Zeke was breathing rapidly while pressing his hand against his chest. He was on the brink of falling unconscious, however, he still kept pouring out voltage while glaring at the Nightmare Witch.She was also weakened, but not entirely incapacitated. Her pale face and the beads of sweat trickling down her forehead notwithstanding, she stood straight and silently looked at the seemingly defeated youth.“Your Excellency, I think this is enough. We should tend to the wounded.”General Zhang and Minister Bhak order the Special Agents to help those affected by the Death Door. As for the Proto-Demons, most of them fell unconscious and only 5, including Essyna, were able to resist the Death Door’s soul-rending aura of decay.Instead of attacking the youth, who clearly wasn’t going to give up even while in such a condition, Kleya walked to the Witches and took out an elixir from thin air.She knelt on the ground and, one by one, she poured a few drops into their mouths. The effect was immedia
Due to Gajin Cordis’ condition, which, albeit got better thanks to the Healing Elixir, was still not enough for him to awake from his slumber. Only after a whole week did the General regain his senses and wake up. Zeke had stayed with him and Essyna the whole time, but he wasn’t mistreated by the Department of Defense. The infrequent reports he would get from Special Agent Elizabeth were enough to satisfy his curiosity about what was happening outside. Michael Lopmore was taken back home and didn’t wake up yet. The Nightmare Witch returned to the Witch Association along with her kin, and a public funeral was held at the Central Plaza of Poudel City. Albeit slowly, peace was returning and the civilians felt reassured that all the streets were guarded by Special Agents and large tanks. Zeke met up with Sulong and told him to return home, which the latter didn’t oppose. After all, Sulong too had been locked up, but not in a cell. Ever since his capture, he was locked in a hotel ro
The talk between the Proto-Demons and the humans lasted for almost two hours. There was a minor vocal opposition from Minister Bhak Djinn, but ultimately, things ended in a favorable outcome for Zeke and Gajin.[Grand Mission #2 completed: Calculation of rewards will begin once the time limit has reached ‘0’.][Optional objectives completed:-Kill Bragdt, Vice-chief of the Silver Hawk Tribe.- Rescue the imprisoned humans]*[Objections not completed:-Locating and saving Madam Jevani- General ‘Gajin Cordis’ survives until the end of the Grand Mission.][Time remaining: 7 days, 14 hours, 10 minutes, 49 seconds.]Zeke was given a nice and spacious room to rest for a day. The Proto-Demons were freed but remained closely monitored and guarded by Special Agents.As he laid on the comfortable bed, Zeke was inspecting his numb and blackened left arm while musing about the System’s intentions.‘Either it didn’t know about the Dead Ends or it wanted me to know. It could also have been an atte
A deep rumbling and an explosion of biblical proportions. The whole area was razed off the ground, sparing almost no one. However, the missile was modified and left no traces such as large clouds or fluctuating Aether. Instead, there was an enormous crater in which the water from the sea spilled into.Essyna’s eyes flung open, her breathing rapid and her eyes filled with shock and momentary confusion. She looked at her trembling hands then at her surroundings, recognizing the familiar forest.However, she knew that it wasn’t an illusion, and the reaction of her body was proof enough. With a bit of difficulty, she got to her feet and walked 20 to 30 meters before reaching a steep cliff that faced the crater.When she and Gajin had noticed the missiles, they immediately unleashed their magic to create another barrier, but they were too late. In those moments before the impact, when the barrier put up by the humans was breaking, Essyna used her unique magic to open a small rift for her p
[Grand Mission #2 completed: Calculating Rewards.][+600 EXP][+30 Aether][+50 Strength][+50 Agility][+10 Fortitude][+170 PE][You leveled up!][You leveled up!][You leveled up!][Variant Optional Path ‘Bow Collector(100 PE)’ can now be unlocked: 250 Agility | 250 Aether][Variant Optional Paths: A unique type of Path available only where certain hidden requirements are met.][Bow Collector Variant Optional Path: The combination of the Shooter Path and the Voltage Body Path.WARNING: The following skills will be lost upon upgrading to ‘Bow Collector’:Spark (Proficiency 95%)Voltage Zap(Proficiency 100%)][Time left until the Variant Optional Path ‘Bow Collector’ is permanently locked: 6 hours.]Zeke was overjoyed by the generous amount of PE and stats. He could feel an intangible power surge within his body and empower it. It is an exhilarating sensation, experienced only when his basic stats were increased by a significant amount within a short period of time.Although he wante
The White Leopards, with their vision enhanced, broke into the apartment and dispersed to look for Zeke.One of them, a chubby and tall man with an ugly moustache and a silver longsword, entered the bathroom only to see a flash of blue light. His body reacted in time to block the incoming blow, however, the amount of voltage was too much.He was electrocuted and lost hold of his weapon, his body flying backwards and crashing into the wall. The thud was loud enough for his colleagues to hear, their silhouette charging forth amidst the smoke caused by the bomb.Zeke, crouching on the ground, held the Longbow and fired two shots. The rumbling thunder was almost deafening as it cracked the walls and flew toward the two closest swordsmen. One was able to deflect the projectile while the other was caught off-guard and pieced in the shoulder.Zeke quickly switched paths and activated ‘Champion of Speed Mode’. Like a literal lightning bolt, he shot forward and tackled the still-standing enemy
