Ch. 691..700
Chapter 691
’Yes... How many are there?’ Jinbe asked.
Raztol replied, ’Wingreig and I will take one as well. Hindrad and Artrat will work with the remaining elders to ward off the final two. They’ll be here soon, so there’s no time to waste.’
’MY FELLOW HYDRAS!!!’ Raztol’s telepathic shouts passed over the reef and somewhat calmed the rising tension of the hydras below. ’Hurry to Glacier Keep and the tunnels below. That’s the only way to remain safe!’
The panic wasn’t gone but it had become somewhat orderly as hundreds of hydras rushed into the tunnels of Glacier Reef to hide. Those at the reef’s center hurried toward Glacier Keep, the safest of all places.
Turning to the elders, Raztol commented, ’Any who are too afraid to face deities such a Lunara, retreat now and guard the tunnels. This is your only chance.’
It took a moment but the first two elders to concede swam off toward the keep’s entrance, standing guard. More followed and took guarding positions along the many tunnels.
’Then allow me to guard the keep!’ Hindered shouted as he and some of his followers rushed off. They roared and forced the hydras in the way to clear a path as Hindrad charged toward Glacier Keep’s entrance.
Sighing, Wingreig looked to those that remained with a faint sense of hope. ’Thank you for remaining...’
’Artrat, either stay and fight till your dying breath or join the guards below,’ Raztol declared loudly. ’Any who are weak-hearted will only hold back those that they are joint with. Is that understood?’
’... Understood...’
Artrat and a few others left as well, taking guarding positions at tunnel entrances.
’Won’t we need them?’ asked one of the remaining elders.
Wingreig shook his head. ’No... The head is right. When we merge together, their cowardly thoughts will only hinder us.’
’It’s okay to be scared. I’m terrified right now...’ admitted Raztol, startling the younger elders that had stayed with them. ’But bravery is the act of rebelling against your worst fears! All who have remained and don’t desert from this point on will receive a new title as high elders! Your strength won’t go unnoticed, nor will your courage to stand in the face of our greatest foe yet!’
ROOOOOOAAAAAARRRRR!
RRRROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRRR!!!
Raztol’s rallying roar was met with the roars of Wingrieg and the remaining 12 hydra elders, which contained all seven of elders that had refused to fight Lunara before. This call echoed through the reef and filled the hiding hydras with another sense of hope and pride.
’Here they come...’
As the Flood Dragons were coming into view, Raztol and Wingreig merged to form a giant two-headed frost body. The other twelve elders formed two groups of six, each preparing to face one of the lv. 90 Flood Dragons. And Jinbe’s resolve remained firm, even rushing forward to meet the dragons head-on.
’Evade or die!’ the leading Flood Dragon cried over and over. Tears would have been streaming down her cheeks had the water surrounding them allowed it. ’Just evade or die!’
Jinbe reached the dragons first, evading the incoming plume of boiling water and lunging at the lead dragon. His club-like forearm crashed into the dragon’s jaw, forcing her aside. But another dragon come forward and challenged Jinbe.
Raztol and Wingreig attempted to reach the lead dragon as well but they were also routed aside by a different foe.
The remaining hydras roared as they too tried to attack the dragon in the lead. They all hoped that doing removing her would result in a ceasefire or a degree of confusion. However, they were annoyed to find themselves warded off by the third Flood Dragon and not the leader. That gave the lead Flood Dragon the chance to continue her charge while the twelve hydra elders punished the guarding dragon.
’Don’t let her through!’ Raztol and Wingreig roared together but were stopped by their opponent.
One of the elder groups darted toward her and hurled an attack but the Flood Dragon spat out a torrent of boiling water to extinguish the spray of frozen lances.
Below, Artrat stood shakily. Like many of the hydra elders, he had rarely experienced combat and had always enjoyed a cushy lifestyle, which was very much unlike the elders who had dared stand and fight above. But now, a dragon managed to slip past and was swimming directly toward him and Glacier Keep. Frozen in fear and hesitation, Artrat opened his mouth but said nothing to his fellow elders guarding the tunnel nor to the approaching dragon.
’Allow me...’
Strangely, a soft voice passed over the entire reef. None of the hydras knew where that voice came from, nor did the dueling Flood Dragons.
Only the leading Flood Dragon recognized that voice. She tried to look back but was suddenly broadsided and thrown into the walls of Glacial Palace, crashing landing through at least a dozen rooms.
’Sorry, but I can’t let you take the fruits nor harm the hydras.’
With a shaky gaze, the lead Flood Dragon was relieved. ’Perchet... how--’
’I never said I didn’t have water magic,’ stated the God of Sound, now only at lv. 90. ’Don’t think I’m incapable after switching sides and starting from scratch. Now, more than ever, I’m fearsome beyond your comprehension.’
’B-but... How are you--’
A sharp scratching sound suddenly rang through the ears of all Flood Dragon’s forcing them to lower their guards and receive the attacks of their opponents. The lead Flood Dragon trembled as the sound momentarily vanished.
’Did you know that sound travels better underwater? I’m sure you do. But did you know it only makes me all the more lethal?’ commented Perchet, filling the Flood Dragon with undeniable fear. ’Please explain yourself. As Kylon’s personal attendant and Lunara’s former guard, I know you well enough. Why do you dare attack Lunara’s home?’
’P-please...’ the Flood Dragon struggled to speak her mind. ’Please... kill us, Perchet.’
Startled to hear such a thing, Perchet asked again, ’Tell me, why do you--’
’Kill us... Please...’ begged the Flood Dragon.
Chapter 692
’Kill us... Please...’
Perchet eyed the Flood Dragon carefully. As a former subordinate god under Halmut, Perchet recognized the despair behind her eyes and the meaning behind her earlier cries of warning.
"STOP FIGHTING!!!"
Perchet roared without any telepathy, letting all of Glacier Reef shake from the sound of his voice. His control of sound made speaking normally underwater easier than a d.o.g.g.y paddle through a stream.
Everyone fighting overhead suddenly felt that same ringing from earlier, forcibly halting their fights. Perchet, in hybrid form, then hurled the frying Flood Dragon back toward her comrades. The God of Sound then appeared there and caught his own thrown effortlessly. He eased the ringing now that he had everyone’s attention.
’The Flood Dragons will now die, but at their hands.’ Everyone was startled to see Perchet pointing at Jinbe and the giant two-headed frost body. ’As Jack’s newest demigods, you’ll be the ones to kill them and gain their EXP.’
’We--’
One of the Flood Dragons wanted to say something but the ringing picked up again, far worse than before. Blood seeped out of one ear as that Flood Dragon twisted and rolled in the water.
’Jinbe, you first.’
’You know me?’
Perchet nodded. ’I’m also with Jack. He sent me here in case this happened and your relayed information let me act soon enough to stop them. For that, you’ll be the next to ascend before Raztol.’
’... Alright...’
