SCP 682 was not his name. The humans had called him it because they were inferior. They could not comprehend the greatness he truly was. They didn't even know his true name, Karxarphlon. Any humanoid species were parasites. Sucking the planet dry and leaving it a polluted rock. He would not let them continue to do so blatantly. His vastness just needed time and energy to achieve. But something was, different. These weapons were hurting him much more than what they should be. He could sense a powerful presence retreating, not deeming him worthy of their time. Pretentious beings humans were, always assuming he was weak. He started tearing open the trucks, enjoying their screams as he ate them. His regeneration was unparalleled across the multiverse, taking any source of fuel he ate too power it. Watching their faces horrified as he tore apart their chest exposing their own intestines never got old. The bullets they were firing were already becoming useless. He would adapt over anything and kill whoever made him adapt. He felt another, less powerful presence far away, thinking nothing of it. Then it smashed directly into his side. He thought something of it then.
"Phew, thanks Shade. Probably would've gotten a bit hairy in there fighting whoever they were. At least we now know that they have essence users. Is something wrong? You never look like that when you're feeling fine."
now know that they have essence users. Is something wrong? You never look like that when you're feeling fine."
"Jason, we need to go back. If that thing is what I believe it is, we need to kill it. Looting it will give us the first piece of getting back home if I am correct."
"Okay. I trust you, Shade." he said.
Leaping into one of Shade's bodies he teleported right next to the lizard.
[Indestructible Reptile], diamond rank, apocalypse beast
"Shade, a rundown please."
"[Indestructible Reptile]s are a rare case of a non-swarm apocalypse beast. Colin is a swarm-type one. They are known for three things. Their regeneration, ability to eat nearly anything for fuel and adaptation to every situation. Keeping a mix of spells and stabs should keep it from adaptation longer but it will happen eventually. By then, retreat and wait for it to die. Their speed and strength are subpar even by diamond rank standards. They are just neigh unkillable without powers like yours that escalate. It can adapt, but flesh is flesh and flesh will die eventually. You will then need to drain it with all of your spells to keep it from revival."
"Got it. Stab, spells and run until it dies."
Jason stabbed forward, starting the end for one of them. Still affected by [Blood Frenzy] he was able to keep up with the massive claws slicing at him. The creature grew more claws to catch him. Jason instead moved back and cast a triplicate of spells.
Bear the mark of sin
Bleed for me
Your fate is to suffer
[Castigate]
Incantation: Bear the mark of sin
Spell (curse, holy, tracking).
Cost: Moderate mana.
Cooldown: None.
* Effect (iron): Burns a painful brand into the target, inflicting slight transcendent damage and the [Sin] and [Mark of Sin] conditions. The brand cannot be healed so long as the target retains any instances of [Sin].
[Sin] (affliction, curse, stacking): All necrotic damage taken is increased. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.
[Mark of Sin] (affliction, holy): Prevents aura retraction. Cannot be cleansed while target retains any instances of [Sin] or [Legacy of Sin].
* Effect (bronze): Inflicts or refreshes the duration [Weight of Sin]. You gain the [Marshal of Judgement] boon.
[Weight of Sin] (affliction, holy): Target suffers transcendent damage when subjected to a holy boon, recovery, healing or cleansing effect.
[Marshal of Judgement] (boon, tracking, holy): Know the distance and direction of anyone bearing a [Mark of Sin] placed by you. This effect lasts as long as any mark is still in place and cannot be negated.
* Effect (silver): Inflicts the [Mortality] affliction
[Mortality] (affliction, magic): Negates immunity to curses. This includes intrinsic immunities such as from not having a soul or not being alive. Cannot be cleansed while any curse affliction is in effect.
* Effect (gold): Inflicts [Absolution] and [Sinner's Judgement]
[Absolution] (affliction, holy, stacking) Increases all sources of transcendent damage. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.
[Sinner's Judgement] (affliction, magic, holy) Impedes any revival magic or effects significantly. Cannot be cleansed is any instances of [Penance] are on the target.
Running in again, he slashed the reptile imparting all of [Momentum Breaker] into breaking several bones in its leg. There wasn't much point though, all of the bones healing near instantly. Even [Bleeding] didn't last that long. Jason pulled out his custom sword Gary had crafted, and he had ranked up.
[Hegemon's Will], (gold rank [growth], legendary, soulbound)
A sword crafted with gratitude, in hope of it being the greatest use in the moment of greatest need. It was bound to its wielder and his powers by extreme and unusual forces; it carries the arrogance of one who would remake reality in his own image, the hegemon of reality itself. They have proven themselves time and time again, always fighting tooth and nail for victory. (weapon, sword).
