Jonathan slowly felt his mastery increasing, even as his body came apart. He was in over his head, and he knew it. However, the alternative would have been just as bad. With the pervasive darkness, they would never have reached their goal, instead wandering in circles until Jonathan decided to give up and return to Mire.

A few moments later, he felt a strange reverberation in the air nearby. He spared a glance, and saw a rift opening up in the middle of the plane. An Uthraki stepped out, one whom Jonathan recognized. It was the lord of the realm.

“You invaders cannot seem to even move without causing trouble for me,” the man declared. “You shall pay for this little disposal service you have forced me to carry out.”

Before Jonathan could react, the man swiped his hand across the air. A thin line of concentrated elemental energy whipped through the air, and straight through the Aberration. There was a sudden hiss as the air split apart, and then the Aberration as well. It tried to reconstitute itself, but failed, as more blades of energy branched off from the first.

The creature came apart at the seams, turning into a cloud of elemental darkness that tried to escape, flitting off into the firmament. The realm lord reached out with one hand, and seized at the air. For the first time, Jonathan felt the power of a Master Rank Pathway skill. The air around the man became part of him, turning into a fist. Within that fist, there was no escape. The aberration was excised from existence, along with the ground for a dozen feet in every direction. The man then opened his hand, letting a cloud of ash fall to the ground. Then he turned his burning gaze upon Jonathan and Hushar.

The circle lord, for after seeing that display, it was fair to refer to him as such, strode towards them. Such was his strength that neither man tried to flee.

“You are the despoilers of my beloved’s grave. Invaders to my realm, and disturbers of the peace. Tell me, how would you like to die?”

“Not at all, preferably,” Jonathan replied. With people like this, it was best to keep them off balance by not showing any fear. “We actually have an offer for you.”

“Oh? Why should I listen?” The man asked. However, Jonathan could already tell that he was intrigued.

“We seek to topple Slothari from her rotting throne, but we need help. You have more reason than most to do so.”

“Why would I want to interfere in the outside world?”

“Because Slothari created the monsters that killed your wife,” Jonathan replied.

The realm lord’s eyes flared, and Jonathan suddenly felt the weight of a mountain pressing down upon him.

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“Do not speak of her in such flippant tones. She was more than just a casualty.”

“Then don’t you want revenge for her?” Jonathan croaked out. He could have relieved some of the pressure with his aura, but he wanted to keep his true strength hidden in case things went south.

“That is all I want! Slothari is too strong, even for me. There is no way to get to Mire either.”

“What if I had a way? How else do you think I got here in the first place?”

“I know about your token. It is far too weak to transport me and yourself. Enough stalling. It is time to die.”

Jonathan snarled, and as he felt the aura redoubling, he unleashed his own. He poured every ounce of his being into it. What the realm lord possessed in depth, he made up for in breadth. Divinity, stats, titles, everything that made him what he was combined into a glorious dome of power. Even with all of that, he was only able to push the aura away a few feet. However, the Uthraki hegemon certainly had not been expecting that.

“What are you? How can you be this powerful fifty levels weaker than me?”

“I told you, my goal is to kill Slothari. Do you really think I would embark upon such a quest without the strength to back it up? I have already killed Granath, lord of the first circle of hell. The others are just obstacles in my path.”

“I have a proposition for you then,” the realm lord declared. “If you can survive for a minute against me, I will hear you out. If you truly have promise, then perhaps it is time for revenge after all.”

“If we are to fight, then you should learn my name. I already know yours, Arkanon. I am Jonathan Harlowe, slayer of Granath, and aspirant to the mantle of Hellbreaker.”

With a roar, Jonathan channeled a good portion of his Divinity into his aura, momentarily boosting it to the extreme. Arkanon’s aura was forced backwards, and with that, the battle began in earnest. Hushar, who thus far had done nothing, retreated from the battle, watching in silence.

Jonathan knew that it must be hard for the man, feeling so powerless. He had gone from a position of strength in his last realm to the bottom here.

As he walked forwards, towards the implacable figure of Arkanon, he girded his form with Divinity, empowering himself to the utmost. The Uthraki lord stared at him impassively, waiting for him to make the first move.

Jonathan let out a roar and leaped forward, slamming thousands of points of stamina into his legs. The distance between them seemed to vanish, and his fist was next to Arkanon’s head in an instant. The man simply reached up and grasped his wrist, before throwing him over his shoulder.

Jonathan landed on his feet and sent his foot whirling around towards the Uthraki’s back. Arkanon reached back, blocking the strike with his open palm. Then he turned, and moved so quickly that Jonathan was unable to react in time. A dozen strikes came as one, impacting his armor. Jonathan was still one moment, and hurtling away the next. He coughed up blood, and stared down at his armor, which was dented.

Arkanon cracked his knuckles, and reached down to the ground. He slammed his fist into the earth, and the world began to shake. A crack raced across the ground towards Jonathan, molten rock glowing in its recesses. The man roared, and pulled his hand forwards, sending a pulse of energy towards Jonathan. He rolled to the side, straight into a punch from Arkanon, who had moved so fast that it almost appeared like teleportation.

“So this is the power of a Master Ranked Pathway skill,” Jonathan muttered as he crossed his arms before himself. Even then the punch rocked him on his feet. If not for the momentum from the roll, the blow would have sent him flying. He needed to improve, and quickly at that.