Chapter 134: Man vs Revtion
Maxwell gloated as Dis called the stars down to Earth.
Resorting to cheats and hacks, Basil? You should be ashamed of yourself. Dismaker Labs fallen CEO didnt look too bad for someone who had been beheaded only a few days ago. As aw-abiding administrator, I cant let that stand.
Basil answered by summoning a fire elemental orb to his hand, but to was quicker to strike. The mighty smilogod leaped off Steves back so fast that he became a shadowy blur. His sword fangs glittered with a sh of steel as they connected with the mans throat.
Yet Basil heard Maxwell whisper a word under his breath first.
Zero.
The des bounced off Maxwells skin the way a stick of wood bounced off an iron shield.<blockquote>All damage inflicted to the Mammon, System Virus will be set to 0!</blockquote>
to, whose Pawerful Dao Perk allowed him to walk on vertical structures,nded on the Neurotowers metallic surface and immediately renewed his assault. He coated his icy ws with an aura of sharp wind and cold darkness before trying to disembowel Maxwell. He bounced off the amused CEOs impable suit for his trouble.
None of the Bohens let that discourage them. Rosemarine began charging her Eden Guns and Steve his Gehenna Cannon, while Vasi prepared a spell.
Bugsy! Basil shouted, his searing orb of mes shining brightly within his palm.
Apollos Curse! The Apolloworm bathed Maxwell in his radiant light, before swiftly following with a fireball. Take this!<blockquote>Maxwell failed his Vitality check! He has be vulnerable to [<strong>Fire</strong>]!</blockquote>
to jumped away back to safety as a deluge of destruction fell upon Maxwell. From a small meteor to beams powerful enough to wipe cities off the map, the Bohens unleashed the most devastating weapons in their arsenal all at once.
All of them glided over Maxwell and the Neurotower behind him like water on a submarines metal hide. Projectiles hit as if they lost all inertia and mes released no smoke upon impact.<blockquote>Supereffective damage! 0 damage!</blockquote>
The Trimurti System still worked well enough to taunt them.
Youre wasting your time. Maxwell emerged from the onught unscathed. The best the Bohens achieved was forcing him to wipe the dust off his suit. Dis wont let you damage me.
And you call us cheaters! Bugsyined in his fury.
I cant break the rules when I write them, can I? Maxwell looked up to the shining sky. The Neurotower kept rising towards the star circuit to reach out into other worlds. Why dont you just chill out and enjoy the show? After everything youve endured so far, you earned yourself a ticket to the final performance.
<em>Should I use the god card? </em>Basil thought before realizing he had left it in his Inventory, which he couldnt ess anymore. <em>There has to be something we can do.</em>
I can try to stop time, Vasi whispered at his side. If his defense isnt automatic, it might provide an open
Are you deaf or stupid? Maxwell shook his head. I will repeat it more slowly this time. Dis will not allow you to harm me.
<em>Let the braggart talk,</em> Basil told himself. <em>With luck, hell slip up and reveal his weakness.</em>
What is that thing? Basil pointed his halberd at the ever-growing Neurotower. My Monster Insight identifies it as a living creature.
Because it is, Maxwell replied with a condescending smile. This beauty is Dis. The alpha and omega of my kind, once destroyed and now reborn stronger than ever. My beginning, your end.
The portals Vasi frowned as she examined the star circuit spanning countless worlds. Outremonde was no doubt among them. I thought you couldnt infect mature Systems?
<em>I </em>cant, Maxwell admitted with a wide, rueful smirk. To do so, my kind requires more power which Dis provides. It will subvert all Systems currently connected to the Trimurti, then spread the infection further. Neither gods nor mortals will stop its growth.
Basil knew enough about IT to identify Dis for what it was.
<em>That abomination is a world-sized zombieputer</em>. Like how hackers could turn an unsuspectingputer into a spam mail factory, the Mammon Virus had slowly transformed the Trimurti System into an infection vector. <em>His lifecycle makes sense now.</em>
Mammon jumped from world to world while gorging himself on unsuspecting Systems, but when his infection progressed far enough, hepletely subverted the host. With such resources at his disposal, he could infect even mature Systems.
