Transmigrated as a Ghost

Ascending higher and higher, Sato aimed to escape from the confines of Marcus' Deathly Dominion. He had already come to accept that victory would be impossible. It did not matter how strong his strikes were if they never reached their target.

However, it soon became apparent to him that something was very wrong. No matter how high he went, the surrounding twilight did not disappear and the mire beneath him did not seem to get any farther away.

"I already told you that you were not going to be getting away. This space has already been locked down. You won't be able to leave unless you beat me and deactivate this."

In his left hand, Marcus held out a complex magical device. There were several rotating octagonal plates around a magic core that had three small rotating amethros rings around it.

Of all the items he had created using the Cauldron Bloom, this was by far the most powerful and advanced. It had many functions, but the one Marcus was currently using locked down space within a one-kilometer radius and prevented anyone from leaving its confines.

Without another specialized magic item of a higher quality, a deep understanding of space magic along with a high skill level, a unique skill like Marcus' Dark Portal, or the sheer power to destroy space, it would be impossible to escape. As Sato likely possessed none of these, he was almost certainly trapped. What he perceived as ascending higher was simply an illusion.

Whenever he reached the edge of the spatial barrier, it would simply warp him back to the outer edge where he continued to repeat the process.

Once Sato had stopped moving for a second after realizing what was going on, Marcus unleashed the several magic spells he had been preparing while his opponent thought he was making an escape.

Creatures made of darkness, bursts of light, and constructs of iron all flew towards Sato at rapid speeds.

Tapping into all of his experience through his multitude of years as an adventurer he continuously deflected, dodged, and destroyed the magic assaulting him.

Nevertheless, every second whittled away at his strength and brought him closer to defeat.

Being at a higher level he should have had more staying power than his opponent, but Marcus seemed to have a truly bottomless reserve of mana. His spells never stopped coming and each was as ferocious as the last.

"Gah!"

Lossing concentration for only a moment, Sato failed to avoid an overhead strike from Marcus' cataclysmic iron sword and was forced to hastily block it.
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The force behind the blow slammed into him and blasted him out of the air and back into the ground.

When he crashed into the sludge-like substance that made up the bottom of Marcus' Deathly Dominion, dozens of inky tendrils rose up to engulf him.

Watching this with a remorseless gaze, Marcus believed the battle to be over. He could feel his enemy's strength waning and his sword swings were slowing down. At this rate he would be unable to cut off all of the Tendrils of Shadows before they drained him dry.

"One to a Hundred!"

In an instant, everything around Sato was sliced through be what appeared to be swords that had appeared out of nowhere.

Surprised by the sudden use of a new power, Marcus forgot to continue his magical bombardment. Instead, he stared at his adversary and focused his mind on figuring out what had just occurred.

Sato did not let this brief respite pass him by and quickly took out several items.

Some were normal potions that he bit the tops off of and guzzled down. While others were syringes filled with colorful liquids that he injected directly into himself.

"I suppose I shouldn't let my mind wander while in the middle of battle."

Slashing his scythe through the air, Marcus cast the tier for blades of darkness spell while also releasing a blast of pure mana called through his weapon.

"One to Ten."

With only a single motion of his blade, Sato created ten district slashes that intercepted Marcus' attacks.

Seeing this power for the second time, Marcus managed to understand its basic principles at the very least.

"Hm, a unique skill that allows you to multiply your attacks. It's not anything special, but its powerful in its simplicity." Marcus commented, rationally analyzing what was likely Sato's trump card without any hint of worry.

To him it hardly mattered whether Sato could strike several more times at once. None of them could reach him so even a billion attacks would ultimately result in him receiving zero damage.

There was also the fact that using this unique skill was an act of desperation. Marcus figured he had not fallen back on it until this point because the skill took a heavy toll, had a limited number of uses, or perhaps both.

'Judging by the haggard look on his face, and the visible strain on his muscle, I'm guessing it's the type that requires an immense amount of energy to use.'

Marcus did think that this skill was truly impressive, though, and would have been elated to have it himself. Sadly, that was very unlikely. Other than the Personal Status that all reincarnations and transmigrations received, there could only be one instance of a particular unique skill at a time.

So long as Sato was alive no one else could have it, and even after his death finding it would be nearly impossible.

"It is fairly obvious what the outcome of our battle is going to be. If you cease struggling, I will kill you quickly and painlessly. I wanted to take you alive, but you targeted my wife. There are just some things that I cannot forgive."

Wanting to bring things to an end, Marcus offered an easy way out for Sato. He doubted he would take it but felt like making the offer anyway.

"Heh, I did not make it to the level I am at by giving up when things get a little tough. I've pushed through everything else until now, and this fight won't be any different." Sato replied, a fiery determination blazing in his eyes.

He then held his sword overhead and slashed down towards Marcus.

A powerful strike far stronger than anything else he had so far exhibited flew directly towards Marcus.

If it had any chance of reaching him, he might have been a bit concerned, but as things stood it was as harmless a light breeze.

'What is his game?'

Sato continued to unleash a multitude of monstrous attacks over and over again without any chance of hurting Marcus.

It was like he was a man possessed and would not stop until he succeeded or burned out.

