Time seemed to slow down as he increasingly felt the beating of his heart, his mind moving rapidly as it sent a command to use two Saint+ skills that were among the limited few he had raised in his months of time spent in the Time Space of the Spiritual Land
The requirements were all met as Noah felt a resonance of essence, and a magnificent light erupted out as in front of his eyes, he synthesized his first ever skill of the Void Rank while also opening up a Skill Tree for the first time. Under the [Lich Lord of Abomination], connecting arrows had appeared as the blue panel expanded, showing the skill at the bottom of the screen with a blue arrow pointing towards a brightly shining [Abhorred Lich Emperor] above it!
That's right! He had chosen the skill tree that was geared towards increasing the death aspect of Lich, wanting to see exactly how crazy he could make the summoned undead of this skill.
[Lich Lord of Abomination] (15/15):: Abilities- Summon Poison Totem(0/5), Summon Undead(0/5), Noxious Outburst(0/5), and Dereliction of the Saintly Poison Lord(0/5) >> [Abhorred Lich Emperor](0/30) :: Additional Abilities- Undead Legion(0/5), Will of the Undead Emperor(0/5), and Delay Death(0/5)
[Undead Legion](Passive) (0/5) :: The summon's skill set is expanded as they are able to call upon even more variations of undead, and they become able to store the summoned creatures in an isolated space where they can be released in less than a millisecond. Possible Unlocks: Undead Blue Phoenix, Bone Qilin, Wraith, Specter
[Will of the Undead Emperor](Passive) (0/5) :: +50% to all damage. +50% Death Damage. +50% Poison Damage. +50% Death and Poison Resistance. +1 Summon Limit to all High Level Undead. -15% Skill Energy Cost.
[Delay Death] (Active)(0/5) :: As long as it is within 10 seconds, the call of death can be delayed. As long as the target is healed of life threatening injuries during this time, they can live on.
A glorious selection of additional abilities that only went on to further increase the power of the summon appeared before Noah's eyes as he quickly honed in on the passive of [Will of the Undead Emperor] to test the stupendous effects of the Skill Points on a skill that provided damage and other types of modifiers. He added a single Skill Point to begin with as he observed the modifiers changing with his own eyes.
[Will of the Undead Emperor](Passive) (1/5) :: +100% to all damage. +100% Death Damage. +100% Poison Damage. +100% Death and Poison Resistance. +2 Summon Limit to all High Level Undead. -30% Skill Energy Cost.
…
Every single modifier had effectively doubled with the addition of a single Skill Point! Noah's eyes shone as he added the rest of the remaining skill points and watched the results yet again.
[Will of the Undead Emperor](Passive) (3/5) :: +200% to all damage. +200% Death Damage. +200% Poison Damage. +200% Death and Poison Resistance. +4 Summon Limit to all High Level Undead. -60% Skill Energy Cost.
A beautiful view of numbers passed through his eyes as he turned his attention to the outside world to observe the stupendous changes of his summon and the crazy rise of power each of its undead received with the [Will of the Undead Emperor].
The sight...left his jaws wide open!
Chapter 266 - An Undead Legion Traverses the First Hell, A Vampyre Makes a Move
In a certain location of the First Realm of Hell, a sight of unimaginable proportions was playing out as for the first time in the history of this world, an area of a few miles was filled with beings that were not Infernals.
For miles around, one could see shining golden flames vigorously burning from the eyes of numerous Undead beings as they moved like a single organism, the direction they went towards acting as a grinder that cut down everything they came in contact with.
Noah watched his first ever Void Rank skill in action as the [Lich Lord of Abomination] gained the additional abilities of the [Abhorred Lich Emperor], heavily boosting the aura that it released itself, and the even more prominent effect being the large numbers of Undead that continued to increase as he observed the Lich to be moving its now golden bony jaws in laughter as it waved its Skull Staff around maddeningly.
KA KA KA!
