[BOSS | “Constantine, The Twelfth General of The Reverse King | The Erupting Star” | Lv: 50]
‘...How do we win? How do I come out of this alive? How do I win this without losing everything around me?’ Jett thought.
Such thoughts raced through his mind as he found every attempt to fight back against the golden-haired figure to simply be fruitless.
Bringing himself to his feet, all he could think to do in that moment was summon his verdant sword and frosted dagger to his hands.
All of his familiars had been laid out, most of which only by a single blow by the overleveled foe, who stood there without so much as a scratch on his body or a tired breath leaving his lips.
“Are you going to have your lackeys do all the fighting for you? No, I didn’t think so…At least you’ve got some guts, or maybe you’re just desperate–either way, c’mon,” Constantine gestured for him to approach.
Not responding, he spoke his own words as he raised his weapons, “...Summon! Ten standard summons on the Standard Magic Banner! Another ten on the Standard Skill Banner!”
Through the coins stored in his [Void Inventory], he invoked a plentiful amount of summons, though they weren’t instantaneous, instead spurring on Constantine to rush him amidst the process of rolling the gacha.
“--!”
“So, that’s how it is, huh!? Don’t think I’ll just stand around and let you do what you want!” Constantine beamed.
The figure launched towards him with a flashing kick, forcing him to cross his blades and summon a [Power Air Shield] at full-power just to keep Constantine’s boot from slamming against his head.
[Blink!]
“--!”
Constantine was completely caught off-guard by the sudden disappearance of the black-cloaked figure in front of him as Jett reappeared right behind his opponent.
[Burst!]
Swinging with strength that surpassed his normal limits, he aimed straight for the back of Constantine’ neck, though at the last second, the unstoppable figure spun around, dropping low and sweeping Jett’s leg.
‘Shit…!’ Jett thought.
It was just then that the results of his ten-times summon on the [Standard Magic Banner] came through, with the majority being useless except for a few standout ones.
‘This will work…!’ He thought.
Utilizing his innate ability to flip from any position, he picked himself up just before falling, inhaling a vast breath into his lungs before invoking one of his newly-acquired spells:
“AAAAAAH–!!!”
[New Spell Obtained: (R) Sonic Scream | Special Traits: Ear Bursting!]
The result made the warcry that emitted from his mouth leave with thundering force, pushing directly against Constantine, who winced as even his incredibly tough body wasn’t immune to attacks of sound.
“Gah…! That’s really annoying!” Constantine stumbled back, shaking his head as it was clear the unorthodox spell left his ears ringing.
A precious moment was granted from Constantine’ distraction of the sound burst, allowing him an opportunity to invoke another newly-summoned spell:
Slamming his boot down against the ground, he manipulated the ground around Constantine to rise into walls of reinforced stone, surrounding the figure and enclosing around him.
[New Spell Obtained: (R) Rock-Solid Prison | Special Traits: Isolation!]
–Relentlessly, and perhaps desperately, he followed up with another of his acquired spells, dispersing his weapons and clasping his hands together before spreading them, revealing a bright-blue fireball spinning between his palms.
[New Spell Obtained: (R) Sapphire Fireball | Special Traits: Beautiful & Hot!]
“Burn!”
Tossing it forward with nothing restrained in his throw, he aimed it straight for the prison of natural stone, resulting in an explosion of bright-blue flames that shone through the town of Merdlum, spurring yells of shock from civilians.
As he watched, exhaling with sweat dripping down his cheek, his stomach dropped into the depths of his being as he saw the silhouette of the unstoppable combatant step out from the billowing smoke and flames.
“Got some heat, dontcha? Making me work up a sweat over here,” Constantine revealed himself from the flames, rubbing the side of his neck with a small stretch as he was left unscathed.
A moment was taken before Jett responded as he caught his breath, wiping the sweat from his chin before straightening himself out, “...I’ve got more where that came from.”
“Show me, then!”
The skills he summoned began etching themselves into his body, rewiring his flesh and DNA itself along with the muscle memory within him as Constantine approached. Now, for a reason he began to discover, he was able to more accurately follow where the shining figure moved, though he still struggled.
