Ch. 491..500
Chapter 491
’Rikko, are you ready?’
’Rikko always ready!’ Rikko eagerly replied, not wanting to ait a second longer than needed.
’On my signal then. It could be any moment,’ Rydel stated, ending their conversation temporarily.
The Assassin God kept a close eye on the battle above, never truly focusing on his own fight. He was too caught up by his wife’s sudden advantage to do anything more than avoid direct conflict with Oosam or Sillo.
Naparn wore an ugly frown. The sudden change of weather was bad enough for his magic but Lunara was also boosted. And should he attempt to counter it, it would leave Lunara a chance to do the same. Cursing Sterfen and his mysterious casting of water magic, Naparn knew that their fight could no longer be a battle of attrition.
Dousing his entire body in bubbling magma, Naparn roared. His charge evaporated all rain that got near him as he charged at Lunara.
Not shirking back, Lunara took aim and led with her spear to meet Naparn face-to-face. With her boost in speed and the many buffs, Lunara was confident that she wouldn’t come out as the loser of their imminent exchange. Her frosty spear froze all nearby water in preparation to challenge Naparn’s attack.
Dragas readied more spells, renewing her many debuffs and buffs. She refused to make an error in such a pivotal moment.
’Now!’
Just as Sterfen shouted telepathically to Rikko, he ducked under a rain of holy swords and snapped his finger.
Naparn and Lunara were less than a meter away from collision yet he felt an abrupt pain in his forearm. Glancing at his sword-wielding arm, Naparn’s heated gaze was chilled momentarily. He had made a crucial mistake.
The small, insignificant scratch on Naparn’s sword-wielding arm no longer there. In its place was a deep gash across Naparn’s forearm. He had failed to anticipate Sterfen’s use of the strange skill, Mark of the Reaper, for something apart from assassination. Naparn never imagined Sterfen using such a skill for a simple gash.
But it was too late to stop the clash of attacks. Lunara’s spear drilled into Naparn’s weakened attack, knocking the Molten God back. At the same time, his grip on the hilt only got weaker.
And, out of nowhere, Naparn heard a familiar yet uncomfortable chuckle. Before he knew what was going on, Naparn felt the sword in his hands being ripped from his strained grip. All the while, a knife was suddenly aimed for his throat. Worst of all, due to the direction of the attack, Naparn could either receive the attack or let go of his sword and evade. And seeing Sterfen at the other end of the knife was enough reason to evade.
With the sword torn from his hand, Naparn roared, "RIKKO!!!"
Not too far away, Rikko became visible but only for a moment. The Goblin God stuck his tongue out as he replaced Sterfen’s ring of invisibility with a spell scroll. In a single moment, Rikko had taken advantage of the situation to snatch Naparn’s sword directly from Naparn’s hand and teleport away.
Left with only Sterfen as a target for his rage, Naparn hurled magma at the Assassin God but in vain. The image of Sterfen faded, proving to be a ruse all to help Rikko steal the sword.
"HOW DARE YOU!?!?"
Oosam and Sillo were startled by Naparn’s roars. Only then had they noticed the gash in Naparn’s arm and the missing sword.
"I’LL--"
"Time to withdraw."
Hearing Halmut’s voice, Naparn’s unquenchable fury heated even more. Lava was pouring out of him, creating a small lake in the sand below.
"Naparn, NOW!"
The same voice went off in Oosam’s and Sillo’s minds. They weren’t as rebellious against leaving so suddenly, but Sillo felt a deep pain in his heart. He rushed to the world below as quickly as possible while Oosam teleported away with the amulet he had received recently.
Sterfen didn’t stop the Mage God. He already knew it would be unnecessary.
Sillo reached the ground but felt his broken heart shatter further when Sybin’s corpse was nowhere to be found.
"She’s with Rikko, now!" Sterfen shouted, chuckling as he did.
While Naparn was still struggling to calmly react to Halmut’s summons, a voice blared within Sterfen’s mind.
’They’ve taken Jin! We need to get him back, now!’
Eedaj’s cry was enough to turn Sterfen serious in an instant. He didn’t reply immediately, however. Stefen instead made a beeline for the furious Naparn.
"NAPARN! RETURN NOW!" Halmut ordered yet again.
It rang out loud and clear for Naparn, but the Molten God spotted Sterfen rushing him from below. Lunara did the same form above. He was caught in the middle of both husband and wife, the same that loathed Naparn to their cores.
Reluctant, Naparn roared and activated his amulet, abandoning his precious weapon and the battle.
The pillar of light fell from the heavens and consumed Naparn. But it didn’t stop the dagger thrown into Naparn’s side upon his departure.
Sillo left also, seeing no reason to remain there alone. Even if it meant leaving his sister’s corpse behind, staying would only result in him joining her in death.
’They’re back at Olympic Chateau!’ Sterfen shouted, finally replying to Eedaj. ’Moranti, we need you!’
*****
Spatial energy was everyone within sight. Moranti’s fiendish grin was also everywhere as he teleported within that space freely and with little to no consequence.
Torian and Tralbok were forced to regroup with Lyrun and focus entirely on defense against Moranti’s sudden, forever-shifting attacks.
One moment, Moranti was beside Torian and swinging his scythe. The next moment, his scythe enters a tiny rift and threatens Tralbok’s life. Spatial rifts were opened up freely with that space inundated with spatial energy, making Moranti’s unpredictable fighting style all the more dangerous.
Each holy god used their abilities to counter the onslaught. Torian’s spectacular reflexes allowed his agile body to avoid serious injury. Tralbok was nimble yet still needed time magic to aid in healing his more grievous injuries. Lyrun remained in his barrier, focusing solely on his own survival in order to withstand the storm of attacks.
Toying with his opponents, Moranti laughed. His chuckles seemed to echo as his body was constantly reappearing in separated spaces.
But all of a sudden, Lyrun pulled out his amulet and allowed the other two into his barrier. The next moment, they were carried away in a pillar of light, running away in the blink of an eye.
Moranti was a bit confused, but Eedaj’s sudden shout made sense of the situation.
’They’ve taken Jin! We need to get him back, now!’
Chapter 492
’They’ve taken Jin! We need to get him back, now!’
’Seriously?’ Moranti was startled to hear such a thing. ’Who took him?’
’Grixor! He broke Jin’s limbs and carried him away,’ explained Eedaj.
Then, Sterfen’s shout came through, ’Moranti, we need you!’
’Right, right... I’ll go get him back,’ Moranti stated calmly.
’Pick something up from Rikko to trade. He’s good two things that I’m sure they’d want to get back,’ Sterfen added. ’Also, I’m coming with you.’
’Are you--’
’Don’t worry about me. I’ve only killed one god today and I’m not satisfied yet.’
Excited to hear that, Moranti smiled and teleported back to the Leisure Guild. Sure enough, he found two familiar faces waiting for him in their meeting room. Instantly, Moranti recognized one of the items the holy gods would be desperate to get back.
"Look! I’ve finally got it!" Choron shouted in childlike enthusiasm. He swung Naparn’s sword around like a toy.
