Chapter 529 Thank You... Jack
Jack still had ten thousand nine hundred and seventy-six skill points. He didn't want to spend too many but Jack understood his situation. Without a powerful skill or spell to work as a finishing blow, Jack was going to fail and die.
Some basic requirements needed to be filled by the chosen skill, such as: the attack shouldn't waste all of Jack's mana in one go, it should pair with one of Jack's bloodlines to increase its potency, there couldn't be a drawback or negative effect on the caster, and it needed to be an instantaneous attack that didn't need time to charge. These conditions helped Jack narrow his search and hasten his decision.
Rendering Space was extremely powerful and unavoidable but it had to charge first, eliminating it. Jin's phasing swordplay could prove impactful as well but it would take time to master outside of battle. Lina's and Lunara's many spells were tempting also but they had no affinity or boost from Jack's bloodlines. All of those options and more would be amazing to use later. At the moment, however, Jack was fighting an uphill battle to finish off a self-healing foe.
Considering all of that, Jack spent one thousand and five hundred skill points on an attack that he hadn't personally witnessed. His comrades had told him about the attack and its battle ending use during the battle against the syndicate after Jack had passed out.
During that instance of Time Stop, at point-blank range, Jack's flaming body spat out three balls of white and black flames. They were much smaller than Jack had expected the fireballs to be much larger given what he had heard from the others.
Time Stop ended and Duorda had only a sliver of a second to notice the three fireballs appear out of thin air. They touched down on Duorda's shoulders and face at the same time though, not giving the death knight any opportunity to avoid what came next.
Both Jack and Duorda were consumed in the eruption of all three fireballs. The black miasma was burned away and Jack was glad to have his flame body active.
Duorda, on the other hand, had no means of defense against such an outrageous point-blank attack. He laughed loudly, embracing the damage he took with glee. As a skeletal undead, Duorda had no sense of pain but Duorda understood that if he could feel it, that instance would've been the most painful he had ever experienced, barely eclipsing one of the past challenger's attacks.
Jack didn't let up though. While the fire expanded and toiled around him and Duorda, Jack was covering Duorda in a barrage of Spatial Slashes and cast Greater Replenish for the fifth time. His body was aching, nearing collapse, but Jack refused to flee or die. After destroying Duorda's undead body Jack would willingly collapse, but not till that moment.
Three more fireballs were spat out as Jack paired Spatial Slashes with Sudden Death. His swarm of attacks kept Duorda on the ropes. The death knight wasn't able to heal via miasma as the fireballs were destroying all nearby miasma and Jack was attacking from a couple of meters so that Duorda's sword could physically connect with Jack.
"Good! GOOD!" Duorda cackled, chasing after Jack while his skeletal body was gradually burning away. "You've almost done it, Jack! Hit me again!"
Since Duorda was giving him such advice, Jack did as he was told. While stepping back to avoid losing health to his sword, Jack cast Greater Replenish again to repeat the barrage with four fireballs this time.
"Yes! Once more, Jack!"
Cracks riddled Duorda as the living flames were impossible to quench, not without his currently-incapable white half. It was only a matter of time till his body was reduced to ash. He finally felt the threat of death and the satisfaction of fulfilling his purpose.
"ONE MORE, JACK!" Duorda shouted again, doing everything in his power to harm jack with his sword.
With sore veins and a weakening gaze, Jack recast Greater Replenish once more. Leaving nothing to chance, Jack spewed six fireballs and reserved all remaining mana to evasion.
All six fireballs hit their target and all six exploded vigorously. The false crypt lord's body was covered in char and cracks. Portions of his limbs and parts were falling off as Duorda was now unable to run.
The black skeleton lost one foot and fell face-first to the ground, laughing harder than ever as his cries echoed in the vast chamber, "You did it… YOU DID IT!!!"
Jack was also motionless. Dropping his transformation, Jack kept only the flame body active until the miasma was too weak to threaten Jack's life. Then, Jack also fell to the ground but on to his knees and not his face.
"Thank you… Jack…" Half of Duorda's black skull was missing already and there was no stopping the flames from ruining the rest of him. "I'm glad… that Daruun… listened to me…"
Out of breath and wheezing, Jack grasped at his chest. "What are you…" Jack failed to finish his sentence. His mental exhaustion paired with his physical aching to keep Jack's body and mind from functioning properly. All Jack could do was squint and watch as Duorda's body was being cremated at an incredible pace.
"Take it… Take… the… key…"
The final words of Duorda's black, skeletal body weren't anything more than a whisper. They barely reached Jack nearby but were enough to grab the hero's weak mental focus.
When there was only ash left behind, Jack saw the flames begin to die down. A dark glow, remained when the fire dwindled away, however. It came from under the ash, barely visible under its loose covering.
Jack wanted to reach out and grab it but Jack didn't think he had the strength.
Suddenly, Jack's aching body felt a rush of energy. The soreness was soothed partially and his body could at least move. By no means was Jack able to fight or act out in any way but at least he was mobile, to the extent of a crippled and hobbling old man.
Using his swords as walking sticks, Jack got to his feet and slowly neared the ashy remains of the black death knight. He painfully leaned over to brush away the ash. There Jack found something he had always wanted in-game. A pitch-black key that matched the keyhole of the large black door on the ninety-ninth floor.