Chapter 201: Victory or Defeat

Chapter 201: Victory or Defeat

Sofia climbed a few steps. The low gravity was too weird for her, so she used [Bone dominus] to make her bone armor denser and heavier. It offered more protection but she usually didnt do it because it would slow her down too much. Now it was actually helping. When her weight felt about right, she started her ascension again.

Steps came, one after the other; there were no sounds other than her own heavy footsteps.

Looking up, Sofia could only see more stairs. How much higher is this going to go? No one answered her question, but a few steps later, she started to hear something.

Drums.

Sofia wasnt extremely familiar with instruments and music, but she had at least some basic knowledge from her time in Hooasow and Drakron. Her steps were accompanied by the distant sound of drums, at first they were quite slow, but the higher she climbed, the faster and louder they got. One more instrument joined, then another, and before long it was a whole orchestra that followed the rhythm of her steps.

Quite the welcome committee. Forget a skeleton musician, I need this orchestra

The melody was exhilarating, it made Sofia want to climb higher and faster. It made her want to fight. It made her blood boil.

Finally, she reached the top, and as she stepped out of the stair and onto the flat roof of the tower, she was welcomed by a sea of stars all around. The orchestra was a group of ghosts, there were tens of them spread around the tower. The music slowly stopped, only leaving behind the sound of a single melancholic harp.

Sofia felt the need to bow to the orchestra, but the other thing on the spires rooftop wouldnt let her do that.

Facing away from Sofia, sitting cross-legged at the center of the platform, was a single Orc wearing nothing but a golden crown and burlap shorts. Big, burly, green-skinned, with large facial fangs, Orcs were a rare sight, but not an unknown one.

Welcome, challenger, the Orc greeted without turning around. He stretched his arms one by one and stood up slowly, showcasing a three meters tall body with a musculature worthy of a martial God.

I guess the final floor is a one-on-one fight?

I am elated to have another challenger so soon. What is your name?

Sofia Aphenoreth.

The orc slowly turned around, revealing a scarred face with only one eye left. He looked over Sofia and grinned, One who walks with the outer Gods. Interesting. A spiked heavy plate armor formed around his body, the pieces appeared one by one and clamped together around him. Extending his right hand, a regular-looking longsword appeared in his grasp.

Sofia readied her spells.

I have long awaited for someone worthy of my crown, now come, challenger!

Two lines of system text appeared to Sofia at once, one as a prompt, one as an [Identify] result, and the ghostly orchestra flared up; the music started again, and the platform atop the spire expanded in all directions.

The Orc gave a final line before closing the visor of his helmet, which said it all.

I am Victory! Prepare yourself!

Sofias [Graveyard of the righteous] activated, graves sprouted all around the platform, and dozens of graveyard skeletons appeared around Victory, a literal swarm that he couldnt escape unless he grew wings. Mana gathered around his sword. Sofia reflexively gained some altitude. With a short war cry, the God spun on himself, only once, so fast that it almost looked like he hadnt moved. His sword, despite being quite short, left behind an arc of light all around him.

The graveyard skeletons all died and the skill was forcefully canceled. Holy-The scepter absorbed the backlash! The attack hadnt reached her, but it cut straight through both of Pareths legs.

Health :916 132 / 1 189 783

Sofia instantly used [Heal Undead], because the cut was so clean and with the help from [Bone dominus]s blessed construct, the legs were almost instantly healed, and Pareth regained a substantial amount of health. Though it was only for a third of a second, that small heal had cost Sofia more than fifteen thousand mana.

Health :979 337 / 1 189 783

Im already down to less than fifty thousand mana

The High-Priests spell finally activated, giving Pareth a great speed boost. While Victory was busy repelling the templars, Pareth struck. This was the first solid hit against Victory. A clean strike on the shoulder. It had slightly dented his armor.

This isnt going to work, is it?

Pareth being an obstacle in the Gods way was the only reason Sofia was still alive after so long. She ordered the Templars to go as far as possible while Pareth held the god back.

Each of the Orcs attacks sent Pareth reeling back, after a powerful strike, Pareths sword of light shattered. Before it could reform, the God threw his sword and grappled Pareth. Like guided by a spell, the sword spun and drew a wide Arc around Pareth, going after Sofia.

Pareth couldnt teleport with the God latched onto him. He summoned his [Flying shields of light] but they all shattered, not even slowing the sword down. Sofia flew up but the sword kept flying toward her, adjusting its trajectory.

[Collapse]

All the mana around the platform instantly collapsed into the ring, Sofia could hardly handle the recoil from such a violent surge of energy. She felt the mana rush through her, unconcerned that she was in the path, as the gluttonous ring devoured it all. The air emptied from mana was stale and dead, Sofia fell, her wings no longer supported by anything. The sword, having lost its connection to Victory, whizzed past far over Sofias head. Both Pareths, Sofias and Victorys magic armors had disappeared from the collapse, their mana absorbed into the ring.

The ambient mana was slowly coming back, just like the buried cathedrals petrification curse when Pareth purified an area of it, in less than a minute, it would be like nothing ever happened there.

The three Templars had been far away at the borders of the platform, channeling spells, they unleashed their [Light severance] in unison. The slashes of light were fast approaching the unarmored God. Victory let go of Pareth and deflected two of them with his bare hands, grabbing the ethereal slices of light and crushing them. He was about to deflect the third with an elbow blow, but was held back by Pareths [Chains of the four seals].

Victorys armor was already reforming over his body, but the slash hit him before, leaving a deep cut in his back in an explosion of green blood.

Sofia almost celebrated with a scream of joy, but she held back, focusing on charging her Angels bolt as fast as possible. The battle was far from over.

Victorys armor was almost fully reformed when he roared, it was an enraged war-cry, charged with mana. The Templars were pushed away by the pressure and sent flying off of the platform, never to be seen again, and Sofias cast was interrupted as she struggled not to suffer the same fate. She felt blood accumulate in her mouth, the simple shockwave from the shout had been enough to injure her; she had lost about a fifth of her health. Even Pareth, who was recovering from his dispelled armor and shattered weapon, was destabilized by the shout.

Victory flashed forward and punched Pareths unprotected spine. Pareth couldnt defend properly, he teleported away to Sofia, but too late.

Only his upper body arrived at his destination.

Health :453 690 / 1 189 783