Apocalypse Redux

Chapter 229: The Eternal Wait

The portal flickered for a second, stabilized … and promptly began to fly away from them. It looked like the issue with the portal holding position at a constant direction and distance to the projection location hadn’t been fixed yet.

The array of manipulated space smacked into a tree and came apart at the seams.

“Ok, seventy-third time’s the charm.” Isaac sighed. Why oh why couldn’t they have tested the damn portal ahead of time, that way, the returning lunanauts could have returned triumphantly. But no, someone had wanted a triumphant return without considering that maybe, long-range portals were tricky and that it had taken a damn long time to even build an array to project it down here.

So why on Earth had the return date been chosen as the day the array was slated to finish, rather than the one after it?

Isaac sighed and resigned himself to being here for a while. It wasn’t like he could help here. The theory behind long-range portal magic and compensating for planetary drift was well beyond his sphere of knowledge. Or was that lunar drift, in this situation? Not like that distinction mattered much to anyone not read into the specific science at hand.

At least there was something he could do, and that was to check out his character sheet.

Name: Isaac Thoma

Class: Incarnation of the Promethean Spirit

Species: Einherjar

Level: 135

XP: 0/1,360,000

Health Status: Healthy

Mana: 3,000/3,000

Stats

Fortitude

255 (+20)

Perception

500

Strength

330 (+15)

Agility

650

Magic Power

290 (+10)

Magic Regeneration

600

Free Points: 0 Stat, 1 Skill

Aura

Aura of the Crimson Dawn (short range, combat, blood, regeneration)

Aura of the Desperate Seeker (long range, sensory, mental, projection)

Aura of the Eternal Warrior (mid-range, combat/mental/sensory, armament)

Central Skills

Form of Horror XXVI

The Chosen Weapon XXVIII

I Am The Sword XXI

Grave of Swords XXVII

Armory of Ancient Times XVIII

Legacy of a True Warrior XXVI

Divine Fire X

Champion of Mankind I

Skills

Hundred Faces XXVII

Stealth XXIX

Power Strike XXX

Piercing Strike XXX

Sundering Strike XXX

Blades XXX

Sneak XXVII

Sweeping Strike XVII

Far Strike XXX

Manifold Strike XXX

Hunter’s Gaze XXX

Phantom Step XXII

Unknown Fear XXX

Bestial Regeneration XXVIII

Undying Focus XXX

Tools of Terror XXI

Fleeting Presence XVII

Crippling Blow XVIII

Absolute Blade Mastery XIX

Compounded Impact XVIII

True Cut VIV

Legendary Blow XVII

Fully Geared XIII

Knightly Leader XXI

Analyze Person XVI

Continent Strider XVI

Burden of Power VII

Expert’s Insight VIII

Blessing of Innovation XVIII

Lessons of History VI

The Meaning of the Name VII

General Skills

Gralloch XVIII

Alchemy XV

Death’s Embrace VIII

Bloodline of the Survivor (Empower Relatives)

Advanced Bureaucracy VIII

Police Procedure VIII

Healing VI

Quest Giver III

Omniglot (109 languages known)

Member of the Round Table (Shade: Seon Yoo-jin)

Accumulation of Knowledge (unranked)

Well of Wisdom’s Blessing (unranked)

Enhanced Dragon-Scale Web (unranked)

Crimson Runic Script VII

Aspects

Aspect Skills

Arcane Poltergeist (3 stack)

Flight of the Poltergeist

Ephemeral Form

Haunting Pursuit

Greater Hydra (3 stack)

Hydra’s Regeneration

Redundant Organs

Ignore Injury

Megalodon (2 stack)

Shark’s Body

Wave Charge

Twilight Weaver (3 stack)

Lesser Illusion

Perception Interdiction

Warp Wave

Razor Apparition (3 stack)

Remote Wielding

Immortal Blades

Razor Trails

Dragon (3 stack)

Draconic Heart

Moment of Immortality

Dragonscale Mantle

Least Demon Lord (2 stack)

Moment of Immortality

Grand Hellflame

Space Elemental (2 stack)

Fixed Point

Space Affinity

Lich (3 stack)

Superiority of Undeath

Perfect Form

Lich’s Curse

Death Knight (3 stack)

Death Knight’s Endurance

Ghostly Armor

Armored Echo

He’d gained several Levels worth of XP from constantly fighting [Raid Bosses] but also accumulated a ton of [Skill] Levels.

