Tales of the Endless Empire
Chapter 191: Crippled Eclipsari

Thalion remained motionless on the ground. His regenerative abilities usually healed any injury instantly, but this time, the process took noticeably longer. Not that he minded—he used the time to examine the other skills of the crippled Eclipsari. The description of Abyssal Bite remained unchanged, but its rarity had now ascended to Ancient, likely making it stronger. It might have evolved earlier, but Thalion rarely checked his status screen, as it provided little new information unless a skill underwent significant changes.

The same applied to Abyssal Devourer—its rarity had increased, yet its description remained the same. However, Shadow Claw was an exception. While the skill still bore the same name, it had now reached Mythic rarity, and its description had undergone a complete transformation.

Shadow Claw (Mythic)

A devastating manifestation of pure darkness, Shadow Claw is not merely an extension of the user’s body but a conduit for dominion over shadows. Unlike conventional attacks, it does not simply wound—it erases. Upon impact, darkness seeps into the target, corroding both matter and energy alike. The shadows surrounding the strike distort, making the attack unpredictable, while the lingering darkness continues to consume whatever it touches.

The new description was shorter but far more potent. Some aspects of the skill resembled those of Abyssal Devourer—Thalion had already witnessed how his darkness devoured anything it touched, much like a corrosive acid. The next skill he examined appeared to be the evolution of his former passive ability, Umbral Resilience.

Eclipse Veil (Mythic)

A defense forged from pure, living darkness. Physical attacks slip past the user as though striking an illusion, while elemental magic is devoured by the darkness that clings to their form. Wounds seal as swiftly as they appear, and their very essence repairs itself like shadows reforming in dim light. The stronger their connection to darkness, the more effective this passive ability becomes.

Yet another overwhelmingly powerful ability. Thalion wondered just how durable he had become. Previously, the skill had merely enhanced his healing in darkness, but now it outright stated that wounds would close instantly. Combined with his other regenerative abilities... yeah, Umbral Predator was definitely his best form at the moment.

Of course, this depended on how he looked once fully healed—right now, he still couldn’t see anything. He also couldn't move his right hand at all. If he had to guess, his entire arm from the elbow down was missing. Then again, it might simply be nerve damage—perhaps the connections had yet to reform. His body remained in shambles, and the elemental inside him continued to work, weaving more and more of its dark tendrils throughout his form.

These tendrils were incredibly effective conductors of both darkness and energy. As they expanded, the elemental was building an intricate network, allowing it to infuse Thalion’s body with additional power. Thalion had no doubt that this method was far more efficient than the crystal currently embedded in Eagly’s body. No wonder his race’s rarity was so high.

He could feel his healing nearing completion. His internal wounds had closed, and rather than extending new tendrils, the elemental was now reinforcing the ones it had already placed, strengthening their structure. Thalion would have given it a thumbs-up if he could—it hadn’t attempted to invade his mind, and now it was even refining its technique for better quality. So far, they seemed to be forming an effective partnership.

The elemental itself had also grown significantly stronger thanks to the immensely powerful darkness crystal that had fused with it. What’s more, residing within Thalion’s body provided it with an added layer of protection—normally, an elemental would perish if its core were destroyed, but now, it was fused with the crystal. Thalion doubted it could be easily destroyed. There had to be some kind of drawback, though—otherwise, this would be absurdly overpowered, effectively rendering the elemental immortal against F- and E-grade warriors. Then again, warriors with abilities like Abyssal Devourer’s tendrils—capable of dissolving any material—might still pose a threat.

Regardless, Thalion was confident that even if the elemental were destroyed, he could likely reform it. He had more than enough vitality to spare. In fact, his Outsider Connection might even passively heal the elemental, considering it was now a part of his body. All in all, there were no apparent downsides to this fusion.

Darkness elementals typically struggled in environments that weren’t saturated with darkness, as they required a steady supply of dark energy to grow. This made them immensely powerful but slow to develop if the right conditions weren’t met. However, now that the elemental was hidden within Thalion’s body, all of those limitations had been negated. In addition to the darkness crystal enhancing it, Thalion could constantly feed it energy, as his tendrils could convert anything into darkness.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

So far, nothing had been able to resist the devouring power of Abyssal Devourer’s tendrils.

