MM - Chapter 185 - OUTMATCHED

Whatever Raine had become revelled in the victory of his hatchet sliding deep into the Patriarch’s bark. Never in the past had he dreamed of clashing with a world boss one-on-one and landing a hit. It was impossible. Unthinkable. World bosses were existences that required weeks, sometimes months of research, and even more resources devoted to manpower, equipment, and items to face. Oftentimes, hundreds of Travelers and Vaaterrans would team up to bring them down, and there were always losses. By any normal metric, Raine’s achievement of landing a solid hit could be considered a victory worth dying for.

Killing intent, Raine’s very essence, slithered deep into the Patriarch, heralding the terror of an end that would be delivered by his two hands. At the same moment, a bundle of roots slammed into his side. They came faster than the speed of thought; the Patriarch’s instinctive reaction to pain and fear that exceeded its usual Attack Speed.

Raine was thrown far, and worse, his brain was rattled by the impact, and the delicate state of epiphany was torn from his mental fingers. [Critical hit! -4,981] Exhaustion and desperation returned in a flood as he was snapped back into a cage of flesh. Disorientation seized his thoughts for a fraction of a second, long enough for three bundles of roots to slap him on the way by, each increasing his velocity. Raine hit the ground like a meteor. [-2,477] [-2,519] [-2,428] With one mistake, his tripled health was reduced to less than half.

[Negative affliction expired: Enfeared]

The Patriarch roared, fury incarnate. The glassed ground spiderwebbed with cracks, and Raine was sent tumbling back from the sheer force of escaping air. The Patriarch’s rationality quickly returned, or, at least, a semblance of it. The giant beast’s gaze had turned crimson, and its jowls pulled back in a baleful sneer. 

“I changed my mind. I'm not going to kill you, insect. I'm going to remove your limbs and bury you beneath my trunk. I’ll fill your body with my roots and sustain your pitiful existence even as I sap the blood from your heart! Your feeble lifespan will become an ocean of torment that will not cease until time has taken all but your bones. Then, I shall devour those as well!”

Raine was back on his feet, holding a low ready stance, hatchet firm in his grip. “Good luck with that.” He didn’t need the flashing bar in his interface to notify how low his Discipline had dropped; the exhaustion seizing his muscles did the job just fine.

Reaching for that same state of focus, Raine spread his thoughts wide. Nothing happened. With a rumbling growl, the boss dove forward, moving its bulk for the first time and bringing its roots into range. Lunge barely saved Raine from death. The Patriarch leaped after him, forcing a rapid series of Lunges that ate through his remaining Discipline.

Shit! Any more and I really will die. I know how to take the next step. That’s going to have to be good enough for now.

A bundle of roots lashed forward, slicing through Raine’s afterimage: he was no longer there, but several kilometers distant. The Patriarch blinked in confusion as the target of its fury vanished without a trace.

Surrounded by pristine jungle once more, Raine’s fingers gently caressed the locket always worn around his neck. It had been a while since Returners Privilege saved his life.

[Locket of Rendition: (Lustrous Blue) This beautiful necklace contains a glimpse of what could have been, and what could be again (Durability 75/75) (Innate skill - Returners Privilege: Teleports the wearer to any location visited in the last 5 minutes) (Cooldown: 1 hour)]

After the moment of thankfulness, he tore away at maximum speed toward the shrine where he left Selena. There wasn’t a moment to delay. It wouldn’t take the entitys’ numerous spies long to figure out where he’d gone. Behind, far in the distance, a roar suffused with bottomless hatred rumbled.

That’s why I failed the second time. Its impulses of concentrated killing intent lost nuance and became a tidal wave of anger, washing away all subtlety. I did it, though. I sensed its intent, and combined that with the feedback from Connection.

It wasn’t adrenaline that caused Raine’s muscles to tremble. He’d done it, he’d taken another step, and this one felt far more significant than those that came before. In the past, there was a term for combining True Connection and perception from Mental Abilities: Unification. Those who mastered unification were said to be untouchable. They were ghosts on the battlefield, able to pass through thousands of attacks with their eyes closed.

Raine shook his head fiercely, withdrawing from the brink of indulgence in the superfluous.

What I did wasn’t unification. I couldn’t use skills in that state; I could barely perceive my own body. I was both stronger than usual and weaker. Celebrating before I can do all three at once is pointless. The only reason I felt anything at all was because its mental strength was so high. Against a regular enemy, I won’t sense anything.

