Chapter 110—The Tempest Peaks.
Chapter 110—The Tempest Peaks.
The oppressive dark stone walls, pools of boiling liquid shadow, and icy umbral air of Floor 18 dissolved into pure mana particles as the spatial gateway behind Malakor’s erased throne collapsed into non-existence.
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[WORLD SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT!]
FACTION ’SOVEREIGN’ HAS ASCENDED TO FLOOR 19!
ZONE ENTERED: The Tempest Peaks of Raijin—Sky Ridge
HAZARD RATING: TIER-SS+ (High-Voltage Lightning & Electro-Magnetic Paralysis Curse)
SPECIAL RULE: Magnetic Rupture—Non-Sovereign Entities Suffer 8% Casting Speed & Movement Delay Every 30 Seconds!
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When Kaelen stepped out of the spatial rift, the environment shifted into a breathtaking, violent mountain range floating high above a sea of dark storm clouds.
Massive jagged peaks made of dark conductive obsidian jutted into a violet-tinted sky, bridged by floating chains of magnetized silver metal. Endless waves of blue and crimson lightning danced across the sky, crackling through the thin air with deafening thrumming sounds that vibrated straight through the mountain rock.
The atmospheric pressure was suffocating, saturated with ozone and static energy capable of vaporizing unshielded equipment in a split second.
"From dark underground caves straight into a electrical hurricane," Ignis chuckled heartily, rolling his shoulders as his heavy claymore hummed against the electrically charged breeze. Black dragon fire flared along the dark steel, neutralizing the static discharge humming around his boots. "I have to admit, the heat in the air here is almost refreshing!"
"The atmospheric conductivity is extreme," Ren stated calmly, her gauntlet projecting purple holographic field maps while specialized ground insulators hummed around her armor.
"My sensors indicate Floor 19 is an ancient sky realm governed by thunder gods and plasma elementals."
She adjusted her scanner, analyzing the environmental hazards. "Standard metallic weapons without proper mana coating will act as lightning rods and pull constant strikes. However, Fire, Spatial Void, and Earth-based attributes retain 100% operational efficiency."
"A realm of thunder," Tsubaki whispered, emerging silently from the shadow of a jagged obsidian spire. His crimson eyes scanned the stormy horizon. "My shadow scouts report that Floor 19 is under the absolute rule of the Thunder Sovereign
Voltoris, who resides within the Sky Altar."
Lyra stood gracefully beside Kaelen, her slender hand held securely 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 golden protective domain that completely neutralized the magnetic paralysis curse and shielded their squad from the ambient lightning strikes.
"No storm can shake our path, Kaelen," Lyra whispered softly, her bright blue eyes shining with absolute devotion as she leaned gently against his arm. "The violent thunder of this realm is nothing more than applause for your arrival."
"Thunder is merely noisy air, my light," Kaelen purred smoothly, his low velvet voice breaking effortlessly through the roaring storm wind. He gently caressed her hand, his dark violet eyes gleaming with cold, golden-ringed authority.
"Voltoris can command his lightning... until he learns the Void swallows thunder and sky alike."
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[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION!]
The key to the holy grail is activated!
EFFECT: Sovereign Static Barrier Active! All Squad Members Gain 100% Immunity to Magnetic Rupture & High-Voltage Hazards!
RESONANCE: Floor 19 Waystone Location Identified!
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Suddenly, the roaring storm clouds above the mountain ridge churned violently!
BOOOOOOM!
The sky shook as thousands of armored winged storm-beasts riding massive plasma drakes erupted through the violet lightning clouds!
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[AMBUSH INITIATED!]
HOSTILE ENTITIES: 2,200x Tempest Lightning Riders (Level 186 Elite)
COMMANDER: General Bolt-Striker — The Thunder Lord (Level 188 Tier-EX)
OBJECTIVE: Incinerate the Intruders!
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"GROUND-DWELLING MORTALS!" General Bolt-Striker roared from the front of the storm-drake formation. He stood thirty feet tall, clad in armor forged from electric silver and holding a massive double-headed trident surging with red plasma lightning. "YOU DARE SET FOOT UPON THE SACRED PEAKS OF HIS MAJESTY VOLTORIS?! BE REDUCED TO ASH BY THE DIVINE THUNDER!"
