Overgeared: Saharan Successor

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Chapter 32: Frika the Accursed End (I)

Odin didn't bother to turn back, his voice low and cold as he muttered, "Too late."

As the Necrotic Totem disintegrated into a cloud of dark mist, Frika's eyes flashed with black magic as her fury increased. 

Her staff trembled in her grip as she channeled the raw energy of her remaining spells. With a guttural incantation, she summoned the dark, pulsating power of Soul Drain.

"Feel the weight of your mortality, human! Your vitality will be mine, and there's nothing you can do to stop it!"

Dark tendrils of energy, writhing and seething, surged from her staff, reaching out like serpents of shadow. The tendrils snaked through the air, their jagged, undulating forms a stark contrast to the shimmering light of Odin's aura.

Odin's keen eyes were following the trajectory of the first tendril. As the first tendril lashed out, he sidestepped with a fluid, almost effortless motion, his grip over Soulrend tightening, readying for any unexpected changes in the trajectory. Still, it would take too much control over that spell to change the mid-journey path.

The dark strand sliced through the air where he had been moments before.

Then came the second dark tendril of Frika's Soul Drain spell, whipped toward Odin, who dodged the first one. This one was far faster than the first, slicing through the air like a spear of darkness, and Odin could tell that he wouldn't be able to dodge it with 99% certainty.

In a single fluid motion, he brought Soulrend up, activating Stalwart Parry. 

His blade caught the tendril mid-strike, a loud clash echoing through the chamber as the dark energy coiled and writhed around his sword, trying to push through his defense. The force was immense, but Odin held firm, his parry perfect, deflecting the dark magic precisely.

'This reminds me of the time I deflected Mi-Jung's Fireball using the Onyx Parry. Ahh, I miss my Black Knight Skill Tree, so many crazy Epic and Unique skills.'

'I still got my consolation prize with the Red Energy System and Sovereign Insight.'

The tendril recoiled, hissing like a serpent before dissipating into the air. But even as Odin dodged the attack, before he could get to her body, Odin felt the tug of Frika's magic. 

He dodged and used Stalwart Parry, who had a short cooldown recovery because of the MAX level and the passiveness of being the Saharan Successor, which made the cooldown recovery more efficient. Then, as Frika expanded more of her Mana by using her Soul Siphon dark tendrils to catch Odin off-tempo, the Knight also measured his MP gauge. He couldn't just spam Parries left and right because the expenditure wasn't sustainable with his MP recovery.

'I got enough ground covered. Let's just sacrifice some HP since I can just use one of the Intermediate Pots to heal up.'

The dark tendrils surged toward Odin. He had a strategy planned out in his mind that would go step by step, but even in the face of variables, he was prepared to switch to plans B, C, or D if required. 

He couldn't afford to waste his Mana carelessly. It would leave him without options when clashing directly against the Troll Hag. 

A faint, cold sensation clawed at his core.

'Urgh, feels like doing my first ever cold plunge. My balls shrunk down all of a sudden.'

The tendrils latched onto his body, cold and insidious, as they snaked around his limbs, sinking into his flesh like icy fangs. 

His body tensed as he felt the chill of the dark magic clawing at his vitality, slowly but surely siphoning his life force away. 

[You will suffer 220-280 DoT for the whole duration of the Soul Siphon.]

[You have suffered 224 damage.]

His HP began to tick down rapidly, 224 HP per second, a rate that was noticeably faster and more potent than the decay aura of the now-destroyed Necrotic Totem.

Odin grimaced but kept his expression controlled. 

He glanced briefly at his health bar, watching it deplete. But what caught his attention more was the rise in Frika's HP gauge. With each point of health he lost, Frika's bar slowly refilled and, combined with her Regeneration Skill/Passive, made her the Queen of Cockroaches.

Frika cackled as she watched the tendrils of dark magic hungrily reach for Odin's essence. "You can't stop the inevitable! No matter how fast you move or how strong you are, your life will drain into the Abyss. My magic will strip away your strength, piece by piece!"

Odin's crimson eyes narrowed, not at her taunts but at the efficiency of her spell.

'Boss mobs have busted skills. The counterparts for the players are always junk compared to their own.'

She was feeding off him, growing stronger, her confidence bloating with each second the Soul Siphon drained him.

It felt like the scene of Gul'dan doing a Soul Drain on Durotan, where eventually, he would be killed from being siphoned dry worse than a pro deepthroater.

This wasn't even the worst debuff he'd suffered. He let the dark tendrils feed on him for now while he started hitting at the Black Magic Barrier using Basic Attacks.

