The Rings of Heaven (Part 3)

"You know, I just realize that a made no further preparations. In other words, I'm doing the same stuff I did just a short while ago." I say to myself.

Walking through the 5th Ring, a notification pops up.

⸢A Quest has arrived. ⸥

"Again?"

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⸢[Normal Quest: Collect Blessed Soul! (Part 2)]

The Ruler of the Blessed, 'Mezloc', is residing on the innermost ring of Heaven. Eliminate Mezloc and collect its soul.

Quest completion requirement:

- Defeat the Blessed Ruler

Reward(s):

-1. Highest Quality Runestone

-2. Bonus Stats +30

-3. Hidden Reward⸥

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"I like these rewards."

⸢ [Highest Quality Runestone: Transferable Light]

A Job-specific skill can be obtained by breaking the rune. ⸥

"And this runestone will be extremely useful, I hope."

Opening the door that led to the 4th Ring, I feel myself get ever so slightly lighter and the ground I stood on was scalding hot, being clay-colored red in color. In fact, the patterns of white that scarred the ground and the small craters that covered the surface reminded me of an image taken on the surface of Venus.

Walking in this rather uncomfortable heat, I couldn't help but continuously look to find Blessed to kill. Yet, even after walking around for minutes, not a single blessed came into sight. Finally deciding to test my luck with the door which led to the next ring, the moment I touch the handle, the area above the door begins to shimmer.

Feeling as skin starts to tingle, I jump backwards, just in time to find as Loaco (the boss from the previous ring), dives outwards from the portal, a legion of Mid-Grade and Low-Grade Blessed following behind her.

⸢ALERT - High-Grade Blessed have started to appear. ⸥

As I understood it, this meant that High-Grade Blessed could use the innate talents of the boss that they were mimicking. And the mimic is quite spot on, with the same kind of annoyance that I had contact with when I first fought with her. But, unlike before where it was just the two of us, Loaco pt.2 now had disposable allies to hide her entrances. And to make things even worse for me, there were two more High-Grade Blessed.

Releasing my own army of Soldiers, I don't hesitate to use 'Domain of Light'. My Soldiers seem to have excess light flow from their orifices, and much like I had seen in the A-Rank Dungeon, the way they attacked, defended, and dominated was much more precise.

Though, even with such an increase in precision, they couldn't even touch the Loaco pt.2. I couldn't blame them, since even I had a problem with their rift making.

Within a matter of minutes, all the disposable pawns had been killed, leaving me to deal with the three Loacos, who no longer had cover to hide behind. When one of the Loacos popped out from her rift, I noticed that she seemed to be slower, and I had more of an opening to nick her or even behead her.

Smiling slightly, this meant that the Loacos were the same strength as when I fought her first, but now I had a higher level, so I could now properly deal with her. I hadn't noticed this at first since I still had to deal with 300+ Blessed before I could even touch her.

Beheading each of the Loaco pt.2s, it's not long before the ruler of the ring reveals themselves.

With reddish-blue wings, bulky clay-colored armor, fire spewing from the eye sockets of the helm, and a blue-metaled spear, the Ruler landed on the ground, immediately causing it to shatter and spring up.

⸢Ruler of the Big Star Ring, Huitz⸥

Without any moment of hesitation, Huitz hoists back its spear and sends it hurtling towards me. The thrown spear then flickers with electricity and its speed drastically increases.

Feeling it rush past my face, I touch at my cheek to find that it bleeding.

Getting down into stance, I go to use a breathing art, but when I find it standing with its hand held out like I had seen from the Ruler of Duality, Ome, I roll off to the side.

Travelling at a speed that breaks the sound barrier, the spear that Huitz had thrown returns to his hand. Looking at the carnage the spear had created while travelling back to its owner, I let out a dry chuckle. Tracing my eyes back onto Huitz, I see it stick out its arm and then point down.

⸢Huitz, Ruler of the Big Star Ring, is using [Skill: Gravitational Fluctuation] ⸥

Instantly, the air around me turns heavy and my knees start to sink into the surface of the ring. But then, I feel myself grow light… light enough to float out of the ground and into the air. Looking at Huitz, I find his finger pointing upwards. Huitz then closes his fist, and my gravity returns to normal.

"It's almost like you're showing off your power to me." I crack my neck, "Well, that's alright, let me do the same for you."

Speeding forward, I arrive in front of Huitz and use 'Water Breathing Seventh Form: Piercing Rain Drop'. In response to the plunge on my sword, Huitz points his finger behind me, and I feel my body start to be dragged away from Huitz, too far away for my technique to even reach him.

Huitz then spins his finger in a circle, and I find myself being rotated around.

While this is happening Huitz lurches forward, his electrified spear trying to dive into my flesh. Because of me being able to freely rotate in the air now though, I use 'Water Breathing Sixth Form: Whirlpool' to both knock away Huitz's spear and almost make him armless. Huitz just barely manages to keep himself from entering the 'Whirlpool', but the moment that my technique cancels, I find Huitz trying to strike down on me.

Still being in such a never-ending rotation, I spin horizontally, using 'Lateral Water Wheel'. This time, when I strike against his spear, its knocked towards himself instead. Watching as he stabs himself with his spear and get a flesh wound from the completion of my technique, Huitz stumbles backwards and my gravity reverts to normal.

Turning his head upwards, Huitz's flames in his eye sockets grow and he makes rapid movements with his finger in all directions. At first, I feel myself shoved into the ground, then floating upwards, then turned away from Huitz, etc. And the entire time, Huitz was trying to stab me, all of which I fended off with different techniques.