His dragonscale weave armor had been registered on his character sheet, and his blood runes had finally been registered on his character sheet after he’d gotten his hands on the Sanguine Monarch’s grimoire.

Crimson Runic Script (legendary)

Blood. The fuel that powers all living things. The fact that it is sometimes referred to as lifeblood just emphasizes this.

But your blood can fuel more than just you,

The Crimson Script is one such avenue to using this great power, allowing the user to unleash devastating attacks.

Tear apart elementals with your bare hands, turn your weapons into implements of doom that will tear apart your foes from the inside if you leave them sticking in their bodies, generate nigh-indestructible barriers (albeit at the cost of your vitality), and more.

And, of course, he’d slotted the Aspect of the Dragon.

[Moment of Immortality] had remained in place, of course, but the other two [Skills] had upgraded into stronger versions.

The [Skills] he’d picked were actually different than the ones he’d originally intended to choose, way back when he’d been planning his future progression.

[Dragon’s Breath] was a nasty, close-range weapon that made for one hell of a sucker punch when it hit an enemy unexpectedly, but it had been made thoroughly superfluous by Isaac’s new [Class].

Draconic Heart (epic)

Your heart beats with the force of an erupting volcano, its every movement sending immense magic coursing through your body, burning and swiftly annihilating any diseases, poisons, and other forces seeking to corrupt your body (barring exceedingly powerful opposition).

At the same time, this power can be unleashed to provide fuel for your own flame-based attacks, granting them overwhelming power at the cost of physical fatigue.

Lastly, the heart of a draconic beast grants the bearer enhanced longevity and vitality.

An even greater resistance to subtler means of attack, as well as old age, nice to have but he really hoped he wouldn’t need it.

Also, when he needed to, he could hit even harder, though that was limited to an emergency, last resort, get-out-of-jail strike, or a finishing move.

“Physcial fatigue” was the understatement of the century.

The idea of his heart being an erupting volcano was mostly artistic flair, but it somewhat describe the sensation. When he’d gained that [Skill], it had felt like his heart had gained limitless power, as if a nuclear reactor had been implanted into his chest, energizing him.

However, when he used [Draconic Heart], that same power left him, lowering his energy well below the point where it had been before gaining the [Skill], utterly exhausted and feeling like he’d spent an entire week pulling all-nighters. Pre-[System].

Of course, as exhausting as that little trick was, it had the power to match.

Isaac had brought the roof of his summoning area down on his head the first time he’d used it and the place was still trashed because Karl was in outer space.

Those were the consequences of having the best of the best build your stuff. You needed someone of equal Level, with the same specialization, to do maintenance, and when you were at the bleeding edge of what was currently possible, that basically limited you to just the original creator.

Sadly, his second [Skill] wasn’t quite that good.

Dragonscale Mantle (epic)

The scales of a dragon, synonymous with durability for many.

And now, you have slain one of these great beasts, taken its power for your own, and turned its skin into yours.

Draconic ceratin now armors you, ensuring that you are never without protection, yet it is no unbreakable bulwark, is it?

Which is why this Skill takes the concept of wearing your slain enemies and takes it one step further. All pieces of armor made from biological materials, even those integrated into your body, are significantly strengthened.

His already tough defenses had gotten a bit tougher, but really, his biggest worry had always been and would continue to be stuff that could get past his dragonscale webs.

But he’d also bought the second core [Skill] of his new [Class].

Champion of Mankind (legendary)

Humans are rather weak, aren’t they? Small and fragile despite how much of the planet they’ve conquered, what great things they’ve made, an individual human is still not all that powerful.

Which is why they sometimes need a helping hand. Someone who might give advice, stop powerful foes, or maybe just steal fire from the gods themselves.

This is the Champion of Mankind, humanity’s shield, and the vanguard of their march into a brighter future.

