Zane got one more upgrade before they moved on.
It came afterโ
๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ก!
๐ผ๐ค๐ค๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ก -> ๐๐๐
โ๐๐๐ค๐ค ๐ค๐ฆ๐-๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐!
๐๐๐๐ค ๐ค๐ฆ๐-๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฅ๐ค ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ค๐๐ฃ'๐ค ๐๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐. ๐ธ๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ค ๐ค๐ฅ๐๐๐, ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ ๐ฝ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ โ๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฆ๐ค โ๐๐๐๐๐ค ๐จ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ฆ๐ฃ๐๐๐ค๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ ๐ค๐ฆ๐๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ค๐๐ฃ.
๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐!
๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐ [โ๐๐ค๐ค๐๐ง๐] [๐๐ช๐ฅ๐๐๐ (๐ผ)]
๐๐๐ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐'๐ค ๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ค๐๐ ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ค๐๐ฃ'๐ค ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐ก๐ ๐จ๐๐ฃ๐ค. ๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ค๐๐ฃ'๐ค ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ช ๐ ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ค ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฅ ๐ +๐๐% ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ค๐๐ฅ๐ช. โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ค๐๐๐ฃ๐ก๐๐๐ค๐ค ๐ ๐ โ๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฆ๐ค โ๐๐๐๐๐ค ๐ค๐ฅ๐๐๐, ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ค ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐ฆ๐๐๐ช ๐๐๐ค๐ฅ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ ๐ค๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐.
๐๐๐๐ค ๐๐๐๐๐'๐ค ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐ค๐๐๐๐๐ค ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐.
Zane didn't really need even more firepower, but this was a pleasant surprise. He was happy to take it. One could never be too powerful, he felt.
Speaking ofโhe collected all those Weapon Souls they'd harvested from all those waves of Monsters and Monster Knights he'd slain. It amounted, in total, to over 20 million souls' worth.
๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ก!
๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ก!
๐๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ ๐ -> ๐
๐ธ๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ค ๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ โ๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฆ๐ค โ๐๐๐๐๐ค' ๐๐ฆ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ช ๐๐๐ ๐ค๐ฅ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ค ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ช๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ช-๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ฃ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐.
๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐๐!
๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐ [๐๐ช๐ฅ๐๐๐ (๐ผ) -> ๐๐ช๐ฅ๐๐๐+ (๐ผ)]
Now he was ready for the next floor.
โฆHe had a feeling he was far more than ready.
***
๐ฝ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฃ ๐๐
๐๐ฆ๐ก๐๐ฃ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ ๐
Floor 44 was a twilight world strung up with spiderwebs. Infested with countless giant insectsโand the Monstrous spiders that preyed on them. Once upon a time it had been a teeming forest. Now it was barren. The pale trees were hollow, leafless, lifeless. Little more than props for the spiders to spin their webs on as they waited impatiently for fresh preyโฆ
A spider with a red stopwatch on its belly hissed. And exploded beneath a boulder of a fist.
"Can't be far now," grunted Nils, Thain's World Rank #3. A giant elephant-kin man with gray rugged skin and floppy ears. He smashed his fists together.
Behind him, a Catkin man licked his lips. "What do you imagine we'll fetch once we're clear of this hellhole?" he purred.
He inspected his claws idly. Nils shrugged.
"They'd be fools to deny you the number one spot, Lord Fennick!" crooned a Snake-eyed lady. She hissed laughter, forked tongue flickering.
"Well," said the Catkin, shrugging. "I'd hate to be accused of false modesty. So I'd have to agree." He smirked.
Nils looked up. Saw light streaking across the sky. "Looks like it's time for more treasure-drops," he said.
"Just one this time?" said the snake-lady, squinting. She giggled. "They haven't forgotten the rest of us, have they?"
But it wasn't a white comet. But a black one. And it made no sound as it streaked across the sky.
It came closer. The thing had no aura at allโstranger and strangerโฆ
It landed at Fennick's feet.
And unraveled to reveal an amulet. Gold-spun wire, linking to cradle a single tear-drop gemstone. It sparkled pale blue and snow-white. A glistening mist flowed off it, staining the airโฆ
A notification popped up before them:
๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ค๐ฆ๐ฃ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ง๐๐!
