Transcendent Resurgence: Regressing on an abandoned Earth

"Vyrun nok(Surround him)"

*Guuoo*

"Kelzhun thar(Prepare the net)"

The lobster general shouted off one command after another. After gathering enough intel on the players, they were well-prepared to deal with Zyrus.

Be it the noxious shrine or the twilight crusher, the merfolk had created plans to deal with all of Zyrus's moves. Nothing was impossible when an army of 50,000 was fighting against a lone man.

*Crunch*

Unfortunately for them, the one they were fighting against was no man.

He was the last Sylvarix, an entity far more horrifying than anyone's imagination.

Zyrus tore apart an octopus with his sharp teeth. This was the first casualty– one that raised the curtains of a brutal fight.

*ZZzziiiingg*

Hail of spears broke the sound barrier and struck him from all sides. Instead of counterattacking or dodging by using the void quandary, Zyrus went in for another kill.

"Kiek-"

The poor crab soldier didn't have a chance to resist before it was devoured whole. Zyrus was afraid that fighting like this would affect his palate, so he decided to coat his mouth with mana.

This would also help in case some merfolk had annoying abilities like self-explosion.

'And this is working better than I thought,'

Zyrus realized that blood fusion and devour had a great synergy. It wasn't simply limited to one recovering HP and MP. The activation of one talent made the other's task easier. Blood fusion considered everything except the target's vitality a waste, and devour did the same for mana.

The process became much more efficient with one expelling the waste and the other absorbing it.

*ZZzziiiingg*

The merfolk were unfazed by his retaliation. It didn't matter whether he killed one or a thousand. All they cared about was inflicting as many wounds as possible.

'Damn it hurts.'

Not only did the wound made by spears hurt, Zyrus was also suffering from internal damage.

There was a fraction of time before the merfolk were turned into water. He ate them in order to use blood fusion in that window, but it didn't solve the fundamental issue.

The merfolk still dissolved after their death, and he didn't have the method to deal with that.

And it definitely didn't feel nice to have a stream of water run rampant in your body. Zyrus was left with no choice except for using mana to expel that water.

He used the wounds inflicted by the merfolk and used them as outlets for his skills. He was well aware that this wouldn't work if he kept taking damage at the current rate.

'Just a while longer….'

Zyrus gave it his all in defending and waited for his hidden card. He didn't simply waste the past few days waiting above this bubble.

It was true that he was essentially trapped in this bubble, but who's to say this wasn't the other way around?

He slashed the octopuses with his claws and slammed the seahorses with his tail. Those that approached closer were either pierced by his horns or torn apart by his jaws.

He could've used spear aura or arcane lance to ease the burden, but deep down, he knew that it would be the easy way out.

'Since I've decided to fight like a Sylvarix, I might as well go all in.'

The clashes went on and more and more wounds accumulated on Zyrus's body. The once majestic azure dragon now looked like a beat-up wyrm.

His mobility was restricted due to the king's role, and to top it off, he refrained from using any skills. The difficulty of the current fight was simply absurd. If not for the fact that the lobster general was trying to wear him out, Zyrus knew that it would've been impossible to fight like this.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

This was a painful and exhausting fight. And the system acknowledged it.

The good thing about sanctuary was that your efforts wouldn't be in vain. One would be rewarded as long as they worked hard enough and earned the system's acknowledgment.

Zyrus had proven his worth time and time again during this fight. His tenacity and bloodthirsty nature had earned him the power he desired.

[Congratulations! You have earned the achievement: Child of Gluttony(S)]

[You have obtained the skill: Maw of Oblivion]

[SP +3]

[Congratulations! You have earned the achievement: Rampage of the Tyrant(S)]

[You have obtained the skill: Eclipse Snare]

[SP +3]

*ROOOOAAAR*

Zyrus charged at the merfolk with his jaws wide open. He was more than eager to put his newly gained skills into use.

There were no screams.

There were no corpses.

Anyone that came near his maw was sent to oblivion.

'The skill's name is well earned,'

The enemies retreated in fear, which gave him a room for breather. Zyrus opened the status and looked at the skills he had acquired.

[Maw of Oblivion (C): Once your jaws close, nothing but silence shall remain]

[Ingest your enemy to send their lives to oblivion.]

