Chapter 594: Beaming (1/2)
Chapter 594 Beaming
Ilea took a deep breath, feeling the magic flow through her. The new sensation from her Deviant upgrade didn’t last long, her perception quickly adapting to what the Meadow had called an increased harmony.
She blinked around in the staircase, activating various spells before she punched into the walls a few times. Heat gathered in her core before the energy was released in a small beam that burned into the stone.
Everything felt… smoother. Practically speaking, her spells activated faster, the mana flowed through both her body and out of her limbs with what she felt like was less resistance. She couldn’t perceive a direct change in her physical body but the results were the same.
Her cooldowns remained the same and most of her abilities were quickly usable anyway, but it felt good nonetheless. Ilea tried her ash next, moving around her limbs and forming a few floating spears. Okay that’s a change for sure.
With the increased control, Ilea felt confident to create eighteen limbs instead of the sixteen she had been using for a long time. Her ability to move her conjured projectiles around had improved noticeably too and something about her armor made her investigate further.
She raised her arm and looked at the thick defensive layer. Instead of making it recede, she cut into it with a limb, revealing the flesh below. Oh boy, she thought, checking her thigh instead. It was the same there. The ash had partially fused with her body. Just a tiny bit but enough to make her a little uneasy.
Am I turning into an ash monster?
Ilea giggled to herself. Ah who am I kidding. I’ve long been one.
“Hey Meadow, how do I prevent myself turning into some purely magical creature?” she asked nonetheless.
“You’ve had choices before, right? Don’t choose the ones that may evolve you in such a manner. Though I do have to ask. What is wrong with turning into a purely magical creature?” it said.
“Probably can’t enjoy food anymore,” Ilea said, a worried expression on her face.
“Ah I see. Food. Of course. Well do carry on, I’m sure your intuition will guide you,” Meadow said, cutting the connection once more.
I suppose it’s right. I’ve not been fucked over by my evolutions and choices so far.
She cracked her neck, finding the maneuver still working despite the change. “Time for some payback.”
Ilea teleported down and into the large open space of the eighteenth layer of the Descent. A desert. She didn’t care about concealing herself, instead fanning out her wings and flying over the sands as she felt the magic in the air, the power coursing through her veins. It all felt vibrant. Available.
A group of three sprites welcomed her half a minute later, the creatures retaining their strangeness. Long root like bodies with thin dried out wings on their backs. Their bodies moved quickly in the air, not corresponding to the movement of their wings. Their faded bone like color remained the same, dice like heads propped up on the thin bodies.
This time they didn’t communicate at all, instead charging up their light magic spells.
“Suits me,” Ilea thought as she felt the heat within her gather. Now let’s see how far I’ve come since last time. Do make sure to show me what you have. I’ll need all the resistance I can get against the Sanvaruun.
A broad smile spread on her lips as she spread her arms in anticipation. She watched as three bright beams of light fused into one, the energy reaching her near immediately. Hmm, she mused, looking at her hands as the magic burned past her, leaving little damage on her armor.
Did it get stronger too? Or would this have happened anyway?
[Elder Sun Sprite – lvl ???]
Close to seven hundred. At least I’ll get some experience out of this, if not much, if this is what they’ll manage, Ilea thought and deactivated her resistance to Light Magic. The third tier really made a difference, the beams working their way through her defense as soon as the resistance was gone.
Ilea didn’t mind spending some time here. It was a good opportunity for some training, and for testing the new harmony she had gained from her Deviant advancement. She formed a few dozen small spheres of ash, condensing them as far as she could in a short amount of time before she sent them flying at the three sprites ahead of her.
The group moved, avoiding some of the projectiles while using their beams to deflect the rest. The few hits that landed made the creatures wobble in the air, the blunt force enough to disorient a level six hundred and fifty Sprite.
Really not something to write home about, Ilea thought, a little disappointed in the monsters’ performance. For now that was, she already saw a few dozen more of the beings descend from the higher reaches of this layer. Together they might even be able to match the Monarch’s output. Compared to the elf however, she would have little issues with escaping, should that become necessary.
The other sprites arrived in the next few minutes, joining in with their brethren to destroy the pesky ashen creature that had invaded their home. Beams joined together and concentrated in brilliant heat and energy where the being hung in the air, black wings lazily moving on her back. Ash was burned away and reformed, bone armor and human skin exposed from time to time, reforming again with each moment when the barrage couldn’t be sustained.
