NOVEL NEXT Chapter 179: Mimicry
*Shwaaa*
Boiling waves crashed against the black ships. If one looked from above, the scene was similar to a mythical leviathan coming ashore.
The Dragon of War, Waarnemer, Tiamat, Sedna and Phorcys. Five galleons were arranged in a star shaped formation. Hundreds of ships sailed between them like fireflies. Be it their decks or sails, every part was engraved with runic markings.
Apart from giving some suggestions regarding the main galleons, Zyrus didn't interfere in their improvement. He built the dragon of war according to his wish while others did the same with their rides.
Every player had formed a connection with their ships after sailing for almost a decade. The runes they made and the formations they created with their crewmates were crude compared to Zyrus's, but what mattered the most was the 'bond' between them.
It was for this reason that they were able to come this far. What held the fleet together was the sheer willpower of the players.
Reflected in Zyrus's yellow eyes was a gigantic mountain overflowing with molten lava. A month had passed since the fight against the star marked tyrant.
Today, they had reached the final destination of the flag march.
[==] You have cleared The Boiling Sea of Kiama [==]
[==] The stage has been selected [==]
[==] The fifth game of Shatar will begin on Huodao [==]
The moment the ships reached within 500 meters of the mountain like island, they read the golden words being engraved in the sky.
"Drop the anchors."
"Roger that," Ria nodded and pressed her tiara to sent out the texts. All of the Vajeers were on the dragon of war as per Zyrus's orders, so there was no need for him to use telepathy and contact the players. It was a good practice to follow the set command structure even if it was less efficient.
"I'm sure you've remembered all that I've written about the Huodao island. The reason why this place is the most dangerous is due to its responsive nature. I'm just as clueless as the rest when it comes to what we'll face from now on," Zyrus addressed them as he walked to the edge of the deck.
The natives that lived in this volcanic region were imps. Unlike others, they only had a single skill– mimicry.
They would spawn from the volcano depending on the opposing force. Their appearance, numbers, combat strength, and even skills and equipment were based on the intruding players. There was no shortcut to winning this, nor could the players solely rely on the formations like they had done thus far.
This alone wasn't enough for Zyrus to be so serious. The game of shatar had made things easy for Zyrus and his troops.
But this time, it'll also aid the enemies.
'On the positive side, they probably couldn't mimic this…'
Zyrus tapped his chin while reading through the event tabs. As the 'Heavenly Ruler' he had the option to select additional buffs that were earned from the previous rounds. He didn't select them thus far because he wanted to gauge the enemies before making the final changes, but from the way things were, it was futile.
Not even his eyes of annihilation had spotted a soul on the black mountain. Left with no other choice, he could only consider the options based on his judgment.
Each conquered island gave him one buff, and he was given the option to choose any two among them.
| Mark of the Jin: Increase attack dealt by 10%
| Brand of Shui: Increase all regeneration rates by 5%
| Blessing of Feng: Increase Agility by 5, Improve mobility-based skills by 10%
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| Kin of Mud: Increase Vitality by 5, HP by 50, DEF by 10.
The individual buffs may seem weak, but the key here was that they applied to thousands of players. One more thing to consider was the fact that these buffs weren't counted in the imps' mimicry. Whatever he selected now would give the players an important advantage against their enemies.
After a moment of deliberation, Zyrus made his final decision.
[+[ Heavenly Ruler ]+]
A king may not be the strongest being on the stage, but their very existence is the foundation of order. Victory and defeat, fortune and disaster, the world's destiny is determined by the kings' actions.
Unit creation: You can assemble your troops into different groups.
King's maneuver: You can instantly occupy 'x' empty spaces at the start of the game. A mana calculation will be done which will fill the 'Turn' charge. Each turn allows you to move your units according to the terrain conditions and their roles.
Crown's blessing: Every unit within the adjacent space of the king will have their defense and offense increased by an additional 40%
Eye of the heaven: You can see everything within the stage via a projection, but as a cost, you are unable to affect anything. The king is unable to move from initial space without a 'Turn.'
Mark of the Jin: Increase attack dealt by 10%
Kin of Mud: Increase Vitality by 5, HP by 50, DEF by 10.
There were some important changes in the king's maneuver and crown's blessing compared to the start of the event. As this stage was rather different compared to others, the players were allowed to select their buffs in advance.
Time trickled by in the tense atmosphere and before long, more words appeared in the sky.
[==] The buffs have been added [==]
[==] The final game of Shatar will begin on Huodao [==]
[==] Initiating teleportation 3..2..1.. [==]
Why were they teleported when they were right in front of the island? The question was answered the moment the players opened their eyes.
*Ruuummble*
The island sized mountain started to crumble apart from every side. House sized boulders fell down from its surface, and before they crashed on the ground, they were held up in the sky by a magic circle.
Zyrus wasn't able to see Matope, but he did recognize his mana.
'As I thought, things will be interesting this time,'
It was rare to see an administrator in action. Their mana was boundless and the way they used it was fundamentally different from the players. In the players' eyes it looked almost as if they were seeing a god of creation at work.
The volcanic mountain was carved from top to bottom in less than a minute. Despite losing half of its mass the overall shape remained intact. Flowing lava replaced the area where rocks were removed. A glass-like barrier was placed on their surface, so the players had the illusion of seeing the insides of the gigantic mountain.
Compared to that though, there was a far more majestic change. The house sized boulders that fell from the mountain were carved into different sized platforms. Thousands of such platforms were hovering around the mountain. Before they could finish admiring the sight, another change took place.
*Booooommm*
Everyone felt their bones shake as the conical mountaintop was blasted off into the sky. Orange lava flowed from the top like a fountain and streams of lava stretched out to every floating platform.
Two massive thrones were created from the mountaintop. It was unknown what the red gems embedded in them were, but just the aura they gave off was enough to suppress every living creature in the vicinity.
"Off you go," A thunderous voice resounded in the sky, and once again, the players were teleported.
[You have been Targeted by "Mimicry"]
[New Rules have been added!]
[New effects have been added!]
[Victory condition: Destroy the Enemy's Throne]
Zyrus wasn't surprised when he found himself sitting on the gigantic throne. Though it was a novel experience since his whole body looked as if it was magnified by a hundred times.
'It'd be great if this wasn't just a visual effect though.'
Zyrus leaned back comfortably and looked down on the antlike players below him. All of them had earned an individual platform.
<Calm your nerves>
No matter who or where they were, the players straightened up their spines and took a battle stance. It was logical to feel a trace of anxiety and fear when they were separated from their comrades. Their greatest strength was their army formations, but now, they had no one else to rely on except themselves.
Zyrus didn't speak anything afterwards and glared at the empty space on the opposing throne. Others might not be used to the Imps' tricks, but he was different.
'These bastards start playing mind games at every chance,'
The reason why the new rules and effects didn't appear right now was simple. This time, both sides were playing the game of shatar as 'players'. This was the frightening aspect of mimicry.
[Eye of Annihilation]
Mana flowed into his red eyes like a river and sure enough, he was able to see through the empty space.
Imps were present on each and every platform. Things were clearer from his high vantage point as he was able to see the deployment of players with a set pattern.
The platforms became bigger and more solid the higher they were, and so did the strength of those who stood on them. Soldier, Mammoth, Knight, Bishop, Vajeer. From bottom to top they were arranged in a similar manner like a chessboard.
And at the top, a being as gigantic as him was glaring back at Zyrus.