Effects: Shrinks the enemy inside your mouth depending on their level. Incapacitated and fatally wounded enemies will be killed instantly

CD: 10 minutes

It was a rather meaningless skill since its only practical use was to stuff more enemies inside your mouth. The insta-kill effect was useful in eliminating any last-minute struggles, but that was all it was good for.

Besides, how many had a mouth big enough to eat their enemies? The skills' C rank was enough of an indicator. Nonetheless, the skill that was suitable for you was more important than one that had a higher rank.

This was the perfect example of that. Maw of oblivion was of great use to Zyrus's talents.

"Shoval nokath."

"Tch...same old trick," Zyrus scoffed at the lobster general who was deploying a familiar formation. The merfolk stepped away from him and prepared their long-range attacks. It was a cowardly tactic, but there was no denying its effectiveness.

'I might've had some trouble before…but not now.'

Zyrus flew higher and higher while avoiding as many attacks as possible. He needed enough space to use the skill, and the merfolk's strategy made it much more easy.

[Eclipse Snare (C+): Fleeing is but a fool's dream]

[The cowards are unworthy to remain on the battlefield. It is your duty to exterminate either them or their cowardice]

Effects: Sweep your tail to create a mana eclipse. Enemies who are avoiding you will be dragged inside and be Ensnared. The effect is negated against courageous foes.

Ensnare: Movement restricted to skills area, reduces the rate of MP and stamina utilization.

Consumption: 10/20/50% of your MP and Stamina.

CD: 10/30/240 minutes

Eclipse Snare was the exact opposite of the Maw of Oblivion. The latter was created based on Zyrus's actions whereas the former was a stroke of luck. There were times when sanctuary awarded one with skills that were niche but great in power.

The sole reason behind their low ranking was due to their restriction for usage. This was a double-edged sword as one might find the skill that was utter trash or extremely useful.

'As they say, fortune favors the bold,'

This skill would be great even without his transformation. Needless to say, the current him was most suited to use it.

*Fwooooom*

Zyrus flew in circles and swept his tail towards a singular direction. It was almost as if he was sweeping in mana from every direction.

This was quite an energy-draining skill as it consumed his mana and stamina in an instant. And the result was, of course, just as great.

Hundreds of nearby merfolk were pulled towards the white eclipse. Zyrus didn't know the exact workings of his new skills, but it was easy to figure out that they had good synergy.

The combination of a crowd control skill and an area of effect skill was fatal to the merfolk. This also proved just how difficult it was to kill someone like Zyrus.

The lobster general had gravely underestimated him by choosing to tire him out. It was one thing to attack him with an elite squad, but to send these common soldiers was nothing but idiocy. An army of ants could kill an elephant, but what if that elephant could regenerate? What if it could get stronger by killing the ants?

There would be nothing but a brutal massacre.

Time trickled by under the menfolk's stubborn assault. Their deaths started to pile up from tens to hundreds and hundreds to thousands.

In fact, it would be less frightening if the dead were piled up instead of being eaten by Zyrus. The merfolk weren't without emotions. No one could remain sane after seeing their comrades being eaten alive one after another.

Perhaps this was the hypocritical nature of most sentient beings. They could kill one another without batting an eye. They had no qualms against eating the beasts slain under their blades.

And yet, they couldn't accept when the same thing happened to their kind. They were angry at Zyrus who invaded their holy land and caused countless deaths. That anger could be a great weapon, and that's what the lobster general was aiming for.

It was a pity that it was destined to fail.

The sword of rage shattered and left nothing but broken despair.

And the wounds inflicted by their emotions were more fatal than anything Zyrus had done so far. The merfolk still outnumbered him by more than 40,000.

'But they are no longer an army.'

Zyrus hovered in the sky and looked down at the battlefield. The merfolk didn't leave any traces of their death, and yet, no part of the bubble wasn't tainted by blood.

His own blood.

He had shattered the enemy's morale, but it didn't come without a price. Recovering his Hp and Mp did nothing to his fatigued mind. It was impossible to not feel tired after fighting for so long.

And as painful as it was, Zyrus relished this feeling.

Because he knew that with every wound on his body, he was improving, evolving, into something more powerful.

It was far from enough to give any tangible results, but what mattered right now was the direction he had found.

There were many things he had yet to improve, and fortunately, the fight was far from over.

*Scriiiich*

The lobster general had stepped into the battlefield for the first time.