As the sun rose over the red planet, two figures clashed in mid-air, explosions filling the sky.
Jake once more took the initiative despite Ell’Hakan being the one who’d just unleashed a powerful domain skill upon the world. His scales still allowed him to ignore the passive effects of the sunlight, but he knew that as it intensified and the sun rose further, it would become a problem.
Ell’Hakan also gladly took on a more defensive and passive role as he’d returned to being more of a mage than a warrior. His body was enveloped by sun-affinity fire as he was constantly nurtured by the domain while also using it to empower his attacks. Moreover, due to the inherent life energy in the sun affinity, his wounds were even healing faster under the sunlight.
However, even so, he was on the back foot as Jake made full use of the wide open space in the skies to unleash attacks from all directions. He shot arrows into the air with a package of Willpower, making them slowly turn around and come back to strike Ell’Hakan dozens of seconds later as they took extremely wide curves on their flight path.
This resulted in Ell’Hakan getting attacked from all sides as he tried to lock down Jake, who was gladly teleported around liberally while loosing arrow after arrow. Every single arrow was also soaked in poison, Jake not holding anything back as he had plenty where that came from.
Ell’Hakan did end up taking quite a few wounds, but as his magic got more and more powerful, Jake also began to feel pressured. The nahoom finally made a major move as he stabbed toward Jake with his trident despite being several kilometers away, and rather than a beam of sunlight, three massive torrents of flames were released from each of the trident’s prongs.
These waves of flames transformed after being released, taking forms reminiscent of hydra heads as they chased after Jake, each of them utterly gigantic in size. Jake tried to dodge away and simply keep shooting Ell’Hakan, but one of the heads moved to block his arrows, and to Jake’s surprise, the arrow was actually embedded in the hydra as if it was made of something solid.
As this happened, Ell’Hakan was once more stuck from behind by one of Jake’s many arrows he’d trick-shot earlier, but it only made the Usurper grunt as he kept pressuring Jake, who was having a harder time than he’d expected with the flames.
Several times, he was nearly caught in one of their massive maws, and the further away Jake fled from Ell’Hakan, the larger these hydra heads came as Jake realized the sun was constantly feeding them power and energy.
Jake gritted his teeth as another one got too close for comfort until suddenly, the second one, which was still a good distance away, opened its mouth and unleashed a breath of flames. Reacting quickly, Jake summoned a barrier of stable arcane mana, successfully blocking the flames that turned out weaker than expected. Then again, perhaps one shouldn’t expect too much from fire spewed from something already made of fire.What the flames had done was allow the first head to close in as the more than fifty-meter-wide maw descended upon Jake to consume him. Jake stared up with narrow eyes as he was still within his barrier, and rather than move, he simply stood still and let himself be consumed.
Right as the maw snapped shut, the entire hydra head exploded from the inside out in a mixture of arcane energy and fire, with Jake standing unharmed as he’d used the arcane barrier to destroy the hydra head, and he couldn’t help but snicker at his plan having worked.
All that time with the Puzzle Cube had really come in handy as Jake almost subconsciously analyzed the fire construct of mana, found the weak point, and exploited it before Ell’Hakan had time to adapt. Not that Jake would give him any such time if he could avoid it as he released a barrage of arcane bolts toward another of the hydra heads, each of them exploding on contact and disrupting the mana that kept the construct whole.
Left with only a single head, Ell’Hakan reabsorbed the flames into himself once more as he returned to simpler attacks like fireballs, sunlight beams, and the occasional random explosion in mid-air as the nahoom condensed the heat.
By now, Jake had fully activated the stable variant of his boosting skill, giving him a nice 30% increase in all stats. Ell’Hakan had also used his at the same time as that “sunrise” skill, but based on Jake’s estimates, his own boosting skill was better. That, or Ell’Hakan’s skill just had other effects Jake had yet to learn about, and honestly, one of those effects he suspected was to better attune him to absorb the sunlight because his wounds were healing way faster than they should... no...
More than actually healing him, the sunlight is stimulating his existing vital energy to heal him faster, Jake noted, the poison coursing through Ell’Hakan’s veins giving him quite good insight into the nahoom’s body.
Instantly, Jake began to doubt this conclusion, making him believe that doing damage to Ell’Hakan right now really was a waste of time as the passive sunlight nullified anything he di-
Get the fuck out of my head! Jake yelled internally as he tried to squash any unnatural emotions of doubt. Ell’Hakan had clearly done some heavy-handed manipulation, which Jake instantly detected, and Jake felt absolute confidence that he could detect any manipulation if he just-
Fucking hell, Jake cursed again as he just stopped bloody thinking and kept attacking as he didn’t even trust his own emotions. It was unsettling, to say the least, that Jake couldn’t trust anything but the most obvious of analysis, but he really couldn’t do anything about it besides being observant of any emotions discordant with his immediate intuitive conclusions.
