UL1 - Book 11 - Chapter 073 -

Everything shifted as Bob took over and Max felt himself fade into the background.  It was like he was in a dark tunnel, watching the fight take place from a distance.

There was still pain, but it was muted. Max knew that the wildfire was consuming his body, yet it wasn’t able to affect him as it had a moment ago.

Bob somehow handled the pain better, almost seeming to thrive in that moment.

The sound of Vyr Kjal calling out in agony as two hundred feet of his being was slowly engulfed in a white fire that began to change color. The flames turned into a rainbow color, and the ice where the Jutonn stood began to steam.

Need… mana…

Bob’s words were controlled, but sounded almost as if his skill was speaking through clenched teeth.  A potion appeared in the skeletal hand and was lifted into the air by magic, then shoved into Max’s open mouth.

The liquid burned as it flowed down Max’s throat, absorbed by his being and fueling both Regeneration and Wildfire.

Look! Vyrk Kjal. He is moving.

Max saw what Bob was pointing out. Each second that passed the Jutonn moved a step, the ice quickly turning to slush, dimming the Wildfire slightly.

It’s healing from the ice! Similar to that boss we faced in the tower!

Except it appears only ice… works.

Can you handle this?

Max could sense the pain Bob was enduring, even though his skill was holding it back somehow.

I can. Together we do this. Help me. Control the spells. I’ll handle your body.

Sensing how difficult it was for Bob to control his Wildfire-consumed body, Max took over the spells for the two of them. He flew them down toward the ice.

There isn't enough mana to cast a large number of spells.

I know. I’ll handle this part.

Both of Max’s weapons transformed into giant pickaxes and Bob began to smash the ice repeated with the pointed tips, cracking and shattering the frozen surface.

Closer. We need to be closer to Vyr Kjal.

Max moved them toward the Jutonn, keeping them safe from the stumbling steps.  Steam rose and the rainbow flames seemed to reach out toward Max, wanting to claim more life to devour.

Bob went to work on the floor of the arena like a dwarf in a mine.  Max kept them moving in the direction the Jutonn tried to step. The ice that was broken up melted faster and the Wildfire seemed to retain its overwhelming hunger better.

“Noo!” Vyr Kjal groaned. “I cannot… lose!”

[ Blink ]

Max sensed the incoming two-handed hammer that came at them, somehow summoned to the world-eater’s hands.  Unlike the first time it had been swung, nothing held them in place.

The massive hammerhead shattered the ice, sending a spray of it everywhere, but it had missed.

More strikes came, destroying the ice that Bob had been attempting to break up.

[ All Cooldowns Reset ]

Multiple Blinks were required to avoid the blows that Vyr Kjal tried to land. Each one rent the icy terrain for a hundred yards in every direction.

He’s doing more damage than we were.

You managed to… anger him. Fowl would be… pleased.

Bob’s words still held the steady determination Max reconginzed. He could feel the wildfire trying to climb higher, to consume his neck and head, but Bob was somehow able to direct their regeneration to that point and keep it from progressing further.

We’re down to a fifth of mana… my mana regeneration can’t keep up with this demand.

I know… Fly us away. I’ve got a plan. It’s going to be risky.

Max winced as he realized what Bob wanted to do but knew it was a chance they had to take.

Leaving Vyr Kjal to stumble through the destroyed ice that the Jutonn had created, Max took them toward the edge of the arena, hovering a hundred feet above the floor.

Let’s see if this works.

His artifact transformed into a thin sword and Bob swung it at their own neck, right under the jaw.

[ Power Strike ]

[ Ghost Strike ]

[ Rampage ]

Max felt his body react as the weapon made from Wekime’s tooth severed his head from his Wildfire-consumed body.

Wind magic kept his head airborne as the body fell toward the ground.

A sharp sensation of pain came inside Max’s mind as he felt a sensation different than the last time his head had been freed from his body.

While bones began to reform from his spine, the Wildfire also came with it.

Crap.

Bob’s single word echoed the sentiment that Max felt.  Fowl had wondered if simply chopping the arm off the first time Max had used the spell would stop the pain and its spread. Now they knew for certain that there was no way to cheat the demand of the spell.

More mana trickled from his pool as both Max’s body and the spell reformed under him.

Now what?

Lower me.  I need to finish breaking the rest of the ice. This fight won’t be over anytime soon. 

Max felt his skeleton body touch down and when it did both of his weapons appeared in his hands, once again striking the ice around them.

Don’t fly us. It drains to much. I’ll endure this. You just keep us safe is something happens.

Max let Bob get to work, keeping one eye on the Jutonn and the other on the task before them.

***

Just a little more. I can take over if you need.

No… I’ll finish this. I need to finish this.

Max didn’t argue as Bob continued to smash through the last section of ice before them.

Vyr Kjal was trying to defend it, his hammer thudding into the ice whenever the got close, damaging the section that steam rose from.

Both Max’s body and the Jutonn’s were nothing but skeleton shapes, somehow moving though there were no muscles connected. 

He is at the end of his limits… this is going to be close.

Max didn’t say a word, knowing that there was barely 3% of his mana left. Bob had given up the attempts at keeping the wildfire at bay. Only Max’s eyes remained, every other part of his body was consumed by the magic that hungered in a way that seemed impossible to describe. Even Bob’s own bloodlust paled in some ways to how this spell wanted to devour all life.

