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Apocalypse Healer - B1 Chapter 33
🕑 Added 2024-11-03 10:53:49 +0000 UTCDavid’s mind was racing when the Rift Boss turned to him. He continued absorbing the crimson motes, hoping they would change something.
[Bless]!
[Superior energy has been detected. Skill Rune overclock has been initiated.
[Proficiency of Bless reached 100%.]
[Tier-0 III] → [Tier-0 IV]
David cocked an eyebrow at the notifications. He didn’t use more holy power than usual to activate [Bless]. But there was no need to complain about the Skill Rune overclock. It would be good if his Skill Rune overclocked without his doing. Maybe the crimson motes merging with holy power was the reason, but it could have been something else.
The Rift Boss tensed up, and it almost looked like the monster was about to barrel toward David, ready to tear him apart at any moment when a projectile shot at high velocity interrupted them. A mana bullet whizzed through the air and struck the Rift Boss, where it hurt the most. The mana bullet pierced its left eye, which burst apart as the mana bullet exploded.
The Rift Boss spun around, roaring in anger and pain, and kicked the ground hard, propelling its body toward the perpetrator: the female mage.
A tinge of excitement spread through David when he realized that the Rift Boss had been too focused on him to notice the mana bullet, which splattered its eye, but the joy died when the wolf reached the female mage. She was drenched in sweat, breathed heavily, and her legs spasmed wildly as she tried getting up.
The Rift Boss ignored her struggles and lunged at her. Its crimson claws cut cleanly through her neck, separating the mage’s head from her shoulders.
He didn’t like what he was seeing. A trace of guilt assaulted him, but it wasn’t like he could have done something to rescue her. The Rift Boss was too fast to catch.
David continued digesting crimson motes. However, he didn’t remain motionless. Most crimson motes near the Fang corpse had either been absorbed or disappeared before David could use them. He searched for new targets and paved his way through the battlefield until he reached the spot with most monster corpses. The perimeters looked beautiful. Hundreds of crimson motes filled the area around him, wreathing a tiny portion of the battlefield crimson-red.
His Holy Sea was dyed further as more and more crimson motes entered his system until a faint red touch was visible among the pristine white. The energy reservoir was changing. David was still unable to tell what exactly was changing, but it appeared his senses didn’t have to be strained to perceive and grasp crimson motes anymore.
That’s not enough!
David grit his teeth until only the white of his knuckles was visible. His drenched clothes stuck to his tensed-up body even as pristine glowing tendrils burst through his skin. David used [Holy Touch], overclocking it with the superior energy that must have formed from merging crimson motes with holy power.
But instead of covering parts of his body or the warrior longsword with [Holy Touch], David decided to spread [Holy Touch] outward. Vibrantly glowing tendrils shot in all directions, seeking more crimson motes. The tendrils found what they sought but also transformed David into a human lighthouse.
His brain felt like it was melting for a good second, and he cursed at his stupidity a few times, but a warm, soothing feeling circulated through his mind, easing the pain assaulting his head after a few moments. His head shot to the left – David saw Torb fighting with the Rift Boss and used [Bless on him to stall more time – and noticed something peculiar.
The crimson motes emerging from the Mini-Bosses’ carcasses were the most vibrant. They entered David’s system and solved his melting-brain problem.
David also retracted the tendrils of [Holy Touch] once they were drenched in crimson motes and observed as his pure and pristine Holy Sea dyed crimson. It looked like a blood-filled sea, which David took advantage of. Or he tried to. He would have loved to use the Crimson Motes to upgrade his Skill Runes and possibly increase his Rank by one, but it appeared the Rift Boss was unwilling to give him that much time.
It barreled Torb through the air after the Dwarf’s mace struck the wolf’s side of the head with a deafening crunch and charged at David instead of eliminating Torb. David’s eyes narrowed to tiny slits. The side of the Rift Boss’ head was dented, and its left eye was missing. Not even its blood-drenched fur could cover up for injuries like that.
The Rift Boss was injured.
David exhaled heavily and coated the warrior's longsword in a thick coat of [Holy Touch]. He drained his holy power to use both [Bless] and [Holy Touch] at their highest level and barely noticed the holographic screens as they materialized.
[Excessive superior energy has been utilized. Skill Rune overclock has been initiated.]
[Excessive superior energy has been utilized. Skill Rune overclock has been initiated.]
Since the superior energy in small amounts was already enough to overclock his Skill Runes, David prayed using an excessive amount would overclock the Skill Rune overclock.