[New Skill Obtained: (R) Hyper Reflexes I | Special Traits: React!]
–His irises darted around the town-turned-battlefield as he faced the left, almost as a partial estimate as he met Constantine face-to-face, who seemed surprised, yet delighted, at him being able to perceive him.
‘I can see him!...Barely, but I can see him!’ He thought.
Raising both of his arms as a shield in that split-second, he endured a direct blow from his foe, whose fist slammed against his forearms like a smite from God himself. The force rippled through his body, felt through the marrow of his bones as it echoed through him with a chiming pain.
Attempting to plant himself down, he slid back as his boots carved through the stone-and-dirt roads of Merdlum, unable to stop himself from being knocked back before finally coming to a stop.
His forearms were left steaming from the blow; the sleeves of his shirt were tattered and brutal bruises were left imprinted on his limbs.
“...Hff…”
[New Skill Obtained: (N) Pain Mitigation | Special Traits: Dull!]
The freshly-acquired skill somewhat dulled the pain ringing through his body, though it wasn’t a complete nullification as his arms trembled from the shock. It was disheartening for him to watch as he lowered his shaking limbs, looking up to find Constantine now being blocked by others.
–It was the adventurers of Merdlum; those he fought alongside against the Abyss Dragon. Most of them were still left with recovering wounds from the raid, and all of which he knew stood no chance.
“No…Stay out of this!” He called out.
Amidst the group of adventurers that stood between Constantine and himself, a certain bandana-wearing youth was recognized.
‘Johannes…?’ Jett thought.
“This person…He attacked you! You’re an adventurer of Merdlum!--Nobody attacks one of our own and gets away with it!” Johannes said, though with clear fear in his eyes as his fingers trembled around the handle of his blade.
Even if it was a thankful gesture, there was no doubt in his mind it was a fruitless attempt at resistance, further proved as Constantine stomped down with an echoing wind before smirking:
“He’s right! I’m only interested in him, not you fodder!” Constantine yelled out.
In a burst of divine speed, the figure dashed through the entire blockade of adventurers, knocking them aside before the golden-haired fighter’s hand gripped onto the collar of Jett’s cloak, dragging him into the air.
Constantine laughed as he flew upward with his dazzling light, shooting upward like a reverse star despite Jett’s attempts to free himself, “How about I show you how us reincarnators really fight?!”
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“What did you say?! You’re…like me?!” He gasped out, struggling to catch his breath as he was dragged into the clouds themselves at breakneck speeds.
The air became noticeably more thin and chilly as he watched the town below grow distant before only the sight of nightly clouds existed around and below him.
“I’ll be happy to talk all you want–as soon as you come with me to the Reverse Kingdom!” Constantine called out with a vicious smile, “--Until then, shut up and do your best not to die!”
Just then, the grip the radiant warrior had on his cloak fell, leaving Jett flailing his arms as he tried to even grasp the clouds as not to fall, though quickly began plummeting from the grand skies. Perhaps with some luck, he could survive such a fall, but beaten and out of focus as he was, such gambits would more often than not result in death.
Even so, primal fear set in as he rapidly descended from the sky, plummeting through clouds and grasping at nothing but cold air as he panicked.
‘Should I try to summon?! Should I rely on Blink?! Will it work at this speed?!’ He thought.
–Before he could settle on any one plan, he found his problem of falling to solve itself, though presenting another problem as the nebulous foe shot down like a shooting down, grabbing onto his leg as he passed by.
He was being helplessly dragged down through the sky now, hearing the sizzling of Constantine’ flashing radiance as he tried to kick his leg free, though the velocity made it arduous to resist.
“If you accept the invitation now, we can end this—!” Constantine yelled out.
“--You can shove that invitation up your ass!” Jett responded.
Constantine laughed, “I hoped you’d say that! I wasn’t satisfied yet!”
The speed kicked up from Constantine’ celestial descent through the sky, overtaking Jett’s body with g-forces that restricted his movements as he was powerless to break from his opponent’s hold on his leg.
