Book 5: Chapter 25: Rematch |
His first fight with Zephyr had been a disaster. The Beast God had overwhelmed him with raw power, sealing space and pummeling him around like the fool he had been to fight a Minor God as a 3-Star Ascendant.
David knew that he’d been stupid. He should have been more scheming, deposited as much Vitae as possible into the Beast God, and let it, as well as [Equivalent Exchange], do the rest. Better yet, he could have searched for other Minor Gods to rescue him. Maybe it wouldn’t have worked, but it would surely have increased his chances. In the worst case, he could have left the Earthen Union to seek a bunch of Voidre in the Fissure’s proximity.
Zephyr made sure I wouldn’t be able to escape. He locked down space and… David shook his head. He had been doomed to die that day. But things have changed and his death no longer mattered. He was a different person now, whether he liked it or not.
Passage teleported him to the very edge of the atmosphere. It was cold up there, and it revealed the destruction caused by the End’s creatures as well as the beauty of Kamia and the lands that prevailed. Remnants of deadly battlefields could be found everywhere, yet there were also clear signs of life—strong and abundant. Mankind was still alive. They survived, and they would continue to strive forward as long as the Void and cretins like the Poisonous Beast God were removed.
Once and for all.
David located Zephyr’s life signal and used Passage again. He appeared before the Beast God, the hint of ice in his eyes growing with every second.
“Look who has returned from the dead.” Zephyr slowed, the fury in his voice palpable. “I don’t know how you managed to survive, but I won’t make the same mistake a sec—…”
The Beast God’s words ceased the instant David’s fingers twitched. The Obsidian Blade materialized in his hand one moment, and in the next he was engulfed in a dozen layers of [Herald’s Blessing], overclocked to their limits, followed by Vitae Nihilum pushing his physical strength beyond its limit.
David’s skin burst apart, releasing dark, viscous blood. Yet as the cracks all over his skin expanded and more blood poured out of him, the Fountain of Life activated. His wounds mended themselves naturally as quickly as they appeared, but it was not over yet. Once his skin was fully knitted together, it burst apart once more. A cycle of pain and gore unfolded, drenching David in blood that seemed almost as black as the End. Crimson eyes burst through the darkness, locking onto Zephyr.
For all that mattered, the Poisonous Beast God didn’t attack right away. He stared at David and sized him from head to toe like researchers inspecting unfamiliar creatures. It was as though Zephyr didn’t know who was standing before him for a good moment, and David made use of that. Words of Power as ancient as time itself rolled from his tongue. They were cryptic, and David couldn’t comprehend them, yet he knew what he had to speak. It was like the ancients had been etched into his soul.
Power rippled out of him. It weaved through his torn cells and flowed toward the blade, which stopped growing. It was no longer a saber, let alone a shortsword. Right now, the Obsidian Blade was a gargantuan zweihander, a weapon of destruction, and it was pitch black—though only momentarily.
[Herald’s Blessing] and [Origin Lightning] were applied to the weapon at full power, along with a massive amount of pure Blood and Might, reinforcing it for what awaited.
The Ancient Law of Unbinding unraveled itself. It manifested before David and connected to the Obsidian Blade, shrouding it in a translucent hue. Not even a moment later, the Poisonous Beast God was upon him. He appeared above David and towered over him, liquid death gathering in his maw.
David, who had been too slow to react to Zephyr’s attack just seven months ago, turned to the Poisonous Beast God with a knowing smile. Zephyr’s confident nature faltered for a moment as he realized the distinct difference in their fights instantaneously. Something was terribly wrong, and the Poisonous Beast God was going to find out what it was really soon.
David reached for the space around him and twisted it. Space distorted at his command, overwriting Zephyr’s space lock, and he vanished. In the same moment, he reappeared above the Poisonous Beast God, sword blade twisted downward.
