There was no escape. Everywhere Sammuel looked were intertwined chains of some sort of gel-like substance. Even using his most powerful attack, [Annihilation Nova], he was unable to make it budge.
“Alyur, I’m stuck,” Sammuel muttered as a projection of Alyur appeared right beside him. “Sadin’s too strong for me now.”
“Mortal, you’ve said you could handle it. What happened?” The enraged tone in Alyur’s voice continued to rise even further. “I’ve even broken tradition and taught someone like you one of our most prized techniques! How dare you fail at such a time like this?”
Sammuel, who had been doing his best this entire time snapped back. “I already tore the barrier down! What are you doing, huh? Don’t you want to save Marie?”
Alyur's words stayed within her. This was not how she expected Sammuel would act.
Despite both doing their best, they had been pinned down by their respective foes. Alyur couldn’t force this Great Devil down easily nor could Sammuel break past Sadin’s defenses. They were both stuck, unable to do anything.
Naia slowly raised her hand, aiming to strike down Sammuel as soon as possible. “Unlike Sylph, I’m not in the mood to play around. Sadin, lethal attacks only.”
“I was already planning to.” Sadin's morphed body had already transformed into that of a golem. For as long as mana coursed through his body, he was immortal. With such an overwhelming Combat Power, Sadin’s first attack easily passed by Sammuel’s senses.
Sammuel had merely blinked yet by the time he realized what had happened, his chest was already pierced through by a stone spear. Gritting his teeth, blood involuntarily escaped his throat. He forcefully grabbed ahold of this spear and ripped it out of his body.
[Switch Ego: Rargeous Grubber | Ego: Fallen Mute | Ego: Caravan Owl]
A broken and tattered body had recovered itself back to normalcy. Every open hole, every bit of injury, everything wrong had disappeared from Sammuel’s body.
“Full regeneration each time, eh?” Sadin couldn’t help but marvel at Sammuel’s regenerative capabilities. “That’s not a [Skill] so it must be something special to you. [Ego] seems pretty strong, too bad…”
[Combat Power: 413,528]
With another singular strike, Sammuel had been given a fatal hit once again. Due to his immense amount of [Ego], he managed to recover fully. Fortunately, [Supreme Blessing of Attachment] gave Sammuel enough power to handle himself.
Sadin was only growing stronger as time passed. The [Ego] that Sammuel could use was dwindling, if he used something too weak then his body would explode from the amount of force that Sadin could use.
The disparity between them was growing. Sammuel’s multiple [Ego] were dwindling while Sadin’s strength was increasing. The end of this battle seemed a forgone conclusion. Despite Sadin’s victorious smile, Naia was becoming more and more desperate.
“What are you doing, you fool? Keep striking him down! We don’t have much time left! Whittle him down until he dies!” Naia’s calm disposition turned more and more agitated. “Don’t you realize? That [Devil’s Delight] can only last for so long! If we don’t kill this one before it runs out then we’ll be the ones dying!”
When Sadin heard this, the tone of his attacks changed. He was striking Sammuel faster than his previous strike. This was a moment of life and death, if he fails then he could only blame himself.
Sammuel no longer bothered to protect himself. All his energy had been diverted into sorting through which [Ego] could be used. The usable [Ego] left was starting to run out as such, he had to use [Ego Fusion] to try and get even more [Ego]. His countless identities were running out.
[Combat Power: 487,463]
Sadin’s Combat Power was rising through the skies. Each attack had become stronger than the last. It was reaching the point where Sammuel was barely recovering Sadin’s attacks.
This was the moment that Sammuel finally realized just what would happen if he died before he realized what happened. The [Ego] he had on as he died would completely shatter. He would lose access to that specific [Ego].
Through decapitation, Sammuel would return to his full state without a single blemish on his skin. Sadin had tried completely crushing Sammuel’s body yet even that didn’t do anything as Sammuel’s body would recover itself from even the smallest cinders left. As for Naia, she had tried drowning Sammuel yet it only served to be a slower process than instantaneous attacks.
An [Ego] was another life… Sammuel thoughts slowly wandered off.
“Just what’s happening? I’m gaining EXP but he’s still coming back to life. Just how many lives does this guy have?” Sadin had grown weary of this nearly unfulfilling slaughter. No matter how many times Sammuel should’ve died, he just kept coming back weaker and weaker.
[Assimilation Requirements:
Condition Cleared: Shatter 100 [Ego] | Reward: Increased Passive Healing]
Is that it? What’s even the point if they get shattered? Even in Sammuel’s current predicament, he was still somewhat progressing.