“...Temporary summon, magic…times five!” He escaped the order from his lips.
Before he could obtain any of his summon results, the descent suddenly stopped as Constantine began spinning him around amidst the air, moving him so rapidly that he lost all sense of direction before being released.
“Maybe this will change your mind!” Constantine called out.
Jett found himself being flung at rapid velocity, shooting through the sky like a bullet before crashing directly into the side of a mountain. The impact was enough to cause the land formation to shudder, cratering in its stone and mossy side as he laid there, breathless and stunned from the brutal landing.
‘I’m…alive?’ He thought.
Attempting to suck oxygen into his lungs came at a panicked struggle as the crash landing seemed to hit a “reset” button on his body as everything seemed to go haywire.
‘Breathe…Breathe, before you die, idiot!’ He told himself.
“...Ghhh…!”
Finally, he managed to refill his lungs with air, but it was only a minor step in his thread of problems as he found himself lodged into the bulk of an unknown mountain, feeling his entire body aching from the landing.
As he picked himself up, pebbles and dust slid from his shoulder and head as he pulled himself out of the small crater his body had made in the mountain, coughing out as he felt as though many of his internal organs had been bruised.
The mountain overlooked a lustrous valley of forests and vibrant fields, with Merdlum being seen in the far distance.
‘Just how far did he throw me…? I can certainly feel just how far in my bones…’ He questioned.
“...Hff…”
Just as he breathed out with a wince, “something” crashed down before him on the cloud-neighboring mountain, though he already had a good guess as to what, or rather, who it was.
From the cloud of dust kicked up, the quartz-armored figure presented himself, stepping closer as he confidently stood before the bruised-and-bleeding man.
“Surprised you’re alive after that?” Constantine asked, smiling as his golden tufts flowed in the high-altitude winds, “Maybe you’re starting to understand what we are–we’re blessed in this world, us reincarnators. We don’t break so easily–even runts like you.”
Taking a moment to wipe the blood from his bottom lip, a sharp glare shot up from Jett’s eyes to Constantine.
“Huh–?” Constantine let out.
“Who the hell are you calling a runt, runt?!” Jett yelled out.
Brought close to the radiant warrior, he slammed his palm against the figure’s breastplate, invoking one of the newly-summoned temporary spells he initiated:
[New Spell Temporarily Obtained | (UR) Superior Soul Shock | Special Traits: Spiritually Brutal!]
From the palm of his hand, nebulous sparks of a dark complexion unleashed in an unstable pulse, pushing the essence of the spell directly through Constantine’ body by direct contact.
“What’re you–AUGHH!” Constantine was suddenly seized by constricting pain.
The pulsating attack of ethereal darkness bound the ruthless general of the Reverse King, constricting him with the pitch-black coils of soul-rending electricity as he let out pained shouts.
“You’re tough as nails, but your soul isn’t any more protected than a baby…! I told you to shove that invitation, didn’t I?!” Jett told him.
It was a vastly powerful spell, far more potent than any he currently owned within his arsenal–that much was clear by just how effective it was against the opponent who just a moment prior seemed invincible.
“Auugh…!” Constantine let out.
The golden-haired figure drooled from just how violently the soul-attacking spell dug its claws into him; his eyes ran bloodshot as his body convulses before–
“Enoughhhh!”
Stomping down with enough unrestrained force to cause the mountain to tremble, Constantine took command of his body again, forcing Jett back, breaking the contact of [Superior Soul Shock].
‘Shit!’ Jett thought.
Constantine coughed up blood, though was quick to spit it out from his mouth as he clenched his fist, “So, you’ve got some tricks…I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”
“I’m going to shatter that ego,” Jett promised.
“You’ll try.”
As the radiant warrior charged him, this time, Jett noticed a difference; Constantine was noticeably more sluggish and lacking in that visceral speed he had prior–though there was no doubt he was still far faster than him.
However, this made it possible to react to and subsequently, allowed Jett to [Blink] behind Constantine as his flash fist missed its target.
‘The damage done to his soul…It’s weakened him! He felt that one–maybe, just maybe–I have a chance now!’ He thought.