This item is bound to [Jason Asano] and cannot be used by anyone else. This bond allows the weapon to share the wielder’s ability to ignore rank disparity.
* Effect: You may imbue your aura into the weapon, increasing its damage for an ongoing mana cost. Damage and cost scales with the amount of aura strength imbued, up to the limitations of the weapon’s current state. Aura strength over that required for the maximum damage output reduces the mana cost. Damage is increased to the degree to which the enemy attacked has their aura suppressed and decreased by the degree to which the wielder has their aura suppressed.
Current rank: Gold.
Current maximum damage increase: Extreme.
Current maximum mana cost: Low. Decreased from high by wielder’s aura strength. Mana cost cannot be eliminated entirely, regardless of the wielder's aura strength.
* Effect: This weapon will dispell any conjured swords and take on the properties of the dispelled sword for an ongoing mana cost.
* If [Ruin, Blade the of Tribulation] is dispelled, [Dread Salvation] will inflict all afflictions it does as well as [Corrosion], necrotic damage and [Pressed Blood].
Ongoing mana cost: Low
[Corrosion] (affliction, damage-over-time, elemental, stacking): Inflicts corrosive damage, which has increased effectiveness against inorganic substances. Additional instances have increased effect.
[Pressed Blood] (poison, unholy, stacking): If the owner of this debuffs is not under the affliction [Bleeding] this will build up pressure before rupturing and causing it. If they do have [Bleeding] this will increase the severity of the blood loss. Cannot be cleansed if any instances of [Bleeding] are on the target.
* If [Penitence, the Blade of Sacrifice] is dispelled, [Dread Salvation], will inflict all afflictions it does as well as disruptive force damage and [Sanction].
Ongoing mana cost: Moderate
[Sanction] (affliction, holy): Healing, recovery and regeneration effects have diminished potency. Base strength of this effect is very minor but scales exponentially with the enemy’s level of injury. Cannot be cleansed while any instances of [Penance] are present.
* Effect: The wielder may cleanse all holy afflictions inflicted by the abilities and soul-bound items of the wielder from an enemy touched by [Hegemon’s Will]. For each affliction cleansed, the enemy suffers an instance of [Hegemon’s Mercy] and the wielder gains an instance of [Benevolent Hegemon].
[Hegemon’s Mercy] (affliction, holy, stacking): The victim of this effect is subjected to a powerful suppressive force affecting all magical abilities. This affects essence abilities, innate abilities and item abilities. Abilities derived from external transcendent sources are affected more strongly. This affliction drops off rapidly when not within the area of the wielder of [Hegemon’s Will]’s aura. Additional instances have increased effect.
[Benevolent Hegemon] (boon, holy, stacking): The effect strength of allied auras overlapping your aura is increased. This does not affect suppressive strength or resistance to aura suppression. Additional instances have increased effect.
* Effect (Regalia of the Dark Hegemon) (Item: [Hegemon's Will]): Enemies struck with this weapon are subjected to a mild mana drain effect and are inflicted with [Hegemon’s Tribute] and the wielder gains an instance of [Benevolent Hegemon].
[Hegemon’s Tribute] (affliction, magic): Anyone affected by [Hegemon’s Tribute] is subject to a mild, ongoing mana drain effect by the wielder of [Hegemon’s Will] so long as they remain within the wielder’s aura. If this affliction is cleansed or the subject dies, a final burst of mana is drained
Growth conditions (diamond):
500 diamond rank [Iron Quintessence].
1 [Hegemonic Authority] gem.
500 diamond rank [Death Quintessence].
500 diamond rank [Purity Quintessence].
1 [Dimension Essence].
Ritual of diamond rank ascension.
The wielder must be diamond rank.
[Hegemon’s Dominion] (silver rank [growth], legendary)
The scabbard to Hegemon’s Will, Hegemon’s Dominion is the embodiment of hegemonic control, representing the hegemon’s mastery of his hegemonic domain (container, scabbard).
This item is bound to Jason Asano and cannot be used by anyone else. This bond allows the weapon to share the wielder’s ability to ignore rank disparity. This item is magically bound to [Hegemon’s Will]; they are treated as the same item for all magical effects.
* Effect: Instances of afflictions affecting the wielder are periodically moved to this item, removing their effects from the wielder. This is not a cleansing effect. The rate of transfer is affected by the relative rank of the effects to the wielder. Suppressing the originator of the effect’s aura increases the rate of transfer; the wielder being aura suppressed reduces the rate of transfer. If [Hegemon’s Will] is sheathed, all afflictions are transferred to the weapon and affect the next enemy struck. Any effects resisted or subject to immunity are negated and cannot be passed to an alternate target. When it is sheathed, the amount of afflictions will grow overtime to a threshold.
