Dungeon Diver: Stealing A Monster’s Power

Chapter 726

An unfathomable weight presses down on my chest.

In the same amount of time it took for me to break this monster's chain and gain the advantage for a split second, it turned the tables on me and has shown the absurd strength that was sealed within.

Every moment that passes, I feel more and more power leaking out from the demonic one-eyed figure, with a stoic expression. From kilometers away, it holds me down with its ranged weapon like this is a menial task.

I can feel my Astral Form cracking apart, and the immense pressure of the atmosphere is seeping into my real body once again.

While I'm able to release this power in bursts, I'm still not fully acclimated to the Upper Realm's air density, and I only have so much time before I need to fall back into my base form and put my purple barrier back up.

Considering the Guardian knows I'm a dangerous opponent, I doubt I'll only get hit one time if I retreat now. Taking advantage of its momentary lapse in judgment has passed.

Though, I did manage to at least find one small weakness.

As the dark demonic stain grows in my Astral Form, cracking and fracturing it further as it spreads, I pay it no mind and follow a single thread of my divine swordsmanship skill, sifting through the hundreds of thousands of foresight futures until one matches up with my desired result.

The crimson eye of my hungry blade sends pulses of red fiery energy through the threads of mana, and I swing my blade again while being pressed into the ground.

A single weak chain link from the monster's soul weapon is broken again, and the connection of the spiked ball to the wielder is severed for a fraction of a second.

Unlike before, I know that this link will be discarded, and a fresh chain will relink.

So, despite the pain, ringing in my ears, and suffocating pressure mixed with the mental ether imbued in that last attack, I push myself off the ground and shadowstep to the opposite side of the mountain's peak.

Clear memories of the unbreakable barrier of armor repeat in my mind from my last attempt, and now even my swordsmanship and foresight skill show no possibilities of even landing a hit.

A very strange vibration can be sensed all over this beast's bare skin and the black armor that is fused with it.

It's almost impossible to describe—an invisible eerie humming; similar to the instinctual dangerous sensation I felt the first time I laid eyes upon Drako Vermillion.

It may just be my mind filling in the gaps, attempting to comprehend a powerful source of power beyond my mental comprehension, but something tells me there is more to it...

I can feel the same vibrating radiation coming off of the spiked ball, its handle, and the Cyclops itself.

Each individual chain link in its soul weapon doesn't have this overwhelming power source to it; so, instead of attempting to get in close range for a futile strike that will only end in my blade bouncing off like before, I attack where I know my hit will make a difference.

Before the chain even fully reforms to link back together, I swing down on it again.

The glowing spiked ball falls to the central peak's base.

I'm expecting some kind of roar or angered reaction from the Guardian, but it just watches from afar while pushing more and more energy into its soul weapon.

Using shadow steps, my Astral Form disappears and reappears all over the small battlefield, and my mind is entirely focused on the single task before me.

From an outside view, dozens of shockwaves per second ripple through the entire exile zone, and the peak of the mountain is a red, black, purple, green, and white blur of colliding forces.

Every shockwave signifies a chain link being broken, and the soul weapon's range shortening more and more.

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The shockwaves stop momentarily when there is nowhere to dodge, and the only way for me to strike another chain link is to be hit by the spiked ball.

Three more times, I'm pinned to the ground, and more spots of my Astral Form crack and receive blotches of demonic energy that grow in size as time passes.

My ears ringing gets louder too, and the pressure builds up more and more from the threads I'm taking in from my Astral Form with a large rise in surface area.

Even the access point above me continues to close, leaving only a small sliver, less than a third of the remaining open white oval that showed before.

Nevertheless, I continue breaking through the chains until the range of this monster's weapon is no longer than my own.

Before, the 50-kilometer-wide dome was a death trap anywhere I moved, but now it is only when I come within a 5-meter range of the Cyclops that all of my foresight paths show my demise.

It gives me time to think, but also makes the reality of this creature's monstrous power sink in even more.

Its Noble Body is the same size as my trump card, my entire Astral Form.

