Chapter 459: A Fierce Showdown [Part 2]: Flames Of A Paragon
Northern glared at the approaching storm-even as the waves rose to an intimidating height, forming a wall that nearly touched the sky, his eyes remained steady and unyielding, staring intensely into the storm.
Meanwhile, Night Terror and Black Mamba dealt with the other monsters, viciously spilling blood across the surface of the ocean without a care in the world.
Northern didn't care about what they were doing and didn't need to.
Right now, it looked like the Kirithon had accepted his challenge for a final showdown.
Northern wasn't entirely sure if the monster would show itself; it had no reason to honor his words, given that all the advantages were on its side.
But he was sure that the next attack from the Kirithon would be incredibly strong.
And he was ready to retaliate with even greater force.
He was determined to show the monster that there was a vast difference in power between them.
He closed his eyes and spread his arms, focusing deeply on the conscious feeling of the massive void that now filled his soul.
It was a more daunting task than it seemed.
The Void was a form of essence that was consuming, and the rate at which it was consuming had sped up since the incident with Koll's true body.
Northern could feel pieces of himself getting lost in the primordial darkness as he delved deeper into its depths.
While doing this gave him an increasing grasp on the true power of the Void, it was also consuming what made him human.
For now, Northern did not want to think about the drastic consequences this might cause. He saw no other way but to accept what he had been given.
'In the end, all power comes at a cost...'
He swallowed and slowly opened his eyes.
As he did, clones of himself began to appear from thin air, filling the deck of the ship-first like specks of dust, then until there was no space left on the deck.
Some were pushed so far to the edge of the ship that they fell off.
Northern opened his eyes, azure light shining like those of a divine being. He placed two fingers in front of his face and muttered,
"Soul Materialization, Limitless Links Possessions, activate."
Immediately, all his clones began to change, their bodies distorted, horns grew out of the heads of some, while others experienced a grotesque extension of their bones and limbs.
The sound of bones breaking filled the air-even though it was still drowned out by the thunderous roar of the oncoming tsunami.
In the next minute, monsters of different kinds stood on the deck of the ship.
By using his cloning ability, he had given form to exactly one hundred souls of monsters he had killed.
He faced the storm, the same cold determination still gleaming in his eyes, then he commanded:
"Charge."
The savage cries of monsters filled the air as they began to leap into the water and swim towards the storm like mad beasts.
Along with the coming storm was an even greater horde of monsters than Northern had seen before.
Hence, the reason he had chosen to summon his souls.
He decided to use a special weapon he had obtained from a certain someone this time. "Stainless," Northern's voice was shrill and subtle. He looked at his hands as a sleek, katana- like sword appeared, surrounded by black sparks.
He twirled the blade like a master swordsman. He might not be one, but he certainly wasn't a novice either.
'Let's hope this one can handle my Void essence without freaking out.'
Due to the ominous nature of Soul Taker and Dark Mortal, using Void essence on them seemed to trigger something.
Northern wasn't entirely sure he wanted to deal with that now. He needed time to investigate what these swords could do with his more potent Void essence.
That investigation would have to wait until he was sure he could handle any slip-ups. And that certainly wasn't in a battle like this one.
Northern looked at the blade; as he focused on it, plumes of crimson flames suddenly blazed around it, consuming it.
Northern swirled the flaming sword and looked forward. As the sword twirled with the flames, sparks of yellow lightning danced around its circumference.
Northern lowered his knee, pushing his legs back to the ground with enough force to crack the ship's deck. Then he launched into the air.
The storm, as if waiting for him, surged with a fierce intensity. The waters seemed alive, determined to rip apart everything-even the clouds were threatened by the rolling waves.
But Northern showed no fear as he collided with the storm.
Their collision caused a massive explosion of fire and water, one that parted the dark clouds, allowing the sun's light to pierce through the sky for a brief moment.
As Northern swung his sword, the flames burning on its blades seemed to vaporize the water
itself.
Northern expected nothing less from the flames of a Paragon.
They had a distinctly different nature from his black flames.
The black flame was an essence of destruction that consumed, endlessly.
But these flames-honestly, they looked too transparent to be called actual flames.
They appeared as a pure form of essence that burned. Wielding them like this, Northern could feel that they symbolized growth.
A form of fire that had passed through countless stages. He couldn't even begin to imagine how much the Paragon must have trained to perfect a fire like this.
Handling it made him feel almost unworthy...
'Ah, shit, I'm getting distracted.'
Northern refocused, twisting midair as he mumbled,
"Eternal Blaze."
Several pillars of fire erupted from the depths of the ocean, piercing through the crushing
waves and vaporizing everything as they rose to the sky like fired lasers.
Northern widened his eyes in shock as he descended. He couldn't help but freeze in
amazement.
'Just how powerful is the talent of a Paragon?'
The flames were literally burning water!