The hydra roared once at Nicklaus before continuing its charge and he did the same. They crashed into each other in a deafening book as shockwave spread all over. Two of the hydra's heads bit into both his shoulders as the other four prepared an energy attack. Nicklaus's first right arm and left arm got hold of the two heads before trying to bring the whole beast off balance which brought both of them down.
Using his opposable feet, Nicklaus dug his claws into the beast's belly earning a roar of pain from it as he tore it open with his sharp claws. It's fourth head threw a dark energy attack at him but he used his last pair of arms to guard himself as his second last pair spread out and dug into the ground to make sure he wasn't thrown off his feet.
The hydra took this chance to run off as fast as it could for it felt Nicklaus was as strong as it, even stronger when he went into that form. But he could not let it go so he took a rock as large as a desk and threw it at the fleeing beast with the help of force push. The rock smashed into the body of the hydra and if one was far away like a half a kilometre, the sound of bones been crushed would be heard. The hydra roared in pain as its heads flirted around painfully.
"Star fingers," Nicklaus said and all thirty finger's tips started shining before beams started pernetrating the beast's body as it dragged its body back to the swamp. What came out of the aftermath was a moving mass of flesh trying its best to reach the swamp, which it did and just disappeared inside.
"You think this place is safe for you? Think again, you Bucky-napper. This is something I learnt lately. Eight Tiagrams Nuke!"
Strange symbols started covering the swamp slowly before a sudden explosion of light happened. Nicklaus shielded his closed eyes with all his arms before he was thrown backwards by the shockwave. He had no idea for how long he had been flying backwards, obliterating trees and rocks before the most deafening explosion he ever heard reached his ears, completely shattering his ear drums and giving him brain damage. The surrounding was destroyed too as the heat wave came, baking Nicklaus along with it. A hundred miles worth of forest was gone in an instance!
Nicklaus woke up and immediately felt his body had become strong again. He got to his feet immediately and checked out his body, not looking for injuries but for how much he had changed. He was ripped but his muscles were compacted to make him as agile as he was strong. He had attained another rank of the mythical packs, the twelve pack! He had grown taller too. He started flexing in front of a mirror, imagining himself in front of an adoring audience before the door opened and a woman got in. They both stared at each other for a few moments though each had different thoughts in their minds.
The woman was horrified. She knew the kind of injuries this patient had. Shattered eardrums, damaged brain, raptures internal organs, shattered bones and severe blood loss. But the patient who was in death's door half and hour ago was in front of her flexing his now injuriless body and he seemed to be more muscular than the last time. The only thing that came to her mind was the first thing she said.
"Evil spirit! Someone help!" she screamed as she ran out of the room, her hands in the air. Felix was about to get into the room and she crashed into him. To his surprise, she got back up as if nothing has happened and continued running. Puzzled by her actions, he got into the room and found Nicklaus scratching the back of his head helplessly. Felix immediately pieced one and one together.
"You're so monstrous even the most talented Apothecary Sector's student could not help but think you are a monster," he said with a chuckle.
"I don't know what her problem is. She thought I was an evil spirit," he said as he wore a robe at a table next to the bed.
"You might not know this but when I found you like two hours after your brilliant show if anyone explosion skills, you were literary on the verge of death's door. I called for help to the section and immediately, the Section master teleported over, took us and got us back to the Apothecary Section for your treatment, that was thirty minutes ago. They said you were not going to make it but here you are," Felix said. Nicklaus just nodded and sat on the bed with a thinking pose.
"Is the hydra dead?" he asked. Felix immediately punched his head ruthlessly.
"You just got out of a near death experience and you are thinking about the hydra you annihilated to nothingness?" he roared at him as Nicklaus just rubbed his head looking aggravated.
"Jeez, i just wanted to know. What got your knickers in a twist?" Nicklaus said. Felix hit him again.
"I just spent the last two and a half hours on anxiety thinking if how my friend might die anytime soon! Do you know how mentally racing that was? Or is your mind only thinking about fighting?" Nicklaus looked at Felix who was looking at him as if he would skin him alive if he said anything stupid. He sighed softly before getting up.
"I am going to say this only once to you, Felix. Whenever i go to a fight, you should never think about my safety, but yours. I used that skill because i knew you were nowhere close to the radius of the explosion. I fight to the death because my body improves under pressure and having someone being overprotective of me is going to be detrimental to my growth. So, I am going to say this to you," Nicklaus's expression suddenly turned serious. "If you dare say you were worried about me during a battle I am going to break you." Felix gulped hard at this sentence for he felt Nicklaus meant everything single word. The door suddenly opened and a tearful Sophia came into the room. Once she saw Nicklaus was alright, she asked no question about how he still alive and well but threw herself onto his as she sobbed.
