NOVEL NEXT 194. An [Apocalyptic] Gambit
Ethan hurtled down towards the awestruck Lightborn, savoring every wrinkle of confusion the angel's radiant face.
He had to admit, ol' Arty had had a good strategy in mind – almost something he'd have come up with. For in the moment he'd struck with his [Azure Arc], Ethan hadn't even considered that he'd added a little something extra to the attack:
Ability Appraised: Silence the Heretics (Grade S)
Effect: One skill DEACTIVATED on contact.
Duration: 5 minutes.
He'd had been too busy formulating his own plan to save his friends to notice, but Artorious had nullified his [Ethereal Form], knowing that it was the only thing that could've stopped his Judgement attack.
At least, the only thing he knew about.
For, in the moment Arty had initiated his plan to trap Ethan between his [Angel-Arm] beams, force him to waste his defenses, and then bear down on him with his most powerful ability of all, Ethan had channeled enough Spirit Cores into an underused little skill:
Summon Illusion (Grade C)
You concentrate to form an illusory entity from you or your target's mind. The target becomes convinced the illusion is real, although more perceptive creatures can see through the deception (PERS: 70+)
Illusion now works on any non-perceptive targets within range.
Grade B Upgrade: 3000 Spirit Cores
Summon Illusion now has no Perception restriction
Grade A Upgrade: 6000 Spirit Cores
Mirror Image Unlocked! Summon Illusion now creates a copy of yourself, with all your skills and abilities.
The Illusory form is expelled when struck.
Grade S Upgrade: 10000 Spirit Cores
Perfect Doppler: Mirror Image is now lasts for the duration of this spell, and will not be dispelled from an enemy's attack.
HIGHEST GRADE ACHIEVED.
It had taken many, many cores. And he knew that, ultimately, such an upgrade would slow him in reaching his ultimate goal of upgrading [Possession] to its full potential.
But right now, the sight of Kaedmon's champion knowing he'd royally fucked up was enough to make it worthwhile.
He'd [Blinked] to a dark corner of the ruined city and activated [Hide], knowing that if Arty really wanted to look for him, he could. But also equally knowing that the human Arty tended to underestimate his opponents.
And that's exactly what he'd counted on.
[Skein of Typhos] had charged him right back up to full HP within a few uninterrupted moments of activation. He felt his wounds stitch themselves right up, felt the determination to take down the Lightborn fill and renew his body and spirit. And he watched, patiently, for the moment when Arty thought he had the upper hand – when he thought it was safe enough to use his trump card skill.
And Ethan knew that he had it in the backburner thanks to another series of handy little upgrades:
Appraisal (Grade E)
Appraisal now allows you to see enemies through solid surfaces.
Grade D Upgrade (2000 Spirit Cores): Appraisal now allows you to see whatever weapons or items your opponents are carrying.
Grade C Upgrade (4000 Spirit Cores): Appraisal now allows you to see a full list of a single opponent's skillset.
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Spirit Core Cost to Upgrade further: 6500
This had given Ethan the proper insight he needed to see what Arty had wanted to do: he'd wanted to end this battle swiftly, and decisively. He had no patience to dance in a duel with the Demon Hat any longer.
And that lack of patience was just another weakness carried over from his human life.
Now he stared open-mouthed, dumbfounded, as Ethan descended towards him at breakneck speed, synthesizing a [Dive] attack with all the weight of his Host behind it alongside both [Storm of Revok] and [Cry of Baphomet]. Together, the series of skills made him a glorified comet racing to strike down a fallen star.
Artorious' eyes bulged, his rage returned, and he redirected his blade up to send an [Azure-Arc] and [Angel-Arm] combination up to meet the descending Archon's [Dive] attack.
As he did so, however, he found that the light flowing through his veins began to dim, and the attacks he was ready to launch failed to respond to his commands. It was as though his limbs had gone limp – had been completely drained of all the power his Godly patron had bestowed upon him. He felt – nothing. He felt no surge of energy at all anymore.
What he did feel, however, was a light tap-tap-tapping of something at his feet.
He slowly glanced down to see the Archon's mirror image form winking up at him, a cheeky, thready grin smeared across its rim.
Because, under Ethan's orders, it had just executed the final part of his plan:
Prophet's Pacification (Grade S)
Heretical Skill conceived by the Prophet Jun'Ei. Allows the User to nullify all Skill usage from another user on contact.