While figuring he would simply wait for Sato to exhaust himself, Marcus noticed something alarming.

The magic item he was using to trap Sato within his Deathly Dominion was beginning to violently tremble.

'So that's what he is after.'

Realizing what was going on, Marcus reinforced the tool with more mana and prepared to bring Sato down for good. It would take a lot more to actually break through the spatial barrier, but he did not plan to give Sato even the slimmest chance of escape.

Yet, before he was ready to engage Sato for the last time, a small object came flying in from outside the area of Marcus' specter power.

Keeping careful watch of it, Marcus recognized what it was. Hastily he attempted to intercept it, but he was slightly too slow. Sato's blade reached it first and the liquid within splashed along his sword.

"Lisa's Hyper Intuition never ceases to amaze me. I knew she would find a way to help me out if I just held out long enough." Sato said, his demeanor now oozing confidence.

'That liquid is bad news!'

Feeling his danger sense blaring in his head, Marcus knew that whatever had been in that vial was capable of harming him. Sato was still a decent distance from him, so the reaction he was getting clearly showed just how threatening the poison must be.

He did not have any skills or abilities that gave him resistance to poison since there were almost none that could affect him in the first place. Blood did not flow through his veins, and he lacked organs or cells.

Still, nothing was absolute in this world. For every seemingly invincible skill, ability, or trait, there would always be an exception.

'Looks like I will need to take this seriously now. Good thing I was already preparing a finisher.'

Now that his opponent had a means of hurting him, Marcus could no longer continue his lax approach. He would need to defend against Sato's strikes or risk being exposed to the unknown poison.

This did not mean that he was on the ropes all of a sudden though. Sato was in rough shape and hanging on only by a thread. He was nearly at his limit and possibly only another minute within Marcus' Deathly Dominion would drain the last of his strength.

"We'll now see which one of us is truly stronger now that you can't hide behind that intangibility of yours."

Sato's expression was calm like a still lake as he put his Murasume back into its sheath. With his next draw he would bring an end to this battle.

In turn Marcus smirked and held his scythe high above his head with both hands. The weapon was already wreathed in the immense power of his Supreme Skill, ready to unleash one of his most powerful attacks.

"A Thousand to One."

"Deathly Eclipse Reaper."

At the same moment both Marcus and Sato brought forth everything that they could muster.

Using his One-Stroke Kill bolstered by his unique skill Sato's blade flew out of its sheath with the power of a thousand attacks compounded into only one.

His bones cracked and his blood vessels burst from the strain of going well beyond his limits, but he did not falter. He knew that this slash would be his last and through sheer force of will did not falter.

As for Marcus he had channeled everything he could draw out into his scythe to deliver a single attack that represented all of the power he currently had. The strain he felt was not at the same level as Sato's, but that was due to the difference in their conditions. Marcus was still pretty much unharmed while Sato was on his last leg.

When the two weapons met, the impact sent a shockwave through the area and cracks began to form through the spatial barrier. It could not fully contain the power generated by Marcus and Sato's full power clash.

But it was far too late for either of them to leave now even if a way did open up. Both continued to push and came out victorious.

Eventually Sato's Murasume began to push back Marcus' Dread Devourer.

It seemed that he would be able to come out on top, until the worst occurred.

His trusty blade that had seen him through many battles began to crack, before being sliced clean through by Marcus' superior weapon.

The tip of the blade flew off and scratched Marcus' cheek, but this superficial wound was all Sato managed to inflict.

Without anything impeding it any longer, Marcus' scythe reached its target. There was almost no resistance as it pierced through Sato's chest and impaled his heart.

"Guh!"

Blood gushed out of Sato's mouth as he coughed and sputtered. Even for someone so high level, having his heart destroyed and the rest of his insides being corroded by the darkness energy coating Marcus' scythe was a sure death sentence.

"It seems… that this… ended in a draw." Sato choked out in between vomiting blood as he used what little life he had left to stare defiantly at Marcus' face.

Where his blade had cut, Marcus' form was slowly being broken down by the potent poison made specifically for use against spectral entities. Given time, it would fully eat away at him.

"Sure, we can call that exchange a draw. Your attack was stronger than mine. Only a difference in weapon quality let me reach you. However, you'll be dying alone."

With the snap of his fingers for emphasis, Marcus was covered in a gentle silver light of his Ultimate Refresh.

Immediately the poison unraveling his existence dissipated and he was brought back to perfect condition. As if the intense fight he had just been in had never happened.

"I never…had any…hope…of beating you…did I?" Sato said, his eyes becoming unfocused and the color leaving his body. "Perhaps…you will…be able…to succeed…where I failed."

After uttering these final words to Marcus, Sato's unfocused gaze turned upward as if he was looking at something only he could see.

"Renae…I'm…sorry. I hope…we can…meet…in ou-

Before he could finish his final words, Sato's life faded for good, and his body went completely slack on Marcus' scythe.

Wearing a blank expression that conveyed no emotion, Marcus pulled his weapon out from Sato's chest.

The man that also came from Earth fell to the ground where the mire created by Marcus' Deathly Dominion was waiting.

Slowly his body sank beneath the surface, never to be seen again.