Nonetheless, on the outside, he allowed Frika to see his expression getting pathetic with each second of the Soul Siphon, knowing well enough that such a spell would have a high MP cost. 

You might be a Field Boss, Dungeon Boss, or a World Boss, blessed by the Developers with insane skills and great constitutions for holding HP and MP, but they too could run out of MP if they were baited into such a downfall.

'I still got this under control,' he muttered, mentally pacing out his next move. 

'This Barrier should have at least a 50-80K damage absorption limit. From my calculations, I only chipped away 32-36K DMG.' 

The dark tendrils coiled tighter, digging deeper, but Odin's face remained indifferent. His health bar reached 85%, then 80%, dropping down further as he attacked at the Barrier until it reached 75%. 

He could feel the burn of the tendrils intensifying, their cold grip tightening as if trying to sap his very will.

'Okay, the Red Energy has recovered to (84/100), I'll have enough to fight against the Hobgoblin after killing this annoying bitch.'

'Blessing of Fire'

[You have consumed 25 RE. User has received the 'Inferno's Embrace' Buff.]

As Odin's crimson aura began to swirl and transform, a flicker of fire ignited within him. Frika's voice wavered slightly as she noticed the change, her confidence faltering. "What... what is this?!"

[For the next 5 minutes, the user gains an AP/AD boost of 20%, gains resistance to ice-based attacks, and deals additional fire damage with melee attacks. Fire-based abilities cost 15% less mana during this period. Melee attacks will be imbued with the Fire Element, while Fire-based spells will be increased by 25% for the duration of the Blessing. ]

As an ethereal veil that surrounded Odin, the dignified Crimson Aura transformed. Its calming yet dignified presence morphed into a ferocious, untameable, raging inferno of flames. 

The cold ambient temperature within the cavern seemed to rise as the flames flickered with an intensity that mirrored Odin's resolve, turning this dark corner of the earth into one of the treacherous layers of Hell.

The buff manifested, wrapping around Odin like a cloak of devilish origins. 

His longsword was set ablaze and instantly grabbed the attention of the Hobgoblin Champion facing the Leviathan members with relative ease, but not yet managing to kill them. 

The passive threat level of the Human Knight spiked from 8 to 10 in an instant. 

Dazan didn't know what to expect from this Human Knight, but then he saw him take a domineering sword stance and activate one of his Sword Skills, which wreaked havoc in this chamber. 

He could feel that the witch was willing to serve his Chieftain and summon the demons from Hell using the sacrificing spell granted to them by a passing Mage approving with the Casus Belli of the Goblin Race against Humans.

'Let's go with a big one that I kept on letting it rest for big pulls. Ahh, let's place the NPC Villagers just in case, and take them out before I kill the Hag.'

'...Done. Then let's engulf this dump shithole into an Inferno!'

'Infernal Tempest' 

[You have activated the skill 'Tempest Sword' consuming 500 MP]

His speed surged, and before Frika could react, he was in front of her as he swung toward the Black Barrier, unleashing his Tempest Sword, an Epic-rated Skill hat that was great at AoEs but had high MP constraints.

It was a skill with three movements, but the one he often used was the 'Cyclone of Blades', which attacked in a 360° arc around him. Its DoT was that each target pulled inside the Cyclone would suffer a hit of 185% of Odin's base physical damage for 6 seconds.

And, since Tempest Sword was only at level 3, there was room for growth. The only downside, again, was the high MP cost for each movement.

If one might consider it appropriate, this Epic Sword Skill was reserved for Boss Fights.

The blazing inferno that cloaked him exploded outward, combining with the raw power of his skill. 

A whirlwind of flames and cutting wind erupted from his Soulrend Blade, engulfing Frika inside her Black Magic Barrier, acting like a coward in the face of this inferno.

The infernal tempest tore through the hunting ground chamber, with the fiery cyclone even influencing the fight of the Leviathan Team against Dazan. 

Such was the consuming fires that looked akin to a mighty Dragon who descended on mortal grounds.

[ Critical Hit!]

[ You have dealt 6,369 damage to the target - Absorbed]

[ You have dealt 3,172 damage to the target - Absorbed]

[ You have dealt 2,996 damage to the target - Absorbed]

…

..

[ You have dealt 3,214 damage to the target - Absorbed]

All of the six blades that struck down at Frika's barrier extended the cracks on the obsidian shield, but even as the Soul Siphon took his HP bar to 62% for the whole time he was besieging this Black Fortress, he wasn't expecting this specific skill to break the shell.

"You think your fire can burn me, knight? I am Frika, favored daughter of Skraag!"

"You'll perish like all who dared to stand against me!" 

