“Today, we meet the storm with a smile!”
The announcer’s voice boomed in Nil’s ears despite the roaring thunder. Lightning struck the worn stone buildings and the rocky ground, cracking and shattering all contact surfaces. Along with each strike came an anomaly Nil had only seen in recordings of the world. A sphere of crackling energy lingered after every strike. The air smelled of ozone. It was like someone had poured chlorine into all of the nearby puddles.
“The Cleansing is rapidly approaching, and with it comes nights like these. The best and brightest Bronze Realmers of this newly assimilated Seed World have been duking it out for months in the hopes of acquiring a ticket. Three are gone. Four remain. Who will walk away with another today?
“Rattler Butch breezed through all of these matches thus far. The easy victories and lack of challenge have made for a boring show. Hopefully, today’s competitors will make for a better opposition.”
Nil had watched the American’s matches before. His ability reminded Nil of one of the power seed options he received: Serpent Tactics. It passively boosted speed, flexibility, and stealth—he imagined that involved blending into one’s surroundings. It also made the person’s blood and flesh poisonous. Nil wouldn’t be surprised if Butch got exactly the same starting ability and then picked up more toxin-related abilities with each ascension. He used tactics similar to Selia’s strategy against Shervon Grey. All of Butch’s previous matches started with him introducing a toxin into his enemy’s system and then fleeing until they fell to its effects.
“Next, we have the walking statue, Geode Lily. She’s an unstoppable juggernaut. Lily has shrugged off everything her opponents have thrown at her and flattened them without hesitation. She hasn’t lost a match since entering the Iron Gauntlet. Will her streak continue?”
The woman in question was none other than the stone-armor-wearing teenager, Lily, from Golden Aegis. Wilson Ludus had recruited her after Symbiotech fell. Her martial skills and ability seemed to have come a long way since they last spoke. Lily had literally barrelled through the tournaments’ previous stages. Breaking through her armor would take considerable effort, and Nil expected her super-powered blows to keep Brutal Battery’s energy levels up.
“Our final competitor of the evening is none other than Godpuncher Nil. He initially made a name for himself with his eclectic fighting style, ability to take impossible blows and strike back with explosive attacks. Then he wowed everyone by becoming amongst the rare few to get a soul weapon at Iron Realm. He conquered several significantly more experienced opponents in Death Gauntlet, and his recent performance has been just as exhilarating. The man puts on an extraordinary show.”
Lightning struck just outside of the pillar of light containing Nil, spraying the surroundings finger-nail-sized stone fragments. It left a fist-sized crater in the ground, and a sphere of crackling azure energy lingered. Fortunately, neither the shrapnel nor the lightning tendrils infiltrated the barrier and affected Nil.
“Three finalists wailing on each other certainly sounds fun, but we decided to make tonight’s event extra special. The arena doesn’t just house them but five Cursed Ones. The match won’t be over until all of them have been slain.”
Damn it! Why can't these things ever be simple.
It came as no surprise to Nil. Energy Instinct had detected the monsters as soon as the arena construct teleported him into the arena. He doubted he needed to worry about his opponents powering up by absorbing the Cursed One’s energy. They only existed to add an additional complication.
“A point system will decide the victor. Each Cursed One has a point value ranging from one to five. The size and strength dictate how much they’re worth. Each fighter is also worth five points. The match will end when all Cursed Ones are down, and only two fighters remain.”
Nil silently celebrated. Lily’s stone armor made her a lumbering giant. She was strong and tough but incredibly slow. Butch and he had similar speed, but Nil had significantly greater destructive power. If he prioritized taking out the more powerful Cursed Ones, then he could win without having to bother with the other fighters. Just taking out Lily or Butch afterward would clinch him the victory. Alternatively, he could prioritize defeating two other challengers first. Then, there would be no one to oppose him. So, as soon as the pillar of light fell, he took off at a run, making a beeline for the densest Cursed Energy signature in the arena.
Nil started off with supercharged speed and leaped over obstacles using Expend. He wrapped his feet with Anti-Friction Lattice and slid toward his destination at break-neck speed. Hand blasts helped him adjust direction and pick up speed. Occasionally, he intentionally rammed into obstacles with Absorb active, recovering most of the energy he burned while speeding. The speed got his heartbeat up. The thrill covered his arms in goosebumps. It was especially exciting when he zoomed past or through areas within moments of a lightning strike.
Except for the occasional puzzle, the arena was mostly dry. As a result, Nil didn't have to worry about slipping on wet patches. He kept an eye out for loose gravel or moss while leaping and landing and focused on Energy Instinct. The ability didn't just help him track his target but also the lightning. The air seemed to react whenever a strike was imminent. It seemed there was an alien energy signature pulsing underfoot, and it swelled at points, ionizing the air. The lightning always struck where it was densest. He suspected the anomaly was also responsible for the lingering crackling spheres afterward. Nil gave them a wide berth while speeding forward.
