Adam frowned as he picked up the dark ring and stored Helel's remains in his magic cube. Of course, he didn't forget to absorb its essence first, gaining eight thousand units.
His blood pumped, and euphoria made his clenched fists tremble. After all, he had achieved a great victory using his new masteries. But Helel's warning and uncommon behavior still echoed in his mind.
'It almost seemed relieved to die.' He scratched his head as he walked to the inferno. 'And the next eldritch would be trouble if it hadn't lied. I'm so fed up with their abilities to negate my essence.'
His eye narrowed before the inferno, the raging crackling accompanying his thoughts and its blaze casting dancing shadows on his face.
'Should I spend time to reach level ninety and evolve my blade?'
Knowing about the exit resolved many things.
Now, he just had to ensure his survival and snuff his excitement. But thinking about the exit in the seventh layer... Didn't Helel's story hide something quite vexing since the last of them never needed to adapt?
"Doesn't it mean this bastard didn't leave any remnant behind?" His lips twisted. After all, would he do it for fun or just to copy the others? Well, perhaps if he wanted to leave a mark of his existence in the abyss, but chances were low.
The question echoed in his mind before he shook his head. He'd find out, eventually. The inferno came first...
He plunged his arms inside, tongue of flames roaring a wrathful threat. Yet, he smirked defiantly through the smoke rising from his sizzling skin as he watched the fire slither to his crevices.
The familiar battle between his body and the remnant followed, chaos devouring and assimilating the flame.
He shuddered, sweat glistening on his face and knowledge rushing to his mind until the crackling receded and the red light vanished.
His fists tightened, a deep exhale leaving his curling lips.
"Weaponising passion into destructive power?"
A notification rang to echo his words.
[You've assimilated the Remnant: The Inferno of Wrath. Powerful emotions increase your flames' power. Mastery over explosive flames achieved.]
Images of plasma storms filled his mind—the ability of the original Helel at its peak—and made him smile.
"250 years... I hope the next one will cover the missing mastery." His eye blazed as he lunged to the sky, his delighted laughter piercing the crater's depths. "I'll soon rain plasma on those fools. Hahaha!"
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He spiralled out in a scarlet blur, his wings stretching out under the dark sky before he bolted down.
Any abyssal spawn he met was reduced to fuel for his power. Mounds of smoldering carcasses rose behind him as kill notification accompanied the bloody path he carved.
Three months later, he cleansed the sixth layer of any lifeforms, gaining another level before he did the same on the second.
However, he cursed when he reached level ninety. The experience requirement had increased again, and it was no joke this time... he needed twice the previous level.
"Is it because I stepped into the gods' realm?"
He pondered, his lips twisted. Even if his tier didn't correspond and his evolution path was far from finished, his level indeed reached theirs.
A sigh escaped his lips. Only high-tiered bosses could fuel his progress now. The rest was just a waste of time and mindless killing. Well, at least his blade finally evolved today.
He studied its refined appearance, his eye reflecting the divine, infernal, arcane, and chaotic glows dancing along its edges. They seeped into the surroundings, deforming the air and reality to paint them with their colors.
As he rejoiced at the potent improvement he felt, its stat panel burst in radiant lights before him, hovering proudly as if defying him to find a better weapon. He chuckled, doubting he could.
Rarity: Divine-??? (upgradable)
Level requirement: 90/100
Strength: +20->40% of base strength
Agility: +20->40% of base agility
Energy Resistance: +60->70%
Divine Blade: +75->100% damage to undead, demons, and infernal entities.
Infernal Edge: +75->100% damage to celestial beings, holy wards, and divine creatures.
Chaos Mediator: Grants immunity to energy disruption.
The abilities lasted twice as long, too. But the most important thing was that it could still evolve. Weren't the divine and infernal grades the pinnacle of creation?
However, he rolled his eyes after reading the evolution requirements. "Kill 10 gods..."
He dismissed any notion of upgrade in the short term. Instead, he turned to the horizon. Everything he could do to prepare had been done, and now he would kill the beast Helel had warned him about.
His wings flapped, his body cutting through the abyss' icy wind as he gave his outrageous stats a quick check—94.876 in strength and agility.
Though high and exhilarating, his eye narrowed in focus as the ruined city entered his sight. He wouldn't underestimate his adversary because of mere numbers, not when it towered like a twisted mountain of muscles.
His breath hitched in his throat, and his pupil trembled. This was just too much. Even Surtr and Baal didn't reach half its size! When he added the writhing tentacles and the sharp blade-like bones protruding from the oily, pale skin, he felt like he stood before the most horrible sea horror that had ever existed.
How could he kill this abyssal titan without his flames when he was less than an ant—a speck of dust compared to it?
As doubts clawed at his determination, a soft glow coming from the creature's mouth caught his attention.
Green heat wafted through its jagged teeth as if the creature had swallowed the flame to protect it.
'Shit. I can't even try to steal it...' He pinched the bridge of his nose, his teeth cracking in frustration. 'I'll cut your stomach open to retrieve it if that's what I need to do!'
Determination roared in his veins, the thrill of combat and the desire to master plasma overwhelming his doubts. With a flap, raging gales burst behind as he blurred like a comet.