Ch. 551..560

Chapter 551

"Holy gods turned what?" Jack asked.

"While you were in the dungeon, a lot has taken place," stated Daruun. "To put everything briefly, I’ll list the events and their significances. First off, two wars broke out that resulted in Reinolt and Aazoon both vanishing from the world map."

"What?!"

"Don’t worry, your friends interfered and created much more desirable outcomes," corrected Daruun. "Both fights occurred at the same time, splitting your friends and the gods into two fronts. It was in Reinolt that Jin was overwhelmed by Grixor and captured. But in Aazoon, Sterfen killed Sybin as well. Apart from the killing of two Flood Dragons and three Magma Dragons, Rikko also stole Naparn’s sword with your father’s help.

"These two battles ended in favor of the Leisure Guild but Moranti and Sterfen both visited Olympic Chateau to trade Sybin’s corpse and Naparn’s sword for Jin. However, knowing that Halmut never liked to be on the losing end of an exchange, Jin took the initiative to kill himself while also attempting to stab Halmut in the heart," Daruun added, shocking Jack and Duorda. "Though Jin failed to do much to Halmut, Jin did manage to keep Halmut from getting Jin’s storage or any EXP from killing the samurai.

Taking a moment to mentally digest those events, Jack stammered, "That’s..."

"That was the first event. And it ended in the trade being successful and Jin’s revival at lv. 89 and Sybin’s revival at lv. 93."

"Huh? But how can--"

"The reason a god isn’t revived to their former level is due to the lack of pure cosmic energy after their revival. Halmut substituted that cosmic energy using some of the stimulants he had on hand," explained Daruun.

"But this shouldn’t have been done. Sure, it allows her to be revived to her former level, but it also makes her strength more shallow than ever before. By now, I’m sure she’s felt the difference in her current mana capacity and her mana capacity before her death. Sybin is silent about it but she can tell that her body’s vitality and mana are almost foreign. She doesn’t know this, but that means of resurrection can result in her body becoming unrevivable, even to a mortal level."

"So, there’s no way to revive a god or, better put, a cosmician?" asked Jack, somewhat unsettled to learn that.

Daruun nodded slightly. "There is, but it either takes a powerful cosmician specialized in resurrection, or some incredibly rare items or rituals. On Kartonia, only Duorda can do that but the ritual isn’t immediate. It can take days to properly revive a cosmician. Now, if Duorda still had his previous strength, that would be a different story."

Jack blinked as Daruun continued and smiled wide, "Before I assigned Duorda to Kartonia, I had to reduce his strength and then place a limiter within his body. This wasn’t too difficult as he’s a construct and it allowed me to place a highly experienced, former cosmician as a gauge for a successor."

"How many stars did he have before?" Jack asked, catching on that Duorda should’ve been a one-star. The hero had thought it was weird that, compared to Daruun being a six-star, Duorda had served Daruun while being so weak, at least till now.

"I was a four-star!" Duorda boomed and puffed out his ribcage. "You should feel honored to have faced me and won, though your tactics weren’t exactly honorable."

"Hey, all that matters is that I beat you," Jack argued.

"Calm down, Jack. You won, fair and square. In reality, victory is victory, no matter how you earned it. Some paths to victory may eventually come with consequences, such as Halmut’s fight against Skaryn, but their victory can’t be discounted either," stated Daruun.

"By the way, what exactly did Skaryn do to Halmut at the end?"

"Oh, that? It’s a seal that Skaryn developed but wasn’t allowed to utilize outside of certain circumstances," answered Daruun. "But those circumstances were met during the fight, so I don’t blame Skaryn for using such a dirty trick. In fact, I appreciate what he’s done."

"But--"

"Jack, you know that Halmut’s body doesn’t process raw cosmic energy as it should, thanks to his use of faux-ore. But does that explain his lack of pressure for five hundred years?" asked Daruun.

"I thought that had something to do with Halmut’s injury and the threat that Moranti posed," reasoned Jack.

"True, those two factors played a part. But neither was the key factor. The most underlying reason for Halmut’s absence was that hidden seal placed over Halmut. It’s something he doesn’t want anyone to know about." Daruun explained, "Think of it this way. It was during the Godly War that it was most likely for other gods to gain EXP, right? But how would Halmut feel if he lost the ability to absorb EXP and cosmic energy altogether?"

"No... You mean..."

Nodding, Daruun continued, "Yes, that’s exactly it. Skaryn failed to seal Halmut’s mana and strength but Skaryn succeeded in sealing Halmut’s future. Of course, Jewel and Gem Inc have ways to remove the seal but they currently have no one able to physically visit Halmut. To do that, they would need to send a three-star, which would draw far too much unwanted attention within your precinct and zone."

"Then Halmut has to leave Kartonia to get healed but can’t leave until he becomes a two-star, which is impossible given his circumstances. And Halmut was afraid that someone else might pass him should they manage to kill other gods as Halmut had originally planned," deduced Jack.

"Correct," Daruun agreed. "But that doesn’t mean Halmut has no chance to leave the planet. There’s a good chance that Gem Inc will make such a move in the future. But to do that, they need to finish dealing with other issues that we’ve forced Gem Inc into. Though I can’t outright remove them, they’re not the only ones that know how to take advantage of the system."

"So I need to get things done in Kartonia before Gem Inc finally arrives to take Halmut away?"

"Not only Halmut but all of the Legendary Gods, which is what Halmut is now calling himself and his subordinate gods," added Daruun. "You and the others are now known as the Leisure Gods, a name that Halmut has given you."

 

Chapter 552

"The Leisure Gods? I like that..." Jack smiled and shrugged, for once feeling appreciative towards Halmut.

"Oh, and since we’re talking about the other gods, I almost forgot to mention something about your father," Daruun mentioned. "To reach lv. 97, Sterfen had Moranti fight Halmut while he forcibly teleported Naparn away during Halmut’s returning speech to the world. This led to Sterfen secretly overwhelming, torturing, and killing Naparn. Sterfen even used my gift to steal Naparn’s latent cosmic energy. That’s how Sterfen now, thanks to your ascension, is lv. 98."

"Seriously? If he’s that strong, how come he--"

"Remember, you’re the main role now," stated Daruun. "If he acted out before you got involved in all this, how would there be anything left for you? How would you level up or end up making pacts with cosmicians so early on?"

"True..." sighed Jack.

"Also," continued Daruun, "now that Sterfen has killed Naparn, Halmut has been forced into a corner. He’s finally letting those under him assist their followers in ascendance. Which means..."

"They’ll be gaining levels too? I see..."

"But that’s just how the world works. Once you’re strong enough to overcome the challenges that always plagued you, the void throws more powerful stumbling blocks your way yet again. It’s how the strongest rule the history books and those they defeated are forgotten," reasoned Daruun.

Taking a moment to think, Jack asked, "And... What was this gift you mentioned earlier?"