All eyes were on the contorting Flood Dragon with a high-pitched grinding mentally crippling their mind. The other Flood Dragons watched, experiencing a lesser tone of the same stifling sound attack. But they weren’t sad. In fact, a couple of them were smiling.
Jinbe lunged into the twisting dragon and latched his fangs into the dragon’s neck while his many arms tore the dragon’s wings apart. Finally, one arm snapped the weakened neck, rendering the dragon lifeless.
Suddenly, energy began to swirl around Jinbe’s body. It was both blue and yellow, proving that he did have water and earth affinity even if he lacked any skills using them.
’You’re next, Raztol.’
Another Flood Dragon started to writhe in pain as the hydra head and consul separated into their individual bodies. Raztol asked, ’Can’t you help Wingreig as well? He--’
’I’m sure Jack will help him later. Better Jack than me, I would say,’ replied Perchet. ’Now don’t waste time.’
’Right...’ Sighing, Raztol was in awe at how the tables had turned in their favor.
Raztol had no clue how many people Jack had on his side but the appearance of someone like Perchet proved to all hydra elders just how easily Jack could’ve stormed through Glacier Keep. With someone controlling sound waves to that incredible extent, Jack could freely kill any hydra without giving them a chance to fight back or plea for mercy.
Forming a frosty spear of condensed, pure water energy, Raztol skewered the Flood Dragon clean through the next along with its wings.
Now, blue energy began to swell up from within Raztol for all to see.
But Perchet wasn’t done. While Jinbe and Raztol began their ascension to awe the hydras able to spectate, Perchet looked to the remaining two dragons. ’Any last words?’
One shook its head as Perchet sent a pulse of sound to fry its brain, giving an instant, painless death. But the lead Flood Dragon nodded slightly. ’Thank you... I’m glad you stopped us in time...’
’I’m sorry it had to be like this...’
With a sigh, Perchet gave her a painless death as well. He still held her but her limbs hung loosely at her sides, motionless.
Perchet then stored her body, as well as her fellow Flood Dragon corpses. Luckily, Jinbe was busy ascending and wasn’t able to eat his kill.
’Is it safe now?’
Perchet turned and smiled at Wingreig. ’Yes. They can come out now.’
’COME!’ Wingreig shouted. ’Come and see our head ascend to godhood!’
The atmosphere suddenly shifted from tense and on-edge to celebratory and excited. Hydras poured out of the tunnels and darted toward the Glacial Palace. The swirling energy was quite the sight to see with Glacier Reef’s beauty in the background.
Those hydra elders were the first to arrive, however, admiring the growth of the hydra head and the success against the invaders.
’Wonderful!’ Hindrad shouted as he and the straggling elders reached Wingreig. ’With a god of our own, we can protect Glacier Keep and ward off--’
’Shut up, Hindrad.’
Glaring at his fellow consul, Hindrad scoffed, ’How dare you--’
’You know nothing about victory in battle, nor about any sort of battling. You’ve grown fat over time and only fought for experience, getting lucky to advance quickly through the use of sacred fruits. Among the elders, you’ve worked the least to gain your status,’ stated Wingreig, not caring who around them overheard his words. ’I’ll be speaking with Raztol later about your removal as an elder, let alone as consul. Enjoy it while you can...’
Finished with his rant, Wingreig turned and ignored Hindrad’s replies. Also, Wingreig passed Artrat and the older elders that had turned tail. He stopped only in front of the younger, able-bodied elders that had dared face divine might.
’As the head promised, you’ll soon receive your new standings as high elders among the Body Council. After his ascension, we’ll deliberate the details but I must thank you for your courageous assistance. You have our gratitude." Wingreig bowed formally to the dozen elders, leaving those that had been ignored in silence and confusion.
Those youngest elders were touched by Wingreig’s actions but so was the hydra populace. To them, it was easy to see a difference among the elders. While those that had retreated were untouched, Wingreig and the elders he bowed to were covered in burns and claw-marks. Without any trouble, the hydras were able to tell who had fought for them and who hadn’t. What stunned them further was that their long-time enemy, the Ancient Crustacean, was more willing to fight than the majority of their elders.
Perchet breathed easy, happy to see that his help went according to plan. ’Jack, everything is taken care of here. Expect a surge in levels, shortly.’
Chapter 693
"Hmm... He lost them that quickly?" 12-13 began to chuckle and shake his head. "My he’s grown careless..."
The man with a blacked-out face was casually lounging on a cushy, black thrown taken from 12-13’s storage. Relaxing, he clicked his tongue and looked at Sterfen through the corner of his eye.
Sterfen’s face was pale and tensed to the absolute extreme. Beads of sweat dripped from every pore of Sterfen’s body. The assassin’s eyes had almost rolled back in pain. His body remained still in the air as his mind was racked beyond anything Sterfen had imagined.
"If you would just accept it, the pain will subside..." 12-13 sighed with a humorous grin. "But then again, your strong will is a rare, admirable quality. Snapping such determination is a rare occurrence, one that I’ll savor to the fullest... It also proves that you’re worth keeping."
Oblivious to 12-13, Sterfen was too focused in his torment to understand his torturer’s ramblings, let alone realize what the man was doing.
"Too bad you can’t hear me, Sterfen. Right now, I’m an open book!" laughed the man, relishing the moment. "You would be delighted to know that Halmut’s futile attempts to get more fruit have failed, as expected. The man is too wrapped up in paranoia to question my ridiculous orders. Oh, and we can’t forget how he truly believes his hysteria is suddenly cured when I did hardly anything in the first place. All it took was a tiny push and he fell into madness all on his own! Sure, that may hinder him slightly but it makes him all the easier to lead on. If I want the ’mighty’ Halmut has a personal pack mule all I need to do is hop on his back and dangle a stimulant in his face!"
12-13’s laughter filled the entirety of the chateau, echoing through the halls and halting at the barrier constructed around the area.
"And you’re no better!" 12-13 continued to laugh, "To think you thought yourself capable of entering my controlled space without me noticing... You only made it here because I wanted you to, not because you were capable, Sterfen. Though you’re much smarter than Halmut, you’re an even better toy to play with."
Sterfen suddenly began to groan louder and convulse harder. His spasms only made 12-13’s laughter louder.
Then, 12-13 stood up and sighed. At the same time, Sterfen’s pain eased and he began panting profusely. The shadowy man neared the floating assassin and tenderly asked, "There, there... Why keep up your front? Why stand your ground against endless torture? There’s no end in sight for you, so why fight at all? Tell me, Sterfen... Why fight it?"
With shaky breathing, Sterfen didn’t reply.
"Sterfen... I need an answer..."
"W-why..."
"Yes, why?" repeated 12-13.
"W-why... listen... to a man... so ugly... he permanently hides... AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!"
"Uh, uh, uh... That’s not the correct answer." wagging his finger back and forth, 12-13 sighed as he began to torment Sterfen anew.
