Chapter 442: A Break from the Monotony (1/2)

Finally succeeding in upgrading [Profane Seal] during his climb was one of Zac's greatest gains while climbing the 7th floor. The upgrade added five more chains that extended from the top of five massive tombstones that had been added to the cage, and they would be sorely needed to catch the slippery assassin.

The additional chains wasn't the only benefit from the skill evolving. Dense scripts lit up with azure luster on top of the huge tombstones, and they formed a large fractal in the air that covered the entirety of the cage. It was a restrictive array, somewhat akin to the gravity array of the Zethaya Pill House.

It was another layer of restrictions that hindered anyone who had been caught in Zac's cage. Along with [Fields of Despair], the spectral chains, [Winds of Decay], and the taunting effect of [Vanguard of Undeath] the area within [Profane Seal] had become a real hellscape for the living.

But the man caught in Zac's trap was no normal man, and he barely seemed troubled at all by the situation.

Another warning of danger exploded in Zac's mind, this one even more urgent than before. He desperately moved [Undying Bulwark] to block his torso while infusing it with the Fragment of the Coffin. A sharp snap could be heard as the bulwark was pierced straight through as the pitch-black spike continued toward Zac's body.

Almost all of the strike's momentum had been absorbed by the defensive skill though, and the spike didn't even manage to piece the next level of defense, the thick miasmic armor that covered Zac's whole body.

Zac was ready to retaliate with his axe, but his brows rose in surprise when a spectral projection suddenly appeared on the other side of the cage. He pushed the confusion aside and infused the ghost with the Fragment of the Coffin just as it stabbed the man, creating another shallow wound that immediately started to fester.

It was shocking how far the man had instantly moved after stabbing him, but the fifteen chains of [Profane Seal] immediately set out to trap the assassin while Zac started to release torrential amounts of corrosive mists into the cage. He had failed in taking the man down with one strike, but Zac was still confident in whittling him down using his standard approach.

The assassin tried striking Zac's vitals a few more times, but between [Immutable Bulwark] and his shield he was able to escape unscathed, while adding more and more wounds with the help of [Deathwish]. Faceless 9 was probably the fastest enemy he had ever fought, but his defense wasn't too impressive.

Besides, the spectral projections were immutable. The masked warrior had unleashed flurries of stabs at them the moment they appeared, but the stabs went straight through their incorporeal bodies. They could only be blocked, which made them the perfect counter for people who relied on not getting hit.

The assassin suddenly appeared far in the distance, and Zac frowned as he realized the assassin was up to something. Bleeding abscesses could be seen at various parts of his arms, whereas the wounds on his body were continuously leaking pus. A smaller spike suddenly appeared in his hand, but rather than attacking Zac he stabbed himself in his heart.

Zac's eyes widened in shock witnessing what looked like a suicide, but he quickly realized that things were about to get rough. The man's muscles suddenly started to writhe and wriggle as black liquid reminiscent of his ichor poured out of his wounds before they coagulated, forming thick scabs around his wounds.

The nine closest chains were suddenly thrown away with enough force to cause cracks all along the links as the man stabbed forward with enough speed to become a blur, which gave the man another short breather. Impenetrable darkness spread through the cage the next moment as the assassin unleashed some sort of domain, and any clue of the man's whereabouts was gone. The man's attuned energies had completely blended in with the surroundings, rendering [Cosmic Gaze] useless.

Even his life-force was hidden by the dome of darkness, rendering the unique vision brought by his Draugr race impotent. Just as Zac tried to figure out his next step a sharp pain erupted in his left leg, and he realized a hole as wide as a quarter having appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

The hole went straight through not only his armor but his whole leg, and he felt his black ichor pouring out of the wound. He sensed that another spectral ghost had automatically appeared some distance away, but Zac didn't have time to imbue it before it had struck the assassin. What had just happened?

Another wound suddenly opened up, this time on his right arm. Zac frowned at the fact that he couldn't sense a thing before being struck, not a single warning from his Danger Sense that he was about to get attacked. This time he managed to imbue the projection from [Deathwish], but Zac couldn't help but worry.

Zac had already heard that there were methods to circumvent the special senses from Luck, but this was the first time he had seen it to such a degree. Was this the hallmark of a top-tier assassin?

This was a fighting-style that was completely different compared to anything else Zac had witnessed during the Battle Royale. The man had no big avatars and there were no flashy skills that emitted massive outbursts of energy. However, that didn't mean the man was weak, and it wasn't without reason that none of the spectators had dared to target him.

Zac was sitting at over 300 effective luck, but he couldn't even begin to sense when the attacks were coming. Not only that, but his Endurance and multiple layers of defense barely impeded the man as two gristly wounds had appeared on his body without him impeding the strikes in the slightest.

There was an extreme penetrative force between his jabs, and just one or two attacks might be enough to kill most people. The man had no doubt been able to effortlessly assassinate one guardian after another during his climb using this method, barely sustaining any wounds.

However, a muted pang of danger suddenly erupted, and Zac hurriedly protected his head with his shield, safely looking another strike aimed at his head. Zac nodded in understanding as he realized that his Danger Sense at least could sense lethal strikes. It meant that the darkness hadn't changed much.

So Zac simply ordered the chains to flail about at random as he stood rooted in place, only focusing on staying alive and infusing the [Deathwish] with the Fragment of the Coffin.

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Finally, there was a break from the monotony.

Iz Tayn curiously looked at the weird cage formed from death-attuned energies, and the two fighters who were grinding each other down within. Luckily she had been gifted the skill [Sungod's Eyes] by her uncle before entering the tower. Otherwise, she would have missed out on the melee due to the [Red Hand Shroud].