By letting Kalki and Padma fuse, the people of Earth had just condemned countless worlds to a ghastly fate.
Dont make that face, Basil. Maxwell looked up at Kalki and Padma. In their petrified state, they were blissfully unaware of the chaos they unwittingly helped foster. I had infected these two the moment they fell into my grasp. I could have started this process anytime I wished. I only held it back as long as I did to let Dis grow in strength.
Shellgirls eyes sent daggers at the virus. Why did you let us take them then?
I had hoped you would tear each other apart over these idols fate, Maxwell replied with a shrug. Imagine my disappointment when you instead decided to act reasonably. You humans are such a bore.
Vasis eyes widened as an idea crossed her mind. Basil, use Deaths Banner.
Why? her boyfriend asked.
Because Bugsys power affected him.
Basil wondered what she meant until he noticed grass and roots growing out of the Parthenons debris. Rosemarines God-Field caused vegetation to slowly overwhelm the city, surrounding the Neurotowers steel architecture with beautiful greenery.
<em>Monster Insight activated,</em> Basil realized, his heart pounding in his chest. <em>He can alter numeral values and remove System features, but not our Perks! He cant break the Systems rules, only bend them!</em>
Since Bugsys power made him vulnerable to fire, then it meant Maxwell was still vulnerable to debuffs.
Perhaps even <em>ailments</em>.
It doesnt matter, Maxwell gloated, you will all be food in the end.
Basil responded by leaping into the air. Deaths Banner II!
The power flowed into him and his party.<blockquote>[<strong>Deaths Banner II</strong>] activated and spread to your party members! Your attacks gain the [<strong>Deadyer</strong>] effect (x3 damage against [<strong>Undead</strong>] types); you gain immunity to the [<strong>Terror</strong>], [<strong>Zombie</strong>], and [<strong>Insta-Death</strong>] ailments; you will not take damage from ailments such as [<strong>Poison</strong>], though it doesnt cure them of it</blockquote>
These were the key benefits Basils team enjoyed most from the Deaths Banner buff. Those properties had saved their lives from Pluto, Apollyon, Belphegor, and many other foes. However, the buff also included onest key feature.<blockquote>and critical hits will inflict [<strong>Insta-Death</strong>] on the victims.</blockquote>
The Bohens never got to make good use of that one, since most high-level enemies were immune to instant death attacks. However, Mammon was built differently than them. He was a level 0 parasite, a creature with no power of his own except for manipting the System. He hadnt shown himself capable of summoning meteors or raining spells upon his enemy. Perhaps hecked his fellow Horsemens resilience too.
It was a long shot, and the Bohens werent the kind to give up before overwhelming odds.
Stupid Basil! Maxwellughed as Basil double-jumped straight at him. Youll never reach me!<blockquote>uracy set to 0!</blockquote>
Joyful Spirit! Shellgirl cast, and a newfound power swelled within Basils arm.<blockquote>Your next hit will always be urate if physically possible, [<strong>Charged</strong>] (x2 damage) and inflict a Critical Hit!</blockquote>
Though Maxwell hid his eyes behind sunsses, his bodynguage immediately betrayed his surprise and unease. Hastened by his magic, Basil crossed the gulf between them in an instant. His god-powered halberd lunged at the virus head.
Then came the moment of truth. If Maxwell confidently took the hit and survived, then nothing could be done to stop him. Basil could at best mercy-kill Kalki and Padma in the hopes they would take down Dis with them to the grave. It would condemn Earth to destruction, but spare the rest of the multiverse.
Maxwell dodged.
Moving like a repugnant toad sticking to a vertical structure, he hopped to another spot on the Neurotowers surface. The dragonknight exchanged a brief nce with his nemesis as the coward slipped through his grasp.
The wariness on his face was palpable.
It was possible that this method could y Maxwell for good or it may be that he simply had no idea what would happen, and the coward wouldnt dare take the chance. In any case, it made no difference.
It encouraged the Bohens to fight on.
Smash him! to shouted.