“H-How?!” Zephyr roared, head swiveling to locate David and spray him in liquid death, but he was already too late. The Obsidian Blade thrust downward, piercing through scales, flesh, and defensive Arcana. Red blood spurted in David’s face as he rammed the blade deeper into the Beast God. He released Rend, containing all the power of the Law of Unbinding, and watched as a blade of translucent energy burst out of the other side of the Beast God’s body. Vitae—every single bit of it—poured out of David and into Zephyr, tearing through his body.
“You tempered your body, huh?” he asked lightly, releasing his Arcana just as he willed the Law of Blood and [Blood Manipulation] to pour every bit of tainted Titanblood into Zephyr.
Fountain of Life was rattling and working overtime, enough to level it up once again, but David didn’t care. He willed the Obsidian Blade to transform into the small shortsword he first obtained when he defeated his first horde of demons, and released it with a burst of energy, burning through a large amount of Might in the process. The sword shrunk instantly and disappeared in the Beast God’s wounds, taking effect. His soulbound blade’s unique characteristic struggled to take hold of a god’s lifeforce, but it was considerably easier with one of his newer Arcanas in tandem.
Arcana, Blood Siphon, has leveled up. 1 → 2
Arcana, Blood Siphon, has leveled up. 2 → 3
…
Arcana, Blood Siphon, has leveled up. 11 → 12
Siphoning the blood of a physical-attributed Minor God was surely effective, and it grew all the stronger with every level it gained. But the Arcana was not the only thing that grew. The blood of a Peak Ascendant with Titanblood and Fountain of Life was delicious, but the Obsidian Blade worked best with divine blood.
Zephyr didn’t seem to like that, but he almost didn’t notice the tiny blade stuck in his massive body as he released a mixture of viscous liquid around him. It poured out of his scales and shot in all directions, and it would have struck David, weakening him considerably, if he hadn’t already moved away.
He used Passage to escape the Beast God’s wrath, but also to materialize a blade of pitch-black blood using [Blood Manipulation] as well as his own blood.
Arcana, One With the World, leveled up. 6 → 7
Arcana, One With the World, leveled up. 7 → 8
Arcana, One With the World, leveled up. 8 → 9
Forcing his way through a seal created by a god was also good experience for his newest, and arguably strongest, Arcana. David discovered it when he removed Reaper’s Greed with his Devourer Title. He was unsure at first, thinking that the Arcana would only work in the Earthen Union’s atmosphere, but he quickly learned that the Earthen Union was all that mattered. He would always be in the Earthen Union, granting him power and dominion now that he was in possession of the One With the World Arcana.
It was strong enough to tear Zephyr’s seal in space apart, which turned out to be a lot weaker than expected. If he had been a little bit stronger, Passage at a higher level, David would have escaped the seal when they first fought. Alas, that hadn’t been the case and it was of no importance any longer.
“Your time is running out.” David snickered, kicking the compressed air underfoot to propel himself forward, closing the distance to Zephyr. “What are you going to do now? Die silently or fight like the insignificant weakling you are?”
That seemed to hit a nerve. Zephyr reached for the Weave and twisted it forcefully, conjuring a strand of Words of Power that materialized. They shimmered in verdant light and emitted enough danger to warn David. He tried using Passage but a heavy wave of Might cascaded on him, preventing movement. Though brief, it was enough time to spray David with liquid death.
[Herald’s Blessing] failed him and deactivated the instant liquid death touched the gray-silverish hue shrouding his body, and his clothes and skin were the next to fail him. Liquid death poured on David, tearing through his clothes, corroding his skin near-instantly.
A sharp groan escaped his lips and the smell of burned flesh hit David’s nose right before ethereal wings sprouted from his back. He kicked the air beneath him and flapped his wings as Electra fused with him. The ethereal wings sizzled and fluctuated wildly as liquid death burned through them, but the Mythical Electra endured it well.
David burst through the bubble of liquid death forming around him with brute force and a dash of an Ancient Law. He emerged successfully, skin corroded, flesh still sizzling. Worse still, his left arm, replaced by the Relic, Deryadus’ Arm, began to fail him. David was sure the Relic would survive this fight after it successfully restored itself after the first time the Poisonous Beast God turned it into scraps that mixed too well with his broken body at that time.
