Dark Matter Ascension

Jace activated Void Removal (Rank 2) three times. The first was to remove water from the space – and so a ten-foot radius sphere centered upon him was clear of water, leaving them as a group of four people in a 'bubble'. The second use was to remove air. The third use was to remove momentum. "Get ready," he stated. "Void Beam (Rank 1)."

He saw his energy drain precipitously, and his Primal Hide activated and refilled him back to near-full with its stored reserves. The water beneath them, in a fifty-inch diameter tube, vanished. Without the water below them, and with the pressure pushing them from above – they shot down at tremendous speed, coming to a sudden stop atop the surface of one of the leviathans.

"You're near the core," Quinn said.

Jace released Void Removal and the water rushed back in to surround the group. He saw Priam's barriers cracking slightly from the pressure of the water.

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[You'll be fine, boss!]

[You can survive this type of pressure no problem!]

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Jace acknowledge the NICIF's message with a quick nod. The shape beneath them swirled around, and Jace used Void Shield (Rank 6) [Sphere] to protect the group as the enormous creature crackled with energy. A bright, pink energy that cascaded up all around them.

"This thing is huge!" Dee said.

The equivalent of ants to a human, Ollie stated. This thing…it is powerful. One of the strongest things that The System has ever encountered. It would classify as Tier 10.

Only ten percent offset of incoming and outgoing damage, Jace thought back. Which means I can still kill it. And it probably has a huge amount of Stardust if broken down.

Probable, Ollie replied. Your allies are at a twenty percent offset.

Jace glanced sideways to his allies who seemed to be in silent communication with their own Wayfinders; he assumed being informed just like he was. But he was not able to sit idly and think, as the scales and hide beneath him rapidly moved. Instinctively, he flexed his feet as if he was trying to extend his foot-claws. Spectral, white-grey void-tipped claws extended out and gripped onto the hide. Thanks to him holding onto Greg still, the whole group moved as one, staying inside Jace's barrier. Good, I didn't lose that feature I'm so used to.

"How do we fight something this big?" Priam asked. His voice had that slight undercurrent of fear, but it seemed pushed back.

"We blast it!" Dee shouted as she kept one hand gripping Greg, put the other to the hide below, and shouted, "Demolisher's Devastation (Rank 68) [Cone]!" Her hands glowed with the bright, neon-green color as she blasted acid down. It pierced through the hide, down through the muscle, but then stopped.

An aura of crackling, green energy lashed back at them. Priam's barriers shattered instantly, and Greg screamed out in pain as he took the damage for all of them. In Jace's HUD, he saw Greg's status indicator show him in a near-death state.

How? Jace asked Ollie in his thoughts.

It must have used a barrier-piercing Skill equivalent!

But Void should stop everything.

Its Skill looks like it uses the same soul-magic as Anathema effects. But for piercing, not shutting it down. Which implies it has more uses.

Priam, who was already clutching tightly to Greg, spoke in a trembling voice, "Exarch's Seraphic Soothe (Rank 17) [Full Heal]." The golden light flowed through hand, suffused Greg, and his status indicator filled to full.

"Thanks," Greg growled out. "What do we do?"

Dee shoved her chitinous hands into the wound she had melted. "I'm going to blow it to bits!" She screamed. She shook her hands, pulled them back, and then looked to the group, "I can't use my Skill!"

Jace summoned his blade to his hand. "We're going to detach and float. Ready?" He saw nods as Dee gripped onto Greg once more. Jace let his foot-claw-phantom-grips fade and the group were spun off of the rapidly moving mass and floated up ever-so-slightly.

Priam activated his Exarch's Ward (Rank 23) [Multi-Target], and the group was covered in his golden barriers once more – still crackling under the pressure. "How do we fight it?" Priam asked again.

Dee frowned, "I can't blast it. I'll keep trying, but I don't know when it'll come back."

Void Shield (Rank 6), Jace thought. But the Skill did not activate, and he received an error message.

