Power of Runes

Ash appeared just above the hideous form of the Hollow Mother, only to find himself already surrounded by five Grandmasters and one Legendary Rank dwarf. Their presence was suffocating, each aura pressing against him like invisible walls.

From among them, Ash recognized a few. One was the Dwarf Captain he had met upon his very first arrival in this city, the one whose sharp gaze had measured him without a word. Another was a Grandmaster he had only glimpsed from afar.

But Ash did not hesitate.

His body moved before thought could catch up. In a flash, he teleported away, and since this was his second teleport, there was no delay in his skill. In the next instant, he reappeared at an even greater height, almost brushing the cavern's ceiling where the branching pathways ran along the stone like ancient veins carved into the rock.

A faint violet light flared across his body for a single heartbeat as he bent his legs like a tightly wound spring, planting both feet firmly against the rough stone above.

He was using the sixth form of his martial arts, a technique designed to magnify the weight and force behind an attack until even the smallest strike could crush like a falling boulder.

That alone was not enough for what he intended. He poured mana into his armor, awakening its built-in weight-enhancing ability. The magic was heavy, almost dragging against his movements, and it was his first time calling on it. Even so, the pressure gathering around his body promised devastation.

{Lightning Reflex}

{Lightning Step}

{Verdiction}

With everything layered together, Ash pushed off the ceiling and hurled himself toward the Hollow Mother. The spells triggered instantly, yet no runic symbols appeared—his Rune of Concealment hid them from sight.

Two hundred replicas of Eclipse, forged entirely from Life mana, appeared around him. His body blurred into a streak of light, diving toward the Hollow Mother from above with the two hundred Life mana swords trailing close behind in perfect formation.

From far away, the scene would have been strangely beautiful. Two radiant streaks of light tore through the endless darkness toward the colossal figure at the center, which was still being illuminated by the countless lightning motes unleashed earlier from Ash's skill.

One streak descended from the heavens, the other surged horizontally on the ground.

But before he could close the distance, a Legendary Rank dwarf stepped into his path, his hammer glowing with a molten-gold light. The sheer density of his power made the air shiver. The Grandmasters followed close behind, most of them close-combat specialists with heavy weapons, except for one who wielded magic.

They attacked as one, unleashing their most powerful techniques—hammer-shaped auras, crushing strikes, and bursts of raw force filling the air. Ash saw the wall of destruction rushing toward him, yet he neither stopped nor attempted to teleport away.

Before making this move, he had already calculated the timing. Ray was approaching from below, and according to his precise judgment, Ray would intercept first.

And that judgment… refined by Omni Thought… proved flawless.

In the very next second, Ray took the entire volley head-on. The attacks got absorbed into his skill, and his body flared with an even brighter white radiance.

Then, in a burst of movement, he teleported out of Ash's path and swung his sword at the dwarves.

Yet they did not flinch. Not a single one tried to evade. It was as if they had already resolved to die to shield the Hollow Mother.

Ray cursed inwardly.

Goddamn it… it's a relief that I made my aura rough rather than sharp…

Because they were in mid-air, with little room to maneuver, the brownish sheen of his attack slammed into them. Bodies were flung aside like scattered debris.

Some tried to block with their weapons, others shifted their stance, but without space affinity, most could not escape in time. In fact they could, but did not. Because they wanted to stop Ash.

But their efforts were waste because...

In the next second, Ash passed through them. Their bodies were so close that it seemed they might collide, yet in the end, their paths never truly crossed.

However, his vibrant Life swords struck all of them, sending the dwarves flinging back toward the ground. Though they managed to block the initial swords and shifted their positions mid-air to lessen the impact of the following blades, the force was relentless.

The Legendary dwarves could fly, and the Grandmasters could step on air, allowing them some freedom of movement, so they fought hard to prevent the vibrant Life swords from reaching the Hollow Mother.

But Ash paid no mind to their defense. As soon as he slipped past them, the Eclipse grew in his hands, its surface shimmering with thick Life mana. Not only that, he infused the blade with space elemental energy, causing his arms to bulge and strain under the weight of the combined mana.

Still, he held firm.

He was not worried about damaging his arms. Last time he had done something similar with Lightning and Life mana, it had resulted in a burst of white lightning that nearly exhausted his body before getting healed by Rune of life.

But this time felt somehow easier—perhaps because he practiced the technique every day, even if at lower intensities.

The fusion of Life and Space mana formed a swirling, light violet mist around the Eclipse, making it look almost ethereal.

In the next instant, he was about to strike the Hollow Mother with the sword when her vein-like limbs of the monster lashed out at him from all directions. Puffs of black smoke—nothing but Hollowborn creatures—erupted, clouding his vision.

But all their attacks were futile against him. His pure mana, enhanced by the Primordial Core, combined with the increased weight from his armor and martial arts form, along with elemental boosts and his own mana augmentation, made him an unstoppable force.

He sliced through the tentacle-like vines with ease, cutting a path deep into the inner sanctum of the Hollow Mother.

As soon as he passed through the gash he created, a deafening blast echoed through the cavern.

-BOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The explosion shook the ground violently, as if an earthquake had erupted beneath them. The blast's sheer force was due to Ash's enormous weight crashing into the creature, yet the outer surface remained mostly intact.

It was the inner parts that were devastated—fluids and bile, along with brain matter, erupted like a volcanic eruption from the hole he made.

Then came a horrifying screech that seemed to claw at Ray's very soul.

Though soundless, the scream was the most terrifying thing he had ever experienced, as if he were feeling the creature's pain firsthand. It was a sensation that left no room for comfort or hope.

Unable to bear it, Ray vomited, the sight of the fluids too disgusting to endure. But seeing Master ranks dwarfs coming towards him along with Experts, and the Grandmasters and Legendary dwarfs moving toward the Hollow Mother, towards Ash, he pushed himself to his feet.

No...

Ray flickered and intercepted their advance. Although they had destroyed all of Ash's Life swords, the dwarves were not without wounds. Their short bodies restricted their movements, giving Ash's attacks space to cut deep. They bore many cuts, bruises, and even burns on their skin.

Overall, Ash's assault had been effective against them. Even though they were not demons, they had Hollowborn creatures fused inside them, which made them vulnerable to the Life mana's effects.

Intercepting the dwarves, Ray swung Aetheris and unleashed his sword art.

On the other side, the monster's entire form trembled violently. Its vines and tentacles thrashed wildly, slamming down onto the ground and crushing some nearby dwarves into a bloody paste.

Others were drawn inside the creature's massive body, desperate to reach Ash and pull him out of the hole he had made.

The Hollow Mother's screams continued, a brutal cacophony that made everything harder for Ray. It was as if someone was blasting a loudspeaker right beside his head at full volume, even though he tried to block out the noise around his ears using his Aura.

Still, the sound managed to reach him, though with reduced intensity.

But… it's distracting...

Ray thought as he ducked under a strike and kicked a dwarf away, swinging his sword with precise strikes.

When the power behind an attack was weaker, he used his mantle skill to increase the power and sometimes took attack head-on to absorb some of the force behind them, allowing him to hold them back.

But as he was holding them back, in the very next moment, before the Expert ranks could even reach Ray...his attacks froze...and....

-SCREEETTTTTTCHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

A real, piercing sound cut through the chaos with almost the same intensity as before. Previously, the Hollow Mother's scream had been soundless, but this time, the sound was unmistakably there.

Ray looked around, his face tightening with grim determination as blood started trickling from his ears.

...Damn it... why is this happening... what am I supposed to do now?

***