The entire Boundless Sea fell into a state of complete and utter chaos. Numerous participants were swept into the Boundless Sea where they had to confront the monsters that lurked within the waters. There were some individuals who were simply crushed by the sheer force of the water pressure from the tsunami. Unfortunately for Roudin, most of the points that should have been his did not count towards his total.
This was due to the fact that his Mountain Domain: Worldy Peak Drop was the direct, but not the immediate cause of the majority of the participants' deaths. Although there were a few in the surrounding lands that he managed to get points for eliminating, he did not receive points for those affected by the tsunami itself.
As if sensing the turmoil in the Boundless Sea region, a massive magic symbol appeared in the skies and suppressed the waters that had spiraled out of control. A few moments later, the Boundless Sea had returned to its normal state. However, the main difference this time around was that there were only a handful of participants who were currently located on land.
Roudin looked down at the back of his palm and noticed that the number had shot up to 23,209. Although it was much less than he expected, it was still a decent amount nonetheless.
A frown appeared on his face as he said to himself, "Even with this my rank won't budge from the 4th place. It has to be those guys... What a pain."
"Well, it's fine. If someone with a Domain is headed this way, they shouldn't lack any points. After all, I doubt they died from that alone. As for that guy..." Roudin shifted his gaze to the mountain peak that was buried into the ground right where Izroth stood just moments ago.
As he lifted his arm, the massive mountain turned into a bright white light as if it were responding to his call. The stream of light rushed into his body as the mountain vanished. When the light finally finished flowing into Roudin's forehead, a mark in the shape of a mountain appeared there. Roudin then set his gaze into the distance in the direction he sensed the other Domain coming from before it abruptly disappeared.
"There's no way he's still alive after that. Though it's a bit disappointing he failed to accept my generosity. If he had joined the next selection, he may have made it into the top ten. Hopefully, he'll learn his lesson in the next life. There's nothing wrong with confidence, as long as you have the strength to back up that confidence. In the end, you were just far too weak, Izroth." Roudin said as he lifted his arm up into the air.
"Now, I should prepare for-"
Bzzzt...! Crrrrrckle...! Woosh!
"Underestimating one's opponent often leads to death. Tell me, am I still so weak in your eyes?" A carefree yet frighteningly calm voice sounded from behind Roudin.
"Impossible...! You-!" Roudin looked down and saw a beautiful deep and saturated purple blade sticking out the middle of his chest. The attack had suddenly came from behind him without warning! The blade was filled with an overbearing aura and destructive piercing energy that seemed as if it wanted to tear his body to shreds from the inside out.
'Element Fusion: Storm... Fusion Skill, Element Sword Point: Baneful Storm of Destruction.'
«Critical Hit»
-242,374
…
A few moments ago...
Izroth stared up into the sky as he watched the massive mountain peak descend upon him. He understood that if he faced that mountain head-on with his measly 8,169 HP, then he would die without a doubt. Therefore, he had to find a way to survive the initial impact despite his flaw when it came to overall durability. For this, he had the perfect skill in mind.
As the mountain arrived a few centimeters away from his head, a concentrated gust of wind drifted around Izroth's body. It was a gentle breeze that seemed to be tangible and flexible.
...BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The moment the mountain made contact with his body, Izroth felt an overwhelming pressure forcing him down against his will! His body actually began to sink into the land as the mountain was literally burying him into the ground.
'Good, it's holding up. However, it won't last long enough.'
The skill Izroth used to protect himself with was the Warpath Blade: Gale Zone Guard skill he acquired after defeating the First Blade Zephyr back in the Tiger's Mouth. Since he maxed out the skill after being able to use it, it not only increased the amount of damage he could absorb and convert into wind damage, but the cooldown time and mana cost increased as well.
Unfortunately, the duration of the Warpath Blade: Gale Zone Guard was only five seconds. But, from the looks of things, Izroth could tell that this mountain had no plans on stopping within that time frame.
'Is this what he called a Domain? Its range and attack power are both a little ridiculous. Is it just a powerful attack, or is there more to it? To think the first two floors of the Amaharpe library did not mention anything about it. Could it be something similar to Source?'
A few moments later, just as his skill wore off, Izroth did not hesitate to use Crystallization to continue protecting himself. However, the instant he used Crystallization the structural integrity dropped from 100% down to 72%. This meant that even this skill would only be able to protect him for another four seconds or so. Even then, he was uncertain if that would be enough.
'At this rate, I might just be crushed by this mountain before I can do anything. The pressure being created prevented me from adjusting my body into a more favorable position before the impact. Even though the pressure in the atmosphere disappeared for a brief moment back there, I was still unable to activate my Enhanced Instantaneous Movement for some reason. It was probably due to the attraction force of the mountain. Now then, what should I do about this troublesome situation?'
3...
