Zero to Peak: Ascension Online

"That devil's throne is straight ahead," Onelight said with palpable hatred for Lhilac, whom she had never met.

Wanyama observed everyone's state. The adventurers all seemed to be anticipating the confrontation with the devil. Wanyama was pleased with this renewed attitude; it was a complete opposite of how the team had operated when they first arrived in the Vate Prison Realm.

"What are we waiting for? Let's make Lhilac's doom come to pass!" Ivan said, charging off towards Lhilac's throne altar.

"Let's go!" Wanyama shrieked in an adrenaline-fuelled excitement.

The adventurers burst into a frenzied sprint, heading directly towards Lhilac's throne altar.

Lhilac couldn't believe his eyes. He had used the last bit of mystic force in his body to create the tower constructs in order to give his demons an advantage over the adventurers. Unfortunately for him, the adventurers had had a field day with the demons, annihilating them to naught. Now, the adventurers ran, frantically approaching his altar.

'Is that how it is? It is certain I will die today,' Lhilac grieved over its impending fate. "If I die, I will make sure I take all of you with me!" Lhilac exploded into a maniacal laughter.

Ivan was the first to close in. He leapt high and descended, cleaving down his switchaxe on Lhilac. Lhilac clasped Ivan's axe blade between its palms. Ivan landed unsteadily on the ground, still holding onto the hilt of his weapon. Lhilac had a wide, menacing grin on its face. It pulled back its arms, snatching the switchaxe and, at the same time, flinging away Ivan, who crashed onto the ground on the other side of the throne altar.

"Ahh!" Lhilac shrieked in pain as his body was attacked at five various points with searing attacks.

It looked forward, searching for the culprit with fury in its eye. It saw SheCyclones standing a few metres away. She panted heavily, a consequence of the small razor-blade cyclones she had just cast.

The fury in Lhilac's eyes eased into a mocking grin. "That's it. You can only cause me searing pains after I have been massively depowered. You are a useless wind mage."

Lhilac's last sentence provoked SheCyclones. She had not recuperated enough to cast another spell, so she rushed in, raising her staff to slam at Lhilac. Lhilac caught the staff with one hand before it could hit him. It snatched the staff from the wind mage's grip and cast it aside onto the ground. It countered with a hot slap across SheCyclones' cheek. The impact of the slap sent her staggering away, falling onto the ground half-conscious.

Ivan was struggling to get back on his feet when he saw the devil hit SheCyclones. He gasped, a mixture of shock and disgust. The other adventurers had similar reactions.

How dare you hit a woman!

The adventurers' fury was so palpable that Lhilac flinched in fright. Troy_to_Me exchanged 400 Exp to recharge her cartridge back to its full capacity of two hundred bullets. She was the most infuriated amongst the adventurers. She unleashed a barrage of bullets on the devil. Blood burst forth from the devil wherever the gunslinger's shots made contact.

Lhilac shrieked in pain, reeling in endless agony. The bullets weren't lethal enough to kill it. Alita_72 notched an arrow onto her bow and accurately shot at one of the devil's eyes.

Roar!

Lhilac unleashed an attack, a deafening roar that paralysed the adventurers. The effect was to last for a brief moment. The attacks on it came from beyond its altar, and it was restricted to stay within the altar. The best way for it to deal with the adventurers was for it to leave the altar, employing the vast space to its advantage in a battle against the adventurers. Alas! It could not do these things. It was less than it desired.

Lhilac pulled out a chunk of its stone-crafted throne and threw it at Troy_to_Me, who stood paralysed. The stone chunk hit the gunslinger, knocking her unconscious. It pulled out the arrow lodged in its eye and broke it in unequal halves out of spite before letting it fall to the ground. The stun effect period was about to end. It hurriedly pulled out another chunk of its oversized throne and threw it at Alita_72.

The projectile hit the archer across her chest and stomach. The stun effect period ended, and the hunters recovered to their previous state, except for Alita_72, who was suffering severe pain, and Troy_to_Me, who lay helplessly on the ground unconscious.

Onelight was appalled by the state of her two teammates who had suffered the attacks. To her perception, what happened felt like a cut scene that was seamlessly edited into a flowing scene. After a brief moment of hesitation, she rushed to Troy_to_Me's side and checked on her. She went to Troy_to_Me first because she lay motionless and needed urgent help in comparison to Alita_72.

The healer mage cast her healing spell on the gunslinger. Wanyama halted his sprint along with BlueBlack. They faced a dilemma: either to continue with their attack on Lhilac or try to help their teammates.

Wanyama had another skill which he had hidden from his teammates. This was a skill he planned to use at any critical moment when his life was threatened. He felt this was the time to make use of the skill.

Avatar name: Wanyama

Special Skill (1): Combustion Gladiator.

Info: You have secured the genetics of a bloodline of renowned gladiators. This bloodline were not renowned for being the regular show gladiators who fought for entertainment but gladiators who trod across existence, decimating other civilisations for the sole purpose of conquest and glory.

Description: Activate the genes of Runic giants and tap into the powers of brute strength and fiery fury of a Runic giant.

Activation period: five minutes.

Cons: Cooldown period of seven days.

"Go flame!" Wanyama shrieked in unbridled fury, transforming from a dwarf giant to a half-giant.

He now stood at a height of three metres, a metre taller than the grey devil that owned the abyss he was in. The runes on his body burned in fiery crimson-gold glory. He exuded the elegance of the legendary fire demons of the eternal inferno abyss.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Wanyama rushed in on Lhilac, landing a devastating punch on Lhilac's head. The impact broke the grey devil's right side horn and, at the same time, caused the devil to briefly lose coordination.

Lhilac staggered back. Wanyama followed up with another fierce fist, but the grey devil recovered in time to weave away from the attack. Lhilac shoulder-charged into Wanyama's abdomen. Wanyama was quick to lower his arms to control the impact and lowered his knees to concentrate his weight and centre of gravity, planting himself firmly to the ground.

Lhilac lifted its hands, sinking its long nails into the sides of Wanyama's abdomen. Wanyama shrieked in pain. Lhilac's hands, claws, and shoulders sizzled under the intense heat emanating from Wanyama's body, but the devil held firm. Wanyama angrily moved his hands and placed them on the devil's head, reaching across its face. The intense heat burnt away the only good eye the devil had.

Lhilac, infuriated, frustrated, and seeking vengeance, sank its claws deeper, tightening its grip on the Combustionist. It quickly and powerfully lifted Wanyama, slamming his back and head into the hard ground. Wanyama went out cold under the brutal impact.

Lhilac shrieked madly, pained and grieving over the blindness the adventurers inflicted on him.

Roar!

Lhilac helplessly fell forward. Its ankles had been severed from the rest of its legs. On the other side of the altar, Ivan caught his switch axe firmly in his hands. He paced over to Lhilac.

"Had it been that there was another way to leave this place, this is the best condition to leave you," the martial artist said, scowling at the devil.

The demon attempted to swat at Ivan with its claws, but Ivan was quick to unleash Straight Path Boomerang, slashing away the devil's arm.

Boom!

A powerful quake shook the abyss. Ivan murdered the devil, severing its head from its shoulders.

The other adventurers recovered the instant the quake happened. The adventurers witnessed the abyss implode on itself with them still in it.

Ivan wore a big smile on his face. He was satisfied with himself and his teammates. They had genuinely worked hard to vanquish Lhilac and his demons. For an inexplicable reason, the adventurers didn't panic over the implosion. They had a strong hunch that they were going to be fine.