Bro, I'm not an Undead!

Chapter 1210: The One Left Standing (24)

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Rule Runes were more complex in practise than they were in theory.

One could simply define them as enablers; they removed the need to declare Rules verbally, as Jerthrax had done when he used them against Actuass, Replicus and the rest. This significantly reduced the time required to cast them, and even better, disallowed enemies from knowing the properties of the Rule being cast.

That said, Rule Runes were still in a tier of power higher than what Jerthrax had been able to attain. After all, they made it easier to conjure dramatically powerful influences that were unreachable for ordinary, high-tiered combatants.

This was how Jiggorrhax was able to conjure a world.

'Incredible!' Replicus thought.

To think such a feat was possible.

This rocky world was incredibly vast. In size, it was probably above half the size of Aigas, but, given how Jiggorrhax had reacted to people in Agmold dying because of the battle, he was sure the dragon hadn't superimposed this world onto Aigas. It was likely existing in a separate space, like a Cluster, to avoid instantly killing millions.

How ironic. Replicus shared the same hesitancy to kill needlessly, yet he and the dragon were pitted against each other.

There were many different kinds of rocks in this world, all with different textures, densities and colours, some forming hills and some forming mountains. There was no sunlight to highlight all these differences, however. This world was completely dark, yet this was not a detriment to any of the four combatants.

'It's a world, but it can't be anything too impressive. He simply used Rules to create a blank, wide realm, but it doesn't have the properties of a real world. I suppose its something like a mix between a Cluster and a Dormant Territory,' Replicus thought.

Quickly reeling in his wits, he focused his attention on the Stolen Angel which had been expelling Nitros for a Territory!

Ju`wtte whipped out of his body and smote all four arms of the mobile Attegoth before the creature even registered what had happened. The same lash of Ju`wtte then obliterated the tall humanoid entirely.

After this, Replicus turned to the massive dragon above him.

The two locked sights for a moment, and then Replicus sensed the Herald's body churn, preparing for sharp movement. Again, he had to applaud the dragon's physical prowess. Somehow, despite his size, he moved so fast that Replicus had trouble tracking his initial burst of speed.

Such a large mass moving at such high speed caused an apocalyptic turbulence within the rocky world!

Jiggorrhax readied a fist as his wings strangely arched back and expelled a vicious burst of gale that doubled his speed!

Replicus had every intention to dodge, but...

Great stitches appeared all around his outline, sewing him to the fabric of space firmly!

This was Melding Stitches!

Skullius had got him!

He had activated this Seed through the Noboboyama, which was right in front Replicus! Now, the Soul-Burdened Warmoth couldn't move, even if it was only for a fraction of a nanosecond!

"YOU DIE HERE!" Jiggorrhax roared and then...

BOOOOOM!

Replicus felt every inch of his body ache. Tears and torsions reigned supreme all over him from the raw force of the punch. He almost broke apart.

This was easily the fiercest physical blow Replicus had ever been struck by.

For a moment, it seemed as though this world Jiggorrhax had created would burst like a watermelon. Replicus was carried by the fist's weight deep into the ground, rupturing rocks of every kind as he went. A moment later, he felt simmering heat fry his back, and it became clear to him that he was approaching the very core of this world, and yet Jiggorrhax's fist was still connected to him!

The giant Herald frowned with suspicion.

His arm had sunken into the ground up to his shoulder; he had used every bit of physical strength he could muster for this attack. Yet...

'HE IS STILL ALIVE?'

When the momentum of his punch ended, he was flabbergasted to realise that indeed, Replicus was still in one piece, however badly injured he appeared.

Just how freakishly durable was this outsider?

Wait... was he even an outsider at all?!

Just as he agonised, something swift blasted into Jiggorrhax with the fury of retaliation!

...!!!

It came with a merigold flash of light and then an exceptionally loud, elephantine roar that speared the great dragon into the air with half the alacrity with which he had come crashing down a moment ago!

Where the dragon had plunged his fist, Replicus could be seen, pushing against the broken chunks and silt-like remains of rocks.

