Chapter 1187: The One Left Standing (1)
?
Replicus and Skullius walked through the wide-open doors into the towering building and were instantly met with a wide, cubical space with a floor that was made ofrge ck tiles. Each individual tile was emphasised by the faint light that shone from the points where it met other tiles; it was almost as though the collection of tiles was stered over arge beam of light.
Aside from the great chandelier of pure, solid golden white light hanging on the ceiling, and the two dark staircases with golden white railings on either end of the floor, both leading up the path into the next floor, nothing else could be seen. The two, no, three versions of the Moronic Undead who had escaped the Arch-Lich Somanda what seemed like so long ago, were the only things to give a livelier appeal to the vast floor.
Skullius parted from Replicus and with a rxed smile walked towards the staircase on the left end of the floor. Replicus walked towards the opposite one, but the Stolen Angel walked on as though it was oblivious to the direction its master had gone.
The doors to the great building closed, turning the space a lot darker.
Replicus was still considering what Skullius had just said.
What did this bastard mean by ''leaving Aigas''? What exploits did he have in mind within the void?
And what did he mean when he said even if he was defeated, all the ns he had set in motion would still continue?
This was the most disgruntling thing about this whole affair now, Replicus thought.
''It''s almost as annoying as the fact that his reasoning for not retrieving our soul - at least when ites to self-preservation - is based on the Wanderer Who Seeds.''
Replicus was sure that Skullius believed that through this Wanderer Who Seeds whom Fulgardt preached in the past, the Doom Factor wouldn''t be a problem for him even if the deadline was reached. The way he had been talking about powers beyond the Deities heavily suggested that this was his rationale. With what Replicus had learned on Edagon and from Serenity, it was only natural that he woulde to this conclusion.
But was this Wanderer Who Seeds... an actual being?
Who knew?
The Warmoth''s Progeny ascended up the stairs. Skullius did as well.
As he rose, he noticed that opposite the railing to the stairs, where a wall should have been - marking the end of the building - there was darkness the kind of which he wasn''t convinced was solid at all. He felt that if he were to jump at it, he would sink.
He turned his attention away promptly and gave the Hybrid Luman a keen look. It seemed the eerie human-Luminant mix was doing the same through more ''sensitive'' means.
"Will this flimsy building be able to handle it if we go all out?" Replicus asked.
Skullius chortled.
"Don''t worry about that. I used a fair number of Creeds to ensure it wouldst long enough," he replied.
Replicus would have raised a brow if he could.
''Just how many Creeds could you possibly have obtained a little more than a week after you became an Incandescent Stager?'' he asked Skullius from within.
A deathly silence followed as the two continued to rise up the stairs.
They were nearly halfway up when Skullius sleekly pushed the hilt of the Bashful Abomination such that three inches of the chipped de of the zhanmadao were exposed from its scabbard.
The de, still attached to Skullius'' side, reflected the light from the chandelier, and instantly caught the attention of the Warmoth''s Progeny.
A cry not unlike that of a banshee red from the sword before a vicious set of disembodied shes, invisible yet potent, shot towards Replicus at a speed terribly close to that of light!
Replicus didn''t move to defend himself.
Instead, thin streaks of yellowish-red Ju`wtte sprang from his body without his consent and whipped violently at the iing shes, casually redirecting them towards the ceiling and floor!
SHIK! SHIK! SHIK! SHIK!
The shes struck the interior of the dark building with enough power to torture natural space, but it remained sturdy.
Skullius'' grin broadened.
Of course. It was never going to be that easy, was it?
The Hybrid Luman gave an amused "Ha!" and suddenly, he bolted ahead along the stairs towards the second floor. Replicus did the same, Ju`wtte trailing behind him. Bothbatants reached the second floor at the exact same time - in far less than a microsecond - and when they turned to look at each other from opposite ends, both with a readied attack, a thick bolt of vengeful Ju`wtte connected them for but a fraction of a millisecond!
Skullius hadn''t expected it!
A thick yellowish-red bolt sent forth from Replicus'' finger was already burrowing into his chest before he had sent out a sh with the Bashful Abomination, and while illuminated intensely, he was sent shuttling into the boundless darkness that marked the end of the building!
At almost the same time, the Stolen Angel sprang up at Replicus through the floor as if it were one giant pool of dark water, and sent itsrge fist hurtling towards the Progeny''s face.
Once again, Ju`wtte stormed out of Replicus without his order, and it whipped out to entangle itself around the Stolen Angel''s arm tightly, binding it and killing its momentum. Replicus'' arm blurred and he casually smacked therge humanoid assant in the chest with the back of his hand and... it was blown apart like a balloon!
Just as bits of the Stolen Angel flew high, Replicus felt a mighty surge of mana and an instantter, he sensed another bombardment of shes zipping through the air towards him from where Skullius had been sent flying. These shes seemed stronger than the ones from before, but they were course-corrected by strings of his Ju`wtte rather easily as well.
''Hmm. They are powerful. I can imagine not many Incandescent Stagers would be able to deal with these, not when they are powered by a skill at the Super tier,'' Replicus analysed with the help of his phantoms.
He had learned of Skullius'' new Super skills [Infinite Sword God] and [Greatest Antiphon of Malignance] from Serenity and had been expecting them.
A portion of Replicus'' attention was immediately turned towards Skullius'' location, but...
Strings of Ju`wtte hurried to his left and caught something that had been about to strike at him again.
The massive fist of the Stolen Angel had approached the Warmoth''s Progeny once more. The creature had fully healed its entire body in an instant!
''I knew you wouldn''t be knocked down just like that,'' Replicus scoffed inwardly.
While making sure to scour for Skullius on this floor, he grabbed the restrained Stolen Angel''s head and ran Ju`wtte through it violently.
The Stolen Angel exploded into nothingness after its body ignited in spark and me, but Replicus didn''t turn away this time. Because he didn''t, he managed to witness it - a monstrous healing factor that was even superior to that of Yuyui''s Inhumane Eye!
The Stolen Angel reformed not a second after after it burst apart.
''Well, that''s concerning,'' Replicus thought.
Right then, Replicus sensed Skullius emerge as though from thin air behind him, a sharp, evil presence rushing from him to sh with the boundless regality of the Warmoth which he
(Replicus), exuded.
"You''re the perfect match," Skullius hissed excitedly.
In the next instant, both the Stolen Angel and Skullius were consumed by copious amount of potent Perfect Aura which quickly formed into Genuine Incarnations!
But that was not all. Far from it!
The Stolen Angel immediately began to exude a formidable light and eight,rge wings of light sprang from its back as [Greatest Antiphon of Malignance]''s active powers were put to
use.
''There it is...'' Replicus thought cautiously.
Skullius, on the other hand, was suddenly engulfed by an unfathomable darkness that made
him almost meld into the dark interior design of the tower.
He had activated a skill that was unknown to both Serenity and Replicus.