"Oh, that? It’s an item that allows Sterfen to increase his natural absorption of cosmic energy. With it, he can sense all cosmic energy near him and even absorb it so long as it’s not controlled by someone else. But once a cosmician dies, their leftover energy takes time to naturally disperse, something Sterfen took advantage of to level up quicker," explained Daruun.

"That’s handy. Got any more of them?"

"Sorry, Jack, but you won’t need one. Not with three demigods ready to ascend."

"What do you mean?"

Daruun added, "Form a pact with Duorda, right now. Then, I’ll remove his limiter."

"You mean--"

"He’ll barely become a one-star, as that’s Duorda’s base form and strength. I had to give him a handicap to make the test work."

Jack blinked and turned to the skeleton. "You were created and instantly became a one-star?"

"How else can my body function from cosmic energy?" reasoned Duorda, getting Jack to nod in agreement. "Don’t assume that Master Daruun is so incapable that he can’t even make a one-star construct. I can assure you that he’s created some two-stars and three-stars as well."

Before Jack could ask, Daruun explained, "I’ve found that one-star constructs have the greatest potential for growth. Making them weaker resulted in the high possibility that they’ll never become cosmicians and any stronger means they have less time to grow through experience."

Without waiting for another second, Jack slit his finger and wrote the pact on Duorda’s bony forehead. "Now... without blood, how can he--"

Duorda then grabbed his own forearm, cracking the bone in his tight grip. He continued to twist the broken bones until a drop of a thick grey substance oozed out. Gathering the drop atop his fingertip, Duorda pressed it into the center of the pact, making it official.

"Oh... you bleed?"

"Not exactly," answered Duorda. "But that substance is my equivalent to blood, though my body doesn’t need very much of it."

"Now, check your skill list, Jack. I’m sure you’ll be excited to see some skills that surpass anything a one-star can achieve."

Doing as Daruun said, Jack opened his menu and paused the moment he found Duorda’s skill list. It was long, but not as long as Jack had expected. What caught Jack off guard was the high cost.

"Seventy-five thousand skill points, for one skill?!"

"It is Undeath, after all," chuckled Daruun.

"But... That much for just one skill..." Jack sighed, unable to argue.

"There’s also Dying Miasma and Living Miasma, the skill which allows Duorda to drain vitality from his opponents as well as share his vitality with others. Those two skills are incredibly rare within the void, so I made sure to create the perfect construct by combining them and giving Duorda Undeath as well.

"And now that you’ve formed the pact, Jack, I want you to make Duorda a demigod. All you have to do is plant a seed of your energy within Duorda’s body. Normally, Duorda would fight and repel any foreign cosmic energy, but he’ll allow you to place that seed of energy where you feel his energy stores to be the strongest."

Following along with Daruun’s explanation, Jack closed his eyes and placed his hand on Duorda’s chest. Jack’s high affinity for mana proved more potent than ever as Jack now felt an abundance of unfamiliar energy gushing out of Duorda’s chest. He took a deep breath and carefully forced a morsel of energy into Duorda’s body, trying to recreate the same feeling that Sterfen had given him long ago.

As that small bead of energy entered Duorda, he didn’t fight it. Allowing it to sink further into him, Duorda willingly allowed Jack’s foreign energy to dwell deep within his mana stores.

"Good, that’s enough. Now, Duorda, step forward.

Following orders, the skeleton gratefully stood before Daruun. Duorda was unwavering as Daruun’s hands became ethereal and reached through Duorda’s ribcage. In a few seconds, Daruun retracted his hand with a small clear gemstone in his hand.

Jack wasn’t exactly sure what happened, not until he felt another rush of energy wash over him. "I’m... lv. 91?"

"Duorda just ascended, so of course you would level up as his aid," answered Daruun. "Now with his limiter gone, Duorda will undergo training from scratch as your assistant, Jack. Make sure to take care of him and use his skills wisely."

"That... Thank you, Daruun!" Jack bowed his head in gratitude.

"After all this, that’s how you--"

"Thanks, Gramps!"

Chuckling, Daruun smiled and sighed, "You’re welcome, Grandson."

All three of the men laughed as Duorda was glad to finally feel like himself after thousands and thousands of years.

 

Chapter 553

Their laughter continued for a minute or so until Daruun returned to his explanation, "Now that you’ve chosen to unseal Skaryn and you’ve taken on Duorda as your assistant, there’s something to mention before we finish our discussion.

"I don’t want you to kill Kylon, not without talking with her first."

"Huh?" Jack paused in thought, trying to imagine a cause for Daruun’s statement.

"Just trust me. Unless it’s necessary, you shouldn’t kill her."

"Then, should I assume she’s willing to rebel?" asked Jack. "If that’s the case, how come you didn’t mention her before?"

"In terms of rebellion, you still need to help Perchet, so don’t forget that. He’ll be a powerful asset in the future, so don’t let him slip through your fingers. Kylon’s situation, however, is even more complicated," stated Daruun. "She’s currently the keeper of the last remaining enchantment key, so you’ll have to track her down and meet her without Halmut finding out anything."

"Why be so secretive?"

"Because, like I said, her case is very unique. As for creating such circumstances, leave that to me. I’ll create an opportunity to meet her but you’ll still have to convince her of what actually happened and get the key. Will you do that?"

"I’ll try to--"

"Jack, will you convince her of the truth and get the key?" Daruun repeated himself for emphasis. "Now that you’ve chosen this path, you’ll need to sharpen your will and make it irrefutable. It’s one thing to choose a smarter, less dangerous path. It’s another thing to alter your goals due to difficult circumstances. If you want to achieve what I’ve achieved, If you want to guarantee the safety of your loved ones, if you want to experience life to the fullest, your will must become more undeniable than fate itself. Understood?"

Nodding, Jack took a deep breath and committed that to memory. "... Understood. I’ll convince her and get the key, no matter what."

"Good. Then all you should do for now is level up those around you to increase your strength all the quicker. After you reach lv. 99, then we’ll discuss what must happen to ascend again. Soon, your chance to meet Kylon will arrive," stated Daruun.

"Oh, and you should help Moranti and the others as soon as possible, even before you open all the tombs on the ninety-ninth floor."

"What are they doing?" asked Jack.

"At this very moment, they’re in the middle of a heated discussion with Churstin. Churstin is holding a conference with them and Halmut in order to decide which side they’ll join," Daruun explained. "The Churstin king isn’t saying much and the others are doing well, but Halmut’s influence and his command over the dragons are hard to overcome. I’m sure you’re intervention will be greatly appreciated."

"Now that you’ve ascended and even leveled up, I’m sure your body is feeling just fine, right?"

"Better than ever!" Jack nodded, admiring the drastic difference in power now dwelling in his body and muscles.

