Weapons of Mass Destruction

Chapter 515: Tournament winner against Tournament winner

Mana seeps out of my body, and for the first time in a long while, I let it, in fact, I even help the process along with Mana Cycling.

Starting with my body’s reserves, doubled by my attribute upgrade.

Bolstered by my Reservoir, which triples those reserves.

And further expanded by the mana from my crown.

Jean isn’t breaking easily as most people do, and for once, I don’t need to be worried about any teammates who might get caught in the crossfire.

My mana floods out in waves, swirling, radiating into the area, and crashing against his body in a display of raw force.

And something about his body resists. Maybe there’s something about his bones or some aspect of his psychology that’s just different. It isn’t a skill, it isn’t the power of his stats, but something about him just seems inherently resistant to mana-based attacks, reducing the impact they have on his body.

Jean pulls himself from the debris, and I send a tricolored orb through a [Ley line,] forming it right next to his head.

He notices it and lifts his forearms to protect his face.

Compressed mana expands, and that process generates heat and a shockwave, followed by a powerful implosion pulls everything toward the center of the orb, squeezing everything in the blast radius together.

It damages his body, pulling him in and compressing him under the force of the resulting vacuum and stray debris, but when it falls to the ground, Jean climbs out of it.

Under the artificial sunlight cast by the crystals in the ceiling, his exposed bones and bare skin reveal the powerful muscles beneath. He’s wearing barely any clothing, and his terribly damaged body is already beginning to regenerate.

He withstands the pressure of my mana with ease. Never mind that, I’m certain that kind of force would’ve driven Lily, Tess, or the twins to their knees, gasping for air and on the verge of passing out, and yet it barely seems to bother him.

Jean takes a deep breath, lifts his arm, and then closes it into a fist before smashing it against his chest, sending a shockwave crashing through the area.

He repeats himself, creating another shockwave to blows away the dust we’ve kicked up.

“Is that all you have?”

That’s all he says.

And so I reply in my own way.

My hand rises, palm open, as mana gathers around me. The light surrounding us dims, the raw brilliance of my mana surging into form. Threads of luminous energy weave themselves together, layer upon layer, condensing into a single radiant lance that hums with immensely compressed mana.

[Empyrean Lance - lvl 0 > Empyrean Lance - lvl 1]

[Empyrean Lance - lvl 1 > Empyrean Lance - lvl 2]

[Empyrean Lance - lvl 2 > Empyrean Lance - lvl 3]

[Empyrean Lance - lvl 3 > Empyrean Lance - lvl 4]

[Empyrean Lance - lvl 4 > Empyrean Lance - lvl 5]

The lance manifests in mid air, floating over the palm of my hand, and the air surrounding it shimmers with a seemingly volatile charge. The lance’s tip glows with blinding intensity, pulsing in sync with the resonance of my mana.

Threads of energy weave together, glowing brighter with each layer, forming a luminous weapon that virtually seems to hum with mana. Its core radiates a deep, golden-white light, while its edges glimmer with streaks of pale blue and violet that ripple and pulse like the heartbeat of a star.

I launch it forward with every ounce of focus I can muster, and the weapon streaks through the air like a comet, its path inescapable, leaving behind a prismatic trail of afterimages.

The very space it passes through vibrates, the air bending and warping as if the spear itself were defying reality. The streaks of white, gold, and blue flare brilliantly as the spear hurtles toward Jean.

Jean’s body jolts as all that mana resonates through him, tearing at his structure. His skin ripples unnaturally, his bones vibrating under the assault, and for a moment, even his incredible regeneration begins to slow. The unstable field lingers around him in a chaotic storm of energy that continues to crackle and spark, leaving behind a scarred and fractured structure.

Yet as the light fades, Jean still stands amidst the destruction, His body smoldering as steam rises from his skin and he steps out of the epicenter of the blast, his muscles tense and his expression unwavering.

The left side of his body is nearly gone, only the bones remain, held together by whatever tendons and pieces of sizzling, bubbling, and flesh as his regeneration starts to kick in.

He opens his mouth to speak, but the lower part of his chin is gone. Only the bone remains, his tongue and the surrounding flesh having been stripped away.

Even so, he squints his eyes in a deranged form of a smile as wrinkles form in the corner of his eye.

