Leveling up the World

Chapter 842: Extreme Measures

TERMINAL STRIKE

Dealt damage increased by 1000%

TERMINAL STRIKE

Dealt damage increased by 1000%

Red rectangles stacked up as Dallion slashed through the generals neck. He had been doing so for several seconds now, without any apparent result. To make it more irritating, the void was using a very different way of fighting. Hardly bothering to avoid the attacks, the general simply scattered void matter.

Combining his attack and carving skills, Dallion bombarded the void with a series of slashes. Both of his weapons were infused with spark and magic, as well as covered by a layer of water to avoid direct contact with any void matter.

Interesting precaution, the general smirked. Thats the thing about you, otherworldersnever leaving a dull moment. And always overlooking the smaller details.

A series of void blades emerged from the ground.

MINOR WOUND

Your health has been reduced by 5%

PERMANENT EFFECT LIFE REDUCTION

Your maximum health will be reduced by 5% percent until the status is removed.

The status continues to be in effect in the real world.

Even with a hundred instances, was unable to avoid the attack. Void matter crept up his foot all the way to the ankle. Dallion quickly filled himself with spark, but it was only able to loosen the tar-like substance.

Lux! he ordered.

The firebird emerged, surrounding him with blue flames. The heat made the void matter sizzle, though at an extremely slow rate.

Once again, Dallion changed approach, combining athletic, acrobatic, combat, music, and magic skills in another strike. The force was enough to tear the generals shoulder right off. Moments later, though, a new one re-emerged.

Its impossible to kill me. The generals new hand regained its previous texture. Even the torn clothes were restored to their previous state. Nothing can, even the Moons.

Dallion waved his aura sword, leaving dozens of spell circles in its wake. Aether shards, ice, and lightning struck their target, still unable to pierce its skin.

If youre indestructible, why are you hiding? Dallion asked.

Several spells combined, launching a massive spike of raw aether straight through the generals chest.

TERMINAL STRIKE

Dealt damage increased by 1000%

A massive hole gaped open. For a few moments, it seemed that Dallion had managed to deal some actual damage. Sadly, within moments, black tendrils spawned within it, filling the space up.

Its like fighting liquid, Dallion thought.

Fighting copyettes was similar, but they suffered the damage they were dealt. Also, the void tended to corrupt everything that tried to kill it. If Dallion hadnt covered his harpsisword with water and infused her with spark, she might well be hurt at best and corrupted at worst.

Was that how the weapons had originally become corrupted? Everyone would jump at the chance of killing the void not knowing that it was nothing like the Star. The general never tried to attackhe didnt have to; all his opponents did that for him.

Youre like the abyss, Dallion thought, lowering his weapon.

The abyss? the general asked, amused. When you look into the abyss, the abyss looks back. Im flattered. But youre right. I dont have to fight. Ill win in the end. Its inevitable. All I have to do is wait and leave others to stumble on their own.

STATUS REMOVED

Live reduction no longer in effect.

Dallion looked at his foot. The black goo had completely melted off. Soon enough, Lux would heal his wounds, restoring him to full health. In a battle such as this, though, health didnt matter.

You made the Star, Dallion said, waiting for the skill markers to settle down. Normally, they would catch up to his speed after a while. Now, they kept on appearing and disappearing erratically, as if they were trying to lock on an entity that didnt exist.

Quite the opposite, actually. The first Star made me.

The general took a few steps forward. With each step, his outfit changed. When he stopped, it was the same design as the clothes the people in Aethers memory wore.

Im what dripped in through the Moons barrier. Initially I was, what you would call, feral. My only goal was to consume all that wasnt me. Then I was given through.

Youre a parasite.

I was that too. The general laughed. Parts of me were. Some still are. People couldnt never grasp that. I am the void and every part of the void is me.

Dallion didnt say a word. In his mind, he was going through options of what to do. Normal attacks were pointless. Spark and magic attacks had little effect. What was left then?

Everything beyond the barrier, and all the drops that leaked through, they are all me. It doesnt matter if you kill this puppet or not, there are others. A few of them youve already met.

Just like the copyettes.

Sort of. There was a thread of annoyance in his words. The Order stole that idea from me, along with a lot more.

Would a Moonstone kill him? Dallion asked.

Thats not an answer I can give, dear boy, Adzorg replied. Were in uncharted waters on this one.

What about two?

Youd just be wasting them, the general said. If youre set on using them, just give them directly and I promise Ill leave this part of the world. He laughed. Would be a waste to destroy such valuable items.

Initially, Dallion thought that the entity was mocking him. All his skills and perception told him that wasnt the case.

So, this is what you meant, Dallion said. You are the fragment of the void that is the general. Was this fragment also your grandfather?

Oh, it goes back a few generations more. Being your own parents was a messy experience, but necessary.

Did you want to make Nerosal part of the wilderness? Or was that Arthurows idea?

