Chapter 2911: The Path to Level 125! |
Omus's grin twisted, shifting to a cold expression as he raised his dominant hand and pointed directly at Minos. In an instant, the colossal beings behind him surged forward at his silent command. Omus had no further interest in exchanging words.
"We'll see if you can live up to those threats," that was all Omus said before vanishing into the void, leaving Minos alone in the air, surrounded by the towering, monstrous figures now advancing with terrifying intent.
Hovering calmly, Minos remained unfazed as his six luminous wings flapped lightly, the golden feathers casting a faint glow across his immediate surroundings. Slowly, he closed his eyes, exhaling with measured calm, even as the thunderous footfalls of the enemy giants drew closer. Raising his hands outward, palms open in opposite directions, he extended their reach to the maximal distance, as though channeling something unseen between them.
Without glancing at his enemies, Minos allowed one of his most carefully guarded techniques to emerge fully for the first time.
The Divine Tail.
"You know," he remarked almost casually, his voice cutting through the tension like a tranquil breeze before a storm, "I wouldn't normally rely on this ability at the start of a fight. But, today, I feel… curious. Let's test the limits of my defense, shall we?"
As his words fell, an almost invisible shield materialized around him, barely perceptible save for the faint golden shimmer that danced subtly across its surface. The shield radiated effortlessly, forming a protective dome just beyond the reach of Minos's outstretched hands.
The enemy giants wasted no time closing the distance, their attacks descending with ungodly force. The colossal black ape of darkness lunged first, its massive fist imbued with physical and magical energy, striking the barrier with a deafening BOOM.
The shield shimmered slightly at the point of impact but held firm, absorbing the devastating blow as though it were nothing more than a mild breeze.
The onslaught did not cease. Every one of Omus's summoned creatures unleashed a storm of attacks, each one more relentless than the last. Their raw might could easily reduce entire cities to rubble, yet not a single blow penetrated the shield formed by the Divine Tail.
A faint smile played on Minos's lips, his calm demeanor unshaken as blasts of force rippled outward from the unrelenting barrage. He murmured to himself. "This ability has an offensive edge too, you know."
With those words, Minos willed the shield to dissolve. The golden glow dissipated instantly, leaving him exposed to the colossal giants bearing down on him. They launched their next wave of attacks—fists, weapons, and magic beams converging in brutal synchronization. But before the strikes could land, Minos moved, leaping high into the air with a speed that made him almost imperceptible to those watching. The enemy attacks collided in his absence, exploding against one another in violent eruptions of energy.
Mid-flight, Minos reached for his black-gold sword, which rippled with condensed power as he gripped it firmly.
"You're first," Minos said, locking his gaze onto his chosen target—a towering figure wielding a magic staff. Before the giant could react, Minos descended, his sword flashing as a single, fluid slash tore cleanly through the creature's shoulder, severing an arm.
Following the attack strengthened by the physical powers that came from the Divine Tail, Minos dropped his sword and closed one of his fists tightly. When he landed a punch against the giant black ape's abdomen, the air around his fist burned, causing a firing sound just before the sound of cracks emerged from the opponent's body.
It crashed into a distant mountain with catastrophic force, carving deep into its surface and sending tremors rippling through the area like an earthquake.
Minos hovered steadily in mid-air, his six golden wings emitting a radiant glow that illuminated the dust-choked battlefield. A sly smile played across his face as he slowly opened his eyes. 'I found you.'
In a single, fluid motion, one of Minos's hands moved—so fast that even his formidable opponents couldn't comprehend the exact action. To them, it was a blur, almost as if reality itself had bent to his speed. But the aftermath spoke volumes.
A rift tore open in the very fabric of space, broad and jagged, emanating chaotic bursts of spatial energy. From within the rift, Minos reached out as if pulling something hidden from the tapestry of space and time itself.
It wasn't just something.
Omus.
The True Celestial, who had been operating at a distance to control the battlefield, found himself unceremoniously dragged out of his safe perch within the void. His figure was wrenched forward, brought directly into the thick of combat. The utter shock and disbelief were plain on his face as he materialized in front of Minos, caught so effortlessly by someone he considered infinitely beneath him.
"How—?" Omus started, but his words halted as his expression twisted into rage, his earlier arrogance now tempered with clear caution. Whatever he thought of Minos before, it was clear he had underestimated him.