"Since you’ve already fulfilled your contract, then let me take it back," Moranti replied. "I’m sure it could come in handy for negotiations to get Jin back."
"What?!" Both Rikko and Choron shouted in unison.
"I’ll explain later. First, I need the sword. Second, you have something they’d want, right?" Moranti asked, pointing at Rikko.
Nodding solemnly, Rikko retrieved the corpse of the fallen Mage God, shocking Choron.
"Good, I’ll take them both off your hands."
Storing both the sword and the corpse, Moranti teleported away in haste. Now standing beside Sterfen in the air, Moranti smiled and extended his hand to the Assassin God.
"Lunara, gather the others and prepare for our return. We’ve got to go get Jin, that battle-crazed idiot," Sterfen stated. Then, he took Moranti by the hand and vanished, leaving Lunara and Dragas to gather the others and learn more about the situation from Eedaj.
*****
Halmut stood patiently over the viewing table. After reminding Grixor of the plan, Hadurt smiled as Grixor fled with the amulet. As the others in Reinolt did the same, Halmut changed the view.
Looking over the scene on the Maldor-Aazoon border, Halmut was confused by what he saw.
Naparn appeared to be a magma elemental he was so mad. Lava consumed his entire body as Naparn was yelling to his opponent, the fading Sterfen. But whatever the situation, they had fulfilled their strategy already.
Halmut calmly stated into his contact crystal, "Time to withdraw."
Seeing Oosam and Sillo retrieve their amulets was proof that the message went through yet Halmut was furious to see Naparn ignore the order.
"Naparn, NOW!"
After yelling directly into the depths of Naparn’s skull, Halmut saw his loyal second-in-command ignore orders yet again. And seeing Sterfen and Lunara rocket toward him was only adding more to Halmut’s rage.
Since Naparn was still rebellious, Halmurt roared, "NAPARN! RETURN NOW!"
Finally, as Grixor and the others entered the conference room, Naparn fled his battle with great reluctance.
"Naparn refused to return?" Grixor asked, still smuggling the beaten and broken God of Discipline.
"It’s nothing. He’ll be here any second," Halmut answered, steadying his gaze. "But we should be ready. Knowing them, they shouldn’t take long to arrive."
The holy gods each took a seat and the bestial gods returned to their human forms.
Jin was handed to Halmut, who showed the samurai a friendly smile. "Jin... It’s been quite a while since we’ve spoken. Wasn’t it before your ascension?"
Rather than answer, Jin spat in Halmut’s face and smiled. "Kill me... Now’s your chance..."
"That’s tempting... but there’s something more valuable than your life, at least it is to me. I’m hoping it’s not the same for your comrades..." Halmut cheekily replied.
Naparn stormed in, still covered from head-to-toe in magma.
"Cool off or you’ll be waiting outside," stated Halmut, still unhappy with Naparn’s insolence.
"Yeah, cool down, hothead!"
That voice rang out from the back of the room. None of the holy gods had entered from that side yet everyone recognized that voice. The holy gods looked and found two fellow deities standing within the conference room, unwelcome.
"Sterfen... We meet again and so soon..." Halmut chuckled, turning to show Jin in his hands.
"Yeah, yeah, shall we get on with the trade?" Moranti cut in.
"Fine. Hand over the enchantment key and I’ll release Jin."
Sterfen and Moranti were floored by the request, not expecting it to come from Halmut.
"I’ll repeat myself this once. Hand over the enchantment key and I’ll return Jin to you. If not, then I see no reason for him to remain alive," stated Halmut, still showing his well-rehearsed smile.
"You don’t want this?"
As Moranti retrieved the corpse of the fallen Mage God, the unknowing holy gods were startled. Halmut, however, was unfazed, shrugging and answering, "No... I don’t feel a corpse is worth him alive."
"Then what if we add this to spice up the trade?" Moranti smiled back, showing his own acting skills.
Again, all holy gods that weren’t present on the Maldor-Aazoon border were baffled to see Naparn’s sword appear in Moranti’s other hand. Halmut was also startled, turning to Naparn with hellish fury in his eyes.
"Do you want it or not?" Moranti asked again.
Halmut took a moment to reply. It was a development he hadn’t quite expected. Adding the sword to the deal had actually made it a fair deal, considering Halmut’s ability of resurrection. But that wouldn’t get Halmut what he wanted...
Torn at the moment, Halmut eyed the others carefully. He asked, "Does that mean you won’t offer the enchantment key?"
His tone finally shifted and became cold. Halmut popped the knuckles of his free hand, preparing to deliver a finishing blow to the already broken samurai. However, Halmut suddenly felt something warm fall onto his chest, yet it quickly chilled and wet his robes. The Sun Dragon looked down in shock. Then, Halmut felt a rush of blood coming up his throat. The red liquid dribbled out from between Halmut’s teeth and down his cheek. His rage eclipsed Naparn’s in an instant as he looked down at the samurai with utter disdain.
Chapter 493
While Halmut and the two intruding gods mentioned each other’s terms, all eyes were on them. The holy gods were on standby in case Halmut gave an order. They kept their focus on Moranti and Sterfen as well in order to not be surprised by the duo. No one had anticipated that Jin, the broken man in Halmut’s clutches, would be the first to act and without a word. Everyone only learned of his actions after noticing the blood dribbling out of Halmut’s mouth.
As Halmut was about to dispute over the terms with Moranti and Sterfen, Jin refused to be useless.
Six illusory arms appeared out of Jin’s back, each taking a katana in hand. All six katanas were then driven into Halmut, but not without stabbing themselves clean through Jin’s body first. The beaten samurai showed a joyful smile as he coughed blood all over Halmut’s chest. A seventh illusory arm was used to toss Jin’s storage ring toward his companions, after instantly storing the six katanas.
"Now, it’s a fair trade..." Jin chuckled with his dying breaths. "A corpse for a corpse... And no EXP for you, Halmut..."
Halmut didn’t roar. His anger was far too much for a simple roar to suffice.
With the deal at a standstill, Halmut already knew that getting the enchantment key wasn’t going to happen in that exchange. The Sun Dragon thought he was thinking a few steps ahead and imagined slaying Jin to make the trade simple, also letting Halmut steal the items and weapons off of Jin’s corpse beforehand along with gaining some good EXP. But his own decisiveness failed to outshine Jin’s.
Sterfen sighed and shook his head. "Well... Given the change of circumstances, I think we’ve got a fair trade. One’s deities corpse for the other. Take it or leave it."
"... Hand over the sword as well..." Halmut grumbled, no longer in the mood. He just wanted the scenario to end as quickly as possible.
"Fine..." Moranti groaned.
Holy aura washed over Halmut and healed his wounds. At the same time, he walked forward toward his fellow negotiators. Moranti and Sterfen did the same. The three men walked within arms reach. Sterfen shook Halmut’s hand, feeling the dragon’s anger through his tense grip. Then, the exchange was made.
Both parties backed away with a new corpse in hand, along with a heated sword in Halmut’s case.