"I am so glad you are alright. I kept praying to the divines to make sure you get to live once again," she said over and over again. She hugged him for five minutes straight before was okay enough to let him go. They talked two hours before Theodore finally got in followed by a beautiful lady.
"Heard you were awake. Good. This is Miss Granger, the Apothecary Sector's hallmaster. She treated your wounds with her personality discipline and she is ashamed to say that there was nothing she would do to make you recover, at all," Theodore said with a friendly smile but the lady beside her had a quite terrifying smile. It was like a scientist who could not wait to open up an alien's body.
"Why does she look like she wants to salvage my organs for experiments?" Nicklaus asked, making Felix's heart almost stop beating. Miss Granger herself was as stunned as Theodore because his boldness.
"Forget about it. Anyway, the Section Master wants to know about the reasons why you were at death's door when bevfound you," Theodore said. Nicklaus nodded and followed him.
Everywhere they passed, everyone looked at him like a rare specimen. Some were whispering to themselves while others just gave him a thumbs up. Quite a little further, ten Core disciples were looking at him as if he just ate their supper after a whole day of mining.
"He is the outer disciple who beat Hall master Theodore in a one on one fight, huh?" one of them asked no one in particular.
"They say he learned all of his moves from the moment Hall master Theodore used them,"
"The Masters and Elders all think he is once in a trillion genius. Also, he is at the same Level as the masters.
"Does nobody find it weird that after he came to the sect, he started making trouble all at once?"
Nicklaus did not hear more for they had arrived at the Great Hallway where the leaders and authority figures of the sect meet. Two guards at the door let them in. Inside, Nicklaus saw all of them already seated in a semi circle facing him. Theodore and Miss Granger went to their seats. The Sect Master, the middle aged man, got up with a smile in his face.
"Nicklaus, it is a great pleasure to finally meet you in person. You will find it that this sect views you as a very important person to it because of your prowess," he started.
"Well, I am flattered. But I don't think I deserve any praises. But if I am not here for a crime l did then you can keep them coming," Nicklaus shamelessly said. A few of the Masters cleared their throats to make sure they did not speak out to this arrogant junior of theirs.
"Well, we would like to know who ambushed you when you were doing the mission," the Section Master said. Nicklajs was surprised at their words.
"Ambushed me? No one ambushed me,"
"But your friend found you at death's door when a huge explosion went off. A hundred miles worth of land is now the largest and deepest canyon in the continent," and old man beside the section master said. Nicklaus suddenly understood and he smiled. To the rest of them, it looked like a proud smug.
"That explosion was caused by me," Nicklaus said, smugly. Everyone there was confused.
"We do not understand. That explosion could not have been done by you. It can kill a King Level expert and gravely injure an Emperor Level expert and they are both at Legendary Realm," another old man said.
"Well, I snuck into the forbidden part of the library and found this skill called Eight Triagram Nuke that a Marquis Level expert can use to kill a King Level expert in exchange for his cultivation," Nicklaus said. Everyone was suddenly horrified. They all sent their presence towards him and they found out he did not have any Energy signature on him.
"You used your own cultivation to use that skill?" one of The masters asked him. Nicklaus was stunned for moment. As if they were waiting for this chance, more people spoke out.
"A disciple from our sect actually used such a malicious skill to himself and his enemies?"
"Such a skill should not be in the hands of such a person,"
"Kid, you need to tell us where that skill is or we will make your life difficult,"
Nicklaus was still trying to process what was going on. Since the first person said he had used his cultivation as a price, almost everyone's attitude towards him turned hostile. He looked at them and realized what this was. It was the famous blaming game that the righteous people used to get good things out of a helpless person without looking like the bad guys in the public! He could not believe it was happening to him and not Felix.
"I have been hanging too much with the MC that his bad luck is rubbing off on me," he said to himself with a small shake if his head.
Nicklaus did understand that the Masters and Elders needed this skill. A skill that can let the Marquis Level expert to kill a King Level expert air gravity injured an Emperor Level expert is quite rare. It can be said it's like having a third world country having the most dangerous biological weapon that can cripple or destroy a first world country. They wanted this skill so that they can preserve their lives and saying no to them would mean he was in their way. He shook his head as he thought whether to tell them it was still in the forbidden part. He looked at them all then shook his head. Why would he refuse such a good fight. Besides, be felt that he could feel his DOA of Sword about to break through and who else to practice with other than these willing subjects. A sword appeared in his hand as he suddenly went into the Doa of Sword, One with the Sword. Be opened his eyes dramatically then smiled.