Paragon of Skills

The kind of aura that the dead Cultist, Toran, emits is scary to say the least.

Even with the kind of Champions we have on our side, this is not going to be an easy fight at all.

When it came down to destroy Malrik's spell, it was easier than one might have thought. King Baalrek gave me the instructions to follow in order for me to use Blood of the Ancients as a catalyst to absorb, refine, and purify Malrik's magic. Thanks to the Infernal Royalty in my soul and Heavenly Insight, I managed to cast a rather simple Primordial Spell.

"Are you ready to be turned to a bloody mist, Champions?" Malrik laughs manically. "I have been infusing Toran's with curses without his knowledge for so long. This is my strongest puppet yet. But I'm sure my Lord will allow me to keep one of you, perhaps the Heretic, and make an even stronger one."

I activate the Grimoire.

[Grimoire Analysis]

[Puppet of Toran Spearthorne Analyzed]

[Puppet of Toran Spearthorne, Level 380]

I raise an eyebrow.

The puppet fully entered the Advanced Diamond Rank territory, making it one scary bastard.

But let's not forget that the Grimoire is no ordinary Skill. This puppet might be Diamond Rank, but what is that in front of a Rainbow Skill and three members of the three Great Races?

[Eight Primary Flaws detected.]

I skim the wording and then I turn toward Asterion.

"Asterion, the puppet is not infused with curses that can be passed to others," I tell him.

Immediately understanding the meaning of my words, Asterion walks forward. However, the spear in his hand disappears inside the Interspatial Ring. The handsome, freakishly tall young man, instead, opens his arms.

"Aster Nova."

The light around him dims until it becomes almost pitch black. The darkness coalesces into three bulbous spots that suddenly shed the black coating and reveal three blindingly shiny spheres of light.

That's his real power, I hear King Baalrek say. He's from what's commonly referred to as the Tribe of Stars. That's one of the strongest Highblood enclaves there is.

I won't lie, the Tribe of Stars is a very cool name. Much better than 'I come from Shit's Creek' in terms of origin's story.

I do wonder, however, what those orbs do. For a moment, I fear that Asterion might actually be a caster in disguise.

Yet, when I feel a terrifying aura, no lower than Early Diamond Rank, coming from Asterion, he dashes forward.

The Toran puppet moves with the kind of speed I cannot keep up with. I would cast another Seal of Baal, which is what I used to root the Cultist to the ground the first time. But I had already used all the power that had come from Malrik's spell.

Asterion can't dodge the punch from the puppet, which is why he moves the three blinding orbs against it. The impact is heaven-rending. If anyone else at Gold Rank had been on the other side of such an attack, they would have been reduced to dust. Yet, Asterion flies back, as if the orbs were just an extension of his limbs, and there's some blood trickling from his mouth, but that's it. That's the extent of the damage.

I turn toward the other Champions, immediately running schemes and plans in order for them to have a chance against this monster. Sabrina's mana has been exhausted, which means there's no way for her to help.

That's a pity, I grit my teeth. Running the same trick twice could have worked.

"Kai, move forward! Create an opening for Asterion!" I shout to my brother. "Iskara, empower him and join the battle."

"I've got this!" I hear the Highblood roar as he miraculously dodges another blow and manages to slam those mini-stars into the Cultist. They detonate on impact, making the Cultist stagger. Yet, the puppet feels no pain and, beside the ruined leather armor, there's no damage on its body.

Kaelric can inflict more damage, but without an opening from Boomgar or someone with overwhelming power, his Skill won't be able to cut the puppet, I think to myself.

I see Asterion's body being covered in a red aura as Kai moves forward with his giant sword and blocks a punch from the puppet. I half-expect Kai to skid back himself, but I see a white aura enveloping his body as he takes the blow and barely moves.

Asterion jumps off Kai's shoulder and rains blows with his orbs at the Cultist, this time making the monster stagger back several times under a continuous, relentless onslaught. It's like Asterion doesn't need to think in order to fight, as if his attacks were impossible to stop. And that goes on for at least twenty hits before the Cultist simply shrugs them back again as his bloody aura grows in power again.

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I double-check with the Grimoire.

[Puppet of Toran Spearthorne, Level 385]

"The puppet is somehow becoming stronger!" I tell everyone.

"Cloud," I hear a voice from behind me and turn to see a scaly face. "What do you want me to do?"

I look at Vyrrak, who's clearly itching to join the fight. "Wait," I tell him, clearly to his discontent.

"You don't want me to join? They won't be able to fight that thing for long," Vyrrak points at the puppet. "This could be the end if you don't let me—"

"Shut it, Vyrrak, you're wasting his time," Zibrek says, walking forward.

I nod at the Goblin girl and then turn toward the fight.

The puppet's magic needs to be disrupted. But there's only one person who could do it and they'd need to get really close for it to work.

