Level-Up Apocalypse: Surviving With The Assimilation System

Chapter 177: Stone Skin, Steel Claws

"ACK…CHOOOOOOOOOO–!"

Directly against him, the colossal sneeze erupted from the colossus’ nose, blasting him with a foul wind that blew him away.

Just from the wind pressure alone of the involuntary reaction from the Jabberwock, Finn counted his blessings for his use of [Impervious]—knowing what could’ve happened.

’…My bones would’ve shattered—what the hell? It’s like I’m facing a cartoon,’ he thought, attempting to flip himself around in the air.

Before crashing into the burnt soil, he caught himself on his feet, though finding himself with the snot of the beast left on him. He quickly brushed it off, though was forced to move as fire once more erupted in the valley.

Again, the distance around the calamity was engulfed by flames, spewing out and exploding into the sky.

For Finn, any claim to win felt impossible again—despite his efforts, the Jabberwock resumed to square one.

’I barely scratched it. My Ripper only caused it to sneeze…Why am I being brought here? This fight is impossible—it doesn’t make sense,’ he questioned.

"My claws that snatch! My jaws that bite! My flames that burn!" The Jabberwock roared as if singing his own praises to the clouds.

The temperature had ascended rapidly, from once being warm to humid and burning, completely dry as the air that Finn breathed felt more like breathing pure smoke.

It wasn’t attacking him, at least not yet—the calamitous beast faced the sky, standing on its hind legs.

’What’s it doing?’ He questioned.

The air around the Jabberwock contorted, fluctuating with abnormal heat that only rose and rose at a rapid pace. He could see the ground around it bubbling up and melting as the flames that gathered around its maw ascended from crimson to azure.

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"That looks…bad," Finn muttered under his breath.

What was becoming clear to him was the goal of the Jabberwock’s theatrics—it wasn’t just aiming for him. The destructive beast was seeking to burn everything in the region, gathering a hellstorm of fire that rippled through the valley.

Just as the stone-skinned calamity tilted its head towards him, bearing the overwhelming glow of fire at the assassin—

’Shit!’ Finn realized.

["Shadow Realm"]

As the fire consumed his vision, he opened the gateway into the void of darkness, slipping into it just as the extraordinary heat flooded the region.

The roars of the beast and its flames were replaced by the silence of the realm of darkness as he floated there.

It was completely disconnected from the outside, leaving him clueless as to what laid out there. From the calm, unmoving darkness, it was a gamble to even poke his head back out, knowing what he saw in the split-second before submerging.

’I saw it briefly, no…I felt it before dipping down–whatever it was that it unleashed, it was on a massive scale. It ignited the atmosphere, at least that’s what I sensed…Shit. Is it safe to come out? Can I come out? Did it see me? Does it know where I dipped out from?’ Finn questioned, looking up at the ripples that led out of the abyss.

All he could do was wait for absolutely no tell besides his own gut. As he sat there in the darkness, safe perhaps only until he left its boundaries, one concept popped into his head.

’That’s right…I obtained that from Sirius–it might work, just maybe,’ he recalled.

["Scales of The Hollow Hero"]

Around his body, a warmth enveloped him as the living scales crawled across his skin. Overlapping his outfit, the mystical armor clasped itself around his body to completion.

It was somewhat tight, almost squeezing around his body before the pressure was released.

"—Phhhf."

He slowly exhaled, readying himself as he looked up at the exit from the shadow realm. It was all a gamble, only one that he could entrust his own instincts to.

’Let’s do this,’ he resolved.

He ascended from dark gateway, exiting from the silent darkness right into—

"Ah."

An immense amount of heat immediately greeted him as he found himself engulfed in a sea of fire.

"Nnngh!—"

There was no avoiding it; the atmosphere itself was set ablaze, leaving the flames to grip his body completely. It was everywhere, burning everything.

’Shit…C’mon…!’ He urged.

The living armor worked to mend itself, fighting against the ravenous inferno. It was hard to see anything in the overwhelming element, though he could hear the thunderous stomps of the beast close by.