"Just make sure to spend some points before you leave," added Daruun. "You may as well take some time and ponder what skills you’d like to focus on. From here on out, I can offer you tips or pointers but you’ll be creating your own path. That path should reflect who you want to be, not who I think you should be."

"Got any tips for me now?"

Daruun smiled. "I think Duorda will agree with me that you’re already stronger than you know. You’ve yet to fight another cosmician head-on, so you’re still uncertain of your strength, but you’re smart enough to not get killed or gravely injured. I believe your own judgments, in this case, will be more than correct."

"You just don’t want to sit here forever and explain everything, right?" Jack teased.

"Maybe, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’ve grown and matured. If you don’t make your own decisions now that you’re more experienced, then how else will you mature further?" reasoned Daruun.

"Fair... But don’t ignore me if I call you later, okay Gramps?"

Daruun laughed and sighed, "You got."

"Then, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be heading back to the lounge to try a cosmix." Jack stood up and left with a smile. "Don’t take too long catching up, Duorda. We’ve got to get going soon."

"Don’t hold back, Jack! Unsealing Skaryn will help towards purchasing Undeath, don’t forget that!" Daruun exclaimed as Jack closed the office door.

Leaving his new assistant behind, Jack wandered the halls and eventually returned to the lounge. He immediately ordered a drink and opened his skill list once again. Countless skills were at Jack’s fingertips and he had forty-one thousand four hundred and seventy-six skill points on hand.

There was one thing Jack was certain of, that he wanted to keep twenty-five thousand skill points to immediately buy Undeath upon Skaryn’s revival. Apart from that, however, Jack mulled over some spending strategies one by one. After a few minutes, three strategies made the most sense to him.

First, Jack could focus on his many passive skills. With sixteen thousand skill points, Jack could max out a few skills.

Second, Jack could buy a handful of the more powerful spells and skills that his pacts offered him. His low-level and high-level sword skills weren’t bad, but they wouldn’t be as effective against a god, who boasts mythic, legendary, and personal skills galore.

Third, Jack could do a bit of both. To max out one or two skills and then purchase some powerful spells to compliment Jack’s transformations.

Crunching the numbers, Jack wanted to know exactly how much it would cost to level up one of his better lv. 6 passive skills to the max, lv. 10. Four thousand eight hundred skill points. That was the cost to go up those last four levels for a single skill. If Jack wanted to upgrade his companion bloodline skill to the max, that alone would take eight thousand nine hundred and sixty skill points. It was tempting, but Jack wanted to look at the skills and spells more closely before deciding.

 

Chapter 554

Almost half an hour had passed as Duorda and Daruun casually chatted. Duorda was nearly caught up on some of the major events of the district when Daruun glanced at the door. "No need to knock, just come in."

The door creaked open as Jack reentered and returned to his seat. A wry smile was plastered on Jack’s face, and Daruun’s nonchalant smile was exchanged for a shocked expression with a slightly gaping jaw. Even though Daruun had already read Jack’s mind, the hero still asked, "Daruun, is it possible for me to make a pact with you?"

Duorda was left stunned and speechless as he never saw such a thing coming. But Daruun broke out in laughter, unable to control himself for a couple of minutes.

"Sorry... I’m not mocking you..." Daruun stated as he started to gain control of his chuckles. "This... I didn’t expect you to ask me so soon. Of course my grandson is allowed to make a pact with me. But be warned. If you can manage to purchase a single one of my skills early on and be in a position to use such a skill without overloading your body, then you’ll find yourself flying up the ranks faster than you can imagine. But there is a chance you’ll kill yourself should you use certain skills while you’re body isn’t ready to bear such a burden of energy."

"All the more reason to make a pact now!" laughed Jack. "So long as I have Undeath, wouldn’t that keep me from dying in those scenarios?"

"Yes... technically, that would keep you from completely dying. But that doesn’t mean you’ll be restored instantly. The more damage caused to your internals and your mana system, the longer it takes to heal and restore your body," stated Daruun.

"Then I’ll just have--"

"Duorda’s healing won’t help you in such a case," Daruun continued. "Before, you were a mortal. Now, you’re an immortal and your energy is much more potent, to others and yourself. Don’t assume that you can destroy your body endlessly and simply have Duorda bring you back effortlessly. Though he can heal your battle wounds and can heal using raw cosmic energy, healing damage caused by raw cosmic energy still takes quite a while to heal properly. Don’t forget that, ever."

"Alright, alright..." Jack sighed, disappointed to have his bubble burst. "But we can still form a pact?"

Nodding, Daruun motioned for Jack to step forward. Jack did precisely that, standing before Daruun as he excitedly drew the pact upon Daruun’s forehead. Daruun slit the tip of his thumb with one of his fingernails, surprising Jack, and then stamped his thumbprint in blood as a seal of approval to finish the pact.

Jack eagerly opened his skill list, startled to find Daruun’s name appear but for Daruun’s listed skills to remain unknown. Each of Daruun’s skills or spells were listed with the same name, [???], while the costs were the only thing that varied. As for classifying the skills, they still were separated into four categories, plainly listed as [Three-star], [Four-star], [Five-star], and [Six-star]. There was nothing below three-star listed, letting Jack better understand what Daruun meant by his earlier words.

"My skills are nameless for the time being due to their origins outside of Kartonia, or not having been entered in the system manually as I did with Duorda’s, and them being far beyond your current level of strength. Also, if you look at the others’ skills, you’ll notice one of the system’s updates," Daruun mentioned. "All skills that were labeled as personal have been changed to one-star, similar to how your divine rewards are now classified as one-star rewards."

Jack didn’t bother confirming that statement, believing Daruun’s words. His mind was already fully occupied by the costs of all the unknown skills.

"Sure, it’s a lot compared to what you have now, but you’ll get stronger and earn more eventually," added Daruun. "So long as you take advantage of the autogenerated achievements and continue to search for cheats in the system, then you’ll be fine."

"But... So... Duorda’s Undeath is a three-star passive skill, yet your few three-star skills cost at least fifteen thousand more skill points!"

"According to your system, one-star skills and rewards range from two thousand to fifteen thousand skill points," answered Daruun. "Two-star skills and rewards range from fifteen thousand to fifty thousand skill points. Three-star skills and rewards then range from fifty thousand to one hundred thousand skill points, and so on. Duorda’s skill is rare and powerful, but it’s not unbeatable within the void. Many cosmicians four-star or stronger will try to find similar skills or abilities to better their chances at survival. It’s practically required at that level, however, Duorda is unique in how he has the Living Miasma and Dying Miasma skills as well. But, in your case, getting it early is a huge advantage against one-stars and two-stars, especially when you’re confronting groups of them alone."

"Then how come--"

"It’s easier to process the skills of Kartonia due to their dependence on the natural energy of Kartonia. Hence, their reduced cost compared to some of Duorda’s one-star skills which originate from pure cosmic energy," stated Daruun.