I turn to Vyrrak and whisper something in his ear, then I lean back and ask, "do you think you can do it?"

Vyrrak gives me a toothy grin and nods, "it's going to be easy."

* * *

King Baalrek listens to Jacob Cloud's plan and sees the Dragonkin agree in the blink of an eye.

He has no idea what this means. He has NO IDEA how hard it is to convince someone as proud of a Dragonkin to listen to you in a life-and-death situation.

King Baalrek knows Dragonkins very well, which is why he's so surprised by Vyrrak's simple agreement. The fact that Vyrrak had decided to give Jacob the Guide's role in the group in the first place points to the fact that King Baalrek's suspicions about Vyrrak's identity are most likely true.

Now, from the Infernal King point of view, he can see the Dragonkin disappear with two more Champions alongside him.

But if he wants this to work...

Before King Baalrek can even finish his thought, he hears Jacob bark. "Boomgar, do you have anything that you can use without killing everybody else?"

"A few things, lad!" Boomgar replies, taking out a holster that he puts around his large belly. "Tell your big oaf of a brother to use the sword to shield the others."

Boomgar barely finishes the sentence that he's already throwing vials at Toran.

"Kai! Dodge the vials and use the sword as a shield!" Jacob shouts.

"Got it!" Kai Valemont replies.

Asterion and Iskara rain blows upon Toran which keeps the puppet distracted enough and not able to react until the first batch of vials hits his body. Then, green fire erupts on the Cultist's body.

"You filthy bastards! Don't ruin his skin!" Malrik shouts.

Toran's skin starts melting off until only muscle and bones are showing. Even those are damaged, but they heal back with a creepy sizzling sound.

He can't regrow the skin, King Baalrek realizes.

King Baalrek sees the skin peel off and realizes that something in it, perhaps the fact that the spells were woven into it, makes it much harder to regrow. Jacob Cloud just used the same exact tactic he used the first time to destroy this Cultist and he, against all odds, succeeded in the first step.

But this time, it's not just the skin that is so resistant, King Baalrek thinks. The Blood Mage infused his spells into the flesh. That means that to kill that puppet, they'd have to thoroughly take it apart. Nothing short of obliteration will stop it. The Blood Mage can just will it back together with no trouble otherwise. It's a puppet, a dead body, something that can be sewn together at a moment's notice.

But King Baalrek has learned not to underestimate Jacob Cloud.

Rainbow Skills are famous to choose their users. No one ever stumbles upon one of them. Whenever someone gets their hands on one, it's never by chance—always by design.

"You think that's enough?!" Malrik shouts, summoning magic at his fingertips. "Think twice, because—"

Before he can say anything, as Toran goes berserk and blows back both Iskara and Asterion, cracking Kai's skull with a punch that bypasses his sword, an opening is created.

King Baalrek sees Vyrrak, the Dragonkin, reappear with Kaelric the swordsman and Orrivane, the Void Mage.

"This is moderately disgusting," Orrivane comments as a gigantic spear made of Void Magic suddenly impales the puppet. Yet, the thing barely reacts as it eerily swivels its head in place to look at the trio.

As the Void Magic seemingly fizzles out of existence against the push of Blood magic, Kaelric brings his sword inside the opening and his entire body glows, coalescing the aura on its sword.

"Rend."

Suddenly, Toran's body is bisected.

But even after being cut in two, the two halves barely move aside from each other.

"You think that's going to stop my creation?! HA! YOU WILL ALL PAY FOR THIS!"

However, the next moment, Jacob Cloud shouts, "Vyrrak! It's your turn!"

"My pleasure," the Dragonkin says, pushing back Kaelric and stepping forward. "Void Mage, do your thing."

Orrivane sighs and nods, "domes and shields are not my specialty. I hope I won't embarrass myself."

A trembling dome appears around Vyrrak and the puppet.

"You think that your puny Void Magic can destroy my creature?!" Malrik sounds insane by now.

"Not destroy," Jacob Cloud slowly explains. "It will simply cut your link to it. Even if it can operate independently, it still cannot be directed by your Blood Magic under these conditions. Which means that his regeneration will be slowed. And it will be slowed enough for Vyrrak to finish the job."

Suddenly, even through the cover of Void Magic, golden flames erupt inside the dome.

"Vyrrak! You're consuming all my Mana! I'm not a Shield!" Orrivane groans as he has to increase his Mana output for the dome not to collapse on itself.

A few seconds later, as Orrivane's Mana finally is exhausted and the dome disappears in motes of Void Magic that look like tiny black sparkles, Vyrrak reappears alone, covered in ash.

Toran is nowhere to be seen.

The puppet's link with Malrik causes the Cultist to suffer a strong blow to his Mana, which knocks him out cold. Malrik falls to the ground like a puppet whose strings have been cut.

"Iskara," Jacob says. "Take the Blood Mage. Don't hurt him. His blood is cursed."