"It was a pleasure..." Sterfen added just before Moranti teleported them both out of Olympic Chateau.
"NAPARN!!!"
Halmut’s roared echoed across all of Olympic Chateau. Such fury and anger were rare coming from the eldest dragon, but he couldn’t contain himself and sought to find the person with the most blame. And with Naparn being in charge of the Maldor-Aazoon battle that meant Naparn was responsible not only for the loss of the sword but also for the death of Sybin.
Having his anger momentarily overpowered by Halmut’s rage, Naparn shrunk in his seat. He was silent as Halmut rushed back to the table with clenched fists and glowing eyes.
*****
Moranti and Sterfen reappeared in front of Lunara and Dragas, only gone for a few minutes.
Neither Dragas nor Lunara asked about what happened. They both noticed Jin’s corpse, as well as the six stab wounds littering his body. With their knowledge of Jin, they figured something like that might have happened.
"He really did such a thing?" Dragas chuckled and shook her head.
Sterfen laughed as well, "You should’ve seen Halmut’s face. He healed immediately but was completely caught off guard by Jin’s move. Even in death, Jin refused to give Halmut any satisfaction."
"Sounds like him, alright..." Lunara sighed. "But doesn’t this mean--"
"Yes, Jin will have to start over. But he chose that so we’ll just blame him. Besides, I’m sure Jin will take the blame for his loss, even if he got overpowered," Sterfen added, tossing Jin’s lifeless body to Dragas. "Would you mind?"
"Sure."
Holy light left Dragas’s hand and flooded into the corpse. Gradually, the six stab wounds sealed themselves and pink returned to Jin’s cheeks. With a few coughs of stale blood, Jin found himself very much alive, again.
"Oh... So he agreed?" Jin asked, looking to Sterfen and the others while still being held up by Dragas.
Shaking his head, Sterfen chuckled. "You’re reckless idea worked like a charm. Of course, Halmut would never accept a fair trade and requested Naparn’s sword as well."
"Right... How did you get that, anyway?"
Sterfen replied, "We’ll explain later when Eedaj and everyone gets back. For now, let’s watch Bowzer kill his first dragon."
The four gods contacted Eedaj and informed them of Jin’s return, but they didn’t want to miss the show taking place below. Smiling, Sterfen was excited to see the newly-leveled-up Bowzer take on and overpower the lv. 87 Magma Dragon.
On his separate battlefield, Bowzer was confused and excited at the same time. Earlier, he had suddenly gained two and a half levels. The fox was unsure as to why but he was glad to have the sudden boost. And moments ago, he gained another level and a half. Now, Bowzer was at the top of lv. 85 and about to enter lv. 86.
The Magma Dragon was cautious as ever but felt more uneasy. It could tell that Bowzer’s attacks had gotten stronger not once but twice. Unable to know about Bowzer’s radical, uncommon leveling, the Magma Dragon went all out.
Lava cascaded along the Magma Dragon’s body as it roared and charged the Hell-flame Fox head-on. Even greater plumes of lava rocketed out of its mouth.
Black and withe flames grew larger as Bowzer also charged ahead. The fox was unafraid of the potential impact. Bowzer knew how his flames held up preciously at lv. 81. Now that he was lv. 85, Bowzer showed no hints of fear or hesitation. More of his small fireballs collided with the lava, overpowering the magma and threatening the Magma Dragon.
While the Magma Dragon was shocked by such a drastic change in Bowzer’s abilities, it was too late. His charge met Bowzer’s not even a second later. The black and white flames battled the heated magma, overwhelming it and enveloping it.
Roars and cries rang out as the Magma Dragon, for the first time in its life, experienced what it was like to be burned.
More and more sand melted as Bowzer cranked up the heat as much as he could. Bowzer bit into the Magma Dragon’s throat while the Magma Dragon tried to claw and force Bowzer to release it. But Bowzer growled and released fireball after fireball into the Magma Dragon’s neck at point-blank range.
Chapter 494
As the dragon felt its life burning away, it departed only after having clawed into Bowzer’s face and body as the dragon’s lava was ineffective and unable to burn the flaming fox.
Once the Magma Dragon had finally fallen, Bowzer didn’t let up at all.
Howls sounded out as Bowzer charged for the final remaining dragon. However, Bowzer wasn’t given the chance to deliver a single blow.
With Argyle staying the Magma Dragon, Dradich burrowed underground and created a sinkhole. Once the dragon’s weight caused the ground below to give way, Dradich strangled and immobilized the Magma Dragon, taking damage despite his frost body. Then, Argyle charged in to deliver the finishing blows and slay the great beast.
As the duo finished the beast, Bowzer turned next to the battle between the armies. His voice shouted mentally, ’Get away from them! They’re mine now!’
Jack’s wives were startled by the shout but grateful for the assistance. They passed the message on to King Wilheim, who immediately began to withdraw his soldiers while remaining on guard.
The Maldor forces were excited to see the Aazoon army backing up. But that was only for a moment. The next moment, countless cries rang out from endless Maldor soldiers.
A rain of black and white fireballs fell on top of them, expanding aggressively and instantly consuming anyone who came in contact with the flames. The Maldor forces cried in despair as they tried to retreat. However, they were met by a charging Hell-flame Fox.
None managed to escape the flames, regardless of their nation of origin or their political position. Bowzer’s flames showed no preference among its victims.
Watching Bowzer torch the Maldor forces to nonexistence, King Wilheim was taken aback. "So... The legends are true?"
"Sort of... In describing the destructive ability those foxes have, they’re very much true."
A voice was heard overhead, getting the king and everyone standing on the former battlefield to look up. Sterfen smiled as he and the other gods descended. Finally, Dragas released Jin and let him stand on his own two feet, albeit wobbly for a second.
Sterfen continued, "For now, you’ve won. But that doesn’t mean you’ll win every time or in the end."
"Then we must hurry and retreat to Trodar," stated King Wilheim, undeterred about their previous agreement.
"Good, then I think it’s best to take your army now... How about it, Moranti?" Sterfen asked.
Moranti nodded. "Sure, but take it easy on me. I’m not just a delivery boy, you know?"
"I know, I know."
The duo of gods laughed together while the King gathered his men together as tightly as possible. When they were bundled up against each other, Moranti asked, "Is there anything else you need from here? We’re not coming back, apart from visiting Frostburn City."
"There’s nothing. All of my men agree to side with you and your strength. Without that, we all would’ve died here today," Wilheim replied. "All they ask is that we bring their families as well."
"Simple enough..."
Having said that, Moranti clapped his hands together. Spatial energy inundated the entire army, turning every soldier a shade of purple. That purple energy then condensed around the army. Everyone present seemed to implode into nonexistence as they were teleported away from the battlefield along with the gods.
Everyone then found themselves appear within a vast open field. A few craters were scattered around the place, along with many patches of scorched earth.
Sterfen spoke up, "Welcome to Trodar!"
