NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1322: Most Wanted (2)
Chapter 1322: Most Wanted (2)
The great void engulfed all of reality. It was an entity that was more of a hindrance to all ascended living matter rather than anything beneficial at all. The void was littered with many vexing phenomena that even Deities steered clear from. It was Void's body, after all, one to vast for her to control perfectly. It had its own imperfections.
When creating a world, Deities had to push against the sturdy foundation of darkness that was the great void to create their own spaces. But that didn't mean the great void was then
detached from said spaces and worlds.
Unfortunately not.
Everything in reality was connected to the great void in some form. However, while Void herself could not impose her darkness on these worlds - lest she broke several 'rules' she had to abide by, like her sisters - her bearers could do so wantonly, provided they were skilled enough.
All Void users thrived in the void after acquiring enough mastery. Summoning the void to shatter the bounds of a world, and using the darkness like a corridor that devoured all incoming attacks and oncoming defenses was what bearers of Voided Death called the Void Clot!
As absurd of an idea as it was, it didn't take Skullius very long to grasp it. The instant before Uyuniya used her unique Mastered Void Gate ability to cut him off from his senses and Broader Existence, the Hybrid Warmoth had already analyzed why his nimbus and his physique failed to guard against the Void Clot.
It appeared that to use Void Clot effectively, a Void User had to be in their true form, first and foremost. As for the requirements for the activation of the technique, it appeared that a user had to condense Voided Death Essence until it bore a hole through a world - a hard feat to accomplish than it appeared.
However, this feat was easier to accomplish even while using basic Voided Death Essence since unlike Null Life Essence, Skullius had noted how rough and violent Voided Death Essence was inherently.
The sense soon came back to the Hybrid Warmoth. [Sagacious Antiphon of Dawnlight] immediately restored his body. A quick surveillance of the surroundings told Skullius that he had managed to recover only because his clone had defended him while he was out. It must have been a horrendous task. The clone had to protect itself against the odd void ability too, and in addition to that...
BAAAAM!
A cruel, screeching impact surrounded and Skullius' clone went flying in several, blasted pieces after receiving a punch from Uyuniya with her Void Clot. She was a cascading wall of darkness. Aigas unravelled, shattering wherever she traversed with the unique application of Voided Death Essence active. While riding the darkness, she was inconceivably fast and powerful.
Skullius cursed. He immediately coated himself with the [Elusive Meta Carvers] and activated the [Legion Eyes]. However, unlike the non-specific manner in which he had been using them until now, he attempted to pick up on Uyuniya's untraceable attack.
It didn't work.
The [Legion Eyes] could show Skullius 64 different kinds of existential states, but it appeared they couldn't perceive the application of the damned woman's ability.
'Her Void Clot or whatever quite literally uses the full force of the great void against me. She coats herself and travels through it at the same time, meaning my defensive abilities are useless against her and the power from her blows carries the might of the entire great void - as much as she can handle, I suppose. I imagine even Deities would have trouble contending against that,' Skullius thought just as he flashed towards Uyuniya. 'However, I have my Null Life Essence!'
Uyuniya noticed his approach and charged to meet him. The clash between the great void and millions of units of Null Life Essence was cataclysmic. Even Elita was blown away from the impact.
Uyuniya seemed quite surprised that Skullius held his own when they met. And indeed, the Hybrid Warmoth held his ground, but just barely. He had to elevate the output of his Null Life Essence to its limit and even then, that only helped him delay the inevitable.
Great tongues of white fire splashed out between his Null Life Essence and Uyuniya's void. She grunted and suddenly slashed at Skullius with her Deceptive Incubating Masterpiece, which was also coated in the Void Clot. But a great, thick, square plate of Null Life Essence appeared in a timely manner to block against the great sword successfully, and Skullius immediately countered with a fist livid with the blue energy.
Oddly enough, right then, Uyuniya's Void Clot flickered and vanished, restoring Aigas around her!
...!
Skullius didn't understand, but he didn't stop. His fist blasted into Uyuniya's mask. She screeched and tumbled back before a ruthless [Ruining Cutter] sawed off her arm, and six more of Skullius' fists dug into her torso in rapid succession. As she spun back, Skullius made to follow, but he was suddenly blasted in the face by an attack he couldn't see; it was Uyuniya's Broader Existence again!
But even worse, as he reeled from the blunt attack, he lost touch with his senses.
Since he had been countering its possible usage with the [Elusive Meta Carvers], the effect of the Uyuniya's Mastered Void Gate ability - rather, the duration of its effect - was reduced. Skullius woke up almost immediately afterward, but that little spot of time he had missed was enough for Uyuniya to forge herself a new arm with Voided Death Essence, just as she had done with her missing leg.
'It looks like Void Clot adds extreme stress to the user's body. She wouldn't have deactivated it right when I was attacking unless the burden had just been too great for her,' Skullius thought, delighted. An instant later, Uyuniya charged her Voided Death Essence, condensing it to activate Void Clot again.
However, a dazzling merigold brilliance interrupted her focus. It came with a gigantic bolt of Ju`wtte from the distance which smashed into her violently. It lit her up like fire and she screeched in agony. Skullius' clone was merciless. It expelled a gigantic hand - from the far distance - made using Null Life Essence and tore Uyuniya from the conflagration before she could rest and slammed her into the ground. Her figure was a mess, lit in flame, flesh darkened from the heat and hair singed terribly. The Ju`wtte, even while in this basic state, was fatal!
Then it was Skullius' turn to be cruel. He retrieved one of the Twin Usurpers of Misery - the red sabers he had taken from the Cavern he had killed earlier - and hurled it at Uyuniya's remaining genuine arm. As soon as it pierced her flesh, the blade imposed its uncanny property: It made the arm start to feast on itself, as though the point where the blade had stabbed had turned into a miniature black hole.
Then it was Skullius' clone to play a round. Its nimbus turned to a great blaze of purple-gold,
but alas...
The clone was swiftly cleaved in half in less than a nanosecond, as Elita rushed in to Uyuniya's rescue. Aigas shattered from the entirety of her right arm and head, where she applied her Void Clot. It appeared she wasn't skilled enough to maintain it over the rest of her body like
Uyuniya.
She had coated Broodweiler in it though, empowering it massively when it cut through Skullius' clone's waist. And where it cut... a stream of silvery blue energy poured from the
clone and it cried out in agony.
Its Broader Existence had been cut and Exora Amras was leaking out!
Skullius cursed at the sight, and scowled when Uyuniya's body suddenly exploded with Void
Clot as well.
The bitch was tough!
The red saber Skullius had flung into her arm was cast away, but it had already completed its task. Uyuniya's one remaining arm was gone, and she had to substitute it with one made entirely out of the purple essence of her benefactor.
She made Skullius know of her fury thoroughly. His senses dimmed for a moment, and when he came to, an angled slash had ripped through his torso and face like butter. Skullius' flesh blew apart, but that was far from the worst of it.
Disgusting boils began to grow where Uyuniya's great sword had cleaved him, infecting him with a vile virus he didn't understand. Again, Skullius was reminded that Uyuniya shared the Second-ranked Paladin Champion's abilities, and Void Clot had allowed a plague to find purchase enough in his defenses to affect him.
'Damn it!' Skullius thought.
...
...
...
However...
['Entropy's Harmonising Nimbus' has recognized the queer presence of an intangible
assailant]
['Entropy's Harmonising Nimbus' has noted the use of a queer ability derived from overly complicated forces of reality. It intends to analyse, modify and create a Parlous Nature based on its findings with an input of 5,000,000,000 Null Life Essence. Will you allow it?']