I Died and Received an SSS-Rank Unique Ability-Chapter 76: New Spirit

A wave of crushing ice slammed onto the platform Vale had just leapt from, shattering it into frozen shards. He barely escaped in time, landing hard on the next stretch of safe ground and continuing his sprint. Behind him, the creature’s breath of frost pursued relentlessly, closing the distance..

He gritted his teeth as a larger shard of ice erupted beneath his foot, throwing him off balance. He tumbled through the air, crashing painfully against the ground.

Above, the dragon hovered—watching and waiting for the right moment.

And finally it came. The instant Vale fell, it dove, jaws wide open, aiming to end him.

Vale summoned the dark knight, who appeared in a blur of shadows. The knight raised his longsword just in time, intercepting the blow. The force of the impact sent him skidding across the icy floor. Despite his imposing presence, the knight looked tiny beside the massive beast, his strength no match for the dragon’s sheer weight.

Vale charged in, weapon raised high, aiming for the creature’s torso. But before he could strike, the dragon twisted—its massive tail came crashing toward him.

He leapt, hanging briefly in mid-air as he avoided the strike. But the dragon seemed to have anticipated this. It inhaled sharply—a sign it was about to unleash its ability again. In an instant, another wave of ice surged forward.

Vale activated his Frostpiercer ability. Shards of ice formed around him, rising like a barrier. But the wave of crushing ice was relentless. One by one, the spears shattered, dissolving into mist under the onslaught.

Just as the frost was about to reach him, he activated his unique ability.

Ravenous Flame ignited.

Dark fire erupted from him, devouring the wave of frost like a starving beast.

The ice dragon froze mid-flight, momentarily stunned by the unnatural flames. Then it let out a furious, bone-shaking roar that echoed through the cavern.

Vale didn’t hesitate. Channeling the flame into his weapon, he enveloped the blade in dancing black fire that writhed like a living shadow.

He dashed forward—just as the knight lunged again at the enormous creature.

The dragon’s jaw snapped toward the knight, intent on crushing him. But before its jaw could reach the knight, Vale dismissed the spirit. The knight vanished in a wisp of shadow.

Now within striking range, Vale swung his blade.

The black-flamed weapon tore through the air like a streak of ink across canvas. In a single, wide arc of darkness, he sliced through the creature’s flesh.

One of its wings fell with a sickening thud.

The dragon shrieked in agony as the black fire spread, devouring the severed wing inch by inch.

But Vale didn’t linger, with a swift shift of his grip and adjustment of his footing, he cut through the air once more, his blade tearing toward the creature’s leg.

But before his weapon could reach the creature once more, something shifted.

A massive wing of crystal ice erupted from the severed wound, replacing the devoured wing and cutting through the air at terrifying speed.

Vale shifted, he lifted his weapon to block the strike, but he was just a split second too late.

The wing tore across his chest, ripping flesh and blood out of his body.

He gritted his teeth, fighting not to lose consciousness. He summoned the knight once more, just as he collapsed to one knee, blood oozing from the wide gush on his torso, hoping the spirit could buy him a moment of time.

The dark knight lunged at the creature—but before he could reach it, a violent gust of wind surged between them as the dragon launched into the air once more.

Hovering above Vale, the ice dragon inhaled deeply—a chilling omen of what was to come.

Vale’s mind raced for a solution, a way to stop the imminent attack.

His thoughts flicked to the Frostpiercer... but it was far too weak to wound the beast. With no time to dodge, he ignited his unique ability, spinning black flames around him in a vortex of pure darkness.

The wave of frost collided with the raging black fire.

Blinded by the clash, Vale summoned his relic. The four-eyed raven burst into existence above the chaos.

With his vision extended through the raven’s eyes, Vale locked onto his target—and struck back.

A storm of ice spears rained down from above, crashing into the dragon. All the while, the Ravenous Flame swirled protectively around Vale, shielding him from the crushing waves of ice.

The dragon’s neck twisted as one of the spears drove into it, throwing off its aim for a heartbeat.

But Vale didn’t hesitate. He shifted focus, then fired the black fire like a bullet straight at the dragon.

The dragon turned its jaws toward Vale, but instead of finding its mark, it met a roaring blaze head-on.

Ice and black fire collided in midair—locked in a fierce, frozen stalemate—until the fire pushed forward, surging toward the dragon.

At the exact moment, from below, the knight leapt. His black longsword cut through the air and buried itself deep into the dragon’s torso.

Black flames spread like wildfire across the beast as the knight’s blade tore through its flesh. The Frostpiercer fell again and again—merciless and unrelenting—until finally, with a thunderous crash, the monstrous creature collapsed.

[ You have slain an S-Rank, Unhallowed Monster, Vermyr. ]

As the voice echoed its announcement, Vale dismissed his abilities. The raven and Knight vanished, the flames died down, and fatigue began to settle in.

But before exhaustion could take hold of him, he saw it.

[ Spirit Available ]

[ Form a Bond? ]

[ Yes ] [ No ]

The demon’s earlier warning rang clear now—the reason he told Vale not to bond with lesser monsters.

It was because of this.

He could now claim the dragon as his spirit.

Without hesitation, Vale’s gaze locked onto Yes. As he did, mana particles began to swirl around him.

Shards of ice took shape—and before he could even catch his breath, the familiar, massive figure of the ice dragon materialised before him.

[ You have successfully formed a Bond. ]

The words had barely faded when a thunderous roar echoed through the chamber. The dragon lowered its head in reverence to its new master.

At that exact moment, Aamon emerged from the shadows.

The demon didn’t waste time. He stepped forward, issuing new instructions—where to find the Centaurion, the Castle—and then turned on his heel, vanishing once more into the darkness.

Vale stood still for a moment, watching Aamon disappear into the shadows.

Then he climbed onto the dragon’s back, and with a single command, they took off—soaring straight toward the Dark Castle.