The army next spotted the city walls not too far from them. When they spotted the west gate and the large engraving that read, "Gilga", the soldiers were overwhelmed with all sorts of emotions. Many were confused as to what they should feel. Others were elated to be found in a safe city and environment for themselves and eventually their families. Some were still stuck on how they were teleported away so easily.
"For now, the Leisure Guild will provide you all with tents and temporary lodging. Given how we’ll be working together to find you new lands, it’s the least we can do," added Sterfen, motioning for King Wilheim to follow Jacks’ wives toward the guild.
As the soldier gradually started to head for the city wall, a spatial rift opened up in front of Moranti and the others. Through it walked Eedaj and Guuro, followed by those of Rydel’s party. Also, Tridon came through followed by almost all of the men serving under him. Finally, there was a mature woman, wearing an extravagant dress with a sorrowful expression painted on her face.
"So, how’d it go for you, apart from dealing with Jin’s loss?" Sterfen asked.
Eedaj sighed, "Reinolt did well but only with help from Karronteel and Hadurt. Without them or our assistance, there’s no way for them to win."
"Then why did the king reject the offer?" Dragas asked, unsatisfied with the prideful mindsets of most men.
"You already know why, Dragas," replied Eedaj. "Either way, the Beast Corps agree, so long as we visit Reinolt City and get their families to come as well."
Nodding, Moranti asked, "Then, what’s next?"
"Well, first off," Sterfen explained, shaking his head at Jin, "we’ll need to get Jin back into godhood, only we can’t at the moment since we traded Sybin’s corpse to get him back. We also need to get ready for an imminent attack on Trodar. To do that, we should probably be more public and create some temples. I’m sure the holy gods will be doing the same shortly if they haven’t started already."
"And with Jin’s loss of strength, we’ll be one man down for the next attack... I guess we lost that one," Moranti sighed. "At least that keeps things interesting. I wonder if Mr. High-and-Mighty will come down or will he just let me slaughter them all without interference?"
"Either way, we need to hurry up and prepare. You wouldn’t want to let Halmut have his way in the end, right Moranti?"
Chuckling along with Sterfen and the other gods, Moranti slapped Jin on the back, knocking the samurai over. "Right..."
Chapter 495
"That’s enough... Now back to business..."
Halmut took some deep breaths as he walked back to his seat. The other holy gods patiently waited while their eyes were glued to the distant wall. A body was embedded in the granite, groaning after taking such a beating. Naparn limply fell from the wall and sorely walked to his seat as well.
"Now... There are some things we must discuss," Halmut returned to the topic at hand. "Though we didn’t end up with the enchantment key this time, at least we came out on top in this exchange. Which reminds me..."
Looking to the corpse atop the table, Halmut asked, "Who killed her?"
"It was Sterfen," Oosam calmly replied.
"Right... Then, Tralbok, you’re magic should be cast first," ordered Halmut.
Tralbok nodded and got up from his seat, approaching the corpse. White, blinking lights surrounded his hand as Tralbok touched the hole in Sybin’s neck. A few moments passed but, eventually, it started to reseal itself.
Next, Halmut lifted his hand and shrouded the corpse in holy light. His other hand held a multi-colored crystal. As the holy energy entered Sybin’s body the multi-colored energy of the crystal fled to the corpse as well, leaving the gem entirely clear and translucent, like glass.
Breath escaped Sybin’s lungs once more. Her eyed blinked spastically for a moment as she took in her new surroundings. "I’m... back?"
"Yes. You can’t get out of your contract so easily," Halmut stated, smiling. "Now, return to your seat. We need to discuss the next steps of your return to the public eye."
*****
Inside the Leisure Guild, all the neutral gods were together in their strategy room. All of Jack’s party members were also present, apart from the hulking beasts that were resting after a long battle.
Sterfen closed the door behind him as he reentered the room, now joined by Phoro. "It was a success."
"Good... Then our mortal forces aren’t any weaker than theirs. Aside from their hidden dragons, we’re sure to be able to withstand them," Eedaj stated.
"But including the dragons is the important part," added Sterfen. "We’ll need to rally up as many forces as we can, given how Lunara’s people and Kori’s were wiped out either during the war or while Kori was in isolation. Got any ideas, Moranti?"
"If we had just a few more Spectral Dragons, then we’d be able to contend with however many dragons came against us. Is there no way to search for others?" Moranti asked.
"I have no clue. That’s something that Jack may be able to answer but I think asking our dad would be best," Sterfen replied with a shrug.
"Can we do that?"
Sterfen took out his calling stone, placing it on the table. "Everyone, come and touch the stone. After he shows up, you can let go."
No one was against the idea as everybody got up and stood around the table. Once all hands were on the stone, Sterfen poured his energy into it and summoned Daruun’s apparition.
"Father, we have a few questions." The others returned to their seats while Sterfen continued, "Is there some way to search for more prehistoric amulets? Would we be able to find more Spectral Dragons?"
"Hmm..." Daruun’s apparition stroked his chin. "It’s not impossible... but it would be incredibly difficult. There’s a reason why neither Halmut nor Skaryn attempted such a thing prior."
"And what reason is that?" asked Sterfen.
"Because Jack was never around until now and he would never agree to help them with such a thing," stated the apparition. "Jack’s system, as you’ve already assumed, is a more efficient version of the god system. With it, Jack should be able to search for specific items by mixing skills and spells together with his system. But you’ll have to wait for Jack’s return and it would still take him time to scour the continent in secret for such a thing."
"So Jack can do that too? Now I’m jealous..." Moranti gave a self-mocking laugh.
"Don’t be. You’re plenty powerful as is, Moranti. Your species has origins that rival Jack’s system but such a thing would take some time to explain," Daruun added.
"WHAT?! Tell me more! Does that mean there are more of my race elsewhere?" Moranti asked.
"Not on this planet. Your race was created in an attempt to mimic a friend of mine. His abilities are beyond incredible, particularly in battle. If he and I were to fight, he would clearly be the victor," explained Daruun, jarring everyone present. "But I failed to recreate his lost species. However, it led to you Spectral Dragons being born, something I’m ultimately proud of."
The many mortals in the room were the most baffled, not fathoming what Daruun could mean by creating the Spectral Dragon species.
The apparition continued, "Right, allow me to say this for those of you who didn’t yet know. I’m the creator of this world."
Not only were the mortals floored, Choron and Lunara were also thrown for a loop.
"As an attempt to better understand cosmic energy and refine my skills, I created this secluded world. I filled it mostly with lifeforms designed after those I’ve encountered throughout my life. And while I’m at it, I’ll mention the purpose of surpassing lv. 99," mentioned Daruun. "Only by surpassing lv. 99 can someone grow strong enough to leave this planet. But it’s not as easy as it seems, otherwise, someone would have done it by now. But is there anything else you wish to ask me?"
Completely unfazed by Daruun’s comments, Sterfen asked, "Father, can you tell us if they’ll attack us before Jack arrives?"
"They will," Daruun answered. "Don’t count on finding more summoning amulets before they rile up more conflict here in Trodar. Also, a reminder, don’t contact Jack. He’ll contact you all the moment he’s finished reaching his tomb. Anything else?"
