Back in the haven, Peter realized what was wrong after several minutes and immediately sent Sam out. Upon finding Jason covered in vomit, Sam held back his questions and carried Jason back to the haven. Unfortunately, healing skills and potions were useless in this situation, so Jason could only rest and meditate.
He might’ve been a little reckless this time, but damn, was it worth it. Jason instantly gained 6 levels, 615 health, 3% increased regeneration, and according to Peter, the equipment dropped by the demon army was top notch.
Oh, and the essence? All tier seven and up.
Chapter 58
A woman wearing a heavy suit of armor with a katana at her side couldn’t help but look at her companions on the wall. “Can somebody tell me what just happened?”
“Hell if I know.” A stocky youth with a thick beard rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
“Well,” a skinny middle-aged man with bloodshot eyes began, “they were just standing there, glaring at me, y’ know? I was trying really hard to glare back, so maybe they just couldn’t take it anymore and died?”’
The woman smacked the back of the man’s head. “Are you an idiot?!”
“Definitely an idiot.” The stocky youth snickered.
Somebody nearby tried to give a rational explanation. “Maybe Lavos beat Sethess and came back?”
“I don’t think so. You’ve seen Lavos fight; he’s super flashy,” another refuted.
When Sam went out and returned with Jason on his back, the woman with the katana joked. “Maybe it was him? I heard Shenlong, Dubaku, Olivia, and Jason all got some crazy abilities recently.”
“No way, absolutely not. Wouldn’t that make them damn near Lavos in strength?” Everyone shot her down, although that didn’t stop people from trying to come up with a reason for the army’s demise. The theories grew crazier and crazier, perhaps because everyone was exhausted and finally found an outlet to relieve their stress.
Sometime later, back home, Jason hopped out of the bathtub after meditating for a few hours. With his Soul Force significantly recovered, he headed down to the kitchen, where Peter delivered some top-quality food. After stuffing himself full, Jason put on his gear before returning to the floor of death. With a quick sweep of Domain, he found Peter and Su Long in a warehouse overlooking ominous equipment.
“Yo,” Jason announced himself as he entered the building and made his way over.
Peter hid his exhaustion with a friendly smile. “Feeling better?”
“Pretty much. Is this stuff usable?” Jason asked as he watched Su Long grope and touch a shoulder piece as if it was his lover.
“No.”
“Yes!”
Both Peter and Su Long answered simultaneously. Peter rolled his eyes and explained, “They’re Celestial grade—”
“Hahaha!” Su Long interrupted as he laughed in joy and dove into the equipment pile like a kid at a ball pit. Never before had he seen such a vast quantity of high-quality goods.
“Uh.” Peter wore a queer expression and continued, “Anyway, they’re all Celestial grade, but they have a significant defect.”
Su Long made a snow angel as he exclaimed, “Whoever made this is a genius. By infusing the equipment with negative effects, they were able to enhance the attached stats and abilities.
“Oh?” Jason bent over and inspected a pair of obsidian-colored boots.
(Celestial) Grievous Hell Walkers
-20% Movement Speed
+300% Weight
+45% Strength
-15% Agility
+30% Vitality
-20% Endurance
+15% Fortitude
+5% Tenacity
Passive Ability 1: If knocked into the air or backward, reduce the distance and height by 80%.
Passive Ability 2: Gain immunity to frozen and chill status effects.
Active Ability 1: Unleash a pillar of flame with a 15-foot radius with you as the center. Damages you, your allies, and your enemies, for 3 seconds. Damage dealt to a target is 5% of their current health every second. 15-minute cooldown.
“Interesting,” Jason remarked as he looked through the various equipment. They all had negative effects; some had mental suppression continuously active, some drained Health, Stamina, or Mana, while one even made you blind. After taking a few minutes to look, Jason asked Peter. “Any Divine grade pieces?”
“No.” Peter shook his head. “I’m still waiting for the appearance of one. You hyped them up to heaven, after all.”
“You’ll understand once you see it.” Jason chuckled as he asked Su Long. “How close are you to making Divine grade gear, Old Su?”