This is a Skill that grants the wielder the power to protect others, adjusted for the situation.

There are three forms this boost can take:

The Leader:

The Leader is the true power behind an army. When the Champion takes command, that fact becomes abundantly clear.

All troops (up to Skill Level times a thousand) under the Leader’s command gain a thirty percent boost to their physical Stats, are automatically empowered by [Veteran’s Knowledge], and gain access to the basic Skills of all standard combat Classes, such as Strikes, Blows, Shots, Healing Skills, and simple Spells.

Furthermore, the Leader temporarily gains a seventy percent boost to their physical Stats, as well as the Skills [Threefold Thoughtstreams], [Simulate Maneuvers], and [Battlefield Map].

The Leader lasts for 1 hour and has a cooldown of ten hours.

The Thinker:

The Thinker is the physically weakest of the Champions, yet also the most impactful, especially in situations where physical force is not the correct answer.

The Thinker gains access to any five regular Skills from scientific/knowledge-based Classes up to and including rare rarity and the third Evolution.

In addition, he gains access to the Skills [Parallel Thoughts] (each thoughtstream costs 1 mana per second from the Skill’s pool), [Simulation] (each simulated second costs 2 mana), and [Mental Celerity].

Lastly, the Thinker can feed Spells using the Skill’s mana at an exchange rate of 2:1.

The Thinker lasts as long as the Skill’s mana lasts (natural drain of 1 mana per second) and imparts a cooldown of one day.

The Vanguard:

The Vanguard is the simplest form of the Champion, but by no means weak. In fact, when it comes to raw combat power, it is utterly unsurpassed. When in Vanguard form, the user’s physical Stats double, they gain a nigh-unbreakable set of armor custom designed to match their fighting style.

Furthermore, the Vanguard can, at will, draw in all ranged attacks made against nearby allies and even incite enemies to go after them instead.

Lastly, the Vanguard gains temporary access to the [Indomitable Shield], [Unstoppable Momentum] and [Unbreakable Charge] Skills.

The Vanguard lasts for five minutes and has a cooldown of four hours.

Cost: 6,000 mana stored in a separate Pool

WARNING! This is a Skill meant to protect humanity and will fail when used in the service of ushering in its downfall.

More than anything, this [Skill] showed that [Incarnation of the Promethean Spirit] didn’t have a specific starter [Class] attached to it.

Most [Classes] evolved from specific origins, like a [Warrior] turning into a [Mage], or [Mages] becoming a specialized spellcaster, but Isaac’s current [Class] was all about one’s attitude and goals, not past [Classes] and [Skills].

As such, not all of his current [Skills] were fully optimized for his build, though this one was more suitable for him than it had appeared at first glance.

[Champion of Mankind: Vanguard] should have been a tank-only ability, given how it attracted attacks, but there was a little quirk to that.

You see, the attacks didn’t suddenly become guided missiles when they targeted him under the influence of the [Skill], they just gravitated towards him.

All he had to do was stay in one place long enough to mess with his enemies’ carefully calculated trajectories and dodge at top speed. If he was far enough away from his allies, the attacks would go wide.

Meanwhile, the [Champion of Mankind: Leader] would make him a million times more useful the next time he got shoved into a command role.

And [Champion of Mankind: Thinker] was in a class all on its own. It would be beyond helpful when doing research, especially when coupled with [Blessing of Innovation], he could, quite literally, debate himself.

Also, by splitting his mind, throwing in the foresight ability of [The Meaning of the Name] to increase his precision, and burning the Thinker’s mana pool to fuel offensive magic, he could deliver a devastatingly powerful and precise strike to multiple targets.

He’d also managed to push two more of his original [Rogue-Skills] to Level 30.

Far Strike (common, Level max)

Upon the User’s next melee attack with a bladed weapon, the blade will extend by 2+0.5n meters where n equals skill level.

In addition, the User may now imbued his weapons with ten mana to create a range enhancing aura for a full minute. This extra reach is 0.5 meters, gaining an additional 0.1n meters, with n being every Level in this Skill over 10.