"What’s the name of my great ancestor?"
Turning to Moranti, Daruun smiled. "Dominus. You should be proud to have his blood running through your veins."
"Dominus... Now that’s a name!" Moranti shouted. "One day, I’ll meet him!"
"Stick with Jack and you just might," Moranti chuckled. "With nothing else, I’ll take my leave. I wish you all luck. A father would never wish ill of his children."
Smiling one last time at the other and ending with a nod to Sterfen, Daruun’s apparition vanished in a flash of white light.
But when the light faded, everyone was still in a daze though. The mortals and the newly inducted neutral gods were baffled to learn about Daruun’s true identity. Moranti was daydreaming about passing lv. 99 and traveling to visit his powerful ancestor. All other neutral gods were hung up about Jack’s system truly surpassing their god system. Only Sterfen was still smiling, fully taking in his father’s departure and words of wisdom.
Chapter 496
"Let Wilheim in," Sterfen commented, turning to Rydel.
The hunter nodded and left the room while he finished gathering himself. More than a minute later, Rydel returned with a grateful king in tow.
King Wilheim immediately dropped to his knees and bowed his head before the various deities. "Thank you!"
"Stand up... There’s no need for that right now." Sterfen continued, "King Wilheim, thank you for agreeing to our proposal and trusting us to win you and your people the land that you deserve. Before anything, you should know that such a crusade could take a month or two, depending on how Sadros reacts to our invasion."
"I’m not worried at all. Given that I don’t think even half of the people will join me so suddenly, I doubt we’ll need much room for us," reasoned Wilheim.
Eedaj smiled and joined the conversation, "King Wilheim, I think you’re underestimating your people and their respect for you."
"There’s no way that I’m--’
"Of the modern kings, you’re regarded as one of the noblest and most caring to your people. You’re the type of man that will choose to suffer along with your people or even for them, should your suffering be enough to allow your people happiness," explained Eedaj. "You’ve earned not only respect from your people but also loyalty, which grew out of your loyalty to them."
Still keeping his head bowed, Wilheim stated, "I’m a simple man. I believe in treating others as I would wish they treat me. What you and other kings might see as sacrifice or suffering, I see as a privilege."
"Then we’re glad to have you!" Sterfen continued, reaching out and slapping Wilheim on the back. "After you bring any willing citizen to Trodar, we’ll let you remain a king for your people. However, the country will still need to be ruled by what we’ll call the royal council. You’ll be the figurehead of the representatives elected by your people, leading your royal council with your people and Trodar in mind."
"If you wish, I don’t need to remain a king--"
"Yes, you do," Lunara argued, catching the king off guard. "I didn’t just visit you that first time I met you. Since it had been so long, I took a stroll through Frostburn City. King Wilheim, you’re needed as a king for your people’s sake, not for your own. If your title was removed, then they wouldn’t feel as secure about Trodar or their unchangeable decision to follow you."
"With Lunara’s opinion in mind, we want you to remain king of your people but to lead the nation with your fellow councilmen as the spokesman of your council. That’s how you’ll comply with the laws of Trodar and remain a monarch," reasoned Sterfen, smiling back at his wife.
"So you have no choice! You’re their king and it will stay that way. After a few years, then you’ll be able to revoke that title and pick up a new one, but only after the people are more comfortable about their new life under Trodar," Eedaj stated. "Understood?"
Wilheim sighed but then chuckled and shook his head. "I both understand and don’t understand. But if that’s what you require, then I agree wholeheartedly."
"Great! Then, welcome to Trodar!" Sterfen led the many gods as they officially welcomed Wilheim as a new spokesman for the soon-to-exist territory under Trodar.
The rest of the day passed quickly. Those from the guild got more sleep, like Jack’s wives, party, and beast companions. Some of the higher-ups in the Leisure Guild joined Wilheim for his final return to Frostburn City as they prepared for the king’s highly-anticipated speech.
People flocked to Frostburn city in droves. It was startling to find that over ninety percent of Aazoon citizens had managed to gather there via their running teleportation network, mostly due to the free travel costs and urgency of their king’s message. All mages manning those circles were completely exhausted, but they had been paid handsomely for their services and would receive their next bonus the next day after sending everyone back to their homes.
When Frostburn City had filled up entirely within the span of a day, Wilheim and other paid workers constructed massive tents and makeshift windshields to help the remaining citizens gather outside the city.
Once noon rolled around, King Wilheim had already built a raised platform for his speech. It was built within the city square but high enough for those outside the city to notice. Also, Vixus and the others of the Leisure Guild had brought a few things with them to make the speech easier to give.
Wilheim stood proudly on the platform. He marveled at the sight of his people willingly gathered on a moment’s notice. In his hand was a light pink crystal, which appeared to be a variant contact crystal. Once Wilheim felt comfortable enough he began to speak.
"Everyone! Please listen carefully!"
The king’s voice echoes throughout the entire capital but from multiple locations. Those locations that echoed the king’s words strangely were manned by a member of the Leisure Guild, each guarding what looked like the front half of a giant megaphone attached to a stand. And each of those strange cone-like items echoed the king’s words using a similar pink crystal embedded at the base of the cone’s shape.
With both their sudden travel in mind and the strange phenomenon of the king’s voice echoing robustly beyond the city limits, the Aazoon citizens were completely focused on the announcement at hand.
"Everyone... Aazoon is no longer safe!" shouted Wilheim, startling the crowd. "But don’t fear! There is somewhere safe that we can go! You’ve all heard about the sudden war that broke out on our borders. What you don’t know is that Magma Dragons battled our armies earlier this morning in an attempt to destroy us all."
While the crowd was reeling from shock, Wilheim continued and comforted his people, "But know that those dragons have been killed!"
Cheers filled the city but the king wasn’t finished. "However, none of those legendary beasts were killed by anyone from Aazoon."
The cheers began to quiet down. Everyone was confused to hear that, only knowing that Aazoon had been abandoned by the other neighboring nations. Yet someone was willing to help Aazoon against dragons all of a sudden?
"If not for the one ally we had, our army would’ve been slaughtered before the Maldor soldiers could even reach them. But thanks to our one ally, three lv. 80 dragons were slain and Aazoon is temporarily safe," Wilheim continued, hyping up this yet-to-be-named ally all he could.
Chapter 497
"It’s also because of this ally that we here in Aazoon have been offered a means to survive."
As their king paused for a moment, all surrounding citizens were taken aback. Those that were young felt awe and admiration for their king and this anonymous ally. As for those with more years under their belts, they were relieved to know that their families and loved ones had a new opportunity to survive.
The king added, "However... If you join me in taking this opportunity of survival, then we’ll be leaving Aazoon behind."
Everyone’s hearts were rocked at that moment. No one was ready for such a statement. Even King Wilheim struggled to admit the words out of fear that his people would reject him and remain in harm’s way.
