34 Battle on the Big Bridge (7) (End)
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Desolate Mage: A Legend Reborn!
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* * * * *
[Time remaining until Demon Duke's summoning: 3 seconds. Portal HP: 23%]
Kate Lin coughed out blood, falling to her knees, barely staying upright by holding on to the faded streamer. She had done all she could. She looked to the north, where the portal stood, pulsating ominously.
Her hidden weapon - concealed on Shiba Tian's back, under his clothes - had paid off. Her predictions on the demoness' nature were spot on.
If the demoness were so powerful to slice her first lightning storm and lightning pillar in half without any skills, abilities or spells, couldn't she have finished them off easily from the start?
And if her sword mastery was so great; why would she even struggle against opponents of the same level?
And why would she avoid battling? She could have eviscerated them in 20 moves; then easily taken care of Sam.
From all these points; she'd figured that the demoness had been layering multiple veils of deception; using various bluffs and intentionally laying traps within her words.
But the wily Major had fallen for a trap underneath her own trap; a victim of her own arrogance that her tricks could not be seen through.
Kate Lin's eyes began to dilate as her qi starved body shook, her dantian (cultivation and qi focal point; in this case below the navel) overdrawn.
It was up to her companions now.
* * * * *
Shiba Tian fared no better. He bore no new wounds on his body apart from the long slash across his left shoulder.
Yet he looked the worse among them all. Almost his entire body was covered in blood; the side effect of forcibly igniting his qi; the untamed energies rampaged through his blood vessels and meridians, rupturing his skin in many places.
Unable to stand, he lay beside the fallen Major, who lay lifeless just an arms length away.
(Young one, we're counting on you...)
* * * * *
Romilda lay roughly 50m from the portal, struggling to raise her head. Her body was covered with bone-chilling wounds; her face bruised and bleeding in more than 10 places.
(Sam... You're our last hope!) She tried to tilt her head so she could see the battle. What she saw gripped her with fear.
"No!!!"
* * * * *
[19 seconds earlier]
Sam and Sato clashed once more. Only, their growth potential was too different.
Not that Sam was not talented. She was supremely talented, as despite having titanic strength, it also required razor sharp skills to be able to utilise that strength to level skip 10 entire levels.
But she was already almost at her limits of growth, at least as she was, without a mentor, a path or martial skills.
And Sato was not just any level 11 Elite; he was a system holder.
Sato had started off with almost no battle experience, and with absolutely no experience wielding spells, other than in RPGs. During the course of their struggle, he soaked up experience, skill and knowledge like a sponge, his intellect and consciousness supplemented by the system.
In their earlier rounds of battle; Sam had been holding the advantage based on her superior battle experience. instincts, wisdom and techniques.
But that was no longer so. Earlier, the boy had held his own despite being in a completely new environment, new body and with unfamiliar abilities - proof of his own sublime adaptability and battle talent.
This time, armed with skills honed through struggling just for survival; Sato dominated from start to finish.
And Sam was left bloody and battered once more, arms limp and legs unstable, barely able to lift an arm to contend once more for victory.
* * * * *
[Time remaining until Demon Duke's summoning: 3 seconds. Portal HP: 23%]
Sam panted.
She had nearly been vapourised from the black Fireball. She had been shocked; stunned and speechless when she saw the streak of white dart across the battlefield - and save her.
Little Snowie's had leaped into the air; and howled like a wolf! Then the silhouette of a golden, long-furred divine wolf spirit had emerged from her body in an unexpected burst of resplendent power!
Then the wolf apparition swallowed the fireball.
The exhausted kitten had landed as cats do, on her feet, and then rushed away. She was now lying on the sidelines far away; licking her paws and fur.
She was glad Snowie was safe despite having some singed fur here and there.
(How did you get so strong, Snowie...? You're so small and cute...) Sam allowed herself to smile - despite her gloomy circumstances.
She was not out of trouble, not by any means.
* * * * *
As the boy prepared a new repertoire of spells to end her fate; she no longer had strength to avoid or resist.
So Sam tried to think.
She didn't think often. But today, she thought with all her heart and soul.
Did she have any ways out remaining...? Strength? Speed? Technique? Stamina? Skills?
She'd tried everything; but the gap in abilities was just too big.
Once more, she was out of options.
Was there no more hope...?
Leveling up...? What would that help? Just 20-30% more strength in her feeble state?
But she had to try.
(Level up...)
She did what Lucius had told her to do - she focused all the World Essence into her necklace; and felt a massive force begin to build up on the locket hanging around her neck.
Then the force exploded - and rushed back into her body through her eyes, nose and mouth.
Her body froze as she felt something inside her snap; like the links of a metal chain that had been binding her; somewhere deep inside.
Gradually she began to feel an agonising twisting and crawling sensation in every particle of her body, as her perception sped up; and conversely, time slowed to a trickle.
Then the bone-wrenching pain intensified 100-fold; seemingly lasting for a thousand millenia.
She screamed a silent scream in her consciousness; her vision beginning to blur from the unbearable pain.
(N....No.... NO!)
In the midst of the pain; her plain necklace released a blinding radiance; while the accessory itself lost its luster.
And she saw the scene she had been desperate to recall, to continue - except not at a time like this. Not when her life hung on by barely a thread.
* * * * *
(Mama...) Tears came, unbidden.