After countless battles where the user has used this Skill to destroy foes that thought they were safe due to being out of range, this Skill has evolved to grant him even an greater reach. The user may now input more mana at will, with the range doubling with every additional 20 points of mana invested.

Caution: Extremely long blades may give way if engaged along their entire length, this may be mitigated by applying a second Skill to strengthen it (elligble Skills: Piercing Strike, Power Strike).

And now, it has reached the pinnacle of its power, being able to be projected past solid objects, even bypassing non-magical armor, should there be sufficient space available behind said armor.

Cost: 20 mana minimum, no maximum mana investment

Manifold Strike (legendary, Level XXX)

The user may combine any number of [-Strike] type Skills into a single attack, so long as there is one Skill with a minimum Level of X available for each Skill used below that Level.

In addition, the overall potency of the Skills used increases by 10 %.

After countless situations where this Skill has been used to deal devastating damage using the right combination of lesser Strikes, especially when combined with a second Skill that allows for multiple uses of the same strike, it has evolved to be even more powerful than the sum of its parts. Now, when staking multiple instances of this Skill using Legendary Blow, one may choose which Strike to use how often, modifying proportions as needed to create a truly optimal attack with no mana going to waste.

In addition, the complimentary Skill of Legendary Blow has been enhanced to allow for an additional instance to be applied, for a total maximum of seven possible stacks.

And now, it has reached the pinnacle of its power, passively infusing all Strike-type Skills with the properties of all other Strike-type Skills at no additional cost, unless this is deliberately deactivated.

Cost: Combined cost of individual Skills * 1.20^used Skills

[Far Strike] was fairly meh, but Isaac was just glad it had finally hit the max Level. He so rarely used it lately, it was just too fragile to be useful at his current power level.

[Manifold Strike], on the other hand … not just a stronger [Skill], but one that was a permanent boost to his abilities, which was always something he needed.

The fact that [Unknown Fear] had also hit Level 30 was both good and bad.

Good, because it was a really good upgrade, and bad because the fact that it had leveled meant that someone had to have been scanning him. Trying to, at any rate. The idea was still less than pleasant.

Unknown Fear (epic, Level XXX)

There are many things that people are afraid of. Mostly, those things are definable, specific things. But there is another kind, the fear of the unknown.

With this Skill, the user becomes the embodiment of this fear. An unknowable entity, become fear itself.

It will block out any same Level and rarity Inspection Skills as a matter of course and is boosted by any stealth Skill, gaining strength as if it were one Level higher for every two Levels in a stealth Skill. Further power is gained based on Agility.

In addition, this Skill may now be used to project a false status when Inspect style Skills are used. However, the user of Unknown Fear does not have true control over what the other person sees, they can only switch between showing them whatever they hope to see, something menacing, or merely a blank façade.

After countless fights where this Skill has been used to hide its user’s true nature from warriors and kings, knaves and stalwart defenders of justice, it has evolved to hide even its own attributes. Initially, Unknown Fear merely showed the vast, unknowable abyss to those who dared to Inspect its user, yet that, in itself, could identify them. This kind of all-encompassing darkness is by no means unique to Unknown Fear, but it is hardly a common impression to receive from a failed Inspect.

Now, however, whenever the user chooses to take on a different persona, the feedback likewise subtly shifts to the point where it cannot be connected to them. In addition, it will always take on the same feedback type when the same persona is taken up.

And now, it has reached the pinnacle of its power, cloaking the user in the darkest of shadows, even under the brightest of lights.

When the user is attempting to showcase another persona, pretending to be another, this Skill will actively aid this, impeding the others’ ability to connect both personas.

The human mind picks out specific physical details to lock onto for the purpose of identifying individuals, such as unusual height, shockingly bright hair or clothing, or missing limbsst

However, this Skill will make details shared across personas less visible while highlighting ones unique to a persona.

Isaac still wasn’t a covert operative, and with his build being focussed elsewhere, he’d never be, but this would help immensely.

And lastly, two of his core [Skills] had also hit bonus-granting thresholds.

I Am The Sword (legendary, Level XX)

In the right hands, a sword can be a devastating weapon. But sometimes, the hands themselves can be a weapon far more dangerous than any mere hunk of metal.