"Also, know that the achievement system isn’t as convoluted as you may think, at least in terms of how it functions. It’s directly connected to your body’s incredibly high affinity for cosmic energy, which was more difficult to create than the system itself. By using the latent cosmic energy that your body is storing, it functions according to the programming etched into your body and needs more cosmic energy for more powerful skills and the like. Otherwise, your body wouldn’t be able to handle anything more complex than the simpler ’god system’ I created for Karonia."

"So... The Achievement System is programmed into my body, which you painstakingly created first hand?" Putting some thoughts together, a sudden look of shock overcame Jack. "Am I... a construct?!"

Smiling wide, Daruun nodded. "By technical definition, yes, your body is that of a construct, though your soul not artificial in any way."

Jack frowned but Daruun continued, "And I must say, your body is my greatest masterpiece and was far more difficult to create than Duorda’s. Remember, making constructs with lower levels of strength offer them more potential for growth, but making constructs below the one-star mark is typically looked down on as a waste of time and effort. To counter that belief, it took me nearly a millennia to design and craft your body. But it was worth the effort since you’re officially the first construct to ever become a cosmician and start with absolutely no strength what so ever. So, though your body is that of a construct, you’ve proven to have the greatest potential of any living being that I’ve ever heard of in all my life."

Feeling a bit better about the circumstances, Jack sighed.

Duorda, on the other hand, was booming with laughter, shouting, "No wonder you bested me! In that case, we’re brothers, Jack! I’m proud to know that my younger brother will surpass everything that I’ve done while I help him grow."

"What’s wrong, Jack? Do you not like the system or the body?" asked Daruun, smiling lightly.

"No, that’s not it... It’s not a bad thing, it’s just... I had never considered such a thing before so I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about it," answered Jack.

A resounding slap was heard as Duorda proudly pounded on Jack’s back. "Brother, be proud of your body! With it, along with your unique and matchless skills, you’ll become one of the greatest cosmicians throughout the void!"

"Thanks... Brother," Jack sighed, finally smiling and chuckling along with the other two. He was glad to have not spent any skills points before learning more about how costly his new cosmician skills would be. Now, all that was left was deciding to spend all sixteen thousand extra skill points or not.

"Remember, don’t hold back, Jack," Daruun added. "For now, just let loose to an extent and then purchase undeath after Skaryn’s revival. After that, then consider what you should be saving up for."

Nodding, Jack agreed. The hero opened his system and took a final moment to ponder his spending strategy.

Chapter 555

"Wow... Your ambition knows no bounds."

"Thanks." Jack nodded and let out a sigh of relief. "But does that mean--"

"No, such a strategy isn’t a wrong one. It will, however, force them to act all the quicker. I’m sure you’ll leave the others speechless. Considering what you’re planning to do next, you’ll leave the entire world in awe," added Daruun. "Pull this off and you’ll win Churstin nd more."

"Worst-case scenario, I’d only accept border nations, like Korten or Talrania. Anything not currently attached to Trodar would be at a disadvantage during invasions and we don’t need to spread troops unnecessarily."

"Are you two going to explain this to me or not?" Duorda glared at the other two, getting them to chuckle as he mentioned, "If you don’t want to tell me what you learned, Jack, that’s fine. I’m sure I’ll find out soon."

"Let’s get going." Jack stood up and bowed to Daruun. "Thanks, Gramps. I can’t wait to see how the rest of the world will react to this."

"Best of luck. And don’t bite off more than you can chew, at least not all at once," joked Daruun.

"Until next time, Master Daruun." Duorda bowed as well, going lower and showing his respect more formally.

As Jack led Duorda through the doorway, Daruun sighed and shook his head. He mumbled to himself, "Of course Jack would try something so radical... At least, it’ll be entertaining."

*****

Silence filled the open-aired conference hall. All eyes were on the leisure gods sitting beside Vixus. Everyone wanted to know how they would rebuttal Halmut’s valid argument.

"Would you mind repeating that? It seems I missed the question."

A new voice rang out from the heavens, startling everyone present. The king of Churstin and his people looked upward with anticipation for the arrival of another god. Halmut did the same, only he was curious why the voice was unfamiliar to him, yet clearly from a god.

To the shock of everyone present, Vixus and the leisure gods all arose and took a formal bow. Vixus loudly stated, "Guild Master Jack, we’re glad you managed to join us in time for the conference."

Everyone let loose a sigh, either of relief or disappointment, after learning the truth of who it was. Only, once Jack casually descended from the clouds, he did so without the aid of any transformations or magic. This caught everyone off guard, especially Halmut who was clenching his fists beneath the table.

"So you’re Jack?" asked Halmut, acting calm and unfazed as he watched Jack’s descent. "I’ve heard a lot about you. It seems you’re not entirely incapable."

"You’re one to talk!"

Another voice rang out from the heavens, one that no one could recognize. But they weren’t left in suspense for long as a second figure descended alongside Jack, slightly behind him.

No one recognized his voice, but Halmut would never forget the skeletal figure’s appearance. While the crowd gasped in shock from seeing a skeleton beside Jack, Halmut couldn’t contain himself as a small moment of shock leaked out of his facial expression before his calm face returned.

"It seems you recognize my assistant," stated Jack, almost catching Halmut off guard again. "After my ascension to godhood, Duorda here officially became my assistant, something that you never managed to achieve, Halmut."

"I--"

"Instead, you had to get saved by Skaryn!" Duorda shouted, jarring the entire conference hall.

"You--"

"Don’t act high and mighty to me. I almost killed you once, don’t make me do it again while Skaryn’s unable to save you!"

Duorda’s taunts left everyone floored, even Moranti who already knew of the story and recognized the skeleton personally as well. He didn’t know that Duorda was so daring, considering how Duorda wasn’t a god when they faced the skeleton so long ago. What was most shocking of all was Jack’s statement about Duorda becoming his assistant. Though Moranti didn’t know what would come after defeating Duorda, Moranti knew that the current set of circumstances meant only one thing. That Jack had challenged and defeated Duorda instead of sneaking past him, something that Moranti hadn’t expected to happen.

Halmut stood from his seat and glared heavily at the two figures now touching down at the center of the stage. "You have no right to mock me! You’re merely lv. 90 while I’m lv. 99. What gives you the right to tarnish my reputation? Give me one reason I shouldn’t kill you where you stand?"

"I gave him the right," stated Jack, unflinching and confident.

"You? A newly ascended god?" Halmut laughed, "Don’t mock me, boy. Or you might end up dead. If Moranti weren’t here, then I’d have already--"

"Then I challenge you to a duel."

That casual sentence floored everyone. Whether they were a god or a mortal, no one expected anyone apart from Moranti to dare attempt such a feat, let alone do it so nonchalantly and without reason.