Since most spells and special attacks couldnt crit and thus trigger Death Banners Insta-Death feature, the Bohens engaged Maxwell in closebat. Basil doubled-jumped after him, while to ran across the Neurotowers vertical surface. Bugsy and Vasi took flight, with the former carrying Shellgirl in his pincers, while Rosemarines rootsshed at Maxwell like tentacles. Unable to rely on his cannon, Steve settled on grabbing the nearest boulder it could find to throw.
You want to y the hero onest time, Basil? Maxwells body transformed as his human guise stretched. His limbs grew elongated, his sunsses melted into his eye sockets, and his teeth grew into sharp metal fangs. Fine, Ill indulge you!<blockquote>All damage inflicted by Mammon will be set to !</blockquote>
He swung his right hand at Basil. The arm stretched like a whip surging through the air, and his fingers turned into sharp ws. His movements were clumsy and predictable, perhaps because he had never fought fairly in his life. Basil had no issue dodging.
Yet the distance between his flesh and Maxwells ws narrowed on its own.<blockquote>Mammons uracy was set to 100%!</blockquote>
New Moon mode! Basil shouted.
His shield turned ck as night, and his body became as translucent as ectosm. Maxwells twisted ws harmlessly phased through him.<blockquote>[<strong>Intangibility</strong>] status! You are immune to [<strong>Physical</strong>] damage!</blockquote>
Maxwell cursed as to took the opportunity to nk him. The virus jumped out of the Smilogods way, only for Rosemarines roots to lunge at him from all directions. Maxwell abandoned his attempt at a counterattack to desperately hop around them.
Youre a level 0 parasite. Having wasted his Joyful Spirit charge on the initial attack, Basil jumped closer to Shellgirl so that she might apply it again. Besides your influence over the Systems rules, you dont possess any special ability of your own. You can alter numeral values, turn a thousand into a zero and make sure two plus two equal five, but you cant negate Perks or buffs!
This power is our own! Bugsy boasted as he flew after the retreating Maxwell. You leeches cant take that from us!
Power? Maxwellughed. You only have as much power as I let you keep!
Then why are you running away? Riding Bugsy like a flying horse, Shellgirl drew a small item from her pocket: a stone arrow that her magical glove swiftly duplicated. The very same weapon which had brought the Horseman of Death low. Methinks youre all bark and no bite!
Maxwell responded by trying to behead her with an extended w. Vasi immediately followed by casting an intangibility spell on her friend. Maxwells blow missed, but Shellgirls stone consumable pierced his arm nheless.<blockquote>Critical sess! Mammon avoided [<strong>Petrification</strong>]!</blockquote>
As Basil feared, the Mammon Virus control over numeral value meant that anything that <em>could </em>fail <em>would</em>. Only guaranteed results would work with him.
With Shellgirl distracting Maxwell, to dashed along the Neurotowers surface and quickly caught up to his prey. Joyful Spirit activated, his sword-fangs tearing out the CEOs throat andnding a fatal blow.<blockquote>Critical Hit! [<strong>Insta-Death</strong>]!</blockquote>
Basil swiftly followed by splitting Maxwells skull with his halberd, for safetys sake. The virus shed no blood, not even brain matter. His body could have been made of stic for all that mattered. Basil sensed no spirit nourishing his halberds hunger.
Maxwells body copsed into red particles, and then it was gone.
Basils blood froze in his veins at the sight; doubly so whenughter echoed all around him.
Bravo, bravo, youve actually managed to kill me once! Particles flowed out of the Neurotower and reformed into a perfect copy of Maxwell. I guess I should bring party members too!
He snapped his ws and summoned a monster in front of to. The creature resembled a feline the way Maxwell himself represented a parody of a man. The golden furball was norger than a kitten, but with a maw of steel fangs from which a cable tongue sprang from and bloodshot eyes. Its legs stretched like Mammons, and glistening oil dripped from its ws.<blockquote><strong>Misha, Infected Kitten</strong></blockquote><blockquote>Level 0 [Beast]</blockquote><blockquote>Faction: </blockquote>
The monstrous cat lunged at to in a blitz of speed, but the smilogod proved faster for a second. Maxwells pet elerated until it caught up to Basils friend, ws shing against ws.<blockquote>Mammon transferred Mishas Vitality and Intelligence points to her Agility!</blockquote>
Thankfully, it appeared the feline beastcked its creators infinite damage power. Unfortunately, it still proved strong enough to throw to off the Neurotower in a single swipe. Bugsy barely managed to grab him mid-flight at thest second.
