Bro, I'm not an Undead!-Chapter 1637: Liches, Gods and Deviants! (8)
There were forces invisible even to the Deific eye. One of them was Zu’sse.
Amras was pouring in torrential droves from Quintess, but no one could see it. They only felt its outrageous effect. It felt like bloodlust and the very idea of refinement and immensity given tangible form. It refused to reflect light, hence turning Quintess into a dark, uneven humanoid monstrosity bare on the world.
His intensity was crushing. It was hard to parse for the average Divine or the average Arch-Lich. It was like attempting to contain a waterfall with a wine glass. The senses – even Divine ones – were incapable of it. That was why many faltered and buckled to their knees. The effect was even worse upon direct contact. A Deity who had mastered Zu’sse was exponentially more dangerous than one who hadn’t.
Quintess did not relish in the feeling of superiority, though.
He noticed how the shuddering soul of the Doom Knight from just now was starting to regenerate its flesh, however wonkily. That shouldn’t have been possible.
<The Arch-Lich...> thought Quintess, and he acted at once.
A breath later, he had his hand tenderly pressed against the Doom Knight’s soul. There was an intimidate amount of distance between the two – a lethal action.
The creature’s soul might have been smacked by a calamitous wind. It eroded violently, its body arching back. The damage reached in Broader Existence in a flash... and it perished.
This was the second Deity-level enemy to fall on Aigas today, but this time, it was a spectacle. However swift it seemed, the process was violent, so violent in fact that the strain it weighed on Kenno’s purpose as an anchor.
Quintess’ gentle attack on the Doom Knight unleashed such a sudden and absurd jolt of power that broke apart the conduit around Kenno and his connection to it. This, in addition to the invisible pressure of Quintess’ Zu’sse, broke the Unlimited Star and almost immediately, Deific Usurper was dispelled.
The blotches scrolling all over the world, the Secondary assault function and Skullius’ immense reserves of Amras vanished all at once.
The Imperial Territory was no more... and there couldn’t have been a worse time for that. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂
Without the staggering Amras and invincibility, Skullius too was bombarded by the invisible pressure of Quintess’ Zu’sse.
...!!!
Blood sprayed violently from his facial orifices and his mind thundered and spun as though struck by a godly hammer.
’What the... heck?!’ the Sovereign thought.
But his worries were far from over. He and Souran had been embroiled in intense combat right then, and his defenses had fallen at the best time for the Arch-Lich. She made contact with Skullius and unleashed the wrath of the ninth form of the Quasi Immors Soul Arts!
Her foggy grey hand infected Skullius with a terrible, reddish black hue upon contact. It was a plague – an Undeathly one. The sick side of the Existential Parallel was weaponized into a disease, much like the Warmoth’s Cold Oblivion – the poison stowed away with the Pestilent Vault!
’This...!’
A version of Skullius from an hour ago would have had his whole body (except the special bone from his waist and legs) compromised at once, which would have cost him the battle as a whole, but because the current Skullius had learned to manipulate his Null Life Essence much, much better as a result of his earlier use of [Bringer of All], he responded quickly enough.
Null Life Essence surged to the spot Souran had touched, limiting the infection to a manageable range. It was a hard fight, though, since Skullius was prepping for something significant involving Null Life Essence. And while he was preoccupied with this and the obnoxious effects of Quintess’ Zu’sse, Souran clapped her hands over her head and smashed them down on Skullius!
The great blow sent the Sovereign falling right into close range with Quintess, where the effects of his Zu’sse curled his skin, pulled him from the inside, and hammered at his consciousness.
"AARRRRRGH!"
What was this feeling of helplessness – of being completely overwhelmed by something that even Null Life Essence couldn’t counter?
It was new and unbearable. It undulated even at this distance, feeding into both space and Skullius like a virus.
But if it was this bad for the Sovereign...
’Kenno!’ Skullius thought with alarm, and made to try and do something, but he failed. Strength left him inexplicably. It was though his body was lulled into a false sense of ’rest.’
Souran scoffed, barely allowing himself to take pleasure in Skullius’ pain. It was only now that she paid her full focus towards Quintess and his Zu’sse.
’This might as well be Direction telling me to reign in my greed. Why is it that I have to find a Deity who’s mastered Zu’sse when I’m close to High Lich-hood?’ she thought.
As much as she complained, however, Souran would have been lying if she claimed she wasn’t excited.
She and everyone else could at least celebrate freedom now, after all, the Imperial Territory, Deific Usurper, was gone.
As it happened, Quintess was the first to celebrate this freedom. Instead of immediately striking down Skullius and Soizar, he restored himself back to his full size. He towered over all, gargantuan and mighty.
...And his Zu’sse intensified just as much.
"ARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHH!" Skullius roared in agony.
Souran retreated a distance into the sky and summoned Soizar up with the nineteenth Quasi Soul Art form.
Listafelle also restored herself to her great size... as did Boron.
Suzamete’s warning to him was still ringing in his head.
Give up, she said.
Run away, she said.
She was looking down on him.
Did she not realise that he had challenged Quintess knowing that he had mastered Zu’sse?
<That’s it, Parrhaya.> said Boron. <That’s the way. Hold your head up high. That will make it all the easier when I chop it off.>
Suddenly, everyone else seemed inconsequential again. Only the Deities mattered.
<You really intend to take my head, do you?>
Quintess’ voice sounded bolder. Each syllable fell on the weak like a rockslide.
Boron winced as the pressure began getting to him as well.
Unlike Doom Knights, who were discredited from most of the benefits that came with being a living Deity, living Deities, especially powerful ones, could stand being in the same presence as a Zu’sse user, at least for a while.
<Choose your next words, wisely, Ciumin.>
Boron grinned even as he began curling to his knees. <Oh, I will.>
He too was a genius.