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[ERROR.]

[Your use of the Void Shield Skill has been deactivated for 24 hours.]

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That is not good, Ollie thought to Jace.

No shit, Jace thought back. The coiling form did not seem to have an end – an endless expanse of muscle and scales, brimming with the pink, crackling energy. He couldn't even see its head. But, he did see one spot. The rocky spire, barely visible against the mass of the creature. I can't risk using [Horizon-Splitter] since that could hit the core of the world and who knows what that would do. He tried to think of a solution, but none of his Skills seemed up to the task.

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Greg let out a sigh of frustration, "Well, at least it's not attacking us."

"It probably doesn't even think we are anything more than a smaller leviathan biting it," Priam replied. "Any ideas?"

Dee kept pushing her hands forward, as if expecting the beams of energy she usually fired to come out. "Stupid twenty-four hour bullshit!"

"We need to test and see if it shuts off any Skill that hits it. Greg, you got something ranged?"

"A sniper rifle," he said. "Which I can't use."

Jace raised his hand, "Then let me try something. Dark Matter Dart (Rank 4) [Exploding]." The purple spikes launched out from his palm, embedded and bored into the creature's hide, then exploded. Then, he tried to use it again.

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[ERROR.]

[Your use of the Dark Matter Dart Skill has been deactivated for 24 hours.]

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"I think any Skill that hits it causes the Skill to be shut down," Jace stated. "Priam, try your smite thing."

Priam nodded and held up his small metal tube, "Wrath of the Gods (Rank 5)." An explosion of brilliant gold and crimson flame expanded from the hide of the creature. Priam said the words a second time, but nothing happened – and the creature was unharmed. "Nope," he said.

Greg looked at the straight sword he held, "Why not use the Anathema and try to shut down whatever it is doing?" He raised the weapon, "Arbiter's Anathema." A black line shot out from the blade, tinged with gold sparkles, and impacted the hide. The crackling, pink aura faded, and he pumped his fist. "Yes! We've just gotta use all of the Anathema to shut down its Skills. Priam, use yours."

Priam held up the bo staff, "Arbiter's Anathema." A lance of black and gold shot out and struck the hide of the creature. "No clue if that shut anything down," Priam commented.

Dee spoke, "Just to be safe, we should use all of it that we can. Arbiter's Anathema." Another black and gold line, and another impact that didn't seem to have any effect. "Priam, try your smite on it."

"Heavenly Smite (Rank 1)," Priam stated. Spectral, golden wings appeared behind him, and he began windmilling his arms, sending shafts of gold, bright orange, and yellow energy cascading forth, impacting the hide, and causing scorching marks. "One-one-thousand, two-one-thousand," he muttered aloud as he counted down from ten. When ten seconds had elapsed, the Skill faded. "Now to try it again. Heavenly Smite (Rank 1)." The wings manifested again, and he let out a satisfied sound. "All right! It works! But it's so big, I don't know how we are going to hurt it."

"A little bit at a time," Jace replied. "Let me deal with it. I have an idea." He used the Sliver Arc integrated into his armor to propel himself down deeper, until he was right above the hide. Holding his sword, still ablaze with Void Blade (Rank 16) [Rending], and then used Void Removal (Rank 1), with the target of inertia, suppressing that part of physics in a localized area.

He stabbed down into the creature and held his blade firmly in place. The creature's movement caused it to cut itself, and Jace was able to keep the blade planted into its body, and let the thing rip itself asunder, whilst staying still.

You are effectively making a tiny toothpick-sized stab wound, Ollie stated. The blade isn't long enough to do any real damage.

Then make it longer. Make me angry. Holding it in place shouldn't count as a strike, right?

Oh, that is smart. Okay! Pumping up the adrenaline and other chemicals for an anger response.

Jace saw the world go red as Wrath's Embrace (Rank 10) [Focused] activated, and he willed Raging Cleave (Rank 10) to activate. The blade's length expanded to fifty feet with the phantasmal cutting edge, and since he was not making a strike, it persisted in its length as the whole creature did a revolution.