Added afflictions would be useful with [Inexorable Doom] affecting elemental ones now. There were plenty of shadows to move and teleport through with the shadow of the mountain the facility was buried under. Summoning his shadow hands to attack more would be crucial to ending this quickly.
[Hand of the Reaper]
Conjuration (disease, magic, unholy).
Cost: Low mana-per-second.
Cooldown: None.
* Effect (iron): Conjure a highly flexible, semi-substantial shadow-arm that can extend or shrink. Conjured items can be conjured into the shadow hand. Can be used to make melee special attacks. Special attacks made using the arm inflict [Creeping Death] in addition to other effects.
[Creeping Death] (damage-over-time, disease, stacking): Inflicts ongoing necrotic damage until the disease is cleansed. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.
* Effect (bronze): You can conjure a second arm. Special attacks made using the arms inflict [Rigor Mortis] in addition to other effects.
[Rigor Mortis] (affliction, unholy, stacking): Penalty to the [Speed] and [Recovery] attributes. Additional instances have a cumulative effect. Each time a new instance is inflicted, deals necrotic damage for each existing instance.
* Effect (silver): Special attacks made using the arms inflict [Weakness of the Flesh] in addition to other effects. Numerous additional arms can be conjured from nearby shadows but only arms directly connected to the conjurer can bestow afflictions and use melee special attacks. The rank of conjured arms not connected to the conjurer is one rank below that of the conjurer. Up to two arms may be directly connected to the conjurer.
[Weakness of the Flesh] (affliction, magic): Negates immunities to disease and necrotic damage. This includes intrinsic immunities, such as from not having a biology or corporeal form. Cannot be cleansed while any disease affliction is in effect.
* Effect (gold): Up to six arms may be directly connected to the conjurer. All arms are now immune to normal damage and must be dispelled by disruptive force damage or spells. Arms in the conjurer's shadow count as directly connected for special attacks.
High rank fights were never short though. He teleported over the lizard to unleash the new and improved Colin, spraying leeches all over it.
[Sanguine Horror], (familiar, gold rank, apocalypse beast)
* Effect (iron): Summon a [Sanguine Horror] to serve as a familiar. Bites from the leech swarm inflict [Bleeding], [Leech Toxin] and [Necrotoxin].
[Bleeding] (affliction, wounding, blood): Deals ongoing damage by causing or increasing blood loss. As a wounding effect, this condition absorbs and negates an amount of incoming healing, after which this affliction immediately ends.
[Leech Toxin] (affliction, poison, blood, stacking): When [Bleeding] is negated, an instance of [Leech Toxin] on the target is consumed to reapply [Bleeding]. Additional instances can be accumulated.
[Necrotoxin] (affliction, poison, stacking): Inflicts ongoing necrotic damage until the poison is cleansed. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.
Leech attacks drain health and stamina, allowing the rapid replacement of destroyed biomass.
While subsumed within the summoner, the summoner has accelerated healing and stamina recovery. Healing and recovery rate is determined by how much biomass was absorbed and increases with the summoner’s level of injury.
* Effect (bronze): Summon a bronze rank vessel for your familiar with enhanced abilities.
Ranged entangling attacks can be made using cloth strips created from blood. Grips inflict minimal constriction damage but periodically inflict [Leech Toxin] and [Necrotoxin] if an area with an open wound is grabbed or the target is suffering the [Bleeding] condition.
* Effect (silver): Summon a silver rank vessel for your familiar with enhanced abilities
Item: [Sanguine Raiment] (silver rank, conjured)
Conjured robes with the power and resilience of an apocalypse beast (armour, cloth/leather).
* Effect: Increased resistance to damage. Highly effective against cutting and piercing damage, less effective against blunt damage.
* Effect: Heal over time effects have increased strength and duration. This effect scales with the amount of familiar biomass being shared with the summoner and amplifies the passive healing the familiar provides.
* Effect: Drain abilities have increased effect. This effect scales with the amount of familiar biomass being shared with the summoner.
* Effect: Resistance to blood effects in significantly increased.
* Effect: Can be used to make ranged grapple attacks. Health is continually drained from grappled enemies.
* Effect (gold): Summon a gold rank vessel for your familiar with enhanced abilities.
[Sanguine Horror] is no longer affected by salt or water. Bites now inflict any afflictions your aura inflicts.
Additional [Sanguine Raiment] effects.
[Sanguine Raiment] is now gold rank.
* Effect: Absorbs any poison and bleed effects periodically that can repair the armor or thicken it. Thickened armor has more resistance to blunt damage.