The scene continued from where it stopped; her mother stroking her hair while her 4, 5 year old self sat on her lap.
The scene felt ghostly; she could see more clearly now that there were 7 specks of light, like seeds of golden fire hovering behind her mother.
Her mother kissed her forehead tenderly, then grimaced in pain as wisps of incandescent mist emanated from her body.
The mist was drawn to the specks of light. While she was entranced by the spectacle of mist and light; to her horror, her mother's face began to age.
Within seconds, she had grown white-haired and haggard; with sunken cheeks.
(Mama! No!!!) The little girl self reached out to her mother; only to be obstructed by an invisible force; a wind of world essence roaring around them in a maelstrom of light, heat and storm. The young version of Sam was untouched; the child's necklace releasing a warm coat of blue light to insulate her.
Her mother closed her eyes, frowning to complete whatever ritual she was going through.
She struggled, and her frown disappeared. There was a sense of... Completion. It was finished.
The older woman, now aged to death's doorstep, struggled and mouthed out the last words - I love you.
Her eyes snapped open and she screamed; her surroundings turning into blinding white light.
* * * * *
The pain left as abruptly as it had come.
Bathed in the light, Sam could feel her consciousness return to the present - yet her mind was also still in that place, somewhere in the streams of memories; of the years gone by.
In the vision; she felt 7 pricks of searing heat; once each from her heart, stomach, navel, spine - and 3 more lancing sensations of burning struck her forehead. Before she could react to the newfound pain; the heat morphed into a soothing, invigorating warmth.
The vision was over.
She felt an *awakening* of the fire; a squirming of the seed embedded in her body; coming alive in her consciousness.
Just waiting for her call.
(Wake up!)
A burst of cold roared from within her spine; and within her flesh, she sensed the consciousness of a beast awaken. A beast so ancient, it had watched the migration of humans from their homeworld to this planet. So ancient it looked on their puny gods with disdain.
The projection of the astral beast roared; exerting its influence over void and space and refusing to be subjected to anyone! It would be sovereign of the Endless Worlds!
Sam's body began to tremor; shaking under the effects of the tearing, rending power of the astral beast's remnant soul.
Then she felt her heart *beat*; a beat entirely different from normal - Du-dump!
There was something else, something esoteric, accompanying the beat - primal; primordial in nature - something far more ancient than even the beast that was attempting to rebel against it's fate.
The astral beast drew back; cowering in fear at whatever it had sensed. It lowered its head and began to whimper. And it began to dissipate; letting loose one last howl in defiance; as it resigned its fate to one higher and grander than itself.
The mighty beasts projection turned into countless specks of brilliance, only to be swallowed up by the writhing, twisting and *evolving* bones, flesh, muscles and matter surrounding it.
Then she heard an illusory, otherworldly voice. Like a memory, but not:
"Astral Beast, Mana Devourer."
* * * * *
Sam opened her eyes.
Was this what it meant to be powerful...?
She knew she had just taken the first of many steps. But she felt... Different.
If before, she felt she could dent steel with her bare hands, and crush mountains with Full-burst. Now she felt like even the mountains and the seas would bow down to her and the sun darken and moon hide with every step she took.
She charged forward to meet the boy's spells.
Once more, they repeated the intricate dance of brilliant spells; daring evasions and counter-attacks.
She struck forward; then dodged backwards.
He shot out a spell; then shouted as he jumped away from her kick.
Their dance culminated just as before; with her face to face with him - face to face with a world-shattering Ray of Disintegration. One she could no longer avoid.
But the word *could* was in the past tense - this time round, it was different.
Even Sato could sense that something had changed; changed with her seemingly straightforward leveling up - that palm seemed to bear an omen of doom.
Realising that all was not as it seemed to be; Sato released the Ray of Disintegration straight to Sam's face - then immediately blinked away; abandoning the red portal behind him.
The victor was not necessarily the stronger, nor the more skillful.
"No!" Romilda could be heard shouting from far away.
Sam calmly struck the Ray of Disintegration - and triggered her new Innate Skill: Mana Eater (Capacity 0/1,000).[1]
The red flashing beam was swiftly absorbed by her skin; then transmitted to her flesh and bones as new nourishment. She could feel the heat disperse into her body as she felt about 50-60% "full"; the mana dissipating into her cells with the promise of even more monstrous strength and speed.
She smiled; as she kicked off the ground to land the deciding; battle-concluding blow on the red portal.
And Sato smiled.
The victor would be the smarter one.
Sam was confused as Romilda's cry of warning only grew louder and more frantic.
"No!!!!"
Her palm landed on the portal, shattering it into countless glass shards - no, ice shards.
(Glas...? I-Ice...?)
To her horror; the area in front of her shattered; revealing that it was nothing but an icy reflection hanging in thin air - and 20m further on, the real portal stood there; expanding like crazy and sucking in the stones, earth and fallen quasits around it. Then came a sinister growl, roaring like a tiger finally released from its cage.
Sato laughed triumphantly from the distance as he leveled up and received the quest rewards; Blink-ing away to safety.
* * * * *
[Time remaining until Demon Duke's summoning: 0 seconds. Portal HP: 23%]
[Demon Duke Alcadis has successfully transmigrated!]
* * * * *
[1] The system prompt, skill name and numbers are not visible to Sam, it's only for us as readers.