[ Demonic Teleportation ]

Bob smashed another section, bringing the last bit of ice into ruins as a skeletal foot slammed down beside them.

The impact from it almost caused them to fall over, but Bob used a weapon to steady themselves. All around there was no more flat ice. Every bit had been turned to slush or was simple chunks that didn’t appear to heal as solid ice had. 

Now what?

Now I finish this.

Max watched as his skill somehow pushed through the limits of what he wasn’t sure he could overcome. Bob had a drive that went beyond simple self preservation. Max could sense that his own desire to win and return to his family and friends was strengthening Bob as well.

[ Ultimate Form ]

Max’s body grew and with it the Wildfire found more life to consume but for just a moment strength returned as the ability added power and life.

Both weapons transformed into hammers with a jagged tip, and Bob swung them at the joint that was engulfed by the Wildfire.

[ Power Strike ]

[ Rampage ]

[ Magical Strike ]

[ Ghost Strike ]

A crack came and for the first time in almost half a day, the towering presence of Vyr Kjal stumbled. The joint broke, and the bones slid down into the slush.

Bob didn’t hesitate. Max knew what his skill needed.

[ All Cooldowns Reset ]

[ Demonic Teleportation ]

There was no mana to cast flight. No mana to keep them airborne. Every inch that they took was going to require power that Bob was willing to sacrifice for this win.

[ Demonic Teleporation ]

The Jutonn’s hip joint was before them, and once again Bob unleashed the same combo on the section of bone that held everything in place.

[ All Cooldowns Reset ]

It took two salvos to crack the section of bone and cause the joint to give way, sending the flaming Jutonn toward the ground, a pained howl coming from above.

Again!

Bob’s voice sounded as if his skill was on the ropes, and Max wasn’t sure how his skill was holding on.

Willing every part of his own desire for the win, and trying to give any aid that he could, Max positioned themselves for this next part as the Jutonn fell.

[ Demonic Teleportation ]

[ All Cooldowns Reset ]

[ Ultimate Form ]

The pain of activating that skill twice was excruciating. Yet even as the Wildfire burned away the very fibers of Max’s body, Bob somehow pushed through it.

Both of his weapons struck against the base of the Jutonn’s skull, connecting with the spine.  Bob stood there, engulfed in the flames of the Wildfire that was eating Vyr Kjal’s body as well as their own. A hunger came and Max sensed its approach. It had appeared when they killed Kherbann. 

The knowledge of what came when they had claimed a life of a person was nothing compared to the power that was gained when a god died at their hands.  Bob knew it. Max could taste it. All they needed to do to claim everything they wanted was shatter the bone that rested between Max’s legs.

A god was falling toward the arena floor, covered in slush. Riding on its shoulders was a twenty-two-foot-tall god wielding a pair of weapons, designed to destroy. 

Today, they did what they had been crafted for.

[ All Cooldowns Reset ]

Bob’s strikes struck over and over the same spot, and a howl of pain came from Vyr Kjal, a hand coming at the insect that had bled the Jutonn dry.

[ Armored Warrior ]

[ Bulwark ]

[ Harden Body ]

Max gave himself to Bob. 

Don’t push me out. Let me help in this moment. You’ve helped me. We don’t fight alone!

A sensation surged through his soul as Max felt Bob respond.

One moment, Max had been standing in that tunnel, watching everything play out before him. The next he was back in his body, the pain of everything trying to drown him.

Together.

Bob’s words were the shield to the pain that came.

A skeletal hand slammed into them and bounced off.

Max ignored it. Sensing the same spot that needed to be broken.

He stored Sunder and transformed his artifact into a single spear. This had been the weapon he had started with. This would be the weapon he would announce to every god out there who was watching that he wasn’t someone to be trifled with.  Even if no other god challenged him in the next two hundred years, they would learn that messing with him or anyone he cared about would result in their death.

A primal roar came from lungs that didn’t exist. Somehow, sound emanated from his mouth where no tongue was present.

[ All Cooldowns Reset ]

Bob gave everything. The very power that allowed his skill to grow and evolve wasn’t held back. Max took the gift. Not just the power, but the friendship he had formed.  It was in this moment that Max found himself.

1% of his mana remained. Time was at an end. Everything had to happen now or he would fall and his family would lose him forever.

So Max struck.

[ Power Strike ]

[ Rampage ]

[ Magical Strike ]

[ Ghost Strike ]

The artifact, One of the Nine, pierced through the crack that Bob had created, driving deep within the Jutonn’s spine, lodging itself inside by a few feet.  With his feet planted, Max began to push, once again ignoring the hand that tried to rip him off, his skills keeping his feet firmly planted upon the shoulder bones of Vyr Kjal.  

A sound came. The body of a Jutonn, a world-eater, slammed into the slush of the arena floor. A moment later, another sound came as Vyr Kjal’s head bounced free, the skull landing dozens of yards from its shoulder.

Finally, an even greater sound came as the pain of everything that had burned away the very body of Max vanished and the cold sensation of power filled a hunger that had been waiting for so long.

Together, Bob and Max roared as one, a sound every predator made as it claimed its kill.

Finally, the arena went quiet as the flames of the Wildfire ended and Max found himself face-first in the slush, a power so hot that it chilled his bones greater than anything else filling him everywhere.

And Max smiled.