BREAK: 5,999
DEFENSE: 4,999
ENMA SHIELD: 15,999
Reflect: 122%
Absorb: 96%
POISON HIT CHANCE: 50
POISON BONUS DAMAGE: 44
My stats had recovered and gone up. The change wasn’t so drastic, but it seemed I had hit the limit yet again. Other than that, I had no idea what the reason could be. But if I had hit the limit, that meant my true stats were even higher. And that was without the buffs. I still found it strange, though. Did Bura have such a huge impact on my stats? And sure, the thirty or so levels I’d gotten over the last weeks played a role in it as well, but the true culprit must have been hitting the peak of the second realm and being halfway on the first Bura realm.
I grinned and nodded to myself. Once this crap with the Zanoxian was over, I would have the time to cultivate further and to level up to one hundred so I could get my hands on new gear. Once I’d done that, I would go back to Sylmar and Farz to flex my muscles a little bit and get the power structure set up.
The sky suddenly turned dark, and lightning struck the ground all around us. Veles appeared in all her glory, her hair and dress fluttering in the wind that started up the moment she appeared. It was impressive, I had to give her that, but it was far from impressive enough to awe me. I’d seen it several times, though never in this kind of opulence.
“Viktor, we need to have a chat. Right now.”
“Deity,” I replied with a slight nod. “Aren’t you early?”
“No, I’m not. Look at your counter.”
I frowned and stared at the periphery of my vision. Damn. What the hell were they playing at?
“Who requested it?”
“Who do you think?” She snickered and shook her head. “Vulcan obviously. He’s afraid that they might lose, so he urged the Supreme with cheap words like ‘what can he do in a single day?’ and ‘aren’t you all impatient to see the outcome?’ and some other lazy excuses.”
“And the Supreme indulged him?”
“Why else would I be here? To waste my time chatting with mortals?”
I didn’t say anything for a long moment as I thought hard about what to do. There was nothing I could do since they’d stolen my time.
“How am I being reimbursed for stolen time and breach of the agreement?”
Her eyebrows rose, and a smirk replaced the earlier scowl. “You’re not so dumb after all, little Viktor. Tell me, what do you want?”
“I want a portal that connects to the rift Grawl obtained. It needs to go both ways and stay there forever.”
“I assume you don’t want it destroyed if you lose?”
“Why would that even be an option? The tower isn’t being destroyed if I lose, so what kind of wild idea is that?”
“You’re technically right, you know. But technically doesn’t mean much when those above you like to play their own little games.”
“Can it be done?”
She nodded and snapped her fingers. I felt a surge of power come from nearby and turned around to see a third portal being born out of nothing. It was red, just like the color of Bura.
“He said yes and will give you fifteen minutes to prepare and meet us outside your protected zone.”
I turned around without bothering to see her off or wait until she was done. I ran for peach tree and took in a lungful of air.
“Everyone! Get your asses out here immediately! We’ve only got fifteen minutes until the rift explodes!”
Some of the hunters gave me strange looks; people started appearing in mere seconds. From the inn, from the support buildings, from the hunters’ living quarters, and from the left wing. They gathered rather quickly, which was a good thing. Before they were there, I glanced over my shoulder. Veles was still there.
“What?” she yelled. “What’s with that look?”
“Just making sure you and your Supreme know you aren’t doing me a favor. I could have had everyone evacuate to the tower! Don’t think you did anything but screw me!”
She waved me off as if I were yapping in the wind. That didn’t matter, as all I wanted was to tell them to go screw themselves. And this was the second time she’d let them screw me. I had an interesting thought for when I won, but that was only if they let me wish for anything I wanted.
Most of the hunters and their partners, kids, and whoever they had with them had gathered in the first two minutes, giving us thirteen minutes to get the hell out of here. Donald, Mark, and the ladies were almost last to come out. They must have been resting or something.