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Around halfway to his destination, Nil caught movement out of the corner of his eye. There was always a chance of frequent lightning strikes causing a trick of the light. The shivering luminous flora also added to the dancing shadows. But Nil worried he had a stalker. There was a chance that Butch could keep up with his supercharged speed. The man seemed to have an endless bag of tricks and had proven himself a master of deception and misdirection. It wouldn't surprise him if the man had a concealed soul weapon, tool, armor, or ability that no one had yet identified. Nil didn't have the time or skills to track and wasn't willing to waste time on the task. So he expelled Meatball from his core.
“Circle me,” Nil instructed, thinking hard about what he wanted from his spirit companion. He hoped their weak empathic connection would convey the message. “Look out for human foes and distract them if you can. Go for the leg or just trip them up.”
An excited squeak escaped the Ironroot Whelp before she departed for the assigned task. Nil considered her a lot more than a projectile. Meatball was his spirit companion. He didn't know how to explain it to Andrew, but they were part of a whole. She was a part of him. Nil couldn't quite explain it, but Meatball was much more than a mere pet. The feelings could be best described as paternal. The idea of her getting hurt pained him. He knew that Reinforce made her extra hardy, and the woody carapace helped her shrug off most blows. Regenerate would also heal most of what she suffered. Nil had observed her regrow a limb after it got caught and ripped off during an uncontrolled descent from the volcanic crater. But that didn't stop him from worrying.
When Nil heard an angry masculine yelp twenty or so meters to his left, he knew Meatball had done her job. He left her to the distraction and continued toward the Cursed One, leaping, sliding, and sprinting through the rough, uneven environment. The crumbling stone structures appeared to be part of a temple or educational facility. Nil passed spires, towers, amphitheaters, and open stone courtyards that oddly resembled basketball courts. The elevated stone hoops were vertical instead of horizontal.
Aztec architecture? Or is it Incan?
Nil didn't know the difference and lacked the time to figure out an answer. He heard the Cursed One long before he saw it. Energy Instinct suggested it had detected him, too, and was charging to meet him. Stone cracked, and gravel crunched as the monster charged to meet him.
The creature was simian and had long, muscled arms that aided it during the approach. The monster switched between running on all fours, swinging around spires, and frog-leaping over smaller buildings. The very human face had multiple eyes, and a mouth contorted into an ugly grin. Unlike Cursed One's Nil had encountered before, the creature displayed human teeth, and its fangs only stood in place of the canines. If not for the twisted hide, scales, thorny ridges, and lack of fur, one could easily mistake it for a giant ape.
When their eyes met, the creature grinned and skidded to a halt. Its throat glowed orange, and its mouth fell open. Then, liquid flames sprayed from the maw, flying at Nil. The unexpected attack forced him to deactivate Anti-Friction Lattice and slide to a stop. The swelling power on either side of him made diving to the side impossible, so Nil tapped into the Source.
The gems on the back of his gauntlets turned silver, and Nil emitted energy of the same color through them. He coaxed it into a wedge with manipulation and then used shaping techniques to give the construct definition. When the liquid flames made contact, they lost their momentum and trickled down the barrier, pooling on the ground and melting it. Nil felt the incredible heat, and sweat beaded on his forehead. When the puddle of fiery orange and yellow started to spread and pool around Nil's feet, he had no choice but to retreat. Fortunately, the Cursed One couldn't maintain a constant flow and needed to stop to catch his breath.
A blade struck Nil's side before he could go on the offensive. Fortunately, using the silver Source energy demanded channeling Absorb, so the weapon radiating with noxious green energy failed to penetrate his skin.
Rattler Butch had fled Meatball and had caught up to Nil. The man's surprise envenoming attempt had failed; he tried to slither away, but Nil had no intention of letting him flee. The initial attempt at grabbing an arm failed. Slime covered the man's sleeve. But then his gauntleted left hand successfully locked around Butch's wrist.
“Geode Lily has taken out two Cursed Ones with a single strike!” The announcer’s voice had cut off after the introduction, but it boomed again when the powerful Cursed Energy signature disappeared. The simian, liquid-fire-spraying monster had fallen. “Her score is now seven points!”
What?! How did she get two?
A blood-curdling scream burst from Butch as Nil trickled energy through his gauntlet, disintegrating the captured limb. It wasn't a vengeful move; Nil wanted his opponent to surrender and teleport out of the arena. So, when Butch didn't do so automatically, Nil forced him to turn around and go for the temporary tattoo just below the neck.
The recent boost in Finesse and supercharged speed proved invaluable. A snake burst from under Butch's clothes, and Nil caught it just before it spread fangs could touch his skin. The serpent and master had more up their sleeve. It spat in Nil’s face a heartbeat before he destroyed it with Expend.
Nil held his breath and pressed his lips together before trickling energy through his face and vaporizing the slimy liquid sticking to it. He worried trying to wipe it off would only spread the probably toxic substance. The surprise had forced him to release Butch. The man tried to flee, but even while blinded, Nil had no intention of letting him escape. Nil empowered himself with Expend and stomped a leg. No bone that got underfoot survived.
“Rattler Butch has forfeited the match,” the announcer said. The woman failed to veil her surprise. “Godpuncher Nil’s score is now five! Two fighters and three Cursed Ones remain!”