Bro, I'm not an Undead!-Chapter 1646: UP The Voltage! (1)
Surviving a blow with Zu’sse from a distance was one thing. It was only a few tiers above surviving the default pressure of the Zu’sse oozing out of its user.
A straight connecting blow was too vile of a thing to survive.
The Liches, the anomalies and the Deity realized it as soon as they smashed into each other and piled in place, positioned to be decimated with a single punch. The first thing that nailed them was a profound compression. Their body proportions skewed, becoming distorted and squashed as Quintess’ fist dropped on them.
...!!!
Boron, Fulgardt and Skullius were alarmed. That pressure alone made their Broader Existences cry out. The pressure tickled them from their very Divinity, intensifying by each tiny metric of condensed time that passed!
Panic spiraled violently and all the experts were galvanized into action.
Fulgardt gritted his teeth as his body broke down and managed to conjure great chains of darkness laced with Voided Death. Empowered by Limitless Paradox and [Just Light], they flashed faster than even he could comprehend, wrapped around Quintess’ neck, arms and legs, and attempted to draw him away.
’Fuck...’
The result was pathetic. The dark figure of Quintess resisted, disintegrating the chains immediately.
...But the sliver of time bought by the Immoral’s attempt allowed the Liches to go next.
’There goes my Contiguous Sap!’ thought Soizar, but with a wild fire in his sockets.
Then he and Souran mobilized at the same time:
Quasi Immors Soul Art, 33!
The effect was quicker than quick; it was abrupt. An ovular gateway forced its way in the great void above Aigas!
Its rim was a nest of all kinds of barbaric and refined Rune work. It might have been art. The glow over it expanded and swelled and...
VWAAAAAAAAA!
A viscous liquid, fuming and laced with a sickening red hue, flooded down, splashing over Aigas’ Rules first, Quintess second, and the bundled enemies last. It was derived straight from Deadmanland!
Aigas’ sky melted, frothing, and Quintess’ immense frame erupted in steam. The corrosive acid was effective even against worlds and Deities.
...But not against the current Quintess. It too barely had an effect, but it did stall the Deity slightly.
Fulgardt, Skullius and Boron were drenched in the horrendous acid as well, but it wasn’t effective on them either. In fact, it emboldened them further, even more so than their panic. Before the acid could cease flowing, the Nullinity’s Herald surged forth.
Enlightened and Benighted Ju`wtte exploded out of him, making way just as Quintess’ fist reached where he was (where everyone was).
’Bring it! I’m not dying here! Now now!’
A shuttle of Enlightened Ju`wtte zapped against Quintess’ fist, warping time for a millionth of a second – enough for Skullius to counter. He cocked back his arm as Benighted Ju`wtte wrapped around him, darkening his hand.
...And then he threw a full power straight punch at Quintess!
The size disparity between the two’s fists was hilarious, but the Sovereign of Refined Anarchy rendered the funny optics moot. A dark star, a throbbing ball of dark lightning emerged between the Quintess’ fist and Skullius’. It loosened wild flurries of Ju`wtte, transmitting a monstrous amount of kinetic energy to combat Quintess’ raw might.
The clash was epic.
...And Aigas couldn’t stand it. No world a common Deity could make was fit to bear such powers.
Aigas split in half. A clean line cut across land and ocean, and the world pulled against itself, one half off one direction, the other flying in the opposite trajectory.
But Quintess and Skullius remained locked in the clash within the darkness that remained – the great void.
BZZZZT!
BZZZZT!
Quintess was almost impressed. It was jarring staring into his enormous eyes, but Skullius withstood it.
...And then he lost miserably.
The dark star fizzled out, unable to match the power, and Skullius figure was blown back, elongating like a stroke of light straight into one half of Aigas. His arm folded back into his arm and his skin and innards seemed to trade places. Blood sprayed wantonly.
Skullius fell into the ocean, or what remained of it; the waters made falls, spilling into the void. It was chaos. But...
<NOW!> someone cried.
Luserus and Suzamete worked overtime.
They expended everything they had to reattach Aigas. Amras exploded from both halves of Aigas stitching it together, and in an instant, the world was whole again, the darkness of the great void expelled from its interior.
But Suzamete and Luserus were spent. They would not be able to perform a feat like this again, which was a problem, because Quintess still had every intent to kill his enemies, and in the exact same manner as last time.
DUUUUUUUUM!
This massive Deity’s feet fell on Aigas again.
<Zu’sse Perelinn!>
Skullius, Boron, Fulgardt and the Liches were violently pulled once more in Quintess’ direction. They crashed into each other as they approached; this time, Quintess meant to hit them as soon as they were within range. He didn’t wait, though. He flashed towards their bundled mass and hurled his fist at full force.
Everyone braced with each of their supposed solutions, but no one was sure.
...Except Boron.
<Heh...>
A Void rank halberd suddenly whipped from Quintess’ flank, catching him off guard. Listafelle, who had been watching for anything that would derail Quintess, only saw the weapon’s advance when it was inches from her partner and dived to his rescue way too late.
How the halberd had snuck up on Quintess without him sensing it... only Boron knew. It might have been because Quintess was so much larger now. Whatever the reason, Boron had parted with his halberd earlier in order to make this very moment a possibility.
Unlike Fulgardt’s chains or the Liches’ acid, the halberd wasn’t immediately destroyed upon encountering Quintess’ Zu’sse. It’s staggering speed slackened, though, so much so that by the time its tip sank into Quintess’ side, he managed to commit to getting out of the way. A Void rank Treasure was worth that reaction.
<Damn it!> Quintess’ head spun. A stabbing pain ratcheted through to his Broader Existence. Part of it was transmuted to stone!
Quintess lanced the halberd responsible with a vicious look when it landed kilometers away. The cracks that had already been on the halberd worsened.
<He got me.> the Deity scowled and turned back to all his enemies.
No one wasted the moment of respite.
The Liches called upon their remaining Death and Doom Knights.
Fulgardt eyed the lightning sparking from Skullius’ Ju`wtta and extended his hand towards it.
And Skullius, who was suddenly in Weaver’s hands, being whisked away, huffed in a breath. Red Rage, Ferex and Araeyn were trying their darndest to keep up, holding between them Nunax’s body.
Skullius reached out with his one good hand (the rest of him was still healing) and touched the Corrupted corpse.
"Apostle’s Liege..." he declared.
---
[Author’s Note]
For reference on what Contiguous Sap is, read Ch.1238.
TL;DR: Contiguous Sap is a substance required for motions in and out of Deadmanland by all Liches.