And with this Skill, both are the case. For 0.1 seconds, increasing by 0.01 seconds per Level, the user’s form will become indestructible, immoveable, and inviolable while their momentum will be maintained for that period, tearing through or pushing aside anything in their path while this Skill is active. In addition, the user’s static body acts as a blade, far more likely to cut through instead of push away the target, and Skills that require a blade can be used upon it.

This Skill can only be activated every 60 min and cost requires 750 mana to use, which it siphons off from the user’s mana regeneration so long as the user’s mana pool is full.

After countless fights where the user has torn through the most vulnerable points of powerful monsters, this Skill has evolved to deal devastating damage to even the gods of destruction that are the Raid and World Bosses.

Upon striking an enemy, the user of this Skill may choose to either enhance penetrative power to go through armor even when the laws of physics dictate that this shouldn’t be possible, or reduce it so that even a relatively fragile enemy can be sent flying.

Furthermore, the damage inflicted by this Skill will increase in different ways depending on the mode used. Maximum penetration will cause the user to disrupt the flesh around themselves as they move through a foe while going for an impact-based attack will send powerful shockwaves into the enemy’s insides, inflicting internal damage without requiring an armor breach.

Cost: Major Stamina Drain, 1,000 banked mana

[I Am The Sword] is one hell of a heavy-hitting ability, one that made for both an excellent emergency ability and finishing blow. A moment where nothing short of a god could hurt him, and where his body turned into an unstoppable projectile.

This upgrade just took an already excellent [Skill] and boosted the most important parts of it. Both as an offensive armor-cracker, and to send large enemies flying.

When he wanted to use it for the former, he had to make sure to make initial contact with a small surface area, such as a finger. And for the latter, he often struck a Vitruvian man pose to prevent himself from flying right through his enemy. But it had never been guaranteed that he’d manage to achieve the goal he was going for.

Now though, it should work far better.

Divine Fire (legendary, Level X)

Fire. What can it do? Pretty much everything, as long as you’ve got the right kind and are creative enough.

Fire. What can it be? Pretty much anything, as long as you’re not risk-averse when it comes to getting it.

That is where the issue lies. Getting it. Of the countless mystic and mundane flames there are, one can only gain a few if one takes the normal path, that is.

Stealing them … ain’t normal. But it is possible. It is audacious, ludicrous, but possible. And fully in line with the Promethean spirit.

This Skill grants the user the ability to conjure and control mundane flames. Initially.

The real power of the Divine Fire is its ability to absorb and assimilate all other fire, both magical and not. The user becomes immune to all fires they have absorbed (and can extend this protection to objects on their person) and are able to then wield it with the same power and ease as the original fire.

Once conjured, flames fueled by the user’s mana directly can be controlled for free while secondary fires spawned by the initial flame can be directed by spending a negligible amount of mana. All flames can be extinguished for free, be they conjured directly or merely ignited by conjured flames.

All assimilated flames can be used individually or combined to form greater forms of fire, whose patterns can be stored for later use.

The user also grows partially immune to unknown fires based on their similarity to already assimilated flames.

Cost Patters: Creation cost per second/control cost per second

Standard Flame (10/1)

Absorbed Flames:

Grand Hellflame (75/1-10)

Campfire (5/1)

Burning Magnesium (20/1-3)

Napalm (7/1)

Stellar Corona (60/2-4)

…

(see full list (1.998)?)

Combined Flames:

Sticky Magnesium (20/2-5)

Incinerating Gel (80/2-12)

Obliteration (100/25)

…

(see full list (214)?)

And that was his final upgrade. Nothing big, yet it was still hugely impactful as it would make getting new fires infinitely safer.

Unfortunately, now that he was done looking over his character sheet once more and the portal was still not working.

Ah, nuts.

Seriously, who the hell heard “there is no way in hell we’ll be able to guarantee we’ll finish in time” and went “I have faith in you, I won’t be prepared for any delays”?

Politicians, that’s who.

Another half hour later, the portal finally stayed put above the target area and several runic circles activated, catching hold of the spatial twist and pinning it in place.

Fucking finally.