Level-Up Apocalypse: Surviving With The Assimilation System

Chapter 160: The Eye of The Storm

A storm of lightning descended upon the transparent structure, striking down on the assassin with ceaseless bolts that chased at him. Finn stayed on the move, flipping himself around, dashing from spot-to-spot–

Amidst his sprint, a thunderbolt struck down in front of him, intercepting his path as he pivoted around before flipping back as another crashed before his step.

'He's not letting up now. I get it–that cut pissed him off, didn't it? All of these theatrics, while just standing there, untouchable–you're trying to show me it was just a fluke, aren't you?' Finn analyzed while on the move.

The God of Heroes was like a conductor leading an orchestral performance, simply floating in place while snapping his fingers, bringing bolt after bolt upon the singular assassin.

A single misstep; the slightest mistake in his reflexes, all of it would lead to a swift death–

Flipping from a crashing thunderbolt, just as the tips of his toes landed against the glass, static brushed against his body like a thousand needles.

In that fraction of a moment he had to lift his gaze, it was engulfed by what loosely resembled a pair of knuckles closing in before–

An impact drove against his nose with a thunderous force, sending him back as though he was shot from a railgun.

'A punch–? Couldn't see it,' he loosely thought as his brain bounced around his skull like a pinball.

By pure instinct did he manage to flip himself around as his feet slid nearly off the edge of the glass platform. A quick exhale through his nose forced out a spray of blood before he grabbed the crooked bridge, snapping it in place–CRACK.

To his surprise as he spat the blood out from his mouth, a system notification alerted itself to him–

[Assimilated ability from surpassing physical limits: "Supercharge"]

'A new power…? But, I didn't defeat anything–I didn't even level up for that matter. What is this?' He questioned.

It wasn't just that; he felt his body warm up as his muscles briefly swelled and flexed before settling. The sensation was like a harmless flame being stoked within his stomach, extending throughout his limbs.

A physical evolution, through and through.

"Are you beginning to notice it?" The unexpected question came from Sirius, who stood across from him, ceasing the discharge of lightning.

"What?--" Finn asked, perplexed by the developments within his body.

"I've got a keen eye, so I've noticed it. Not just from when we first met, but from when this battle began–you've been growing," Sirius pointed out. "It's not surprising. You're facing me, after all. I'm sure your body's working overtime. In that case–let's kick it up a notch!"

Before he even got a chance to adjust to his new abilities, Finn found the entirety of the sky-anchored structure was filled with the blinding flash of thunder.

"Let's see what limits you can be pushed to!" Sirius shouted with electrifying excitement.

It was hardly the same feeling for Finn as he felt storming winds push against his body, discovering rings of lightning forming above.

A hum filled his ears as the circles of electricity spun and spun with great intensity, causing strands of the unstable element to randomly strike out at the sky. It was a tower of the magenta rings, with the highest near the summit of the sky large enough to encapsulate an entire city, descending into smaller and smaller circles up until reaching Sirius' hand.

With each further rotation of the tower of electric rings, the hum grew louder as did the wild winds, pushing the assassin to raise his exhausted arms in a defense.

'Seriously? Isn't this overdoing it–?!' Finn questioned at the overwhelming sight.

Each of the lightning-forged circles spun into smaller sizes, condensing before the hand of the God of Heroes triggered the ominous seals all at once, "Don't get caught by this one!" Sirius excitedly warned.

The entirety of the air above was filled by unruly lightning, crashing down from every inch of the sky with certain death. As plentiful as raindrops amidst a shower, the thunderbolts roared down.

There was no dodging it, nor defending against the plentiful smitings. As he racked his mind, he found himself left with only one option, having to bank everything on it working–

["Shadow Realm"]

The glass surface he stood on opened into a pool of shadows, forcing himself to dive inside just as the parade of lightning crashed. Into a sea of darkness, he found himself floating safely; he was able to breathe, though it felt like the air was solid, making it hard to move.

'I made it–I'm safe,' he had to remind himself, not bathed in the rain of lightning.

It was hard to make out what was happening on the surface while floating there in the realm of darkness. He waited a few moments before finally swimming back up, emerging out from the shadows–

He rose out, more so being pushed out back onto the glass surface as the pool was gone, instead seeing the sky just beneath the transparent floor. Finding himself safe from the swarm of lightning, it was only for a moment as that sparking presence was felt.

Quickly, he looked to the left, though found himself only observing fleeting sparks–

"Keep your head in the game!"

–That excited voice filled his ears just as he spun around, only to have his face grasped in the hand as he was lifted from off the glass. From the sheer momentum he found himself tugged along by, feeling the raw air at his back, he discovered the God of Heroes once more dragged him into the sky.

'Shit…!' Finn panicked, grabbing at the arm that held him.

It was a completely disorienting feeling, being carried along harshly miles across the sky in an instant before flicking back with the speed of a lightning bolt, twisting-and-turning many directions. All it did was serve to make him sick, making his brain bounce around his skull as he struggled to comprehend the erratic movements he was forced to endure.

"You're not passing out on me, are you–?!" Sirius' voice met his ears beyond the whirling wind.

As he struggled, swinging his daggers and attempting to knee the playful hero, he found his attempts dismantled by the g-forces, preventing his retaliation from having any impact. The laughter that came from Sirius was as though he was truly enjoying himself; a somewhat annoying feeling for Finn, seeing as he was being manhandled like a child's toy.

"Alright! Ride's over!" Sirius shouted.

At last, the disruptive travel came to an end as Finn found himself thrown, no longer blinded by the glove of the divine figure. Instead, he found himself watching the God of Heroes quickly become distant as he was left falling through the shattering skies.

Through the divine power of Sirius, a massive quantity of sparks gathered at the man's hands as Finn witnessed the sky briefly dim with everything seeming to center on those magenta strands–

"If you want to return to your world, overcome me! That's your only choice!" Sirius shouted, spreading his hands as he stood in the air.

As he rapidly descended with the untamed wind at his bare back, Finn watched as bolts of lightning above were captured and shaped, manifesting into the shape of rampaging beasts. Roaring dragons, descending with calls that brought the skies to tremble. .net

No less than falling thousands of meters, being chased by the colossal, serpentine creatures as they slithered through the clouds after him, it was a daunting situation he found himself in.

The first of the twin beasts dove right for him, parting its elemental jaws as all that could be seen was a vortex of blinding lightning past its ethereal jaws. As it snapped its maw at him, he tossed his dagger straight by the side of its mouth–

["Blade Warp"] [Mana: -100] [1200/4000]

Just as he caught it, he found himself higher in the sky, spinning around as he watched the serpentine tyrant descend beneath him. It was a moment of reprieve before a static speck stung his shoulder, bringing him to look to his right–

"Ghh!--"

The second of the elemental beasts charged straight into him, snapping its electrifying jaws around him. In a bout of pure reflex, he pushed his hands up and bent his knees, managing to hold its jaws at bay as he stared down the vortex of lightning down its non-solid body.

The only barrier between his hands being scathed by its electric fangs were his daggers, rejecting it with the anti-magic steel, though it wouldn't last long by simply remaining there.

'Shit…! The other one is coming back around!' Finn noticed, glancing back as he found the twin beasts soaring to meet one another halfway, with him caught in the middle.

Finding himself quickly approaching being smashed between the dragons, he decided on the only path forward: through the elemental innards of the beast. He released his position keeping its jaws parted, allowing himself to dive right into it as he cleaved his way through with his blades.

Every movement he made was met with zaps from every angle, constantly shocking his body as he cut his way through the tunnel of lightning.

["Ripper"] [Mana: -100] [1200/4000]