"I challenge you," repeated Jack. "All you’ll have to do is knock me out or debilitate me. Should I get killed by accident, then it’ll be my fault and Moranti will only recover my corpse for revival."

Booming laughter echoed across the region as Halmut couldn’t contain himself anymore. "You’re joking! What a sense of humor! Even Moranti wouldn’t claim such a--"

"My victory will be determined by the same conditions," Jack continued, unfazed by the laughter. "If I can debilitate you or render you unconscious, then I win. You can even bring Tralbok here so he can resuscitate you."

Sensing Jack’s unparalleled confidence, Halmut gradually grew more emotionless. "You can’t be serious? There’s no reason for such a farce as I would clearly win and there’s no point should you be allowed to revive afterward. I decline."

"Then how does Churstin feel now?" Jack asked, looking to the men sitting behind the table with the Churstin flag. "Joining Trodar is what I’d recommend. Knowing Halmut, he probably offered protection from dragons or something ridiculous as such. But couldn’t that also be seen as occupying Churstin to keep you in line with his plans and false motives? Wouldn’t your allegiance to Halmut eventually turn to his dictatorship over you?"

 

Chapter 556

All ears were tuned in to Jack’s speech, stunned to think of how the dragon’s appearance could be seen as a negative. It wasn’t what they had expected but the logic was also hard to dispute outright.

"I have no reason to use such force," stated Halmut.

"Really? Then what happened to the Spectral Dragons in the past?" Jack refuted. "And if the Sun Dragons are the mightiest of all beasts, then how was it that your entire race was killed? Would you mind explaining that to me, Halmut?"

Narrowing his gaze, Halmut reevaluated Jack. "That was an ancient incident in the past, where--"

"Shut up!" shouted Moranti. "As the sole Spectral Dragon you failed to kill in the past, I stand as a witness that what Jack inferred is correct. Halmut was the one responsible for my race’s disappearance, as well as the extinction of his own race, the Sun Dragons."

"You have no proof, or--"

Suddenly, a vast illusory screen appeared to cover the sky overhead. Images of destruction and dragon corpses were scattered about. Only one dragon remained alive as it feasted on Sun Dragons and Spectral Dragons alike.

"Why... WHY HALMUT?!?!"

Moranti’s weak and broken voice screamed from the heavens, emerging from the illusory screen.

"You..." Halmut snarled, turning his attention to Eedaj, whose eyes were glowing as he used God’s Perspective to share Moranti’s memories with the world.

Suddenly, a holy sword was hurled toward Eedaj without warning. Eedaj did drop the illusion but Moranti defended the attack with a slash of spatial energy. Moranti chuckled, "What? Afraid everyone will know you for what you really are?"

"It’s simply an illusion. Anyone could create a false testimony or story using such means," argued Halmut. "I see no reason why that should be used as proof, nor do I see why you should be allowed to slander me without confidence."

"Do you see now, King Brobit?" Jack asked, still smiling and focusing on the topic at hand. "Halmut uses force before using words to defend his ideals. That would only lead to you and your people being dragged into war all the quicker. And should you refuse to war with him, he’ll only--"

"I said that’s enough!" Halmut shouted, increasing the pressure of his aura toward Jack.

Jack felt it but endured. "Accept my challenge. Then I’ll--"

"Then remove the condition of your immediate revival!"

"I refuse. I wouldn’t want to leave you and the holy without an excuse for your loss. Then, at least you could claim that you didn’t take me seriously."

Such words left the leisure gods speechless. They were emphatically proud of Jack while also clueless as to why Jack would want such a fight. But they supported him, know that he had always been unpredictable since long ago.

"Then that only proves that you’re afraid of me and simply won’t admit it before the public," stated Halmut, not giving up the war of words.

"Are you sure you want to change that condition?" asked Jack, acting surprised.

Halmut glared at the recently ascended hero. "That’s the only way I’ll agree to your worthless challenge. I have no reason to accept otherwise."

"Okay... But just for the record, you did choose this..." Jack sighed and shrugging, acting as if he had tried to do Halmut a favor. "Shall we at least finish this discussion? I feel it would be best to hold the duel after Churstin makes their decision."

"And you agree to this, Moranti?" Halmut asked, showing far more respect to the God of Space than he did to Jack.

Before Moranti could say anything, Jack’s voice rang out in Moranti’s mind and the minds of the others at Trodar’s table, ’Trust me. This is my one chance, so don’t ruin this for me.’

Trusting the confidence in Jack and the fact that Duorda didn’t seem fazed by Jack’s statement, Moranti nodded and shouted, "I agree with Jack. Are you sure you don’t want Tralbok to come and save you?"

"Enough of that!" snarled Halmut. He took a deep breath and sat back down. "Then I look forward to your demise. Now, Brobit, make your decision so I may kill this foul-mouthed scourge."

King Brobit sighed and leaned back in his chair. On the surface, this decision was a matter of who Churstin wished to ally with. But the true question that needed to be answered was different.

Of both sides, which would make the worst enemy?

Both sides were formidable, the most of all Kartonia. However, what was more frightening? Was it the recently rising gods of Trodar? Or the most respected gods of old that have already won a war among deities and recruited the losing side? And that wasn’t even mentioning the dragons, which were arguably countered by the many beasts stowed away in the Leisure Guild, the ones reported to have protected the city.

"Go ahead, we won’t hold it against you."

The king blinked and looked up. He saw Jack smiling lightly, showing a clear conscience and the utmost confidence.

Seeing that man standing before Halmut, the strongest of all gods, in such a manner was humbling beyond belief. And to know that Jack took the time to understand the situation and offered to not hold it against Churstin was something else. It showed the king that Jack and the others felt more human and mortal, cementing how arrogant and forceful Halmut was in reality.

Looking to those around him, King Brobit got nods from the other representatives, getting their acknowledgment to follow his get.

"From everything we’ve learned here, Churstin... chooses to side with Trodar."

"WHAT?!" roared Halmut, pounding on the table and splintering it out of reflex.

Jack smiled and shook his head. "Smart choice..."

Standing up, Halmut interjected, "Fool! You think they can protect you from my army of--"

"He’s made his decision, just as you’ve made yours. Now, we duel." Jack stated, casually waving his hand. "Goodbye, Halmut. It was nice meeting you."

"What are you--"

At that moment, while Halmut was furious and about to go into a frenzied rage, Halmut felt a hand softly touch his head. It was all happening at once, and Halmut only realized that someone invisible was standing behind him as Jack’s voice whispered behind Halmut, "Cerebral Collapse."

 

Chapter 557

"Cerebral Collapse."

More confident than ever, Jack was thrilled to have pulled off his plan. A rush of mana exited Jack’s palm, acting as a magic scalpel aimed to permanently cut-off all of the Sun God’s mobility. However, Jack felt the mana dispersed.

