Chapter 559: Void (1/2)

Hiring, or perhaps it was more accurate to say capturing, Smaug had proven extremely beneficial since Calrin was still unable to procure these types of offensive treasures, let alone more powerful ones like [Void Balls]. Void’s Disciple frowned and seemed to prepare something to deal with the twisting air around him, but he suddenly got a blank look on his face as Janos fell down on his knees.

The illusionist had actually managed to trap the Dominator in an illusion or something similar, but the power gap between the two was just too great. The effect broke in less than a breath’s time, and blood flowed out of Janos’ ears and nose from the backlash. Zac frowned when he saw it as he quickly could make some guesses from the way things played out.

Void's Disciple didn’t completely block the strike, which meant that he didn’t have a top-tier mental protection treasure or skill. For example, Janos was able to break through [Mental Fortress] on his human side, but not [Indomitable] when Zac was a Draugr. But the fact that the Dominator was able to almost instantly break out of the mental trap meant that he likely had both a lot of Wisdom and an extremely strong mentality.

Then again, the latter was expected considering his identity. Void’s Disciple’s very existence had been taboo most of his life, yet he had not only taken two disciples, but he had even made a name for himself in Zhix society. He had walked among his enemies for decades, not rousing any suspicion even though everyone was on the look-out for the slightest hint of corruption.

Such a feat shouldn't be possible without an extremely sturdy psyche.

However, Janos’ attempt did slow Void’s Disciple down long enough for the spatial chaos to envelop him completely before blending into the air and disappearing, which hopefully meant that the Dominator had been a bit restricted. But Zac also didn’t dare to put all his hopes on these offensive treasures. They were essentially array breakers that targeted Teleportation Arrays, and there was no telling just how effective they were against a spatial warrior.

Of course, Zac and the Anointed weren’t just sitting around either, and a probing fractal blade was already flying toward the Dominator as [Love’s Bond] had moved to his back. Two chains soundlessly slithered down his back and into the underbrush as they stealthily made their way toward the Zhix as well, while the seven Anointed were directly rushing toward Void’s Disciple without any regard for their safety.

The Dominator didn’t seem phased by the situation at all though. Their assault mostly seemed to infuriate Void’s Disciple, and his visage once more turned into that of a frenzied murderer before it smoothed out again. However, Zac could still see the murder in his eyes as the Dominator stared back at him. A terrifying aura spread out, but he didn’t lash out like some sort of berserker. He instead blocked Zac’s Axe-infused fractal blade with just the palm of his left hand, and the edge actually shattered without even managing to draw blood.

Zac’s eyes widened at the sight, unable to comprehend how he could avoid getting injured at all. The basic skill [Chop] couldn’t really keep up with the latest improvements of [Verun’s Bite], but it still had a terrifying cutting power between the Fragment of the Axe and the skill itself. Even Zac would receive a deep cut if he hit himself with such a swing.

Just how sturdy was this guy?

The movements of Void’s Disciple were short and concise, and he gave Zac the impression of a Martial Arts-master who wasted no movement when delivering his strikes. Almost at the same time as he blocked Zac’s attack, a parchment scroll appeared in his other hand, and he unfurled it toward the two closest Anointed. Zac first thought it was a huge talisman, but it was oddly enough just painted black from top to bottom without any inscriptions or fractals at all.

However, a mysterious energy radiated from within the darkness. It was completely different from the darkness Zac conjured with [Rapturous Divide] though, and Zac felt he was looking up at the night sky for some reason. His danger sense woke up by the scene too even if he wasn’t the target, and he immediately got a bad feeling.

“Watch out!” Zac shouted, but it was too late.

The two had Anointed seemed to sense the threat as well, but they showed no indication of backing down as the darkness of the scroll rippled forward until a star-studded barrier appeared right in front of them. It was like Void’s Disciple had summoned a piece of the cosmos itself, and Zac could see both stars and nebulae in the depths of that wall.

A shockingly explosive power streamed into the ceremonial knives they each held, and they actually exploded into metallic shards that shot everywhere. However, a set of new golden energy blades had taken their place, and Zac shuddered when he felt the extremely condensed belief gathered within. It was just like the rune that the cultists had nurtured, only with a different flavor.

Each of them struck at the wall as the runes of their arms lit up, meaning the two were holding nothing back in their desire to break the first line of defenses and opening a path for their allies. But Zac still hadn’t expected what happened next as the two actually fell into darkness and disappeared. The night-sky receded back into the scroll in an instant and the next moment both the two Anointed and the darkness was gone.

Zac’s eyes were wide in shock. He had seen over a hundred types of defensive barriers during his battles, everything from his emerald leaves to celestial deities appearing to block his strikes. They all worked essentially the same way though, but this was something else entirely. Had Void's Disciple actually created a portal to space? However, that should be impossible, at least from what they had gathered.

Information on the Dao of Space was limited in the Zecia sector, but they had managed to make some deductions from what they managed to find out. First of all, there was no Fragment of Space, meaning that Void’s Disciple should be controlling some related subordinate fragment rather than the real thing. Just like Zac was currently in control of the Fragment of the Coffin rather than the Fragment of Death.

Secondly, there should be limits on distance. Zac could only move 100 meters with [Loamwalker], and Ogras a few times that distance if he pushed himself with his shadow warp skill. Void’s Disciple was able to move a lot further through his portal skill, but it shouldn’t be strong to the point that he could open a gate to outer space. An E-Grade warrior simply didn’t have the Cosmic Energy needed to create such a long-distance portal.

You would need at least a D-Grade Hegemon’s Cultivator Core to sustain that kind of massive drain.