The ground shook, but Zeke maintained his footing as he trudged forward, stomping on the head of the last tortoloid from the latest group to assault them. He let his shoulders sag a little as he took a deep, exhausted breath. The past day had been a nightmare. If before, he’d felt like he was wading through a sea of monsters, the closer he came to the giant, mountainous turtle, the more he felt like he’d begun to drown. Every step was earned, paid for with a mountain of blood, and it had gotten to the point where Zeke had begun to wonder where all the creatures were coming from.
“It’s a dungeon. Just go with it,” Eveline said. “These places don’t have to follow logic.”
“I know,” Zeke responded, looking around. Over time, he and Talia had developed a strategy that worked well enough. While Zeke stomped through the jungle like an enraged rhinoceros, gathering as much attention as he could, Talia ranged far and wide, killing the distracted creatures before they could even reach him. Certainly, she couldn’t get them all. Not even half. But it kept Zeke from being overwhelmed.
Even so, after miles of constant battle, Zeke was mentally – if not physically – exhausted. And he’d yet to reach his goal, though judging by the periodic earthquake-like footsteps, he expected that they were close.
“What do you plan to do when you get there?” asked Eveline.
“It depends,” he admitted.
“On?”
“A lot of things. I don’t even know what level that thing is,” he said. “But I’m thinking that the cyclops method would probably work.”
Indeed, killing that creature had required Zeke to scale the skyscraper-sized monster, then use its ear canal as a point of access. He’d spent what felt like an eternity steadily digging through its skull before he finally reached the thing’s brain, which he’d unceremoniously destroyed. Even a creature like that couldn’t function when its brain had been turned to slurry.
But Zeke wasn’t sure if that tactic would work against the turtle, largely because he expected that the dungeon would throw him a curveball. Killing monsters wasn’t always easy, but wholesale slaughter had always come naturally to Zeke. So, he expected that it would be more complicated than that.
“You don’t do well with complicated,” Eveline pointed out.
“Are you implying that I’m stupid?” he asked, scanning the jungle for signs of Talia’s return. Getting closer meant that they needed to create some sort of plan of attack.
“No. Just that you’re straightforward,” the former demoness answered. “And that’s a good thing, by the way. After spending centuries dealing with conniving imps and tricky incubi, straightforward is a nice change of pace.”
“I’m glad you approve,” Zeke said, seeing a flicker of movement that turned out to be Talia. The undead girl slowed to an easy jog, letting Zeke see the effects of the constant battle. She could avoid most attacks, but the some of the tortoloids were powerful enough to be able to perceive her. As such, she’d taken a few hits of her own, and the state of her armor reflected that.
She came to a sudden stop, then crossed her arms self-consciously as she said, “You’re staring.”
Zeke quickly averted his eyes. There was nothing truly salacious on display, but there was more than a little of her pale skin exposed. By contrast, her normal attire covered everything from the neck down, save for her claws. So, Zeke’s eyes had stuttered to a stop on the exposed bits.
“Sorry,” he muttered.
“Children,” Eveline said, giving a mental roll of her eyes.
Zeke ignored her, and he changed the subject as he asked, “Do you know how far we have to go before we reach the turtle?”
“No more than ten miles,” Talia answered as another earthquake shook the area. She had no issues maintaining her balance, but Zeke was forced to reach out and steady himself by gripping a nearby tree. Talia went on, “It is larger than we thought.”
Indeed, the entire area had been drowned in the gargantuan monster’s shadow. The proximity of the creature meant that he needed to let Talia know the plan, so he told her what he’d been thinking, ending with, “It worked on the cyclops I killed back in the other dungeon, so I think it’s safe to assume it’ll work here, too.”
Talia nodded, offering no argument.
After that, they continued on, killing tortoloids and the odd treant that decided to bar their way. The only good thing about it was that Zeke was gaining more kill energy with every passing hour, and he’d already progressed to the precipice of level seventy-five. That meant that his plan to upgrade all of his skills before reaching that point was not going to happen.
It was a disappointing development, but one he couldn’t really change. They were on the clock, which meant that, even if they could find somewhere to hole up for a few weeks while he made the necessary upgrades, they couldn’t afford to take that much time. After all, the life of Talia’s friend was at stake.