Now more than ever, Jack was very sensitive to the mana within his body and the man he expelled from his body. This was a natural side-effect of officially ascending to godhood and becoming a cosmician. It also allowed Jack to feel what he could only describe as a disturbance to his mana.

A new red and yellow notification flashed into the corner of Jack’s vision, catching him off guard. While Halmut reached around and destroyed the invisible body double, Jack took a moment to read the notification.

[Mystic Interference Detected]

Baffled by his findings, Jack didn’t know what to say as he looked back to a glaring Sun Dragon entering his hybrid form. "You... How did you counter my Cerebral Collapse?"

While the audience was curious why Halmut had attacked the air behind him, the other gods present were floored to hear Jack’s question. Eedaj, in particular, was startled to hear that Jack had learned and flawlessly executed Eedaj’s self-created attack on someone as formidable as Halmut.

"Now we duel, correct?" roared Halmut. "Let’s take it to the sky, unless you want those here to feel the aftershocks."

Without waiting for an answer, Halmut rushed upward with the mighty flap of his wings. A gust of wind filled the make-shift conference hall and blew away all hats or loose apparel without prejudice.

Sighing, Jack took note of his system’s warning. Not only was it startling to know that Halmut had some sort of countermeasure to Cerebral Collapse, it was surprising that the achievement system was able to create such a notification. Jack planned to ask Daruun about it later and see what other new features the system had created.

"I guess we’ll have to do this the hard way..."

All eyes instantly shifted to Jack as a powerful, intimidating aura pulsed from him. It was a blend of multiple types, just as Halmut had shown on previous occasions. Wind and fire energy was abundant, as well as earth energy. Adding space energy showed Jack’s uniqueness, grabbing even Halmut’s attention.

At that moment, Jack activated all four of his bloodlines at once. For the first time, Jack felt a level of strength beyond anything he had experienced. Purple scales covered his body as a flexible exoskeleton armor layered over the top of it. Pitch-black flames snuck out of the crevices between armor plates whenever possible. Jack now had two sets of draconic purple wings, one pair jutting from his back and the other exiting from Jack’s arms like bat wings. In place of each hand, Jack had a long singular claw, but they were now sharper than razors and were more similar to scythes than claws.

"Ha, ha... Ha, ha, ha!" Chuckling proudly as overwhelming power coursed through his body, Jack flapped both of his wings as a test of speed. In the blink of an eye, Jack was already in the air a couple of dozen meters away from the Sun God.

But to the mortals spectating, they didn’t even see Jack flap his wings. From their perspective, Jack simply teleported and somehow created a gust of wind that rivaled or surpassed Halmut’s.

While the two gods had a staredown before beginning their duel, the remaining gods stood in the air just above the crowd. They would act as a barrier while also getting a better view of the ensuing battle. Duorda and Moranti were the most excited, practically drooling over Jack’s newest and most powerful form.

"Rikko?" Eedaj was the first to notice the Goblin God join them in the sky. "I thought you were--"

"Nephew Legend told Rikko not hide..." Rikko sighed, grumpy to be found so easily.

"Finally, I get to see it!" Duorda shouted in excitement, getting the attention of Eedaj, Rikko, and Choron. "So that’s what he decided on, his final form! As my new master, I’m proud to see his strength be more than I had anticipated!"

"New master?!" Moranti finally exited his trance, jarred from that statement. "Is that the reward for beating you?"

Shaking his head, Duorda kept his eyes on Jack while replying, "Defeating me allows the winner access to Daruun’s personal office and the spatial gate leading there. Jack will probably take you there eventually. I’m his assistant because Daruun has reassigned me and allowed me to begin training again alongside Jack."

"So you’re on our side now?" asked Moranti, smiling wide.

"Of course I am! Even after you all leave this planet and enter the void, we’ll continue to train and work together."

"After we leave this planet..." Moranti mumbled and repeated those words to himself, feeling a rush of enthusiasm overtake him.

The other three gods were in silent awe of Duorda’s words. They didn’t even know who Duorda really was yet he spoke casually with Moranti and nonchalantly mentioned that they would eventually leave the planet. Such an idea was new and almost revolutionary for their mindset. It wasn’t dreadful news, it was shockingly exciting, something new that they had never bothered to think much about in the past.

All the while, Jack and Halmut wrapped their staredown with a few words.

"What skill are you using?" questioned Halmut, acting calm as he became resumed his level-headedness.

Jack smiled and shrugged. "I don’t know. Maybe I’ll remember after you explain how you canceled my spell mid-cast?"

"That form... It seems to contain the strength of many ancient bloodlines," deduced Halmut. "In the past, you had the ability to access the bloodline of your fox companion. Can you access the bloodline of any beast you form a seal with, perhaps?"

"Do you have some one-star or two-star item that can negate spells against your mind?" Jack asked in return.

"Answer me, and I might spare your life."

"I can’t say the same for you," replied Jack. "But I can offer you more time to live. Maybe I’ll even let you feel the rush of your stimulants one last time before you die."

 

Chapter 558

Halmut’s concentration sharpened more and more with each word Jack uttered. As Jack proved to know much more than Halmut had ever anticipated, Halmut’s impression of Jack immediately shot up from being an annoying mortal to existing as a serious threat. With more information than Halmut ever wanted someone else to have and such incredible use of life-threatening skills, Jack’s existence had immediately joined Moranti and Sterfen atop Halmut’s list of threats, potentially surpassing even Skaryn since Daruun was the cause of Jack’s rise.

"Your skills hinge on your relationships with others." Halmut continued to deduce and infer Jack’s abilities, "You make use of your companions’ bloodlines and use the skills of the other gods... I don’t know what Daruun has given you, but if you wish to work alongside me then I can guarantee your--"

"Not interested," Jack answered bluntly. "I don’t care what you or Gem Inc can offer me. I doubt they could offer me what Daruun has, or even imagine what Daruun has offered me."

Not taking any chances, Halmut waved his hand and cast silence around them. "So you do know about them... All the more reason to join me! Jack, you don’t know what Gem can offer you. This planet is only a stepping stone. If you continue, then you’ll only be--"

"Playing into Daruun’s plans?" Jack finished Halmut’s statement. "And what’s wrong with that? Why go against him when he gives me more than I ask for? If anything, why should I trust an organization that drugs up its members to give them momentary strength in exchange for loyalty? Why should I ruin my potential like that?"

"You know nothing of strength!" Halmut roared, squinting his eyes. "Should you meet them, then you’ll understand."

"Meet who? Gem Inc or Jewel?"

Startled, Halmut went wide-eyed. "You... you know about Jewel?"

"You know about it too? You’re more involved than I gave you credit," chuckled Jack. "So, are you ready to fight now or do you have any more offers for me?"

"I would prefer to not waste your potential, Jack. It would be better if--"

"If you would just give up and confess everything to Daruun," admitted Jack. "Then you still might get lucky and avoid death. He’s a lot nicer than you give him credit."