Now it's the equivalent of using a half-inch blade, Ollie replied. You won't kill it like this.

Jace shook his head, It's spreading the Void Blade and [Rending]. Now…it's just a matter of time. He kicked off, let Void Removal fade, and rejoined his allies who were floating up in place. "Don't expect a ton of Stardust," Jace commented.

Priam pointed up, and Jace followed his finger, spotting the enormous leviathans above – keeping their distance, but watching. "I think they are waiting until this thing dies."

Jace frowned, "The one at the center here is the biggest. They had an honor-system of fighting. One on one." He spent the next few minutes sharing his experience while the creature before them was slowly eaten away by Void and bled by the [Rending] effect.

When he finished his explanation, Jace saw the creature glow with a brilliant, deep blue light. Then…it vanished, and the rocky sphere at the center of the world was no longer concealed. But floating in front of it was a singular, human-sized figure. It locked eyes with Jace, and raised its hand, gesturing with a finger for him to approach.

"Speaking of one-on-one honor-based duels…" Jace summoned his blade to his grip, "Ollie, this is the same thing we just killed, isn't it?"

Correct, Ollie replied. And his voice came out of Jace's external speakers to keep his allies informed. Its cheat death Skill did not just empower it…the thing evolved. It…no… his voice faded away.

Xera's took its place over the comms, "It is sentient and sapient! At the level that it can access The Cosmic System. But…it's keeping itself from integrating! That thing…it is strong, and I've never come across something like it in my existence."

That more than anything filled Jace with a sense of trepidation. He looked to Greg, "I don't think it'll take kindly to other people's Skills affecting me. Quinn, that goes for you as well. And you, Priam."

Priam shook his head, "No shield and you want to fight it one on one? That's suicide!"

Jace frowned, "Not planning on fighting it. I'm going to go talk to it." Jace swam forward, propelled by his integrated Sliver Arc, and closed in distance until he was twenty feet away and the figure held up their palm in a "halt" gesture. Helmet recede, Jace thought as it slipped into his armor. The pressure of water pushed in from all directions, but his improved skeleton with the (Flexible) Augmentation meant that he was perfectly capable of surviving at the depth.

"You show honor," the figure stated in a deep, rumbling bass tone. It was masculine in appearance, and human-like. "I hope you are not offended that I used your species' body as a template for my own evolution."

"Not a problem," Jace said. "I'm getting into the core of that world, and you were in the way."

The figure cracked a smile, "I am aware. I have been alive since the dawn of Harkon Secundus' existence. One of the first leviathans, and the last one to fight off the rest. I am Huwei, the world serpent." He bowed slightly at the waist. "I thank you, stranger, for defeating me in battle and allowing me to ascend to a higher state of being. I know of this…Cosmic System and reject it wholly. Are you here to force me into it?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Jace stated. "I just want to get into the core of the world. Where that Anathema guy is from."

"I see you have his arms and legs. Your friends have his weapons and one of his three eyes." Huwei sank deeper until he 'landed' on the stone shell of the core of the world. "What is your name?"

"Wraith," Jace replied as he followed. When he got within five feet of the core, he was pulled down to stand on its surface.

"That is a fine shadow-warrior name," Huwei replied. "But the core of the world is mine. You cannot progress further. If you try, I will defeat you." He took up a martial-artist combat stance. Jace faintly recalled seeing some Neo-Chinese movie when he was a child in the orphanage, featuring people doing kicks and punches. "Do you wish to still challenge me?"

Jace summoned Nethaldrim to his hand, but to his shock found that it did not respond. In fact, all his Skills had deactivated except for the passive ones. "What is happening?" he asked.

"The core of the world is where Anathema kept his workshop. Did you think he would leave it unguarded against cultivators? Fight with your fists, mind, soul, and heart. Show me what a warrior of this Cosmic System is capable of!"