HMMMMH! ...

Aezaleon hummed. His veins turned white for a split second, rapidly returning to normal the next. The energy overflowed inside his body, swiftly rushing into his ascension core afterwards. But not before giving him bits and bits of information about the concepts the calamity: White Ibex had comprehended. The information was a fragmented mosaic of ice and frost, slowly piecing itself together in his mind.

The process lasted a whole minute with Aezaleon. During which, he stood silently in the destroyed and frozen forest ground. He opened his eyes the next second, releasing a deep breath.

"That was kind of... I would say appetizing!" he voiced in a satisfied tone.

"Don’t you have better words to describe it?" Clementine raised her brows, amused. Her smile was a flicker of moonlight on a cold blade.

"I don’t know...!"

"In any case, tell me, did you get any concepts from the meal?" Aezaleon smiled and nodded. "Indeed, I did! It’s the inferior concept: [Movement Impairment] and [Lesser Frost]," he responded in a proud voice.

"The former lets me freeze the internal muscles, sensory nerves, organs, bones, etc. of my targets. The latter gives me the ability to create Elemental Ice of moderate cold. However, since I’m an ascension rank 2 calamity, I can only use these concepts partially, and..."

Aezaleon raised his hand, summoning a crystal of ice on his palm. "I feel a sort of resistance from my body that doesn’t allow me to utilize the concept fully, despite having an innately stronger body than other lifeforms! Not to mention, the suppression from the world, something like an invisible force wrapped around me, preventing and suppressing me from increasing my proficiency in my concepts."

The world felt like a tightening cage of iron, invisible yet undeniable.

Clementine blinked on hearing his words. "It’s surprising that you can feel the resistance from the world. But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised either, considering your Absolute ability is one geared towards the power of Will (consciousness); something as abstruse as these forces..." she commented in a thoughtful manner.

Afterwards, both Clementine and Aezaleon left the area heading towards some weaker calamities for him to practice the concepts he just got.

... ... ...

Even if Aezaleon cannot increase the proficiency of his concepts as he was now, it would still be better if he were to familiarize himself with this new power of his and can know about the extent to which he could utilize them currently.

To that end, both the master and the companion moved through the forest at a speed of 30 m/sec for full five minutes. Thus covering a distance of 9,000 meters.

However, in a forest their path was never straight or linear. It was more irregular than anything. So it was more like they had traveled a distance of 9,000 meters and not covered 9,000 meters from point A to B.

When they stopped, it was because they had already entered the heart of the territory of the calamities Clementine had spotted sometime ago.

Indeed, in this 10,000 meters wide circle, existed a small colony of calamities! Led by a strong rank 3 calamity with a slightly better intelligence than the other calamities following it.

In this small colony, there were 12 other calamities besides the rank 3 calamity that ruled over them. All of these were landborn deer type calamities: Galescourge Bearers!

These deers were calamities with mastery over a powerful Elemental—Darkwind—and inferior concepts such as [Festering], [Lesser Decay], [Paralysis], [Infection], [Energy Drain], and many more. Concepts—which were also quite damaging to the forest around them. The area was a scar on the land, where the very air tasted of rot and stagnant wind.

Enough that in this place these calamities resided in, it had far less trees, vegetation and flora compared to the one from where Aezaleon and Clementine came from.

Currently, both were standing on one of the few trees present in this area, concealed. Something that Clementine was quite easily able to do with many of the concepts she had mastered! And yes, she was capable of using the power of concepts despite being rank one.

After sharing all the information she got from observing the flaring presences (auras) of these calamities, Clementine looked towards him.

"About a 1,000 meters from here is the center of this colony, where the leader of these calamities had made its home," she commented in a briefing tone. "Also, amongst those 12 calamities here; four are rank 3, just slightly weaker than the White Ibex you fought previously and the rest are merely rank 2! And all of them have made their nests in the four cardinal directions."

Clementine briefed, afterwards questioning, "In other words, you don’t have to fight all these thirteen calamities simultaneously. However, that also means you won’t be getting any help from me either. So, how do you want to go about this hunt? Hmm?!"

"Let’s first finish off the weaker ones. I’ll absorb them and raise my strength as much as I can. Afterwards, we will face the stronger calamities," he replied in a strategic voice.

Clementine nodded. "Understood."

Without further ado, both of them moved towards the south. They had come from the southwestern part of this territory, so it only took them a minute to traverse 2,000 meters, and near the calamities in the south.

After a few seconds... 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Aezaleon also sensed the presence of the ascension rank two calamity: Galescourge Bearer! He squinted his eyes. It was three meters tall with dark black fur and a meter long black antlers, with some eerie purple veins glowing within, in rhythm with the beat of the calamity’s heart. The glowing veins were like embers pulsing in the dark.

Currently, the calamity was resting in the shade of one of the trees present here.

The second Aezaleon spotted it, he rushed towards it with his claymore in his hand of course. As he came out of the concealment, his presence became immediately known to the calamity, who sensed his unconcealed killing intent. It instantly sprang to its feet, becoming alarmed.

Alas, it was already too late as Aezaleon had already reached it.

SLASH!

He positioned his body before the calamity, his feet dug into the ground and with one hand, he swung the claymore in an horizontal upward arc. Separating the calamity’s head from its body in one swing. The motion was smooth, precise and so fast, that in the calamity’s eyes it was nothing short of teleportation!

SPURT! GGGRRRRRR!

After flying in the air, its head rolled onto the ground with its body soon following it afterwards, as it too fell to the ground with a loud thud. In seconds the ground was filled with blood. The grass—painted red.

"Decisive? Huh...!" Clementine remarked with a smirk.

"I did not want to alert the other calamities of our presence and wanted to finish off the battle as soon as possible, but it looks like I’m stronger than I thought. I was able to kill a calamity the same rank as me in one strike," he voiced in a confident tone.

"Ooh, really now!" Clementine smiled. Neither denying nor accepting his words, simply observing him absorb the dead calamity. Which was completed in 10 seconds this time.

Afterwards, without wasting a moment, both of them moved towards the next rank 2 Galescourge Bearer and within 15 minutes killed all 8 of them in every direction.

Starting from south, then to the west, north and lastly at the eastern side, and were now observing the rank 3 Galescourge Bearer in this side from a reasonable distance. This one was quite different in appearance from the rank 2 calamities Aezaleon had killed and absorbed up until now.

As it had not a pair but two pairs of antlers on its head, along with its black fur gaining a darker hue and a violet sheen! Its height had also increased from 3 meters to 3 and a half meters, and its eyes had also gained a more deeper purple hue to them.

All in all, merely from its appearance, it was clear that this one was far stronger compared to the Galescourge Bearers Aezaleon had fought until now, something which was further proven by the dense presence (aura) it released wantonly.

The creature stood as a dark king of the wastes, its aura radiating like heat from a black sun.