But Minos wasn't interested in basking in the surprise etched across his opponent's face. With Omus forced into direct combat, the real battle began.
Without missing a beat, Minos pressed the attack. His eyes glinted with dangerous intensity, rivaling the brilliance of his golden wings, which now radiated pulsing beams of light. The searing beams arced through the air, tearing apart the battlefield as they sped toward Omus with devastating speed. Explosions erupted in their wake, burning through everything they touched, leveling the terrain and consuming it in pure, destructive light.
Still disoriented from being pulled into such close proximity to Minos, Omus narrowly dodged the first few strikes. His earlier arrogance was gone, replaced by precision as he moved to avoid further incoming beams. The bursts of fire and light forced him to twist and turn, each dodge becoming more frantic than the last. It didn't take long for realization to strike him: this "mere" Supreme was fighting on a scale far beyond what should have been possible. Even now, Omus's pride tugged at him, refusing to fully comprehend Minos' power—but the evidence was undeniable.
The anger simmering within Omus bubbled over. Fury twisted his voice, which now held none of the mocking amusement it had carried earlier. The bite of humiliation burned into his pride. "Now," Omus snarled, his eyes blazing with malice, "I have even MORE reason to kill you, mortal!"
Minos tilted his head, his expression still calm, though his tone carried the weight of confidence sharpened by unflinching dominance. "When I gave you the chance to leave, you should have taken it," he said, coolly but firmly. "Don't regret it later."
As he finished his warning, an overwhelming surge of power erupted from Minos' body. His form shifted, his size increasing rapidly while his wings expanded, their edges flaring brighter than the surrounding light. His humanoid features elongated, his figure transforming into its full dragon form—an apex predator of strength and majesty. Scales radiating with iridescent gold and black shimmered along his body, and his golden eyes burned with primal intensity.
The heavens seemed to respond to his transformation. Lightning streaked down from the hazy, chaotic sky, jagged bolts illuminating the battlefield in blinding flashes as thunder rumbled ominously. The ground trembled violently, cracks spreading like veins across the surface, while rocks and debris lifted into the air, suspended momentarily by the sheer force of the energy emanating from the two combatants.
Omus took a step back in the air, his own power flaring in retaliation for Minos' transformation. The suffocating aura from both fighters pressed down on the battlefield as if the world itself were struggling to contain the monumental clash about to unfold.
The effects of their unleashing power rippled outward, freezing the bodies of the weaker combatants across the battlefield. Enemies, allies—anyone below the 13th stage was paralyzed, unable to move under the crushing weight.
Gloria, still midair and unable to maintain her footing, felt herself falling uncontrollably. She turned her eyes with difficulty toward Abby.
'Abby!' Gloria called out mentally, her panic clear through the flicker of their bond.
Abby, unfazed by the chaotic energy, moved. Her focus remained on the outskirts of the battlefield, her energy pooling with dark intensity as she circled the zone around Minos and Omus.
Meanwhile, in the chaos below where Minos had already toppled many of Omus's summoned giants, the tide of battle shifted. From the broken ground where the giants' colossal bodies lay, those creatures stirred.
The black ape, whose body still bore the scars from Minos's devastating punch, rose from the rubble. Its movements were jerky, almost unnatural. Another being, fractured and missing limbs, stood as shadows seeped into the cracks of its dented form. The surrounding air grew darker, pulsating with ominous energy. These once-defeated creatures, now restored to life, held an aura unmistakably different from before.
Abby's powers.
"Fight!" Abby commanded as her dark energy rippled through the air.
Without hesitation, she soared toward Gloria's side, leaving the battle below to unfold, assured of Segiel, Ruth, and Forfex's safety. Protected by the Divine Dragon's radiant energy, the three had been freed from the oppressive pressure saturating the battlefield. Abby's focus now turned entirely to supporting her harem sister while Minos held the line against Omus.
Above the fractured land, Minos and Omus clashed in a furious exchange of blows that sent ripples through the air, tearing apart what little remained of the battlefield's foundations. The first five moves came so quickly that any ordinary observer would have been unable to track them, but both opponents were painfully aware of the terrifying strength the other wielded.
