Chapter 16
On an undiscovered floor was a scene from hell.
The trees and plants here were awash with dark colors, while the sky was pitch black. Strangely, though, the floor was as bright as day.
Deep within the depths of this hellscape was a castle made of skulls with blood flowing from their eyes. All the streams combined at the base of the castle to form a moat of blood.
In an open courtyard within the castle, a deadly battle had just finished. Hundreds of demons littered the ground, lifeless, except for one.
A lone demon stood among his fallen kin, his body covered in countless wounds. He glanced down and found the reward he so desperately fought for; red lines reminiscent of ancient symbols formed to create a rune on the back of his palm. This symbol was created by plundering from the bodies beneath him. They were the losers, while he, the victor.
Frowning in disgust from his black leathery skin, he let out a grunt. His body trembled as he slowly took the form of a human. Wolf smiled. He was finally able to close his hand without his claws getting in the way. Glancing once more at the rune, he made his way into the depths of the castle until two demons stopped him. They guarded a giant door embedded with countless gems.
Wolf had met them several times before, but only now did he understand their strength. Unlike his small, crude rune, the runes on their bodies were bold and magnificent. How many had they killed? Hundreds? Thousands?
“You lived?” one of them said, more amused than surprised. The derision with which they looked at Wolf lessened, but only by a sliver.
“You may enter.” A deep voice came from the other side of the door.
Wolf pushed open the giant door with all his strength. Inside were the living quarters of the owner of this castle, the most powerful monster on this floor, or perhaps the tower.
A demon sat cross-legged in the center of the room. The first thing Wolf felt was his heartbeat. No, that wasn’t right. It was the runes covering the demon that pulsed with such power the air itself trembled. Unlike Wolf’s nearly static tattoo, the demon’s tattoos traveled over its body in an orderly manner.
Billions. That was Wolf’s gut answer.
The demon’s previously shut eyes opened as it spoke. “You survived, good. You are now a member of my race, although barely.”
To become a demon was simple. Any species could become one; it only required that you repeatedly consume the essence of another creature. Without the correct method, it was relatively easy to lose yourself in madness.
The demon’s back was as straight as a wall as it replied, “I am aware of your situation; you seek power, yes?”
“Strength,” Wolf clarified.
“A form of power.” The demon nodded slightly. “Very well. I have several methods to increase your strength. Actually, there is a painless ritual you can undergo that will vastly increase your power.”
“At what cost?” Wolf asked calmly, already familiar with the way Vex’s methods worked.
The demon smiled slightly. “Your emotions. Simple, right?”
Wolf immediately shook his head. “Then I decline.”
“Are you sure? I guarantee you’ll more than triple your strength.”
“I’m sure.”
“Hmm. Why?” The demon tilted its head. “I thought you would do anything for power. Hell, you even killed your wife and kid.”
Wolf glanced down, hiding the regret on his face. “Killing them saddened me, for a time. But to have no emotions? What’s the point of living?”
“Haha!” The demon’s eyes, two black holes surrounded by a sea of red, stared at Wolf. “So many creatures fail to see such a simple truth. Good, I’ll take your training seriously, then.”
Wolf was relieved. At the peak of his power, everything had gone wrong so suddenly. But now, when he looked at the monster before him, he wondered just how far he could go.
(Mutant Floor Boss) Aamon - Level ???
Health: ???
***
Jason stood in an endless white space devoid of people. This place was the training room, one of the buildings a guild possessed. It was only here Jason felt safe enough to pull out Aros’s sword. Just earlier, he finally acquired enough Battle Energy to reach the next level of his Battle Physique. Besides an overall increase in stats, Jason unlocked a new skill.
Ruler of the Battlefield
Consume remaining Battle Energy to unlock your full potential temporarily.
Gain absolute control over Battle Energy. All skills possess the Battle Energy attribute. All skills that consume Battle Energy cost nothing. Lasts 1 minute. 24-hour cooldown.
