The skies darkened as a thundercloud appeared out of thin air, bulging with an immensity of elemental power. Fire, Earth, Water and Air were all woven into the matrix in an immaculate display of control.

The worm rose up to his full height, and then began to levitate, carrying himself aloft on a palanquin of wind. With a snarl, Jonathan lobbed his projectile towards the worm. A fourfold shield of elemental might appeared before his attack, but the Void shattered them with ease. Jonathan had packed as much of the consuming power of his element as he could into the attack, and at the end of its flight it detonated, scorching Granath’s skin. There was little damage done, but it was a strong start.

The worm’s face contorted in rage at the slight, and the cloud disgorged its fury upon the city. Bolts of multi hued light struck the ground around Jonathan, blasting deep craters into the ground. Screams rose up around him as the weaker inhabitants of the city realized what was happening, and he watched as they streamed out of their houses, fleeing back into the city.

“Even the rats are fleeing now, Granath,” Jonathan said. “They recognize your weakness and see you for what you are.”

“They see me as their god, nothing less. You think they are fleeing out of uncertainty? They know that my divine judgment will cleanse this city of your filth!”

“You really think you’re a god? Your ego knows no bounds.” Jonathan met a bolt of yellow hued lightning with his fist, wincing as it hammered into his flesh with the force of an avalanche. Each of the bolts were made out of a corresponding element, and had effects based on them.

“I am not a god, but when I am done with you, I will be. Do not think that I have forgotten the spark of Divinity that I saw within your pathetic form. When I consume your soul, I will finally be able to ascend the realms of Hell.”

Jonathan did not respond, instead gathering up more of the Void until he was sheathed in nothingness. Out of sight for the briefest of moments, he catapulted himself up towards Granath. The worm, thinking quickly, exuded a cloud of cloying mist before himself, and as Jonahtna passed through, he tracked the hole that he made. Laughing, Granath sent a wave of fire towards the exit point. Only, there was nothing there.

A moment later, the real Jonathan came hurtling out of the mist, cocking back his fist. He had sent a pulse of the Void before himself, pretending that it was actually him passing through the cloud. Now, he had entered melee range with the magically focused worm. Shocked, Granath took the full force of the blow, and he was sent coiling backwards as his serpentine body absorbed most of the power. A dark bruise rose up on his pallid flesh, a testament to Jonathan’s raw strength.

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Unfortunately, he was unable to fly, so he fell back to the ground, using the force of the punch to propel himself to safety. Obviously, this battle would not end with just punches, but it was a start. As the worm reeled, Jonathan scanned him.

Granath the Despoiler

Circle Lord

Level 199

Health: 495130/500000

The worm had a truly gargantuan health pool, sourced from his eons of soul devouring. He was a true titan in every sense of the word, but Jonathan could tell that his martial abilities were lacking. Instead, he made up for them with his monumental magical prowess.

The worm conjured a multi hued shield of light around himself, separating Jonathan from his vulnerable body. A pulse of the four elements shot outwards, washing over Jonathan’s body. Fire scorched his unarmored flesh. Water drove him backwards, its blunt force straining his bones. Earth hammered into him, dense and brutal, and the Air followed that up, slicing his flesh. However, none of them had gotten through his Resilience, empowered as it was by multiple thresholds.

“And they call me a monster,” Granath mused. “What sort of danger did you put yourself through to grow so strong in such a short time?”

“I think you already know,” Jonathan said. “Your lord, Angranor, seems to be unhappy with your performance. You can see me as your little blue pill, if you wish.”

The reference went over the circle lord’s head, but the meaning did not. Granath growled in rage, and raised one hand, looking tiny next to his massive body. A spear of lightning formed there, and he hurled it towards Jonathan. As it flew, it expanded, soon looking like a river of fulminating energy crossing the sky.

Jonathan held out his right arm, creating a large manifestation of his elemental energy there. The purple energy of the Void formed into a large buckler, a bit amorphous in shape. He held it up, and the lightning strike came crashing down. The energy of the Void devoured the electrical force, eating it up with ease. However, Granath did not sit idle as this happened.

The worm twisted through the air towards where Jonathan stood, elemental energy shrouding his form. Fire began to burn in the air, spreading across the sky from where the worm was. Different hues of elemental power joined it, lending their own tint to the flames.

Jonathan stood, glaring up at the monstrous form of the circle lord, wreathed in potent elemental might. All around, the world began to warp in response to the intense concentration of elemental power. The air swirled violently, twisters reaching down from the sky and tearing into the buildings. It was lucky for the citizens that they had taken the hint from Granath’s arrival and left. Then again, Jonathan felt little pity for those who lived in this part of the city.

They were those who supported Granath in his endeavors, growing fat off of the success of their overlord. As the tornadoes tore down the mansions, their stone began to melt beneath the fiery heat of the worm’s elemental manifestation. Hissing noises drifted up as the ambient humidity shot through the roof, and the ground bulged as its aspects were empowered by the Earth elemental energy.

Jonathan was unaffected by all this, as his body was far more durable than almost anything in this realm. Chunks of rock hurtling through the air broke upon his skin, and the heat felt like a languid day’s sunshine. He grinned at the worm, and shot forwards like a bullet, his stamina coursing through his body.