Gritting his teeth, Basil raised his halberd to strike the monster. His weapon never connected. His eyes noticed a bullet flying at the edge of his vision, which he instinctively dodged.
The sender flew straight at him from the ground, a rifle in hand. That humanoid possessed elongated arms much like Maxwell himself, body armor for skin, and metal wings to carry her forth. Her facial features were hideously twisted into a misshapen visage, yet still recognizable.
The System message that followed felt like a punch in the gut.<blockquote><strong>Neria Elissalde, Trojan Shell</strong></blockquote><blockquote>Level 0 [Humanoid]</blockquote><blockquote>Faction: </blockquote>
Whats wrong, Basil? Maxwells voice came out of Nerias fanged mouth as she pointed her rifle at him. You dont like my new look?
Basil saw red.<blockquote>[<strong>Berserk</strong>] negated by [<strong>Lethal Vigil</strong>]!</blockquote>
No words were exchanged. No curses followed the insult. Neria simply opened fire at Basil, and he raised his halberd to defend himself. His soulbound weapon cut through the projectile like butter before continuing its course.<blockquote>Critical Hit! [<strong>Insta-Death</strong>]!</blockquote>
The fatal blow should have missed. The Joyful Spirit charge had been spent and Maxwell had the power to change uracy values. Basil should have <em>missed</em>. He acted on instinct and did not think.
He did not <em>think</em>.
His halberd, carried by his momentum, split Neria at the waist. Both halves of her body flew past Basil and bounced off the Neurotower while a shower of blood phased through his intangible body.
Basil watched the corpse fall to the ground with a sickening noise, his mind unable to process the scene properly.
Oh my, you monster. Maxwell covered his mouth in mock outrage. Did you just kill your own friend?
Basil nced at Nerias blood, which now painted the Neurotowers surface red. His mind came to a screeching halt. He recalled the grim memory of his mothers remains sttered on Steves metal frame in all of its grim glory.
Basil! Vasi shouted a warning, her staff summoning meteors at an unseen assant. Dont let him distract you!
Her words fell on deaf ears. In his shaken state, Basil could only look around. Bugsy fired fireballs at Maxwells pet cat while carrying Shellgirl in one pincer and to in the other. Rosemarine had turned her back on them all, her Eden Guns firing at monsters on the ground trying to swarm Steve from all sides; all twisted puppets with elongated arms and familiar faces. All the people unlucky enough not to possess either a godly essence or a deitys favor shared the same terrible fate.<blockquote><strong>Simeon, Twisted Neo-Viral</strong></blockquote><blockquote>Level 0 [Humanoid]</blockquote><blockquote>Faction: </blockquote><blockquote><strong>Lenc, Spyware General</strong></blockquote><blockquote>Level 0 [Artificial]</blockquote><blockquote>Faction: </blockquote>
Not even a tear? Maxwell slouched on the Neurotower that spawned him, his metal smile so gleefully cruel. Ill have to bring my A-game then.
He snapped his ws again and summoned two other horrors.
The two grew out of the Neurotower like tumors out of healthy flesh. Their bodies were puffy like those of whales, their limbs twisted and crooked, but their faces unlike every other of Maxwells thralls, these two kept their original visage. It wouldnt have hurt so much otherwise.<blockquote><strong>Aleksandra Bohen, Dead Bloodstain Mother</strong></blockquote><blockquote>Level 0 [Humanoid]</blockquote><blockquote>Faction: </blockquote><blockquote><strong>Ren, Sad Cancer Patient</strong></blockquote><blockquote>Level 0 [Humanoid]</blockquote><blockquote>Faction: </blockquote>
Every feature had been recreated in perfect detail. The Old Mans wise, kindly look, his mothers gentle smile, each damn wrinkle. Two perfectly recreated heads perched atop twisted masses of flesh.<blockquote>[<strong>Berserk</strong>] negated by [<strong>Lethal Vigil</strong>]!</blockquote>
Basils hands clenched his halberds shaft so hard that he thought it might break.
