Chapter 850 Condense [Top Five in GTs Bonus Chapter]
Sylas' eyes barely had time to read the notification before the situation changed.
Astrid and Malachi suddenly vanished, the two of them appearing far ahead, and just enough for Sylas to tell that the rippling black waters had actually been moving them forward the entire time.
At the same time, the number of blades shooting toward him tripled, their speed not slowing down in the slightest, but actually continuing to accelerate in real time right before his eyes.
The change was abrupt and devastating.
In just the first volley, he managed to block the first two, only for the third to rip a large chunk out of his Gene Talent Rune. The blade tore past, looking to pierce into his body. But luckily, the Rune seemed to have slowed it down enough that it only pierced an inch or so into his shoulder, an injury he could easily shrug off.
He was only just regaining his bearings from this when the next volley was already upon him.
Sylas pushed his perception slowing to an extreme, his eyes blazing with a malevolent intent. This was the first time the system had truly pissed him off, and it certainly wasn't going to be the last… he was really starting to understand why Arcane Madness would call it impotent.
Incompetent, foolish, acting in the worst of ways at the most inopportune times.
The coldness in Sylas' eyes grew deeper and deeper…
As did his focus.
…
"What happened?" Malachi couldn't help but wheeze out, sweat pouring down his brows.
Honestly speaking, he was already closing in on his limits. This trial wasn't something that any of them were expecting, and he had never pushed his Blade Aura Gene Talent to such an extent.
He found himself subconsciously asking his cousin for her opinion, but all he received was a look in response and nothing in return.
Malachi shook his head, trying to regain his bearings. Indeed, they were competitors now, the odds that he could even trust her words if she had any to say were slim to none.
"System Curse."
Malachi's head snapped back toward Astrid. "What?"
Astrid didn't elaborate. But if Sylas had been there, he would have deduced that Astrid could only guess this if she knew about Lucius' original plot against him.
Of course, she wouldn't know that he had already cleared those Demerits and was actually suffering under something completely different now, but the conclusion was correct nonetheless.
After saying these words, Astrid just directly closed her eyes in an attempt to recover.
Everyone knew Gene Talents were like muscles and there was a heavy cardiovascular fatigue involved in using them, especially continuously. The only way to mitigate this was by training that muscle and having exceptional Physical stats. Being in a State of Wealth also helped.
Right now, she would be a fool to do anything but recover.
If what she thought Sylas was doing right now was what he was actually doing… then it both meant that she had a higher chance to win this than she thought, and that she was facing off against a far more monstrous creature than she thought at the same time.
She hadn't expected that the system would step in to intervene and decide something that should have been decided by the Grimblade Ancestors, but since that was the case, there was only one thing left to do.
Win.
She clenched her jaw.
…
CHI. CHI. CHI.
Sylas stood in a bloody mess, blade streaks running across his body, his torso, his cheeks, even slicing through his hair. There was even a clear blade mark across his neck that left his life hanging by a string.
More. He needed more.
The mutated Blade Aura Gene Talent hung in a hole-filled mess, its lights dimming considerably to the point it was surely not that hard to look at even for those that weren't Rune Masters.
Its collapse seemed imminent. The fact it was still standing at all was both a miracle and a testament to just how sturdy Sylas' Will was.
'… It was never… supposed to be… in equal measure…'
The realization hit Sylas as yet another blade tore into him, sinking deep into his stomach.
He didn't so much as flinch as it slowly faded away just like all the others.
'What is it… 60/40… 70/30… 80/20…'
He adjusted his Will and Demonic Will again and again, every slight flinch of the blades like another tidbit of information burying itself deep within his very soul.
'There…'
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A splitting headache threatened to tear Sylas' mind in two. He had been using his Progenitor Flame Ability far too much, and the heavy implications of such a thing were bound to come rearing their ugly head.
'Not today… Not ever…'
Sylas felt his Demonic Will solidify and there was a spurt of something else in his mind.
A blade suddenly tore through the center of his Gene Talent Rune, and then two more followed up in quick succession.
Before Sylas could react, the last of his Gene Talent Rune had been torn to shreds. But the system hardly cared as yet another volley of invisible blades had already taken shape and formed.
The air shuddered, rippling golden echoes shooting through the blade waters as they solidified with a tremble and shot forward with even more speed.
This time, they could even be heard, a clap of thunder resonating through the world.
Sylas stood there, haggard. Holes littered his body, his blood falling to the blackened waters so silently that they didn't even make their own ripples.
His eyes were half masked by his thick mesh of hair, their glow somewhat obscured in the darkness.
And then the blades were upon him.
'Condense.'
The world fell to silence before a blazing light spread out in all directions. It pulsed with such fervor that it overwhelmed even the golden ripples, forcing Sylas and the others to squint their eyes.
And this time, the blades didn't manage to touch him.
[Important Note Below] I also forgot to mention that bonus chapter donations will be on pause until Feb 11th. There's currently 40$ put toward the next chapter, so that will carry over for when it renews