Halmut sighed and shook his head slowly. "I guess that’s enough talk... You have until I silence you to surrender and join me. I respect your strength and would rather have you as a partner. Under the right circumstances, I may even allow you to form a seal with me. Wouldn’t that be worth your allegiance?"

"Nah! I prefer Spectral Dragon’s personally. Their bloodline is much deeper than yours, trust me."

"Then just die!"

Finally, both draconic figures flapped their wings and darted toward each other at full speed. One unleashed his most powerful breath attack, the same attack which left Moranti with slow-healing scars. One threw a plethora of various attacks from different bloodlines to counter. Spatial Slash was enhanced by the Spectral Dragon bloodline. Hell Flare’s potency was increased as black flames completely encircled Jack’s body. Wind Blades aligned with Spatial Slash to increase synergy on top of its enhancement from the Minokawa bloodline.

An explosion of warring energies encircled both combatants as they collided, testing their claws and physical prowess against one another.

Jack was the first to be thrown out of the explosion, but he showed no signs of serious damage.

When the explosion subsided along with the shattered silence spell, Halmut was left standing in the air. "You’re good... What level are you?"

"Tell me how you countered me. Then I’ll tell you more about me," replied Jack, refusing to giveaway free information.

"You’re not lv. 90, that’s for sure... But how did you advance so quickly upon ascension? What did Daruun do to help you cheat?"

"More than you could ever know!" Jack laughed.

"Oh... Not only are so sturdy, but you heal also?" Halmut noticed the minor burns on Jack’s exoskeleton vanishing under the black flames.

"How can I get burned? Do you see these flames? I know you felt them." Pointing at Halmut’s side, Jack added, "We both heal and we both pack a punch. But what happens when we both go all out?"

The black flame body condensed onto Jack’s claws. Spatial energy gathered into his jaws. Jack threw a barrage of Hell Flares while releasing his new Spectral Breath skill for the first time.

"Fascinating." Halmut was unperturbed but impressed. He used his own breath to counter the attacks, countering and overpowering the attacks. "You’ll have to try harder than that."

The Sun Dragon rushed Jack again but Jack vanished from where he stood, appearing a few dozen meters away. This repeated a few times as Halmut gained more speed and used lighting and wind to boost his acceleration drastically.

Jack, on the other hand, focused purely on evasion while checking his newest notifications that could change everything.

After testing his initial attacks against Halmut, Jack’s beliefs were confirmed. Jack was still much too weak to deal with the Sun Dragon in a head-on fight. But the ability to combine skills was a game-changer. With a feature like that, Jack’s opportunities to grow stronger had infinitely grown.

He didn’t want to spend more money unnecessarily, but the failed attempt to cripple Halmut made it necessary to have another powerful one-star skill. And judging by the cost, Jack assumed that he could possibly create one.

Jack agreed to the tree thousand skill point price tag and allowed his system to work its magic.

[Processing time: 1 minute]

A bit bummed by the delay, Jack refocused on the match. As Halmut got more serious with each of Jack’s many dodges, Jack couldn’t afford to divert any attention elsewhere.

Chapter 559

"You’re better than I expected for a newly risen god," Halmut praised Jack with a laugh.

"And you’re less threatening than I anticipated," stated Jack, laughing back at the Sun God.

"True, I’m still underestimating you. I’ll continue to do so but I’ll show you another fraction of my power." More energy gathered within Halmut’s jaws, easily surpassing the strength of his previous breath attacks. Hundreds of holy energy swords dotted the air around both combatants, removing Jack’s ability to efficiently teleport away. "Take this and prove to me that I should fight you seriously!"

A stream of multicolored flame rocketed out of Halmut’s mouth, rushing for Jack.

Needing time, Jack charged forward in response. As the attack neared him, Jack sidestepped it and darted forward beside the steaming plume of flame, unaffected by the burning heat thanks to his pitch-black flame body.

"See, you merely evade!" Halmut roared, making sure those below heard him clearly. "Like the other false gods of Trodar, you can’t defend. You may be able to save yourself but you’re unfit to head a nation of people that seek your security!"

"In that case, you’re unfit to rule due to insatiable greed and a bipolar attitude!" shouted Jack, slashing forward as Halmut evaded without trouble. "The moment people question you’re motives and actions, you simply eliminate them. Is that how someone should lead?"

"It’s better to stand firm unquestionably than to rule in cowardice!" Halmut roared again, gathering the same multicolored flame all over his body. "Prove me wrong!"

A wave of those colorful flames exploded across their battlefield, leaving the spectators below in awe.

The other gods understood that Halmut was playing with Jack, treating Jack the same way Halmut would deal with a mid-level god. Moranti understood this the best. Having faced Halmut on multiple occasions and traded blows multiple times, Moranti could gauge that Halmut was treating Jack as a lv. 94 threat. Though it was also a compliment to Jack as a newly-risen god, it proved the difference in their strength very clearly.

[Processing time: 35 seconds]

With the notification at the corner of his vision, Jack kept a close eye on his surroundings. He rushed backward, seemingly trying to outrun the wave of flames. But Jack then vanished in a flash of purple light to reappear beside Halmut with his scythe-like claws aimed at the Sun God’s neck.

"That’s a different skill?" Halmut asked, tanking Jack’s head-on attack. As the long claws collided with Halmut’s neck, they barely managed to break the top layer of scales, failing to even draw blood. Unfazed, Halmut continued to evaluate Jack openly, "The skill you just used was space-based, but the skill you were using earlier wasn’t? So you can use mage spells along with warrior skills, like Skaryn..."

Swatting Jack to the side with his tail, Halmut lifted one eye in thought. "But do you have anything that can actually hurt me? Sure, you burned and broke some of my self-repairing scales, but you’ve yet to damage me. Do you have anything apart from tricks?"

While he stared at Jack, Halmut wondered why Jack allowed himself to get hit so easily after all this time. But that question was answered immediately.

Again, Halmut felt a hand fall atop his head. The Sun Dragon snarled and turned his head to chomp down on the invisible body double. He tore the double apart to forcibly fade it out of existence. A layer of holy energy now coated his eyes, allowing him to see through illusions or invisibility.

"But how..." Jack clicked his tongue and mumbled to himself. Seeing that twenty-seven seconds were left, Jack wanted to buy some more time with conversation. "I guess that option won’t work... Are you sure I should get serious? I’ve already surprised you twice so don’t expect to survive a third time."

"Do your worst."

"Well, my strongest attack has a charge time. It takes me a few seconds but I can guarantee that it will blow you away."

"Really? I find that hard to believe."

"Then why not test it and find out?" Jack taunted with a smug, disappointed frown plastered on his face. "If you’re as strong as you claim to be, then it shouldn’t hurt you at all. Then again... I guess you’re just not that confident."

