"And that Rocky...is how Heroes are made" That's what Ravan said before disappearing, however, all Rocky saw were the God's lips moving as his sense of hearing was still in shambles.
For a moment he kept staring at his hands and the spot where his opponent had stood just moments ago as even he himself could not believe what had just transpired?
Did he, a tier-less fighter who had not even ascended past the floor 10 of the tower, just kill a lesser god?
Rocky could absolutely not believe it, as he kept blinking in disbelief.
"My lord! My lord! My lord!" Pope Cole said like a broken tape recorder as he jumped on to Rocky's feet, kissing them as if they were the most divine thing in the universe.
The Lich had been vanquished! Not by the great mage god Cassius. Not by the supposed strongest fighters of Earth, but by the Champion Of Gemini, the same guy whose role people questioned within the war council just a few days ago.
In this universe, everytime as one killed a beast or an opponent they accumulated corresponding Karma for that kill that strengthened one's soul.
To keep progressing through floors, it was recommended for a climber to kill as many beasts as they could, as often killing more beasts even if they were lower leveled, helped one gain more soul strength and eventually become strong enough to clear higher floors.
It was said that the greater the distance was between the strength of the individual being killed and the individual killing them, the more benefits one received, however, Rocky never experienced this phenomenon as profoundly as he did today.
After killing the Lich, Rocky felt something intangible within him change.
It was like energy was rapidly being delivered to every single cell in his body as his wounds and burns regenerated at an frightening pace.
[ Strongest System Notification - Warning! Warning! Warning!
EXP absorb patch is a system level 2 feature! The hosts current level is insufficient to absorb this volume of soul energy ]
Suddenly, the climbers of Earth that were struggling to hold their lines before, finally felt like they could push their opponents back instead, as a genuine counterattack, started to organically take place, turning the tide of the war on its head.
***********
( Meanwhile Cody )
Cody harbored doubts about Rocky's intentions as he watched him charge through the undead army with the Church of Gemini and the True Elites at his side.
Though Cody lacked faith in Rocky himself, he had faith in the discerning judgment of Pope Cole and Neatwit. As he called for a ceasefire in the blast zone, hoping fervently that they successfully achieved whatever they were planning.
Seeing God Cassius retreat from the battlefield twisted Cody's stomach with despair, convincing him that humanity's last chance had evaporated.
Yet, when Rocky achieved the impossible by defeating the Lich—a feat even Cassius had failed to accomplish—Cody felt as though he was witnessing a true miracle unfolding.
At that moment, Cody gripped his own grey hair and shook his head in disbelief as he had to rub his eyes thrice and pinch his own skin just to make sure he was not hallucinating.
"He did it..... Rocky.... No! The champion of Gemini really did it..... HAHAHAHA" Cody laughed like a madman, as that moment he too felt an intense urge to jump towards Rocky's feet and kiss them just like Paladin Patrik and Pope Cole were doing.
He was by no means a religious man who believed in miracles, yet as he saw Rocky killing the Lich with his own eyes, he suddenly felt as if the Gemini gods were truly looking over Earth.
While Cassius betrayed them, the Gemini Gods refused to abandon their devout believers in their time of need, sending their champion to vanquish a foe that could have destroyed their planet.
"Praise Gemini..... Praise Lord Ravan, Praise Lord Shakuni!..... I will never doubt your grace again-" Cody said as genuine tears of joy flowed down his cheeks.
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/// A/N - Bonus chapter for hitting the GT Target, good job everyone! ///