Jake also only now began to realize he had been way too passive during this time, likely once more due to Ell’Hakan doing his bullshit and making him think things were going fine. The sun had now risen more than halfway, and soon enough, it would be right above them. As it rose, it only grew stronger and stronger, the sunlight getting close to overcoming Jake’s Scales’ passive resistance. All along, Ell’Hakan had just wanted to buy time while making Jake take a slow and steady approach, and Jake had fallen into it with both feet as he hadn’t been cognisant enough about his own emotions to catch on in time.
Upping the offensive, Jake began to mix in his fair share of Arcane Powershots as he also increased the distance between himself and Ell’Hakan. These far more powerful arrows weren’t something Ell’Hakan could easily handle, and he seemed to realize Jake had caught on to his manipulation as the nahoom abandoned his passive defensive strategy and decided that offense was the best defense.
Turning into a beam of sunlight, he went straight for Jake, who responded by shooting arrows his way. One of them split in mid-air before exploding, creating a cover of destructive arcane mana as Jake dismissed his bow and also charged forward.
He’d hoped to take Ell’Hakan by surprise, but the Usurper was ready and waiting as he became corporal and stabbed toward Jake’s chest with full momentum. Jake met the charge as he used his katar to barely parry the trident, using his other hand to land a palm on Ell’Hakan’s chest, sending them flying away from each other once more.
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Ell’Hakan quickly stabilized, a rotting handprint on his chest from Jake’s Touch of the Malefic Viper. This extremely brief moment of separation was enough for Jake to quickly pull out his bow and shoot another arrow, Ell’Hakan failing to fully block it before he charged again, this time more carefully as Jake blocked blow after blow while failing to land an attack of his own for the first dozen exchanges.
However, Jake soon found another opening as he landed a low kick followed by a slice of his katar leaving a nasty cut on Ell’Hakan’s shoulder. Even if Jake admitted Ell’Hakan was far better at fighting than he would have expected, Jake was simply faster and stronger physically. While it was entirely possible Ell’Hakan had Jake beaten when it came to the mental stats, Jake definitely had more Agility and Strength, allowing him to gain the upper hand in otherwise equal clashes.
There was also one thing to consider:
Ell’Hakan’s level. Jake was still level 295, just shy of being considered a high-tier C-grade. At the same time, Ell’Hakan had just barely passed that threshold. ꭆ₳Νɵ𐌱Ё𝘴
[Nahoom – lvl 303]
It was a testament to Jake’s many titles that he still appeared superior in stats despite the level difference. Also, while Jake’s Big Game Hunter and many other skills being stronger against higher-leveled enemies was a thing for sure, that didn’t mean it was better for him to be below and not equal to Ell’Hakan’s level. While the benefits from those skills were great, they were ultimately only there to help close the gap, not eliminate it entirely.
This is to say, if Jake had also been level 303, the fight would likely have been considered rather one-sided. With the level-disparity... well, time would tell. For now, Jake had the advantage with his superior physical stats and better boosting skill, but Ell’Hakan still had time on his side as the sun was soon at its apex.
Until then, Jake slowly whittled away at Ell’Hakan as they proceeded to fight without Jake giving his opponent any time to rest. The nahoom didn’t have many good responses besides fighting back, as any time he created just a bit of distance, Jake used that as an opening to unleash powerful arrows while fighting in melee also resulted in him taking continuous damage, even if it was less than when he faced the bow.
Ultimately, Jake accomplished one of his goals, and soon enough, Ell’Hakan made a concession. Jake had been the first to activate his boosting skill in the stable variant, but now Ell’Hakan was the one to go further as he pushed his own boosting skill further, forcing Jake to respond in kind.
At least Jake had expected to see Ell’Hakan continue to use the same one that relied on the sun affinity, but instead, Ell’Hakan activated what seemed like an entirely new boosting skill. His aura also subtly changed when he used it, and Jake instantly felt the difference when he attacked.
He’d stabbed forward with his katar, aiming for Ell’Hakan’s stomach, but as his weapon to close, he felt as if the distance was longer than it actually was. His katar slowed down for a fraction of a second just before it hit Ell’Hakan, giving the nahoom time to twist his body to the side, resulting in Jake only leaving a faint cut.
Jake’s response was naturally to activate his own Arcane Awakening using the offensive variant, boosting the relevant stats by 50%. He did lose his boost to his resilience stats, which put an even bigger strain on his scales, but for now, they still held up, primarily due to their high innate resistance to the light affinity.