As the assassin was again preoccupied with pain, 12-13 clicked his tongue again. "You really are a rarity, Sterfen... Breaking and reforming you may be difficult, but it’s worth gaining such a loyal, powerful pawn.
"Now, if only you knew what I know, Sterfen. You wouldn’t have come here to confront Halmut, nor would you have allowed Jack to enter Glacier Keep without a proper warning... Want to know my little secret?"
The man clothed in darkness leaned in to whisper into Sterfen’s ear, knowing full well that the assassin was unable to hear or interpret his voice under the mental torture. "I know Jack’s plan... I know about his double... I know his deal with Kylon... And I know she’s just waiting for the right moment to rebel...
"How, you might ask? A good question... Because I’m the one in control of her mind. I’m the one who warped her mental state and has repressed all former memories of her beloved Skaryn, swaying her to do the unthinkable with Halmut... I enabled it and made her my mental slave. The moment she tries to act against Halmut is the moment that she’ll turn on Jack, just like how she’s turned on Skaryn in the end. What do you think of that? No comment?"
The man chuckled, enjoying the pain writhing Sterfen’s face and Sterfen’s lack of comprehension to anything he was told at the moment.
"Come on... I’m committing the gravest error any great villain could conceive, freely sharing my plans and abilities with you. Why not take advantage of that?"
Having had his fun, 12-13 returned to his throne while Sterfen continued to endure. A part of the dark man was legitimately impressed by Sterfen but it was the only part of him that didn’t want to speak vocally.
12-13 was also curious as to why Sterfen’s mind was protected to such an incredible degree. To crack it, 12-13 would either need a long time or for Sterfen’s will to break. Time wasn’t much of an issue but 12-13 felt the long process would be best handled outside of Kartonia where he can better hide his antics. And given that he’ll soon be taking Halmut away with one of his two objectives complete, 12-13 was willing to call his Kartonia deployment a success. Adding the capture of Sterfen was enough for 12-13 to leave without fulfilling his second, less-attractive objective. Such a well-guarded mind had to know something regarding Daruun, the only person on Kartonia capable of creating such a mental barrier.
Out of habit, the man took out one of the sacred fruits. Strangely, there was some sort of glass now contorted and shaped around the fruit’s soft skin. He tossed it in the air and caught it in his hand, repeating this over and over as he pondered more about his situation. 12-13 would never accept being caught or outsmarted, not if he could help it.
"I’ve already got a few samples, so I can leave if necessary... But let’s see if Halmut can get me that as well, or if I leave him behind..." Then, a small pitch-black bead appeared in 12-13’s other hand. Dark energy poured into it as 12-13 tuned in to the bead’s two counterparts, letting him look through one of his victims’ eyes. "She’s made it to the first door... Now the fun begins..."
Chapter 694
’Jack, everything is taken care of here. Expect a surge in levels, shortly.’
’Thanks, Perchet.’
Relieved to have the skirmish in Galcier Reef end well, Jack finished off the five constructs ranging from lv. 92 to lv. 94. It was quite easy as he engulfed them in a spectral flare, annihilating them long with their cores.
This was the fourth room the party had entered thus far, excluding the empty room in the beginning. In that short period of time, they had learned some of the basics about key drops. They had each earned one key from killing lv. 93 constructs, then passing those four keys to Rynheart. Lunara had earned five keys from destroying a lv. 97 construct, followed by Moranti earning four keys from defeating two lv. 95 constructs or two apiece. And Jack also gained two keys for the lone lv. 94 he had destroyed but only one key for each of the two lv. 93s and the two lv. 92s. Together, the Jack, Lunara, and Moranti now had a combined total of fifteen keys.
Going back to his map, Jack noticed something weird. Originally, the next room had two lv. 94s and one lv. 93 inside while Rynheart had passed to the next room. But now those three constructs were gone and the map still hadn’t progressed.
Jack was about to contact Rynheart when the helmed swordsman appeared before the party. Immediately, Rynheart held out his card. ’I need your keys.’
’Seriously?’ Jack asked. ’How much does the last barrier cost?’
’The one I choose costs twenty keys.’
’Twenty?! When all of these barriers have cost one?’ Jack questioned, sharing the concerns of Lunara and Moranti.
Nodding, Rynheart turned toward the next corridor. ’Come. I’ll show you, but don’t touch anything.’
The four traveled through the corridor and passed through the now-empty fifth room as the barrier was already gone. As they entered the sixth room, the three following Rynheart were astounded. Though Jack could’ve seen it through Rynheart’s eyes via god’s perspective, he had only flashed the spell briefly to unlock the map and not inspect Rynhearts thoughts. But now, Jack was all the more curious about Glacier Keep.
The sixth room was empty but there were now two barriers of different colors. Instead of being dark-silver in color, one barrier was tinted green and the other was tinted blue. Both barriers had "1" displayed and had intricate yet faded etchings along the barriers’ surfaces. Also, behind both barriers lied a small mound of silver cores, the same that gave five keys apiece.
Before Jack or Rynheart shared their thoughts with the other two, Jack looked at the words engraved above each passage.
Above the green door, it read, "For those that have chosen fate..."
Above the blue door, it read, "For those that fate has chosen..."
’Where’s the door you chose?’ Jack asked Rynheart, surprised at the situation.
Moranti asked, ’Why not take both of these paths? That way--’
’No,’ Rynheart interjected with that shake of his head. ’If we take either of these two paths, the other path will remain inaccessible.’
’And that’s the one that costs twenty keys?’ Jack deduced.
Jack’s gamer senses were tingling all over. Part of him loved the idea of free keys but it felt too easy. It was the opposite feeling that Jack had pursued as the "achievement junkie" in-game, the feeling of unearned accomplishment. Sure, Jack would always take a freebie but not if it kept him from a better, more difficult path that typically offered the best rewards in the end.
Doing some mental math, Jack was able to deduce that constructs lv. 93 and lower gave one key, lv. 94 and lv. 95 constructs gave three keys, while lv. 97 and likely lv. 96 constructs gave five keys. Knowing that, Jack could figure out that a total of 25 keys were accessible thus far. That would give them the exact amount for the first five doors and a supposed twenty-key door. That sounded much more intriguing to Jack and much more like Daruun’s way of handling things.
Also, Jack couldn’t help but remember both Daruun’s and Oli’s words before entering the keep. They had made the exact same statement, reminding them that everyone was both forging their own fate while being favored by fate. If that was true, then why would there be two doors within the keep forcing you to choose one or the other?
Jack covered his eyes in holy energy, mimicking Halmut’s divine sight with a lesser spell. But he found nothing.
’Don’t use a spell or skill,’ Rynheart commented, walking toward the wall between both passages. ’You need to use pure energy and sense the room. It’s tricky, but if you’re sensitive enough, then you’ll that something’s off...’
