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*P* The deafening thump of the wyvern's maing shut echoed through the air as it slowly turs head to look down at me with the eerily human glow in its gaze. Calcutive and curious.
-This is gonna be a real pain in the ass...- Feeling it its aura around me, my pupils dited, and I instinctually stuck up my arms to brace myself.
But instead of ung a spell, or pulling me back toward it with telekinesis, I only found the underside of my arms lit by an e glohat?!- In an instant, the entire valley beh me had been liquified, and the colossal wyvern blotting out the sun hurled itself toward me. *FWOOOSH*
It wasn't going to let me reach the ground no matter what.
"Tch..." *Vwoop* Hastily pulling out my tied-off nce, and st my axe, I tightly gripped the rope and waited.
But in the fra of a sed I gave him, the wyvern pletely closed the distaween us, and opes mouth once more.
-NOW!- *CRACK* Hurling the o the gums between its teeth, I threw myself just out of its jaws befripping the taut part of the rope aing smmed into the wyvern's cheek. *THUMP* The nce was holding, but that wasn't going to be for long.
*Vwoop* Pulling bay axe, I smmed it into the wyvern's horrifically thick scales, instantly getting the axe head stuck.
But it was what I wanted.
*P* As the wyvern ped down, crushing the nd ly slig through the rope, I let it go before adjusting my grip on my axe and pulling my fist back with everything I had.
Being right at the base of its jaw, I was going to simply obliterate it. -Let's make this quick.-
*SNAP-WHHHAAAAMMM* *CRRRRACKLE* The scales on the side of its fastantaneously shattered, with the area right around my fist liquefyiirely.
But... -My hand.. hurts?- Although I hadn't felt the sensation of pain in so long I had nearly fotten about it, as the sharp, jabbing pain followed by an unbelievable burn ripped through my hand, my mi bnk.
My hand broke.
And the worst part... "RRRRAAAAHHH!!" With a deafening roar, the wyvern seemed to grip me with its aura before hurlio the mountainside dozens of kilometers away.
A distance I covered in a matter of seds. *CRACKLE-WHAAAAMMM* But as the mountain liquified and exploded trying to catch me, my eyes stayed on the wyvern's jaw.
It was clearly damaged, with its scales pletely scattered and it writhing in pain as bright red blood seeped from the er of its mouth.
But.. it's jaw was still there... It wasn't even sck... -W..what...-
Had I still had my upgrades, that kind of punch would've removed a se of the atmosphere with it... -Yet not only is the wyvern in one piece.. that punch broke my hand...-
As I id there, watg the wyvern's rage-filled gaze snap to me, I could only feel disbelief. -Did I really.. rely on upgrades that much?- Ever since my system was wiped I kneeaker. -But for my body to bee this fragile...-
I almost couldn't believe it.
But as I watched the massive wyvern in the dista out a furious roar, I felt a fire light in my chest while the sensation of adrenaline flooding my body hit my mind like a drug I didn't know I needed.
*Tap* Gripping my axe as the wyvern hastily closed the distaween us, the fire in my chest spread to my eyes, and a smile spread ay face. -To think I fot what it felt like...- "TO FEEL AWAKE!" *WOOM-CRRAACKK* Ripping my axe from the quickly hardening wall of molten rock, I bolted out of the cave so fast the walls ruptured before stopping and staring into the wyvern's maw with a look of excitement.
-To think all this time, I thought telekinesis was some plex skill...- Thinking back to how the wyvern threw me with its aura, I visualized a long rope f within my aura, looping around the wyvern's maw several times before pushing the ends of the rope away from each other. *VWOOM-P* Watg its jaws be forcefully snapped shut, my smile turned greedy. -I see.. so that's how it is!-
Aura couldn't create force out of nowhere, it was more like a cloud of mist that could be crystallized ints or objects, while needing something with mass to push or pull on to exert force.
It was just like any other object, except devoid of mass, so even at a g was tricky to use. -But what if I used it to spread out the weight of an impact?-
Pulling back my axe with both hands, I instantly drove it into the wyvern's , brag it ay back before spreading the weight of the impact out with a series of massive ns of aura. *CRACKLEE*
*PUMF* The entire area I distributed the impact was instantaneously fttened before being sunk into the ground several meters.