“We don’t have as much time as I thought we’d have. They cut us short by a day, but we’ve got a portal to Grawl’s rift. Get your stuff and go there to wait out whatever happens with our duel.”
“Wait, what?” Mark hissed. “What the hell did they do again?”
“Screwed me over by moving the battle up,” I replied. “Come on, hurry up! Get your stuff and get moving!”
No one spoke. Not one of my closest four, not Edge, and not one of the hunters.
“I think that’s all the answer you’re getting, Viktor,” Veles called out from behind me. “If they want to share your fate, then let them.”
I turned to look at her again. Her expression was more one of mockery than worry about what was going to happen. A sudden thought dawned on me. “You bet against me, didn’t you?”
She shrugged as if it had been the most ordinary thing in the world. And she didn’t look guilty at all. A smirk had formed on her lips and was turning to a full-on grin. “How did you figure it out?”
“Because you let them bully me two times already. And this was just icing on the cake.”
The grin turned into a frown, and she disappeared from view. I waited for several long seconds for her to reappear, but she never did. Sweat had broken out on my brow, and my palms had begun shaking, but I was lucky there.
“That could have gone either way,” Edge muttered. “For a moment I thought she was about to murder all of us. Except you, you know. Since you’re her champion.”
“Yeah, I guess,” I said and scratched my stubble. All of this was unhealthy and starting to get on my damn nerves. “So I guess you want to stay and watch?”
“We don’t have a second home, Vik,” Mark said. “And I miss our hunts together. Maybe we could hunt some shit once you win.”
“Yeah, I’d like that, but why does this look like a procession? I still haven’t lost.”
“I have an idea!” Melina said as she put her arm around my waist and looked up at me. “Why don’t we have a damn party? If we’re going out, then I want to go out with a bang!”
“Oh? That sounds more appealing than going out there by myself.”
“Hell yes!” Mark roared. “Everyone! Get the drinks and the meat! Get the barbeques, and let’s have a damn celebration!”
The hunters roared in approval, and their wives, girlfriends, and sisters screamed. It was all so surreal. I barely knew most of the hunters, much less their families, but they all knew that this was their choice and that I had done all I could to make them the baddest hunters possible.
It was a strange sight, but one that warmed my heart. The hunters dispersed, and I just couldn’t help but feel… relieved. If it was about to be my end, then I wouldn’t be there alone. And if I did manage to win somehow, then we’d party until night. Veles be damned! I’d make her pay one way or another. All of them.
At the twelve-minute mark, we were ready, and everyone had their families with them. They all knew what this battle meant, but only several sported sad or worried expressions. Everyone else was excited, as they knew how strong I was. And I would stay strong for both Melina and myself, as well as the rest.
The zone adjacent to ours was a giant arena of sorts. There were no monsters, only two elevated areas for the spectators. No one was losing any time as they started making fires and pulling out the booze.
A grin crept up my lips, an honest one that showed just how much I was honored to have the
se people as friends and associates. We would all live on one way or another.
A dark shape drew my attention. It was Krajolik. He hovered about fifteen feet above the arena floor, where the Zanoxian was already standing and glaring daggers at me. The deity looked my way, and when our eyes met, he nodded. I nodded back and grinned even wider as tingles ran down my spine. He was on my side, that much was sure, but there wasn’t much he could do. Still, it made me feel better knowing I wasn’t out there on my own. Especially after I had accidentally caught Veles… wishing for my death.
“We have gathered to fulfill a bet, one that transcends time and space,” Krajolik said, his voice carrying throughout the arena. “Today the human Viktor will fight the Zanoxian Fetrasch. The battle will be over once one of the two is no more.”
“Let’s get this over with already!” Fetrasch laughed. “He’s far from my level!”
I didn’t rise to his provocation; instead, I looked up at Krajolik. “What are the rules?”
“The single rule is that you have to kill your opponent with your own powers. No buffs from party members, no interference from the outside, and no favors from the deities. That is all!”