Poor Art. Always had a flare for the dynamic. It was his idea. As I said, I had only one true goal, but time was never a factor. And since its inevitable that I win, I decided to have some fun, watching the world buzz. He cracked his fingers. Didnt we have this conversation before?

Dallion frowned.

Oh, dont be like that. The Moons do it all the time, and people seem to welcome it. An entire religion is based on it. Meanwhile, I have a cult of idiots whose only goal is to backstab each other to the top.

Sounds fitting to me. In each of his instances, Dallion cast a two-circle spell. There was nothing special in it. In most of the instances, it appeared to flicker out without any effect, but he kept on persisting.

You know that I can read your mind, right? The general mocked.

Only one instance of it. Youre probably seeing bits and pieces that dont make much sense.

Hmm. The general scratched his chin. They were still engaged in combat, but on a different battlefield. In some ways it was almost like fighting an overpowered echothe void could read Dallions mind, but had troubles keeping up with combat splitting. If you become the next Star you can change things.

And destroy the world in the process?

How can you be sure you havent destroyed it already? You already brought me part of the archmages device.

It needs the rest of it to work. I dont have the knowledge, and neither does Adzorg.

I became aware of that the moment you dragged us into this realm. I admit, its a bit upsetting, but time means nothing to me. Rather, its mere existence is something I want to destroy, along with everything else. I have a piece now. After a few thousand years, Ill have enough to complete it and this time, there wont be anyone to interfere.

The general sounded very convincing. On the surface, the logic was impeccable. With eternity at hand, there was no way the void would fail. And yet, Dallion could feel it was lying. The subtle, almost imperceivable fluctuations within his voice made it clear that the entity wasnt as confident as it appeared.

How about no? A hundred instances of Dallion completed the spell. In the real world, their actions would have canceled each other out, but they were in the awakening realm now, and magic was the trait of exceptions.

In the blink of the eye, a hundred pieces merged together, forming one massive spell that spread through instances.

You idiot! the general hissed, his face crumbling in anger. He had figured out Dallions plan, but it was already too latethe spell was complete.

A purple pearl of destruction formed in front of Dallion, falling to the ground. It didnt stop there, burrowing through it as if it were going through air.

Lux! Dallion leaped into the air, knowing what would follow.

The general did the same.

Suddenly, the entire realm cracked, shattered by purple lines.

The Moons might be a tad upset that you used that spell in the real world, dear boy, Adzorg said from Dallions realm.

Only if I lose, Dallion replied. In which case, it wouldnt matter.

The lines spread through ground and air like a spiderweb, then burst into fragments.

REALM DESTROYED

A red rectangle emerged as pieces of the local reality flew about. Interestingly enough, several wounds had appeared on the generals body.

So, you were connected to the arena. Dallion used his echoes to cast another combined spell, then performed a line attack. Directions no longer mattered, with the two of them being the only entities that existed. They surrounded each other like two people in a hall of mirrors.

Massive black hands show out from the entitys body, blocking the attack from reaching the void. That meant to show one thingthe general was vulnerable; more importantly, he was afraid.

Youre just an echo, Dallion said, intensifying his attacks. Aether and spark slashes were everywhere, breaking the darkness as they focused on the general.

MINOR STRIKE

Dealt damage increased by 10%

Red rectangles popped up, appearing with greater intensity around the entity. Having spent centuries as a puppet master, it had forgotten how to effectively fight. In the end, it was nothing more than an echo that refused to vanish from the world. While it was true that it was part of the void, it also had acquired its own personality.

MINOR WOUND

Your health has been reduced by 5%

PERMANENT EFFECT LIFE REDUCTION

Your maximum health will be reduced by 5% percent until the status is removed.

The status continues to be in effect in the real world.

A shard of void hit Dallion. In response, Dallion doubled the number of instances. It was a matter of speed now: who would be able to put in the necessary amount of damage before the other. The stakes were their very existence. If Dallion were to lose, hed return to the real world as the new Star and no one would be able to tell the difference. Hed say the right things, make everyone believe that the general had been defeated, but deep inside hed take control of the Star cult, changing it in ways that would make it grow and spread. If he were to winthe being known as the general would be removed from the world, along with all the debts associated with him.

The intensity of the void shards increased, forcing Dallion to fly about as if he were navigating a maze of spears. Awakened markers of various colors appeared and disappeared everywhere around, but he ignored them.

There was no way they would help. Right here, right now, both of them were within the space between realms. It was only the effects of Dallions second spell that kept them here, though it was unclear for how long.

Yo, general! Dallion summoned the sack of clay pots he had gathered from the dwarven capital. I hear you like artifacts, so I brought you a few.

The pots scattered in all directions, inadvertently flying towards the general.

In a hundred and ninety-three of the instances, the entity avoided them, continuing its own attacks at Dallion. In three, it shattered them instead. That was precisely what Dallion was waiting for.

Welcome to my reality. He used combat splitting to force the one he wanted.