“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
The ground was torn apart and exploded, but Exitus quickly dodged everything. The boy ran around Gaiman while simultaneously hurling dark spheres at him. The spheres collided with the barrier of Will surrounding Gaiman, creating a shroud of black mist that obscured both their visions. For a brief moment, Gaiman couldn’t locate the boy. He was surprised to witness Exitus using magic without a doubt, the child before him was a champion. Gaiman felt intrigued. He believed that at the same level, he wasn’t weaker than anyone, but he’d never had the chance to face a champion before.
Within Gaiman’s body, his first magic core glowed. He activated the spell Wind Blade, unleashing a storm that wiped away all the surrounding darkness. Not stopping there, Gaiman summoned countless blades of wind that flew toward Exitus. The sharp wind blades sliced through trees, yet Exitus easily blocked them. His arms were infused not only with mana but also with Will, a fusion of power only champions could perform, granting his arms terrifying strength and defense, crushing all wind blades in their path.
Exitus surged forward like a missile, his punch easily shattering the Will barrier protecting Gaiman. His fist slammed into Gaiman’s lower abdomen, the impact launching him backward through the forest, shattering countless trees before finally coming to a stop.
The strike was so fast that Gaiman could hardly defend against it. Even the six-winged angel beside him couldn’t react in time. Exitus had recently broken through to the rank of Battle King. As the heir of Madenes, his strength was developing at an astonishing rate beyond common understanding or more precisely, Exitus was gradually reclaiming the power rightfully his. By fusing mana and Will, he could deliver attacks with destructive power far beyond his current level. This was the overwhelming advantage of a champion.
Gaiman was seriously injured. If not for his Will reducing the damage, he might have actually died from that blow. The writer no longer dared to be careless. The six-winged angel flew to his side, guarding tightly. His second magic core lit up, and Gaiman created a wind barrier surrounding him. This barrier not only provided defense but also enhanced his attacks. Gaiman invoked "Wind Blade", the wind blades now flying toward Exitus at much greater speed. Meanwhile, his "Shadow" also launched relentless attacks. The light swords and wind blades ravaged Exitus’s position, destroying nearly half the forest. Smoke and dust rose, and the shockwaves reached as far as the battlefield at BlackGate, causing both Voga and Net to frown.
“Huff... huff...” Gaiman panted heavily in exhaustion. He had used his fastest, strongest spells. He was certain Exitus was trapped within the blast zone, unable to escape. Even a champion couldn’t withstand such a barrage. Gaiman sighed. He didn’t know why Exitus hadn’t dodged, but if the boy was arrogant enough to try and block it, he had made a grave mistake. However, perhaps Gaiman celebrated too soon. As the smoke cleared, Exitus stood unharmed. In front of him was a white skeleton clad in mysterious armor, black flames flickering in its eye sockets like the fires of the abyss. The aura it emitted was powerful and overwhelming, the very air around it consumed by an eerie dark mist.
It was none other than Vorshade, Exitus’s personal guard. It was no longer an ordinary Skeleton. Having absorbed over 10,000 souls from recent battles, Vorshade had become and continued to evolve into a mighty Emperor.
The difference between an Emperor and a Battle King? It lies in the “Domain.” An emperor must possess their own territory, and within that territory, all must bow.
“Vorshade - The Skeleton Emperor” (Max/???)
“The strongest of the Skeleton race, named by the heir of the DarkGod.”
Gaiman’s jaw dropped as he stared at the monster before him, fear flooding his face. Even the Shadow beside him trembled. As a wise man, Gaiman could fully confirm that the skeletal creature standing there was an Emperor, a true Emperor who possessed a "Domain", unlike the fake ones like Ti. He knelt in utter despair. Only an Emperor could stand against another Emperor. No matter how arrogant he had been, Gaiman never believed he could win. He looked at Exitus in disbelief. Just who was this boy? Who would believe that a mere child possessed a summon of Emperor rank?
“Y-You… just who are you?” his voice trembled, cold sweat soaking through his fine suit.
Exitus looked at Vorshade with satisfaction. Through recent battles, he had gathered countless souls to evolve it. Ten thousand souls meant nothing in the face of war. The only pity was that Vorshade could not progress any further. It required some hidden condition to reach the legendary divine rank. Returning to the battle, Exitus cast a cold glance at Gaiman. As one of the masterminds behind Horta’s assassination, Gaiman was destined to die today. However, like Doc, Gaiman was a talented individual, and his Shadow had great potential for growth. Perhaps Exitus could show a bit of mercy by preserving his soul for a higher purpose.
"Crac" At the capital front, King frowned as Gaiman’s Life Stone shattered. “What happened?” In a brief moment, his guild had lost three extremely powerful Guardians. First was Rowing, then Shelley, and now Gaiman. As for Shelley, although her stone only cracked, being missing for too long was equivalent to being dead in King’s eyes. Gaiman’s death was a regret. He possessed both supreme intellect and immense potential power, making him a top candidate for the future Guildmaster of The Writter.
If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
“Damn it! Who did this?” King roared in rage; his Will burst forth, blasting apart nearby Hesmor soldiers. Training a Writer was extremely, extremely difficult, a Writer was even rarer than a mage. The continuous loss of core members drove King to madness; the cost of assisting Richer was simply too high.
“Hmph! This is our last collaboration, Richer! Next time, even if I disobey Omen, I won’t help you again,” King swore to himself.