Everyone did as Rynheart said, expanding their senses to the best they were able. It took a minute or two, but Jack eventually blinked as the only one to find it. ’Right here? That’s an illusion?’
’It’s more than an illusion... It’s an illusion made into reality,’ commented Rynheart, stumping the others. ’If you have intricate mental or illusory abilities, then you can not only find but enter this space. Watch...’
A flood of illusory energy burst out of Rynheart but the surging energy was immediately calmed and condensed around his body. The energy no longer looked illusory, becoming pure white from denseness alone. Then, the helmed swordsman ran his fingers along the wall. He found a certain groove pressed through it. Before everyone’s eyes, Rynheart’s hand faded into the wall.
’Now this is the hard part...’ sighed Ryheart, twisting his wrist around to maneuver his non-visible hand. ’There...’
Suddenly, the wall faded and revealed a smaller third passage. Rynheart stepped inside and pointed along the edges of the third entrance. Unlike the other passages, there was no ice overhead to light the way, adding to the mystery.
’Look... This illusion is made real by this inscription, denying anyone weaker than a peak one-star cosmician the ability to tweak. Then, you find the gap in the enchantment and force it to short circuit with a burst of your own energy. In a minute or so it will be up and running again, so let’s move forward.’
Astounded by the informative lesson, Jack was the first and most excited to follow Rynheart into the dark tunnel, creating a small fireball in his palm for light. Lunara and Moranti hurried along as well, wanting to see what those two would uncover.
’There... We’ll need to combine our remaining keys to pass.’
Chapter 695
’There... We’ll need to combine our remaining keys to pass.’
Jack nodded, happy to go along with the idea. But Moranti asked, ’How come we can’t claim all three barriers? If we go back, then we’ll get all of those cores and can easily afford this one.’
’Each of these barriers is a separate enchantment.’ Rynheart explained, ’When they deteriorate it’s obvious that they always deteriorate following the same pattern. It’s through understanding enchantments and inscriptions that I questioned the last room because both of the off-colored barriers shared similar yet opposing enchantments.’
Lunara blinked and questioned, ’Meaning?’
’They seemed to be mirror opposites of each other yet shared key pieces of writing. They felt like both were parts of one larger inscription, with the third and final part being the hidden passage,’ answered Rynheart. ’I’ve only recently gained enough knowledge to understand that, so I don’t anticipate many others will figure out the true inscription, let alone realize that there’s a third passage at all.’
’Recently? What do you--’
’No more questions, Moranti. We need to hurry or we may lose this advantage!’ Jack interrupted, holding his card out and placing it below Rynheart’s.
Lunara was next while Moranti sighed at Jack not wanting to explain things at the moment. ’Fine, but you’d better explain everything afterward.’
’Of course.’ Rynheart nodded, accepting everyone’s keys and continuing ahead. When they reached the barrier, the party was surprised to see that it was purple and shared similar etching to the other two. ’Actually... Jack should do it.’
Stepping forward, Jack received the stockpile of keys and smiled at the purple barrier. The hero placed his card against the "20" on display. They watched as both the card and the barrier displays began to rapidly count down to zero, eventually letting the barrier fade and reveal their prize on the other side.
Jack’s light could now pass to the rest of the tunnel and everyone was a bit disappointed by the lone dark-grey core placed on the ground. However, they noticed a dim, purple glow as Jack crushed it. But the strangeness wasn’t over. The display on Jack’s card still at zero while the card itself had gained a hint of purple hue and was no longer pitch-black.
’Interesting... May I see it?’ Rynheart was passed Jack’s card and immediately began evaluating the phenomenon. ’The purple now on your card reveals a hint of a second inscription, an inscription beneath the one connected to our armbands that counts keys... But I don’t know what it’s for or how it should work.’
Jack was all smiles, excited to find something so peculiar. Also, a new achievement had appeared on his system, proving that they were on the right track.
[Build the key: in progress]
[Find the two other missing pieces to form the key to Glacier Keep. Event reward: 25,000 skill points.]
’There should be two more of these,’ Jack commented, startling the others. ’Oli was right that this card collects keys, but he didn’t say which key actually matters... This card is the real key after getting the right cores.’
Smiling under his helmet, Rynheart chuckled with his distorted voice, ’Good! Then we have the real objective! We’ll collect the other cores too but be keen to remember what we’re truly after.’
Pumped up, the party wanted to continue ahead but found themselves at a dead end. No matter what they tried no further passage was found and they eventually decided to head back. Upon entering the previous room, the party was startled to see that both of the other passages were now clear of any barriers and cores.
’Ohhh...’ Moranti sighed. ’I guess the dungeon isn’t as generous as we thought...’
The others chuckled as they chose to take the left path first. Soon, they reached a staircase that turned ever so slightly to the right. Their suspicions were then confirmed as the stairway connected with one on the right and formed a straight shot upward. Moranti then blinked back to the previous room and hurried through the passage on the right to find himself rejoining the party.
’It all connects... Interesting...’ Rynheart sighed and made himself invisible. ’I’ll continue scouting.’
Just like that, the party was down to three as they continued up the stairs.
Soon they entered another vast chamber like the waiting room, but it was a hexagon and not an octagon. Five sides were staircases, one of which being the path their party had taken, and the sixth side was a wall covered in glyphs and peculiar writing.
’I’ll inspect the other passages.’
Keeping Rynheart’s whereabouts in mind, Jack led the other two toward the small gathering of people in front of the puzzling sixth wall. Three other teams were already there, inspecting the writing from at least ten meters back.
Testing the waters, Jack smiled and waved. "Woltin! Wollice! Fancy meeting you here."
"Oh, Jack!" Woltin laughed. "So you’re in our batch, huh? How unlucky for you."
"What do you mean? You know more about the keep and won’t bother sharing that info with an old friend?"
Laughing harder, Woltin replied, "Is that so? I thought you would know plenty since this is your home planet."
"Nope, we don’t know anything apart from the demonstration Oli gave. Mind filling us in on why the teams are acting so peaceful?"
"That much I can say," answered Woltin. "This is only the first third of the keep. Fighting doesn’t usually break out until this wall is cleared. After that, everything changes."
"And why’s that? It looks kind of like a puzzle..."
Wollice shouted, "Of course it is! Anyone can see that."
"Then why don’t you crack it already?" Jack asked. "Because whoever cracks it will get more keys?"
Woltin nodded. "You guessed it. That’s why fighting doesn’t start till the door opens and we enter the maze."
"Maze?"
"Woltin!" Wollice aggressively smacked the back of his brother’s head, silencing him immediately. "Either way, whoever opens that puzzle will get attacked by everyone else. The more keys, the better your rewards in the end."
"By the way," Woltin interjected and asked Jack, "What room did you pick?"
Chapter 696
"What room did you pick?"
"Woltin!"
"Calm down, Wollice," Woltin nudged his brother aside. "It’s not like he can change his mind now. Plus we’ll be able to plan for him if we know."