After this skill ends, -99% Stamina and Health gain for 2 hours.
It was perhaps the best berserk skill the tower had to offer. Jason was giddy just thinking about it; however, now he had to focus. Aros’s sword was no laughing matter. Back then, just standing next to the sword would’ve diced Jason’s body into pieces from its residual energy.
Aros had explained Jason could only use it when he reached Battle Physique stage three, so it was time to put his Battle Physique to the test. Could he finally wield the weapon of mass destruction?
Jason took a deep breath to calm his nerves and then withdrew the sword. Like before, tendrils of energy swirled around the weapon. This time, they caused Jason no harm, much to his relief. His confidence soared as an unbridled feeling of power flowed from the weapon into his body.
You dare wield me? A bloodthirsty voice abruptly rang in Jason’s mind. In the next moment, a powerful gravitational force came from the sword. Jason watched in shock and horror as the sword sucked the life, or rather, Battle Energy, from his body. In a mere second, Jason’s arm shrank down to the bone. Just as his shoulder and chest showed signs of shrinking, Jason stored the sword back in his inventory.
He collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. The experiment made him realize several things. First, the sword was alive. It possessed a will, which clearly didn’t recognize him as its master. Second, the weapon was a hundred times stronger than Roy's divine-grade sword in the previous timeline. However, Jason guessed he could only wield it if he activated Ruler of the Battlefield. Regardless, it was a powerful trump card.
Once Jason’s Health recovered, he stood up and grew confident for tomorrow. After several months since the Alliance’s creation, it was time to raid Hector. As a mutant, Hector grew more powerful as time passed, yet the Alliance grew even faster. Unfortunately, the robot floors only allowed so much growth.
It was now or never.
Chapter 17
A metallic wall stood in the center of a destroyed metropolis, separating the old from the new. On the other side of the twenty-foot-high barrier sat a large silver mansion overlooking rows of factories and shoddy houses. Thousands of humans toiled away, producing machine after machine. It was ironic. They were giving life to the very thing that enslaved them.
A metal collar held tight around their necks, with only a button needed to activate the bomb hidden inside. As if that wasn’t enough, hundreds of robots silently guarded them. Although the humans wanted to rebel, their bodies were weak and thin. Hector provided only enough food to survive and work, nothing more.
Scout and viper bots patrolled the settlement without rest. Near the metallic wall, five scouts suddenly spotted a transparent human hovering off the ground. Strangely, their thermal sensors detected no heat. Alerted but not yet in combat mode, they followed the flying human to the edge of their territory. When they rounded a corner, a plethora of attacks wiped them out.
Not a second later, cloaked figures shot out from the alleyway and spread out, moving swiftly and silently. They moved in groups of five and numbered fifty in total. Whenever a transparent human baited a squad of robots around a corner, they ambushed them with ruthless precision. Like this, they could exploit the fact that robots didn’t know how to respond to ghosts.
Slowly but surely, the cloaked figures infiltrated the settlement, wiping out eve
ry robot they came across. Viper bots were no exception.
Two hours later, all fifty infiltrators regrouped next to the marble wall surrounding the silver mansion. Jason pulled down his hood and turned to Ebba, who currently gasped for breath. “How is it?”
Ebba leaned against the wall as she struggled to answer. “The entire settlement is clear.”
“Good work, your new undead helped a lot. Teleport back for now.” Jason nodded with a smile.
“Good luck.” Ebba wanted to continue, but controlling fifteen high-tier undead took a toll on her mind. She had no choice but to teleport back to the community floors.
Peter peeked over the short marble wall. “The courtyard is pretty big. We should be fine.”
Jason and Shenlong glanced at each other, their excitement as clear as day. The past few months of preparation were all for this moment. Killing Hector, and more importantly, getting an m-serum. Participating in this raid were the strongest of the Alliance.