The moment that I felt the effects of his skill wear off, and before he could apply new commands, I use 'Water Breathing Eleventh Form: Calm before the Storm'. Absorbing the power of his next spear strike, I weave towards him and remove his head.

A ray of flames spews from his open head before he crumbles into a pile of salt.

Feeling the soles of my feet start to burn, I rush onwards to the next ring. Though entering it before I could get time to recuperate was a horribly bad idea. Now, this time, instead of the floor just being hot, it was on fire.

Looking at the Hearthstone in my Inventory wantingly, I relentingly close it and continue across this fire ring. I don't even make it two steps into the ring before I feel something pass by my cheek.

Once again having my cheek bleed, I look to the source of the spear to find a Huitz standing there. And beside him, there were 4 more Huitz, all of which were prepared to throw their spears.

Weaving through the thrown spears and then again when they were recalled, I continuously chuck my katana at their heads.

After striking the same one in the head with three of my katana throws, it finally died. Yet, before I could even hope to kill the others, ten Loaco's appeared from rifts with Mid-Grade and Low-Grade blessed following behind.

Letting out a war cry while summoning all my Soldiers of Light, I fight a restless battle against these enemies. And, after an hour of continuous fighting, I kill the final Huitz pt.2.

Consuming a Health Potion and Mana Potion, a figure grows from one of the fires and steps out.

Looking at the immaculate array of red, orange, white, and grey, the Ruler's hand rested on a great sword, bearing the same color as the person who weld it. Its eyes flicked an earie red before then setting itself on fire, trails of smoke following behind it.

⸢Ruler of the Sun Ring, Tona⸥

Pulling its sword slightly from its side, my eyes widen when I find it running towards me and what can be considered a rather slow pace. Squinting my eyes while not quite understanding, I dodge the sideswipe of Tona's blade and then swipe at her neck.

As the edge of my blade hits, the area around her neck releases a plume of fire which quickly covers my blade and tries to crawl over my hand. Dropping my katana without another thought, I back away from Tona and watch as my sword seems to burn inside an endless fire. Even when using 'Light's Binding', the fire remained.

Things became a whole lot harder since I needed a katana to use my breathing arts effectively, especially against an enemy like this. Thinking that I could win against Tona in a battle of strength, I figured out a strategy that might break past her defenses.

Watching as she once again runs towards me, the moment she tries to slash her blade, I reach out and grip the sword before it can cut into my hand.

Pushing the sword backwards, it grows closer to Tona's figure before then touching against her breastplate. A loud hissing sound occurs, and I continue to press forward, fighting off the intensive migraine that was forming.

Giving Tona's blade one last push, the resistance Tona had put up suddenly disappeared and her grip loosened on her sword.

'Wasn't that rather too easy.'

Like a flag, Tona suddenly crumpled into a pile of ash.

⸢Tona, Ruler of the Sun Ring, is using [Skill: Fire's Rebirth]

This skill can be used infinitely, unless the correct conditions are not met. ⸥

With a look of interest, Tona's ash combusted and then she emerged, her wound completely healed and a different aura about her. Now, this time when she ran at me, she completely disappeared from my field of vision.

It was then that Asmund summoned himself to block the attack from Tona. Following him shortly after, Bingha appeared by my side and presented me with his dagger.

Taking the dagger, Asmund is kicked away by Tona.

Filling the gap that was left in front of Tona, I manage to stab my dagger into Tona's abdomen. The moment that I do, I use 'Ice Breathing Final Form: Nilfheim'. Our surroundings suddenly change to that of ice and cold.

This was the way to kill Tona since the perfect conditions were given for her to revive inside of her own ring. So, by taking her out, and putting her in a new environment, she no longer had the proper requirements.

Focusing back on my fight with Tona, ice shoots out from the ground and pierces through her body, making it unable for her to move. Plunging the dagger that Bingha gave me into the snow to extinguish the flames, I then combine 'Execution' with 'Ice Breathing Second Form: Frostbite' to behead Tona.

Once again turning into a pile of ashes, they seem to fizzle for a moment before the light disappears and the notification of a boss being slain shows up.

Cancelling the usage of 'Nilfheim', I hand back Bingha's dagger and progress into the next ring.

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⸢Item

[Item: Huitz's Eye Flames]

Item Class: A

Type: Accessory

+10 Strength, +20 Agility

Set Effect will activate if this item is equipped along with 12 other items⸥

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⸢Item

[Item: Electrified Shoulder Pads]

Item Class: B

The shoulder pads once worn by Huitz that will increase agility.

Effect: 'Quick Attack': +50% movement speed and throw speed for those who wield a spear⸥

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⸢Item

[Ingredient Item: Gravitational Metal]

Item Class: ???

Type: Ingredient

The metal used to forge Huitz's spear. Naturally exudes a pressure that weighs things down and thus used as an ingredient for change… whatever that may be. ⸥

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⸢Item

[Item: Tona's Wrist Guards]

Item Class: A

Type Accessory

+10 Sense

+20 Vitality

Set Effect will activate if this item is equipped along with 12 other items ⸥

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⸢Item

[Item: Flaming Head Wrap]

Item Class: B

The cloth once wrapped around Tona's head that will create fire.

Effect: 'Burning Sun': Allows a broadsword user to set their blade aflame. ⸥

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⸢Item

[Ingredient Item: Broadsword Kashira]

Item Class: ???

Type: Ingredient

The ornament that was at the end of Tona's broadsword handle. Allows for the blade itself to be set aflame, though it's rarely ever used and thus used as an ingredient for change… whatever that may be. ⸥