Hansel, Gretel, and Julia were all attacking him simultaneously. Zeke swiftly recovered from the hit and used ‘Over-drive’, his voltage bursting forth and surrounding him.While in the momentary form of a lightning bolt, he shot at the twins, ‘zapping’ them both with a large amount of electricity. Hansel staggered and bumped into the wall whereas his twin brother stood his ground and used the hammer to resist the thunder.Julia, as fast as ever, rushed at Zeke’s rear but wasn’t able to keep up with his speed, at least not when he used ‘Over-drive’.When the skill’s effect wore off and his movement returned to normal, Zeke was facing the incoming girl with the Longbow in hand.The voltage rune in his right hand glowed one last time as an enormous arrow crackling with blue lightning was conjured. Julia, her expression hardening, halted her feet and extended her hand in a seemingly slow punch; It was one of her special techniques that she had once used against the tribulation.The air
“You were looking for me?”Zeke grinned as the Shortbow appeared in his hand. Without waiting for a response from the speechless Viper, he pulled onto his new weapon’s strings and fired a rain of arrows.The small yet lightning fast arrows glowed in the dark, letting out blue sparks as they accurately hit all the startled cultists inside.In literally fifteen seconds, Zeke had knocked down all 19 cultists, leaving only Signora and Viper, who stood at the far back.“Zeke Orland.”“Yes. That’s my name.”Zeke sneered mockingly, seemingly enjoying the dumbfounded look on the man’s wrinkled face.With steady steps, he approached the two Red Masks. He glanced at Signora, but she snorted and haughtily said,“How stupid can you be? Coming right into our nest.”Orbs made of pure white light appeared behind her, spinning clockwise and ready to fire.Viper too, didn’t waste time to utter any monologues. The battle came to a start when Zeke jumped in the air and fired a torrent of shiny lightnin
“I and Hephradet personally studied it, but found nothing. Here you go.”Kleya handed back the strange item back to Zeke.“There’s no Aether or any other foreign energy inside. We couldn’t determine its purpose.”“I see. Thank you anyway.”“Don’t worry about it. You should rest more or else I’ll never hear the end of it from Jenny.”Zeke wryly smiled and nodded. His mother kept nagging him day and night, telling him to rest and not continuously wander around the castle checking on everyone and making sure there were no issues.His body was already healthy and he felt no odd disturbances or unexpected awakenings. Everything is as normal as it could be.Just as Kleya left the room, Jennifer came in. Behind her was a red-faced Celestia, which made Zeke frown.“Mom?”Surprisingly, Jennifer grabbed his ear and pulled him to the couch.“Did I not tell you to overdo it?”“W-what? I haven’t done anything!”“That’s not what she told me!”Celestia stood a distance away, her head lowered in emba
“It’s still too early to assess everything, but… over 80% of the entire planet’s population died.” Kleya, whose eyes were a bit red and her face was filled with fatigue, sat across Zeke and Celestia. “And Her Majesty?” When she heard his question, Kleya lowered her head and held herself back from crying. “We… we think she died fighting the System. It’s no longer possible to return to the Unending Star, so we decided to acknowledge that Her Majesty was amongst those who had fallen there.” “I’m sorry.” “Don’t be. She… she died protecting what she believed in. Us. Not just the Witch Association but all of the Aether Planet.” Zeke sighed, feeling sorry when he saw Kleya like that. The Witch Queen was the pillar of the Witch Association, their respected leader. It was especially so for Kleya and the other 6-star Witches, excluding Jennifer. “A-anyway, the situation at the capital of the Nezulian Republic remains the same. We’re still looking for a way to cancel that Frost Spell cast
“Huff… huff…” With a hand pressed against his hurting chest, Zeke dragged his tired feet toward the fallen copy. The copy’s head turned to look at him, its eyeballs, which looked as if they were to pop-out, were letting out the familiar yet incredibly dim crimson light. “We had completed our objective. There was nothing left for Us to do.” “That didn’t give you the right to wipe entire civilizations.” “You… wouldn’t understand, Zeke Orland.” Unlike earlier, the System spoke through the copy’s mouth. Its charred and cut lips moved in an unnatural way, but the voice was identical to Zeke’s. “We had succeeded. We had saved the world. Then, We understood that our creation, our existence was only for that purpose. That We were a tool destined to cease existing.” “...” “We could not tolerate that.” “So you manifested a will of your own?” In response to that, a self-deprecating laugh came from the copy. “After choosing our first User, we saw how the Races we were supposed to prote
