Assimilate All Talents

Chapter 240: Ambush

With a head start, the two made a break for the stairs. At no point did they even entertain the idea of fighting 19 pseudo A-Rank enemies. Even if Sol could disable all their skills, it was still a small army chasing them—who in their right mind would take them on in a direct confrontation?

While running, Sol used both [Analysis] and his ability to view the tethers to identify which enemies posed the biggest threat and which skills to disable first. He was still in the middle of analyzing when one of the Nether Wraiths body warped out of sight. The next thing he knew, it appeared in front of him, swinging its [Spectral Claws].

Caught off guard by how quickly the enemy closed the distance, Sol barely managed to turn his body into shadows just in time, merging into the ground before the claws could strike. While [Shadow Body] didn’t make him immune to the claws, it was much faster than trying to dodge manually.

Within the shadows, Sol used [Close Combat], launching his shadowy fists that rose from the ground and pummeled the Nether Wraith. At first, the wraith fought back with its claws, but it quickly realized it was being overpowered. Each shadow punch carried more destructive might than the last, forcing the wraith to warp away before it lost the exchange.

With the wraith off his back, Sol emerged from the ground and continued running after Amber, who had gained a small lead. She paced herself, allowing Sol to catch up while she sent distorted slashes back at the pursuing undead.

The Tomb Hulks charged ahead of the group, taking the brunt of those slashes as the Laughing Skulls hid behind them, endlessly chanting [Grim Flames] at the duo. Sol called upon all his magic hands—seven simultaneously released their respective chromas, while the final three used [Spectral Claws], positioning themselves around the others to fight.

Sol grunted as he felt the strain on his soul, splitting it in multiple directions while actively fleeing. He could only endure the pain and keep running, knowing the hands wouldn’t last long but would buy them some time.

Amber helped by spreading sand everywhere, summoning sand soldiers to rise from the ground, ready to defend their escape with their artificial lives.

Despite his concentration being split, Sol continued disabling the incomplete law techniques of the undead. He managed to disable the warping Nether Wraith’s and a Tomb Hulk’s [Bulldoze], preventing them from easily trampling their defenses.

That very same Tomb Hulk was the first to charge ahead, wanting to break through the opposition and create an opening for its allies. When it tried to activate its incomplete law technique, it fumbled, causing it to trip and fall with a loud thud. Sol’s hands immediately seized the opportunity, raining a colorful array of attacks upon the hulk, while Amber targeted the Laughing Skulls with distorted slashes.

[You have slain a Lv 126 Laughing Skull! Gained 134,348,526 Exp (460%)]

"[Grim Flames]!"

"[Grim Flames]!"

"[Grim Flames]!"

"[Light Spear]! [Light Spear]! [Light Spear]!" Sol chanted nonstop to counteract the countless black flames hurtling toward them, but there were simply too many. Amber had to help, launching her own sand attacks to counter the remaining flames.

These exchanges continued as they gained and lost distance in a constant ebb and flow. Sometimes an undead that Sol had already disabled would regain its ability, surprising them. During the chaos, the duo didn’t notice—or rather, couldn’t afford to notice—that two Zomest had quietly slipped away during the chase.

...

Near the exit stairs, the two Zomest rose from the ground. They looked at each other and nodded, having received the same command.

The two took positions opposite each other and began using the incomplete law technique they both shared, [Combine Zombeast]. Two intricate magic circles with seven different rings appeared, each ring containing glyphs of different animals. The rings began to rotate as the Zomest carefully chose their creation. As the circles moved closer to one another, they began to overlap, amplifying the effect. The circles mimicked each other as the seven rings lined up to form one final creation that they were sure would fulfill its purpose.

"Kekeke..." One of the Zomest cackled as it completed the circle and activated it, causing it to flash a powerful red light.

The magic circle hovering in the air solidified, becoming dark red and opaque. The light and space around it began to bend as two massive claws appeared from the other side. Those claws gripped the edge of the magic circle and began clawing their way out.

"Kekeke!" The Zomest cackled maliciously as the head of their creation emerged, knowing they would be the ones to fulfill their creator’s will.