Primordial Awakening: I Can Evolve My Skills Infinitely

[Zareth, The Forgotten One]

[Level: 80]

[Description: The seventh, forsaken lord, has been trapped by the primordials in this realm for centuries, he swore revenge against all the primordials.]

[Hell-Mode Analysis: He can wield the power of the six forsaken lords at the same time, just keep attacking.]

---

"Hah…" Sam's eyes narrowed.

The panel in front of him vanished, leaving only the empty expanse of the battlefield.

He had faced six forsaken lords already, each one deadlier than the last, but this was different.

Zareth was not just another opponent.

He was the seventh, the last, the forgotten one, and his level alone placed him far above the others.

Level eighty. The system made sure to point that out, as if mocking Sam for standing before such a foe.

And yet, Sam did not feel fear clawing at him like he thought he would.

Instead, his heart burned with a steady determination, the same fire that had carried him this far.

The line in the [Hell-Mode Analysis] did not comfort him though.

"Just keep attacking."

Nothing about what lay ahead would be that easy.

"Well then…"

The voice rolled out across the battlefield, deep and rough, and Sam's grip on his sword tightened as his stance lowered.

"Determination…"

Fwish! BOOM!

A violent burst of aura exploded across the ground, shaking the air and blasting against Sam's body like a storm.

The veil of energy dispersed, and the being standing within it came into view.

Sam blinked, then let out a dry laugh.

"What the…" He took a step back, his lips curling into a grim smile. "Of course it would be like this."

The creature before him was a towering monstrosity, its form barely resembling what a man should look like.

It stood nearly three meters tall, wrapped in shattered armor that seemed to be decaying in real time, pieces of rusted steel flaking away with every movement.

But it wasn't the armor that drew Sam's focus.

It was everything else. The system hadn't been lying.

Zareth was wielding the powers of the six other forsaken lords all at once, and the proof was etched into his very body.

Sam's eyes scanned him quickly, noting every artifact that had been forced into his flesh.

There was a gaping hole in his chest, and inside it beat the [Heart of the Abyss], radiating an endless, suffocating darkness.

On his head rested [Jevil's Mask], and behind its cracked surface, Sam caught the faint purple glow of the [Eye of Corruption].

Above that was the [Abyssal Crown], its aura spilling into the air, oppressive and heavy.

Zareth's rough voice rumbled again, each word filled with scorn.

"Maybe now you realize you should not have come here." He took a heavy step forward, shaking the ground beneath his feet. "Or perhaps… you are still foolish enough to believe you can kill me."

Sam didn't answer right away.

Instead, he stepped forward as well, raising his primordial sword with steady hands, his expression cold and unyielding.

That silent act was enough of an answer.

"As I thought," he said. "Your kind… monsters, every one of you."

Sam's gaze shifted again, analyzing the rest of Zareth's body.

The part that stood out most were his arms.

He had six, each one muscled and warped, and each carrying a different artifact/weapon tied to the forsaken lords Sam had already defeated.

The sight almost made Sam laugh again, but this time it was from the sheer absurdity of what stood before him.

"Haha…" Sam shook his head. "So it's true. You really can use all of their powers, can't you?"

"They are not theirs." Zareth's voice was calm, almost prideful. "They are mine. Always have been."

Sam smirked, though the weight of those words was heavy.

Zareth raised his arms, and Sam caught sight of each weapon clearly.

The first hand clutched the [Abyssal Sword Spear] of the [Abyssal King], its black steel shimmering faintly.

The second held a small, dense orb of pure shadow, a small [Black Sun], condensed darkness pulsing in his palm.

Fwish! BOOM!

Zareth clenched his hand, and the orb flared, swallowing his arm in a suffocating tide of black energy.

The third hand carried the [Roaring Titan's Star], a four-edged star that floated just above his palm, trembling with power.

The fourth spun [Asmodeus' Trident] casually, glowing with a faint, otherworldly light.

The fifth hand…

"Holy shit…"

There were cards spinning lazily above it. Jevil's cards.

Only five of them, but that alone proved how far beyond the others this being was.

And the last, the sixth hand, was no longer human at all.

It was twisted, blackened, ending in jagged claws that mirrored those of Varkhaz.

Sam exhaled slowly, his gaze hardening.

Zareth truly carried every weapon that the six other forsaken lords had wielded before him.

The weight of their combined power radiated from his body.

[His determination is strong.]

The system's cold words rang in his head, but Sam hardly needed the reminder.

He could feel it in the air, in the way their auras slammed against each other, neither side giving way.

For a long moment, neither moved.

And then—

Fwish!

The first to act was not Sam, nor Zareth, but the forsaken clone at Sam's side.

It blurred forward, cutting across the ground in a streak of light.

SLASH STORM!

Dozens of shimmering strikes erupted mid-dash, a storm of steel lashing toward Zareth's massive frame.

The forsaken lord did not flinch.

"The battle begins, then," Zareth said as the attacks crashed against him. "It has been so long since I fought against a primordial…"

Sam's chest tightened at the sheer malice pouring off the creature, but he forced it aside.

It didn't matter. No matter what kind of monster Zareth was, Sam's mission was the same.

He had to win. He had to kill him.

Fwish!

The [Roaring Titan's Star] blazed in Zareth's hand, and in the next instant a translucent barrier expanded outward, shimmering like crystal.

Star Domain!

"You will not touch me until this barrier falls," Zareth said with a laugh. "And I will not let you break it."

The flurry of slashes struck the barrier over and over, but not a single crack appeared.

Sam's teeth clenched.

The others had watched his battles and learned his tricks, adapting as they fought.

But Zareth… He hadn't seen anything.

That was the one advantage Sam had.

Slash! Slash!

More strikes landed, and the barrier shuddered but remained firm.

"You must be strong," Zareth said, stepping forward through the storm as if it were nothing. "To cut down the others, to tear through all the dangers that stood before you."

His aura spiked, and all six artifacts flared at once.

"But that will not be enough here."

He spread his arms wide, every weapon glowing in unison.

"Last primordial," he roared, his voice thundering across the battlefield. "YOUR DOOM IS NIGH!"

Sam bared his teeth, his sword glowing as he steadied his stance.

"Whatever," he muttered, his lips curling into a grin. "We both know my determination will eventually surpass you."

Zareth's laugh echoed again, low and harsh.

"That may be true," he said. "But there are so many things you do not yet understand about your own kind. And one of them is this…"

Fwish! BOOM!

A wave of energy erupted, forcing Sam to shield his face as the ground shook beneath him.

When he lowered his arm, Zareth was gone.

"What the—"

[Above us.]

Sam didn't hesitate.

He sprang back just as Zareth's trident slammed into the ground, sending a shockwave tearing outward.

"…That if you allow even the smallest sliver of despair to creep into your heart…"

Fwish!

The abyssal sword spear came next, hurling through the air toward him.

Sam deflected it in a single swift motion, sparks flying.

"…Then your precious determination will shatter."

Fwish!

The artifacts glowed brighter, light and darkness swirling together in a violent storm.

Two massive black wings burst from Zareth's back, feathers dripping with abyssal energy.

Sam's eyes narrowed.

'Wings of the Abyss… the same as Varkhaz.'

Not only could Zareth wield their weapons and artifacts, but he could also use their skills.

[Here we go =)]

[Let's get rid of that fool!]

The words echoed in his mind, but Sam didn't need them.

He tightened his grip on his sword, lowering his stance.

No matter what stood before him, no matter how overwhelming this final foe appeared, there was only one path forward.

He would win.