But it was w. *CREAK* Bending my axe ay back, I stood up, f the wyvern's momentum into the grouo me while keeping its face aimed at me. -Alright you oversized bastard...- Wing slightly as my brai like it was tearing itself apart, I looked up at the rest of the wyvern's body hurtling toward me, and stiffened my aura underground in hopes of strengthening it. -Let's see if your neck hahis!-
*WOOOOM* Watg his neck begin folding and bending over itself, my greedy smile widened, waiting for the satisfying snap of bone.
But the snap that met my ears wasn't from the wyvern's neck. *k*
Feeling the unfathomable weight pressing down on me suddenly vanish, I froze. -W..what...-
My axe snapped, uo tinue holding the wyvern's head in pce.
*CH-WHAAAAMM* Immediately correg its head by carving it through the ground, my pupils dited and so it.
If I let it correct itself from the position it was in, I was going to either die, or have to run away.
Without a on or proper resources, I had no way to win.
But instead of taking advantage of its disorientation to run away, in the fra of a sed I watched the wyvern begin correg the position of its head, I bolted at it, pulling back my non-broken fist as I approached its , the back of its skull, while using my aura to slow it down as much as possible.
-I have to put everything in this...- Zoning out, my expression turned cold before my fist teleported into the wyvern's scales.
*CRRRRACK-WHAAAMMMM* Its scales shattered instantly in an attempt to absorb the impact, but as cracks ripped through its nearby horns, its body went limp.
*WooooOOOSH-CRACCKLEE* Smashing apart the fttened rocky mountainside as it limply fell only its back, I stared at it somewhat bnkly while gripping my arm for a moment.
But as my nerves finally eased, a slightly crazed smile washed over my face. "WHAT A RUSH!"
My left arm was pletely broken, with my hand and forearm pletely shattered, and my shoulder thrown out of socket.
But I was used to much worse. *Pop* Casually popping my shoulder ba pce with my other broken hand, I pulled my glove off to see just how bad it was, only to find my hand already purple, and somewhat swollen. -But there aren't any boig from it... How lucky!-
*Cl-l-link* Quickly closing it back up, I holy mostly ig. -Hopefully, my body's ability to heal won't be hindered by my ck of upgrades too...- Normally, su injury would take about a day to heal. -But without mana I 't even guess how long it will take...-
"Hooh..." -For now...- Looking up at the massive wyvern, ying unscious as if sleeping, I used my aura to open its mouth before quickly hopping up into it, and kig the top of one of its fangs as hard as I could.
*CRACK* It immediately bent inward, stig the root out of its gums before I used my aura to push it out and move it into my iory. *Vwoop* -Let's finish you off, shall we?-
Quickly making my way around its tongue, and toward the back of its throat, I hopped down into a chamber that ected the throat to its sinuses with a spt, instantly sinking ankle-deep into a pool of saliva so corrosive, it burned my lungs just breathing near it.
*Vwoop* But as I crafted what was essentially a massive nail from its enamel, and stabbed the tip into the roof of its sinuses, I hopped up onto the blunt head and gave my farewell. "It was a very pleasurable fight, Mister Wyvern. Thanks for waking me up."
Lifting my foot, I used my aura to keep me held down before stomping. *CRACKLE* It drove the bone nail straight into its skull, and pierced its brain.
*Ding!*
Mission pleted You have killed "The Volic Tyrant"Level 9218Rank: Upper -0Received:12,819,115,220 Gold 321 Items:
Critical ErrorNo Further Missions Currently Avaible-It's the same...- It was almost identical to the panel I saw the first time I returo Earth. -But there's no 'feature unlocked' note...- Anxiously reag out, I tapped the panel anyway.
*Beep*
Return AvaibleYou ow return to worlds you have previously visited as long as they have not beeroyed.Avaible Worlds: 1
But the relief only accelerated the dopamine dump that followed the fight. "Hooh..." -Okay...- Quickly trying to ease my nerves with a heavy breath, I popped the bone nail out of the wyvern's skull with my boot before tossing it in my iory.
Before I was going to return to Earth, I wao harvest some of the wyvern. -But I shouldn't lollygag in case another mission pops up...-
As things were, I absolutely could not plete another missio case sario it'd be of equal difficulty to what I just pleted, and I simply wasn't iate to do something like that. -I o learn about mana.. and soon...-
Had I not learhe little bit about aura I had in the half day I was oh, I would have been in serious trouble, and very likely would have had to retreat to e up with airely different pn of approach. -Of course, it would have been easier if I knew what I was fighting from the beginning.- But I also wasn't sure that would've even made a difference sidering where I mentally set my own limits.
