Chapter 164: The Valley of Fallen God's IV

The player model I'm looking at with my own eyes is certainly Blue Chaos. Many screenshots of what he looked like circled the forums. "Blue Choas? Are you really here..." I ask the man, but there is no reaction. I don't know what this place is or what it does, but this is not normal by any means of the word. "How are you here... You should have died with the rest of the people who didn't make it..." In reality, this question is stupid but necessary. If he answers, then it's him. If he doesn't, then it's more the reason to believe he is just a product of this place. "Do you know who I am and what I've done?" This time his head nods in a yes motion. So that's something. It must be a projection by this place.

The man draws his sword and gets in an attack stance. I do the same, but as I do, I hear another pair of footsteps. I look to Blue Choases' side and see another familiar face. Pesticide, the player who originally completed the sword saint Monrells Challenge. "You have stolen our lives... Our destinies... We are taking them back..." They both speak the same thing at the same exact time. This isn't how I ever hoped to meet them. The valley must be playing on my fears and regrets. I try to use inspect on them, but no information pops up. Meaning they don't really exist. That's at least what I think—ghosts from a time that nobody will ever remember except for me. 

Ironically, they are here. I look to pesticide and see him wielding an exact copy of The Witness. That's going to be trouble. Their stats are probably higher than mine, and now with all the limitations on my power, I don't see a way out of this. I flex my wings, preparing for a fight, and I move forward one inch. They burst in speed I can't keep up with. I get attacked with powerful and hard blows. I have to avoid every strike that Pesticide deals out so I don't get hit by The Witness's powerful skills. It's causing me to take more damage from Blue Choas. I fly up in the sky and look down at them. I open my stats and see the condition I'm in.

[Slayer (Zern) Lvl.82]

[Exp: 1/100%]

[Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more]

[Stats]

[Strength - 2095][Limited to 500][Endurance - 2045][Limited to 500][Dexterity - 2125][Limited to 500][Speed - 2240][limited to 500][Focus - 14,660][limited to 1000]

[Health: 16,560/16,560][Limited to 1,500/4,000][Mana: 146600/146600][Limited to 10,000]

[Stat Points: 10][Armor rating: 500]

[Inventory]

[Passive Perks]

[Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [Slayer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever]

[Active Skills]

[Heavens light Lvl.9 325/900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.9 225/900] [Slash Lvl.22 4600/13000] [Parry Lvl.3 80/300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingslayer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] 

I'm already almost dead with nearly 3/4 of my health gone. I can't beat these guys on my own. I reach into my inventory and pull out a Viking horn with runic carvings on it. This is my saving grace in this battle. Fenrir is my only hope to make it out of this place alive. I bring my lips up to the blower, and I take a deep breath. I blow into it with all the air in my lungs. As I do, it releases a deep sound. The longer it goes on, the more the area shakes. I stop and take another breath and do it again. I look down at the two that were trying to kill me earlier. Their expressions are unchanging and uninterested. They really are just ghosts.

[Fenrir is coming.]

[Time till arrival: 1:58]

Waiting for two minutes up here isn't going to be a problem in the slightest. I smirk at the two below me. As I do, I watch them jump at me from where they are extremely fast. Pesticide launches Blue Chaos at me. It's almost too fast to react to, and I barely dodge the intricate aerial maneuver they produced. "I knew this wouldn't be that easy!" I'm not grateful that I left Sally outside. She would have been killed a long time ago. The little bit of time I had to summon Fenrir allowed my Savior of The Holy Willow Tree perk to heal my health pool to full. So I can take a few hits if they land some. I keep dodge as they are giving me no time to actually getaway.

My speed is locked at 60 since I'm in combat. They are moving at nearly the same speed. They are slowly overwhelming me, and every second I can dodge, it's a second that Fenrir gets closer. I slip up on a dodge, and I get a slash in the space between my wings. I can't control them since the pain in that area is too great. I fall to the ground hard, and the wind is knocked out of me. "The little bird's wings have been clipped..." They both speak the same sentence as I try to catch my breath and stand up. As I get to my feet, the assault begins again. They are just too fast for me to keep up, and I have no way of getting out of this.

I jump up from the middle of the assault to catch a breath. They follow and begin attacking me in the air as we all fall. I kick them both away and hit the ground hard on my back once again. I'm covered in my own blood, and I can barely breathe. My health is sitting low, and I know it. They slowly approach, knowing that I won't be able to resist death any longer. I feel a hot rage build within me. "I have not. Come this far. To die now." I stand on my feet and try to activate my skills, but I get a notification telling me skills have been locked as I do. This place isn't somewhere to get power. It's a place you come to die.

I feel a power filling me as my anger grows. I look behind me from the direction of the power filling me, and I see the stone pedestal transferring power to me. "Even with the help of the divine mana aura, it is not enough..." They speak at the same time as if being used by another. I try and draw more, and it works somewhat. I feel see some of the limits on my stats aren't so rough now. Fenrir will be here in less than 50 seconds. I bring my guard up and bring all my focus on surviving till he arrives. They charge me much faster this time. I dodge and weave. I retaliate with strikes and techniques. All of them are for naught, though.

I get thrown into the stone pedestal as I get hit by both of their kicks. I lean against it, just a few health points from permadeath. I draw more power from the divine mana aura in it as much as I can. It gives me enough health to keep fighting. I stand up, drenched in my own blood and stumbling to walk. "Is that all you got..." I try to sound confident, but all that comes out is a voice that sounds like it's on the edge of death, which is true. They speed towards me and impale their swords into me and make me stuck to the stone pedestal. "AAARRRGGG!!!" A smile creeps on their faces as I scream in agony. I smile back at them and eminence all hard work from my previous life and this one. I see a shadow descending on us, and a heavy impact knocks both Blue Chaos and Pesticide away. I see the counter and see the only reason I'm alive right now.

[Time till arrival: 0:00]

I look at the giant wolf with dark fur blowing in an invisible wind, the runic tattoos lining the fur and giving off an intimidating look. "You look like hammered shit Zern... Focus on absorbing the power coming from the stone. It's your only hope. I'll take care of these guys." I nod my head and watch him charge to the two. Instead of retaliating, they morph into one being and take on a different form. What I see is a powerful-looking demon, must be a monster from Fenrir's past. "You really walked into a shit storm, Zern!" I close my eyes as the power of the two creatures collides and rocks the area. I focus on absorbing the power, and I get a notification as I start doing so.

[Absorbtion completion: 7/100%]

[Explantaion: Achieve at least 50% absorption to get your divine mana aura.]

[Caution: The higher your absorption is above 50%, the more power you'll receive once you are done. Can't take any damage during the absorption process or it will be paused.]

[???: You are so close, Cera. Focus on absorbing 100%, don't go for the minimum. Go for the maximum. If you can get 100% absorption, you will get a control bonus of 5 percent, which is astronomical with a Divine Mana Aura. You can do it. I believe in you.]

I focus on the power filling me, and the noise and feel of the world drowns out. As I breathe and let the power fill me, the bar slowly rises. However, as the bar gets higher, the monster that Fenrir is fighting struggles to get to me. "Just focus on getting your strength, Cera! I can handle this freak easily!" I fully trust Fenrir as he continues to fight hard for me. I lull back into the numb silence and absorb the power. I'm so close to true power, more than I have ever seen or heard from a player in my old future. Now it's just being patient and slowly take power.