After eating Jiggorrhax's punch just now, he had coated his whole body with Inverted Mana, which snipped the Melding Stitches from his body. (This was how he had escaped them when Skullius last used them against him before.) From there, he hadn't wasted time, instantly going on the offensive despite his reluctant, battered body's protests.

The Warmoth's Spine, crackling madly with Ju`wtte, was placed on his shoulder, its handle behind him and its top, blunt end pointing at the sky, where Jiggorrhax had been blasted to. A dwindling merigold glow could be seen on this blunt end. It was, of course, where the sonic attack just now had come from, an attack by the name Warmoth's Peal.

By expending 100,000 units of Null Life Essence, Replicus could launch this sonic attack at an enemy. However, the variant of the attack he had just unleashed wasn't normal. The normal Warmoth's Peal wouldn't have been to do much against Jiggorrhax.

The Ju`wtte livid around the Warmoth's Spine wasn't just for show. One of the lightning's many uses was to passively empower any artefacts its user was equipping. Even the inferior version of Ju`wtte had this quality. This was how Replicus, against the Null Devil King, Caxellac, had been able to create more than two Blessings at once, despite the description of the Fallen Reincarnator's Shadow forbidding it.

Now, however, with the more potent merigold Ju`wtte, Replicus was capable of raising high tier artefacts to higher grades and empower ALL their individual abilities accordingly. At the moment, the Warmoth's Spine could be considered a genuine Transcendent grade artefact despite not being fully released!

Replicus flashed to the surface with haste.

Right as he did, however, he sensed a staggering pool of Divine energy storming down.

No.

It wasn't a pool.

A belt of massive, heavy rocks was streaking down towards him, each coated with copious amount of Divine energy!

'Jiggorrhax intends to use these rocks as conduits for tricky attacks, most likely,' he thought, while one of his phantoms reminded him how Sause had said unlike Jerthrax, the greater dragon had been a master of six Advanced Classes and two Hidden ones. He had to keep that in

mind.

In doing so, however, Replicus completely dismissed the presence of his other enemy.

This bit at him almost immediately.

For a second time, Replicus found himself unable to move the moment he set out to take action against the incoming rocks.

...!!!

'What?'

A quick glance to the darkness on his far left showed him the vague, masked, long-haired image of Skullius, melded seamlessly with the black, his Bashful Abomination pointed at the

Warmoth.

Before the four had been trapped in this world, Skullius had been transforming.

Replicus had already figured out then, that he (Skullius) was shifting his form into Seramoro,

Oblivion's Edge, one of the Seeds of the Fruit of World Myths!

He hadn't been particularly concerned about this. This form alone couldn't change the course

of the battle, but when combined with certain other factors...

A realisation scratched at Replicus at once.

He had overlooked one thing; the fact that in this total darkness, the Benevolent Melanoid

Prince thrived!

He could hide and was invulnerable to attacks!

'Damn it! Did Jiggorrhax know about this?' Replicus thought while trying to raise his arms.

'Why can't I move?!'

SHAAAA!

Right then, the light of the [Heart of Revelation] bathed Replicus and his skin, flesh and bones

were stripped away, revealing his vulnerable insides!

The Stolen Angel streaked from his right and landed a cruel kick on his sensitives, all its

staggering strength and weight stacked on!

But that was only superficial. Because the mobile Attegoth had copied Replicus' physique,

each of its hits targeted more than just flesh.

Replicus felt his mana cores and consciousness waver and crack!

His vision spun, and his control over his mana withered.

...Then he streaked away like a bolt of lightning, traversing a thousand kilometers in a few

seconds.

'How the hell did he paralyse me?' Replicus thought as he rolled, and attempted to get a feel for his body again. He was starting to get the feeling in his limbs back.

One of the rocks flying from the sky reached him, but as he attempted to stop it...

...!!!

Replicus found himself paralysed again, and he felt the presence of the Hybrid Luman in the

darkness, his zhanmadao once again pointed at him.

'Wait...Is he...?' Replicus thought in disbelief.

No way!

Was the bastard actually... was he cutting his movements, slicing each of his intended actions

with a sword?!

As he shuddered at the thought, Replicus was thrashed by a colossal rock and died in white

fire!