As he strode across the wasteland, he felt two powerful auras rise up from the city, and a moment later, he spotted two flying shapes coming his way. One of them rode upon what looked to be a pegasus made out of lava, and the other summoned blocks of stone that he jumped from. Jonathan cracked his knuckles and flared his elemental power, creating a torch of purple fire that billowed up into the sky.
“You!” The larger of the two Uthraki exclaimed, his voice booming out across the landscape. “You dare to show your face here after you killed our fellow?”
As the two fighters neared, Jonathan was able to make them out better. One of them was a woman, the one riding the lava horse. The other was a hulking brute of a man, large even for an Uthraki. Despite their imposing power, all Jonathan could think of was how weak they were compared to Granath.
“The same could be said of you. How do either of you dare to fight me after I defeated your ally so easily? Do you not fear for your lives?”
“Life is but the path to a glorious death,” the woman said. “No matter what happens here, someone will breathe their last. I hope it is you, but we have both lived lives well spent. I am ready to be returned to the embrace of the Primal One.”
“Well, I am more than happy to deliver you there.”
Jonathan raised his right arm and triggered the effect of his new ring. Dark ash began to swirl around him, appearing from cracks in reality. He could sense a level of control over it, and he commanded the ash to sharpen down into a razor thin disc. The Uthraki girded themselves, blocking the attacks. The woman created a shield of lava, and the man simply ate the strike, taking it full on. His body rippled and bruises formed, but his skin was not broken.
Jonathan smiled, and infused the ash with his elemental power. There was a brief moment where both of the Uthraki realized the danger. Only the female one was able to act on this. The razor edge cut through flesh like butter, and the hulking brute of an Uthraki who had seemed so content to boast of his strength was almost cut in half. He managed to get out of the way before he died, but it was too late to fully save himself. Jonathan leaped, using his stamina to propel himself, and headed towards the man. A moment later, Jonathan’s hand buried itself into the fighter’s stomach, sending him crashing into the ground.
As the brute fell, the mage summoned a blade of magma, stretching up for dozens of feet into the air. With a cry of rage, she brought it down, towards Jonathan’s head. He raised one hand, and caught the blade as he landed, relying on the durability of his new armor and weapon to do so. Before, the attack would have melted his gauntlets, but now he was more than able to resist.
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As the skill petered out against his hand, he whipped his free hand upwards, propelling a projectile of the Void towards the woman’s face. It wasn’t fully imbued, so it was simply a spear of purple light, but it served its purpose. With most of her attention on the sword of magma, she was unable to react in time, and the spear took her straight in the jaw, knocking her backwards.
As she reeled from the blow, Jonathan sent his true attack after her, the miniature black hole screeching through the air with an otherworldly keening. As the skill chased the Uthraki, he raced towards the other fighter, watching as he rose slowly from the ground. His regeneration was quite high, and Jonathan found himself impressed. There was a massive wound bisecting the man’s abdomen, oozing blood. It closed in slow motion, but quickly enough for Jonathan to see.
The man roared, and red light enveloped his form, causing his power to skyrocket. Muscles bulged as the energy entered his body, and a feral growl burst forth from his lips. Jonathan set his feet and met the incoming charge with a powerful punch, sending his fist rocketing forwards. The Uthraki dove at him like a linebacker, driving every pound of his prodigious weight into Jonathan’s upraised hands. He triggered another skill that increased his weight with plates of stone armor, and Jonathan found himself being pressed backwards.
Instead of resisting, he leaned backwards, letting the Uthraki’s momentum carry him up and over his head. His fist arced up, slamming into the man’s midriff. There was a groan of pain as the wound was reopened, and the noise of cracking rock as Jonathan’s strength rendered the stone armor moot. The Uthraki flew up into the air, straight into the path of an incoming lava spear. There was a sizzling noise as the molten rock met flesh, and Jonathan grinned as he pitted his two opponents against one another. The man groaned in pain, and he flashed a rage filled glare up at the mage. She shrugged apologetically, and began to charge up another attack.
Jonathan planted his feet and surged upwards, his strength and speed allowing him to fly up like a meteor. He drew upon the power of the Void and sent a fist imbued with Maw of the Void flying straight up at the two Uthraki. A cone of nothingness erupted outwards, erasing the air and flesh alike. Both fighters were able to resist, both because of their strength and the increased durability of Tartarus’ mundane matter. Still, their flesh was stripped off their bones, and the line of shields that the mage created was reduced to ash.
Jonathan’s momentum carried him forwards, and he tackled the male Uthraki, imbuing his fist with more Voidlight. There was a sickening crack as his fist burst through the man’s body, and out the other side. He released a pulse of energy, blasting the fighter apart around his hand. Essence surged into him, and a sudden wave of pain tore through his body and soul. There had been a nagging feeling at the back of his mind ever since killing Granath, but it now came in full force, demanding that he ascend to the next realm. He had been bottling up his essence for too long, and every fiber of his being wanted to rank up.