Unfortunately, Deryadus’ Arm no longer regenerated. It never failed, which was all the more reason to be sad now that things had changed. The black Relic showed signs of corrosion where liquid death had impacted. Normally, Deryadus’ Arm would reassemble itself, using Origin Essence and the materials David fed it over the years. But no, it crumbled and went limp even as David cast [Transcendent Restoration].
His wounds healed rapidly, but the Ancient Relic didn’t.
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“Well, shit.” David grimaced, his body hurling through the air when the Poisonous Beast God smashed into him.
Arcana, Blood Siphon, has leveled up. 12 → 13
Arcana, Fountain of Life, has leveled up. 131 → 132
The notifications were a sight to behold, even more so when David felt the Obsidian Blade grow rapidly. The soulbound weapon was growing more and more adept at consuming a god’s blood, which Zephyr seemed to notice as well. Might surged through his body, ready to yank the blade out of him, but the remnants of the Ancient Law inside his body blocked him. It was not a permanent solution, especially with Nihilum swirling through Zephyr, slowly breaking down the Ancient Law… if not for Vitae wreaking havoc all the same.
First, Vitae tore down the few units of Vitae Nihilum that were now under Zephyr’s control. Then it spread through the Poisonous Beast God, weakening his defense just enough for the Obsidian Blade and Blood Siphon to work efficiently. David sensed all of that, but he was far from satisfied. It was not enough that Vitae ripped through the Beast God nor that it devoured the Nihilum Zephyr controlled with pitiful mastery.
David needed more to get rid of the Beast God, especially now that his attacks were growing fiercer. Zephyr was desperate and it showed. A beam of energy cost David his left leg, and his right leg was starting to turn into stone just as a searing pain formed in his thigh. He looked down only to see his leg intact. It was unscathed, but that didn’t mean there hadn’t been something.
His hand, shaped like a blade, shot downward and tore into his leg, retrieving what appeared to be a fish scale. It crumbled in his hands, emitting a power he hadn’t sensed before. Looking up, there was a glint in Zephyr’s eyes. From one moment to the next, the Poisonous Beast God appeared victorious.
The expression disappeared in a flash, but it left behind something unsettling, so David acted. His hand slashed down again, releasing a blade of Rend strong enough to sever his leg—which was exactly what he did.
His leg slumped limply to the ground, dark blood gushing out of him, but then it stopped. The leg crashed into the ocean and disappeared, whereas the dark blood shaped into a butcher’s cleaver. It turned into a flash and appeared above David’s right arm, cleaving through his hand, cutting it off without hesitation.
“I’m not taking any risks here.” He had no idea what that scale had been, but he removed everything that touched it anyway. Fountain of Life flooded him, as did the dozen casts of [Transcendent Restoration]. His hand was ready in a second, and his legs followed shortly, but David had not finished yet. He shifted the last essentials of the Ancient Relic through his shoulder into his body. While uncomfortable, it wasn’t comparable to the pain he’d gone through in recent years.
Unfazed, David faced the Poisonous Beast God. Zephyr was already upon him again, showing no sign of the earlier victorious smile, and he attacked. In the meantime, David ripped the Ancient Relic out of his shoulder. His left arm started to recover almost immediately, using the excess energy left behind by [Transcendent Restoration], but his attention was not on his regrowing arm. It was on Deryadus’ Arm as he hurled it through the air.
Zephyr’s tail whipped toward the arm with blinding speed, yanking it through the air—if it had still been on track. A distortion of space caught the Beast God by surprise. The metallic arm was in the air one second, and then it disappeared without a trace.
For a moment, David was half-certain Zephyr would notice his scheme, but when a mass that had grown to more than 400 units of Vitae surged toward it, engulfing the Ancient Relic, created by and for a Fallen. David knew it was over.
Vitae struggled to consume the Minor God, the defense of Might too dense to feast and grow, but the same couldn’t be said about the Ancient Relic. It was not protected by a living god’s Might. It was the perfect meal, fed with countless valuable materials and the power of a Fallen.
It was all Vitae needed to expand explosively, and that it did.