Duration: 10 minutes.
HIGHEST GRADE ACHIEVED.
Artorious' fury was barely contained. His entire body roared at him to rend the little illusory speck rim from thready rim, to tear that crimson eyeball out of its fake little 'face' and swallow it while its summoner watched.
"Deception," he spat. "Trickery, deception and games. That's all you ha-!"
BOOM.
The collision was beyond devastating; it was apocalyptic.
Ethan's titanic strike smashed into Artorious with the force of a meteor impacting the earth. The angel's body buckled beneath him, celestial armor shattering like porcelain, feathers of radiant wings scattering in streams of fading gold and silver. A shockwave of unmatched force exploded from their impact, tearing through the ruined city, reducing even Sanctum's strongest foundations into splintered fragments and pulverized rubble.
Together, Archon and Angel became a living drill, carving a molten path downward. Sanctum disappeared, swallowed instantly by darkness and flame. They plunged down, through layers of stone and earth, hurtling deeper and deeper, until the two beings found themselves consumed by the very bowels of Argwyll itself.
Artorious fought back with desperate fury, panic feeding his futile resistance. His fists struck Ethan again and again, clawing, grasping, struggling to wrench free. He kicked and screamed with primal rage, eyes wide with disbelief and terror at the reality unfolding around him. His fingers dug deep into Ethan's chimera form, scraping and gouging, even managing to tear away scales and flesh—but still, Ethan plunged downward with merciless intent.
Deeper. Darker. Hotter.
The angel screamed again—this time not from rage, but from agony. He felt the scalding heat of Argwyll's core roaring up to embrace them. His wings, already battered and broken, began to blister and smolder. Pain seared through Artorious like nothing he'd ever imagined, an inferno beyond his god-given resistance.
Ethan! Sys yelled above the dim of their continued descent. If you keep going, you'll –
"I KNOW!" Ethan roared aloud, trying to keep the Lightborn from clawing at the crimson eye of his hat-form, trying to keep his body from succumbing to the same intense pressure and heat that was burning up Arty's wings and body beneath him. On reaction to the sheer thermal energy that was quickly enveloping them both, his [Winterbreath] activated, dispelling some of the heat. [Repulsor Shield] also flared to protect him as best it could.
But he knew Sys was right. Soon, he'd break right through to the molten crust of Argwyll's core. Even with all his skills, he wouldn't survive falling in.
But neither would the angel. And someone besides him must know that. Someone who was probably watching this whole battle play out before His eyes. Someone who was always watching.
Ethan, Sys said. If this doesn't work, you know it's over.
Ethan grit his teeth, feeling them too begin to crisp. By now, Artorious' screams were becoming secondary to the words he was running through in his head. The words that represented his last gambit here.
He glared at Artorious' eyes, trying to see the person behind them.
And, still with his hold on the Lightborn, he let his voice be heard"
"Keadmon!" he roared. "I know you're in there. I know you're watching this. You know what's happening now!"
He got no reply except more cries of rage from the Lightborn as his skin burned to a crisp.
"I'm about to plunge your servant and I into Argwyll's core," he said. "Then, I'll let off my [H-Bomb] skill. And you know what that means."
A slight flicker flashed in Arty's eye. Ethan decided he needed to clarify:
"We might die, but your whole world dies with us!"
Still no response. More crust and molten rock hurtled by them both. By now, they were close. Too close.
"Is this what you want?" Ethan roared. "Is this part of your grand plan? Are you really willing to see everything you've made die?"
Artorious' blackened face betrayed no answer. And so the descent continued – continued until Ethan felt something else shine through those sapphire eyes. An intelligence beyond all intelligence.
The mind of a God.
"You're there, aren't you?" Ethan snarled. "Then listen well: strip him of his powers and I'll release him. I'll turn back, right now, and I'll even fix up this hole I've made for you."
Something shone behind Artorious' eyes. Something even he, in that moment, did not understand.
"My Lord!" the charcoal-black face of the Lightborn screamed. "I am ready to give my life for you! I am ready to make the sacrifice!"
"Sure you are," Ethan snarled. "But is He?"
Just before the final chunk of rock was blasted apart, and Argwyll's liquid core blazed before both of them, Ethan let out his final decree:
"Your Lightborn or your world, Kaedmon," he said. "What's it gonna be?"