Chapter 1: Arc:1Ch:1 Black Awakening

I'm hiding in a dumpster.

However, for the first time in five months I'm not hiding from something trying to kill me. Instead I'm the one about to take someone's life.

Overhead, flying through the sky there are seventeen people fighting to the death. The weakest one up there would be the Black Blade, who's at the eighth tier of power. Despite being the lowest tier in the fight, he is the one dominating everyone. All due to the power that gave him his nickname, The Black Blade. He can create blades of pure energy, black of course, and any wounds they cause can't be healed, even with a ninth tier's enhanced healing ability. In fact that's why no one lower than tier nine is in the fight now. They lost too much blood and couldn't replenish like the ninth tier's could.

The reason I'm still here waiting for someone to get too injured and fall to the ground is because I have a plan. I have an item that might let me take one of their powers. As a simple tierless human I couldn't possibly kill one of these people, but the item I have is used to create blood crystals by draining tierless people of their lifeforce, killing them in the process. It might kill a tiered person as well hence why I prepared myself to kill. All in order to get an awakening stone. The only thing that can turn a tierless human into a tiered superhuman. I only have one and they're single use items so I decided to bet it all on this one shot.

There! One of them crashed into that clothing shop!

Since I saw black smoke coming down from the sky with him he must have been injured by the Black Blade! This is my only chance.

As I enter the shop I finally see who fell down. And he saw me.

"Cough, what's a tierless like you doing here kid?"

It's the ever charismatic ignition Emperor Alexander. An old man with salt and pepper hair, orange eyes that light up with an inner fire, and a generals uniform. But now his hair is burned off, his eyes are a dull brown, and his uniform is covered in smoking cuts and slashes.

"I asked you what you're doing here. If you're here to do first aid don't bother, these wounds can't be healed."

"Sorry sir but it's the opposite."

"Oh, I see, a scavenger. Unfortunately, all of my expensive shit just got ruined so you won't make much money off of me."

"No sir I'm here to take your life."

He pauses as I say that, then he starts laughing despite his injuries.

"Hahahahaha! Alright then kid, let's see how a tierless kills a tier eleven so easily. I hope you know that at tier ten small arms fire is ineffective, and one tier up makes even anti-material rounds pointless."

"I know, but I'm not using a gun, I'm using this."

And I finally pull out the item I've had hidden in my bag. A glowing white chunk of rock.

"You're going to bludgeon me to death with a magic rock."

"No, have you heard of bloodstones?"

"Aren't bloodstones normally blood colored? Is that one a failure or something?"

"This is a void stone."

"Doesn't look very eldritch to me."

"It's believed to be an empty awakening stone, the glowing white rock is a shell keeping it deactivated. When the shell cracks the stone activates and sucks in all of the energy around it before taking on the characteristics of the energy it absorbed. Bloodstones are made by cramming tierless people in one room, cracking the shell and leaving it to suck them dry."

"And you think it could take away someone's awakening stone."

"Yes. I do."

"Well you're in luck then I suppose, I happen to have an original awakening stone. Those are better than normal ones I've heard, so if it works you might also get an original awakening stone."

I'm a little creeped out by how nonchalant he is about this but I guess the wounds he has must already be fatal. He might just be happy that he can pass on his awakening stone, leave a legacy and all that.

"Just one thing."

Called it.

"Yes?"

"If you ever get strong enough, kick that bastard's ass for me."

"I'd need to get stronger faster than him but I will if I can. Alright I'm gonna crack it now."

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I do intend to keep my promise, but we both know there is a low chance of it actually happening. The Black Blade can cut through almost anything, and leaves wounds that can't heal. If I get a physical combat ability I'd never be able to even touch him before he sliced me to pieces. 

As I'm walking away I see a flash of light as the shell gives way and I hear the wind as it gets sucked into the stone. A minute later the wind stops blowing and I hear a noise that I guess is what rapid crystalization sounds like. Similar to glass and ice breaking, but in reverse. I turn around and walk back to where I left Alexander and as I pass through a clothes rack I stop in place.

"Thought... You... Said... It'd... Kill me."

"I guess you have more lifeforce than a tierless. Now that I think about it that's natural isn't it?"

"Guess... So..."

The Ignition Emperor Alexander is laying on the floor spread-eagle and panting as if he just ran a marathon.

Now that I look at him I don't see black smoke coming from his wounds. 

Now that I look again I don't see any wounds either.

"Sir..."

"What... Do... You... Want?"

"Do you feel any pain sir?"

"It... Hurts... Everywhere..."

"I meant your injuries. I can't see any."

Alexander strains his head up so he can look at his body.

"I... Can't... Feel... Any..."

"Hooray I guess? I accidentally saved you from the Black Blades power?"

"Hoo...Fuckin...Ray..."

I'm still taking the awakening stone so now I need to find it. Let's see... I put it to the left of Alexander and... Aha!

"What the fuck."

"Let... Me... See..."

As I show the stone to Alexander I think about why this happened. The stone is a party of colors, the majority is white with hints of a shifting rainbow, and there's the red I expected, but between the two there is this ugly blackish green.

"That's the Black Blades power isn't it."

"Probably..."

"Do you think it'll give me the injuries it took from you?"

"Maybe... My... Money's... On... It... Hurting..."

"That's a no-brainer."

"Still... Gonna... Use... It?"

"Yes."

I came all the way here, took all sorts of risks, stole a void stone from the Leeches and even attempted to kill the Ignition Emperor in order to get this.

Nothing would stop me from using it. Even certain death.

I hold the stone firmly in both hands and crush it between them. A black light floods out of the cracked stone, headed straight for my face. It hits me between the eyes and I fall into a world of pain.

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