NOVEL FROG Chapter 219. Battle of Titans – Part Two
"I will give you one more chance, Leonardo. Lay down your weapons, and let me take the shard." Geron extended his hand again. "You must understand that no mortal should wield a power like this. The Void is too dangerous for a single pers—"
A glowing arrow aimed straight at the Old One's head forced him to stop mid-word and move to defend. He swatted away the first projectile and then another two that came at him just as quickly. At the same time, Lily landed next to Nyx, her body battered and bruised but mostly fine.
"Stop giving him time to recover and attack, for fuck's sake!" She shouted, already firing more arrows at the enemy. "It's obvious he is weakened. Use this!"
Right.
With a nod at Nyx, they both rushed at Geron. Leo struck first and then ducked, letting the feline attack right after him. Then, it was his turn again, and he lashed out with his tail and a wave of shadows that surged out of the ground.
The Old One deflected it all while a wall of light manifested to stop the shadows. Nonetheless, Geron could do nothing but take more and more steps back as Leo and Nyx continued their assault. They switched seamlessly, weaving their attacks together so that the god before them had no time to recover and push for a counterattack.
Their shadows also continued to flow around their bodies in waves. All kinds of projectiles or even living constructs formed around them before flying straight at Geron. The Old One defended as best as he could, forming shields of light to block anything that came in his way.
Unfortunately for him, he couldn't stop everything with Nyx and Leo at his throat, shadows attacking from each direction, and Lily's arrows constantly aiming for his head. Sometimes, an attack—usually an elemental one—slipped through, chipping at the shell of light covering Payne's body.
"Annoying pests," Geron growled, jumping away. He swung one of his swords mid-air, releasing a massive wave of light that forced everyone back. "I saw you using illusionary clones during the fight with my host. Let me show you what a real master of Essence can do with your primitive technique."
In a bright flash, a construct of light slithered out of the Old One's body. A moment later, two more followed. They all looked identical to the ancient being, only with two arms instead of the original four.
"Now that's better." Geron smiled, his remaining eye glinting. "Get them!"
At once, the clones flew forward, quite literally at that, as their feet didn't even touch the ground. With golden swords in their hands, one of them went for Lily, while the two others dived right for Leo and Nyx.
The feline acted first, meeting the duo head-on with shadows and claws. Leo wanted to join her, but just then, she spoke through their link, 'Go for the original. Lily and I will handle the clones. Hold him off until then.'
Good luck. He nodded and sped forward. He jumped above the constructs and swung at Geron, releasing a condensed wave of shadows.
The Old One swatted the technique away and raised only a single blade to block the incoming charge.
"It's only the two of us again, Leonardo. I won't underestimate you this time."
"Do your worst," Leo spat and struck again.
Geron smirked and blocked the slash with a single sword. Meanwhile, his other weapons disintegrated, leaving him with empty fists—fists that soon descended on their enemy like an angry demon.
Leo had no idea what the god was planning but still moved to defend, raising his blades.
It was a mistake.
The moment the blade and fist collided, a blast of light exploded out of the latter, enveloping most of Leo's arm. It burned right through the Manifestation armor and most of his scales. In some places, it even reached his muscles.
Leo gritted his teeth as a similar attack washed over his other arm. He leaned out of the way of another punch and Blinked away. As he did that, he reached into his soul and took out another Bellatoure that he gulped down within the blink of an eye.
Much better. He sighed and used another Blink to buy a bit more time. This sudden change of position brought him close to where Lily and Nyx were fighting the clones. Might as well.
With Manifestation enhancing his shadow control, he sent a couple of Eruptions at the clones' back. Two of them managed to jump away in time, but the third one wasn't so lucky. Tendrils and spikes combined pierced its body, bursting it into thousands of light particles.
He wanted to do more to help his companions, but just then, Geron reached him again. This time, he attacked with three fists, forcing Leo to use Blink a few more times to avoid getting pulverized.