He reaches his hand towards me and Pulls. But this time, he pulls himself. His body launches itself at incredible speed toward me, but the moment he enters my reach, he comes to a stop mid-air, his arm reaching out, his bones showing even as his flesh continues its regeneration.

I see, so that thing of his resists mana.

Even held in place by my efforts, Jean starts moving his arm slowly, that enormous strength moving his body despite my hold.

For a moment, we wrestle with each other. My mind and [Redistribution] doing their best to hold him while he does his best to generate as much energy as he can to slip through my hold. Before that happens, three tricolored orbs form around him.

At that moment, he breaks free, curling his body as the explosion hurls him into the ground, inflicting even more damage.

He doesn’t even stop rolling when he Pulls again, this time keeping his legs on the ground so he can use them the next time I try to hold him. His pulls are shorter but more powerful, and by stringing them together, he finally reaches me.

Another [Empyrean Lance] forms, and the skill levels as I hurl it at him.

This time, he doesn’t let it hit him; instead, he grabs it and attempts to break it, which releases the stored energy once again, the golden-white core flashing as it leaves behind yet another destabilizing field, which I make a note to examine.

I take a deep breath, and the set of Ley Lines I’ve been forming in the air around him materialize, just two threads, each only a bit longer than I’m tall. Even with all my effort, it’s difficult to do more. These pale blue shimmering threads move and coil around him before joining together and tying him down until he stops moving.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

With a step, I activate Wraith Dance and reach his body.

“I think this is…”

[Ley Line] threads snap. The very threads I’ve only ever seen damaged by [Disintegration].

The most powerful pull I’ve felt up to this point drags me to him and him to me.

My body crashes against his, forcing the air from my lungs.

At that moment, my eyes lock with his, he’s missing half of his skull along with one of his eyes and large sections of his body. And the instant I make contact, I feel it: an effect emanating from him. Whether it’s his body, his bones, or some other trait, it actively repels mana. I can sense it clearly now. Mana twists in the air around him, dissipating and weakening in his presence.

Jean is made to fight mages.

That incredible strength tears off my right arm with ease. Even all the kinetic energy at my command doesn’t help me resist.

I release a burst of kinetic energy toward his head in a blast of force, stripping away the rest of his flesh, skin, his skull alone in place, and his brain safely inside.

For a moment his head starts to roll back, but some of the muscles in his neck reattach themselves, and he swings his head, smashing it into mine as he grabs me once again, coiling his arms around my body.

My unique passive activates, weakening the blow as a huge amount of mana fills into my reservoir. Even so, I feel my skull crack.

As his body works to weaken my mana, I push through, reforming my arms with raw mana and enveloping parts of my body in armor crafted from a set of Ley Lines I prepared earlier. The armor is a blend of dark blue threads interwoven with shimmering, pale blue Ley Lines.

[Ley Line - lvl 44 > Ley Line - lvl 45]

[Ley Line - lvl 45 > Ley Line - lvl 46]

I endure another hit and switch to Breaker Style, slamming my open palm into his side, causing a geyser of flesh and blood to erupt against my armor.

How absurd this man is.

His body doesn’t just reject and resist mana and mana-based attacks. No, it takes bits of any mana that does manage to damage it and uses it to fuel its regeneration.

Jean’s eyes come back, as does his mouth, emitting that quiet laugh anew, and he squeezes harder, cracking the armor around me As he ignores my golden flames burning him.

I know I could withdraw my mana and stop using it for attacks. I could channel it all into my crown and send it elsewhere to counter his ability.

But still.

Just who does he think I am?

Instead, I draw it all in, wrapping it around my body, flooding myself with it, and reinforcing my armor. Then, I keep attacking him.

His regeneration speeds up to a ridiculous degree, and to show my point, I move that raw mana and oscillate it the same way I did back on the first floor.

It damages him. It heals him. It damages me as well.

With a body boosted by mana instead of kinetic energy, I punch him in the face, dissipating the mana in my arm in the process, only for me to reform the limb, punching him over and over again in the process.

Jean squeezes harder, and my ribs crack. He opens his mouth to say something, but my oscillating mana tears his face off, it grinds down his skin and muscles, and I only keep increasing pressure. I keep compressing it until the mana surrounding us feels almost tangible, like I could breathe it in and swim in it.