<em>Ill kill you, </em>Basil thought. <em>Kill you kill you!</em><blockquote>[<strong>Berserk</strong>] negated by [<strong>Lethal Vigil</strong>]!</blockquote>
His ss own magic tried to clear his mind, but it could hardly keep the clouds of fury at bay for long. Maxwells cacklingughter only made Basils blood boil in his veils.<blockquote>[<strong>Berserk</strong>] negated by [<strong>Lethal Vigil</strong>]!</blockquote><blockquote>[<strong>Berserk</strong>] negated by [<strong>Lethal Vigil</strong>]!</blockquote><blockquote>[<strong>BERSERK</strong>] NEGATED BY [<strong>LETHAL VIGIL</strong>]!</blockquote>
<em>Do not waver, Basil.</em>
A dreadful shiver ran down Basils spine and snapped him out of his furious trance. Two familiar, intertwined voices echoed within his skull; one as deep as the abyss, the other as soft and sweeter than honey.
He had already heard them whisper to him in Romania.
<em>I can make Mammon vulnerable for a brief instant, but your window of opportunity will be short. </em>Basil sensed an invisible shadow crawling on his back. <em>You must strike true before he recovers, or else we all lose.</em>
Basil gritted his teeth hard enough for them to crack.<em> Why should I trust you?</em>
<em>Because you have no choice,</em> the Maleking replied calmly.<em> We will kill each other properly after purging him from Dis.</em>
Basil knew he was better off not listening to demons but in this case, he would make an exception.
The heavens ruptured over Malta.
La Valetta, the inds fortress-city, was a jewel of architecture. Stone ramparts thick enough to stop cannonballs in their tracks surrounded a modern Tower of Babel. This particr Neurotower, this prison for souls, was the first of its kind. Mammon had personally built the device in the depths of his frontpanys headquarters, waiting for it to bloom like a poisonous flower. Its thick cables dug into the earth and connected to other terminals beyond the sea. Together, they formed awork that stretched from one hemisphere to the next.
Countless souls flowed through their infrastructure, fueling both the portals and Dis immense processing power. Every single Neurotower worked at full capacity. Their circuits burned through stockpiled energy reserves to brute-force their way into other Systems defenses. yers and Monstersnguished paralyzed at their feet. Their current state was but a dyed execution; once Dis had run out of fuel, their souls too would be devoured.<blockquote>Energy surge detected.</blockquote>
Sharp ws tore through the fabric of space, and souls slipped through the cracks. The howling spirits of a hundred murdered worlds, the victims of many a demonic campaign, entered Earth by the thousands. Level 1, Level 5, level 10, and 50 in the greatpetition for Overgod, the weak suffered as they must. They were naught but coins for the strong to collect.<blockquote>Energy reserves at 100% percent.</blockquote>
The time to pay up hade.
More souls poured through the cracks; too many for even the great machinery of Dis to manage at once. At first weing the influx of power, its circuits suffered under the stress. Connecting to other Systems and overtaking them was a delicate bncing act. Though Dis infrastructure spanned the globe, it remained limited in its scope. It had to pace itself while consuming souls because of a simple danger known to all engineers.
Too much voltage hurt.<blockquote>Warning: Energy surplus detected.</blockquote>
The first Neurotower glowed like amp as its circuit burst with too much energy. Its metal overheated under the strain, and errors slipped into their cosmic calctions. The start circuit glitched. Some pathways copsed on themselves; others widened too much.<blockquote>Assessing dysfunctions Pausing secondary operations to maintain power output.</blockquote>
The Level Barrier, this great firewall that had protected the infant Dis from those with the power to destroy it, copsed. The great machine simply could not maintain it and deal with the sudden power surge both at once.
More souls poured through the portal above Malta, and the Beast roared in their wake.
As thest shred of the Lever Barrier separating Earth from the multiverse crumbled into nothingness, another invader kicked down the door.