Jason turned to Amara as he gestured at the mansion. “The honor is all yours.”
“You want me to use it here?” Amara looked at the beautiful mansion that was worth millions. When Jason gave his affirmation, she smiled innocently.
She took out a heroic grade energy boost module, stepped back, and began to chant a long incantation. Unlike most spells, a large magic circle appeared at her feet as visual phenomena flickered around her. Only after twenty seconds did she raise her finger at the sky and shout passionately, “Meteor!”
True to her words, a massive rock of fire appeared in the sky. It left a trail of flame in its wake as it slammed into the mansion, exploding with such force that the ground trembled violently. If not for the marble wall blocking most of the impact, Jason and the others would have been affected.
“Hahaha! That felt great!” Amara fell on her back, exhausted from overusing her mana. The energy boost module increased the mana cost and power of her next spell by 200%. Meteor was already an ultimate skill with a long cooldown and mana cost, so increasing it further depleted even Amara’s vast mana reserves.
“Who dares attack me?! Is it you, Fox?!” Hector screamed hoarsely from the direction of the now destroyed mansion.
Hearing the voice, Jason peeked over the marble wall and found a lone man standing among the wreckage. The intense heat from the surrounding fire melted his skin, revealing a silver frame. As soon as Jason’s eyes landed on Hector, Hector spun around with a grim smirk. “So many humans still have the guts to fight? So be it!”
(Mutant Raid Boss) The 14th Artificial Intelligence, Hector - Level 145
Health: 623,000/700,000
“Let’s go!” Jason ordered as he jumped over the wall and charged. Shenlong, Peter, and Zhen Hu followed at his side while the rest of their raid fanned out to surround Hector.
“Inferior ants!” Hector sneered as the palm of his left hand faced forward. A thin beam of concentrated energy instantly struck Jason, only for it to miraculously reflect and strike Hector’s shoulder.
“You da—” Hector was knocked back under the combined assault of Shenlong, Zhen Hu, and Peter after activating their berserk skills. Their teamwork was impeccable, each attack in sync with the next. Not only were they in a berserk state, but they also had buffs from their allies' support skills, food, and potions. Each one was a match for Hector in their current state, if only for a little while.
Arrows and magic from the ascenders in the back damaged Hector further. He was unable to retaliate at all. Every time he tried, Shenlong, Dubaku, and Jason would interrupt him, using their awakened souls to read his thoughts.
Hector’s health fell rapidly under the combined assault of the strongest ascenders. Even after the berserk skills wore off, they were still able to hold their own. The fight Jason feared so much was progressing a little too smoothly. Was it because he overestimated mutants? Or was it because his foreknowledge helped them grow faster than the mutant did?
When Hector’s health dropped to 20%, he grew afraid. “Damn it all! You made me do this!”
A pulse of energy exploded from Hector’s body, pushing everyone back. When Jason looked up, he found that Hector’s appearance had changed dramatically. His head now glowed with a blinding light while thick tendrils of energy wrapped around his metallic body. An angelic hum filled the air.
The energy coming from Hector suppressed Jason’s battle energy. What was once a raging river was now a lethargic stream. Even then, his situation was better than most. His allies found to their shock that they were unable to cast any skills and worse, their mana worked against them. They were unable to move a single finger.
Hector lazily glanced at an ascender from Shenlong’s guild named Fei Hong. In the previous timeline, he was the best multi-target healer in the world.
“Behold the power of a superior lifeform, humans.” Hector’s voice reverberated through the air as he pointed at Fei Hong before abruptly clenching his hand.
Fei Hong screamed in anguish as his body burst apart like a balloon, killing him and several ascenders nearby. Amidst the blood and flesh, blue light flew over and gathered into a ball above Hector’s hand. “Hmm, this energy is strange.”
Hector inspected the ball of mana for a second, then tossed it away and laughed. “This energy is inferior to my own. No wonder you humans are so weak!”