An explosion erupted after which David couldn’t sense the Ancient Relic any longer. It was still there, somewhere surrounded in the mass of Vitae that grew from the remnants of a godly Relic, and it flowed through Zephyr’s body with renewed vigor. Vitae was more potent than it had ever been, and it continued to grow stronger by the second, forcing a grim smile onto David’s face.
Losing the Ancient Relic was unfortunate. It was a sad turn of events, but it was more than worth it. The Poisonous Beast God’s defense crumbled, his lifeforce was rapidly drained, and his body was being consumed faster and faster by the second. Then there was David, holding a pitch-black blade of blood draining the ambient light. He shot forward and emerged before the Poisonous Beast God, exhaustion finally catching up with Zephyr, and rammed the blade into the spray of liquid death as it formed.
David reached for One With the World as Words of Power escaped his lips, triggering both the Law of Blood and the Law of Unbinding. In the same instance, his blade carved through liquid death, severing the Arcana, terminating it as if it had never existed. His eyes were ice cold as he struck out a second time, only to transform the blade into a projectile. A burst of Might released the blade into Zephyr’s throat at full speed.
David let out a stifled scream when Zephyr’s maw snapped shut, a massive fang piercing through his shoulder. He could feel the Beast God’s hatred. It weighed down on him, trying to squash him, but David was long since done with that. He released the power of Titanblood within Zephyr’s maw, forcing it to erupt.
Death unfolded in the Beast God’s maw and throat as David’s blood became explosives that weakened the Beast God even further. His left arm—fully restored at this point—shimmered grey and silver as it impacted heavily into the Beast God’s fang. The first hit did nothing but annoy Zephyr. He swerved his head left and right, jerking David through the air, tearing the wound in his shoulder further apart. David screamed out loud and punched again, and again, and again, until something in his head clicked. The silver hue of the Ancient Law sparked golden as the sixth punch landed and the fang shattered into fragments.
Zephyr roared aloud, but it sounded weak and pathetic. He easily teleported a few hundred meters north, his eyes meeting Zachariah. The Regressor levitated high in the sky tens of kilometers away from the battlefield, sword ready to intervene if necessary, but that hadn’t been the case.
Something about Zachariah’s stance bothered him. It was odd how calm the Regressor stood there. The tears in his eyes were even more disturbing, let alone the vibrant smile on his lips.
Zephyr hissed something behind him, and David turned around to expend his reserves of Might to restrict the Beast God. At the same time, Vitae circulated through the serpent unrestrained and still growing. It surged toward the Beast God’s head and reached Zephyr’s skull without issue. Darkness oozed from the beast’s mouth and eyes, and screams of despair followed, but David no longer cared.
He watched in silence as the Beast God’s strength faded. His presence was the first to diminish. Next, he failed to muster the strength needed to stay aloft. His altitude dropped rapidly, and it didn’t take long before he crashed into the ocean, where Void sharks and whales were already waiting.
At last, the message David had been waiting for popped up.
[Beast God, Zephyr the Poisonous, has been defeated.]
The messages that followed were as pleasant, if not more so, as his awareness of the Weave shifted—improved. His bonds, trillions of them, grew firmer, and he felt closer to the Earthen Union than ever.
[Congratulations, Ascendant! For killing a god while you have yet to form a Divinity, you have been rewarded with the trait, Godkiller. Your connection to the Weave increased drastically, putting you on the same pedestal as the Divine. All bonds, including planetary bonds, have been strengthened. New bonds will form easier and grow efficiently.]
A laugh escaped his lips and he discarded the other messages to inspect the rewards from his fight with the Beast God.
[Divine Artifact, Obsidian Blade of Orobin, has been restored.]
Titanblood (Void – Vitae) – 68
Passage – 33
Fountain of Life – 133
Blood Siphon – 29
One With the World – 31
[Vitae Nihilum – 857]
The Godkiller trait resulted in a rapid boost of One With the World, and, even better, Vitae Nihilum had still more than half of Deryadus’ Arm and about three-quarters of a massive beast.