That monster is a beacon of mental strength, and I barely felt any of it… I have so far to go. This is why Bhima demands facing challenges, learning from fighting enemies lacking mental abilities would be impossible.

Raine was the opposite of discouraged. He couldn’t wait to face the Patriarch again and continue sharpening his understanding of unification. However, restoring his resources and rushing back in for a second round wasn’t the right call. Even if he couldn’t sense anything from the Fetches, he could use them to find a balance between bloodlust, Connection, and controlling his body. Once he did, the boss’s ridiculous roots wouldn’t have a chance of stopping him.

Before Raine allowed himself to face the boss again, several factors had to be navigated; there was a vulnerable princess who needed to be guided, a world boss that would stop at nothing to murder them both, and Raine’s body was nearly overflowing with Primal Energy.

Flush with excited heat and quivering anticipation, Raine leaned forward, sprinting all the faster toward his next step. And behind, far in the distance, the Patriarch began to move as well, its lumbering steps sending tremors through the ground.

Grandmaster Vought of the Coalition of Masters

- Carter City Interterritorial Airport -

Grandmaster Vought didn’t want to be landing in Carter City at this exact minute. An impending crisis was looming larger with each passing hour, bringing with it a thousand details that only he was equipped to handle. Yet, to act without sufficient knowledge was a cornerstone of failure. This was not a situation where failure could be allowed a foothold; the lives of millions were on the line.

During the short hypersonic flight, Vought had thoroughly researched over fifty worldwide cases of martials experiencing sudden and inexplicable growth. Each case was tied to a specific name, a name he wished to never hear again. ZionLine was transforming average martials into powerhouses one after another, proving Vought’s fears were a very real possibility. Worse, his agents had confirmed that resetting and even dismantling the hypernet nodes was insufficient in stopping the cursed ‘game.’

So far, Raine KongRu was the only non-martial rapidly advancing through the ranks. At least, the only one Vought’s people had found on such short notice. Others would follow, he was sure of it. With so little information available about KongRu, the only way to know if average citizens would soon rise up against the government was to question the man directly.

Did KongRu have previous martial training? Was he really part of a multi-year beta? How long did they have to prepare before regular people grew out of control? Vought would have his answers soon, for there were fewer than two hundred grandmasters in the world capable of stopping him, and none lived within five thousand kilometers of the insignificant Carter City.

Pressurized air hissed as the plane’s door opened. Fresh, morning sunlight beamed inside, heralding a new dawn for mankind. Unfortunately, from what Vought could see, this new future would be one drowned in blood.

Celeste Luu Rahn

- Mirror Lake Town -

Celeste couldn’t believe how quickly events were spiraling out of control. Just three hours ago, the 4th, 7th, and 12th detachments had been grumpily tromping across hilly plains, fending off a monster rush while finally drawing closer to Hammer Smith Town. Before she knew it, they were surrounded by an army a thousand strong. The enemy appeared from thin air, having logged in simultaneously right when her forces were in their center.

Chaos reigned supreme. Thousands of elemental Blasts and arrows fell around her, claiming the lives of her people faster than she could process. Screams of misery and shock choked the air. Celeste couldn’t think. No orders left her lips. The question of how she was supposed to get them out of such a thorough ambush echoed dully through frozen thoughts.

It was Rhino’s voice that somehow rose above the clamor of death. “Don’t you dare fucking die without taking one of them with you! For Astra Infernum! For glory! Fight!”

Right. Of course. What kind of hopeless idiot thinks there’s a way out of something like this? We lost before the battle even began. But that doesn’t mean we can’t make them pay for the victory!

Celeste Leaped high, then Lunged even higher. Arrows and skills flew her way, but she was out of reach too quickly. From far above, it was more clear than ever how hopelessly outmatched they were. Her three detachments totaled little more than four thousand. Like a kicked hive of ants, the enemy swarmed from all directions, easily outnumbering her people ten to one. Celeste didn’t know how to count so many.

As gravity’s inexorable pull triumphed, Celeste began her revenge. Charged Blast was both her most challenging skill to utilize and her most powerful. Splitting her thoughts, she focused on both ends of her staff. Choosing fire, Celeste perfectly mapped out her movements in advance, including precisely when her Blasts would be released during the arc of her swings. As Raine taught her, if she didn’t decide in advance, the Blasts would choose a random timing to cast, potentially hitting one of her people.

