Chapter 128—The Ridge of Eternal Lightning.
Chapter 128—The Ridge of Eternal Lightning.
The biting absolute-zero frost, vast glaciers of black cosmic ice, and howling blizzards of Floor 27 dissolved into fine shimmering mist as the spatial gateway behind Cryor-Vex’s erased throne collapsed into absolute non-existence.
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[WORLD SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT!]
FACTION ’SOVEREIGN’ HAS ASCENDED TO FLOOR 28!
ZONE ENTERED: The Thunderous Stratosphere of Raijin—The Ridge of Eternal Lightning
HAZARD RATING: TIER-SS+ (High-Voltage Electrocution & Magnetic Paralysis Curse)
SPECIAL RULE: Plasma Overcharge—Non-Sovereign Entities Suffer 12% Reflex Speed & Skill Cooldown Delay Every 30 Seconds!
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When Kaelen stepped out of the spatial rift, the environment shifted into an intensely charged, dark sky realm suspended high above an endless ocean of boiling plasma clouds.
They stood upon a monumental causeway carved from pure, dark magnetic steel and polished black obsidian, floating through a violet sky torn apart by continuous purple, gold, and crimson lightning strikes.
Floating islands adorned with colossal brass lightning rods and glowing plasma spires drifted across the roaring horizon.
𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
Deafening thunderclaps shook the very foundations of space, carrying electromagnetic shockwaves capable of frying standard high-grade magical armor into liquid scrap in a single heartbeat.
The atmospheric pressure was wildly unstable, saturated with high-voltage electricity that crackled violently against the ground.
"From freezing ice blocks straight into an electric arcade!" Ignis grunted with a broad, eager grin, resting his heavy claymore across his broad shoulder.
His fiery hair billowed in the plasma winds as black dragon flames swirled along the dark steel blade, forming an extreme thermal barrier that grounded the electric arcs buzzing near his boots.
"I have to admit, these purple lightning bolts look like they’ve got some kick, but they’re just extra sparks for my fire!"
"The atmospheric electromagnetic levels here are off the scale," Ren reported calmly through the squad’s comms link, her suit’s grounding insulators humming loudly while her gauntlet projected detailed violet holographic electric-vector diagrams.
"My tactical sensors indicate Floor 28 is an ancient celestial storm realm governed by thunder sorcerers, storm dragons, and high-tier lightning elemental lords."
She recalibrated her scanning arrays, evaluating the environmental conditions.
"Standard metal and water magic suffer an 80% disruption penalty due to the extreme conductivity and magnetic fields. However, High-Tier Fire, Divine Light, and Kaelen’s Spatial Void attributes maintain 100% operational efficiency."
"A realm woven from pure, unyielding lightning," Tsubaki whispered softly, emerging silently from the dark shadow cast by a hovering brass rod. His crimson eyes scanned the roaring storm clouds.
"My shadow scouts report that Floor 28 is under the absolute command of the Thunder Monarch Raijin, who commands the realm from the central Lightning Citadel."
Lyra stood gracefully beside Kaelen, her soft, slender hand held warmly in his dark-gloved grip.
The completed Key of the Holy Grail within Kaelen’s chest core emitted a soft, pristine golden aura, expanding a thirty-meter golden domain around their entire squad.
The domain completely neutralized the high-voltage arcs, repelled the deafening thunder shockwaves, restored full physical reflexes, and rendered the [Plasma Overcharge] curse entirely useless.
"No thunder in this roaring sky can shake your sovereign authority, Kaelen," Lyra whispered softly, her bright blue eyes shining with quiet, absolute devotion as she leaned gently against his arm. "The roaring lightning of this realm will fall quiet before your presence."
"Lightning is merely energy seeking a path to ground, my light," Kaelen purred smoothly, his low velvet voice breaking effortlessly through the deafening thunderclaps. He gently caressed the back of her hand, his dark violet eyes gleaming with cold, triple-ringed golden authority.
"Raijin can pretend to command the storm... until he learns the Void swallows lightning, thunder, and sky alike."
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[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION!]
THE KEY TO THE HOLY GRAIL IS ACTIVATED!
EFFECT: Sovereign Lightning Shield Active! All Squad Members Gain 100% Immunity to High-Voltage Electrocution & Plasma Overcharge!
RESONANCE: Floor 28 Waystone Location Identified!
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Suddenly, the roaring storm clouds surrounding the floating magnetic causeway flared with blinding gold and crimson light!
ROAAAAAAAR!
The causeway shuddered violently as thousands of storm knights clad in heavy brass plate armor, wielding long spears dripping with high-voltage crimson lightning and riding giant armored storm-drakes, erupted directly from the thunderous clouds below!
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[AMBUSH INITIATED!]
HOSTILE ENTITIES: 3,500x Raijin Plasma Vanguard (Level 188 Elite)
COMMANDER: General Lightning-Breaker — The Storm Crusader (Level 189 Tier-EX)
OBJECTIVE: Disintegrate the Intruders with High-Voltage Plasma!
