Chapter 196: Reconvening before the final assault.

Chapter 196: Reconvening before the final assault.

I spent the last two days testing the limits of [Dark pursuer], pushing the skill to its extreme. BY letting it copy each of my skills at least once, I wanted to see which skills it synergised with and which ones were less effective. Without going into an excessive amount of detail, I came to the conclusion that my offensive skills got the largest increase in power when they were copied.

Sword arcs were larger and flew for longer, more explosive orbs were summoned than I thought possible when the elemental copied [Overloaded orbs] and even [Breaking swipe] saw a large improvement. Above all others, [Sword laser] was the most dangerous skill I could let the pursuer copy.

Technically the evolved version of [Sword arc], letting this skill be copied meant that the elemental would be capable of using both. Unfortunately, it wasnt using them in a very tactical way. I had asked Ash to act as a target for a bit, hoping that the summon would learn as the battle continued, but was left disappointed.

The pursuer acted like an enraged beast, with no regard for timing or rhythm. Instead, it brutishly attempted to smash its opponents. Only when that didnt work would it escalate to its copied skills. Thankfully, there were upsides to the whole ordeal, too. That aforementioned empowerment, for example, increased the size and power of every skill, even the defensive ones.

As an experiment, I had let the pursuer copy [Dark embodiment] one time. The result had been astounding, since the empowered version of my most powerful skill made the elemental almost invincible.

Ash had unleashed all of his skills and tricks on the beast, to no avail. Every attack that took of a limb was ignored, said limb being replaced by an identical replacement within a second. Apparently, the replacement limbs that [Dark embodiment] provided were the exact same thing as the dark pursuers natural body, making the distinction pointless. On top of that, the pursuers strength and speed rose drastically with this skill copied, making it a legitimate threat, even to a tier 5, borderline tier 6 like Ash.

Unfortunately, I wasnt sure whether I would ever use this skill synergy in battle. [Dark embodiment] had kept me alive throughout all of my struggles, always giving me a chance to fight another day. Without it, I felt naked. The threat of death became far more distinct with the skill deactivated. Feeling pain after all this time reminded me of the danger that most other people faced on a daily basis. I wasnt sure if taking this risk was worth it, when there were other skills for the pursuer to copy. For now, I decided to think of it as a last resort. A tool for ambush, perhaps.

With that finished, my time in the between lands was swiftly coming to an end. It had been nice to see how the balance of this place had shifted during my time away, but unfortunately, there was a pressing matter that needed all of my attention. After a swift goodbye to the generals and grumpy dismissal from the dry man, the time to depart had arrived.

I pulled out the long-distance transmitter that Dalius people had loaned me and pushed some mana into it, activating the contraption. Mere moments later, a mirror-like portal had appeared, eagerly awaiting my arrival. I gave my friends a final wave, before stepping back into Dalius camp. As I did so, I also metaphorically re-emerged in the escalating conflict that was occurring in Alterian.

---

It took a few more days for Emeri to join me, her own dungeon delve taking a bit longer than expected. Seeing her again, however, I noticed that her presence had become a lot more heavy, so to speak. My mana sense allowed me to feel far more mana gathered around her than before. For a moment, I wondered whether she, too, had advanced to the next tier.

How did it go? I asked after a short greeting. She gave me a small smile, standing a little straighter and giving away how proud she actually felt about her progress.

Not bad, Id say. Im level 83 now. You? she asked, a competitive glint in her eyes.

I would have felt even worse for her if my own experience hadnt been so wrought with difficulties and hurdles. In the end, we had both overcome our respective challenges, though. With our newfound power, we stood a larger chance of succeeding in conquering the final two statues. Worse came to worse, we would be able to escape with our lives intact.

Emeri and I caught up some more, as I described my week in the between lands. Initially, she was hesitant about the friends I had made there. In her mind, those with a dark affinity were usually more than a bit insane at best, and horrific murderers at worst. While that rang true for the most part, I was reasonably confident that the dry man and his generals wouldnt succumb to their mental weaknesses. At least not in the near future. To be fair, admitting otherwise would be quite difficult for me, as I would have to start second-guessing myself, as well.

Thankfully, Emeri was happy to give them the benefit of the doubt, saying that her adoptive father had always taught her that blind justice was no justice at all. As Emeri described it, that meant that she would withhold judgement until she met them herself. A part of me was relieved to hear it, though I hid the loss of tension well.

An hour or so later, Emeri and I were called to the command tent, where a map of Alterian had been spread out. Five spots on the map were highlighted, of which three had already been crossed out. The final two, the locations of the two final statues, shone with a dull light.

Youve returned. Dalius greeted, not looking up from the map.

How is the situation, Dalius? Were ready to strike whenever. Emeri assured him.

Not good, Im afraid. Their defences have only slightly waned over the duration of your time away. We expect heavy resistance at both locations. To make matters worse, one of the cardinals has taken interest in this case and is personally supervising their defences. If we strike either of the two locations, theres a chance that even the pope might become involved. At that point, well be left without options.

Emeri sputtered, thinking of anything to say to change this grim outlook.

So what are you trying to say? That were done? That its over? That our efforts were for nought?!

Im saying- Dalius interrupted her, That I can only see one path forward.

And what is that path? I asked, before Emeri could protest.

Dalius breathed in deeply, sighing.

We have to hit both locations at once.