Transmigrated with my corruption system

"This..." Lyra muttered, taking in a sharp breath of cold air as her eyes trailed across the battlefield.

All the figures from the coalition army had been extinguished. It was all too surreal. The overwhelming threat that had left them feeling helpless had been eradicated so easily within minutes of Thunderblade’s shadow appearing.

Before she could spiral deeper into her thoughts, the air before them rippled violently. When it stilled, a scrawny old man stood there, hands clasped behind his back as he circled Thunderblade’s shadow, muttering repeatedly under his breath.

"Interesting... very interesting," Alaric muttered, unable to tear his gaze away. Up close, the construct of the undead was far more complicated than he had anticipated.

He only snapped out of it when Lyra turned her attention to him, her eyes fluttering rapidly.

"Y-you..."

"You know me?" Alaric muttered, raising one hand to rub his stubble as he turned his back to them, staring into the distance and almost creating the impression of a mysterious expert.

That impression was shattered instantly when Lyra spoke.

"You’re the creepy old man that tried to scam Ulric during the awakening ceremony!" she gasped.

Alaric’s eyes widened. He almost spat a mouthful of blood as his aura crumbled in an instant.

"This... you must have misunderstood..."

Watching her open her mouth to refute, his figure vanished, appearing before her and sealing her lips. He snorted.

"You’re too young to understand the ways of us experts... so there’s no point explaining." He paused as if contemplating, then asked with a greedy glint flashing across his eyes.

"Now... tell me, where is that little brat?"

Having had his eyes opened once more to the youth’s terrifying potential, it would be foolish to let him slip from his grasp again.

The thought had barely formed before his face winced slightly. He had forgotten to bring little Mira with him... he bet if the boy saw his niece, he would reconsider any offer.

Still, he had other means. He thought, his gaze falling to the ring on his finger. He had already established that the youth liked treasures, probably a little too much for his own good. Same as him, which made his heart ache just thinking about parting with one.

But it was a sacrifice worth making.

Just as he was sinking deeper into his thoughts, Lyra and Amber wore worried expressions.

They had already known something was wrong the moment Thunderblade’s shadow appeared. Compared to the slightly weaker than usual link that bound them together...

He couldn’t have been very hurt, right? They mused, trying to comfort themselves. After standing by his side for so long, the chance of that ever happening was growing slimmer by the day. But it still wasn’t impossible, especially after witnessing the heavenly phenomenon signaling the birth of a C-rank being.

As their thoughts crashed into each other, their gazes all fell to Thunderblade’s shadow.

Before they could even inquire, a screeching sound echoed as the blood-red scythe shot into the distance. Thunderblade’s shadow followed behind it, as if they had been summoned back or had accomplished their mission and were now returning to their lord.

Not faltering for a moment, Lyra and Amber rushed after them. They would lead the way to Ulric.

The Greyson elders, Aelira, Amber, Lyra, and the old man followed, leaving the Greyson army and the clan leaders under their banner staring blankly, struggling to process what had just happened. It had all unfolded too fast.

***

"Hahaha!" Alaric chuckled in the distance, surveying the aftermath of the battle. The sound caused everyone around him to halt for a moment and turn their attention to him until Lyra snapped.

"What?"

"These marks..." Alaric continued, unbothered. "They couldn’t have been caused by even the highest D-ranks." He muttered, inspecting the level of damage. Fissures across the ground that tore meters deep, holes punched through buildings. The destruction was far too great.

It wasn’t long before gasps spread as the others caught on to the implication. They had all seen Thunderblade’s shadow fight and how it easily obliterated an army of tens of thousands. That alone placed its power firmly in C-rank territory.

Then that could only mean... Ulric had fought and defeated a C-rank powerhouse while still at E-rank.

If others heard this news, they would instantly discard it as gibberish nonsense. Only overwhelming prodigies could fight above their rank and even then, at a heavy cost.

But fighting over two full ranks? That was simply unheard of, and with good reason. The power required for such a feat would be on an entirely different level, sending chills down their spines.

"Not bad," Alaric muttered, finally regaining his composure.

Given that Thunderblade had only recently advanced and hadn’t fully adjusted to C-rank power, it might have been slightly easier to kill him than a veteran C-rank. Still, that didn’t take anything away from the achievement.

Proof of that was the beaming smiles plastered across Rysten and the other elders’ faces.

Even with all their estimations, they would have never imagined it would take the lord barely a week or so to wield C-rank strength. It was astounding. Everything about the feat was.

Aelira and the rest had widened eyes as the full weight of that realization dawned on them. Before Aelira snorted, clenching her massive hammer tightly. She craved another battle with him, but his power had already grown far beyond her estimations.

But that didn’t mean she had given up. One day, she vowed quietly, she would be strong enough for them to have a rematch. Only this time, she would make sure he wouldn’t hold back.

Tearing themselves from their thoughts, they continued walking forward. Their eyes widened with every step as they felt the residual aura still oozing from the surroundings.

Before they all came to a halt before a massive crater, perhaps the biggest one, stretching tens of meters deep.

A single figure lay within, causing Amber and Lyra to gasp simultaneously.

"Ulric!"

As they stared at the familiar figure, contrary to their expectations, no grave wounds marked his body. Only faint bruises that were already healing rapidly.

The only thing that might have indicated he had been in battle was his torn robe, which was slowly mending itself. The lingering C-rank destructive energy clinging to his body was probably slowing the repair.

"Wait!" Mistress Aria and Alaric suddenly muttered simultaneously, watching as Aelira and the rest were about to jump down and retrieve him.

"What is it?" Lyra mumbled, the worry on her face deepening. Were his injuries deep inside his body? Would moving him worsen them?

Aelira shared the same concern as she turned to stare at Mistress Aria.

"He’s fine," Mistress Aria muttered in an easing tone, seeing their concern. Matter of fact, he was more than fine.

She could see he had acquired multiple wounds, but his physique’s rapid regeneration was already healing him faster than normal.

And what Thunderblade’s shadow had said, combined with the scythe’s influence, had likely contributed to an even quicker recovery. She mused as she relayed all this to them.

"It’s just..." She muttered, but was cut short as Alaric mumbled beneath his breath.

"He’s grasped a concept and seems to be in the middle of enlightenment. Combined with a little energy overdraw, he should awaken soon enough." He breathed, brows furrowing slightly.

But not for long. Snapping his fingers, a sheet of paper appeared in his hands. Scribbling something on it, he tossed it into the pit with a grave look covering his face.

"When he awakens, tell him to meet me at that place. We have a lot to talk about." He exhaled, turning to stare at Amber and the rest. His gaze paused on Aelira for a while before he sighed.

It seemed he hadn’t only been wrong about the youth today. With that thought, he nodded slightly before his figure vanished.

Amber broke the silence, voicing the question on everyone’s mind.

"How long do you think it’ll take for him to wake up?"

A brief silence followed before Mistress Aria spoke again.

"A few hours. Maybe days. Weeks, if needed. However long it takes."

Silence settled once more, resolve taking root in their eyes. They would wait for his awakening, rebuild the Greyson clan, and grow strong enough to stand at his side.

When he woke, he would not stand alone. This time, they would be the ones to protect him.