??? [???]
๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐: ???
"Strange," mused Fennick. He picked it up, holding it up to close inspection. His ears twitched. "I don'tโ"
The gemstone sank through his skin.
The Catkin shuddered. Staggered. And dropped like a rag doll, eyes rolling back.
The snake-lady let out a cry. "Lord Fennick!"
She knelt down beside him, started shaking him, but he didn't stir.
"Shit," snarled Nils. "What in the Nine Hells was that?!"
"IโI'm not sureโ"
She turned Fennick over. And screamed.
Fennick's teeth were locked in a bared smile. His eyes were already open, as wide as they could be, shot through with red cracks. His pupils had changed color. Gone a hollow white.
The snake-lady flinched away, staggering backโ
And Fennick's body rose. Looked around slowly, mechanically. Turned his neck side-to-side. Turned the head too far, swiveling behind its back, and a series of CRACK-CRACK-CRACKs rang outโbones breaking.
A pause. Then the head went back to normal.
Fennick inspected himself. His clawed fingers, mouth wide open. He wiggled them about, as though for the first time. Drool leaking from his lips. He gurgled.
Laws flared at those dagger-sharp ends.
Neither of the Thainish there could fathom what they were looking at. They had no way to tell the Law streaming off those claws was a fully-fused Tier-4 Lawโas close to Tier 5 as it could possibly be. Loaded with High-Tier Concepts. On the borderline of Ascension.
An Aura erupted from Fennick's body. And the two of them choked.
It felt to them like their whole bodies were drenched in frostbiteโa frost that seeped far past the skin, dug deep into the bones, froze even the soulโฆ the water in the air started to freeze. Then the air itself, all around them, making horrible CRACK-CRACK-ing sounds. Frost raced out across the land, raced up the Thainish's skinโand at the epicenter of it was the creature once known as Fennick.
The aura pouring off him contained far more essence than any Core creature should have. More than Nascent, even.
The Thainish fighters sagged to their knees.
Fennick flexed his hands casually. A black ice seethed at his claw-tips, a rotted ice, hissing, steaming at the air. He staggered around. As though unused to moving on two legs. But with every passing second he only gained more and more coordinationโฆ
"My lordโ" gasped the Snake-lady.
Fennick slashed. The instant his claws made contact her whole body froze stiff. The water in her eyeballs froze in her skullโthen the claws sank all the way through. A casual swipe, and the head blew.
There was no blood. It was like decapitating a statue.
Where the claws passed, the world tore open. Voids screaming in long jagged ribbons.
Nils roared. Threw himself forward in a staggering, lumbering charge.
Fennick merely tapped. A pointer finger stabbing at the heart, and the elephant-man froze. Slumped. Shattered into many, many piecesโ
Pieces that fell away.
That gentle poke had ripped open a void so wide it sucked in the elephant-man whole. Until there wasn't a trace leftโit had gone somewhere even essence couldn't return fromโฆ
The Catkin licked his lips.
Then frowned. Inspected his arms again.
The skin there was starting to flake off.
It was too much power for this form to handle. The creature would have to be fast.
Its eyes narrowed.
"Zane Walkerโฆ" it hissed. Smiled too-wide.
Then it lunged down the floor. Sprinting for the staircase. Knowing even now that staircase was curving upward, diverting, shortening the path between it and its prey. Its fingers trailed frostbite-black lines over the air, and the wind that rustled by froze there mid-gust, unmoving, as though frozen in time.
***
แดแด แดสษขสแดแดษด ษขสแดแด แด
แดกแดสสแด แดสแดแด ๊ฐแดแดแดษชแดษด
"It is done," intoned Inquisitor Thaele.
Lan let out a tight breath. Massaged his brow. "And you've made certain to take precautions? Made certain you've left no trail?"
Thaele nodded. "Gilgorath blocked off all perception to that realm. Cloaked the drop. It will seem like a stray Malignant Soul breaking into the floor, and possessing the Thainish. Entirely Gilgorath's doing. The other Factions will assume it found another loophole."
Lan set his jaw. "Alright."
Thaele considered his boss in silence.
"Spit it out," said Lan.