"Our one ally, the same that saved us from the terrifying lv. 80 dragons, has offered us all an opportunity to relocate and form a new nation alongside theirs," Wilheim continued, not letting his people dwell on the depressing thought of fleeing their homes. "We’ve all been offered a chance to escape the certain death of our nation, but remaining here would only lead to our eventual deaths.
"Yes, we won that battle this morning, but what about the next battle? Why would our generous allies continue to fight our battles when we have nothing to offer them while we remain here? Would you be willing to travel across the continent only to fight for a people too weak to protect themselves, all to receive nothing in the end?" questioned the king, forcing his people to see the true logic behind the situation. "Such a strategy would only drag that nation down and leave them vulnerable. For both them and us to get stronger, then we must join up and gather together!"
Another moment passed as Wilheim let his words sink into the hearts of the Aazoon citizens. As fewer and fewer voices were speaking out against the thought, Wilheim continued, "Now, allow me to introduce our ally, the strongest organization in all Kartonia, the Leisure Guild!"
Hearts rattled as Vixus marched to the front of the platform with his own pink crystal in hand. "People of Aazoon, know this first. We ask for nothing in return for our efforts of winning your battle, nor will we ask for anything in the future. However, it’s true that we wouldn’t be able to do that for all of your eventual battles, not if you remain in Aazoon.
"Your king has discussed many things with us. We’re confident in his ability to lead and his astounding reputation among you all. That’s why we extended the invitation to help you begin your own nation elsewhere. Wilheim will remain your king should you choose to join him in this venture, that’s something that we refuse to change," explained Vixus. "Also, know that Trodar is no longer a single nation like before. It’s a conglomerate of independent territories. Currently, there are five territories flying the Trodan flag: Limneer, Prachten, Iscantor, and Gilga. As you accept our offer, the offer created by your king, then we’ll assist you in creating the fifth independent state under the Trodan banner and thereby offer you our protection.
"Sadly, our guild master is busy elsewhere, but I’m sure you’ve heard of Jack J., the Legend of Trodar. Whether you know the old fold tales or have heard about his recent rise to fame, you know that Jack will soon become a god as well, paving the path for Trodar and our guild to reach heights that only deities of the ancient past have achieved," Vixus added, taking the crowd’s breath away.
"I vouch for Jack as well!" The crowd saw two more figures step forward, one after the other. Prince Willim continued, "Jack is a friend of mine and has my trust and respect."
Erina, standing between her father and brother, also spoke up, "Also, Jack was the one who removed my curse not too long ago!"
The many rumors and stories about Jack suddenly weighed down on the crowd. Adding Jack’s relationship with the prince and princess allowed added validity to such wild statements.
Adding to that, Wilheim mentioned, "Jack is also the one who cleansed the royal family of traitors, those who dared join the syndicate in an attempt to overthrow the kingdom."
The people’s hearts were unable to bear any more facts about Jack and the Leisure Guild. Knowing Jack’s previously anonymous contributions to Aazoon and learning of the Leisure Guild’s involvement in the battle against dragons was too much...
"Let me also make this clear!" Wilheim shouted, louder than ever before. "The battle this morning also involved many deities, which were only fended off by the gods that stand within the Leisure Guild!"
That knowledge bomb decimated all expectations and left the crowd feeling helpless. Knowing that was equivalent to realizing that the nation of Aazoon, which was already helpless, was entirely unable to even put up a fight against the imminent invasion.
As the people felt their hearts breaking and shifting, two more figures stepped forward, neither of which were holding any sort of crystal.
"Allow me to reintroduce myself. I’m Lunara, the Water Goddess that has been living secretly within Glacier Peak," Lunara’s voice echoed but without any need of the announcement crystals of the Leisure Guild.
All thoughts of disillusion were immediately and utterly shattered. The sudden appearance of the god that filled Aazoon’s history was more than enough to break the crowd’s expectations.
Motioning toward the shorter, younger copy of herself, Lunara continued, "Now that I’ve been freed from the holy gods, I’ve joined my husband and daughter in Trodar. Should you join your king in migrating, then I too will remain with you and build a temple for you all in your new capital."
Lina simply smiled and waved at the crowd. While some were focused on Lunara, others were looking at the smiling young girl beside her, the supposed daughter of a goddess.
"To prove it..."
Lunara grabbed Lina by the hand and pulled Lina into the air. She threw her daughter into the air, suddenly. But also, her human form expanded aggressively to form the creature of legend that all of Aazoon had feared and respected most. Then, the young girl in the air did the same and landed on her mother’s shoulders.
"I’ll return to be your protector, but only if you choose to follow your king," Lunara’s calm voice melted the hearts of the people all the more.
"Please... Come to Trodar. Even if you wish for me to step down as your king, I’ll do so if that means you’ll accept this opportunity to survive--"
"I’ll follow the king!"
Chapter 498
"I’ll follow the king!"
A single voice shouted above the volume of the rest of the crowd, proving that whoever shouted was at a decently high level. Then, a hulking Snow Stallion appeared in the town square with a man sitting atop it.
"I’ll follow the king, along with the rest of the Snow Guild!" that man shouted again, gathering even more attention.
Many shouts throughout the square agreed with their guild leader. At the same time, many of the citizens were shocked to hear that.
The man continued, "We’re one of the largest guilds only because of your support, King Wilheim. While the Snow Guild was still insignificant, we only gained the support of the people after you asked for us to connect the many villages of the tundra via stallion routes. You also funded our expansion to offer the citizens a means to travel the tundra more safely. I’m in your debt for helping the guild grow and for assisting in saving my home village, as are the countless citizens of the tundra villages for your anonymous donation to our Snow Guild."
"We’ll also follow you, King Wilheim!" Another proud Snow Stallion emerged just outside of the city square. The woman stood atop the stallion mentioned, "You did the same for our Tundra guild."
"Don’t forget us! How could we dare to abandon you after all you’ve done!"
A massive Frost wolf appeared in the square, rivaling the Snow Stallions in size. It startled those nearby but they quickly recognized that particular wold with the scar over its eye and the saddle on its back. The bare-chested man sitting on the wolf shouted with laughter, "Don’t count the Frost Guild out! Wherever you go, we go!"
The hearts of the people softened yet again. With all three of Aazoon’s largest independent guilds standing in support of the king and his decision, they had no choice but to seriously consider the king’s decision as well.
Though most already were, there would always be some people stuck in their ways. But they mostly understood that without those three guilds, travel across the tundra would become a huge danger for them. Also, the disappearance of the three major guilds would destroy Aazoon’s economy and way of life, at least for anyone that stayed behind.
Some people were also touched by the sudden announcement that those guild leaders made. No one knew that the king had funded the growth of those independent guilds, which had no official affiliation to the royal family. And to know that those key guilds which connected common citizens to various cities, towns, or villages for a low fee had been paid for by the king. It let savvy businessmen and citizens understand why the travel costs were always so low, compared to other kingdoms and despite the harsh travel conditions.
Wilheim was astounded. He had nothing to say. The king watched as more and more people spoke up for the king and his plan to abandon the country.
