Chapter 406: Recklessness [Part 2]
Northern's eyes blazed with determination as he met Koll's charge head-on.
The room continued to tilt and break apart around them, but both combatants seemed oblivious to the impending doom, focused solely on their clash.
Grengar whirled in Northern's hands, its black-purple energy crackling as it met Koll's fiery spears.
The impact sent shockwaves through the crumbling space, causing more debris to rain down around them.
As they exchanged blows, the floor beneath them began to give way.
Northern felt the ground shift under his feet, but he didn't dare take his eyes off Koll.
Every strike, every parry, could be the difference between victory and defeat.
Northern deflected two of Koll's strikes, and before Koll could dive in for a counterattack, he used [Travel] and teleported to the other half of the white room, which was almost falling vertically downward.
He didn't care; immediately he appeared and tilted alongside it, his hands slung back and manifested the black lance.
Northern launched the devastating attack at Koll, who was already running backward the moment the black lance crackled to life.
He ran on the wall and on the roof, surprisingly neglecting the effect of gravity.
As the black lance plunged into the wall of the halved room, it punched a hole right through, sending numerous sharp waves to cleave several parts of the wall instantaneously.
It wasn't as strong as the first one Northern used because he didn't apply as much Void essence, but it was still a fearsome attack.
Koll landed on the part Northern was on, and even though the building was slowly plunging below, he didn't care. Northern was finding it hard to maintain stability in the vertical room.
But Koll absolutely ignored gravity and shot towards him. Northern's eyes widened as Koll came for him.
He plunged Grengar into the ground to serve as a hook point and materialized the Soul Taker. As Koll hauled a terrifying slash from the side, Northern parried with the Soul Taker. As he parried, the other spear pivoted towards him.
Northern narrowed his eyes, quickly moving his sword to block the other strike.
One of his hands was tightly held on Grengar so he wouldn't fall, the other was using the Soul Taker to deflect Koll's strikes.
The tension was palpable as Northern fought to maintain his precarious position while fending off Koll's relentless assault.
The vertical room continued its descent into the abyss, adding an extra layer of chaos to their already intense battle.
Northern's head ached his mind searching for a way to turn the tide.
He couldn't keep defending forever, not with gravity working against him and Koll seemingly unaffected by their plummeting surroundings.
As Koll's spears clashed against Soul Taker once more, Northern made a split-second decision.
He released his grip on Grengar, allowing himself to fall freely. Koll's eyes widened in surprise, not expecting this sudden move.
Using the momentum of his fall, Northern twisted his body and lashed out with a powerful kick, catching Koll off guard.
The impact sent the inhuman warrior tumbling back, giving Northern a brief moment of respite.
Northern didn't waste a second. As he fell, he activated three abilities at the same time, all for the purpose of unleashing one trump card.
"Speed Burst, Flash Step, Windstride."
His frame blurred with a bright blue light that enveloped his edges. It was as if Northern's body was glitching in that millisecond.
Before he took off, everything suddenly stopped.
[Skill Overtime has been activated]
Northern's eyes widened.
'I suspected it would be amazing, but this is... crazy.'
Time Warp was not as effective as he wanted it to be; it wasn't that impressive to begin with. But it just encased him in the passage of time.
Almost like Travel but more complicated, just like he had used it with Cal.
Make no mistake, it was an amazing ability. But since it was attributed to time, Northern wanted something more.
So when [Overtime] came, he was enthusiastic to try it out. However, the instructions were clear that with enough speed, he could override time.
Northern didn't need to think hard and far on how to get enough speed. He just figured, simultaneously using everything would give him enough speed.
Not to say, he had the essence to support such overwhelming use of his abilities.
Everything stopped in that instance. Northern couldn't help but look around with surprise. However, he had not much time.
He phased through the debris around him and reappeared on a large chunk of falling wreckage, using it as a temporary platform.
Then everything continued immediately he landed on the platform.
Koll narrowed his eyes, surprised to see Northern, who was falling a few seconds ago, now stabilized.
"You're full of surprises, boy," Koll called out, his voice carrying over the rush of wind.
He had already recovered, perched on another piece of debris like some fiery gargoyle. "But how long can you keep this up?"
Northern gritted his teeth, knowing Koll had a point.
The longer this battle dragged on, the more it favored his seemingly tireless opponent. He needed to end this, and fast.
"Let's find out," Northern shouted back, channeling void essence into Soul Taker-this was the first time he was doing such.
Since he had discovered he could recharge anytime, Northern was beginning to take a much more practical approach toward the application of his void essence.
The blade hummed with power, dark energy crackling along its length.
With a burst of speed, Northern launched himself from his perch, using smaller pieces of
debris as stepping stones as he closed the distance to Koll.
His almost supersonic speed made him appear as little more than a blur, leaving afterimages
in his wake.
Koll met his charge head-on, his spears wreathed in scarlet flame.
The two warriors clashed in mid-air, their weapons meeting with explosive force.
The impact sent them both flying apart, only to use nearby debris to launch themselves at
each other again.
Their battle became a deadly dance amidst the falling wreckage.
Northern and Koll ricocheted from piece to piece, exchanging blows whenever they came
close.
Sparks flew with each clash of their weapons, briefly illuminating the darkness around them.
As they fought, Northern began to notice something strange.
The familiar feeling of his abilities was changing...
His Void essence seemed to be resonating with the surrounding darkness in a strange and uncomfortable way.