NOVGO.NET Chapter 1000
Whatever is in the center of this tree stump is making the glyphs at the core of my soul burn like a thousand blazing stars. They are spinning and pushing outward into the liquified wall that was keeping them in place like they’re trying to break out and bloom.
Marcellus referred to it as the key, but there is still a film of protection containing this liquid, keeping me from fully tapping into the power that’s attempting to release.
After all, the [Total Isolation] bubble is not letting any energy in, and now that I attempt to push my senses downward, into the tree, I find that it is not letting us push any true energy outward either. We’re unable to interact with reality around us at all, we can only perceive it.
There is a warm, abstract energy that is being digested by the isolation barrier, but it is only made of a decompressed Primordial Aura in its raw and untainted form. It is mostly from the intense clashes up in the sky. None of the ether-based fluctuations below us can be transmitted.
“To completely break through, we’re going to have to take down the barrier…” Maria’s voice echoes in my mind.
“I know. But we’re not ready yet…” I reply while continuously updating my comprehension of the battle above us.
The second we take down this defense, we would be struck by hundreds of shockwaves of aura powerful enough to melt our minds and shatter our souls.
The Primordial Aura we’re capable of wielding now, compared to the clashes above, is a whole different realm of power. It is like a basic system user back on the human world relying on the system commands alone, trying to fend against a hunter with extremely refined mana control.
We are hardly tapping into the potential of this energy source, using it like a shadow, when it can be compressed, refined, and wielded to bend the wills of other system users around us.
“There is no other way to do this. We need to fully comprehend this power. Ember came here to give us the opportunity, let’s take full advantage of it.”
I close my eyes and sit down in a comfortable position. Maria nods as she receives my thought process echoing through her mind and sits down right across from me.
In between our legs sits the center of the tree, where billions of growth lines all converge on a single point.
Our eyes close, and the only source of stimulation we receive is from the constant digestion of Advanced Primordial Aura Waves beating down on us.
A mad roar comes from the sky. “What did you give them!? What is this artifact? Just moments ago they were as fragile as bugs, but now they can move freely in this environment! Why have you never used something like this before on your last bonds? You could have been invincible…”
Ember laughs back. “You think this is my doing? You think any of this is my doing? Maybe this is why your Primordial Aura stopped progressing where it did. If you really believe that I can control the outcome of this system, it means there was still doubt in your heart all along.”
Draconic claws lunge forward at an awkward angle and leave gash marks across this Demon’s torso that flash with colors that do not yet have names. He tore through this Demon’s chaotic aura in its moment of weakness, but once shot flying backward, Marcellus recovers with a roar of agony.
“That is not true! I once believed you could climb again, but you showed me that even Emperors fall. The Creator’s Legacy was only named the supreme legacy because no others dared to rise above it. We’re living in a system where that is happening. Do not bring the stories of your past to the present miracle at hand. Even if you manage to kill me here, the seal has already been set in motion. You will be the one living in my eternal paradise instead!”
This brutal tear sends extremely vulgar shockwaves into the atmosphere, and it increases my comprehension many times over, but it is nowhere near enough.
Marcellus pours aura into his torso, and the claw marks begin to fill back in with chaotic energy.
He flies back toward the center of the domain to swing his daggers again, and begins to strategically bring the battle lower and lower, closer to the stump of the tree. The Demon may think he’s hurting us, but the denser waves of aura that hit us while meditating actually pour more understanding into our minds and souls.
He lands a few more dagger hits on Ember’s humanoid flesh, leaving chaotic clashes on his thighs, wrists, and lower legs.
Ember lands waves of white flames, and even a few more horrific clawed gashes back, but as the battle goes on, I see a problem. Every time Marcellus is struck, it looks like he is pulling from an endless pool of aura, healing on the spot and diving right back into battle at full power, just like the start.
Every time Ember is hit, his wounds heal slower and slower.
The power he’s tapping into is not one gained from our bond, it would show up on our system interface. The power he’s using now is one that is fueled by his Immortal Core. I see no silver or golden threads being used on the outside, but deep down inside his body, they are swirling and glowing bright.
Even a single small use of his silver threads in the lower realm would take a toll, leaving him asleep for months, if not years.
The power output he is using now is nowhere near comparable. This Demon’s words about him wasting all of this power, and affecting his future, now echo through my mind with far more depth.
It makes every single wave of his aura that hits me mean even more.
Marcellus sees this slow decline as well, and starts to laugh back, gaining all of his confidence and edge again. “You believed you could win! Look at this! The all-powerful Fallen One. He who dissolved his bond with the Emperor to live with the mortals again! Just because you did it once does not mean you can do it again. You’ve lost, and I get to witness the final fall! Even the lower races you’ve brought to watch will not last. Look! Whatever this barrier you’ve placed on them is, it blocks them from claiming the key! It was truly worth the wait. All these eras of energy collection, waiting in solitude, it was all worth it now. I will get to see you break!”
Ember only grins back at this mad Demon, showing his sharp teeth.
A blinking white light starts to show itself in the back of his eyes, perfectly in sync with the seal Marcellus has tried to activate on all the zones below.
“I did not come here to win. I only came here to give those that could a little more time.”