Five percent of the population was still missing, which saddened Wilheim but he understood that anyone unwilling to even take the free travel wouldn’t be willing to follow him anyway. Yet... Wilheim had never expected such a turnout. More people had come than he ever anticipated. More and more organizations were standing out in support of the decision. And now the common people were starting to chant along with the members of the many guilds, something the guild leaders had started.
"For the king! For the king! For the king!"
Those three words surpassed the echo of Wilheim’s voice and even Lunara’s. More than anyone else, it was King Wilheim’s heart that was softened.
"Those of you willing to follow King Wilheim to create a new nation, now’s your chance!" Lunara shouted with excitement, still standing in the air overhead. "Those willing to follow, raise your hand now! Those that wish to remain, keep your hands down. Otherwise, you’ll end up in Trodar without a way back."
The ocean of people ceased chanting, but everyone then rose their hands to the sky. Some struggled and took a moment to decide. However, after seeing so many people willing to abandon everything, they too raised an arm. Also, knowing that dragons and gods were also invading Aazoon was quite convincing to those less affected by the current mob mentality.
Then, two figures appeared on the platform in a blink of spatial energy. Not many people noticed them, at least not at first. When the entire city and the outlying area was flooded by an ethereal purple energy, the crowd then took notice of the source, a man that was covered in the thickest purple energy around.
No explanation was given to the crowd. Standing beside Moranti was Eedaj, who was sharing his God’s Perspective with the God of Space.
"Wow... He got so many people to show up? We’ll have to conquer an entire nation to fit them properly..." Moranti chuckled as he and Eedaj made sure to find every last one of the nearby citizens.
Once everyone was accounted for, Moranti smiled and clapped his hands.
The sea of spatial energy blinked with a flash. It didn’t even last a second. And to everyone inside that energy, nothing had appeared to change once the flash had passed. They still stood within Frostburn City and everyone was exactly where they once stood. However, when they looked up, they couldn’t find Lunara anymore, nor could they find the cloudy, cold sky of Aazoon.
"Welcome to Gilga!" Moranti’s voice billowed with laughter.
After his announcement, some people noticed the ice on the ground starting to melt. Those on the outskirts looked around to spot another city, not even a kilometer away. On the opposite side of the outskirts, people were on the edge of the forest, only it was very unnatural. The line of trees was strange as if it now bent around Frostburn City.
"Moranti... you didn’t need to bring the city!" Eedaj shouted in laughter.
"What’s wrong with that? Now we don’t need to pay more for so many temporary homes. Remember, we have to keep the guild in mind first, and its budget," replied Moranti, slapping the utterly baffled king on the back. "Once we clear out a place for your kingdom, then I’ll teleport your city wherever you want. Lots of people keep their homes and belongings while you keep the palace!"
Wilheim said nothing, nor could he if he wanted. He understood that Moranti had control over space and could transport groups of people via teleportation or spatial rift... but teleporting a capital city was too much for his mind to fathom.
All the while, Moranti kissed his scythe again with a loving smile. Though it still cost the God of Space plenty of mana to teleport the entire city, it was his precious scythe that allowed him to do it for less and keep some mana leftover in case of emergencies.
Chapter 499
The citizens of Gilga were also caught up in a furor, as the flash of purple light caught the city by surprise. It didn’t take long for word to spread and for everyone to notice the city that had now appeared just outside of Gilga’s walls.
To quell the excitement, Vixus stood atop Gilga’s city walls as the guild members spread the announcement crystals for Gilga to hear.
"Everyone, Frostburn City has been temporarily relocated. Moranti, the God of Space has placed it outside of Gilga until we claim a territory for King Wilheim and the rest of the former citizens of Aazoon. They’ll be joining Trodar as the fifth territory."
"No, as the sixth territory!" A new voice shouted. Choron rushed to Vixus’s side and continued his shouts, "Choron has agreed to meet with Trodar and discuss terms for allegiance and possible subjugation!"
Glad he could finally announce it, Vixus played along, "Wonderful! Just as Choron, the Ninja God, has stated, we’ve been trying to reach out to Churstin. Now, we’ve finally confirmed their willingness to discuss the matter. With Churstin joining us, Trodar will once again claim the entire southeastern corner of Kartonia and be the largest of all nations!"
Cheers and shouts spread across Gilga! Their recent excitement has been at an all-time high ever since the Leisure Guild too the spotlight, and it’s only grown with each passing week.
"After Churstin joins Trodar as the fifth territory and we claim a sixth territory for the former citizens of Aazoon, the guild will hold a national festival to honor Trodar!" Vixus added, riling up the people to the limits.
While the crowds spread the news, Vixus returned to his duties. The gods all admired his ability to handle the situation and laughed along with Moranti for his decision to bring the city with them.
*****
"Almost! Come here, you pesky rats!" Kori howled as he chased after the pack of wererats.
Lorwynn laughed, flying past the hell-flame Fox with more incredible speed and finishing off the burning rats with a rain of lightning.
"Hey! No fair!" shouted Kori.
"You did it first! I can’t let you beat me so easily!" replied Lorwynn.
Both men had bonded during their few days of training. Each of them was at the edge of lv. 89 now but Kori still had the lead as he started the expedition at lv. 89 and not the peak of lv. 88. They were constantly competing and racing to kill each other’s prey. And with Kori only a few kills away, Lorwynn was more focused than ever.
Kori didn’t say another word, only smile. Instead, Kori darted in a new direction on the second floor. He could sense a breeding ground nearby and didn’t dare admit it aloud.
Lorwynn followed, of course, letting Kori do the leg work and locate the next batch of foes. There didn’t appear to be anything around them, though.
After Kori stopped he dove into the ground full-force. The earth collapsed and created a giant opening. With his full-size hundred-meter flame body, Kori scorched the entire space before Lorwynn understood what was happening. Clicks and cries of various insectoids echoed within the buried hive.
Up above, Lorwynn spotted a few long, wriggling bodies escape the hell hole that Kori had created. He smiled and shook his head, "Earthen Centipedes... Of course he wouldn’t tell me that..."
A powerful burst of lightning bolts fell upon the escaping centipedes, not letting any of them escape with their lives.
"Finally!" Kori’s voice echoed out of the centipede hive.
At the same time, the black fire grew a shade darker. The flames grew in size and nearly attempted to attack Lorwynn.
Speeding back, Lorwynn had no trouble evading the sudden explosion of pitch-black flames. "So... I lost?"
However, the mage had no time to feel bad. The raging flames attracted all sorts of life. Many different species of insects swarmed the fire with eagerness. First to arrive were Monarch Moths with wingspans roughly ten meters long, followed by King Beetles with hard bodies that typically measured longer than six meters.
"Since you’re busy with evolving, I’ll just use you as bait!" Not hesitating, Lorwynn hovered in the air around the black fire to challenge the incoming insects. "Likes see what smells better roasted, moths or beetles!"
