was futile. But I refused to yield.

My attacks grew wild, frantic. I slashed and stabbed, carving into the beast’s flesh, disfiguring it piece by piece. The Mist Sword moved faster and faster until it was a blur of motion, its blade slicing through muscle, bone, and sinew.

And then, finally, my blade struck the cracked core.

The Roamer’s body convulsed violently, its jaws loosening as the light in its eyes began to fade. The core shattered under the force of my strike, sending a ripple of dark energy through the air.

Its grip on me released, and I collapsed to the ground, my arm mangled and useless. The Roamer’s massive body hit the mud with a dull thud, motionless at last.

I didn’t open my eyes immediately. Roamers were cunning creatures, their deaths might often mean a deception. But as the moments dragged on, the silence confirmed what I had hoped.

It was dead.

I forced my blurry vision to focus, staring at the lifeless monstrosity.

[Notification]

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A ROAMER HAS BEEN DEFEATED [Rank_??]

Killed By: 1

Support: NONE

Vital Imprint Obtained x 60

Vital Imprint Shared: NONE

| Checkpoint! NONE |

+

My heart pounded slightly as I read the words. I had done it. I had killed my first Roamer.

But the cost…

I couldn’t feel my body. My arm was a mangled ruin, and the rest of me wasn’t much better. My vision swam, flickering on the edge of unconsciousness. The Mist Sword flickered and vanished, dematerializing as my energy gave out completely.

I wasn’t done.

Before the darkness could take me, I dragged myself forward, using my one functional arm. Each movement was a monumental effort, my body screaming in protest as I clawed through the mud toward the Roamer’s corpse.

Its body had already begun to dissolve, ichor pooling beneath it. I couldn’t let it disappear. Not yet.

Using my last reserves of strength, I lifted myself onto my knees and summoned one of my dual daggers. The blade hummed with faint orange energy, barely stable.

I didn’t hesitate.

I drove the dagger into the Roamer’s stomach, carving through its flesh with brutal speed, ignoring the pain I felt. The acidic ichor burned my hand, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t.

Finally, I found it.. a writhing black larva nestled deep within its body.

I smiled, blood and ichor dripping from my lips. The victory was hollow, the price too high, but it didn’t matter.

I grabbed the larva with my trembling hand and brought it to my mouth. Without a second thought, I swallowed it whole.

The taste was revolting, a searing bitterness that spread through my body like fire. My vision dimmed, the edges of the world collapsing into darkness.

And then, a screen.

[SYSTEM]

YOU’VE ACHIEVED A NEW SECRET EVOLUTION! FROM NOW ON, VITAL IMPRINTS WILL NO LONGER BE YOUR MAIN SOURCE OF EVOLVING.

[EVOLUTION]

+

SECOND EVOLUTION (55%) — 35% removed

+

The words faded as the darkness claimed me, dragging me into oblivion.

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[RE#_V#N$..#]