Enraged, it swung a massive claw, almost too fast for Jason to react. What would have been a small cut became a large gash with rank difference. But each time he was hurt though, another instance of [Sin] was inflicted by his aura to increase the necrosis further. Even those small cuts would be useful to winning. He didn't trust his gold rank body to survive multiple direct diamond rank attacks yet though. When [Dread Salvation] started to become ineffective, he switched back to spells which started to seem less effective too. Realizing they were about to become useless, he drained all the afflictions, replacing them with the judgement of sins.
Suffer the cost of your transgressions
Feed me your sins
[Feast of Absolution]
Ability Type: Spell (recovery, cleanse, holy).
Base Cost: Low mana.
Cooldown: None.
* Effect (iron): Cleanse all curses, diseases, poisons and unholy afflictions from a single target. Additionally cleanse all holy afflictions if the target is an ally. Recover stamina and mana for each affliction cleansed. This ability circumvents all effects that prevent cleansing. This ability cannot be used on self.
* Effect (bronze): Enemies suffer an instance each of [Penance] and [Legacy of Sin] for each condition cleansed from them.
[Penance] (affliction, holy, damage-over-time, stacking): Deals ongoing transcendent damage. Additional instances have a cumulative effect, dropping off over time as damage is inflicted.
[Legacy of Sin] (affliction, holy, stacking): Increases the damage scaling of execute abilities. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.
* Effect (silver): Increase cost to moderate to affect all afflicted enemies and allies in a wide area.
* Effect (gold): Inflicts additional instances of [Penance] for each [Sin] affliction cleansed.
White, gold and blue light started emanating from the lizard.
This isn't possible thought Karxarphlon. The rot was mostly manageable, but it was starting to become a problem. Then it all disappeared but was replaced with something he had thought was impossible. The only way he could be truly killed. The one thing he couldn't adapt due to its nature.
Transcendent damage.
The blue, white and gold light shone out as the lizard burned and thrashed around trying to end Jason.
Jason finally started to notice the lizard flagging after fifteen minutes of holy afflictions ravaging its body. Diamond rank endurance and durability were staggering compared to gold rankers who could already survive nuclear bombs. He could sense the number of afflictions inside the beast was enough to kill him in seconds. Their regeneration was no joke.
As it started to collapse, Jason started casting.
Your blood is not yours to keep but mine on which to feast.
[Feast of Blood]
Incantation: Your blood is not yours to keep, but mine on which to feast
Spell (drain, blood).
Base Cost: Moderate mana.
Cooldown: 30 seconds.
* Effect (iron): Drain health and stamina. Only affects targets with bleeding wounds or who are suffering from the [Bleeding] affliction.
* Effect (bronze): Drains additional health and stamina for each instance of poison on the target.
* Effect (silver): Increasing the mana cost to very high and the cooldown to 2 minutes allows this spell to target all viable targets in a wide area.
* Effect (gold): Draining stacks of [Bleeding] gives all health that has been soaked up by it to the caster of this spell. Each stack drained also steals a small amount of mana and impedes revival.
The lizard screamed as massive tendrils of life force were ripped out of its body, preventing it from coming back again. Jason finally ended the thing with one last spell.
Mine is the judgement and the judgement is death
[Verdict]
Incantation: Mine is the judgement and the judgement is death
Spell (execute).
Cost: Moderate mana.
Cooldown: 30 seconds.
* Effect (iron): Deals a small amount of transcendent damage. As an execute effect, damage scales exponentially with the enemy’s level of injury.
* Effect (bronze): Base damage is increased for each instance of [Penance] on the target.
[Penance] (affliction, holy, damage-over-time, stacking): Deals ongoing transcendent damage. Additional instances have a cumulative effect, dropping off as damage is dealt.
* Effect (silver): Inflicts or refreshes [Sanction] on the target.
[Sanction] (affliction, holy): Healing, recovery and regeneration effects have diminished potency. Base strength of this effect is very minor but scales exponentially with the enemy’s level of injury. Scaling is affected by [Legacy of Sin] in the same way execute damage is. Cannot be cleansed while any instances of [Penance] are present.
* Effect (gold): All holy afflictions are refreshed and all damage that would have been dealt is immediately applied.
It screamed one last sentence before it died.
"WE ARE ENDLESS BUT YOU ARE NOT."
And finally, it collapsed, a withered husk that burned away.
[Indestructible Reptile] has been automatically looted due to being wholly destroyed.
[Astral Throne] has been looted
400 diamond rank [Dimensional Quintessence] has been looted.
400 diamond rank [Blood Quintessence] has been looted.
Ability [Defiant] has increased loot quality.
[Perfected Miracle Potion] has been looted.
Jason immediately teleported away as a soul wrenching pain erupted inside his body.