Further focusing, Celeste specified the exact quantity of Elemental Power for both skills and how it should be applied to boost the acceleration, intensity, and area of effect. What felt like limitless energy rushed smoothly from her navel, through her chest, and down her arms. She drank in the intoxicating sensation of flowing mystical energies even as twin balls of crackling flames ignited. Of everyone she’d talked to, none claimed to feel the same things she did when using Elemental Power. They were missing out.

“Ha! Ha!” With two powerful strikes, Celeste unleashed both skills with all her Potency. Unfortunately, Charged Blast didn’t come with its own propulsion, though, with how far up she was, it wasn’t difficult to massively boost her usual range.

The final touch of her skills came from the Staff of Demonic Incineration’s Demonic Infusion. The Blasts fell in smooth arcs, gaining speed. Like radiant shooting stars amidst an entire cosmos, they fell almost unnoticed. That ambiguity ended the moment they impacted their targets. Expanding detonations of sticky, viscous, purple flame washed over dozens of Astra’s enemies. Only a few in range survived the initial explosions. They died a second later, burned to ashes by the DOT from her staff.

Before the first two landed, six more Charged Blasts were already in the air. Within only a few seconds, Celeste killed hundreds, maybe even a thousand, but it was a drop in the ocean. More came, filling in the holes she blasted in their ranks. Celeste snarled. If they killed five thousand of hers, she would kill twenty thousand of theirs.

Utilizing Discipline and Connection to Lunge, while simultaneously throwing out complex Charged Blasts was still beyond Celeste. She cycled between the two, falling in a blaze of glory, only to soar back into the air, remaining out of reach. All the while, the number of allies she had to worry about hitting dwindled further and further. Soon, they would all be gone, and there was nothing she could do about it. Celeste’s eyes stung. She had failed, again.

“Crimson! Above!” Mel’s voice miraculously reached her ears over the howling wind.

Trusting her friend explicitly, Celeste lay flat and spun. Her eyes widened at the sight of a hundred Skydrifters descending straight for her in a tight formation. As one, the drifters were stored, and the falling warriors grabbed each other, forming a large clump. Celeste didn’t manage to figure out their plan before they enacted it. Rather than Connection, they utilized each other as springboards to Lunge, Leap, and Charge straight for her.

Celeste had scant moments to respond. Her Blasts were charging when recognition bloomed. Despite wearing new, shadowy armor—complete with dark, obfuscating hoods—Celeste saw several familiar faces. She met them in an arena where far too much gold traded hands, and where irreconcilable grudges had been formed. These were not some shabby elites from CronGate or DyingNight; these were the personal disciples of the Phoenix Clan’s Damien Tafell. Rising Endlessly had thrown in with Astra’s enemies, and they had come prepared to face her specifically.

Samson, the very rogue she’d defeated upon the sands, kicked off from one of his ally’s palms and immediately vanished. The hair across Celeste’s back stood on end. The bubble of Connection she maintained around herself pulsed as a sharp point penetrated it. 

There was no chance of turning in time. Abandoning her Blasts, Celeste Lunged away just before she was perforated by a pair of wickedly sharp, Marvelous Gold daggers. Samson released a bark of laughter, waving cheerfully as he fell toward the ground. In forcing her to dodge, he’d saved several of his allies. 

They descended in a storm, and no matter how many times Celeste Lunged, she couldn’t escape the ones who had used Charge. Their skills tracked her movements, bringing the dangerous, high-level elites straight to her. In a flash, Celeste was overwhelmed. Her staff whipped out, but it was no use. Each Charge delivered a significant payload of force and damage. They came one after another, sending her hurtling toward the ground.

White hot agony was her entire existence, right up until the darkness claimed her.

[Charged Blast: (Adept - Ice x2 / fire x2) Launches a ranged attack with staff, wand, or bare hands increasing damage by 75% Manipulate one or more facets to suit your needs. Range, Acceleration, Intensity, Force, Area (Cost: 1-26 EP depending on facets) (Cooldown: 1 second)]

[Staff of Demonic Incineration: (Marvelous Gold - LVL 25) (EP +150) (DEF +35) (AS -.25) (PHY +60) (CNC +60) (Durability 200/200) (Innate skill - Demonic Infusion: Convert any conjured flames to those of demonic origin granting viscosity that deals 100% damage over 5 seconds) (Uses: 100/100 refreshes at midnight)]