"Haah..." -It's done, regardless...- Rustling my own hair as I hopped up and walked back out of the wyvern's mouth, my mind started rag. -Let's just focus on harvesting what I , aing back to Earth...-
Eventually prying open its jaw and walking out, I looked up at the dark night sky, dimly lit by the glow of distant gaxies, nebus, and stars in an effort to calm down.
But my mind never slowed down, and the glow in my eyes never dimmed. "I guess this is the way the universe is telling me I got too fortable, huh..."
I was a bit stressed and anxious, but at the same time, I felt good.
I felt excited. -I only pray that this isn’t the beginning of the end…-
-----Mid Afternoon - Early Summer : Arlington, Virginia | East Coast Uates- Alrek Occoro ~
"This just in. The culprit of the atta the heart ton has been firmed as a retly returned System Merary named Evreir. Currently, the ISO and Uates Military is iigating the matter more deeply, however, the ISO appears to stand by the fact that she was not a destroyer. We have attempted to reach out to Sir Occoro personally in order to firm this rumor, but have not received a response. For now, there is an interview taking pce with the receptionist who ied with her personally at the ISO, so I will pass you all there. Let us watch it together." *Click* The s of the wide TV at the front of my offistantly switched to the interview of our youionist taking pce at the bottom of the spire.
It was the global news broadcast, actively rep on the ihat happened here in Arlington several hours prior. -But we 't release anything on it yet...-
After speaking with the military and almost losing our lives to a gate that suddenly appeared in the middle of the spire, we were at a plete loss at what to do. -If we mark her as a destroyer like the military wants, the public will be satisfied with something to bme, and the chaos will calm down after news breaks that she isn't around.- We could even py it as if we dealt with her. -But if she returns, she might really turn into a destroyer...-
There was just no good way out of the situation we were in.
For the time being, sihe US military and I couldn't e to an agreement, we called upon the Church to see if they knew anything while waiting for my boss to return. -For now, our receptionist should help calm the ive seoward her...-
But while I watched the interview, it was clear the broadcast was trying to twist the story.
*tap-tap-tap-tap* Tapping on my desk, I goward the door, sidering going down and doing the interview myself. -But if the Church firms she was a destroyer after I dismiss it, the ISO's image will be damaged...-
What I needed was the chure out with an oracle to clear the air about it, or even Evren herself to reappear somewhere, perhaps after being transported somewhere by an administrator, but I expected nothing. -If the gate was from an administrator though, the Church should know something about it...-
But even though we sent the message several ho, there was still no response. "Haah..."
*Beep* Hearing the TV beep, I quickly looked back up at it to see the emergency broadcast on. "This just in. It has now been firmed that Jack Ricora, a retively neostle of the Churichael, has been firmed dead in Rid. The cause of death is unknown, but people on site are saying it was caused by a blunt impact to the stomach. We will report on it as we get more information. Now returning to the interview in the Arlington ISO..." *Click*
It was not the news I was looking forward to. -Shit...- It was the person the military stated Evren fought when she first returo the city acc to the military. -The fact she didn't say anything about it is a bad sign...-
It meant she was hiding something...
-Maybe the gate and enforcers were because she was really a destroyer...- Turning around and looking out the window behind my desk as I fell into thought, my expression darkened.
The odds were slowly turning against me, but the more I thought about it, the more my position firmed. -If she's firmed to be a destroyer by the church, I will most certainly catch punishment for not catg it, whether I stand by her being a destroyer or not... And if I call her a destroyer when she isn't.. and she returns, I'll most certainly lose everything I have worked my ass off to gain...-
No matter which side I chose, it would be a gamble.
But there was one dire that gave me better results if I won.
Gng over my shoulder, toward the interview, my dark expression finally firmed. -It may be selfish... But if I don't take this gamble, I'm just postponing the iable...-
"Haah..." Letting out a sigh as I reached for the nyard with my ID on it, I looked up toward the ceiling and spoke softly. "My lord, if I am wrong.. please grant me fiveness..."
It was time to take the gamble that would ge the course of my life as I k...
For better...
Or for worse...
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