The counter still showed a single minute, so I hugged Melina tightly. The other four made it awkward when they joined in on the hug by making a group hug, but I didn’t care. We had gone through quite a few ordeals since the world had changed. And most weren’t that great.
“Thirty seconds!” Krajolik said, his voice carrying strong.
I met Melina’s eyes one last time and pressed my lips against hers. They were dry and had tiny cracks that prickled me. My heart suddenly jolted as I was left with a lack of air in my lungs. It became hard to breathe and even harder to keep my voice steady.
“I love you, alright? No matter what happens, don’t interfere, and don’t do anything stupid. Just be there.”
She nodded her head and kissed me back, hard, as she tried to keep herself from crying. I felt her chest start to heave, and tears escaped the corners of her eyes.
“I’ve got something important to tell you, alright? It’s something that will have to wait until you’re done.” She dropped her hands to her belly and rubbed. Guilt flared up in me as I guessed what the secret was.
“Five seconds. Four. Three.”
I closed my eyes and turned around, hurrying up to the arena floor. Shit. This wasn’t something I had expected.
Chapter Forty-Three
Fetrasch the Zanoxian grinned wickedly as I stood there with my halberd in hand. Despite the countdown having hit zero, he still hadn’t attacked. I took that as he wanted to have a little chat or whatever. Fuck that. I was going to prepare the battlefield while he took his time.
“Ba—”
“Hold on,” Fetrasch hissed. “The moment you make your first move is the moment we start, human. Why don’t we have a little chat first? I’m dying to get to know you better, my third victim.”
“Third victim?”
“Yes. This will be the third rift I’ll be conquering.”
I frowned. Now that wasn’t something I had expected to hear. At all. “That’s quite an accomplishment, but you have probably never met someone like me, Fetrasch.”
“Quite true,” he replied and sat down on the arena floor. “See, you’ve grown so strong that your stats can’t keep up with your level, but I don’t have that problem. I’m level 391.”
I snorted, unable to keep it in. The bastard had a level that was almost triple both Melina’s and mine put together. Like him or not, I had to admit it was quite an accomplishment.
“So you’re pretty strong. Great. I’m sick and tired of fighting weaklings,” I shot back, trying to sound as calm as possible despite barely holding it together. “What do you want? Besides killing me.”
“What do I want?” he asked with a strange expression. I had no idea if it was like that because of being an alien or because he had no idea what he was trying to convey. “I need five rifts until I can create my own world and be a God. That’s what I want, but see, I first have to go through you and two more rounds of this same crap.”
“A God? You want to be a God? Really?”
“Why is that so surprising? We Zanoxians are already Gods in comparison to you mere mortal beasts.”
I took in a deep breath and then let it out slowly. “You know, a lot of people are counting on me, so please forgive me for not caring about your delusions. Bassy, come out!”
The Zanoxian jumped to his feet and darted right for me as a sort of armor appeared around his body. Bass slithered to meet him halfway as I set up the lightning tower first in the furthest corner, then felt a fist connect with my side.
Damage Notification:
You have received 2,798 damage from Fetrasch
I staggered back several steps and swung my halberd in an arc, but he was already gone, just as a bolt of lightning flew past me. It struck him, as there was no way to escape from an attack as fast as that one, and stunned him for a brief second, just enough for Bassy to close the distance. It wasn’t that big an achievement, as he took up most of the arena floor.
I placed the fire tower some fifteen paces away from the lightning tower, not wanting Fetrasch to hit both with an area-of-effect attack at the same time. They were close enough so I could protect both of them without any issues. If I could keep up with his speed.
Bassy flew backwards suddenly, knocked over on his side. He rolled and got up, then slithered toward the Zanoxian yet again, sending scales flying. One of them hit the enemy’s leg. I use the time to pull his stats up, but I couldn’t see anything. At all. Not even his name or age.