"What do you mean?" Jack asked with a curious smile.
Woltin answered, "In the last room, you had to choose a path. The path you chose determines which of the treasuries you’ll gain access to. So, depending on which path you chose, we may be fighting each other for the same treasures."
"Oh... Is that how it works?"
"So what path did you pick? The green one or the blue one?"
Scratching his head and feigning innocence, Jack sighed, "Um... Maybe I’ll tell you if you tell me more about the keep?"
"See, Woltin. He’s not a pushover like the others," stated Wollice. "You’ve already said enough. Sorry, Jack, but the competition is about to get serious, and don’t expect us to be going easy on you since it’s your first time."
"So you’ve been here before?" questioned Jack.
Wollice stammered while Woltin laughed again, "Now I’m not the only one to say too much. Thanks for the chat Jack, and no hard feelings for what comes next. Don’t expect any more help after the puzzle is solved."
The twins turned to leave as Jack walked back to Lunara and Moranti. Jack also inspected his map, waiting for Rynheart’s imminent report. In the meantime, Jack looked over the writing on the sixth wall and received a new alert from his system.
[Foreign writing detected. Analyze?]
Jack selected the notification with a smile but frowned as the next one appeared.
[Cost of attempted analysis: 10,000 skill points]
[WARNING: Resulting translation may not be entirely accurate and may lack necessary context due to lack of information supplied by the user, but the system will analyze and decipher what language the writing originates from based upon data stored by the system creator.]
Changing his plans, Jack left his menu with a hard sigh. He laughed to himself as the other teams were all eyeing the wall. For Jack to compete with the puzzle, it seemed that Jack would need to first pay to analyze the writing and then likely pay to learn the language, which could cost upwards of twenty thousand skill points altogether. That was an expense Jack was not yet comfortable to make, not until he had purchased enough skills to satisfy his need to grow stronger.
’Jack, can you come here?’
Nodding, Jack looked to Lunara and Moranti with a smile. They made sure to use telepathy and not let the other teams overhear their conversations. ’Be right back.’
Teleporting away, Jack reappeared beside his fully-visible teammate in a familiar-looking room with two paths leading to stairways. Rynheart’s rapier was drawn and blood dripped from the blade but no bodies were to be found. Nonchalant, Rynheart lifted his card toward Jack. ’Take these.’
As they passed the stolen keys to Jack’s card, Jack asked, ’Any luck with the passage?’
’No. I couldn’t breach the barriers from this side so I had to wait where both paths connect. It seems that each of the five passages is the same, which meant that the moment this team chose a barrier, the hidden passage was closed off,’ explained Rynheart.
’One hundred keys... So each barrier was guarding eighty keys?’ Jack deduced. ’Couldn’t you have stolen those from this side?’
’No. There was a second barrier keeping me from doing that. But the smarter teams most likely earned even more.’
’You mean if they unlocked both barriers at the same time? Not a bad idea... I bet Woltin and Wollice did that...’ Jack hopped on Rynheart’s train of thought. ’So they might have one hundred and eighty keys... That’s something to keep an eye on.’
’Either way, we need to get past the puzzle in the next room to continue.’ Rynheart asked, ’Should we wait for someone else to do it, or should I?’
’You can do that?’ questioned Jack with a raised eyebrow.
’Sure can.’
’Then I’ll handle protecting you from the other three teams.’ Jack flashed a devilish smile and chuckled, ’Got it... You won’t have to worry about the others, just leave half of the new keys for some new teammates.’
’New teammates? Oh... got it.’
Purple energy flashed and carried them to the steps just outside of the hexagonal chamber. Emerging from the same chamber his party had traversed earlier, Jack walked back toward the group while Rynheart resumed his invisibility. No one paid Jack much attention as everyone was waiting for the final group to arrive and for the first battle to ensue upon completing the puzzle, a battle for the puzzle’s keys and the keys of the fallen teams.
Jack casually sauntered past the Sicabor twins and barely whispered, "Want a hundred points?"
The twins glanced at each other and then at Jack, noticing him walking back to his team’s old path. Since he was alone, the twins were confident enough to follow him as a duo while they remained on guard.
That was when everyone felt that something was up, not because of Jack but the veteran twins. Even Jack’s teammates were confused when they saw Jack leading the two men for a private chat. By the time people turned to see what was happening, however, the twins were already on their way back with smug faces. Jack reappeared moments later with a dribble of blood on his lip and a humbled attitude.
To everyone else in the chamber, things seemed easy to understand. To Jack’s party, though, they knew that Jack was definitely up to something.
Jack wiped the blood from his lips and smiled at his patient teammates. ’Rynheart’s going to activate the puzzle. Don’t take any of the keys it drops, just hold back the crowd until Rynheart escapes. Then, we’ll teleport and regroup in the passage, where they least expect us.’
’Jack--’
’Don’t worry, Mom, I’ll grab you and teleport you over, okay?’
’Alright...’ Lunara sighed and showed a sore smile. ’I’m guessing you’ve gotten those two involved now?’
’Why not?’ Jack laughed, leading his party of three to the front of the crowd. At the same time, the glyph in the upper right corner began to light up. With that, Jack calmed his laughter. ’It’s showtime...’
Chapter 697
The rest of the crowd had already begun to assume that the fifth and final team of their block wasn’t going to be joining them. This belief was unofficially reaffirmed when Jack c.o.c.kily got the attention of the twins, though that discussion supposedly didn’t end well for Jack based on his bloodied lip. But everyone was now focused on the puzzle and baffled by a single question. Who was completing the puzzle?
Of the four teams present, the three other than Jack’s all activated some sort of eye technique with various energy types seeping from their sockets. But most were still too left unaware of who had begun the puzzle.
New writing appeared on the wall, connecting the separated pieces of the inscription. Other parts of the puzzle were shockingly erased and rewritten, startling even the twins. Such prowess with inscriptions was incredibly rare among two-stars, let alone one-stars. The puzzle was being completed far faster than anyone had been anticipating, forcing some to be on edge as they had little time to plan their attack on the invisible person about to gain a plethora of keys.
From right to left and top to bottom, the puzzling inscription began to light up on its own, marking its completion.
As the last hole of writing was filled in, everyone readied themselves to strike and the few able to see through Rynheart’s invisibilty were locked on. Suddenly, the puzzle flashed a bright light and an explosion filled the room. But that didn’t stop an of the cosmicians from lunging toward the downpour of cores falling to the ground.
Now, Jack’s team acted. Jack cast world of shadows at the entrance, though it was quickly dispersed by the incoming cosmicians. However, most of the charging crowd fell for the ploy.
In the center of that darkness, Moranti had created a large spatial rift that carried people all the back to where Jack’s party had entered Glacier Keep. Also, Lunara had erected a wall of ice on the other side to stall any attacks that had been thrown at Rynheart. And surprisingly, there were also living vines entangling the few that had stopped before entering the spatial rift, coming from Woltin Sicabor. His brother was gone, but Woltin was smiling happily to see him missing.
