[BOSS | "Constantine, The Twelfth General of The Reverse King | The Erupting Star" | Lv: 50]
'...How do we win? How do I come out of this alive? How do I win this without losing everything around me?' Jett thought.
Such thoughts raced through his mind as he found every attempt to fight back against the golden-haired figure to simply be fruitless.
Bringing himself to his feet, all he could think to do in that moment was summon his verdant sword and frosted dagger to his hands.
All of his familiars had been laid out, most of which only by a single blow by the overleveled foe, who stood there without so much as a scratch on his body or a tired breath leaving his lips.
"Are you going to have your lackeys do all the fighting for you? No, I didn't think so…At least you've got some guts, or maybe you're just desperate–either way, c'mon," Constantine gestured for him to approach.
Not responding, he spoke his own words as he raised his weapons, "...Summon! Ten standard summons on the Standard Magic Banner! Another ten on the Standard Skill Banner!"
Through the coins stored in his [Void Inventory], he invoked a plentiful amount of summons, though they weren't instantaneous, instead spurring on Constantine to rush him amidst the process of rolling the gacha.
"--!"
"So, that's how it is, huh!? Don't think I'll just stand around and let you do what you want!" Constantine beamed.
The figure launched towards him with a flashing kick, forcing him to cross his blades and summon a [Power Air Shield] at full-power just to keep Constantine's boot from slamming against his head.
[Blink!]
"--!"
Constantine was completely caught off-guard by the sudden disappearance of the black-cloaked figure in front of him as Jett reappeared right behind his opponent.
[Burst!]
Swinging with strength that surpassed his normal limits, he aimed straight for the back of Constantine' neck, though at the last second, the unstoppable figure spun around, dropping low and sweeping Jett's leg.
'Shit…!' Jett thought.
It was just then that the results of his ten-times summon on the [Standard Magic Banner] came through, with the majority being useless except for a few standout ones.
'This will work…!' He thought.
Utilizing his innate ability to flip from any position, he picked himself up just before falling, inhaling a vast breath into his lungs before invoking one of his newly-acquired spells:
"AAAAAAH–!!!"
[New Spell Obtained: (R) Sonic Scream | Special Traits: Ear Bursting!]
The result made the warcry that emitted from his mouth leave with thundering force, pushing directly against Constantine, who winced as even his incredibly tough body wasn't immune to attacks of sound.
"Gah…! That's really annoying!" Constantine stumbled back, shaking his head as it was clear the unorthodox spell left his ears ringing.
A precious moment was granted from Constantine' distraction of the sound burst, allowing him an opportunity to invoke another newly-summoned spell:
Slamming his boot down against the ground, he manipulated the ground around Constantine to rise into walls of reinforced stone, surrounding the figure and enclosing around him.
[New Spell Obtained: (R) Rock-Solid Prison | Special Traits: Isolation!]
–Relentlessly, and perhaps desperately, he followed up with another of his acquired spells, dispersing his weapons and clasping his hands together before spreading them, revealing a bright-blue fireball spinning between his palms.
[New Spell Obtained: (R) Sapphire Fireball | Special Traits: Beautiful & Hot!]
"Burn!"
Tossing it forward with nothing restrained in his throw, he aimed it straight for the prison of natural stone, resulting in an explosion of bright-blue flames that shone through the town of Merdlum, spurring yells of shock from civilians.
As he watched, exhaling with sweat dripping down his cheek, his stomach dropped into the depths of his being as he saw the silhouette of the unstoppable combatant step out from the billowing smoke and flames.
"Got some heat, dontcha? Making me work up a sweat over here," Constantine revealed himself from the flames, rubbing the side of his neck with a small stretch as he was left unscathed.
A moment was taken before Jett responded as he caught his breath, wiping the sweat from his chin before straightening himself out, "...I've got more where that came from."
"Show me, then!"
The skills he summoned began etching themselves into his body, rewiring his flesh and DNA itself along with the muscle memory within him as Constantine approached. Now, for a reason he began to discover, he was able to more accurately follow where the shining figure moved, though he still struggled.
[New Skill Obtained: (R) Hyper Reflexes I | Special Traits: React!]
–His irises darted around the town-turned-battlefield as he faced the left, almost as a partial estimate as he met Constantine face-to-face, who seemed surprised, yet delighted, at him being able to perceive him.
'I can see him!...Barely, but I can see him!' He thought.
Raising both of his arms as a shield in that split-second, he endured a direct blow from his foe, whose fist slammed against his forearms like a smite from God himself. The force rippled through his body, felt through the marrow of his bones as it echoed through him with a chiming pain.
Attempting to plant himself down, he slid back as his boots carved through the stone-and-dirt roads of Merdlum, unable to stop himself from being knocked back before finally coming to a stop.
His forearms were left steaming from the blow; the sleeves of his shirt were tattered and brutal bruises were left imprinted on his limbs.
"...Hff…"
[New Skill Obtained: (N) Pain Mitigation | Special Traits: Dull!]
The freshly-acquired skill somewhat dulled the pain ringing through his body, though it wasn't a complete nullification as his arms trembled from the shock. It was disheartening for him to watch as he lowered his shaking limbs, looking up to find Constantine now being blocked by others.
–It was the adventurers of Merdlum; those he fought alongside against the Abyss Dragon. Most of them were still left with recovering wounds from the raid, and all of which he knew stood no chance.
"No…Stay out of this!" He called out.
Amidst the group of adventurers that stood between Constantine and himself, a certain bandana-wearing youth was recognized.
'Johannes…?' Jett thought.
"This person…He attacked you! You're an adventurer of Merdlum!--Nobody attacks one of our own and gets away with it!" Johannes said, though with clear fear in his eyes as his fingers trembled around the handle of his blade.
Even if it was a thankful gesture, there was no doubt in his mind it was a fruitless attempt at resistance, further proved as Constantine stomped down with an echoing wind before smirking:
"He's right! I'm only interested in him, not you fodder!" Constantine yelled out.
In a burst of divine speed, the figure dashed through the entire blockade of adventurers, knocking them aside before the golden-haired fighter's hand gripped onto the collar of Jett's cloak, dragging him into the air.
Constantine laughed as he flew upward with his dazzling light, shooting upward like a reverse star despite Jett's attempts to free himself, "How about I show you how us reincarnators really fight?!"
"What did you say?! You're…like me?!" He gasped out, struggling to catch his breath as he was dragged into the clouds themselves at breakneck speeds.
The air became noticeably more thin and chilly as he watched the town below grow distant before only the sight of nightly clouds existed around and below him.
"I'll be happy to talk all you want–as soon as you come with me to the Reverse Kingdom!" Constantine called out with a vicious smile, "--Until then, shut up and do your best not to die!"