A rush of green energy inundated the area. Out of the ground burst a wall of trees and greenery, forming a perimeter around all of the rushing insects. And now that those insects had no path of retreat, Lorwynn charged through the air with holy swords and lighting bolts.
The Monarch Moths were the first to attack the mage. They spat acid through the air to stop the mage’s charge but ultimately failed thanks to wind buff that Lorwynn learned from Rikko. However, Lorwynn never gave them a chance to do anything else.
While the moths evade the hasty lightning bolts, Lorwynn hid the holy swords behind them. While the lightning would streak past, the holy swords nimbly readjusted their course midair to cut holes through the wings of the many moths. This disabled many of them and forced them to skitter slowly across the ground.
But the King Beetles were tougher to face. Their exoskeletons made them harder to kill.
While Lorwynn was thundering over the crippled moths, the beetles charged him head-on. Each of their front horns aimed for the mage, some aiming to the sides in order to keep their foe from evading. They didn’t mind charging headfirst as their natural defenses easily outclassed the moths which relied on tricks like acid to stun their opponents.
Lorwynn was ready, though. He maintained his flight while the King Beetles blew past him one-by-one. When on beetle almost drilled into Lorwynn’s chest, Lorwynn was unfazed and used his holy swords in defense to deflect the horn.
After killing nearly all the moths, Lorwynn shifted his main focus to the relentless beetles. His holy swords clashed with the beetle’s horns, winning an advantage bit-by-bit. After a few minutes, Lorwynn managed to create some tiny cracks in the sturdy exoskeletons. As a finishing blow, Lorwynn hurled the holy swords directly into those cracks while lightning coursed over the holy swords.
More clicks and hissing sounded out as the sturdy beetles died from internal electrocution. They eventually all fell, leaving Lorwynn panting within his cage of greenery and at the very cusp of lv. 90.
A long howl sounded as well, getting Lorwynn to look back and smile.
The black fire was dying down and there were no more cries of dying centipedes, as all had been reduced to cinders. Out of the dying flames arose Kori, smiling and walking confidently on the air.
Chapter 500
Elsewhere in Eathen Keep, Jack found himself in a small passageway but it wasn’t natural. On earlier floors, Jack had noticed that some creatures had created new burrows and passages to the floors above and below the usual level they were found on. He learned that first hand, nearly walking headfirst into a nest of Earthen Centipedes between the ninth and tenth floors.
Albeit narrowly, Jack had avoided alerting those centipedes but took that knowledge along with him. It led Jack to wonder if he could do the same thing. And now that he was about to enter the twentieth floor, Jack felt better in attempting such an experiment.
Jack combined Phoro’s and Dragov’s bloodlines as he tunneled through the ground with unrivaled speed.
His experiment proved successful as he broke through to the twentieth floor without any issue. However, the rubble would easily attract the mini-boss on the twentieth floor.
His invisibility was never lost, not even while he tunneled. Though the sounds of falling rubble warned the occupants of the twentieth floor, Jack crept along the ceiling instead of following the rubble to the ground below.
Silky strands of spider webs filled most of the twentieth floor. Some of the rubble got entangled in the webs, alerting all spiders of the entire floor.
Careful with each step, the hero calmly avoided the spider webs. He didn’t mind if he took longer than usual as Jack had already saved time by tunneling through the eighteenth and nineteenth floors entirely.
If anything followed his tunnel down, Jack didn’t care. His digging speed was ridiculous and he would be long gone before anything could reach him. And if something found the tunnel in the future, it would only let any curious creature get attacked by whatever was on the next level.
He kept the same mentality going into the twentieth floor, only he was more cautious due to the spiders’ ability to sense him via a single misstep on a strand of web. Also, Jack wanted to see the mini-boss up close and personal.
The Skulker Tarantula was known for loving complete darkness and its use of smaller spiders to swarm its prey. Of course, anything under five meters tall counted as smaller compared to the ten-meter Skulker Tarantula. It was also known for having a terrifying, slow-acting venom, which Jack was determined to get no matter what.
Since he entered irregularly, it took Jack almost half an hour to creep through the labyrinth of spider webs. After that, he finally found the mini-boss’s burrow.
A twenty-meter wide crater was dug out of the ground with webbing lining the entirety of the crater and even making a somewhat of a shade over the top of the crater. Jack never would’ve found it or recognized anything in the dark floor if not for Dragov’s bloodline. It was the combination of Dragov’s eyes and Phoro’s that Jack could peer deeper into the darkness and see the silhouette of the Skulker Tarantula, only it wasn’t ten meters tall... it was almost fifteen meters tall!
Keeping his breathing under control, Jack pondered the situation.
His travels of the twentieth floor revealed the overwhelming amount of spiders, as well as the many carcasses of spiders. This led Jack to assume that the spiders had turned cannibalistic long ago. That would also explain why the lead Skulker Tarantula had grown so large while the next largest of the younger Skulker Tarantulas weren’t even five meters in width, let alone in height.
Also, there were far more webs than he had ever seen in-game, especially around the mini-boss. But that also gave Jack an idea. After another moment of thought and planning, Jack acted on his impromptu plan.
While overlooking the giant nest that the mini-boss had made itself, Jack exchanged Dragov’s bloodline for Bowzer’s, creating a flying flame body. Before the Skulker Tarantula could do anything, Jack hurled his black-white flames into the nest of the tarantula, grateful for the level boost he had gained for no effort on his part.
A low, droning hiss sounded from deep within the crater. That giant silhouette finally moved and rushed to the surface of its nest. However, it found traveling across the webs to be nearly impossible.
Unlike most videogames, the spider webs didn’t burn well, rather, they caught fire aggressively for a few moments before beginning to melt. That was exactly what Jack was wanting.
The melting web was entirely unusable and the countless threads of web were fusing together as a makeshift cage around the giant Skulker Tarantula. Also, the intense heat of those flames let them keep burning, albeit small in height. This trapped the mini-boss within its own nest and kept it from escaping anywhere. Should it attempt to force its way past the melting, burning webs, the black-white flame was even burning the ground around the crater.
Jack rushed into the nest of the hissing tarantula. His wind blades and flame body allowed him to carve past the melting web with ease. In seconds, Jack found himself at the side of the tarantula’s giant head. While it was hissing and attempting to break free, Jack carved into the tarantula’s face, just below it’s lower eyes.
Hisses filled the vast space while Jack mutilated the tarantula’s face over and over again. At lv. 87, the Skulker Tarantula was quite a foe. But Jack didn’t care for killing it. All he wanted was the venom gland above the base of the tarantula’s fangs.
The moment Jack carved through the face and felt some numbing fluid touch him, Jack momentarily dropped his flame body and retrieved a large, empty bottle. In a couple of seconds, Jack had filled the bottle with the oozing venom. He hastily sealed the bottle and resumed his flame body while retreating.
A minute later, the Skulker Tarantula broke free from the trap made of its own burning web. However, it couldn’t find anything apart from burning webs and charred spider bits.
Jack had already fled for the next floor and the giant tarantula would never have any hope of entering the human-sized hole that Jack created amidst a see of burning, melting webs.