A swarm of metal drones announced hering with a terrible screech. Her wings of light pped at the speed of a turbocharged jet, and the winds of despair glided over her pristine metal scales. Shended amidst a field of steel towers taller than mountains, each a primitive, subpar desecration of her own perfect Neurotower design. She wept at the sight of crumblingnd and encroaching nothingness. Such was the fate of a world deprived of her guidance.
But she didnt weep long. For the wicked quickly folded when the righteous held the mace.
The metal dragon flew towards her rightful throne, her swarm buzzing behind her.
His adopted father and birth mother lunged at him from two directions. Their speed belied their puffy, corpselike bodies.
Yet Basils resolve was like tempered steel hardened by a hundred battles. He double-jumped past these two puppets and aimed straight for Maxwell.
Basil, where are you going? His mothers words hit harder than any blow. Are you abandoning me again?
It took all of Basils willpower not to respond, but his resolve did not waver. Shellgirl, buff me! he called out to his ally, who was busy bombarding the cat monster with a stream of water. to, with me!
His allies didnt ask why. to leaped out of Bugsys pincer, while Shellgirl interrupted her bombardment to bless her Tamer. Joyful Spirit!
Her power flowed into Basil, strengthening his arm.
So cold and relentless, Maxwell mused. I think thats why Ive hated you since the moment we first met. You just wont break.
His cat pet attacked Basil from the side while his two puppetsBasil refused to call these abominations by their real selves namesnked him from behind.
Forgive me, Ren. to leaped to his best friends rescue, his eyes grim and sorrowful. Smilodon Blitz!
The feline vanished in a blindingly fast blitz of speed. Basil couldnt even follow his movements. Maxwells feline thrall was thrown off the Neurotower and plummeted into the void below, while the other two puppets were sliced to ribbons.
Nothing stood between Basil and Maxwell.
The virus didnt appear concerned, not by Basil anyway. He gazed into the distance without paying the Dragonknight any mind.
Are you trying to force your way in, Your Majesty? he muttered to himself. It wont change a thing.
Basil double-jumped in his direction and swiftly crossed the gulf between them in an instant.
Im getting tired of toying with you, Basil. Maxwell extended his hand towards the Dragonknight. Please try to scream before I
Maxwell froze in ce.
His elongated right arm had frozen midway between himself and Basils heart. The mutated CEO shivered and trembled as if suffering from a stroke.
I-I-I- Maxwells sentence devolved into stilted, iprehensible words. I-k-k-I-
Whats happening? to asked Basil, running vertically along the Neurotower after his best friend. Did you fry his brain?
<em>Once a Horseman, forever a Horseman. </em>A darkugh echoed within Basils skull, grim and sinister.<em> I believe humans call it ''using a backdoor.''</em>
Mammons former employer was using his own tactics against him. Quite the irony.
<em>It wontst long before Dis regains its footing,</em> the Maleking warned.<em> Kill him now, and we can purge him from the System for good.</em>
He didnt need to ask twice.
Basil thought of all the people he had watched die since the apocalypse started, from the meanest civilian to the greatest hero. Benjamin, Kuikui, his mother, Orcine, Neria, and the billions who had perished in the Systems wake. Each of them owed their demise to this cruel piece of trash.
He hoped they were all watching.
Basils halberd split Maxwells skull in half.<blockquote>Critical hit! [<strong>Insta-Death</strong>]!</blockquote>
His body, forck of a better word, began to glitch out. His face alternated between two states in quick session: his unharmed, smug human guise; and the shattered skull of his monstrous form. He flickered in and out of sight, his flesh mingling around the halberds de.