Rather than focusing on the Jabberwock, he was more concerned with the flames that tried to eat through his protection. He could feel liters of sweat oozing from his pores, his lungs filling with smoke that burned him from the inside, yet the flames themselves did not reach his flesh.

’It’s resisting it–no, it’s adapting. This is the armor he wore–? Something like this…I’m still surprised we somehow defeated that guy,’ Finn thought, looking at his hands as the flames failed to chew through the armor.

Though it resisted being consumed by the blaze, it didn’t change the fact it felt like he was in an oven, soaked in sweat just beneath the protective shell.

"BA-HA-HA-HA! IT’S BEAUTIFUL! BEAUTIFUL! THIS IS WHAT TRUE MAJESTY IS…THE SIGHTS OF FIRE AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE!" The twisted voice of the long-necked beast shouted amidst the hellish landscape.

Nothing it said really made sense, nor did it seem to care to do so. It was no different than fighting a shark in the depths of the ocean; the natural environment, flooded with fire, was the stomping grounds of the Jabberwock.

["Flicker"]

He moved swiftly, though with no set pattern, warping from spot-to-spot on the burning soil as watched the beast’s shadow stretch over his position. It didn’t even seem to notice him as one of its feet came crashing down just a meter to his right.

The weight of it stomping into the dirt rumbled the flaming field, rippling through his own body as he looked up at its body. Having a direct line of sight on it as it towered over him, he opted not to swing with his dagger, but test something else out–

["Magenta"]

–The assimilated power of the God of Heroes manifested itself through the bright, purple electricity coiling around his hand. It made his entire arm tingle as he lifted it, flicking his wrist in a natural motion to send forth the manifestation of lightning–FWOOM.

In a quick lash, the power struck the Jabberwock in its stomach with a wind-cracking impact, causing the flames to ripple around it.

"GGGRH?!" The beast winced, stumbling back.

At the same time, Finn recoiled as his arm was shot back as though his entire shoulder was rejected by his own power.

"Gah…" Finn exhaled, looking at his arm for a moment.

His entire limb felt as though it’d been expelled of its strength, cramping up and aching just from the single use of lightning. It froze him momentarily, not just the recoil, but the strands of electricity that coursed through his muscles.

’It doesn’t require mana or a cooldown like other abilities, but…It’s a physical limit? At most, I can use this maybe two or three times, but after that, my arm would be useless,’ he realized.

More important than his throbbing arm was the destructive force in front of him that was now staring down at him.

He could feel the wrath in those bestial eyes, knowing the only thing that was coming was destruction—

"Tiny man…! To think an attack from you could sting—gruh!" The Jabberwock growled.

In the middle of the monstrous gathering of flames, he witnessed the calamitous beast’s mouth opening once more, calling unto a force of destruction. It was becoming more apparent to Finn that it might be required to force himself to end the Dreamwalking session, though there laid one problem: he didn’t know how.

’I can resist the fire, but…the air—it’s making me lightheaded. Getting harder to think—no, I’m having trouble even standing at this point,’ he realized.

Through his mind, the possibilities of each and every one of his skills was considered. If victory was to be achieved, it felt impossible through his current abilities, staring at that massive beast.

In terms of complete strength, there was no contest between it and the God of Heroes; it didn’t come close to Sirius, yet that didn’t speak of much.

The Level One-Hundred status it shared with the God of Heroes seemed attributed to its sheer capability for destruction, tied to its massive body and terrifying attitude.

’Right now, I have to move–!’ He urged himself.

Just as flames poured from the Jabberwock’s mouth, Finn sprinted, escaping between its legs as tidal waves of the burning element scattered around the already burnt land. As the sky filled with smoke and the ground was blanketed in ash, there were few options left for him as he pivoted around, looking towards the beast’s back.

Its tail swept across the flaming soil, forcing him to jump up as he sprinted for it, only to be met as it turned to face him head-on.

"COME! BECOME ASH UPON MY BURNT PARADISE! SMALL, BUT STRONG YOU ARE!" The Jabberwock boomed as its voice caused the ground to tremble.