Sammuel felt completely helpless. There wasn’t anything that he could do now. All that was left was to hope and pray that Alyur would push through and do what he couldn’t do.
“Hey…” During one of Sadin’s attacks, Sammuel weakly said.
“Hmm? Tired of getting killed?” Sadin raised his hand, causing molten magma to escape from his fingertips. The molten maga quickly cooled itself and turned into giant obsidian balls that crushed Sammuel beneath its weight.
Returning back from death, Sammuel continued on. “What would you do if everything you did was all for nothing?”
“Ha! Nothing?” Sadin started conjuring a gigantic tornado that swept past this small cage. It had turned into a whirlwind of pure destruction as everything that entered its path was torn asunder. Sammuel died numerous times while inside this attack.
“That will never happen. I always make sure there’s something for me to gain.” Sadin taunted Sammuel. “Unlike you.”
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“Back on Earth, you were eventually detained. What did you hope to accomplish?” Sammuel constantly lost one [Ego] after another. He was losing everything one at a time.
Sadin’s expression turned sinister, immediately switching his methods of attacks into crueler and more painful ones. Turning Sammuel’s body into a block of ice and shattering it into a million pieces.
[Assimilation Requirement:
Condition Cleared: Shatter 1,000 [Ego] | Reward: Increased Passive Healing]
Sammuel no longer bothered to care about the rewards since there was no way he was going to survive this. He was almost out of [Ego]. His extra lives were dwindling before his very eyes.
“I never thought about it before but what would happen if a world without me existed?” Sammuel ignored all the forms of instantaneous deaths that Sadin subjected him to. “As it turns out its this world, it’s already grander than what Earth used to be. I’m guessing not even Earth would change even if I left it.”
Sadin no longer conversed with Sammuel, only aiming to end everything as soon as possible.
“I’ve never really felt like I belonged on Earth. Always the guy that’s just out of the loop, minding his own business. It’s odd really, even though I was good enough to be better, I just never found the reason to.”
“No hard decisions, nothing to think about, no worries about my future. But it all changed when I started facing the world. I started asking questions, forming bonds, thinking about what’s right and wrong.”
“This world made me face situations I never would’ve even thought about. From bribery to acting out of emotion. Up until now, I still don’t know if I made the right decision. I gained and lost a lot of things.”
[Assimilation Requirement:
Condition Cleared: Shatter 10,000 [Ego] | Reward: Increased Passive Healing]
Sammuel had fully recovered himself once again. He was no longer using Awakened Stage [Ego], he had long run out. It was the bottom of the barrel, the weakest possible kind, Mortal Stage [Ego]. It had been such a long time since he had even used one.
Even so, Sadin was still striking Sammuel down without any bit of mercy. As Sadin reached his hand out and crushed Sammuel down into a pulp, Sammuel eventually reformed his fully functioning body right atop Sadin’s hand.
[Assimilation Requirement:
Condition Cleared: Face a creature with a disparity of 1,000,000 Combat Power or higher | Reward: Mimicry
Mimicry- Gain the Combat Power of an opponent for a limited amount of time based on disparity. User can now switch corporal form to [Ego].]
Sadin noticed something change within Sammuel. It was the exact same sensation he felt back then when Vzella had tried to kill him.
“I guess even I get something like that.” Sammuel’s body might have been fully recovered yet the mental strain of this battle had taken a toll on him. Even so, he recalled when Sadin had gained [Great Favor] from Vzella’s attack.
[Mimicry | Gain Combat Power: +64,378 | Sammuel: 64,397]
Despite Sadin having a Combat Power in the millions, Sammuel had managed to steal a bit of power, letting him gain a rough equivalent to what Sadin had gained back then.
“But there’s no point in the end.” Once again Sammuel was struck down without any ability to fight back at all. The overwhelming difference wasn’t something Sammuel could ever hope to bridge.
Sadin was growing ever stronger, just as Sammuel as heard, [Perfect Affinity] truly was a game breaker. It was an insanely powerful ability that nearly had no equal. Just how could Sammuel’s [Ego] compare? Perhaps it could and Sammuel just didn’t do that well yet.
Sammuel had just recovered back from having his body broken down again and immediately laughed out loud. “What am I even doing here? I’m not a hero.”
Slam.
“I’m just a person that appeared here out of curiosity.”
Crushed.
“How can I ever change anything?”
Obliterated.
Yet it didn’t matter how strong Sadin had become, the disparity between them had rendered everything meaningless.
