Bro, I'm not an Undead!-Chapter 1659: Authority, Honour, Judgement (2)

[’Sovereign’s Honour, Kharnio-Glyss’ has been established through Storm Baker’s build of Ju`wtte. Would you like to reveal it?]

None but Skullius had seen this notification, and none had seen nor heard when his phantoms agreed to it, giggling maliciously.

That was why it came as a surprise when, suddenly, the Nullinity’s Herald was wielding not only a giant spear, but also an immaculate tower shield. It was a rectangular work of art, brimming with scarlets, golds, and violets; yes, it too had four-dimensional qualities. A glossy crystal was embedded on its face, black and eerie and sparking only with Enlightened Ju`wtte.

Skullius needed two hands to lift it. It was sturdy, but effective, his phantoms knew it. Like Storm Baker, it had a non-verbal ragebait, function. Indeed, all three Great Revelations naturally pulled the aggro of the user’s enemies. The effect multiplied depending on the number of Revelations the user had on hand at a given time. This was the War Body, after all.

This was why Quintess’ eyes flared red. He was near madness and completely unaware of it. He concentrated his Zu’sse into his fist and cried, "Zu’sse Perelinn!"

Skullius was immediately pulled towards the fatal blow, but...

"Hurl!" one of his phantoms cried.

"Hooo!" the rest responded.

...And Kharnio-Glyss was flung between them and certain doom!

The impact was nearly twice as devastating as when Boron had struck Skullius moments ago. It carried over in repeated, calamitous shockwaves towards the entire Empyrean Bosom.

...But that was a mark of Kharnio-Glyss’ power!

Not only did the tower shield remain intact after meeting the terrible, crushing pressure that could have flattened Aigas six times over, but it also absorbed more than 40% of it through the black crystal on its face!

Better yet, Skullius’ already damaged body didn’t have to withstand the immense force of the Quintess’ blow.

’That’s it!’ he thought, grinning as widely as Fulgardt had been throughout this portion of the battle. He was fine after taking the hit.

Storm Baker’s exclusive property was summoning a nearly infinite source of Benighted and Enlightened Ju’wtte that Skullius could draw from at all times – the clouds. Only after this source was saturated with both types of Ju`wtte could the other Great Revelations be accessed. As it happened, the remaining two each drove the Ju`wtte types to their limits; the Kharnio-Glyss evidently maximized the reality-bending effects of Enlightened Ju`wtte. It specialized in taking focused attacks and... changing them.

BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!

Ripping explosions blared from all across the Second Layer of the Hatcher. They were microbursts of sound, weaponized by the one and only Fulgardt. He appeared behind the Sovereign in the next instant, a series of his afterimages littering the way he had come. Also bleeding fury, his eyes behind the Bare Guise focused singularly on Skullius.

"My graces end here, brat!" he hissed. "These are your trump cards, are they? Revolutionary! But you should have played them earlier. I’m not interested in them anymore, nor do I have a fixation lingering on you! I am beyond that now – beyond all you will ever be. All thanks to you. It’s clear now: my Direction is the better one!"

He made the gesture for his Territory right then, ignoring Quintess, who barked, "Stay out of this, Fulgardt! I want your end to be slower than his! Wait your turn!"

Skullius was amused by both noises, but he didn’t make it known with words. When Fulgardt expelled his Territory, he was not frightened in the least.

"...Demesne of Maximum Fatality." Again, the Immoral only called the name to inspire fear. Earlier, it worked, but now it hardly had any effect.

Quintess knew the Territory only targeted one person at a time, and Fulgardt’s target for now was all too clear.

A dark shell was established rapidly, littered with daffodils that had eyes – eyes aimed at the Immoral’s target. Then a swarm of black hands exploded from behind Fulgardt, first spiralling uncontrollably in every direction. The Immoral honed his skill to the limit. He would cut down the needless stretch of time that existed before Fatal Embrace was activated, even by a little bit.

He did it!

Just as Quintess cursed at the black hands (he now knew they wouldn’t harm him as long as he wasn’t the target) and mobilized his Zu’sse in an attempt to shatter the Territory, Fulgardt bade Skullius farewell:

"You were an eyesore, a poor imitation of freedom, whether as a Null Lifeform or the Insurgent Magnus, brat."

At these words, Skullius laughed. It really was farewell, he judged. It might have been because he had come into contact with Conste, or for some other reason, but he sensed the quick approach of death – of extinction. Fulgardt would win.

"You really believe that, don’t you?" he said to the Immoral, while looking at a joy-inducing notification before his eyes. "Even with that secret of yours."

Fulgardt disregarded his words. Fatal Embrace was ready, after all.

It didn’t matter what Skullius said.

The dark hands running amok within the Territory aimed for Skullius.

This was it!

...

But... then Skullius was gone from inside the Territory.

And Fulgardt was also missing.

...!!!

’Wh—’ 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

The Immoral wasn’t sure how it happened, but it did. He was suddenly outside the Territory, flying away while being hounded by an excruciating pain in his chest. As he went threading through the Second Layer of the Hatcher, he couldn’t help but glare at the gaping hole made on the massive, dark mass that was his Territory. He’d been forced out from that hole, no doubt!

’He... He moved himself and me out of the Territory before I activated Fatal Embrace?!’ Fulgardt thought, his gnashed teeth cracking. That was the only way anyone could survive his Territory!

Indeed, that was the case, and Fulgardt hated that with every inch of his being.

His loathing for Skullius worsened tenfold when he spotted the bastard’s figure materializing suddenly in his line of sight.

...!

Was he so fast that without focusing your Divine sight to its limit, it was impossible to see him even when he was standing still?!

Fulgardt boiled.

Impossible!

There was more to Skullius’ trump cards.

The spear was one thing; the shield was another.

...But that damned suit of armour around him might have been the worst of them all!