“Oh, I can make them, Old Jason.” Su Long sat up and glared at Peter. “The problem isn’t my lack of skill, but the quality of my materials.”
Peter shrugged helplessly. “We can’t make our presence known yet.”
Only by expanding their territory could they find raw materials to harvest. As it stood, the Alliance had only explored less than 5% of the floor.
Jason voiced a random thought. “Have you tried using essence as a material?”
Su Long looked at Jason like he was dumb. “Of course I have. I’ve tried melting it, fusing it, eating it, coating it, cooking it, everything! Nothing works.”
Jason thought he heard some strange things in there, but he thought better than to ask. Su Long continued with a helpless tone. “Are you sure I didn’t figure it out in your original timeline?”
“Essence was too rare back then,” Jason explained for a fifth or sixth time. They barely had any essence to form runes, so how could they make items with it?
Su Long looked down at the equipment he sat on with a fiery gaze. “I have a hunch whoever crafted this equipment used essence. I’m certain of it!”
Jason held back from clarifying whether it was a hunch or not. The guy had the canny ability to invoke impatience in other people. Maybe craziness was infectious?
Peter rubbed his eyes before asking Jason. “I don’t mean to nag you, but we kinda need to deal with the Sethess problem.”
“Oh, I totally forgot.” Jason suddenly remembered he had to go find Lavos. How could he forget something so important?
Peter cautioned Jason upon seeing he genuinely forgot. “You need to handle Soul Force more carefully.”
“Uh, yeah.” Jason shivered upon recalling how delirious he was after using nearly 70% of his Soul Force in one go. After a moment, Jason stood up and took another look at the pile of equipment. “Let me find some upgrades real quick.”
“Take whatever you need.” Peter motioned with his hand, paused, then asked hesitantly, “How do you want to handle the essence?”
Jason waved dismissively. “Distribute it as you see fit. The stronger the Alliance, the better.”
Peter gave a grateful nod as he turned to leave. Peter wasn’t aware, but Jason knew high-tier essence would no longer be as scarce as it was. After taking care of Sethess, Jason planned on wiping out every stronghold under Sethess’s territory. The essence they had now would be minuscule then.
After replacing a few pieces of gear, Jason headed in the direction Lavos and Sethess had gone in. Hopefully, they weren’t too far.
Chapter 59
Jason didn’t take long to find a clue as to the whereabouts of Lavos and Sethess. For miles, the terrain was shattered and covered with different elements. All Jason had to do was follow the destruction. Soon, he encountered clouds of green mist, which he entered out of curiosity. The mist passed through the gaps in his armor and entered his pores. Very quickly, Jason felt nauseous.
Warning! An Ultimate rune has afflicted you! All healing and regeneration effects instead damage you. Also, you take 1% of your current health as damage every second.
Remark 1: The duration lasts until you leave the area of effect.
Jason instantly backed out of the poison, horrified. “Holy crap! This rune is my Achilles heel.”
Health and Stamina regeneration was his bread and butt
er, his pride. This rune denied that. Thankfully, he’d learned the rune’s ability before he fought Sethess. It didn’t seem likely this was Lavos’s.
Jason moved on, and soon he found them. The two monsters rested a few hundred feet from each other, with Lavos leaning against a boulder and Sethess curled along the ground. Sethess boasted a massive frame, spanning over a hundred feet in length, with its neck and tail taking up half that amount. Shiny dark red scales covered its body, while its seven heads looked like a hybrid between a dragon’s and a snake’s head.
(Mutant, Raid Boss) Sethess, Doom Hydra – Level 300
Health: 8,321,000/20,000,000
For the first time, Jason saw Lavos equipped in what could only be elemental armor. It covered his entire body, made of lightning, fire, water, air, light, and darkness. Together with his crown and staff, he looked divine.
As soon as Jason noticed them, they did as well. Lavos looked over with furrowed brows, while Sethess glanced over with a single head. Upon inspecting Jason, Lavos was surprised. “You’ve formed an ultimate rune?”