Two thousand two hundred Tempest Riders raised their electric spears in unison, unleashing a colossal wave of red and blue plasma lightning bolts that tore through the stormy sky, surging directly toward Kaelen’s position!
BOOOOOOM!
"Let me show these overgrown birds what real fire looks like!" Ignis roared with a wild laugh, leaping fifty feet into the stormy air as his claymore flared into a massive pillar of black-and-gold dragon fire!
"Dragon Fire Art: Sky Inferno Sweep!"
Ignis swung his blade in a massive arc! A three-hundred-meter wave of black dragon flame swept across the sky, flash-vaporizing one thousand Tempest Riders and their plasma drakes instantly, turning their silver armor into molten drops mid-air!
"Shadow Style: Lightning-Severing Flash!" Tsubaki flickered between the floating silver chains like a shadow, his dark katana leaving behind black spatial cuts that severed the mana cores of seven hundred riders before they could even react!
"System Hack: Electromagnetic Overload!" Ren deployed twenty magnetic disruptor pylons into the obsidian mountain ridge. The resulting high-frequency frequency pulses short-circuited the lightning cores of the remaining five hundred riders, causing them to explode into harmless sparks!
General Bolt-Striker watched his army annihilated in under two minutes, his glowing yellow eyes burning with furious shock.
"IMPOSSIBLE! MORTAL FLESH CANNOT RESIST THE HIGH-VOLTAGE THUNDER OF VOLTORIS!" Bolt-Striker roared, raising his giant trident and diving from his plasma drake like a crimson meteor, aiming straight for Kaelen’s head!
"Thunder Secret Art: Crimson Lightning Disintegration!"
Kaelen didn’t even shift his footing.
He took one calm step forward, his dark coat billowed gracefully in the intense electrical wind 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: Plasma Core at Sternum 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 across the stormy air.
"Void Art: Spatial Deletion—Tempest Sever!"
SKRRRRRRRAASH!
The half-inch draw of dark steel made no loud sound, but the spatial line expanded six hundred meters across the open sky ridge!
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[CRITICAL HIT!]
TARGET: General Bolt-Striker & 500x Tempest Lightning Riders
DAMAGE DEALT: 230,000,000 (Pure Spatial Eradication)
DEFENSE NEGATED: 100%!
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[FORCE OBLITERATED!]
CASUALTIES: General Bolt-Striker & Tempest Vanguard (Eradicated!)
EXP RECEIVED: 45,000,000 Points!
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"AAAAAAARGH!" General Bolt-Striker let out an agonizing metallic shriek as his thirty-foot body, his trident, and his remaining troops were sliced horizontally in half mid-air!
The pitch-black spatial cut erased their electrical forms and plasma cores instantly into glowing purple experience particles!
Kaelen smoothly clicked the Void Blade back into its sheath.
CLICK.
The roaring thunder pressure that had filled the ridge vanished instantly, replaced once again by the quiet, golden warmth of the squad’s domain.
"Flawless as always, My Lord," Tsubaki said, landing softly behind Kaelen with a deep bow.
"These bird-riders thought thunder gave them absolute speed," Ignis chuckled, resting his heavy claymore on his shoulder. "They forgot our sovereign commands space itself."
Ren checked her holographic displays, scanning the colossal floating temple carved into the highest mountain peak—The Sky Altar.
"My Lord, the elimination of General Bolt-Striker has alerted the entire realm," Ren reported. "The Thunder Sovereign Voltoris is powering up his central plasma core at the Sky Altar."
"Let him power up every lightning 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 makes his eventual erasure all the more spectacular."
Lyra smiled sweetly, leaning close against his side as they began walking across the floating silver chain bridge leading toward the Sky Altar. "Lead the way, Kaelen. The thunderous sky is yours."
Kaelen purred softly, his dark violet eyes gleaming with absolute, god-like authority as he led the Sovereign Faction deeper into the tempest of Floor 19.