"Shut up and do you worst already. I can grant you a few extra seconds so long as you prove to entertain me. The warm-up was fun but I’m growing tired of this."

Hiding his smile under an emotionless face, Jack watched the timer tick down.

[Processing time: 10...]

[Processing time: 5...]

"Aren’t you supposed to be gathering up energy?" questioned Halmut.

"Trust me, I am. You’ll regret giving me these extra seconds!"

"I doubt that..." Halmut roared with laughter, eager to shatter Jack’s false expectations.

Though Halmut did see Jack as a threat, it was Jack’s threat as an assassin. The threat of Eedaj’s personal skill being wielded by a virtually untrackable and invisible foe was just as threatening as Sterfen. But such a threat was futile against Halmut personally and wouldn’t transfer to the current duel either.

As the next five seconds slowly passed by for the spectators below, Jack took a deep breath and put his new skill to the test.

Suddenly, purple flames began to intermingle with the black flames around Jack’s body. Within a few seconds, they coexisted equally. Then, those flames pooled inside of Jack’s draconic fangs. Unleashing a resounding roar, Jack launched a thin, stream-lined plume of the black and purple fire. It appeared to be weaker and more insignificant than Jack’s spectral breath from earlier, at least according to the eyes of mortals.

To the gods, that speeding stream of fire contained an absurd amount of condensed spatial and fire energy. Though there were only two energy types, both of those energies were taken to the absolute extreme before combining them to create a multiplicative effect for the attack.

Even Halmut felt a tinge of caution as that energy condensed and was hurled his way.

 

Chapter 560

That stream of fire wasn’t even half a meter in width yet the energy it contained was deceivingly potent. It crashed into Halmut’s body without mercy. Upon contact, the small plume of flames created a black and purple explosion more than a dozen meters wide.

All spectators were in awe along with Jack, who was startled by the viciousness of the attack. Though it was a system-created skill, Jack didn’t expect it to expand so aggressively.

"Ha... Ha..." Soft chuckles emerged from the flaming explosion, sending chills down the spines of the mortals below. "HA, HA, HA! Congratulations, Jack!"

As the flames dwindled, Halmut was left standing in the air with a large burn on his proud chest. The Sun Dragon smiled wide and shouted, "You can actually hurt me! That’s quite rare, especially for a low-leveled god. What are you, lv. 91, lv. 92? You couldn’t have reached lv. 93 so soon, right?"

Since Jack didn’t answer back, Halmut continued chuckling. "You’re only low-level deity to ever damage me! And it was through raw power, not tricks like Jin’s techniques. You’re something special... Join me, Jack! Together, we can definitely--"

"No more spam!" Jack shouted, catching Halmut off guard. "I’ll turn you down every time. Even if a representative from Jewel personally offered me something, I’d turn them away without even listening to an offer."

"I wouldn’t say that until they give you an offer. In fact, I can make you an offer on behalf of Gem. I can personally guarantee--"

"Blah, blah, blah! I told you, quit spamming me with offers! You’re worse than online scammers in my email!"

Unsure how to take that, Halmut replied, "My offer is genuine and can easily be verified. So long as you can commit, I can eventually get you--"

"Stop it already! You really are worse than scammers!"

To shut Halmut up, Jack spat another Spectral Flare his way. It made contact yet again, exploding and amazing the mortals who couldn’t imagine facing such a terrifying attack.

"Jack..." Halmut sighed, now showing a second burn on his side. "If you won’t listen willingly, maybe you will forcibly!"

With a roar, Halmut spewed his own multicolored breath toward Jack. It was countered by another Spectral Flare but the explosion had doubled in size as the flames intermingled and lingered in the air. But the explosion suddenly parted down the middle.

Rocketing through the center of the explosion, Halmut darted toward Jack with horns leading the way. His speed was on another level now as Halmut’s largest, central horn appeared to be white-hot and dotted with other energy types as well. A crazed look was obvious in Halmut’s gaze, threatening Jack and daring the hero to attempt some form of counter.

But Jack didn’t take the bait. He had no intention of tanking such an attack from a god with an eight-level advantage.

Jack vanished from where he stood and watched as Halmut whizzed by.

"Oh... Was that too much for you?" mocked Halmut. "I’ll admit, the wounds you’ve caused me weren’t too impactful but they’re slow to heal. That’s enough reason to take you more seriously. Sadly, you’re just not ready for this level of fights!"

Bright, blinding light flashed out of Halmut’s body, not giving Jack any warning and stealing his sight momentarily.

"If you think I’ll die so easily, then it’s only natural you would be so easy to kill!"

Jack suddenly coughed. He began gasping for breath. As the light faded, the rest of the world was able to see what had occurred.

Blood dripped out of Jack’s mouth. Blood spilled from Jack’s chest, flowing down Halmut’s horn and onto the Dragon’s face.

"That’s all you’ve got?!" Halmut roared in question. Throwing his head back, Halmut tossed aside Jack’s panting body. As it fell downward, Halmut stated, "No one helps him! If you do, you’ll be acting against the rules of our duel and I’ll treat you as his replacement!"

The other gods were in shock. Moranti was the first to squint his eyes and prepare to act. But then he froze. Unwillingly, Moranti clenched his fists and stood up straight while glaring furiously at Halmut.

"Good... So you’ll finally listen to reason," Halmut laughed at Moranti and the others, taking his sweet time to descend and stand over the crash-landed Jack.

"You... What interfered... in our duel?" Jack painfully asked, not conceding with his passionate stare.

"What do you mean? There was no--"

"Something interfered... against Cerebral Collapse... What was it?" Jack insisted, not budging at all.

"There was no--"

Mid-sentence and mid-laugh, an invisible and untraceable hand landed on Halmut’s head for the third time. Halmut was unprepared and completely unguarded, unable to reach around before Cerebral Collapse was cast yet again.

Jack felt his mana enter Halmut’s body, making it further than either of the last two attempts. He even felt the sharpened mana make an ethereal incision for the first time. But, even then, Jack felt his mana suddenly disperse. Only, this time Halmut didn’t reach around to grab his attacker.

Halmut remained still as the false Jack lying on the ground faded away. Jack’s true body backed away and became visible to the spectators, leaving them breathless.

"Did you succeed?" Eedaj asked, noting that Halmut was now motionless while Jack backed away in caution.

"I... I don’t know..."

Jack was baffled. Halmut was acting strange and said nothing yet Jack was certain his spell was destroyed for the third time. The notification was there as well, proving that Jack had technically failed to cast Cerebrally Collapse. Yet Halmut said and did nothing in retaliation the third time around.

Suddenly, an enormous flash of light burst from Halmut’s body, when everyone was least expecting it.

Jack took to the sky while remaining on guard, as he didn’t want those on the ground to be targeted or feel the aftershocks of their attacks. He wasn’t the most confident anymore but Jack knew that he could at least survive given how he fared thus far.

But no attack came his way.