CHAPTER 127: PILLAR OF JUDGEMENT

Noah checked his parchment again, shielding it from the rain with the folds of his leather cloak, and when he confirmed it, he looked up.

The rain kept falling in sheets, soaking through the canopy and drumming on Noah’s hood as he moved deeper into the forest.

His boots sank faintly into the wet ground, mud squelching under each step, but he ignored it.

His hand clutched the parchment tight under his cloak, the inked markings still legible despite the weather.

The next location marked on it was clear enough. That was where he’d be more likely to find the Fire Birds.

He adjusted course, cutting through dense undergrowth, until the faint outlines of the woods began to change. The trees were taller here, their branches twisted and blackened as if something had burned them long ago.

Perfect.

Noah prowled through the dripping shadows, searching for signs of nests, feathers, or scorch marks.

His shadows whispered faintly around him, hissing with eagerness, but the forest stayed silent save for the endless patter of rain.

An hour passed.

There was nothing.

It was like a repeat of searching for the Dark Bats. There was just nothing to show for it.

Noah had to admit that his patience was quickly running out. He exhaled slowly, ready to mark the spot as a failure and move on, when a flicker of light appeared on the edge of his vision again.

He froze.

Was it another patrol? Or had the guards with the enchanted torches come back?

He slipped behind a tree, pressing his back to its slick bark, shadows curling tight around him. He waited.

But then the sound came, shrill, and unmistakable.

A screech, high and wild, tearing through the rainfall like the toll of a bell.

Noah’s eyes snapped upward.

They came as a streak of fire across the sky. A dozen birds, each one larger than a hawk, their wings feathered with living flame.

Even under the torrent of rain, their fire burned bright, unquenchable, leaving trails of sparks as they swooped through the trees.

The Fire Birds.

Noah grinned, his teeth bared.

"Finally."

He stepped from cover, shadows rippling outward as the birds circled above, their screeches filling the storm soaked night.

Mana surged at his command, and Devour bloomed to life around him, the black tendrils of hunger writhing upward as he reached for the birds.

But the Fire Birds were just too fast. Their wings blurred, their bodies darting through the gaps in the trees like streaks of flame.

Each time his hands of darkness reached towards them, they slipped away, their laughing shrieks echoing as if mocking his attempts.

Then their counterattack came.

Fire bullets. Dozens of them. The air lit with streaks of molten red as the flock fired down on him in unison, each blast sharp as an arrow and hot enough to tear through the bark of the trees they struck.

Noah didn’t flinch.

He devoured them.

The tendrils of Devour lashed outward, swallowing the bullets whole. The fire vanished into his shadows, feeding the hunger curled deep in his veins.

He felt it immediately. It was a familiar feeling he had missed. The feeling of his body lightening, of his strength rising.

[Agility increased temporarily.]

[FF- → F-]

[Strength increased temporarily.]

[FFF → FF]

His attributes increased, and he was temporarily faster and stronger.

He blurred forward.

His cloak snapped behind him as he lunged between the trees, his hand raised.

Blackflame answered his call. Fire burst from his palm, but it was not the fire of the Fire Birds. It burned cold, the flames black as void, carrying not heat but hunger.

This was the spell he’d gotten from devouring the assassin back when he’d been stuck in the infirmary. It was perfect for this situation.

The spell roared skyward, and when it caught a bird, the creature shrieked as its movements slowed down.

Its wings flapped slower, not from burned feathers, but from the unnatural cold fire of Blackflame draining its vitality.

Noah’s grin widened.

"Bleed for me."

Another volley of fire bullets came towards him, faster and harsher. He baited them, twisting and dodging through the rain, letting some streaks come close enough for Devour to drink.

Each time, his body surged faster, and his limbs grew lighter.

He darted left, then right, weaving between their volleys, waiting. Waiting for the moment.

The slowed birds zoomed through the air like they were flying through mud, blackflame doing its job perfectly. The rest of the flock circled lower, closing in, furious, trying to protect their own.

Perfect.

Noah spotted his chance. His boots dug into the slick bark of a nearby tree. He crouched low, then kicked off with all the strength he had.

The world fell away beneath him as he soared upwards, his cloak whipping behind him like a banner of shadow.

The Fire Birds screeched, descending on him all at once, wings aflame.

Noah raised both hands. Devour ignited, tendrils of black hunger spiraling outward.

The rain blurred around him, with the fire streaked closer, then his shadows snapped shut.

The flock screamed as one, their flames flaring, then sputtering as Devour swallowed them whole. The air shook with their cries before it went dark again, their fire smothered into nothingness.

Noah hit the ground hard, rolling across wet earth before he rose to his feet. His breath steamed in the rain, his chest heaving, his shadows coiling around him like snakes.

And then it came.

The reward.

Inside him, the spell bloomed to life. The knowledge, the structure, the name.

[New Spell Unlocked]

[Pillar of Judgement - A-rank spell]

An A-rank spell.

He could see it in his mind. An everburning pillar of fire, rising from the ground like the wrath of the heavens, feeding endlessly on the mana of the world around it until quenched by his will or something stronger.

It was basically fire that would burn forever, unless smothered by a stronger spell.

Noah exhaled a low laugh, the sound nearly drowned by rain.

Cold joy flickered in his eyes. "Perfect."

The trees around him hissed as the rain beat down. The forest was dark again, the Fire Birds gone, swallowed into his hunger.

Noah grinned as he retrieved the parchment again. Time for the last destination.

A/N: If you’ve made it this far, you deserve my eternal gratitude. And it is with a grateful heart that I present my new book to you. It has everything you need to enjoy yourselves. Guilds that are basically cartels, dungeons, skills, leveling up, and of course, lots of profit. Check out "Dimensional Merchant: Starting With 100 Stat Points," and you won’t regret it.