“No.” Sethess’s remaining six heads turned to Jason. “He has two.”
Jason clicked his tongue. There was no hiding his runes; demons seemed to have the uncanny ability to figure out their tier.
Sethess’s four legs supported its massive body as it stood, now wary. “Was this your plan, Lavos?”
Sethess thought the two had set it up. Lavos would duel it for several days, then Jason would swoop in to finish it off when it was exhausted.
“Uh.” Lavos didn’t know how to respond. The minotaur tribe and Sethess’s faction held an unsteady peace. If he said it was a trap, then that meant declaring war against the demon king. While Lavos did have such thoughts, it was only if the Alliance grew strong enough. Right now, it was far too soon.
I wiped out the army surrounding our haven. Jason sent Lavos a telepathic message, unconcerned about the minotaur’s thoughts.
Huh? Lavos felt aggrieved and anxious. I spent several days negotiating with Sethess, and he finally decided to let your tribe grow. And now you’re telling me you wiped out his treasured elite army?
Oh. Jason felt awkward. I, uh, I didn’t know that. We decided to take the initiative…
Lavos took a long deep breath as he struggled to hold back his frustration. After a moment of tense silence, he responded What’s done is done. How strong are you?
I’m not sure, honestly. Lavos tried to keep his cool as Jason continued. I specialize in soul attacks and absorbing damage. Oh, I guess long-ranged physical damage too.
While Jason and Lavos started planning their method of attack, Sethess felt incredibly anxious. It had lived for many centuries in luxury and decadence, yet now someone threatened its life. It had spent the past few days joyfully battling to its heart's content, and while it prided itself on its survivability, Lavos was already equal to it in strength. With the addition of someone with two ultimate runes, the odds weren’t in its favor.
A moment later, Jason reached out with Domain and brushed up against Sethess’s soul, then instantly retreated. As expected, wiping out Sethess in a single move wouldn’t work. The hydra’s soul was as strong as Jason’s, so it was unknown who would survive in an all-in gambit.
Already tense and nervous, Sethess erupted as soon as Jason used Domain. Two heads spewed out green mist, while another four released jets of lava, lightning, water, and fire. The four elements left destruction in their wake as they swept towards Lavos, who responded by summoning four majestic spirits. Each spirit used its body as a medium to mirror Sethess’s attacks. Lavos also swept the green mist away with wind, effectively making it useless.
The skills of both sides clashed violently, creating a shockwave that turned the ground to dust. The wind screamed, only to freeze from a terrifying pressure—Sethess’s final head had been absorbing the ambient mana in the air, and now a dense ball of liquid mana floated in front of its jaws.
Shockingly, Sethess swallowed the boulder-sized ball. In the next moment, its belly enlarged, then its neck, before a razor-sharp laser of black energy tore through the air at the speed of light. Lavos opted to avoid the attack as his body turned into lightning. The laser chased after him, severing a massive mountain in the distance as it did.
Eventually, the laser fizzed out of existence, unable to harm Lavos. Before the minotaur could relax, Sethess’s other six heads unleashed another wave of attacks. Another group of spirits manifested, and soon both fighters entered a stalemate.
Jason watched from a safe distance away, utterly shocked. When Sethess used that laser attack, his jaw dropped when the top half of a mountain fell off. If the haven took that hit, the barrier would have collapsed in a second. Even the casual attacks of Lavos and Sethess were on another level.
What are you waiting for? Lavos’s strained voice entered Jason’s mind, reminding him he had a job to do.
I’m starting. Jason grew solemn as he spread out Domain. After leaving the abyss, he tested out his new abilities and found something disappointing. Domain didn’t include his sword’s damage when using Cleave, Sever, and Chop. While he could use his battle skills from any distance or angle, it couldn’t compare to when he used the skills himself. Hopefully, he could break through Sethess’s defenses as is.
With a thought, Jason targeted Sethess’s neck and used Chop. A sliver of Battle Energy came into existence and clashed against the red scales. There was a spark but no discernable damage. A pair of Sethess’s eyes squinted at Jason as if snickering.