Everybody struggled to move as Hector chuckled. Seeing this, he clicked his tongue. “I am the master of all energy. Now, don’t you see how foolish you are for trying to fight me?”
Hector slowly raised his arm and pointed at another ascender. Carly let out a muffled scream as her body trembled in fear. What was more terrifying than being unable to resist as death approached?
Just as Hector’s hand was about to clench shut, a crescent arc of gray energy split the world in half. The air, Hector’s energy, the ground, the sky. Everything. Only after traveling three hundred feet did the arc dissipate.
Hector watched as his left arm hit the ground with a thud. Previous attacks left only small marks, yet now, a single attack chopped his arm straight off. He refused to believe what was happening, but he felt terror when he turned and saw the sight before him.
“Your energy is inferior to my own. No wonder you’re so weak!” Jason sneered as he used Hector’s words against him.
“You…” Hector staggered backward, aghast.
Jason no longer looked human. Gray lines covered his body as Aros’s sword sucked away his Battle Energy. The weapon devoured it all, yet it never seemed to be enough.
Jason felt a connection with the sword’s soul, much like the one he had with Tank. That was why he could sense its disdain for him. The soul entered Jason’s mind, drowning him under its will.
“I am the master. You are the tool!” Jason let out a guttural growl and activated Ruler of the Battlefield. The sword submitted instantly. As it did, the weapon became an extension of his body. Unfortunately, he had no time to get familiar with the sword or soul. Time was of the essence, so he used Killing Intent.
Under Jason’s will, the sword released specs of gray energy in the millions. This was his domain now—his world. A single spec touched Hector’s waist by chance, cutting through it like a hot knife through butter.
Hector wanted to flee, yet he couldn’t move an inch. Compared to his situation, none of the specs neared Jason’s allies.
Even with full mastery over Battle Energy, the sword was too strong. It was like a mortal wielding the weapon of a god. Blood seeped through every pore in Jason’s body as he raised his arm. Just then, the soul within the sword sent Jason an image. Struck by inspiration, he controlled the millions of specs to condense around his sword.
Now free and terrified out of his mind, Hector turned and fled into the sky.
Unconcerned, Jason lightly swung his arm. Blackness followed behind the wave of energy as space itself ripped apart. It continued for miles on end until it struck an invisible barrier. The barrier cracked and shattered, only to repair itself a
few seconds later.
Not a single atom of Hector’s body remained.
Chapter 18
Everyone was flabbergasted by the sudden turn of events. First was Hector’s absurd skill, then the energy Jason released. It was beyond anything they’d ever experienced. Even more, the unthinkable occurred; Jason damaged the floor’s barrier. The tower was considered indestructible, but not anymore. This subtle difference in perspective changed everything.
Roy and Carly shot to their feet to heal Jason when they saw his wounds. Alas, their spells did little. Blood splattered the ground as Jason waved his free hand at them. “I have a d—”
Time paused.
Every spec of air, energy, and particle became bound by an insurmountable force. Jason was alarmed by the sudden appearance of a pale spectacled man with a narrow face and black leathery tail. The man stood in front of Jason and pushed up his glasses. “Hello. I am the Architect.”
An intangible force pulled the sword from Jason’s hand. It hovered in the air as thousands of indecipherable characters flickered across the Architect’s eyes. His brows pressed together. “This weapon should not have appeared in the trial. Where did you get it?”
The Architect snapped his fingers, freeing Jason from the frozen world. Jason looked at the Architect as countless thoughts passed through his mind. Should he tell the truth? Who was the Architect? What role did he have?
“Well?” The Architect pressed with a hint of impatience.
Jason only glared at the Architect. He was unwilling! It was apparent the tower and this person were related, so why should he comply? The tower was the cause of everything. Everything! It forced humanity to undergo a so-called ‘trial’ just to wipe them out when it deemed them worthless.
Towers of Heaven: A LitRPG Adventure (Book 3) Page 8
