It isn't flapping its remaining wing or using any magic to slow or change the direction of its fall.
The creature seems to have given up and is just permeating sadness as it falls into this artificial abyss.
My steps through the air are powerful, so the distance between us closes in less than a minute. However, half my mind is still in fear of the dual-wielding silver swordsman right behind me. Any lag in my downward momentum will leave me open for another attack that I can't defend.
My breathing slows, and I focus on what I have to do as all three of us plunge into the darkness at speeds exceeding anything I've ever flown before.
Every second that passes, multiple kilometers of downward motion through the crater pass.
I charge up both my swords with everything I have, pointing them forward at the dragon's core and making an all-out final push.
There's no more thinking involved; I just thrust my blades through the monster's chest.
A yellow hexagon of light is created still, as an instinctual response to stop my blades, but it's shattered instantly.
Both my swords pierce its scales and flesh, plunging deep into the bright yellow and white True Core full of Divine Light.
It cracks and explodes as my momentum continues downward through the gaping hole I create in the center of the dragon.
There's a massive burst of energy as the Earth Dragon is killed, and I feel extremely intense emotions rippling out of the monster's aura as I'm making direct contact with its flesh.
I can't tell if it's because of my mind reader perk attached to my lie detector skill, or that my telepathy link met this dragon before, or just my purple barrier relaying the message; but I'm positive that in death, this Dragon is thanking me, yet still filled with sadness.
As I burst out the other side of its body, bright trails of yellow divine threads arc and follow me deeper into the abyss, like they're attracted to my own core like a magnet.
Notifications ring in my ears, and I intuitively select yes to everything popping up in my mind's eye.
[Level Up] x517
[Use Absorption]
MCP: 49,327,920,002,556
[YES][NO]
[Use Absorption]
Stat: Defense
Points: 4515
[YES][NO]
[Use Absorption]
Skill: Combat Magic [Earth Summoning]
Upgrade: Superior
[YES][NO]
My level surges to 7012, I upgrade my earth magic, and I get a rush of new defense stats and mana control.
While it feels good, the far more noticeable thing happening to me is the same feeling I got when I killed the Director back in the Apex Region.
All of the flowing silky strands of Divine energy in its core follow me downward and tether into my greater form.
It all flows into me, through my swords, into my arms, through my body, and into my own core.
My core glows so much brighter, denser, and more potent than before; it feels as if there are two of them overlapping in my chest now.
Once the energy cycles through, it reestablishes with the rest of my limbs, skills, Soul Energy, and even mind. My next breath makes me feel like a whole new man, on a different level entirely than just seconds ago...
My perception of the world expands by over two times, allowing me to see all the way back to the Dark Continent, and even further, giving me a crystal-clear view of all eight of the Great Regions in a single shot.
There's an incredibly vast icy mountainous region above the dark continent, and not so far away now, I can see the entire volcanic region to the south in full view.
The imagery that bombards my mind and the immense surge in strength is both exhilarating and alarming.
This is only because I still can't see the silver swordsman chasing me.
If by killing the dragon, I killed their bonded partner, they would be dead now and falling through the air with me. I assume in this case, their cloaking ability would have deactivated.
That isn't the case... meaning they're still alive, and even with this incredible boost in power, I can't perceive them at all...
More thoughts race through my mind, trying to come up with ideas of what to do next as I plunge deeper into the crater, unsure if I'm still being followed by an assassin as their dragon's remains litter the sky above.
The bottom of the man-made abyss gets closer and closer, but from deep within my core, I feel a new intuitive feeling, like a new skill, or the silent activation of a passive buff coursing through my mind and body. My subconscious thoughts are being filled with a burning desire to use this new power trapped inside me.
There isn't much time left, and any turn to the left or right would open me up to a stealth attack just like the one I narrowly escaped when I made the decision to turn and attack the dragon.
So, I come to the conclusion that my only choice is plunging straight down.
There are a few escape route options on my mind. I could use a teleport crystal and leave the battle safely, or even use the perk of my dungeon walker skill to force teleport to any dungeon I wish, but both of those options would only make this enemy more angry and most likely attack the Crimson City directly if I do.
It would only be delaying the inevitable, so I have to come up with a solution now.
My breathing slows, and my energy concentrates deeper and deeper in my swords as my True Core glows with hot yellow light.
My velocity downward continues to increase more and more, and in a matter of seconds, I'll be colliding with the bottom of this hole in the desert, and right on top of me; this mysterious swordsman will come in for the kill, seeking revenge.
With this in mind, I give in to the burning intuitive feeling in my core that wants me to activate an unknown power. Then, the corners of my lips slowly turn upward as I see what's being formed from my own pure divine energy in front of me.
All of the fear and confusion that filled my subconscious moments ago fade away, and only excitement and the thrill of battle surge through me now.
Moments before impact with the bottom of the crater, I turn my whole body around.
Instead of diving head and swords first into the ground, I brace my feet for impact, covered in layers upon layers of soul energy and divine threads.
My swords and torso twist upward toward the sky, and in the center of them, manifested out of pure silky yellow light, a glowing hexagon fully forms in front of my entire greater form.
My grin while creating this manifestation only grows more and more into a full smile as the bright yellow light floods the area and I watch two silver blades sink into the incredibly thick wall of gravity above my head.
I was right, this sword wielder isn't dead.
It feels as though time stops as my feet destroy layers and layers of bedrock below the desert, unable to hold the pressure being forced upon it.
However, the barrier above my head between both of my own weapons is holding steady.
The silver blades that come out from seemingly nowhere push down with all their strength, but I push back with over double the Divine Power I had before.
The blades sink deeper and deeper into the hexagon of light, making it over three-quarters of the way through.
Many times when I was fighting the dragon at the start of our battle, I made it this far through when I was about to shatter its defenses.
Although, when I wasn't strong enough to shatter through, the harder I hit, the more severe the blowback was.
As the blades stop sinking through, just before the back edge of the reflective barrier, they finally come to a slow stop.
A wave of relief and confidence flows through me, and at the same instance, I feel the silver blades begin to reverse their direction, slowly being pushed upward.
The slow reversed motion begins to speed up. Faster and faster, all of the force pushed down in this attack is reflected back, and a flash of yellow light erupts from the sides and front facing portion of the barrier as the silver swords pull completely out and disappear.
I can't sense the enemy, but the fact that they haven't made another counter attack makes me assume they have been caught up in the blast and reflected upward with the eruption of energy high up into the sky.
After this last resort move paying off, my mental and physical fatigue grows even worse. I've never exerted so much force and power in my entire life; every cell in my body is screaming at me to stop and recover.
However, the excitement from learning my own True Core's ability allows me to take the unique talents of other True Cores is fueling my urge to fight.
I jump upward, destroying dozens of kilometers more desert in a single step, yelling out loud for the entire battlefield to hear.
"Whoever you are, wherever you come from, show yourself! State your name and tell me why you've come here. Do this, and maybe I'll think about letting you live!"
A bright yellow surge of energy residue is left behind as I fly upward out from the crater in the desert, following the general direction of where I believe this silver sword user was flung.
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Author's Note:
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Thanks for reading:)
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