[Salvos] 659. Analyzing Skills (Patreon)

659. Analyzing Skills

***

It seemed to be a relatively simple volley of attacks. At first, it looked like all Hartia was doing a spatial telekinetic maneuver with these boulders. Like he was manipulating the space they were occupying to send them flying my way.

But at a closer glance, it was more complicated than that. Not only was he enhancing the durability of the rocks with his space magic, he was also artificially increasing their density. So when I was struck by a small pebble, it felt like I was being struck by a boulder instead. And when a boulder struck me…

“Ouch!”

I yelped as the giant rock smashed against my back, knocking me out of the air. I caught myself right before I hit the ground and shook a fist at Hartia as he floated high above me.

“That hurts a lot!”

“It’s supposed to kill you. Of course it should hurt!”

He shouted back, sending another volley of boulders my way. I gritted my teeth and conjured up my own salvo of fiery weapons with [The Holy Flames]. With a flick of my finger, I sent my own magical attacks crashing into his, intercepting the flying boulders.

A flurry of explosions blasted out, filling the sky with blooming clouds of smoke. I watched as most of Hartia’s attacks were blown to bits. But not all of them were shot out of the sky. My eyes went wide as a few massive boulders shot through the smoke, zipping my way as fast as I could fly.

They shimmered with his enhanced space magic. A powerful attack that was coming straight at me. It was an attack expected from a Primeval Demon around my level. But compared to how strong he should have been, it wasn’t too threatening.

I swung up with my Divine Nebular Scythe as it shone with both the iridescent glow of [Divine Strike] and [Draconic Fury]. In a single slice, I cleaved the falling boulder in half. It crashed into the ground beneath me and sent a plume of dust up into the air as I stared at Hartia.

His offense wasn’t the greatest. He was many levels higher than me, but he wasn’t nearly as dangerous as he should have been in battle. So this should have been an easy fight, right?

Wrong.

I looked on as Haec leapt through the air, his body wreathed in a powerful black aura. He was being carried forward purely by his instincts. He was screaming in anger, having activated his own Grand Skills. His right hand bulged as he swung out with the full force of his might.

“[The Right Hand Of The Demon King]!”

There was a bright flash of light. I heard the clapping of thunder. It was a powerful strike that nearly even smashed through the walls of my pocket space. And yet, despite the sheer force it carried, it wasn’t able to break through Hartia’s defenses.

I watched as a sphere of transparent fractal panels shone around the [Unseelie Lord]. It seemed to absorb Haec’s attack, letting it dissipate behind the barrier. Hartia didn’t even fly back. He was knocked away. Just like when I struck him with my [Divine Nebular Slash], he didn’t even flinch.

And that was why this battle was so difficult. While his offense wasn’t great, his defense was nigh-impenetrable.

Haec gritted his teeth, pushing even harder with his right fist into the [Fractal Barrier]. His hands began to bleed, and his black blood poured around him, forming a dark aura. I recognized this movement as his newest Grand Skill. His [Demonic Essence Manifestation Mastery].

I hadn’t seen it in action yet. But now, I watched as the black blood shifted into the shape of shadowed figures. Like they were the nebulous embodiment of [Fiends] and [Hellhounds]— [Arachnes] and [Hellbeasts]. A plethora of different Demons. It was like they were being summoned from Haec’s own blood.

But was this blood magic? Something told me this was not.

The shadowed Demons screeched and unleashed an onslaught of attacks against Hartia’s [Fractal Barrier]. He blinked, confused at first. Then he pointed at Haec.

The former Heir of the Netherworld was sent flying back once again as the shadowed Demons were dispelled. He crashed into the ground, and I called out for him.

“Haec!”

I sent another volley of fiery projectiles up at Hartia, and he countered with his own flurry of rocks and boulders. As the explosions boomed throughout the sky, I flew to Haec, landing right next to him.

“Are you ok?”

I asked with a worried look on my face. My companion picked himself up from the crater, his body covered in his black blood. But he didn’t look hurt. He only looked even more enraged than before.

The blood on his body began to reshape, forming a spiked armor. He rose to his feet and carried a giant broadsword made of his own blood.

“Huh.”

I stared for a moment, and Haec shook his head.

“I am fine, Salvos. But I will be even better once Hartia is dead.”

He hefted the black blade into the air and aimed it at Hartia. The [Unseelie Lord] responded by hurling another onslaught of boulders our way. I rolled my eyes, then raised my scythe to block the oncoming attacks. Haec moved to defend himself too.

But from the corner of my eye, I saw the black armor covering him ripple. The sword he created collapsed into itself, and he dropped to a knee. His eyes went wide at that, then a boulder crashed into him. A second and third flew his way, and I moved to protect him.