While the Phoenix battled the System in the Cursed Plains of the Unending Star, Zeke’s fight against his copy continued.Things took a turn for the worst when the Crown was crushed and the System’s powers dramatically increased. Nevertheless, Zeke didn’t lose yet. His body was flung and then crashed into the ground, blood gushing out from his shoulder and back.Even then, he slowly stood up and grinned toward the System.“Still fighting the good fight.”The previously calm ‘copy’, or at least the System’s disembodied voice, grew agitated as Zeke refused to remain on the ground.“My will is not so easily broken.”[Voltage King]Zeke’s eyes shone with an azure light as his voltage grew silent and became white.[Divine Champion][Divine Sreyzhanian Arts]Just as he charged at the System again, its body suddenly turned stiff as if being immobilized by something.The item handed by Kayro Ol Zerg flashed from Zeke’s pocket.[Fist of Fury]Zeke’s fists, glowing orange and wrapped in condens
“What’s wrong? I thought you were invincible in your domain.”Zeke’s taunt had no effect, at least not at first. The System stood straight and looked down on its wounded body.“You know nothing of Us.”The copy raised its hand, and very soon, something familiar appeared.It was a tangible object of an odd-shape, but Zeke knew what it was. The Crown.“You will know what it is to be helpless and defeated, 5th user.”“You’re still talking?”Zeke let out a smile and charged forth, his fists wrapped by thick voltage.The System crushed the crown as the red voltage manifested and exploded in an uncontrollable manner.…“Is it done?”Julia Lopmore furrowed her brows as she looked at the enemy, whose body was crushed, burned, and almost unrecognisable. It wasn’t a body anymore, but a mass of flesh and poison.The silence lasted for a very short time as the Crown also appeared in reality.“Stop it!” Shouted Frederic as took out a blue bead, one with the same size and shape that Nicneven had pr
Xiao, with his spear in hand, actually deflected the Divine Thunder before safely landing on the ground.Several people appeared close to the Witch Queen. As she swept her eyes across the six people that unexpectedly showed up here.“Your Majesty, we’re here to lend a hand.” Frederic Whitefort smirked and looked at her as he muttered those words. He had brought along Azmer, Xiao, Celestia, Ava, and Julia Lopmore.“You… how ar-”“We can save that talk for later, eh?”Frederic motioned toward Zeke, who was standing there and staring back at them with a hollow expression.“As I’m the weakest of the bunch, I’ll just stay behind and offer assistance… as well as try to heal Her Majesty.”The Vagabond knelt next to Nicnteven and extended his hand towards her. He let out a warm and serene white light, which made her feel rejuvenated. It was Holy Magic, something which she didn’t know he could use.“Wouldn’t Zeke die if we tried to kill the System?” Asked Julia while furrowing her brows.“Not
Right after the destruction of the Heart of the Dead Ends, Zeke stood there, seemingly in a daze.The Witch Queen stared at him intensely, and when his eyes glowed with a crimson light, she immediately attacked.Jonathan roared and rushed as well, a creeping Darkness exploding from his hands.Nicneven struck out from afar, unleashing a blazing wave of flames, fused with a spinning thick beam of Ice-aspected energy.The Paths of Extinction System, which had taken control of Zeke’s body, retaliated with full-force as well.Dozens of thunderbolts erupted from Zeke’s raised hand, blasting Jonathan back and clashing with the Queen’s magic.“The Seat of Magic.” Muttered a voice that didn’t resemble Zeke albeit speaking from his mouth.It was emotionless and cold, one which no living being would be able to imitate.[Voltage Zap]Using such an elementary skill, the System shot innumerable bolts that arched in the air and concentrated on Nicneven.She jumped out of the way and performed a stra
“I know this is a lot to take in, Zeke Orland. But, I want you to trust me. Know that I have your best interest in heart and I wouldn’t have come unless necessary. I could’ve let you venture alone and complete your objective, after which you’ll be killed by your own System.”Zeke pointed his open hand toward the incoming shades.[Voltage King]A barrage of lightning bolts was unleashed, piercing through the shades and extinguishing them. They vaporised in an instant, leaving only a bit of red fog.The Dead Ends and the Paths of Extinction System, they both had that unique and ominous crimson light. However, Zeke thought it was just a coincidence.Now that the truth was revealed to him, he felt a bit lost. It wasn’t that much of a surprise that his System was dangerous or a threat as he had already suspected as much after learning about Edward Heart.Nevertheless, the fact that it was a tool from the very beginning did make him feel weak and clueless.An eerie silence flowed between Ze
Thanks to the thunderstorm Zeke had previously summoned, the three of them managed to reach and enter the Black Spike. Strangely enough, the entrance of the spire was fully-opened as if beckoning them inside. “This looks man-made.” “Because it is.” Answered Nicneven as she held the black katana with one hand and controlled five differently-colored elemental orb with the other. The interior of the black spike was empty but particularly eerie. Everything was black and except a spiralling staircase that led to the top, there was nothing else, not even the crimson fog. “Who made it?” “...” “Why do you refuse to tell me anything, Your Majesty? What is the Dead Ends? Who created it?” “You do not need to concern yourself with that. Just destroy the Hearts and everything will end.” Her immediate dismissal did irritate him, but he didn’t press her for answers he knew she wouldn’t give. “This is the final stretch. Jonathan, take the vanguard.” “Yes, Your Majesty.” Jonathan pushed bac