The powerful jaws of the Lich snapped open and shut in wild emotional laughter as abundant essence released from its body, summoning as many undead as it could with its expanded abilities!
The Lich was no longer five meters tall with a green exterior. Now, his skeleton had adopted a more golden green coloration as its size was actually reduced, being slightly less than three meters but its aura being multiple levels more overwhelming than when the Lich was more than five meters large.
The Skull Staff it was waving around with wild emotions had numerous runic inscriptions and golden flames burning out of its eye sockets as they resonated with the fiery but empty eyes of every single undead on the burning plains of the First Realm of Hell!
Far in the distance, Noah could see not two, but six humungous Bone Dragons in total flying through the skies as they rained deadly Dragon's Breath filled with a poisonous green-gold hue towards the scrambling Infernals. This was due to more Skill Points being added to the [Will of the Undead Emperor], allowing the Lich to summon an additional Four High Level Undead on top of the current limit of two!
Aside from the Bone Dragons, Ghouls reaching five meters maneuvered through the burning plains as they were accompanied by fast-moving Zombies, Skeleton Knights, Dullahans, and even more Undead.
Noah recalled the other additional skill unlocked by the Abhorred Lich Emperor skill tree, the [Undead Legion] that allowed for even more types of Undead like the Blue Phoenix, Specters, and even Wraiths to be summoned as he checked the number of Skill Points he had amassed in the last few minutes.
The number was still in the decimals, dampening his excitement briefly before his eyes voraciously looked at the bloodthirsty Infernals that now held an uncertain look in their eyes as they looked at the eerily laughing Lich Emperor while more and more Undead continued to fill the burning plains of the First Realm of Hell.
Noah made a few calculations as he moved all other goals aside and focused singularly on a single one for now- obtaining even more Infernal Skill Points by massacring as many Infernals as possible.
He made a few calculations as he knew he would meet the other powerful disciples, trainees, and even the Celestial Disciples in this vast landscape of Hell sooner or later, his mind sending commands as he activated {Shapeshift} and felt the musculature and bony structure of his body changing.
Only a minute passed when a brand new being appeared where the figure of a dark-haired Crixus used to be, now being replaced by a bony Skeleton Knight wielding a large serrated golden blade.
In this inconspicuous Skeleton Knight form, Noah disappeared from his high position atop the head of the Bone Dragon where he and Lich Emperor were standing on as he blended in with the thousands of other Skeleton Knights that were clashing with droves of Infernals, leaving the maddeningly joyful Lich atop the head of the Bone Dragon as he continued to wave the golden Skull Staff and orchestrate the movements of a stupendous never before seen Undead Legion in the First Realm of Hell.
---
The beings watching the projection of names on the screen near the gateway to the First Realm of Hell were continuing to discuss with enthusiasm as they watched names rise and fall.
More than half of all the disciples and trainees that had entered through the gateway had already returned, where even though most made it in time to use their medallions and be teleported away, there were still hundreds of beings from different powers that faced their death.
Some were simply unlucky and were teleported in an area where numerous amounts of Saint Rank Infernals were congregated and they were forced to end their journey early, while those who were even more unlucky to meet the very rare Void Rank Infernals met an early death as they did not even have enough time to use their medallions to be teleported out.
As for the names that currently occupied the Top 10 on the leaderboard of the Infernal Hunt, it was actually the Pureblood Vam
pyre, Price Cassius, taking the number one spot! Next to his name, a glaring golden number that read 342,912 pulled in the eyes of all those that were watching.
The Pureblood Vampyres were a powerful ruling race in the Underworld, holding unknown power and potential in their bodies as they were the descendants of the powerful Vampyre Progenitor Vladimir whose name once resounded throughout the Prime Worlds.
They would normally hold high ranking in the Infernal Hunts, but never so staunchly hold on to the first ranking position this tightly, and for this long.
"Have the Vampyres raised yet another monster to dominate the Underworld in the coming years?"
