Zero to Peak: Ascension Online

Ivan clung firmly to Romelus's head. Romelus punched Ivan's body with brutal force. Although Ivan took the full brunt of the impact, some of the force was transmitted to Romelus's own head, causing them to stagger. Romelus thrashed wildly around, slamming their wrapped head into the chamber's walls and floor.

"Dummy, you didn't even think of ripping me off your head," Ivan instigated the zombie, his voice muffled but clear.

The zombie paused briefly, then, as if compelled by Ivan's taunt, decided to follow his instigation. He pressed his clawed hands into Ivan's thighs and forcefully pulled. Ivan groaned in pain as his muscles fought fiercely to resist the immense pulling force. His armour creaked metallically under the crushing pressure of Romelus's claws.

Ivan released his right hand and sank his fist into Romelus's left eye. Romelus roared in agony, his left eye becoming bloodshot and bulging. He tried harder to pull Ivan's thighs away. Ivan's thighs slowly parted, releasing their lock on the zombie's head. He wasn't going to give up easily. He continuously head-butted Romelus's crown.

"Stupid pest of a human being. Why don't you give up easily?" Holding firmly to Ivan's thigh, Romelus spun around once, gathering momentum, which he then used to hurl Ivan violently into a wall.

Ivan formed a cracking dent on the wall upon crashing into it. He didn't dwell on his pain. He staggered to his feet, battling through the searing agony. Romelus was pacing towards him. Ivan decided not to fight the intangible force that was compelling him to speak.

"For a King of Zombies, you have dreadful lines. I can give you my contact so that you can come get lessons from me on improving your taunts," Ivan mocked the monstrous creature.

Once more, Romelus was utterly infuriated. He shadow-stepped to Ivan, who deftly dodged the accompanying attack. Unfortunately, Ivan was too beaten down to evade the follow-up. Romelus grabbed him from the back of the head and mercilessly pounded his face twice into the ground, leaving a deep dent. Romelus distinctly heard Ivan's jaw dislocate. Ivan groaned indiscernible words, confirming to the monster that his jaw had indeed dislocated.

"Let's see you taunt me again," Romelus guffawed, a cruel, triumphant sound. He then volleyed Ivan with a hard kick, like a football, sending him soaring into the chamber's ceiling.

Ivan cannoned away like a supersonic aircraft, creating a distinct sonic boom on his trajectory towards the ceiling. Ivan crashed violently into the ceiling and fell. Chunks of the concrete ceiling rained down upon him, leaving a small crater above. Romelus leaped towards the fallen chunks, aiming to stomp Ivan beneath the concrete debris.

Ivan darted away from the debris before Romelus's arrival. There were sixty precious seconds left on the clock.

Item: Riot full-body armour

Durability: 30%

Defence: 54

<<<

Ivan's armour durability had fallen drastically. He knew the immense value and rarity of his armour. There was no means for him to rejuvenate his armour's durability. This formidable armour was one of his primary ace cards, and losing it too soon would leave him dangerously vulnerable in future missions.

Standing upright, Ivan raced towards his sword at a breakneck pace. Romelus jumped towards him, attempting to smack him down. Ivan dodged, rolling away with practised ease. He sprang away instinctively, narrowly avoiding the monster's follow-up attack. It quickly became a frantic race of cat and mouse. Ivan dictated the direction of the chase. Romelus ignorantly followed the direction he was being led.

Ivan leaped high and pushed off the ceiling, expertly dodging Romelus's sweeping kick and reaching for his sword. Having the sword firmly in his grip, and with a little over ten seconds left on the clock, Ivan shrieked with a surge of joy.

Romelus bulldozed towards Ivan. Ivan sidestepped diagonally, delivering a heavy slash that left a deep, long laceration from Romelus's left shoulder down to the bottom of his back.

"I will kill you!" Romelus turned, vehemently swiping his hands, desperately trying to get a hold of Ivan.

"Come on, you idiot," Ivan's muffled voice taunted the monster.

From the moment that Ivan leapt away from the chunk of concrete that had fallen on him, he felt that Romelus was gradually losing his power. He was losing power at a gradual but heavy pace. The power gap between a Supreme Crusader and an Honoured Bronze rank was so immense, let alone the drastic power gap when compared to a Base Rank.

Ivan was profoundly grateful for this unexpected development. He guessed that this crucial development was intrinsically tied to the duration given for him to hold out. Emboldened by this turn of events, Ivan charged past Romelus on his left flank, leaving another deep laceration that destroyed the monster's left eye as he raced past.

Congratulations!

You successfully battled Romelus and held on for seven minutes without dying.

Info: Romelus has been exposed as a fraud. The strength he packed was a temporal power gotten from the life essence robbed from victims and transmitted to him by his gargantuan monsters. You, a brave adventurer, battled the traitor and revealed him to be a fraud.

You have triggered a follow-up mission!

Info: The world is a mess because of the scum that roam freely. Once in a while a chance appears for these scum to be rid out of the world. Slay this foul monster and liberate New Yolk City.

<<<

Romelus had fallen to his knees, his arms dropping lifelessly to his sides, gaze fixed on the floor and seemingly vacant. Ivan didn't care to know if the monster was still conscious; this was a golden opportunity. He playfully rotated his sword in his right hand, then gripped it with both hands and hacked off Romelus's head from his shoulder. Ivan didn't stop there, making sure he was thorough. He pierced the monster's chest, ripping apart the heart and ensuring his sword's blade protruded from the back.

He drew out his weapon, letting the kneeling corpse lurch to the floor. He ran his hand through his blade, wiping off the blood smeared on the surface.

A mocking, disembodied laugh echoed chillingly in the chamber; it was Romelus's laughter. Ivan panicked, looking around frantically, trying to locate the source of this non-directional sound.

"You succeeded in killing me, killing my original consciousness. Fortunately, I made plans for moments like this. I made a copy of my consciousness, ready for the worst, and the worst eventually came. See you again, Mr. Enigma," Romelus's voice boomed within the chamber.

At a corner of the chamber, an emerald green wisp of light shot out of the floor, piercing through the ceiling, vanishing from view to an unknown destination. Ivan didn't relax; he expected a disaster to bring down the chamber. He took to his heels, fleeing into the ascending tunnel. He stopped at the point where Nova and the girl were positioned.

The teenage girl had transformed into a full zombie. Nova had three injections planted on his right shoulder; there was a trace of green vial liquid left in the injection container. That wasn't the only strange thing about Nova. He held the torchlight bio-weapon device pointed directly at the girl's forehead.

This action seemed to freeze the girl in place. Nova smiled at Ivan, who had just arrived to witness this strange event.

"She is the carrier patient, the patient from whom the virus was extracted before it was experimented on. You are quite lucky; you have met Romelus, Patient Zero, and the carrier patient."

Ivan processed the information while he gazed at the dimly lit bottom of the stairwell. Nothing happened; he had been worried for nothing.