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"MORTAL INTRUDERS!" General Lightning-Breaker roared from the front of the massive storm-drake formation. He stood thirty-six feet tall, forged from polished magnetic steel and glowing golden lightning energy, holding a massive thunder-lance surging with white-hot plasma arcs. "YOU DARE SET FOOT UPON THE SACRED STRATOSPHERE OF HIS MAJESTY RAIJIN?! BE VAPORIZED BY THE DIVINE LIGHTNING OF THE HEAVENS AND REDUCED TO ASH!"
Three thousand five hundred Raijin Plasma Vanguard warriors raised their thunder-lances in perfect unison, unleashing a colossal wave of high-voltage electric beams and plasma shockwaves surging directly toward Kaelen’s position!
BOOOOOOM!
"Let me melt these electric tin cans into glowing copper liquid!" Ignis roared with a wild laugh, leaping fifty feet into the electric air as his claymore flared into a colossal, blinding pillar of superheated black dragon fire!
"Dragon Fire Art: Cosmic Lightning-Burner!"
Ignis swung his blade in a massive sweeping arc! A three-hundred-fifty-meter wave of black dragon fire swept across the open ridge, flash-overpowering one thousand eight hundred Vanguard warriors and their drakes instantly, turning their brass armor into molten drops mid-air!
"Shadow Style: Plasma-Severing Flash!"
Tsubaki flickered between the floating brass rods like a lethal phantom, his dark katana leaving behind black spatial cuts that severed the electric cores of one thousand storm warriors before they could even complete a thrust!
"System Hack: Electromagnetic Overload!" Ren deployed twenty high-frequency acoustic pylons into the causeway. The resulting shockwaves short-circuited the energy stabilization matrix of the remaining seven hundred warriors, causing their lightning forms to burst into harmless sparks!
General Lightning-Breaker watched his vanguard wiped out in under two minutes, his glowing yellow optics flaring with absolute rage, disbelief, and shock.
"IMPOSSIBLE! ORGANIC CREATURES CANNOT SURVIVE THE HIGH VOLTAGE OF RAIJIN!" Lightning-Breaker shouted, raising his giant thunder-lance high and diving from his drake like an electric meteor, aiming straight for Kaelen’s head!
"Raijin Secret Art: Grand Plasma Shatter!"
Kaelen didn’t even shift his footing.
He took one calm step forward, his dark coat billowing gracefully in the intense electric drafts generated by the falling general.
His slender dark-gloved fingers wrapped around the hilt of the Void Blade.
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[PASSIVE EFFECT: Void Sovereign’s Eye]
TARGET WEAKNESS DETECTED: Electric Core at Central Chest Node!
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Kaelen purred softly, a cold, dark smile touching his lips as he drew his dark blade by half an inch.
SHING!
A razor-thin line of pitch-black spatial deletion flared through the charged sky.
"Void Art: Spatial Deletion—Lightning Sever!"
SKRRRRRRRAASH!
The half-inch draw of dark steel made no sound through the roaring thunder, but the spatial line expanded eight hundred meters across the floating causeway!
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[CRITICAL HIT!]
TARGET: General Lightning-Breaker & 700x Raijin Plasma Vanguard
DAMAGE DEALT: 360,000,000 (Pure Spatial Eradication)
DEFENSE NEGATED: 100%!
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[FORCE OBLITERATED!]
CASUALTIES: General Lightning-Breaker & Raijin Vanguard (Eradicated!)
EXP RECEIVED: 70,000,000 Points!
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"AAAAAAARGH!"
General Lightning-Breaker let out an agonizing metallic shriek as his thirty-six-foot body, his thunder-lance, and his remaining troops were sliced horizontally in half mid-air!
The pitch-black spatial cut erased their electric forms and plasma cores instantly into glowing experience particles!
Kaelen smoothly clicked the Void Blade back into its sheath.
CLICK.
The suffocating electric pressure that had filled the ridge vanished instantly, replaced once again by the quiet, golden warmth of the squad’s domain.
"Flawless execution as always, my lord," Tsubaki said, landing softly behind Kaelen with a deep bow.
"These electric knights thought high-voltage plasma could protect them," Ignis chuckled, resting his heavy claymore on his shoulder while black dragon fire continued to hum along the dark steel.
"They forgot our sovereign commands space itself."
Ren checked her holographic displays, scanning the colossal floating fortress carved from black magnetic steel standing at the center of the realm—The Lightning Citadel.
"My Lord, the elimination of General Lightning-Breaker has alerted the thunder monarch," Ren reported.
"The Thunder Monarch Raijin is powering up his central plasma core inside the Lightning Citadel."
"Let him power up every bolt he possesses," Kaelen purred smoothly, turning back to Lyra and taking her soft hand into his once more. Her bright blue eyes shone with warmth as she held his hand tight.
"It simply ensures his eventual erasure will be absolute."
Lyra smiled sweetly, leaning close against his side as they began walking across the floating magnetic bridge leading toward the Lightning Citadel. "Lead the way, Kaelen. The thunderous sky bows to you."
Kaelen purred softly, his dark violet eyes gleaming with absolute, god-like authority as he led the Sovereign Faction deeper into Floor 28.