"Dominate? Hmph, maybe if they weren't as arrogant and worked with others, they would already have the entire Underworld beneath their fingertips."
A variety of powers were discussing the beings shifting position on the leaderboard, with a few focusing on the names of unknown disciples from a power called the Profound Astral Sect that had more than six beings in the top 50!
The ones most worthy of note was the name William that was ranked 44th and holding 135,237 points, Crixus who was ranked 47th and holding 126,365, and the one called Athena who was holding 327,476 points, and was actually ranked 2nd!
Many powers knew the movements behind the scenes, and were wondering the true identity of this being that they had never before seen participate in the Infernal Hunt. Just who was able to keep up with one of the High Races of the Universe, the Vampyres, and only be one rank below a powerful Pureblood Vampyre Prince?
The question circled in the minds of many as back inside the First Realm of Hell, the beings being talked about outside the gateway to hell were also looking at their medallions that counted how many Infernals and what level of power Infernals they killed.
Just like how those outside could see their ranks, the ones holding the medallions could see their own ranks as they either became excited to work harder or realized they weren't the geniuses they thought they were.
Among the flaming landscapes of the First Realm of Hell, a being dressed in a tight-fitting business suit was floating on what looked to be a large drop of blood. On his back, pristine looking red-blood wings that closely resemble those of a bat stretched out as they propelled him forward even faster. His head was full of shining silver hair as his eyes had a dangerous color of bloody red.
His gaze was languid and calm as from his fingers, small drops of blood dripped out and fell towards the ground below where numerous Infernals were flocking around, those that were even more powerful flying towards him ferociously like a swarm.
The moment these small droplets of blood touched the ground or came in contact with any Infernal, they expanded to cover areas of more than twenty meters as everything they encompassed thereafter...was shredded into a mess of blood and gore.
The being, a particular Vampyre Prince that many were paying attention to, suddenly shifted his gaze as he sensed a group of beings on the horizon that were not giving off the signature of Infernals.
It was a being from the Faerie Race that was accompanied by two humans as they fended out attacks of ten Saint Rank Infernals that were leading droves of lesser ranked Infernals with them.
The Vampyre Prince's languid gaze quickly turned into focus as his red eyes honed in on the being of the Faerie Race, his eyes noticing something that very few would be able to across the Universe.
Those with an abundance of knowledge and know-how on a specific organization would be able to use unique methods that would have allowed them to know that this being of the Faerie Race was a disciple of the Celestials.
The calm gaze returned to the Pureblood Vampyre Prince as he used an ability and spread his senses for the surrounding miles, checking to see if any other beings were in sight. Within a few seconds of confirmation, the Vampyre Prince bent his knees under the teardrop of blood beneath him like a spring, his wings became tout and vibrated as the muscles became coiled, and then he released himself like a loaded missile towards the location of a Celestial Disciple accompanied by two humans.
BOOM!
...
Chapter 267 - An Enemy, or an Ally?
Like an uncoiled spring, the powerful body of the Vampyre Price broke the sound barrier as he neared the Celestial Disciple of the Faerie Race in the blink of an eye!
His hands had formed into the shape of a bloody claw as he aimed towards the heart of the being in front of him without a second thought.
Although taken back and given less than a millisecond to react, the being of the Faerie Race was not holding the title of a Celestial Disciple for nothing.
"Fate's Protection!"
A resonant howl escaped from her as her hazel blue wings shone, gaining a golden hue as a protective bell formed around her to meet the bloody claw.
BOOM!
An eruption rocked the skies of the First Hell as the bloody claw met the golden bell, the two beings that clashed being safe and sound as the Celestial Disciple had blood dripping from her mouth. The two humans that were moving with her were ripped to shreds from the impact as the Vampyre Prince looked languidly at the enemy in front of him, not sparing a second more as he had already felt the movement of numerous beings headed their way.
"Blood World."