Regardless, Zeke couldn’t be too upset about the influx of kill energy. Better than most, he knew precisely how difficult it was to level, so he’d resolved to take any boost he could find.
Which meant that he hadn’t even looked for ways to avoid the monsters. Instead, he carved a path through them, reaping the benefits that came with wholesale slaughter.
And eventually, the monster that was their destination and goal came into view.
Or its foot did, at least.
“It’s a lot bigger than expected,” Eveline said.
Indeed, the foot alone was as large as an NFL football stadium, and the rest of its body had been sized to match. Seeing that, it wasn’t difficult to understand how an entire population of tortoloids made their homes atop its shell.
But the notion of killing such a huge creature was a daunting prospect, and one Zeke wasn’t certain of its possibility.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Then again, he’d never met a monster he couldn’t kill, so he stepped forward with no small degree of confidence.
That was quickly shattered when he found his way blocked by an invisible plane of force. Only after narrowing his eyes and focusing on his Path of Arcane Destruction did he recognize the subtle runes dancing in the air. They were invisible, too, but with focus, he could sense them all the same.
Zeke didn’t have time to study them, though, because the moment he touched the sheet of invisible force, two things happened.
First, a wave of energy erupted from the shield, enveloping him and burrowing into his body. It only took a moment, but once it had fully suffused his form, his every muscle locked up, stunning him and rooting him in place.
Second, the giant turtle lifted its foot far more quickly than Zeke could have expected, then shifted it slightly until it was positioned directly over his head. In only a second, it was falling, and Zeke was entirely incapable of avoiding being squashed like a bug.
Fortunately, Talia hadn’t been affected by the stunning force, and she swooped in, grabbed ahold of his arm, and dragged him away. She didn’t focus on strength, but she had more than enough to get him moving, especially after Zeke did the one thing he could and embraced his racial gift to decrease his weight as much as possible.
After that, Talia dragged him away with ease, but because of the sheer size of the turtle’s foot, they only narrowly managed to escape. Talia kept going as thousands of tortoloids leaped from above, thudding into the ground, knocking down trees and spraying earth into the air.
Talia ran on, barreling past the monsters until, miles later, they’d managed to outpace them. Soon after that, she found one of the secluded caves they’d previously used for shelter.
All the while, Zeke struggled to overcome the inability to move that had been inflicted upon him. For the longest time, he couldn’t even prompt a twitch, but slowly, he regained his mobility. Even then, he felt weaker than he’d felt since ascending to the Eternal Realm.
“What the hell was that?” he muttered aloud.
Eveline dragged herself out of his mind, appearing next to Talia. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I’ve never seen anything like that. It was far too powerful for that thing’s level.”
Zeke hadn’t remembered to use [Inspect], but Talia had. And the results weren’t encouraging.
Goliathan – Level 89
“That thing is almost at the peak,” he said, shaking his head. “I don’t know if we can kill it.”
“Perhaps there is another way,” Talia suggested. “We could ask the ratongi when we retrieve the staff.”
Zeke let his colossal form fall away. It was the first time in a while that he’d done that, and it was an oddly poignant relief, to be in his own skin for once. “I don’t think so. They’re not giving that staff up without a fight,” he predicted. “Chances are, if we go back, we’ll be in for a battle. It’s better to get rid of this thing now.”
“We are not capable of that.”
“Well, I think I have one thing that could do the trick. But it’s kind of…dangerous,” Zeke said to Talia. “If I do this, I’m going to need you to stay pretty far away. The ability is a little destructive.”
In response, Talia asked, “Like in Jariq?”
Zeke shook his head. “Worse. This makes Jariq look tame by comparison,” he answered. “It’s a skill. My strongest one. The first time I used it, it almost killed me. And Eveline. I know how to control it now. And I think it’s the only way we’re killing that creature.”