Attacking again, Jake dodged Ell’Hakan’s counter, the higher Agility helping Jake as he reached forward to use Touch, and once more, he felt his aim be weird. However, just then, it was as if his Touch made contact with something, and the odd feeling disappeared as Jake landed another palm blow on Ell’Hakan.
He saw the genuine surprise on the nahoom’s face, and Jake quickly realized what was up with Ell’Hakan’s skill. It not only boosted his stats but created what was effectively a barrier of probability around him to defend him from lethal blows. Jake had clearly felt the barrier when he broke through with Touch and by making use of his high Perception, he analyzed it enough for a basic understanding.
An annoying skill for sure, Jake noted as he attacked again, this time by shooting an Arrow Rain while Ell’Hakan was still shocked by Jake breaking through the barrier earlier. He defended as well as he could, but three arrows struck Ell’Hakan... yet once more, just before each struck, they slightly veered away from where Jake had aimed them, hitting him, yes, but avoiding areas they would have dealt more damage with two of them even hitting right where there was bone, barely doing anything.
Jake had no idea how high such a skill’s rarity had to be, but it couldn’t be low. Based on how Ell’Hakan acted unfamiliar with his own skill, Jake also got a feeling – one he was certain came purely from within himself.
“Newly gained or upgraded, huh?” Jake commented as he shot another few arrows, Ell’Hakan ready this time as he moved his trident to block them all. Yet again, something odd happened, as the trident looked like it moved to two positions simultaneously, blocking both arrows at once.
“My rightful bounty as a Usurper,” Ell’Hakan answered. Despite his body looking quite damaged by now, with nearly a dozen arrow holes and close to a hundred cuts marking his body, the nahoom still smiled confidently as he didn’t even give the slightest hint he was reaching his limit.
“Good for you,” Jake just said, meeting the charging Ell’Hakan as they exchanged a few blows, ending with Ell’Hakan having to retreat back again.
“Good for me indeed...” Ell’Hakan smiled, parrying an arrow. “Also... it’s time.”
Jake didn’t need to be told what Ell’Hakan meant, as he already knew. The fact shadows had nearly disappeared was proof of it, as the sun now hung directly above the two of them, shining down with intense sunlight.
Sunlight that only intensified further as the entire world became brighter and began to take on a faint sheen of golden red.
“High Noon.”
As Ell’Hakan spoke those words, Jake heard a cracking sound as the scales on his shoulder where his armor had been broken earlier in the fight became overloaded with energy. Soon enough, more of his scales began to give in as the temperature rose to all-new levels, and Jake hurried to adapt to the environment.
“Unlike your blue planet, this world has always been harsh to us. Throughout history, the sun has caused more deaths than any wars, and even when wars were fought, the sun was often to blame as it dictated the yield of crops or the evaporation of our water depots, causing a lack of resources,” Ell’Hakan began to speak, standing under the harsh sun.
“The only place that was ever safe was the blessed city we now call our capital. Beneath is a massive stream of fresh groundwater, bringing life with it. Without this, I’m not even certain the nahoom would have survived till this day, and to be allowed to live in the capital was always viewed as one of the highest goals for any nahoom...”
Jake was unsure what the hell Ell’Hakan was getting at as he focused on reinforcing his scales to handle the environment as he also tried to adapt to the sudden change in other ways.
Having likely read Jake’s confusion, Ell’Hakan kept speaking. “The reason I’m telling you this is that I need you to understand that to us, the nahoom, the sun is not something to be taken lightly, but a willful god that dictates our fates, demanding respect. Not a single nahoom does not understand this, as the sun is akin to divinity, and all must bow before it... all but one.”
Ell’Hakan’s aura suddenly began to grow, seemingly out of nowhere, as the nahoom continued. “For only the Celestial Child is worthy of standing beneath the harsh grace of his father. However, even he can claim nothing but to be equal with the one who gave him life.”
As the aura kept growing, Jake was still questioning the source, though he was not for a second questioning whether it was related to Yip of Yore’s Legacy. One thing was also for sure... Jake knew he couldn’t really afford to hold back anymore as Ell’Hakan had evidently also gotten serious.
The Nahoom looked toward the sky directly at the sun, seemingly ignoring Jake as he spoke. “Hunter... you would be wise to remember that you are on my planet right now.”
From above, the sun suddenly flashed, and Jake quickly reacted right as a beam of pure sunlight descended from above at unprecedented speed, barely missing him, but the remnants of heat and energy were still enough to make all the scales on Jake’s one side crack and break as Jake felt his skin beneath be scorched.
“And here on my planet...”
Jake barely had time to react as the sun flashed again, but as Jake prepared to dodge another sunbeam, Ell’Hakan appeared right in front of him.
”... you better fear the sun.”