Instead of a look of panic on his face, there was actually a smile on his face. When was the last time he had his back against the wall like this? How long had it been?
'Alright, I think I have the timing down. Though if I mess up, there won't be any second chances.'
2...
Time was quickly ticking away for Izroth as the structural integrity of his Crystallization skill was beginning to break down as cracks started to form throughout its surface.
'No second chances? That's fine with me. All I need is one.'
1...
Crack!
'Now.'
The crystal that encased Izroth was shattered into the countless pieces and the mountain peak that was mere centimeters away from making contact with his head near-instantly closed the rest of the distance between the two.
'Energy Vision Sense. Shadow Movement.'
Izroth activated his Energy Vision Sense along with his Shadow Movement skill. The moment he did so, his body turned into a shadow. Since he no longer had a physical form, the pressure created by the mountain that weighed him down had vanished.
Since his Flickering Steps was still active, his agility soared from 8,244 points to 16,488 points! Using his now unrestricted speed, Izroth arrived at the edge of the mountain in a split second. While in his shadow form, Izroth was capable of moving about freely on practically any surface.
He used this effect of Shadow Movement to its fullest and made his way up the upside-down mountain by traveling on its side. He also used his Energy Vision Sense to avoid any hidden dangers that may have awaited him, as well as to make his trip up the side of the mountain less troublesome.
With his agility of 16,488 points, one could barely even see the blur of a shadow passing by! A few seconds later, the mountain stopped its descent and the Boundless Sea returned to its calm state thanks to the magic formation in the region.
As Izroth was carefully traveling up the side of the mountain, it suddenly turned into white light and vanished. Using the cover of the white light he escaped from the giant hole in the Boundless Sea. At first, his shadow form was floating freely within the water of the Boundless Sea, however, the land soon reappeared as if the Boundless Sea region itself had regenerative abilities.
That was when Izroth saw that Roudin's attention was focused on something in the distance instead of on his immediate surroundings. After all, in his mind, there was no possible way for Izroth to survive that attack. Also, any nearby participants would have already been wiped out just now. Roudin was not concerned about anything but the approaching person in the distance and this would be a mistake of his that came with a heavy price.
'His defensive abilities are too strong for a prolonged fight. I'll have to end in one strike. Now, take as much as you need.'
By using the wind damage from the damage built up by the Warpath Blade: Gale Zone Guard and lightning damage from his First State: Heavenly Descent together in perfect sync, Izroth performed an Element Fusion which empowered his Sword of The Storm with the Storm element. However, this was only the first step. He had no idea if the next part would even be possible, but he still had to try.
-6,875
Izroth lost a large chunk of his HP as the system used his health as a source of energy due to his lack of mana to perform an Element Fusion. But, he did not allow himself to falter even after losing more than 80% of his total HP.
Izroth thought back to the first time he performed a Fusion Skill in the Sea Palace Graveyard. He tried to recall that feeling as his shadow figure appeared behind Roudin. What was he doing at that moment? How did it feel? What were the surrounding conditions like? What thoughts were going on through his mind? Those were the questions Izroth asked himself.
'No, that's not right.'
During that time, even though he planned on that move, in the end, it was not something he overly thought about. He just naturally tried to use two skills together and everything else just fell into place. However, this would be even more difficult considering that he wanted to use not two, not three, but four skills together! If another player knew what Izroth was trying to accomplish, they would mock him for attempting something so impossible.
Players dreamed of fusing just two skills and yet he wanted to use four skills together? Dream on!
Izroth entered into a state of mind where his thoughts were silent and his gaze seemed to be in a tranquil and distant place. By the time his mind returned to him, his blade was already pierced through Roudin's chest!
'That feeling... Was it Sword of Self? No, with my current untrained body, such a state should be impossible even with my strong soul and memories. But, if that's not the case then...'
…
"You-! You're dead!" Roudin roared through his teeth as blood trickled down the side of his mouth. How was this possible? He was sure that person had died after they vanished from his sense of perception. There should have been no way for him to survive that attack just now, let alone deal such critical damage to him. How was his defense so easily broken through?
There were countless thoughts spinning through Roudin's mind as he tried to process what had just happened.
Izroth had just performed a fusion of skills thought to be impossible. Not only did he perform an Element Fusion, but a Fusion Skill as well! He fused First Baneful Sword: Destruction, Fissuring Point, Warpath Blade: Gale Zone Guard, and First State: Heavenly Descent. He also empowered the skill with an amount of Essence that was far from being small.
However, what surprised Izroth the most was the fact that Roudin was still standing! Even after taking such a ridiculous amount of damage, he had not fallen nor did he show any signs of crumbling into particles. Just how much durability did this person have?!
The pressure around Roudin immediately increased as the pupil in his eyes transformed into the shape of an upside-down mountain. The veins on his face could clearly be seen as his level of rage soared to great heights.