Ilea just laughed, twirling in the air as she exposed herself to the somewhat extreme sun bathing experience. As the creatures gathered, their beams came to overwhelm her healing from time to time but her growing resilience against their attacks through Body of the Valkyrie prevented her from actually having to retreat.
‘ding’ ‘Light Magic Resistance reaches 3rd lvl 2’
Ilea closed her eyes and enjoyed the heat. Feeling the growing power within her chest, she reached out to one of the Sprites and used Displacement to move it in front of her. Her hand closed around it’s thin root like neck. The right side of her face lay exposed, her cheek missing as a bright beam of light burned away at her tough skin. Her eye glazed over and popped, blood trailing down before it evaporated. And yet she held on to the struggling creature without a care in the world.
“It’s only fitting, to have my eyes explode again in this place,” she mused and raised her other hand in front of the creature’s head. The heat within her released in an instant, a beam of fiery energy flashing out from her palm, quite literally removing the monster’s head from existence.
Flakes of ash flowed from its neck as a ding resounded in her mind. Ilea grinned when she saw that her attack had partially disintegrated four more of them who happened to be in the path, only one clinging on to life.
‘ding’ ‘You have defeated [Elder Sun Sprite – lvl 700]’
“I told you I’d be back,” she said, her face regenerating as the creatures moved into clusters, focusing their spells together for a more powerful result. Ilea knew it wouldn’t be enough to stop her. These creatures were simple minded monsters wielding overwhelming magic to defeat their foes. Beings who never had the need nor will to advance past their limiting instincts. And it so happens that they had once tried to kill a dear friend of hers.
If they had been Sapient, perhaps it would have led to a different end, but their spells weren’t the only limited thing about them. I can be patient too, despite evidence to the contrary, she thought and continued forming heat within her. A display of such destructive magic would’ve forced most enemies to flee, sapient or not. But it seemed the Elder Sun Sprites had an ingrained arrogance not much unlike that of the Elves. Or perhaps they simply couldn’t comprehend that a living thing existed that could fight them.
We will never learn, Ilea thought and displaced another creature to herself. Her ashen limbs spread and entrapped the being, resisting the continuous light magic. She floated a little closer and punched the monster in its dice like head, the impact vibrating through her arm, leaving a dent in the hard material. She punched from the left next, speeding up as her magically enhanced body brimmed with power. Ilea started mixing in her mana intrusion, quickly overwhelming whatever lousy defense and health the being had.
‘ding’ ‘You have defeated [Elder Sun Sprite – lvl 685]’
She turned around, letting the body fall towards the partially glassed desert below.
‘ding’ ‘Light Magic Resistance reaches 3rd lvl 3’
You Are pretty effective with that combined effort, Ilea mused. The impact however was lessening, the enemy spells dealing more than ten percent reduced damage with each passing minute of their continued battle.
Ilea started being a little more active, using her quick teleportation to close the distance between the various flying creatures, her intrusion overwhelming each and everyone of them in a matter of seconds.
She appeared within the largest cluster, using Heart of Cinder in a sphere around her to disintegrate the group of Elder Sprites. Violence, she thought, using the remaining ash to form spears she sent at the few creatures that were left.
Ilea was almost disappointed when the last of them fell to her attacks, the area quieting down as she floated in midair. That was what a hundred? Two?
The fight hadn’t taken long either but after the hordes she had faced in Erendar, she supposed the experience couldn’t be anything but underwhelming.
“You don’t suppose you could let me know about large clusters of high level monsters nearby?” she mused, looking upwards as she checked her messages.
‘ding’ ‘You have defeated [Elder Sun Sprite – lvl 658]’
‘ding’ ‘The Azarinth Sentinel has reached lvl 472 – Five stat points awarded’
‘ding’ ‘Kin of Ash has reached lvl 466 – Five stat points awarded’
‘ding’ ‘The Faen Valkyrie has reached lvl 418 – One stat point awarded’
And no more skill levels. Oh well, not like there was a lot of skill involved in this battle.
“Even if I would agree with your way of life, there is nothing here that could satiate your endless lust for blood and death,” Meadow replied.
“Are you sure? A good punch to the head might help some beings awaken, who knows,” Ilea said. “Alright then, beam me up Scotty.”
“I understand the humor, however you would be surprised with how effective that method really is. Especially with hard skulled creatures like yourself. Are you referencing a fictional work I’m not familiar with?” Meadow asked.
Ilea deactivated her space magic resistance when she noticed the pull, appearing in Meadow’s domain a moment later.