It worked…but the result was different than he’d expected. The pristine light shrouding the warrior longsword transformed into a crimson wreath as he jumped into action. But David was surprised when he pressed his feet deep into the soft ground.
First, he transformed into a cannonball as the kick propelled him forward at a shocking speed. Second, his body couldn’t keep up with the sudden power-up. His calf screamed when he kicked the ground, and the skin around his right leg tore apart. However, that was only the beginning. His left leg dug deep into the ground as he pushed ahead, and not only did his calf feel like it screamed at him as if someone had put it on fire, but his skin ruptured as well.
David pushed forward, embracing the pain. He lifted the crimson-wreathed longsword and reached the Rift Boss in no time. The wolf also headed his way and pounced on him. Yet, instead of facing the Rift Boss head-on, which David presumed to be the wolf’s prediction, he pushed to the right, reaching the Rift Boss’ dead angle.
The wolf’s head flicked to the left, twisting its neck until it could see the enemy again – hopefully, that was painful – but David was already at it. The longsword cut deep into the Rift Boss’ chest as David lowered his body to dive underneath its head. He used the momentum to inflict a deep gash across the monster’s chest while smoothly switching sides.
The Rift Boss’ head flicked back to the right, where it could see everything unfold. David was already standing there, the longsword raised to eye level, as the wolf moved. It jolted and tried slowing, the sword probably appeared in the corner of its eyes, but too many things happened simultaneously.
First, David thrust the crimson-wreathed sword forward, precisely aiming for the Rift Boss’ remaining eye. Second, a massive [Arcane Blast] lobbed through the air, exploding on the left side of the wolf’s head as it slowed. Third, Torb, albeit shrouded in blood and deep wounds, appeared behind the arcane blast. Fourth, the crimson motes all over the battlefield dimmed or disappeared entirely.
David perceived everything simultaneously, but he couldn’t quite digest it all. His mind was in shambles. Even though everything felt like it belonged to one big picture, nothing made sense to him. Except for their unified goal: The Rift Boss’ death.
His Holy Sea was drained until nothing was left. More holy power and crimson motes were already in the energy pathways, but neither was ready for use. However, his Holy Sea demanded more. It felt like the Holy Sea was screaming at him, beckoning him to be more careful. To pay more attention to his actions.
The Holy Sea cracked. It was merely a thin crack – David had already accepted his Holy Sea’s fate –, but it expanded as David drained more energy to release it all in his final attack.
The crimson-dyed [Holy Touch] wreathing his longsword surged alongside the blade. It felt like a flood swept through the sword as crimson [Holy Touch] reached its tip right before it came in contact with the Rift Boss’ right eye.
The sword dug cleanly through its eye, scraped loudly across its skull, and cut deeper, especially after Torb’s mace crashed heavily into the wolf’s back of the head, pushing the warrior longsword deeper into the wolf’s skull.
The Rift Boss twitched once. Twice. It yelped in pain one time as David twisted the blade with the last bits of residue power lingering in his body. Only then did the final message reach them.
[You have defeated the Rift Boss, Alpha Fang.]
[Common Rift - Fang Den - has been cleared!
Rewards will be distributed shortly!]
David smiled at the pair of notifications, but it didn’t end with that. More holographic screens emerged, but only one attracted David’s attention.
[Fang Den’s connecting link to the Main Rift has been severed. Overflowing Aether cannot be evenly distributed without initiating–...Reboot! Aether overflow has been detected in the Main Rift. Horde formation has been initiated.
Time remaining till the Horde’s spawn: [5H:59M:59S]]
Looks like things took a turn for the worse.
David turned to Torb, his lips parting to say something, but the Dwarf seemed to be in a different world. He spaced out and stared at David. His chest, to be precise.
David felt a little heavy, which didn’t seem like a big problem. It was common to feel unusually heavy after you exceeded your limits. David wasn’t panicking, but his brows furrowed deeply when he finally noticed what Torb was looking at.
The Rift Boss may be dead, yet its claws stuck deep inside David’s chest.
“Fuck,” David cursed, feeling the strength leave his body.
He’d just used all of his power to defeat the Rift Boss. David didn’t have anything to spare to heal him.
Looks like he was about to die.
Comments
IdolTrust
Hmm so the crimson motes might be demonic energy and combines with holy mana to make a stronger output. Like when antimatter hits matter, it releases more energy then the original mass.