“You can’t. Just die like you’re supposed to.” Sadin mocked him. He had reached the point where he shouldn’t have any equal. He even felt that he was reaching the power of what a Great Being held.
“It’s not over until it’s over!” Naia had completely changed. Her previously pure appearance had a slight tint of toxic properties. Her water whips had turned slightly green, reflecting the devastatingly corrosive properties it now had. “End it now!”
Sammuel was on his last legs. It was at that moment that he noticed something. As it turned out, one of his [Ego] had finally healed itself back to a usable state.
[Switch Ego: Six-Handed Monkey]
It was completely and utterly useless but it was something. It was supposed to take an entire year but as it turned out those rewards increasing the passive healing worked out extremely well.
“It’s just one more life. What’s even the point then?” Sammuel was down to his last few remaining [Ego]. The end of his life was near. Feeling the dreadful welcoming embrace of death, he closed his eyes.
I’m scared…
Sammuel couldn’t help but open his eyes in confusion. “I must’ve heard wrong.”
Sammuel… where are you?
Sammuel’s heart tightened. It was a voice that had led him down his path. He had done so much so that this voice could find happiness yet at this moment… it only filled his heart with sadness. He failed.
Mom!
“Fian?” Sammuel could hear Marie’s desperate pleas.
Don’t hurt her, please! Ah!
Sammuel tried to raise his hand yet he had forgotten. His body had been dismembered into a pile of meat right now. He was down to his last ten [Ego].
Take me instead. Don’t… hurt her… It’s fine, Mom… I’ll always-
It cut out. Sammuel felt an ominous sensation swell up within his chest.
[Condition Cleared: Let the Hatchling (Marie) free | Reward: Ego Overdrive]
“Marie?” Sammuel mindlessly said out loud.
There was no response.
“He’s gone mad. I can sense that he no longer had any ability to fight back. End it already.” Naia mercilessly said. “Such a dangerous entity can’t be left alive.”
Sadin couldn’t understand just how dangerous Sammuel could be, after all, he had just defeated him. With one last attack, Sadin had chosen to use something much more grand. He was going to use a completely experimental attack. He had been thinking about this attack for an extremely long time but was far too weak to use it. Now, he had an opportunity.
After seeing [Annihilation Nova], he was extremely entranced by such a powerful attack. After all, this was the attack that had nearly killed him back then. Such a striking impression couldn’t quite easily leave Sammuel’s mind.
“Any last words?” Sadin mockingly said. Looking to the side, he eyed the Great Devil. “You’ll be the tester of my own original [Skill]. The very same [Skill] that will wipe out every Devil in this world.”
[Catastrophe Manifestation]
The land beneath Sadin’s feet started shaking in fear of the upcoming attack. The air itself was sucked away, turning the atmosphere all around Sadin into a vacuum. As everything, the essence of the elemental world was directed into one singular point, the chaotic energy being compressed was reaching a power that no mortal should ever come to possess.
“I can’t… fail Marie…” Sammuel wasn’t going to let this go. “Was my promise to her worth nothing then? No. I can’t let that happen. I finally have the chance to be my own person.”
With a determined expression on Sammuel’s face, he shouted from the very bottom of his heart. “Consequences be damned! I’m doing what I want to do! I want to save Marie! ”
[Ego Overdrive]
[Choose Ego To Sacrifice]
“Everything.” Sammuel had countless broken and shattered [Ego] yet it was still a plausible option.
[Warning: Activation will cause drastic limitations in the future. Such limitation could be remedied by fulfilling [Conditions]. Do you accept?]
“I don’t care. Do it.”
[Ego Overdrive | Gain Combat Power: +3,684,783 | Sammuel: 3,684,783]
Beaten down on the ground, a dark blue hue of mysterious power started surrounding him. The scale of such was the culmination of every single [Ego] Sammuel had at his disposal. Naia took a gasp of cold air, her every sense felt the danger of the entity before her. She didn’t even hesitate to leave.
“The power of every single [Ego] at once…” Sammuel softly closed his fist yet the shockwave that it caused made the very cage he was in shatter apart. It was unable to handle such a powerful attack. He looked up at the skies where Sadin conjured his own weapon. [Catastrophe Manifestation] made everything around it unstable. The scale of such was enough to level Aganth easily.
Sadin had finished charging up his supreme attack, aiming to take Sammuel’s life.
And Sammuel’s response?
[Annihilation Nova]
A small orb appeared on the battlefield, smaller than the point of a needle. Oh, how miniscule it looked.