By now, the pain had fully subsided. Only his right eye and right arm felt strange, and he was utterly drained from the entire ordeal. As he focused inward, he noticed his vision gradually returning. The sensation of an eyeball regenerating was far from comfortable, but it was certainly preferable to being blind.

At first, everything was a blur.

Thalion forced himself to stand and placed a mirror before him, eager to see his current form. Surprisingly, standing was no trouble—his body felt strong and healthy. He still couldn't move the fingers of his right hand, but the sensation would likely return soon.

As he stood there, staring at his reflection, he felt the elemental doing something to his left eye—or was it the socket? His heart sank. His eye hadn’t regrown, had it?

The shock only deepened as his vision fully cleared, and he finally saw what had become of him.

Disappointment.

The word barely sufficed. The "crippled" part of his new race title made sense now.

Before, Umbral Predator had been a towering, wolf-like figure cloaked in venomous darkness—an embodiment of primal power. Now? Now, he looked completely different. If he had to guess, his new form was closer to an alien insect than anything else.

He had shrunk significantly, likely standing at two meters, nearly a full meter shorter than before. His muscular frame had withered, leaving him noticeably leaner. His skin had undergone the same transformation as Eagly’s feathers, taking on the appearance of the grey crystal. His once-wolfish head was now hairless and alien.

But the worst change?

His face.

The left side looked as if he had barely survived a fire, covered in deep, disfiguring burns. His left eye was gone—in its place, an ominous cloud of living darkness pulsed within the empty socket. His right eye, now glowing faintly with the same violet radiance as before, was the only one he could still use.

He opened his mouth, revealing a second row of razor-sharp fangs. That... wasn’t too bad. He could deal with looking a bit monstrous—he was a creature of darkness, after all. Most people wouldn’t even see his face in full. Perhaps the elemental could even use the missing eye to perceive the world in some way.

Yet, just as he began to rationalize his new appearance, his gaze fell on something that deeply irritated him.

Three small, jagged spikes protruded from each of his shoulders.

That part was fine—he actually liked those. They made him look more threatening.

But then came the real issue.

His left chest was missing.

Not in a fatal way, but it looked as though something had taken a bite out of him. The right side was perfectly intact, while the left was completely flat, marred with fractures and scars—similar to his face.

And worst of all? His left arm was gone from the elbow down.

He stared at his reflection in silence.

A missing eye, a missing arm.

He felt more powerful now, but was he truly stronger than before?

Status:

Name: Thalion Walker

Age: 31

Height: 2,01m

Level: 74

Race: Ascendant Crippled Eclipsari (F)

Health: 3,420/3,420

Mana: 1,720/1,720

Stamina: 1,040/1,040

Experience: 200,280/235,857

Stats:

Strength : 775

Agility : 436

Endurance : 104

Intelligence : 172

Wisdom : 106

Dexterity : 194

Perception : 72

Toughness : 311

Vitality : 342

Fate : 81

Skills:

Umbral Spire (Ethereal), Shadow Claw (Mythic), Eclipse Veil (Mythic), Acquire Form (Exalted), Shapeshift (Exalted), Identify (Common), Echoes of Worlds (Common), Umbral Feast (Epic), Abyssal Bite (Ancient), Abyssal Devourer (Ethereal), Umbral Miasma (Mythic), Sovereign of Shadows (Ascendant), Eclipsar’s Intuition (Acendant)

Titles:

Guardian's Remnant

Form:

Human(Mythic) Level 74

Tidecaller Serpent(Legendary) Level 74

Wind Eagle(Ethereal) Level 74

Bloodline:

none

Seeing his stats instantly lifted his mood. Some of them were higher than they should have been—especially his Intelligence stat. It was likely due to his fusion with the elemental, which possessed exceptionally high Intelligence and Wisdom.

Then, something else caught his attention. Had the instincts of the Umbral Predator changed as well? He hadn’t noticed at first, but now, it was worth a closer look. As he reviewed his status, he realized just how significant his upgrades were. With these newfound strengths, he felt not like he had just murdered a good form.