I pushed it aside and figured he couldn’t have more than fifty thousand shield and as much health, so I’d whittle away at it. My speed, though, was slightly lower than his. He danced out of the way from a clean hit, but ran into a fireball and a lightning bolt. I jumped atop Bassy and came down with a cleaving strike. It caught him on the arm.
Damage Notification:
You have inflicted 1,812 damage to Fetrasch
I was about to drop my halberd and demand to talk to a manager, but the thought was only fleeting, especially when he came at me, his fist narrowly missing my nose. Bassy slammed into him from the side and brought his fangs to bear. They snapped shut around Fetrasch’s body, but didn’t seem to have done very much damage. The Zanoxian had insane defense and attack and speed. And who knew what else.
Having tested him for several strikes, I decided on my plan of action. Fetrasch seemed to have done the same and launched himself over both Bassy and me, only to land next to the lightning tower. A bolt struck him just then, giving me a single second. I pulled out my bow and nocked a rank six arrow and used Shadow Hunter. It was a skill that couldn’t miss if there was a clean line of sight, and there was.
Damage Notification:
You have inflicted 8,332 damage to Fetrasch
His shield shimmered for a brief moment but then disappeared again. He stopped and turned to stare at me with a curious expression. His eyes seemed unfocused, but then he grinned.
“Now that’s interesting.” He chuckled and launched himself at me. I dropped the bow to my subspace and pulled out my shield and hammer, taking him head-on, and activated my only skill with the hammer, Bash.
Damage Notification:
You have inflicted 8,332 damage to Fetrasch
You have inflicted 39% Defense Debuff.
“Bas! Hit him with everything you got!”
The snake suddenly lurched toward Fetrasch with a speed that I hadn’t seen yet from Bassy. He slammed into the alien and wrapped its body around him. Damage notifications started popping up and racked up pretty quickly with part of the Zanoxian’s defense lowered. Every second anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 damage was dealt to the shield. I had no way of getting to him, so I had to wait until Bassy let go. Nine seconds later, cold sweat was running down my neck and my brow. Almost as if I could feel that something bad was going to happen
.
“You—filth don’t know—how to fight fair!” Fetrasch raged, and suddenly my summoned monster started screeching. I checked its stats and saw the shield was deteriorating rapidly.
“Let go!”
The basilisk uncoiled and tried to get away, but the Zanoxian grabbed hold of its tail. I lunged in and slammed my hammer against his head, but he just knocked me aside. A lightning bolt and fireball struck his shield, and it finally cracked, dissipating. My own shield wasn’t doing much better, but if I got in a hit, I could restore it partially.
I changed for my bow and sent out another Shadow Hunter. But it missed. I froze. How did a skill that couldn’t miss actually miss? But then I finally noticed. His grayish and leathery skin was shining down below the armor. I couldn’t see all of him, but several gaps showed me enough.
Fetrasch jumped atop the basilisk’s back and ripped out a blast scale, revealing the flesh beneath, and ripped a part of its tail clean off. The only good thing with that move was that it escaped. I swung my halberd and at the last moment used Swipe, sending out a wave of Enma and Bura that hit him in the side, but the damage was pretty low.
Damage Notification:
You have inflicted 2,866 damage to Fetrasch
It only seemed to annoy him more than anything. I chained up the next few skills, using Shockwave, Slash, then X-Slash. None of the attacks caused a debuff or hit much more than Bash had done. Out of options and with Bassy cowering in a corner, Fetrasch turned toward me, a great smirk on his face.
“Didn’t think you’d force me to use my unique skill, human. It will cost me ten levels, but I’ll be a monster for the next—” He seemed to look at a counter and then frowned. “Nine seconds. Guess I have to get to it.”
I pulled out my shield instinctively and braced myself as he charged in and hit me with a flurry of blows that rocked my body and dislocated my shoulder after the seventh blow. I dropped the shield and slammed the hammer into his neck, forcing him to stop but not before he hit me with an uppercut, sending me flying.
Crossroads: A LitRPG Cultivation Series (Towers & Rifts Book 3) Page 32