"This was unlike you." Thaele's eyes glinted.
"I realize that." Lan's jaw worked. "I would not have taken the risk if I did not believe it was absolutely necessary. If Zane Walker makes it throughโand with him, the Mistress Makerโฆ it would be catastrophic. She's dangerous. Cleverer than we'd assumeโMake no mistake! If the two of them surviveโas they seemed likely toโthey could topple the very standing of our House! We are in dire straits, Inquisitor."
Lan caught himself. "Were in dire straits."
He closed his eyes. "Now it is behind us, Fate willingโฆ"
ย
***
ษขแดษชสแด แด๊ฐ แดษดแด สแด๊ฑ๊ฑ ๊ฑสแดแด แดแดก๊ฑ
สแดแดแด Qแดแดสแดแดส๊ฑ
The Guild of Endless Shadows' headquarters was a castle on the Planet of Endless Shadowโa planet with no light save for one source. A moon that hung full and bright at all hours of the day. The sun never rose here.
In that castle, there was a vast gothic hall. Torches burned white, ghostly, flickering, welded onto brimstone pillars. It was a place void of color save black and whiteโexcept for the red carpet leading up to the throne, whose surface seemed to move, flowing sluggishly, like blood pumped from some a diseased heart.
A man sat atop a high throne at the end of it. A throne the color of obsidian and poison and bruises, black-purple. He wore a cape of raven feathers. When you looked at his face it seemed perfectly ordinary. But look away and you wouldn't be able to remember a single feature. You wouldn't be able to describe him if you tried.
He was the Patriarch of the Guild of Endless Shadows. The Nameless King.
At first, there was no movement save for the flickering of the torches and the crackling of the fireโฆ then a thick shadow coalesced on the carpet.
When it vanished, there knelt a figure in a blank obsidian mask. A scout.
"Your highness," rasped the scout. "I have news."
"Speak," said the Nameless King.
"There was an interruption in the Superdungeon's transmission. When it resumed it appears our number prospect, the Thainish Catkin Fennick, was corrupted by a malignant spirit." The figure paused. "A spirit of at least Ascended power. There were no witnesses. All dead. Gone."
The Nameless King cocked his head.
"But with black-matter scrying, we were able to piece together one scene," continued the scout, "Directly after the possession. It appears this Monster was dropped there via cursed treasure. It appears to be the work of the Demon Gilgorath. We know it appears to be racing to hunt down Zane Walker. Gilgorath means to eliminate this Integration's top two candidatesโat once."
At last, the Nameless King spoke. In a deep booming voice.
"I was not aware Gilgorath had gained such influence over its prison."
"Circumstances have shifted. The river of Fate flows ever-onward. The Yin forces only waxes as the Chaos Cycle nears its peakโthe System only wanesโฆ"
A silence.
"Perhaps," said the King at last. He steepled his spindly fingers, eyes narrowed. "Perhaps."
He had his suspicions. But that was all. "You may go."
The shadows, and the scout, melted away.
The King mulled it over some more.
Then he produced a scrying glass. Tapped the surface. And contacted a very old friend.
"Noughtfire," he said. "You'll want to hear this."
***
Reina was quite close to her third Concept. Evan and Avery were up to Level 280 and 270 respectively.
They were all ready to get going.
Zane and his friends carried on. They descended the wide staircase at the bottom floor of the Citadel, leading down into a tunnel of ash and brimstone and smog. But soon it gave way to softer, loamier stuffโbrowns, clumps of rich dirt.
Until eventually they were trekking down an earthy tunnel. Giant root networks started running across the ceiling, ribbing the walls. Reina noted how much life she felt here, how dense the Wood and Earth essence here was. She was surprised.
๐๐ ๐ฆ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐๐: โ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ โค๐ ๐
๐ฝ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฃ ๐๐
Four layers deeper this time.
The air was thick with humidity. Soon the tunnel started arching off, breaking toward the surface. Things only got muggier and muggier.
They came out above ground.
They saw something out of a prehistoric era. They were surrounded by overgrown forestโtrees whose warm brown trunks were double, triple the width they should be, tall as skyscrapers, studded with bark-like armor plates. Even the ferns around them struck up like towers, their fronds blocking out the skyโฆ