With a sudden burst of speed, it exploded forwards, sending up a massive cloud of sand behind it. Sam barely had time to react, and the monster’s fist buried itself into his stomach, pulping his organs. It was like being struck with the full weight of the Titan’s true form, but condensed down to a tiny impact point. If not for his thresholds, titles and armor, the fist would have gone straight through his body. As it was, he lost almost half of his health in a single strike, his organs reduced to mush.

Teleporting away from the follow up attack, Sam coughed up blood and chunks of flesh, watching as the Overlord desperately tried to keep up with the E Ranked monster. Knowing how the man’s powers worked, Sam started cheering him on, feeling sick to his stomach as he did so.

As his body regenerated, he tried to convince himself that he was in awe of his corrupted father’s skills. The aura of red energy around the Overlord expanded outwards, and his strength increased dramatically. He was still outclassed, but he was able to keep the monster distracted until Sam was back in the fight.

Sam’s hammer blazed with power as he sent his surplus Dao energy into it, birthing a new star upon its head. He spotted his allies rapidly approaching, but he motioned for them to stay where they were. This was not a fight that any of them could survive for long in. Instead, they focused on buffing Sam and the Overlord.

Sam charged up all of his own buffs and blasted off the sand, almost twice as strong as before. The Titan turned its head just in time to see the hammer heading towards it. The Overlord grappled the monster just before it could move, and Sam’s hammer came crashing down upon its head. The chaotic matter of the monster caved in under the strike, but it was far too strong to die in a single hit.

Instead, it raised one arm and grasped Sam’s hammer, wresting it from his grip. With a thunderous backhand, it sent him flying through the air, breaking his bones. As the Overlord struggled to fight the overpowered monster, it slammed one fist into the ground. Sand exploded outwards like a meteor had landed, and a shockwave raced through the air as the full strength of the Titan came to bear.

The Overlord flew backwards, rolling across the sand over a kilometer away. Sam was also picked up by the shockwave, tumbling through the air. A massive crater came into view as the dust cleared, created solely by the Titan’s strength.

Stolen novel; please report.

Sam grimaced at this, terrified of the power that the monster could bring to bear. Even worse, it seemed that it could remain in this form for as long as it wanted. With a chuckle, the monster rose, blowing off its fist. Raising both hands, it began to channel its elemental energy into the air, creating a rotating ball of energy in the air. Sam threw a duo of projectiles towards the monster, trying to destabilize the energy. All that he did was fuel it further.

There was a loud snap and a disc of multi-colored light cut through the air, nearby beheading him. Even worse, that was only the beginning. The ground beneath the disc started to melt and discorporate, turning into a slurry of exotic matter. Sam’s feet started to burn, then freeze, then dissolve in equal measure. He channeled his Dao to them, managing to resist the effects. However, the Overlord was not as lucky.

The man roared in pain as his lower body took the brunt of the power, but he seemed to be able to protect himself from grievous harm with his Dao. Although it was still only at the Fragment stage, it was extremely powerful if one knew how to use it. The Overlord had entered an egotistical loop with himself, fueling himself with his own certainty in his power, which increased that power further. It was just barely enough to survive.

Sam started to stride forwards, limning his form in his Dao energy. His face twisted in rage as he saw the Overlord floundering. Although he hated the man that Jacob Atlas had become, he still loved his father. If he was to ever save him, he would need the Overlord to stay alive, for now.

“Hey, asshole!” He shouted at the Titan, trying to distract it. The monster turned, surprised that he wasn’t burning away. “I have a special delivery for you.”

Sam teleported forwards, as if about to attack, but what he really wanted was his hammer, which the Titan held loosely. Before the monster could react, Sam scooped up the hammer and tore it from the Titan’s grasp. With his weapon securely in hand, he teleported to the Overlord’s side, and slammed the weapon into him, knocking him out of the circle of chaos. He noted the man’s aura dip noticeably as he was saved, but that hardly mattered.

Sam wheeled around to face his enemy, watching as the Titan regarded him. The monster seemed intrigued by Sam, and its swirling eyes were fixated on the center of his body, where his core was.

“What are you, human? You should not possess this measure of Dao strength this early into your life as a System user. How can you already have a Dao Seed?”

Sam declined to answer, instead pulsing his power more and more. If he was to survive this, he would need every ounce of strength that he could get. It was time for him to use some of his free stat points. Hopefully that would provide the edge that he needed in this battle. At the very least, it would let him fight on a somewhat more equal level.