I sliced down the incoming attacks with my Divine Nebular Scythe as Haec picked himself up. He looked down at the palm of his hand, trying to summon his essence once more. But I spoke up to him, glancing back as I bit my lower lip.

“I don’t think that’s how you should be using that Grand Skill, Haec.”

He looked up at me as I continued to cut down Hartia’s attacks. The former Heir of the Netherworld clenched a fist.

“...right.”

He lowered his head, before taking in a deep breath.

“But that doesn’t matter. What matters is we bring down Hartia—”

“No.”

I cut him off. I continued to protect my companion from the falling rocks. I looked up through this deadly rain of magic, and I saw the Ruler of the Border begin to create a giant boulder, smashing chunks of rocks together.

It was already the size of a small hill, and it was continuing to grow larger with each passing moment.

I steeled myself, then craned my neck back fractionally to face Haec again.

“We need to figure out another way to bypass Hartia’s defenses. We can’t just keep trying to hit him harder each time to defeat him. You’ll only hurt yourself. You still have other Skills in your repertoire, don’t you?”

“I… do.”

Haec nodded as he met my gaze. I looked back up, and Hartia finished creating his massive boulder. It blotted out the sky. It was the size of a mountain. And he laughed like a maniac, before hurling it down our way.

“I don’t have any Skills that can break through Hartia’s defense. Well— I may have some, but they’re not available right now. So what should we do?”

The giant boulder fell upon us as its massive shadow covered the landscape. Haec closed his eyes, before nodding slowly.

“I think I have something that could work. But you’ll need to distract Hartia.”

“Are you sure?”

I blinked, and he gave me a serious look.

“Just trust me.”

I met my companion’s gaze. Just moments earlier, he had been engulfed in his own rage. But now, he was calm. And he looked like he knew what he was doing. So I grinned, before giving him a thumbs-up.

“Alright, then. I’ll buy you some time.”

I spread my [Angelic Wings] wide as I leapt into the air. Beneath me, Haec broke out into a run, heading for the coliseum in the distance. I flew straight for the falling mountain as I raised my Divine Nebular Scythe. Perhaps if it was a normal mountain, I could have used one of my ordinary Skills to smash it into pieces.

But it was enhanced and protected by Hartia’s magic. So I did what had to be done. Gray flames began to wisp over my body, and I whispered softly.

“[My Flames Shall Burn Until Eternity Ends].”

And the aura of invulnerability began to form like a coat around me. But I focused its power to the tip of my scythe as I bared my teeth.

“Come on, is that all you’ve got!”

I shouted, before smashing right into the falling mountain. All at once, the rocky surface shattered. A web of massive cracks cut through its surface, before it fell apart, collapsing into millions of pieces.

But I wasn’t done, even as Hartia looked at me with round eyes. I pointed at him as a smirk slipped onto my lips.

“I’ve been studying your Skills the entire time, by the way— and they’re pretty easy to replicate!”

He blinked, then stared in horror as thousands of the chunks of falling rocks froze mid-air, shimmering with my space magic. And all at once, they began to dart through the air, shooting straight for him.

Hartia conjured up his [Fractal Barrier] once again, protecting himself as I assailed him with his very own attack. Perhaps it was less effective. But it was enough to keep him preoccupied as Haec made his way to the Third Legion.

I laughed, watching the Ruler of the Border grow increasingly frustrated by my unceasing attacks.

“Come on! Is that all you’ve got! Aren’t you supposed to be a master of space magic? I am not impressed at all!”

And I truly meant what I said. I was still keeping a few of my own abilities hidden during this battle, even though I knew they could have been incredibly useful against Hartia’s space magic. But right now, I was still analyzing everything about him. Especially since I had no way to get around his defenses at the moment.

Hartia grew even more frustrated as I continued to keep up my attack against him. Until, finally, his eyes flashed, before a pulse of white light shot out from his body. I watched as the wave of light washed over the rocks that were assailing him, and my control over them vanished.

“I have had enough!”

He screamed as he floated before me, and the rocks continued to rain down from the sky. He brought a hand up, pointing a finger straight at me as I blinked.

“Count yourself lucky, Enemy of the Demon King, for you are the first one to draw out my Grand Skill from me in over a hundred years.”

“Are you finally going to take this seriously?”

I asked, tilting my head curiously. Hartia glared at me, before he bared his teeth.

“But just know this— only two beings have seen my Grand Skill and lived to see another day. And I highly doubt you will be the third.”

I narrowed my eyes when he said that.

“Wait, who were the ones who—”

But he didn’t wait to hear me out. Hartia spoke softly as the sky began to ripple. The earth shifted as there was even a shift in the air around us.

“[Expanding Domain: The Fall of the Fairies].”

And all at once, the world around me began to change.

Author's Notes:

What thonk? Happy New Years/New Years Eve!

I'm still recovering, but managed to get this chapter done.

Read next chapter here