The air wavers and the colors around us start changing and growing hazy.

I take a deep breath.

And push.

Jean’s torn-apart muscles give in, his arms snapping open, and my knee buries itself in his belly. A barrier forms around my face, and I slam it into his head, making him stagger back.

He pulls on me, but four massive arms form on my back, stabbing themselves deep into the ground and holding me in place.

I take a step towards him, compressing my arm made of mana, weaving the mana within, I focus on the path of my strike. And I attempt to mimic the structure of [Empyrean Lance].

Miserably failing, something that can barely be called an imitation takes shape. My mana prosthetic begins to reveal a faint glow, a pale shadow of the lanceʼs brilliance, as I drive my fist into his face once more.

[Mana Manipulation - lvl 61 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 62]

The explosions bloom towards him instead of pouring out on all sides. A stream of concentrated mana-generated heat throws the man away from me while blowing off my mana prosthesis. It explodes three times, each blast stronger than the one prior.

Mana moves around me, pulled through my body and into my crown as I cycle it once again. My heart beats, generating thermal energy and burning everything around me, fighting hard to keep me alive. Wraith Dance erases the distance between us, and my armor reforms, and a sword forms in my hand as well, ready to strike.

Just a palm’s thickness from his body, I stop. Jean isn’t moving.

He isn’t dead, his powerful heart is still beating, though his body is regenerating much slower, but he is unconscious and incapable of fighting.

I’ve won.

I close my eyes, savoring the sensation as I replay the fight in my mind—the danger I faced, his abilities, the techniques I think I have a chance to replicate, and the things that could use testing and improvement.

Then I look at him again. The winner of the 1st round, 1st tournament.

I could kill him. I could ensure that he never threatens my group again. I even conjure a sword, aiming it directly at his head. His Community alias, CarrotCake, suddenly comes to mind, and I stop.

Old me would probably do it. The 1st floor Nathaniel wouldn’t hesitate, not too much. But the person I am now doesn’t want to.

Because I don’t want to taint this beautiful sensation of victory.

I’m stronger now, no longer so afraid. I’m confident I can face him, no matter how many times he comes after me. And I’m certain he’ll keep his word, if he tries to harm anyone in my group, he’ll come for me first.

Finally, I want to face him again. I want him to grow stronger, so that he can push me to become even stronger.

My mana seeps from my body, and I surround him in it, aiding his regeneration while observing the process. Is it a trait? A unique passive? Surely, it has to be one of those things allowing him to recover like this. Plus, whatever strange aspect of his body makes him so capable of resisting all mana-based attacks.

What a ridiculous base, and it will almost certainly grow stronger.

I confirm once more that he’s unconscious and cut off the tip of one of his fingers, slipping it into my pocket. It’ll be something Lilly and I can examine later.

Then, just to be sure, I cut off two more.

He’ll regrow them.

Jean is also heavy as hell, so I strengthen my body, which is now, for the most part, entirely composed of mana, filling in for all the missing pieces just so I can function and move. Both of my arms, a piece of my leg, there’s a patched hole in my belly and a missing eye.

I carry him into the safety of The Sphere and throw him on the ground while I sit on the stone bench under the water sphere. My mana continues flowing into him, keeping his regeneration active while I feel like I barely have the energy to mana-manabloc a chair instead of this uncomfortable bench.

Then, I grab the arm Jean tore off and Hold it to my shoulder, fueling my passive to get it to reconnect. It’s just faster than relying on my passive regeneration, which seems to struggle with rebuilding bones. Especially after all the bone knitting I’ve done.

Tacita is still here, sitting nearby and observing the sphere in much the same way I saw before.

Curious, I spare some of my mind to give it a look at it as well. I give it an hour, two hours, three, but there is nothing of interest that I can see. The group of natives and attendees that are watching it seem to be the types with low mana, so maybe it’s something useful for someone with a build based on physical stats.

For the remainder of my stay token’s duration, I focus on regenerating my body and some light training.

By the time I’m about ready to leave, Jean is fully healed but still unconscious.

As he disappears back to his floor and group, I look at Tacita one more time. Even now, she stares up, eyes wide, as her pupils track the movements of the particles in the giant sphere of water.

Then I feel the pull of my return to the 7th floor.