Below, Ti was like a wolf thrown into a flock of sheep, continuously devouring countless Hesmor soldiers. It opened its bloodied mouth, chewing and swallowing entire bodies, armor included. Its mouth seemed to lead to a bottomless space. The more it ate, the more frenzied it became. No one could resist fear and to those who feared, it was a god. All attacks upon its body were useless, physical or magical, as long as the opponent felt fear, their damage was nearly zero.
Suddenly, a golden statue charged forward and pierced through Ti’s body, sending blood spraying. Ti stared in shock at the wound on its stomach. It knew the golden statue could not fear, but wasn’t it an ally?
“Don’t zone out! It’s a puppet! Someone’s controlling it,” King said calmly.
“A puppet?” Ti muttered, then suddenly noticed that each statue was connected by a thin mana thread. All the threads converged on a single point, a red parrot wearing a mocking smile.
Mulock controlled the enhanced golden statues to encircle Ti; these emotionless constructs were the perfect counter to the fear-eating monster. Yet, judging from Ti’s calm expression, Mulock knew it wasn’t truly hurt. All he could do was stall until reinforcements from DragonScale and NightWing arrived.
A crazed look flashed in Ti’s eyes, sending chills down Mulock’s spine. It had noticed him. Just as Mulock was about to transform into Bethemoth, reinforcements finally arrived.
Drake led more than 500 half-dragons into battle, reversing the tide for Hesmor’s army. The soldiers were no longer slaughtered one-sidedly and now had a moment to catch their breath. A half-dragon quickly “Dragonized,” punching a golden statue, deforming it. He tore off its limbs and twisted them together, immobilizing the statue and leaving it trembling on the ground. Another half-dragon breathed scorching fire, liquefying a statue on the spot.
“These statues don’t feel pain, they have no emotions. Restrain their movements and leave them to the half-dragons or fire-type warriors to destroy,” Ceasar shouted, commanding the remaining Hesmor soldiers.
After just a few hours of fighting, Hesmor’s troops had been cut in half, causing Ceasar’s heart to bleed. These soldiers weren’t just Hesmor citizens who volunteered, many were mercenaries hired from Noland. If news of this spread to Noland, who would dare work for the Fugger family again?
“Soldiers, raise your spirits! Look! It’s all pure gold! Win, and everyone will receive a worthy reward!” All Ceasar could do was boost morale again. People like King and Ti would be dealt with by others more powerful.
From afar, Drake shot forth like a cannonball, ramming Ti into the ground. Without pause, Drake released a scorching jet of fire from his mouth, melting the earth into a pool of lava that buried the clown’s form. Having completed his actions, he spread his wings and flew into the sky, calmly observing the crater. Drake sensed that Ti was still present. As a "Shadow," Ti would not truly die. He would simply dissipate. Clearly, the previous attacks were not enough to make him fade.
From the crater, Ti crawled out with layered wounds covering his body, skin and flesh charred black, limbs twisted and broken, bones exposed. His gaze was calm; injuries were merely trivial to him. A half-dragon warrior seized the opportunity and lunged to decapitate Ti, but Ti caught him. His arm stretched like a serpent, wrapping around the unlucky half-dragon’s neck.
“Hmph! Don’t think I don’t know your Ability! We’ve observed and analyzed you thoroughly! As long as I feel no fear, you won’t be able to do anything to me.” The half-dragon sneered, struggling to escape Ti’s grasp.
The monster grew furious. These fools seemed to underestimate his power. Ti glared at the half-dragon in disdain, yet still opened his mouth wide and swallowed the man whole.
“What?” Drake was shocked. Wasn’t it said that if one did not fear, nothing could happen?
Ti spat a glob of saliva onto the ground. “The taste is awful.” He shook himself, causing charred flesh to fall from his body. Soon, Ti was once again restored to perfection. He thrust his pinky finger deep into one ear, poked it through to the other side, then pulled out a clump of slimy blood and flesh.
“If they aren’t afraid, they taste like shit! I don’t want to eat that a second time, so I suppose I’ll have to help you all understand what ‘fear’ truly is.”
His body began to mutate. Countless eyes sprouted across his face; from his back, countless legs and arms burst forth. Ti grew larger and larger. Before long, he became a colossal beast. His maw opened wide, revealing a bottomless pit lined with dense, jagged fangs. He roared, a chorus of voices, adult and child, male and female, blending in a twisted cacophony. At this moment, even the brave and hardened half-dragons could not suppress the fear rising from the depths of their souls.
“What he’s creating is a form of 'Domain'. Being near it, one cannot help but feel fear. His strength has nearly reached the Emperor level.”
Drake observed the situation and spoke coldly. “His Domain isn’t complete and not very large.” He ordered all half-dragons to retreat and attack from a distance.
“Don’t approach him! Use firepower to pin him down! He’s a Shadow as long as his summoner dies, he will dissipate.”
“Where is he?” Drake growled with murderous intent as he searched for King. He wanted to personally eliminate the summoner to avenge the life of the half-dragon who had just fallen.
Contrary to everyone’s expectations, King had already fled far away. What a joke! Ti could be immortal, but he was not. Though King was a powerful Sorcerer King, he wasn’t delusional enough to fight everyone alone. Besides, he had already bought enough time. Richer’s fusion was complete. The Writter’s duty was finished.
“The rest is up to you, Richer.”
King opened a portal and began to fade away. Just as he vanished, the massive form of Ti in the distance also grew increasingly blurry. Seeing his body on the verge of dissipating, Ti gazed at the feast before him with longing. Someday, perhaps, he would break free of these constraints and become a true living being.