The wind warped and compressed as the disastrous metal-plated arm tore upward through the air.
Seth, long anticipating an attack, swerved out of reach, the tumultuous gust whipping him further back, spinning through the atmosphere.
His armor hummed, purple sigils pulsing as the primordial mist in the core swirled like an activated reactor, stabilizing his frame.
Someone else in Seth’s shoes might have been too overwhelmed by the situation. From his encounter with the eerie trade master until now, everything had been shrouded in a dense mist of mystery.
Even the system was proving vague in both description and quest, but Seth had already deciphered a few things.
From the class quest to the dungeon, he understood the assignment and knew what the system wanted from him.
Seven Foes, Seven Paths — the system said. Adding that to the dungeon’s description about the Seven Immortal Kings and the Seven Heroes...
The way to completing this quest couldn’t be any clearer.
His eyes blazed, his armor flaring to match his intensity, his Gene skill Absolute Resonance burning with full aggression.
He zipped across folding space, reaching the massive creature before it recovered its arm from its outward swipe.
His sword snapped upward, rising high. The Immortal King’s burning crimson gaze stared back at Seth with sinister calm.
A frown hung on Seth’s lips, but he proceeded, funneling essence through the silver blade.
Oscillation and Burden of Will embraced the weapon with their deadly buffs as he swung down!
CLANG!
The blade rebounded off the rusting helm of the Immortal King, sending weak sputtering sparks that barely left a scratch.
Seth’s face twisted in pain as the webbing between his fingers split open, welling red with blood.
His muscles cramped from the sudden rebound of force, his joints aching severely.
The fuck? How was it that he was the one taking more damage than his foe?
He hissed between clenched teeth as an ominous glare burned in the atmosphere.
The jutting crimson horn of the Immortal King slowly lit up.
For the first time, Seth heard his foe speak, making him blink in shock. "You dare blaspheme this King? Die, you ant!"
The crimson horns sparked, a brilliant orb slowly budding between them...
Seth’s eyes widened, his heart lurching, the smell of death so familiar and so close.
His breath fogged. In that split second, myriad calculations flashed through his mind as the attack broiled with furious charge.
This wasn’t a battle between regular people. What seemed slow was actually a series of events executed in seconds.
From Seth’s strike to the Immortal King’s retaliation, barely two seconds had passed. And this attack, though it seemed gradual, was charged in the blink of an eye.
Dodging it? ’No, there won’t be any time!’ Seth concluded.
His sword burst into a liquid splash that formed a massive shield. His essence roared as his Gene skill poured into the Xenon Sphere’s new form.
Silver radiance gleamed, but it was quickly drowned by a sea of red!
A pulsing stream of red plasma burst from the center of the burning crimson horns, blasting straight at Seth!
It whipped him down from the sky into the crimson waters!
The blast came as fast as light, dealing critical damage that even the Xenon Sphere struggled to tank.
Excess damage spilled into Seth, his vitality fading in chunks...
[-18 Vitality!]
[-18 Vitality!]
[-18 Vitality!]
He gritted his teeth so hard blood flowed from his gums, his biceps bulging as he struggled to hold the shield in place. His figure scraped across the earth, the crimson sea bubbling into a scalding boil as he choked on air and foul liquid flooding in its place.
His frame fought against both the crimson water pushing from behind and the beam blasting from the front...
Slowly, the weight of the attack eased as the burning blast died down, leaving the waters in a steaming boil — and hopefully its target dead.
Seth burst out of the boiling water, his frame a steaming mess, but his armor and shield still intact.
Not to mention both the genetic suit and the Xenon Sphere were monarch grade. His battle suit’s functionality alone would never allow his items to be destroyed easily.
He drew as much distance as he needed from his foe, catching his breath as he climbed to higher altitudes.
The only thing that seemed to be his advantage in this battle was flight...
His eyes sharpened with cold calculation as he stared down at the monster.
Impenetrable armor, absurdly high attack power, both long-range and close-range.
It was as though this foe was flawless...
He squinted. That was impossible. The clues from the dungeon’s description said it all — one of the Seven Heroes had dealt with this monster and lived for the glory.
Seth’s eyes gleamed, his grip tightening over the Xenon shield as it slowly morphed back into a greatsword.
’I just have to figure out which Hero faced this thing!’ With that thought in mind, he streaked forward, drawing a purple trail in his wake.
At the same time, the earth trembled as the Immortal King took its first step forward, then another, and suddenly burst into a full sprint!
Its feet dug deep into the now murky crimson waters, its bronze armor radiating a primal ancient sanguine flare.
"Dieeeee!!!" The monster’s crazed voice tore through the wind, buzzing against Seth’s eardrums.
Unfazed, Seth streaked forth, black lightning of annihilation coiling around his figure, along with a simmering pulse of blue that echoed crashing waves.
All three of his Gene skills fully activated, Seth’s prowess elevated beyond margin.
Losing all regard for conservation, he burned his essence with reckless abandon.
The Immortal King’s crimson eyes glowed brighter, its palm wide and already moving. The crimson waters of the sea welled and gathered in its grasp, condensing into a savage butcher blade!
A weapon larger than Seth himself arced straight at him, splitting wind and space in its wake.
Seth wasn’t to be outdone. The Xenon sword expanded in his grasp, matching his foe. His Will coiled around the blade, bending all reality into a single word... CUT!
Purple bled down from the skies as Seth cleaved at his foe.
Crimson rage surged from the earth as the Immortal King struck with an upward swing carrying disastrous momentum.
Seth gritted his teeth, bracing for the clash! The only way to win this battle was to understand his foe, and to understand his foe he had to engage this beast enough to register its attack pattern.
It was either that or remain passive throughout the clash until he died!
Seth didn’t know if dungeons followed the same rules as the origin realm, but he had no intention of finding out through practice.
So yes, even though every fiber of his being screamed that this was a monster beyond his capabilities, even though he wasn’t even sure of his opponent’s rank in power...
Heck, this thing might be beyond the Awakened rank for all he knew. But regardless, he would still strike at it!
His blood pumped with thrilling heat. Beneath the savage glint in his eyes, one could almost perceive his
palpable excitement.
In that instant, the world stilled, the winds halted, the crimson waves froze as both attacks clashed!