The ecstasy of killing Zephyr had yet to set in, but the iron was still hot. Electra seemed to think similarly as she dissolved their fusion to manifest before David’s eyes. She dove into the ocean, releasing a ferocious roar. She pounced upon the Beast God’s body and tore his neck apart.
The Beast God’s body was no longer enhanced by Might, which allowed Electra to carve through Zephyr’s scales and neck, retrieving what looked like a crystalline heart. David’s perception locked onto the heart, and he could sense an enormous amount of power coming from it. First, the crystalline heart was not Zephyr’s main heart. The heart was located elsewhere, and it was just about to be consumed by Vitae. Then there was the power—Might and more, radiating from the crystalline heart.
David was about to descend into the ocean to join Electra, when the Sacred Beast’s jaw snapped shut around it. She crushed the crystalline heart and swallowed its parts. Surprised by the turn of events, he slowed and watched Electra as her body bulged and expanded. Her ethereal shape appeared more vibrant.
Life filled Electra as her body gained more sustenance. David’s eyes remained locked on her until a series of notifications popped up.
[Proficiency of Bloodlife Echo reached 100%.] [Advanced] → [Superior]
[Sacred Beast, Core of the User’s Class Skill, Bloodlife Echo, consumed and digested Divinity of the Poisonous Beast God. Evolution of Class Skill, Bloodlife Echo, has been triggered. Genetic similarities have been detected. Assimilation of shattered Divinity has been initiated.]
[Although still connected to the User, the Mythical Electra has outgrown Bloodlife Echo. The Sacred Beast, now Demi Beast God, regained the semblance of a physical body. Divinity of Beast God, Zephyr the Poisonous, has fused with the Divinity Fragment of the Poisonous. Divinity can be restored. Time until full recovery: CALCULATING. The Mythical Electra will always remain bound to the User as the User carries the Mythical Electra’s main Core, but she no longer requires your support to survive.]
That was a lot of information, but David digested it quickly. He felt a shift in the Beast Core as it moved position once more. It grew firmer and changed colors. A dark verdant tinge ran through the Beast Core, infusing it with a hue of the Poisonous Beast God. Anyway, David felt Electra’s power increase drastically, and he was excited. She turned to him, her body still expanding. Then she rushed toward him. Her body crashed into his and he was hurled backward even as the force of impact subsided when the Sacred Beast disappeared inside him.
As Electra fused back into him, David felt odd. Electra was no longer an ethereal structure infused with the Sacred Beast’s sentience; she was a Demi God. At least, that was what the System considered her. David knew better. He could clearly feel that Electra would recover the power of the Poisonous Beast God and make it hers. That would take time, but she would grow into a Beast God, while hopefully retaining her powers as his Prime Champion and companion.
Since Electra had regained a semblance of a body, she couldn’t fully disappear within David. They were forced to fuse, two becoming one, or Electra wouldn’t be able to return to her Beast Core. The Core rippled, welcoming Electra back. It expanded and turned into something more than it had been before. It was changing, growing more potent—stronger—and it wouldn’t stop doing so until Electra ascended into godhood.
In the meantime, small, dark-crimson scales spread across David’s body. They didn’t seem any special but they were much more durable than the first impression suggested. David’s shoulder blades itched from one moment to the next, and he grimaced, knowing what was about to happen. Wings of bones, flesh, and scales jutted from his shoulder blades, growing into massive wings.
At the same time as wings grew from his back, a surge of Might surged through his body. It was raw and highly potent, strong enough to tear him apart, yet it didn’t. His Divine Seed responded instantly. It drew the surplus Might from his brimming cells and reinforced Body, Mind, and Soul simultaneously.
“So much power,” he mused, locking the space around him in a ten-kilometer radius with a simple command. The power at his disposal was incomparable. It was almost… almost like he was already a god.
Maybe. The corner of his lips curled upward.
Even if the System did not consider him a god just yet, David knew better. As long as he remained in the Earthen Union, he’d wield the power of gods even if his Divine Seed had not yet blossomed.
He was a god.