As the sword flashed downward. There was a mm oment of stillness before a sharp light erupted across the realm, cleaving it in it's entirety in half.
A wide grin was plastered on Rael's face as he saw the witch's face freeze in shock as a bright white line appeared on her body, running down vertically from her forehead before it engulfed her in sword light, innumerable slashes appearing on her skin until she was shredded beyond recognition.
Then the light exploded.
An incalculable number of slashes erupted from the white line as it continued forward, cleaving across the realm, eating against it with bladed fangs.
Everything even remotely in the blade's path was consumed in it's entirety, turning the black soulscape entirely white.
"This! is what a supreme Slash looks like!"
And on that note...
"AAAARRRGGHHHH!!!"
Rael fell to his knees as white-hot pain shot straight into his soul. He had read in several books how painful soul damage was, but the descriptions fell way too short of the real thing. It was like being stabbed, sliced, fried and frozen all at once one a subatomic level. It seemed like every single ounce of his existence was screaming unimaginable pain into him.
He could feel his very existence nearly fall apart as the world around him was cleaved cleanly into two, rapidly disintegrating parts. Even the surface of his black soul form rippled and spasmed as he trashed around in pain.
"Shit! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It -FUCK!!!"
Among all the different things he had went through in his entire life, he had never felt such indescribable, soul-wrenching agony...ever.
"Hahah-ARGH!" He screamed out in pain as he felt the slashes crawl up his arms like ants.
And it was about to get even worse.
Despite the pain, he gritted his teeth, black blood spilling out as he looked inward.
Black. Just black, black and more black.
Within him was an utterly lightless black void which seemed utterly devoid of any light.
But Rael didn't have time to enjoy the scenery. If he didn't find it quickly, he was really going to die.
"Shit, where is it?"
Right as he felt the slashes begin to reach up to his chest, he suddenly spotted a single white ring of light rotating slowly around his heart, or whatever was supposed to be there, no larger than a finger's width.
Without hesitation, he thrust the mutilated remains of his hand into his chest as he grabbed onto the ring with shaky fingers.
"Fifth decree! I bind the power of the black contract to myself!"
A faint feminine voice came from the ring, a bit more distant, yet clearer than before.
[Notice. Your existence has nothing more to offer.]
Rael smiled despite the overwhelming pain piercing his mind, the eerie white smile stretched even more across his black face, mutilated and distorted.
"You can drop the crappy voice. There's only one way out of this and that's staying with me!" He said through clenched teeth.
There was a pause before the voice came out again, laced with a faint amusement despite the situation.
[Hmm? And why should you think that?]
"Because...of my...first offer. W-when forming...the do...main." He grinned madly even as his voice shook with exhaustion. The deal was, if I were to slay the witch of Lust in under a minute, I shall consume her."
[...and you shall die. A witch's bloodline, no matter how weak or fragmented, is nothing to underestimate lest you perish painfully.]
"I'm touched. But about that, well let's just say..."
A pale silver flame ignited around his heart, engulfing the white ring. Purple embers swirled around it, coalescing into a violet maelstorm that consumed the white slashes surrounding him.
"The void is a very good place to dump debuffs."
He turned upwards, feeling the weight of some unseen force pressing down upon him slightly.
"I hope you don't mind."
Slowly and painfully, he managed to sit upright, his legs sprawled out before him. He was surrounded by a small cyclone of void, devouring any slashes that dared to get too close. Fortunately, he had asked for the Void's 'blessing' so at least he himself wouldn't be devoured... instantly.
But just because there were no new cuts didn't make the existing ones hurt any less. He winced as he felt most of his 'right hand' turn numb. The arm was barely hanging on, a few fingers dismembered and lodged in his chest.
He stared forward through the violet cyclone before clicking his tongue in annoyance.
The greedy cyclone had devoured most of the remnants of his soul already, as if enduring the gaze of... whatever was watching him wasn't payment enough.
At least it didn't hurt like the cuts of the Supreme Slash. It was almost soothing. In a soul-devouring sort of way.
"Either way...I shouldn't be thinking of these things."
He snapped his fingers and the cyclone disappeared instantly in a flash of silver.
Along with a considerable portion of the world.
"How am I not even awake yet?! What the hell is that angel doing?" He sighed in annoyance.
[You have consumed a fragment of the Ancient Witch, Euphoria The Tempter.]
Rael raised a brow, or tried to.
"Finally. Huh, Tempter? I'm pretty sure her title was something else though." But then he shook his head slowly.
"No, just because I've received some information doesn't validate everything she said. Though..."
The only way he had been able to beat Euphoria was through a skill given to him by his sister, along with the specifics of the skill given to him by his sister, as well as the memory of the conversations with his sister.
"She basically beat the trial for me."
[Yes, she did.]
"Doesn't mean I'm not going to take credit for it though."
Then he turned around shocked.
Behind him hovered a crimson circle suspended behind him, and turning slowly like some clock.
"Wait, you're still here?"
[You didn't specify your payment for me binding myself to you. I can't leave mid oath.]
"Hmm?" He thought deeply before turning to her with a smile. "Why don't you see for yourself?"
[What do you mean?]
Her voice was a little odd, even though the wheel had no face, he couldn't help feeling like she was narrowing her eyes at him. Yet he wasn't bothered.
"You know, there aren't as many voidwalkers as there used to. Wouldn't it be better to be bound to someone with a potential as high as mine instead of going back to whatever grave you were in previously."
[What could a newborn child of Void possibly do to satiate me? As impressive as it is for your current level, the fragment of the lustful witch which you managed to defeat, scraps the very bottom of the ladder compared to entities like me.]
"Oh? Even if that's true, you seem to forget that my story's not even started yet." He stretched his remaining arm towards the circle with a grin.
"I am Rael Deth, a broke and delusional writer from Earth, a planet with no magic, system or entities such as you." Then his eyes suddenly turned sharper as his grin widened.
"I am Rael Deth, a seventeen years old boy with a kill count of fifty-six grown men and women, a writer of an isekai multiverse, a child of Void, and the younger brother of my elder sister."
"I am Rael Deth..."
[...The Hollow End.]
[The trial of Void has been completed.]
[You have achieved the recognition of the Void.]
[You have earned a title: WitchSlayer]
[The Void watches your tale.]