OOONG!
Essence rumbled and roiled as the simple words triggered ancient magic that went to envelop the area half a mile from the Vampyre Prince at the center. An expression of confusion and slight fear entered the mind of the Faerie as she recalled her teachings on Fate, never having foreseen something like this happening to her today. The fear overtook her pride as she took out her medallion and placed essence into it without a second delay, knowing her power could not stand against the enemy targeting her.
…
Yet to her dismay, nothing occurred no matter how much energy she placed onto the medallion!
"In my Blood World, not even an ant can find respite. What makes you think you can escape?"
More and more confusion clouded by fear sprung into the mind of the Celestial Disciple as she looked towards the Vampyre bubbling with essence as she calmly called out.
"Do you know who you are targeting? My death will bring you untold trouble, and most likely your death if you were to know exactly who was behind me."
The Faerie wiped away the blood still leaking from her mouth as she looked calmly at the silver-haired Vampyre whose eyes had turned even redder at her bleeding body, and sharp teeth that glistened gold could already be seen in his wide jaws.
"Little Celestial, your identity is the sole reason why I targeted you to begin with."
Shock!
Fear!
The calm expression that was always kept by all Celestials wiped away from the Faerie's face as she moved her essence in a last minute dash the moment she realized this madman targeted her even while knowing who she was.
"Constrain."
SHAA!
With a simple command, countless lines of dripping blood erupted from the circular Blood World domain as they tightly held and pulled on the limbs of the Celestial Disciple. The lines of blood went on to cover her entire body as she found she could not move any muscle, nor any of her essence as she felt helpless for the first time in many years.
Her eyes were barely wide open as she noticed the silver-haired Vampyre right on her, his bloody eyes glistening with hunger as his jaws went for her tender white neck, two extremely sharp golden canines leading the way.
…
The Blood World that had covered the distance of the surrounding half a mile disappeared a few minutes after, a gorgeous Vampyre Prince becoming visible again as he licked the last bit of blood from his lips. There was an ashen husk of a being in his arms that was gradually turning into ash as he turned his attention to his surroundings.
Not too far from him in the flaming skies, numerous flying Undead had surrounded the area just a few meters where his Blood World used to be. He could observe fearsome auras leaking from Bone Dragons and d
eadly Blue Phoenixes, not to mention the tens of thousands of undead that had inexplicably populated the molten ground. All of them had golden fires shining in their boney eyes as they looked up solely at him.
The Vampyre Prince looked coldly at this, watching the Undead leaking the most fearsome aura at the Void Rank, a golden green skeleton that was standing on top of a Blue Phoenix that blazed with flames. The commander of these undead seemed to be tilting its head in confusion as it looked at him.
A few thoughts passed through his mind as he began to float away, not wanting to engage with this new being after expending so much of his energy, while also not worrying about whether they knew the identity of the being he had just killed.
There were very few people across the vast worlds who would be able to ascertain the identity of a Celestial, especially one that was on the throngs of death. His slightly reckless actions here today would not be known by anyone other than himself.
The droplet of blood beneath his feet began to move away from the eyes of the many undead as he prepared to break the sound barrier and leave this area, but his plans came to a complete halt as his calm expression became stern the moment he heard a few words.
"Now why would a Prince of the Vampyre Race be hunting down Disciples of the Celestials?"
…
The Vampyre Prince was brought to a halt at the mention of these words, his gaze turning increasingly serious as he tried to find their source among the droves of undead circling the skies and the ground below him, finding nothing but shining eyes with burning flames.
OONG!
He acted without a delay as he knew the importance of what he just did a few minutes ago, and how such an event could never meet the light of day. Should it be known that the Prince of the Vampyre Race had killed a Celestial Disciple, the consequences would be catastrophic. He placed his hand near his chest as a bloody key formed out of nowhere, entering his chest as he turned it swiftly, unlocking something he never thought he would use in the First Realm of Hell.
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