“Let’s raise the heat a little,” Jason muttered as he switched to Sever, which was helpful against high defense enemies.
Another sliver of Battle Energy manifested, though it was noticeably sharper this time. True to its name, when the skill touched a scale, it left behind a white mark. If Jason could somehow get close enough, he could likely cause Sethess to bleed by using his sword. Doing so, however, would probably get him killed. Although the hydra appeared to be a mage, Jason didn’t discount its massive claws and rippling muscles. Unfortunately, he didn’t specialize in speed, so long-range attacks were his only option.
If that’s all you have, I overestimated you. Sethess laughed as its voice appeared in Jason’s mind.
I’m just getting started. Jason grinned. The two attacks he’d made so far were tests. Now that he had a better understanding of his strength, it was time to fight for real. After all, what idiot would attack Sethess’s scales when you could attack from any direction or angle?
As soon as Jason replied, slivers appeared around Sethess’s seven pairs of eyes and at the opening of its mouths. Since Sethess seemed to love exposing his mouth when using skills, Jason didn’t mind doing some cleaning.
Sethess instantly cried out in pain. Countless Severs turned its eyes to goo while its gums and throat sprayed out blood like a fountain. A few teeth even fell to the ground.
Jason’s attack interrupted Sethess’s skills, allowing Lavos to deal significant damage. The hydra’s Health fell to 6 million before it regenerated.
Great! Do that a few more times, and we can kill it. Lavos celebrated in Jason’s mind.
Oh, I can only do that one more time, Jason admitted awkwardly. After severing thousands of limbs, Sever reached the highest stage and now only cost a mere 25 Battle Energy, compared to the initial 100. Jason only had a little under 10,000 Battle Energy, and that attack used up half.
Lavos didn’t respond, though his expression grew solemn when Sethess began to concentrate mana again. Jason used his remaining Battle Energy to interrupt the process, yet Sethess ignored the attacks and took them head-on. While the last assault took it by surprise, now it knew Jason could only cause it some pain.
After swallowing the ball of mana, Lavos turned into lightning, though he wondered how Sethess would aim, considering its eyes were no more than mashed potatoes after Jason’s second assault.
Unexpected to Lavos and Jason, Sethess focused its regeneration on a sing
le pair of eyes. Previously, it took the hydra three seconds to regenerate its eyes, yet now it only took half a second.
As soon as the hydra’s eyes recovered, the head containing the ball of mana turned to Jason. Lavos immediately sprang into action, but it was too late. The laser was upon Jason in an instant.
Jason’s pupils shrank as time seemed to slow down. As his hair whipped back and forth, World Conqueror activated.
10.
100.
1,000.
10,000.
100,000 Severs surrounded the laser from beginning to end, and in a single second, the laser was no more. Jason met the hydra’s gaze with a smile as another 100,000 Severs covered Sethess from head to tail.
True to its title as one of the demon king’s generals, the hydra boasted tremendous defense. Even with the boost in control from World Conqueror, Jason was unable to leave a fatal wound. Of course, he’d expected this.
As soon as he blinded Sethess again, Jason recalled the soul inside Aros’s sword back when he fought Hector. At that time, numerous methods and techniques flowed from the blade into Jason’s mind. There was one that left an impression.
World Conqueror temporarily gave Jason absolute control over Battle Energy. It meant he could create skills on the fly as long as it involved Battle Energy. Truthfully, as long as he trained and improved himself, he could attain complete mastery without the skill. How long that would take, however, was unknown. For now, he could only rely on it.
Jason gripped his sword with both hands and slowly raised it above his head. Battle Energy flooded in from everywhere, creating the shape of a blade hundreds of feet high. It moved like fire at first, though as Jason immersed himself, the form grew solid.
The skill he envisioned was a massive blade severing the sky, from top to bottom. The clearer the image became, the more Jason felt as if the shape was an extension of himself.
Towers of Heaven: A LitRPG Adventure (Book 3) Page 26