As the light blasted outwards, erasing evidence that the [Avant Atelier] was even around them all, one of the nine colourful spots on Rafnuung's haft disappeared.
The battle axe specialized in storing singular, super-enhanced charges of all nine Seeds of the Fruit of World Myths and releasing them every time it made contact with an obstacle. The harder the contact, the stronger the effect.
Once released, Skullius would have to recover a depleted charge by having the Magnus Mantle come into contact with the Fruit of World Myths – a tedious task.
What he had released just now was a frighteningly powerful charge of Delight's Pursuit, which put the enemies under an illusion of desire. It wouldn't last long, though, given that they were Deities. In fact, two had been completely spared from the effect, likely because of some Andori, Physique, or Parlous Nature. They were already charging from within the light as it began dying down.
Thus, Skullius worked fast.
His Numinous Ichor armour was almost impenetrable when it wanted to be, and whimsical when there was a need. It shook and spat a sliver of the god-killing poison, which was immediately limned against the edge of Rafnuung.
…And then Skullius swung the axe gracefully, plunging the poisoned edge into a nook between one of the stunned enemies' helmet and breastplate. The edge met flesh.
Skullius struck again at the other enemy before flinging Rafnuung at the oncoming survivors of Delight's Pursuit. When the axe's target chose to meet it with a Treasure, a tower shield, another charge was released from the Mantle on impact.
Suddenly, ten thousand Rafnuungs, shadowed and without a speck of light to their design, rained against the two Deities, stalling them.
Crude World Projection.
The projections weren't nearly as powerful as the original, but the two seconds they bought Skullius, ramming against the enemy's Amras, were just enough time.
The Hybrid observed his two other victims. One of them was already on death's door. Overwhelming agony tore the Deity out of the illusion. He screamed at the top of his lungs, his flesh, blood, and bone spilling from the gaps in his armour as a piping hot, grey, shiny sludge. Even his soul leaked out, just as tangible and just as disgusting, squelching below. The corrosive power of the Numinous Ichor made a meal out of the Deity's Broader Existence from there, killing them swiftly.
12 milliliters of Ichor…
A mere 12 milliliters of Ichor was enough to slay a Deity.
'At least one of this caliber…' thought Skullius, and again, he lamented how the guidance field didn't announce his kills.
Indeed, he'd noted it since after he'd landed in the Quadrosphere, when he was looking at the growing Retucent, trying to appraise it. That was when the guidance field had said:
[Operational Deficiency Notice]
[Host Patronage Rank is too low. All guidance field functions suspended within the bounds of Breaking Chasm]
It was frustrating indeed. To think Breaking Chasm could even limit the guidance field…
Not even the Null Verse could do that.
For now, however, Skullius focused on the positives. He'd dwell on this later.
He had poisoned one of the Deities to death with Ichor, but for the other…
The victim remained trapped in desire, but his body inflated from within the Void rank armour. Ju`wtte and Maximum Jaqquezjaqqz sparked from his body, as modest tendrils at first, and then as great plumes, flaring as the Deity ballooned further and further…
Finally, their armour couldn't stand it. It fell away, making way for a…tree. A fat tree with light blue bark and leaves. Its form kept getting leaner as the bulbous, flesh body it was born from depleted, becoming a series of crooked branches.
Skullius hummed in amusement as the tree flourished.
…But when it began to bear fruit, fruit that was… alive and screaming, he cancelled the whole affair. The great tree began melting just as the first Deity had melted when Numinous Ichor fed into its body.
The entire thing splashed as a gooey pool below, with Skullius watching. Half a frown was on his face, but it was born of focus rather than tension or disappointment.
Skullius was… furiously excited.
'How did that bastard not take advantage of this?' he thought, dumbfounded.
One simple trick. One simple trick was all it took, yet that Warmoth bastard…
Numinous Ichor was born of Mortal Ruin and Cold Oblivion. It was a fatal poison for sure, but Skullius recalled all the potential Cold Oblivion had on its own. Eager to reach that potential, he had used Maximum Jaqquezjaqqz to invert the properties of Numinous Ichor, and the result was…
Skullius drew a breath.
'Why wouldn't you take advantage of power like this? Was it because you couldn't?'
He couldn't believe it.
That couldn't be him.
For the current Skullius, this was everything.
Everything was falling into place.
His own potential was going to be actualized because of this, and not just that which belonged to his race.
As an Authority operating outside of the Null Verse, he was going to be unstoppable, and not for the most obvious reasons.
'Ha. Well, there goes my interest. I have gathered enough intel.'
The two Deities who had managed to stave off Delight's Pursuit were still weathering the rush of axes by Rafnuung's activation of Crude World Projection… when squiggly flashes of vermilion swam into view, hiding among the axes, twisting unevenly, unpredictably, and piercing through their Amras defense. Truly absurd volumes of Null Life Essence limned them, allowing a single chance to breach the Deities' defenses and snipe them where they were vulnerable.
Instantly, the two Deities boiled and melted from the inside, spilling sludge from their armour. The rest of the Deities, still stolen by desire, followed, turning into horrid pools under heaps of armour.
"And now…"
Skullius' eyes, projected through the [Avant Atelier], had been keeping an eye on the captain of the dead troops. The man had remained still and composed the entire time, not minding the fates of his company. No doubt, he knew very well that they were all dead.
Still, the most curious thing about this figure was the thing hanging from his waist. It was like a lantern, a smooth, crystal glass crested by silver steel. There was an eerie, gloomy blue glow oozing from that fist-sized crystal glass.
Whatever the purpose of this lantern was, Skullius was sure it wasn't entirely benevolent. Runes kept flashing from within the light in that glass, after all. Powerful Runes.
Amusing…
Reining in the [Avant Atelier] – which devoured all the Deity corpses, leaving nothing behind – such that it sat over his torso again, Skullius faced this last enemy.
The man was leaning against the pommel of a nasty warhammer, looking straight at Skullius, composed, through the visor of his helmet.
For almost ten seconds, the two entered a stare-down that seemed to have no end until…
"You seem so proud of yourself."
A cocky voice. It slithered from the helmet, and its intent rimmed through Skullius' very flesh before reaching his soul, even though he was on high guard.
That wasn't how he knew communication to function between high-level Divines. The intent of his enemy was clear – too clear. It was as though he was speaking in a language that was both foreign to Skullius, yet so familiar that he remembered having learned it before he even became an Undead – the day he was born a living soul.
"Putting on such a show against my familiars…" said the enemy, and he lifted his great, golden warhammer off the ground and slung on his shoulder. "I bet that was your first time fighting against a Cosmic tier Andori, wasn't it?"
—-
[Author's Note]
Just for clarification, the guidance field sends out the same message revealed in this chapter whenever Skullius tries to appraise.
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