This can't go on. He growled as he continued dodging with his skill. Even with Relentless Hunger ramping up, he was still too slow to completely avoid every punch with his speed alone. I have to try again.
Leo summoned more Essence from his almost empty soul, turning it into Ruination. He enveloped his hands in this power and dismissed his blades. Valron Protection also flared to life, providing another layer of protection.
This better work.
When Geron reached him again, Leo didn't run. He flung his hand forward as another glowing fist came his way and slapped it away before it could connect with his body. The explosion of light still happened when their limbs touched, but thanks to the Ruination layer, he barely felt it.
He had to constantly provide more Essence for the protection to last—Ruination refused to stay still for more than a few seconds—but at least now he could fight back. To make it even better, their every clash harmed Geron, too, when the Void's corruptive power touched his skin again and again.
He is getting slower, but I also can't continue this for too long. I'm running on fumes...
"Can... you... just... die!?" Geron hissed in between his punches. The Old One's mask of calmness cracked, revealing the first hints of rage. "This... isn't... a power... meant... for... mortals!"
The Avatar's body suddenly glowed brighter as his speed picked up. In response, Leo embraced the growing bloodlust, pushing his hate for his enemy into Relentless Hunger.
'Leo!' Nyx's voice filled his mind. 'Prepare yourself! I'm coming and will jump into your armor. Focus on melee. I will fuel our techniques with my remaining Essence.'
What about the clones?
'Lily is finishing the last one as we speak,' she answered. 'Be ready… In three, two, one, now!'
As the countdown finished, a wave of shadows spilled over his Manifestation, repairing it and infusing his soul with new energy. Tendrils escaped out of his back and struck at Geron, who instantly backed off.
Leo didn't let him and chased with Blink. He slipped his claws into the Avatar's back and ripped the flesh behind the shell of light. In another burst of Essence, he appeared before the Old One mid-spin and struck with his tail.
It sent the being flying right into the path of a giant golden arrow. Geron screamed for the first time, but not for the last, as a salvo of shadow projectiles crashed into him the moment he landed, courtesy of Nyx.
Leo, with the feline still glued to him, rushed forward before the Old One could recover. Ruination spilled on his extended blade, and he let it fly again, cutting off two more of the ancient being's arms. Dozens of shadow eruptions burst out of the ground next, trapping Geron in place.
The Avatar tried to defend with his remaining arm, but Leo simply slapped it away and plunged his other blade into the exposed neck. Devour followed, this time assisted by ramped-up Relentless Hunger.
Geron slackened in his grip as the shell of light dimmed. "It seems I have lost this battle," he said despite the blade in his neck. "How embarassing... To think I would need my backup plan." He chuckled. "So be it. If I can't have the shard now, nobody can. Farewell, Leonardo Hale. I will remember you."
Leo's eyes widened.
"What? What do you mean by that?! What did you do?!" He shouted, but there was no one to answer him. Devour consumed everything, be it the Avatar's shell or the body beneath it. Now, only dust remained as even the light dome above him faded into nothingness.
Ny—
His call for help was cut off as the earth shook. Screeches of monsters filled the air, soon joined by the sound of buildings collapsing in the distance. The shaking didn't stop, and when Lily landed next to him, he had no clue what to tell her.
"What about the System?!" She screamed over the noise. "Got anything there?!"
Leo quickly summoned the interface, and indeed, there were notifications waiting there, just not the ones he needed.
Avatar of Light (Geron LVL: N/A) slain | Expirience awarded | No Ether absorbed
Congratulations! You have reached level 45. Class and Racial attributes have been distributed.
As much as I'm thankful for the levels, I need information, System. Please, I'm begging you.
Almost as if the powerful entity had heard him, the entire world around him froze. The shaking and screeches stopped. Even Lily and Nyx, who had reformed beside him, looked frozen. Only he could move.
"What..."
Connection to the Main System core strengthened. Links absorbed: 2 of 9... Overriding protocols... Temporary connection established...
"Leo Hale. We need to talk."