“Huh–?” Constantine looked forward.
[Wind Burst!]
Invoked without any restraint, Jett sent himself bursting forward with unstable speed, slamming straight into Constantine just as the figure spun around to face him. Straight off the side of the colossal mountain, the two flew off.
“Ghh–! What the hell is your plan here?!” Constantine yelled out, “I can fly, but you’ll fall like a brick, idiot!”
“This is my plan!” Jett yelled out in return.
As he wrapped his arms around Constantine’ body while falling off the mountain alongside his foe, he once more invoked [Superior Soul Shock], one last time before it disappeared.
“You–NNNNGH!” Constantine was seized once more by the soul-originating agony.
Even while having his very soul throttled by the mystical, black electricity, Constantine repeatedly slammed his elbow against Jett’s back, trying to loosen his grip.
“Let…go!” Constantine said through clenched teeth.
Though he held on as long as he could, the “Erupting Star” escaped his hold, leaking crimson fluid from his nose as he retaliated by sending a flashing kick directly against Jett’s chest.
“--Augh!”
The force flung him back harshly, crashing him back into the side of the mountain, but it wasn’t anything he didn’t brace himself for. It hurt; everything hurt, but the adrenaline flooding his veins mitigated it as he prepared himself.
“Temporary…ten times summon on the Standard Familiar Banner…Now!” He initiated.
[Summon x10 Initiated!]
As he picked himself upon while standing on the crumbling rubble on the side of the mountain, the temporary warriors manifested around him; goblins wielding bows, humanoid warriors wielding spears, and even some more monstrous figures, such as a silver-furred bear, came to his aide.
‘If I bring any of my permanent familiars here…They’ll only get killed by him. This is the best I can do right now!’ He thought.
Constantine flew through the air like a shining star, giving off a golden luminescence in the night sky as he danced around the arrows and spears flung in his direction.
“Useless! Useless! Useless!”
Like a curving band of light, Constantine cut through the temporary forces summoned by Jett, making his way towards the summoner himself before–
‘Here it comes…This is what I was hoping for! It looks like luck is on my side tonight!’ He thought.
Something that made even Constantine stop in complete awe revealed itself; a summon that brought Jett upon its back, uncoiling itself from the mountain as if once one with the colossal, natural structure of the world.
It was snake-like, covered in verdant and rocky scales, with hair of leaves and whiskers of primordial branches; a dragon that appeared to be of a foreign land as it lacked any wings, yet naturally flew through the air as a majestic existence.
[New Familiar Temporarily Obtained | (UR) Ten Great Dragon Kings: Shanlong | Special Traits: Ruler of Mountains!]
[ATK: 500 | DEF: 800 | MAG: 500]
Jett took to the air upon the back of the gargantuan, mythical dragon, standing upon its back that resembled the hide of a mountain as he couldn’t help but smile as Constantine gave chase through the clouds.
“You can’t run!” Constantine shouted through the sky.
Standing upon the back of such a grand beast that heeded his call granted him a reignition of confidence he sorely needed in the face of such an overwhelming foe as he shouted out in return, “Who said anything about running?! Shanlong, I don’t know what it is, but do your thing!”
To his surprise his command was heard by the colossal beast as it moved its serpentine body through the clouds as if swimming through the air itself, letting out a low, primordial bellow before it primed its malice towards the radiant man darting alongside them.
Expecting a great breath of flames to escape the mouth of the dragon of high reverence, Jett found himself surprised as what instead was shot from Shanlong’s mouth was a river’s worth of steaming water, shooting straight towards Constantine.
“Woah–!” Constantine reacted, being forced to evade.
It was definitely somewhat of a challenge to keep himself clung to the mountainous dragon’s back as it moved with an unhindered flow as if dancing through the sky, agile and swift for its size as it poured out its boiling breath towards their foe.
‘Alright…While it keeps him busy, I need to see if I can find some proper tools to fight with!’ He planned.
“Summon! Weapon and Familiar banners! Times Five!” He commanded.
[Summon x10 Initiated!]