The 1st Legion, led by the Knight Commander ‘George Mullen’, rejoined with the 3rd Legion led by Elena Whitefort.Fortunately, the Archmagus ensured that there were no casualties. She even dealt with the Dead Ends barring their way.However, when she returned to the camp, she collapsed and had to be healed and monitored regularly.Only after 5 days did she wake up, welcomed by the face of her old friend, George.“Took you long enough!”He helped her sit up, a shit-eating grin plastered on his beard.George was a burly man with a bushy beard, a pair of gentle eyes, and a pair of thick eyebrows. He was a stalwart man, loyal and highly-respected in the Empire.He was the Knight Commander, in charge of the 1st legion and, to a certain extent, the one in charge of all the Empire’s armies. “Ugh… I still feel sick!”“What did you expect? You used Kethra’s Verses. As the Master of the Soul Magic Pillar, you of all people should know that that artifact affects the user’s soul.”Elena shrugged
It was obvious that the group of people drinking in the tavern were a clique. The moment the housewife at the counter changed her attitude, they got to their feet and looked at the hooded newcomer with visible hostility.“There’s no need to resort to violence. I’m not here to cause trouble.”Hoping to avoid a conflict, Zeke raised his hands and faced the crowd of scary-looking middle-aged men. He wasn’t afraid of getting attacked, but if the situation were to escalate, he would have to retaliate and consequently reveal his identity.He might not be as famous as the Archmagus and wouldn’t be recognized by normal civilians, however, he was more worried about the types of individuals who had eyes and ears everywhere. The people who would catch his scent and labor to make things difficult.“How about Venzo Fekhyr, anyone knows his whereabouts?”The atmosphere got more intense and only an unsettling silence followed Zeke’s question. At last, one of the burly men, dressed in ragged clothe
The night was going to be long not only in the Imperial Capital but also in the Nezulian Republic, specifically its Western border.Elena Whitefort and George Mullen, leading the 1st and 3rd legions, launched a full-scale attack in the dead of the night.The army, numbering over 40,000 soldiers, made up of Knights, swordsmen, and mages, marched together. More than 5,000 cavalry knights were at the front, galloping at high speed as they formed a perfect circle and used large white shields.The shields let out a brilliant light, soon forming an even bigger magical shield that protected the entire army from the assault of the fast jets.Missiles kept raining down on the large army, but none hit. Quite the opposite, in fact, as the Archmagus used her long-ranged spells to take one aircraft after the other.After an hour, 26 military jets were destroyed and no more appeared in the night sky. What was left was the small army of the Republicans. They had dozens of large tanks, military arm
Zeke dove into the sewers right under the Commercial District and disposed of any cultist in his way. He didn’t need to resort to any skills, let alone ‘Voltage King’. His superior physical prowess allowed him to eliminate them with one or two hits.It took him 20 minutes of thorough searching to find a hidden entrance from which three Ascetic Blasphemers slipped from.The three, unsuspecting to stumble upon an enemy right there, were mercilessly killed within a couple of breaths.Zeke crouched down and inspected the tunnel before sliding inside and soon falling into a long corridor. There was an unpleasant noise of the constantly ringing alarm, but he paid it no heed and marched toward a random direction.As he didn’t know the layout of the base, he had to aimlessly wander. Unfortunately, both the Ascetic Blasphemers and the Blood Dusk Society had great numbers, so Zeke would encounter a couple of them every now and then.At some point, he reached a small intersection in which the t
While Archmagus Robert and co were forcing their way deep into the base of the Ascetic Blasphemers, Red Mask Fanti Fan remained in his laboratory, watching the hatching egg with eagerness and slight trepidation.“It’s almost out!”With clenched fists and wide-open eyes, the scientist was standing next to the egg and impatiently waiting for the creature to get out.Jennifer could feel the sinister and familiar energy of Proto-Demons emit from the egg. The heart beating with the egg was pulsating with dangerous quantities of Aether, mixed with another foreign type of energy.Amidst the tense silence, Harold Orland, who pacing around anxiously, suddenly looked to the entrance and, out of instinct, jumped back.He landed next to the cage in which the Witcher was imprisoned in.At that exact moment, a rapid silhouette charged from the corridor and smashed Eve’s head.The girl had no time to react as head was grabbed by a hand and then smashed to the ground. The assailant then kicked her bo
Voltage currents emanated from Zeke’s fingers and struck the bounds incapacitating Jennifer. The metal locks were easily blocked and her power was finally restored.However, there was no emotional reunion as Jennifer suddenly extended her hand and pushed Zeke to the side, a dark green blast of energy was unleashing.She blocked a big spear made of white flames, which was cast by Eve. The girl had appeared next to her creator and was firing one spell after the other.Zeke, who realized what was happening, inwardly snorted and switched back to the offensive.He wasn’t in the mood to prolong this, and while Eve was stronger than the other children, she still wasn’t his match. An illusory syringe pieced his shoulder and injected a magical fluid into his body, subsequently boosting his stats.‘Self-Injection’‘Voltage Rune’‘Over-Drive’.His body flashed with a blinding azure light before it let out a booming sound, seemingly breaking the sound barrier. The shock wave extinguished Jennifer
It took Kleya, Robert, Fin, and Sarah half an hour to navigate the large underground base of the Ascetic Blasphemers and reach the lowest floor. Kleya’s objective was to find and rescue Jennifer Savbra, however, since she couldn’t separate from the group, she stuck with them until they reached the final place: A dimly-lit circular room with engraving and runes on the ground, forming seemingly ritualistic symbols, specifically belonging to Black Magic.There were no enemies stationed there, only the high-ranked members of the organization.At the center of the room, in the middle of a large bloody circle drawn on top of the runes, stood a man wearing a wooden white mask. He had the three remaining Red Masks positioned around him, their arms extended and pouring Aether into the ground.“To be visited by such an illustrious company.” The White Mask, albeit acting nonchalant, sounded slightly anxious. Strong as he might be, he still had his limits. If it were only the Nightmare Witch o
Zeke returned to his normal form, raised the shortbow in his hands and, empowered by ‘Voltage Rune’, unleashed ‘Rain of Arrows’.The glowing blue projectiles poured down on the startled Red Masks. Two of them were unlucky and got pierced by several arrows, as for the last one, he managed to jump back in time only for an extremely and barely visible white line of thunder to go through his mask and then his forehead, ending his life instantly.It cost Zeke a whopping 35PE just for that small attack, but Divine Thunder was by far his strongest skill. It was able to overpower the Dead Ends, so a Red Mask was nothing.Robert and Fin fused their spells, causing a momentary storm of water and darkness to ravage the two remaining enemies. The Red Masks used special artifacts to make their bodies explode, but the shock wave was easily absorbed by Kleya’s magic.When the tremors stopped and the dust cleared, there was an eerie bout of silence flowing between all of them. Everyone was looking at
“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