"I guess that went better than planned..." Jack sighed, a little disappointed to see it end like that. "Your vines can paralyze people?"
Shrugging, Woltin replied, "Maybe... Maybe not... Either way, consider the deal complete. Don’t expect any more friendliness from now on."
Before Jack could reply, those same vines began to strangle their targets till they turned blue and passed out. Woltin stepped forward and claimed all of their points as they were disqualified from the challenge, vanishing from the chamber.
Jack sighed, scratching his head and Woltin waved goodbye and left first toward the next part of the keep. "Good thing we’re not after keys this time... I’m not sure how it would go facing them..."
Seconds later, Rynheart reappeared beside the party when the coast was clear. ’Here, Jack. You might need these.’
’Only a hundred keys?’ Jack jokingly complained.
’It should be more than enough for just you,’ stated Rynheart, holding to reason. ’We have other goals to achieve, not just claiming unknown treasures.’
Moranti and Lunara were caught off-guard by the statement but Moranti shook that off when he remembered who Rynheart was. Then again, he was curious to know how Jack managed to complete that puzzle when it was a language that had never existed in Kartonia.
’Let’s hurry before the stragglers return to seek vengeance,’ commented Rynheart. ’The next section is very interesting.’
Moving on the party realized why Rynheart was surprised by what followed. There were three ways to go, a blue spatial rift, a green spatial rift, and a passageway with purple walls at the entrance.
’I think it’s obvious where we’re going,’ Jack laughed. ’If this is the maze, then we should split up. I’ll link up with everyone so we can put together our own map and find what we’re looking for. Just focus on exploration, not battling or stealing keys. If you need help for some reason, make it known and help will come.’
With no disagreements, the party entered the purple passageway and quickly found themselves at a fork. Jack and Lunara went one way while Moarnti and Rynheart went the other. When the next fork was found, they divided themselves again while rushing through the area at top speed.
Very soon, Jack was the first to encounter a row of constructs more menacing than the last. They weren’t mannequins but construct beasts. Metallic wolves howled as they charged Jack with no fear or hesitation. With a dozen lv. 96 constructs being lead by a lv. 97, it would spell doom for most lone one-stars.
Jack immediately entered his hybrid form to try out his newest bloodline from Jinbe while mixing it with Phoro’s wings and speed. With one set of wings replacing his arms and a second set of arms growing to become barbed, mantis-like forearms, Jack charged into the wolf constructs.
As he punched into the first wolf construct, Jack was surprised at how sturdy they were. It tanked the blow of his clublike arm and managed to get back up for more.
But Jack had something else going for him. Finally, his level was boosted as Raztol and Jinbe completed their ascension. Jack had been lv. 94 after combining the EXP pools of his two bodies, dropping from lv. 95 to boost the second, newly-ascended body. Now, both of Jack’s bodies were lv. 96 and wiping fellow lv. 96s, like the wolf constructs, was an easy task.
Jack added Bowzer’s and Karronteel’s bloodlines to the mix, curious to see if he could do something. Upon succeeding, Jack couldn’t stop laughing.
Though it ate up more energy than the usual black flame body, Jack had successfully blended some spectral flames into the black flame body. It was hard to control but the constructs of the maze were perfect for Jack to be a little reckless and try new things.
With those four bloodlines active and testing a spectral flame body, Jack mowed down the wolf constructs, collected their cores, and continued on.
Chapter 698
Everyone was no either running into constructs or other teams. Moranti had his scythe at the ready, carving through wolf constructs and a few giant bear constructs as well. Lunara’s frost body and spear allowed her to trap and shatter all constructs like fragile dolls, unable to retaliate against her onslaught. Rynheart faced similar circ.u.mstances, strategically one-shotting anything that dared share his path. Rynheart was also the first of the party to notice something about absorbing keys.
Every time he absorbed keys, Rynheart could sense a morsel of that energy entering himself as well, not just the card. And the energy was so pure that put everything else to shame. The energy gathered from the overworld of Kartonia couldn’t compare at all. Mumbling to himself, Rynheart sighed, "If only I had entered this place sooner..."
Dropping his thoughts aside, Rynheart shared his findings. ’Even if keys don’t matter, kill as many constructs as you can. Their pure energy is better than anything Kartonia has to aid a second ascension. Thanks to those sacred fruits, anyone on the bring of passing lv. 99 should manage to ascend.’
’REALLY?!’ Moranti shouted.
They had all noticed that the constructs were offering them unofficial EXP, or what their bodies translated as EXP. The leftover energy of the constructs offered abundant energy that they had absorbed as EXP and hadn’t realized was as pure as Rynheart implied.
’Then I can--’
’You still need to reach the very top of lv. 99, but anyone should ascend after that so long as they come through Glacier Keep. That is if the entire keep is like this,’ added Rynheart.
Jack agreed, ’Then Lunara should ascend today, right?’
’I... I will?’
’Mom, didn’t that last demigod put you at the top of lv. 99?’ Jack mentioned, forcing her to realize it. ’You might be the first-ever Kartonian to become a two-star cosmician, Mom. That’s awesome!’
’That... wow...’ She was taken aback by that realization, having never thought such a thing was even possible or imaginable.
’I’ve found a team,’ Rynheart shifted the conversation elsewhere, ’and they weren’t with the crowd from earlier. I’ll scout them and move on.’
’Thanks for the... I found one too, and they don’t look friendly...’ Moranti added with a nervous chuckle. ’I’ll see if I can force my way through.’
’Keep in touch,’ Jack stated while connecting to everyone briefly via god’s perspective and updating the map. ’Moranti, your group should be at least mid-level gods if not near your level. Don’t be afraid to attack but flee the moment they prove too much. Rynheart, I think your group is a bit more difficult, but these are only assumptions.’
’I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you.’ Rynheart replied, keeping his invisibility before deciding whether to attack or not.
’If you need help, Mom, just say it. We need to make sure you last long enough to ascend.’
’Thanks, Jack... I’ll tell you right away.’
While Moratni confronted the four-man team in his way and Rynheart analyzed how quickly he could remove the team impeding him, Jack found his first team-encounter as well. Jack was invisible but he dropped that the moment he saw the other team.
"Wollice, how did you like the keys?"
Laughing, the twin showed Jack a curious smile. "Pretty good, but that’s not enough. How many do you got on you?"
"Enough, just barely enough..." sighed Jack, shrugging.
"Then hand them over." Wollice drew his common-looking sword and raised one eyebrow to his newest foe. "Or do you dare protect them?"
"But where’s Woltin?" Jack asked.
"Good question, too bad I don’t know."
"So it’s just you and one teammate yet you’re confident enough to challenge me?" Jack joked. "You’re something else, you know that?"
"I can say the same to you, but I’m stronger so too bad."
