As he returned to the real world, a dome of light shot out in all directions. Although it was far smaller than the one in the vision, it was undoubtedly the same. A few dozen faint outlines appeared in the air, looking like ghostly warriors brought from beyond the veil of death. They were clearly far weaker than the ones in his Dao vision had been, but they were still there. Notifications pulsed, but he ignored them for now. The skill, or whatever it was that he had used, drained almost half of his Dao energy, but the results were worth it.
The unit of shades turned around to face the incoming wall of undead, and began to tear into them with spectral weapons. The fight quickly faded behind Sam, hidden by the trees, but he could still hear it. Every time one of them landed a hit, there was a detonation of pure power, ripping apart the undead with ease. For a few minutes, the progress of the horde was stalled, allowing the army to get away.
Some time later, they had arrived at the city, with the undead legions snapping at their heels. Sam’s distraction had allowed them to escape just in time however, and they slipped through the barrier just before the undead reached them. The shield started to shimmer as attacks landed on it, but it was more than strong enough to hold. However, the Corpse Titan was a different matter. Not wasting any time, Sam propelled himself to the top of the wall with a quick teleport, already opening his notifications. He needed to see what he was working with now.
You have upgraded your Dao.
Dao Fragment of Righteous Anger(Third Step)
Righteous Anger is the purest and most virtuous form of wrath that there is. Rather than selfishly indulging in your own anger as a palliative for your inner suffering, you instead use it as a shield and sword with which to protect the innocent. Now that you have increased connection with his concept and ideal, it will begin to manifest itself more frequently. You have passed the first trial of your Dao, the trial of Will. You have proven to it that you are worthy to wield it, and as such more of its power is available to you. In discovering the next step of your Dao concept, you have realized that your rage is nothing without a purpose. For you, that purpose is that of vengeance for your fallen allies.
+40 to all Physical Stats
+28 to all Mental Stats
As expected, his Dao had upgraded once more, granting him a large stat bonus, and more importantly, an increase to his Dao energy and comprehension. As a fused Dao, it granted power to both sides of his stat spectrum. He was growing closer and closer to upgrading his Dao to a Seed, and once that happened, his strength would skyrocket. Next up was a new skill.
You have gained a new Dao Skill!
Wrath of the Fallen: Mythical
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The spirits of the dead who were slain under your watch are filled with fury. Tear them from their uneasy rest to take revenge upon your enemies. This skill touches upon the inklings of a Dao Domain, an advanced application of your Dao mastery. As always, you are head and shoulders above your peers in the realm of the Dao.
That explained what the strange feeling within the vision had been. Sam had touched upon a higher concept for a moment, one that was powerful enough to let him control the fabric of reality around himself, at least in a single facet. The ghosts he had summoned in the vision had been completely solid, as compared to the wispy specters here. However, there was little time for him to celebrate this. In the distance, the form of the Corpse Titan could be seen coming ever closer. Sam should have been terrified out of his mind, praying to whatever uncaring gods were out there in the Multiverse, but all he could muster was pure rage. This Titan, this abomination, had no meaning other than to butcher the inhabitants of Earth. It was simply a pawn of the System, made to further the endless meat grinder than was progression. It was something that would likely spell the end of the city. Their only hope was that its power was on the very bottom of E Rank.
Sam watched as it barreled through the forest, smashing trees as it went. Each footstep left a crater the size of a football field, and the earth shook more and more the closer it got to the city. The artillery on the walls were trained on the legion of undead camped at the shield, sending a barrage of cannon shots and ballista bolts down on their heads. However, the more powerful weapons were aimed at the Corpse Titan. The Superior Mana Cannon had evidently been souped up during the time that Sam had been away, as he could feel the weapon charging up even from here. A vortex of mana gathered above the weapon, filled with crackling blue bolts of lightning. A moment later, a spear of energy shot up into the sky, easily as long as a city bus. It rocketed towards the Titan unerringly, screaming through the air. Sam watched as it passed over him, and only was able to hope that it would be enough. Not even to kill the monster, simply to leave a mark. The Titan ignored the incoming projectile, simply picking up its pace. To such a large monster, the spear of light would appear incredibly small.
A moment later, it made contact. A blossom of energy erupted from the Titan’s abdomen, and it staggered briefly, as chunks of bone rained down. However, the amount of damage dealt relative to its size was minimal, and the Titan barely lost any speed. Even worse, the mana cannon had a long reload time. However, at least Sam knew that they could hurt the monster now.
A moment later, a barrage of missiles sped up over the city, casting shadows as they went. The System enhanced missiles packed quite a punch, each easily enough to take out a city block. They landed in a carpet of fire, sending tremors through the Titan and into the ground. It faltered for a moment, but then pushed through, covered in blackened bone. A grin stretched across its face, and black energy began to swirl around it. A tempest of power gathered, and the clouds started to swirl, turning dark as the corrupting power of the Corpse Titan entered them.
It reared back and then thrust its head forwards, expelling a beam of energy that raced towards the force field. Sam suddenly felt the field suck a tenth of his mana out in preparation for the impact. Under the effects of the various city wide boosters, he was even stronger than he had been under the tutelage of Gordanus. He had more power to spare.