From the looks of it, I only have a few seconds left in this form before I'll be forced to retreat back into my purple barrier.

My promise to the Wyvern will be broken, I'll miss getting to the access point in time and be stuck down here for another month, and if I'm unconscious for too long, I won't be able to protect Ava from this monstrosity.

All these thoughts race through my mind while I take a step back instead of ruthlessly attacking the single-digit number of chain links left, and try to reassess the situation.

This momentary break in my precise attacks gives the Cyclops its cue to finally move.

Similar to an annoying bee flying around a hiker, finally as it backs off for a moment, he can continue on with what he was doing.

The Demonic Guardian raises its right arm holding the soul weapon, and instead of throwing it forward or marching toward me, it places the remaining chains into its mouth and bites down.

A crunch radiates through my senses, and all of the remaining chains are severed as the monster chews the soul weapon's metal like they're a soft delicacy.

My heart drops even further while I watch the long handle in its grasp point down to the ground while it takes a step forward.

The spiked ball reconnects to the long black rod in its hand, turning its soul weapon into a close-range mace.

As it takes another step forward, there isn't a single point on its body or soul weapon now that isn't vibrating with a strange frequency.

Every single outcome in my mind ends with my Soul Sword being stopped by its armor, or even its skin, and the result of stepping too close to the Cyclops gets me struck by its impenetrable Soul Weapon. One more hit with that spiked ball and my Astral Form will shatter. I'm certain of it.

It takes another step forward, and this time, its speed rises drastically and a streak of red-stained demonic aura trails behind it.

My fading mind can't exactly comprehend how fast it is really going, but I'm sure even at the peak of this battle before I was hit, I'd have no hope of matching its speed.

I grit my teeth, understanding now why Noble Demons act so arrogant. These bloodline transformations truly do put them on a pedestal high above all of the other races.

As this thought sets in, I activate a new buff I obtained from Drako Vermillion, one that I haven't activated yet and have no idea at all how it will react with my body and current abilities.

However, taking this risk, activating my [Noble Bloodline Transformation] seems a far better option than being at the whims of this monstrous creature, even if I do have an artifact that should theoretically protect me.

–n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

The Wyvern's gaze below the mountain finally moves away from Ava as she massacres the Demonic Beasts that aren't suffocated by the sliding black stone avalanches of drained worlds being thrown around as two Titans clash.

It is quite surprised a human has lasted this long.

An Astral Form is incredibly rare, even for many 1st class worlds and higher races. But, possible in this old monster's eyes, as if one trains with divine energy long enough before they hit the 3rd rank-up stage, and have chosen a path on their world where they are truly more worthy to lead their race than everyone else, the system may grant them a power like this.

A human and a goblin, causing this much havoc is a sight to behold.

Even the fact that the battle has gone on for a few seconds is impressive, but that is not what lifts the Wyvern's gaze and makes its eyes open wide.

Within the depths of the massive cracked and deteriorating Astral Form, the human's true body begins to give off a familiar vibration and change in form.

The human's muscles grow larger, and they harden to be as dense and unbreakable as diamonds.

His skin becomes smooth, and almost glossy, infused with all of the energy flowing through it, becoming a perfect conductor.

The human's eyes glow with a bright white light, and an ethereal feeling pulses outward, making the entire red and black dome created by the Guardian around them shatter in an instant from the aura alone.

The being that traveled here from a 3rd Class world grows in size, to make his true human flesh stand at just over 20 meters tall.

All of the blood-bonded armor, gear, Soul Sword, and cores bonded to its being grow in size with him. His dark hair, facial features, and every hardened muscle fiber grow with him.

A sublime white light bursts upward to create a pillar, and at the same time, the Astral Form grows in size to adjust to its new reference.

With a clean and precise downward swing, a flaming white and red soul sword shatters a small spiked ball within the Guardian's grasp, and follows through to collide with the Cyclops's eye.

With no resistance at all, its head is sliced in two, and the sword continues downward.

The Wyvern speaks out loud to itself in awe, as it witnesses a sight it cannot believe.

"A Noble Human...? This... should not be possible..."