White and bright yellow energy gathered around Wollice’s blade as he seemingly vanished from Jack’s sight. To the hero’s startlement, Wollice was directly in front of him with his sword lunging toward Jack’s chest. The attack was faster than anything that Jack was expecting, forcing him to teleport away.
"That... You’re too fast, Wollice..." Taking a deep breath, Jack reappeared a few meters away and put a hand over his chest. A small stream of blood spread over Jack’s fingers as he healed himself.
"Space skills? You’re a rare one, indeed," laughed Wollice. "Too bad you can’t keep up... Will you pass the points over or not?"
"Um... how can he do that?"
Both Jack and Wollice looked to Wollice’s teammate, chuckling. Then, Jack raised his hands in innocence with his card visible to all. "Tell you what. I’ll pay you half of my keys and let you go free. I think that’s pretty generous, don’t you?"
Wollice rubbed his forward as he sighed and laughed at the same time. "That... You’re something special, Jack. I see why Woltin liked you. I’ll accept that."
The two frenemies took their cards and walked casually toward each other. But as they got close, they heard more people incoming. Another team had found them before the exchange could begin.
"Do you mind, Halmut, we’re a bit busy?" Jack shouted, acting as if the appearing team was no big deal.
"Hand over your card. Be lucky that I can’t kill you for good in here, so I’ll allow you to disgracefully withdraw," stated Halmut, morphing into his hybrid form without wasting time.
"Can I--"
"Wollice, I’ll give you all my keys if you leave right now."
Confused, Wollice looked to Jack with jaw agape. "... What?"
"I’ll give you all of my keys if you move on and leave Halmut’s team alone," Jack repeated. "I don’t want that runt to lose here. It would be more humiliating for me to torment and torture him throughout the keep."
Taking off his armband, Jack put in on Wollice but never let go of it. His other hand slid Jack’s card under Wollice’s beginning the transfer immediately.
"How dare you--"
"Can’t you see we’re busy, Halmut? Go play with someone else your own size. Wait... Rikko didn’t come with us this time..."
Chapter 699
"YOU!!!"
With an echoing roar, Halmut rocketed forward with reckless abandon. Halmut showed no hesitation as he spat out his multicolored flames, readied his bladed scepter.
"Done..." Jack quickly vanished from where he stood the moment the transfer was complete, taking back his armband and card. "Now, please leave us, Wollice. I’ve got some discipline to dish out."
Nodding, Wollice led his teammate forward as Jack threw spectral flares at Halmut and his party members. However, all were either canceled out or evaded as Halmut charged for Jack yet again and Tralbok warded off the spectral flares with time-reversal magic. Allowing Halmut to take the lead role in attacking meant that Tralbok could play support, adding to Halmut’s speed with wind buffs and giving Halmut more openings to attack with aid of time magic.
"Too bad Tralbok is so spineless..." Jack sighed, evading Halmut yet again with teleportation. "If not, he’d actually be worth offering my help and support..."
"Shut up and die!" Halmut began to chase Jack around the corridor, nearly catching Jack each time.
The hero was amazed at Halmut’s newfound speed, finding it too much of a coincidence. There was no way Halmut was pulling that off naturally or he would’ve been using that speed in encounters against Moranti in the past. That was when Jack noticed something new on Halmut’s usual garb. Halmut wasn’t playing around, wearing his complete set of holy armor with something new attached. One of the shoulder plates was mismatched and off-colored, the only piece of Halmut’s armor that Jack had never seen before.
"Wow... To rely on such equipment... You’ve really embraced your lack of size, haven’t you?"
"HOW DARE YOU?!?! YOU--"
"Who needs armor? A true man can fight without false strength!" Jack boasted, storing away everything on his person. "Do you dare face me like a man--"
Halmut’s attitude was unaltered and unswayed as he continued to chase after Jack, getting closer and closer to landing a blow on the now-n.a.k.e.d hero.
Without even clothes to cover himself, Jack laughed as he evaded again and again. The two Flood Dragons were unable to keep up with either Jack or Halmut while they watched in shock at Jack’s antics. Tralbok shuttered as he poured more mana into his buffs around Halmut.
"GOTCHA!!!" Halmut roared, finally snatching Jack out of the air with his jaws. The dragon mumbled through his teeth as he clamped down on Jack’s body, "Ho dah you!"
But Jack’s body quickly vanished, letting his illusory double vanish within Halmut’s teeth.
"How long do you want to keep playing?" Jack asked with a laugh. "I’m enjoying this a lot more than I should. To think that the Sun God would need to use items from beyond Kartonia to deal with a n.a.k.e.d and unarmed man levels below you... How you’ve fallen, Halmut..."
"SHUT UP!!!"
"Sorry, but I’ve got something to do... Maybe next time..."
ROOOOOOOOOAAAAAARRRR!!
Fuming, Halmut pounded his claws into the roxite walls, not even leaving a scratch.
"Your excellency..." Tralbok sighed, trying to think of what could possibly calm Halmut down. "Aren’t we getting close?"
Taking deep breaths, Halmut nodded and glared at Tralbok. "Not a word... remember?"
"Yes... Sorry, your excellency."
Halmut glanced at where Wollice had fled but soon turned a different direction. He said nothing as he dropped his surrounding energy but retained his hybrid form. The Sun Dragon angrily charged ahead as the Flood Dragons struggled to keep up.
Curious, Jack decided to follow Halmut. Given how Halmut was the one Oli nearly disqualified for using a two-star item, Jack was sure Halmut was up to something and he had more resources than Jack or Daruun had ever assumed.
’I’m following Halmut’s team now.’
’You found him?’ Rynheart asked, surprised. ’Shall we--’
’Patience, Rynheart. You know we need her for this, unless you want to ruin everything.’
’Sorry... I suppose I can wait a bit longer...’
’I need help.’
Lunara’s call surprised the party and interrupted Jack’s and Rynheart’s conversation, but they didn’t mind at all.
’I’ve found Torian, he’s with Alcahain, Tyres, and Kylon.’
’Rynheart, can you--’
’I’m there now.’
Without the need for Jack’s insistence, Rynheart locked onto Lunara’s location and teleported away, abandoning his open prey from earlier. He appeared at Lunara’s backside, finding her surrounded.
’They formed a speed group... smart,’ commented Rynheart, recognizing the four people surrounding Kylon. "Torian, this team was your idea?"
"No... Apart from Kylon’s addition, Halmut placed us together," replied the Thundering God, amused that the anonymous swordsman was so talkative. "Otherwise, there are a rare few that I prefer not to work with."
"I thought you and were on good terms?" Rynheart added, baffling the legendary gods slightly. In that moment of questioning, Rynheart teleported and charged at both Torian and Tyres on one side. "How about I help you? A common enemy may give you two something to share after all..."
Tyres shouted and parried the helmed swordsman’s attacks. "Don’t think you can--"
Before Tyres could finish that statement, he was stupefied as the rapier suddenly changed directions and no longer followed the attack pattern of their last fight. It was as if the first strike was an illusion all along and the true attack was about to pierce Tyres’s neck.