Zeke hadn’t intended to use [Wrath of Annihilation] so soon in the dungeon, but he felt certain the he was right in his assertion that it was the only means of killing the Goliathan. Eveline agreed, though she did caution him to be careful. He fully intended to do just that, though he wasn’t sure how careful he could afford to be. The Goliathan was the strongest creature he’d ever fought – aside from the two wyrms that had battled through Min Ferilik, and he’d never been a real participant in that engagement – so he knew he needed to bring every ounce of power he could muster. Otherwise, the creature would simply shrug it off.
Besides, it wasn’t as if he could get close to that shield. It was too strong.
So, with that in mind, he established his plan, then left Talia behind in the cave. There, she stood a good chance of remaining unaffected. For his part, Zeke circled around, trying to find somewhere with a good line of sight. In the end, he found a low rise that gave him a decent view. More importantly, it was directly in the monster’s path, so he could clearly see its approach.
It looked as if it was moving in slow-motion, but Zeke knew that was a trick of perception. Besides, its every, lumbering step covered nearly a mile. It was nearly ten miles away, so Zeke knew he had a couple of minutes before it came into range of [Wrath of Destruction]. So, he settled in to wait, putting himself in the right frame of mind as he did.
“This could go very wrong,” Eveline cautioned.
“I know,” Zeke said. “But I need to make it work.”
It wasn’t just to complete the quest and conquer the dungeon, either. He’d worked long and hard to inoculate himself against his Will. He’d endured countless hours of pain in that endeavor, all because he knew that he would need it going forward. Without access to his Path of Arcane Destruction, he was just another man. But with it at his beck and call? He was an avatar of destruction, and one to be feared by everyone who might draw his ire.
As a result, the upcoming clash was more important than a means to conquer a dungeon. It was confirmation that he was on the right track. A verification that his hard work wasn’t for nothing. That he could stand toe-to-toe with any foe and have a chance of coming out on top.
After all, he was about to step into a new level of power. Once he reached level seventy-five, he would be among the true elites of the world. And he needed to be ready to fight anyone who tried to bar his way.
So, as the turtle drew closer, Zeke focused on his Path of Arcane Destruction, tracing the familiar sensations as he embraced it. And when the monster came within range, he forced mana into [Wrath of Annihilation]. It drank greedily, absorbing more mana than Zeke could have ever anticipated until, at last, it was sated.
He held it there for a brief moment before letting it loose, aiming above the turtle’s massive shell.
However, unlike before, when he’d simply let the skill take from his Path of Arcane Destruction according to its construction, he shoved as much of his Will into the skill as he could manage. It ripped through his body, tearing it to pieces, but because he’d used the corruption-fueled version of [Triune Colossus], coupled with his twin domains, and utilizing the demonic version of [Cambion’s Awakening], his body could narrowly keep pace with the damage.
Not for long, but he didn’t need it to last.
Instead, he finished throwing as much power – his Will as well as Mana – into the skill before, at last, the black sun bloomed into being. Wreathed in roiling white flames, it was larger and angrier than ever before. And it grew a little with every passing second.
The turtle reacted, pulling its head and legs into its shell.
But that was as far as Zeke saw, because he flashed away, using [Shifting Sands] to move hundreds of yards in the space of an instant. However, he didn’t stop there. He knew precisely how powerful that sun could be, so he continued to run, utilizing every ounce of agility and dexterity he could muster.
In the meantime, the sun continued to grow until it was three times larger than the one he’d summoned back on the Mukti Plains.
As Zeke ran, so too did the wildlife. Treants, giant reptiles, simian monsters, and other creatures all sprinted in the same direction, sensing what Zeke already knew. If they stayed, they would be destroyed.
Even so, when the sun began to suck the mana out of the atmosphere, Zeke felt the pull. It was strong enough that it slowed him by at least half, but still, he struggled against it. And with each step, it grew weaker.
Until, at last, it disappeared.
At first, Zeke thought he’d escaped, but then he realized that the sun had been saturated. No sooner had that thought crossed his mind than it exploded. Even miles away, Zeke was thrown across the landscape, shattering trees as he tumbled across the terrain. He didn’t come to a stop for hundreds of yards, and when he did, he was beaten and battered, with large chunks of his colossal form having been crushed.
But he was alive.
The only question was whether the turtle could say the same.