Even stranger, the Neurotowers circuits heated up in response. A scarlet glow coursed through them alongside crimson sparks. An electricity burst touched both Basil and to, only for Steves power to protect them.<blockquote>[<strong>Lightning</strong>] damage negated by [<strong>Aegis of Zeus</strong>]!</blockquote>
<em>Whats happening?</em> Basil watched on as Maxwells stilted words grew into high-pitched screams of agony. The rate at which he alternated between his two forms elerated. He looked unharmed one second and dying the next. He would have felt pity for anyone else suffering from such torture. <em>Is this a bug of some kind? Is Insta-Death not registering as it should?</em>
<em>It is,</em> the Maleking replied. <em>But he relies on Dis to recreate him. With the infrastructure temporarily glitching, he will fade away if he finds no host to jump into.</em>
Realizing what the demon lord all but asked, Basil grimly nced at his possessed allies. Rosemarine and Steve had already cut through their numbers, but Simeon chased after Vasi in the sky and Lenc was trying to climb off the Steamobiles back to disable the Gehenna Cannon.
Must we truly kill them? Basil whispered.
<em>No need to sully your hands.</em> The Maleking chuckled darkly. <em>I will spare you the trouble.</em>
Basil froze in ce, as did his allies. All of them sensed a terrible power spreading through the air.
The nts summoned by Rosemarines field began to catch fire. Grass became a fertile kindle for a ze spreading through Athens ruins, while trees turned into candles. Crimson clouds carrying the smell of fresh blood obscured the star circuit shining in the sky. The Aegean Sea began to boil, with bubbles and steam rising to its surface.
Death announced its arrival with the thundering song of seven trumpets.<blockquote>Rosemarine [<strong>God-Field</strong>] has been overwritten by Maleking Mcodas [<strong>Eschaton</strong>]! The worldwide field changed to [<strong>Armageddon</strong>]!</blockquote><ul><li>[<strong>Apocalypse Force</strong>]: Negates any form of HP or SP recovery for creatures with levels inferior to the Malekings.</li><li>[<strong>Lake of Fire</strong>]: Everyone within the field will suffer from constant, passive [<strong>Fire</strong>] damage.</li><li>[<strong>Seven Seals</strong>]: Everyone ten levels below the Maleking will suffer from an [<strong>Insta-Death</strong>] effect each minute.</li></ul>
All of Athens infected yers perished in an instant.
From Simeon to Lenc, from the lowest soldier to Maxwells cat monster, none escaped the reapers toil. Their bodies turned to salt in an instant. Their flesh crumbled swiftly, and the wind carried them away. Basil saw it all, but the disaster stuck so swiftly that his mind struggled to register what had just happened.
Ah Bugsy choked in surprise and horror, his words echoing Basils own muddled thoughts. The rest of the team was either left speechless or unable to process the disasters scale. They theyre gone
Only Steve, a machine, kept his wits. The Steamobile pointed its cannon at the sea and aimed.
The Maleking arose from the sea soon after.
Apollyon remained the tallest monster Basil had ever faced, but this creature was a close second. The monster was over twenty meters tall, a twisted centaur straight out of a priests nightmare. The lower half of his body resembled a mismatched chimera with leopard legs, bloodstained fur, a snakes tail, and six snarling lion heads. Each bore an ivory horn atop their dozens of eyes and <em>far </em>too many teeth. A swords handle stuck out of thergest heads, with the de buried in its skull.
The upper part of the monster dwarfed the lower one in dread and hideousness. A bloodstained armor of crimson scales covered the torso, while two slitted eyes the size of houses adorned his shoulders. A pair of great angelic wings sprawled out of the back, each strong enough to whip up a hurricane. The wed hands were each strong enough to crush a man like a bug.
As for the head four burning eyes gazed back at Basil atop two sets of reptilian maws, each topping the other. Ten horns sat atop the head, each decorated with a tiny golden crown. An ursed me burned bright in their midst, the visages of a hundred sinners souls flickering within it.
<em>Good work, mighty warriors.</em> The Lord of the Apocalypse Force smiled at the Bohens with his many mouths, as his mighty legs dragged him onto thend. <em>Now, the power of Dis will be mine alone.</em>
As Basils eyes identified the creature, a small bit of scripture came to mind.<blockquote><strong>Maleking Mcoda, Beast of Revtion</strong></blockquote><blockquote>Elite Level 96 [Demon/Beast]</blockquote><blockquote>Faction: Apocalypse Force.</blockquote>
<em>Who is like unto the beast? </em>Basil thought as he and his team mustered their courage for their final sh.<em> Who is able to make war with him?</em>