But a lightning-fast tail appeared and swatted the rapier aside. "Don’t get c.o.c.ky! It only makes you weaker!"
The Thundering God in hybrid form lashed out against the swordsman, who surprisingly didn’t teleport away. Instead, the helmed man either parried the many tail and claw attacks or precisely matched them with his upgraded rapier, all the while dancing through Tyres sword strikes.
Rynheart was putting on a show as he stalled and stayed the two fastest legendary gods, leaving Lunara to the slower of the speedy team, Alcahain and Kylon.
"Kylon... You know I treat you like family, like a mother..." Lunara stated, entering her full hydra form. "I won’t take it easy on you but know that I will never forget that, no matter what."
"Thank you, Luna. The feeling is mutual..." sighed Kylon, shifting into her hybrid form.
Once both women were ready and had said their encouraging words, Alcahain was the first to strike. "Don’t forget about me!"
Chapter 700
"Don’t forget about me!"
Lunara readied her defenses and activated her frost body. Her natural defenses were among the best of all gods, arguably making her a better tank than Grixor thanks to her stronger vitality and superior health. While Grixor specialized in physical defenses, Lunara was a master of general defense with a health reserve that could rival Halmut’s. At lv. 99, even without a dragon bloodline, her bloodline strengthened by her nine-headed vitality was just as powerful as a four-time evolved beast, she believed. Now was her time to prove it.
Tanking Lunara’s electrified, steam beath attack, Lunara clashed with Alcahain first. She wanted to remove the weakest foe first.
But Alcahain proved tricky as he nimbly evaded a few of Lunara’s icy breath attacks and closed the distance between them. His strongest punch was thrown into one of her unguarded necks. A loud crack was heard as that neck was snapped and the head began to droop. With a jab of sharpened lightning and earth energy, Alcahain turned his follow-up fist of the on-two combo into a beheading blade.
Successful, Alcahain was proud to have decapitated one of Lunara’s proud heads.
"WAIT!"
Kylon’s warning came too late. Alcahain had fallen for Lunara’s ploy. As the severed head fell, three more encircled Alcahain. Though Alcahain was nimble, he failed to fully evade all of Lunara’s point-blank icy breath attacks.
Alacahain escaped the trap but one of his legs was completely coated in ice, already turning pale before the Brawler God smashed the ice apart. He felt it was a fair exchange, at least until he looked back at Lunara. "Really... That easily?"
Before their eyes, Lunara’s head was already regrowing and in mint condition, unlike Alcahain’s numb, frostbitten leg.
"Would you mind retreating, Alcahain?" Lunara calmly asked. "You’re no longer fast enough to fight against those at a higher level, so would you please step out? You’re honorable enough for me to ask but only once."
Sighing, Alcahain shook his leg and tried to get accustomed to the numbness. "Sorry... but I’m not like that."
"Then next time I strike to kill, not cripple."
Having used her first trick, Lunara shifted to her hybrid form while hurling a rain of icy spears onto the lv. 93 Brawler God. But Kylon’s steam explosion gave Alcahain cover and the chance to heal with a potion.
"Unlike you, I heal naturally. Potions only prolong my win, so why bother?"
"You’re not getting out of this fight, Luna, no matter how much you want to!" Kylon stepped into action as her mind suddenly disregarded her old emotions.
Lunara turned defensive as Kylon took the lead with Alcahain either acting as a decoy or stealing free hits while Lunara focused on Kylon. Their speed was Lunara’s greatest weakness, making it hard for Lunara to take them both out at the same time.
’Switch.’
’What?!’ Kylon was astounded by Rynheart’s message. ’Are you okay--’
’Now.’
Suddenly, while Lunara countered Kylon’s steam explosions with her icy breath attacks, Alcahain attacked Lunara’s underbelly. However, his punch was stopped short and his flexed arm immediately drooped downward.
"You--"
As if he hadn’t skipped a beat, Rynheart stole Alcahain’s life and points before teleporting back to Tyres. It only took one strike to catch Alcahain off-guard and kill the Brawler God.
’Don’t kill her...’
’I--’
’Or she’ll lose the child...’ Rynheart finished, stopping Lunara’s reply. ’Just stall here until I finish them or they flee.’
’Alright...’ Lunara agreed as Rynheart assumed full control of the situation.
Torian remained slightly defensive, not daring to allow the swordsman with ungodly speed to find an opening. He also began to wonder how on earth the man had become so strong so fast. With that in mind, Torian forcefully grabbed Tyres by the neck and rushed toward Lunara. When the swordsman reappeared in defense of the hydra, Torian only rushed to Kylon’s side.
"We’re backing off. Do you dare follow?" Torian stated, getting Tyres to frown but not argue.
"No... be on your way..." replied the helmed swordsman.
Just like that, the encounter was forcefully ended and Torian led his team away.
’Thank you, Rynheart...’ Lunara sighed, glancing at her disembodied head.
’How many times can you regenerate?’
’... Nine times a day, once for each head.’
Nodding, Rynheart stepped forward and extracted some blood from the lifeless head. ’Do you mind?’
’No... I trust you.’
’Keep going... I’ll follow them.’
’But--’
Rynheart added, ’I’m following Jack’s plan, so don’t worry. Keep going.’ Turning invisible, Rynheart disappeared and silently dashed after the fleeing legendary gods.
Lunara stored her lost head, sighed, and reported, ’We’re fine. Alcahain has been removed but the others got away. Rynheart’s following them now.’
’Good, then keep going,’ Jack replied. ’Moranti, how--’
’Can I get some help here?!’
’Are you--’
’Lunara, hop through the rift!’
Suddenly, a rift opened for the Water Goddess and she didn’t question it. Lunara leaped through and found herself running beside Moranti from a group of six people.
’Well--’
"Now we should be fine!" shouted Moranti, turning around and hurling a scathing, flaming spatial slash toward their pursuers. However, that attack began to dwindle away and dissipate before ever reaching its target. But unlike Lunara, Moranti wasn’t surprised. "Try it again!"
Moranti unleashed spatial slash after spatial slash, keeping the leader of the group occupied. "Lunara, don’t just stand there!"
The goddess, still in her hybrid form, sent out a pulse of glacial energy to freeze anything and anyone that dared step up to them. The roxite floor froze over and three of their six pursuers were momentarily immobilized. Two were slowed as well but the leader also dissipated the frost wave as it neared him.
"You’re with Jack, right?" Woltin laughed, holding his staff without a worry in the world. "We were right to fear you, too bad you split up."
"And what about your brother?" questioned Moranti, showing no fear.
Smiling, Woltin replied, "We’re going separate ways so traveling together would only slow us both. Will you give up your points or not?"
"Nah, not until I’m done testing your strength!" Moranti gave a roaring laugh, entering his full dragon form.