Odin didn't even flinch or draw an emotion on his face. Instead with his flaming sword, he leaped into the air, descending with his sword raised high, channeling all the power of fire into his next move.

'Volcanic Strike'

This was the 'Mighty Strike', his pathetic, reliant, Common-rated skill evolving along, becoming a stronger version of its former self. It received the blessings of the Inferno, and now it could truly be certified as a Skill worthy of being wielded by the Legendary Saharan Successor.

As Soulrend connected with Frika's shield, a shockwave erupted. Lava and flames exploded from the point of impact, engulfing the area in a miniature volcanic blast. The Black Magic Barrier shimmered violently as the blow hit, cracks spreading across its surface like spiderwebs. Frika's eyes widened in shock and pain as the strike's power caused a deep fracture in her defenses.

The notifications flashed before Odin:

[Critical Hit!]

[ You have dealt 20,786 damage to the target - Absorbed]

Frika gasped. She was already full HP, recovering from the Soul Dash and the Bleeding Debuff, but the sight of Odin wrapped in the Infernal Cloak continuously put her in a high state of alert. 

Her voice, filled with anger and fear, continued insulting Odin. "You... You're more dangerous than I thought, human, but this shield won't fall so easily! My magic is stronger than your petty flames!" She sneered, though the crack in her barrier betrayed her words.

Odin narrowed his eyes. From what he could calculate, her Black Magic Barrier had a breaking point at around 50,000-80,000 damage. He was very close to shattering it entirely as his total damage done already reached 65,000 damage. 

'This Black Magic Barrier is even greater than Eve's Molten Barrier. Fuck them bosses.'

Frika's confidence grew again as she continued to channel her Soul Drain, her tendrils latching onto Odin again, his health gauge slowly depleting, dropping to 60% for the first time since becoming the Saharan Successor. 

While it was frustrating fighting against Casters, Odin had plenty of experience and knew how to counter them.

This was why he remained calm and collected the whole fight. Bosses, too, could get their attack patterns read by a professional player.

Sensing victory, Frika raised her staff higher, her grin widening. "Futile! You can't escape my magic forever, human. Your health is slipping away, and now, I will show you my true power!" 

'Oh, no, no. Hahaha, she's wasting her MP again. Poor, dumb troll.'

Her eyes gleamed as she activated Dark Infusion, augmenting her dark magic. With the Curse of Weakness ready, she unleashed it upon Odin, her hex weaving into the air and coiling toward him like a viper.

'Nah, I'll not waste my time doing theatrics. I already have her in my pocket once the Shield is down.'

Odin continued slashing at her barrier, his attacks relentless. A whirlwind of strikes flashed up with infernal flames, making Frika think his composure was slipping. 

She misinterpreted his aggression as desperation. "Yes, keep struggling! Your death is near! The Abyss is calling for your soul!" Frika taunted, her voice brimming with malicious glee. "Your strength is crumbling, and once you fall, Skaag will feast on your soul!"

The darkness around him shuddered, unable to sink its claws into his flesh or soul. A radiant power pulse erupted from within him, and the curse's grip loosened, disintegrating into nothingness as if Odin's very presence repelled it.

[A legend doesn't succumb to curses easily.]

[You have resisted all the abnormal conditions.]

As her Curse of Weakness landed, nothing happened. No effect, no weakening of his attacks, him losing his HP in buckets, or getting into a fearful state that would make him stop attacking and just succumb to his fate.

Frika's triumphant expression twisted into one of confusion and frustration. "What? Why didn't it—" 

Odin's low, dark chuckle interrupted her. His eyes gleamed with a malicious, almost cruel light as he stared at her down.

"Skills Issues, bitch."

His voice was icy, dripping with a dangerous calm. "You're playing with the wrong human."

Frika's confusion deepened as she watched Odin, his smile widening, his attacks growing more precise and calculated. With each basic strike, the cracks in her barrier grew wider and deeper. "No... this... this isn't possible!" she hissed through clenched teeth.

Odin's grin turned feral as he saw the breaking point of the shield within reach. "It's over."

With a final flourish, he activated Combustive Strike, combining Piercing Thrust with the power of Inferno's Embrace. 

His blade ignited, and as he thrust it forward toward one of the largest cracks, the strike exploded with molten energy. 

[Critical Hit!]

[ You have dealt 10,622 damage to the target - Absorption Break]

The impact was immediate.

The Black Magic Barrier shattered, breaking apart like fragile black glass.

Frika screamed in agony as the shards of her shield pierced her body, and the flames from Odin's strike set her ablaze. Her grotesque figure writhed in pain as the fire consumed her, burning through her defenses. "You… you wretch! You will pay for this!"