Omus, for all his arrogance, quickly grasped just how formidable Minos was. Every strike of Minos' sword, every pulse of energy, felt as though it carried the force of someone far beyond his current level.
Omus narrowed his gaze as he evaluated his opponent's defense. Despite standing at level 123, Minos's body—bolstered by the Divine Tail—registered its strength on par with a level 125 True Celestial.
His natural resilience was staggering!
But even more troubling to Omus was the sudden amplification of that resilience. Whenever Minos tapped into his innate, energy-boosting ability, his defenses hardened further, matching Omus's own level 127.
That scared him!
The gap Omus thought he held over this "mere" Supreme didn't actually exist. And worse, Minos was strong enough to keep him trapped in battle, denying him the option to retreat—even if Omus wanted to.
But Omus wasn't willing to retreat, not yet. He clenched his fists, his sharp eyes glimmering as he moved, teleporting sporadically across the blistered battlefield. Each shift was accompanied by an onslaught of relentless strikes.
Lightning-fast attacks and counters lit up the crumbling battlefield, and with each landed strike or narrowly avoided blow, the sheer force of their battle reduced the surroundings to unrecognizable rubble, vaporizing mountains, and splitting the earth in impossible ways.
Omus wasn't blind to what else was unfolding. He caught glimpses of his corrupted summons turning against him—lumbering undead giants whose severed limbs and dented forms now lumbered toward him, driven by Abby's power. His sharp, crimson eyes flicked to the group of women supporting Minos on the battlefield's periphery. The sight ignited an unmistakable spark of anger within him, though he redirected his focus to Minos. He needed to destroy this upstart first, to regain control.
Even with Abby's undead creatures aiding him, Minos relied primarily on himself, holding nothing back. Each stab, slash, and energy burst—all his offensive and defensive abilities—was aimed at one purpose: ensuring Omus couldn't spare a moment to act against the rest of the group. His strategy was brutal but precise, demanding all of his focus as he pushed Omus to fight at his fullest, leaving no openings for him to shift his attention elsewhere.
Within the storm of battle, Minos' golden eyes flickered as visions unfolded in his mind.
The world around him blurred for only an instant, as time seemed to fragment and expand within his consciousness. The fight against Omus didn't just exist in the present; in Minos's mind, he was already playing out the next exchange of moves, experiencing every possible trajectory before they had even begun. But beyond predicting his opponent's next attacks, Minos saw more than just the immediate future—he glimpsed something far-reaching, something deeper.
He saw Forfex.
The visions took him further still, showing him a scene of profound significance. In his mind's eye, he saw a violet lake, its surface rippling as if it were alive, with flames coursing across its depths.
The entire scene seemed suspended within a different dimension, a realm governed by unique laws that felt alien and incomprehensible. There was an inherent weight to the vision, an oppressive strength in this place that Minos could only compare to the intensity of the Hell itself.
He didn't know the name or nature of this dimension, but the means of reaching it sharpened in his thoughts.
While the details were incomplete, one thing became clear: Forfex held the key. Whether it was a map, instructions, or the location of the entrance to this mysterious place, Forfex had what Minos needed. And this truth, combined with Omus' efforts, solidified Minos's understanding of his foe.
As much as Minos had been wrestling with his own blurred futures lately, Omus and Forfex were not abstract threads—they were part of the path he was already walking. This destiny was already entangling him, pulling him closer with each passing moment.
Devdar's words echoed in his thoughts.
The last conversation with the mysterious being had mentioned monumental opportunities—opportunities not just for Minos himself, but for his wives and companions as well. And now, that promise of power, that path to something greater, unfolded in visions so vivid they could not be denied.
Returning to the present, Minos' narrowed eyes gleamed as he brought his full attention back to Omus. His opponent, though still maintaining his composure, was finally showing subtle signs of difficulty. Facing a seer with offensive power equal to his own—and defensive capabilities that rivaled him in strength—was not a scenario Omus had prepared for.
But then, in the chaos of battle, Minos's thoughts aligned. His opponent's intentions were no longer a mystery.
'He's not here just because of my relationship with Devdar,' Minos realized. 'Nor is it merely about whatever conflict might arise between us in the future. Omus is after the same thing I am. He's searching for the very place Devdar guided me toward—the dimension behind that violet lake!'
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