UL1 Book 10 - Chapter 5

Across from him was Kherbann, the rock golem, roaring at him as its arms turned into different weapons.

We should thank Jazzjak for not mentioning this.

We could have watched a replay, but we both agreed we wanted to go into this blind. Do you really believe for a second we’re in any trouble?

No.  He is flooding the area with his aura and we’ve got our suppressed.  It would seem that he is cocky.

Black stone, shaped like a man with two swords for arms, stared at him.

“Not impressed? You haven’t reacted like all the others,” Kherbann said. 

His voice sounds so… gritty.

He’s a rock creature… what should it sound like, kittens or birds?

“Tell me, do you always try to prey on the weak?” Max asked. “Is it some lack of something else that makes you feel like less of a boulder?”

A scowl appeared on his opponent's face, stone lips spreading as jagged rocks formed an ugly, dark maw. “I shall toy with you, human. Just know your world will serve me as all the others have.”

A series of lights flashed around the protective dome, and Max shrugged.

“Perhaps you thought this tiny space would allow you a quick death,” the stone god stated. “Many have made the arena stretch for miles, have trees, magma, and even space itself to try and prevent me from ending their life. Maybe you aren’t stupid.”

“Can you hold up a moment?” Max asked, pointing at the image that appeared above them. “I want to hear this.”

“Greetings AR-42069! The time has come for a fight that many of you have wagered to be one-sided! The sturdy piece of stone, unmoving and a mountain that has crushed many, Kherbann!!!”

Is that actual applause?

Jazzjak said we’re in a place with no spectators. I’m guessing it’s fake.

“And his opponent, making his debut tonight, and most likely for the last time, Max Hoste!”

A smattering of applause came after that, far less than it had been for his opponent.

“Sixty seconds before the fight begins! Perhaps some of you will risk it all on the 10 to 1 odds! We’ve already had one foolish soul put a 2,000,000 wager down!”

“What kind of fool would bet so much?!” Kherbann shouted. “I will find you and hurt you!”

Max just smiled as the rock god raised a sword tip at the empty dome. 

“So, Rocky. No surrender? I’ll give you one chance.”

A gravelly laugh came from his opponent. “Surrender? Me? From you? I shall enjoy taking my time, rubbing your blood and flesh out of the cracks between my stones.”

“Well that sounded disgusting,” Max replied. “Just remember. I offered.”

Perhaps we should have created a space larger than two hundred yards. We both know he’ll be on us the moment that bell rings.

We’re not showing any skills we don’t have to.  Besides, I want to see what a 1,000-year-old or so god can do.  Worst case, I die… and we get a redo.”

Yes, but then we show our trump card.

Cracking his neck, Max danced a little in the small space he was confined to.  The illuminated circle would vanish in a few seconds and then the fight would begin.

Max’s mind went to his wife and child, their faces already etched in his memory.

Three lights began to flash, and the last few seconds ticked down. The spot around Max’s feet and the white sandy floor flickered before it vanished.

Kherbann came at him, and the god's speed seemed fitting as it sent up a cloud of dust, covering the hundred yards that had been between them.

Max had both his weapons. Each was transformed into large hammers with jagged points on the top of its head.

A green fist came at him, the god having changed colors as it attacked, and Max sidestepped it. His sonar told him a stone blade was forming on the outer edge of its wrist as it passed.

Bob used wind magic to pull him back enough to avoid the two-foot blade, a mere inch from catching his face.

The stone god made a rumbling sound that seemed like laughter and attacked again.

Arms turned to swords, hammers, spears, and other weapons, each working in unison with the other. The attack combos it unleashed left no doubt that its skill was legendary, if not legendary+.

He’s good. A match for us in this.

Still no skills yet.

Pieces of stone fell from the god as Max parried and blocked, occasionally swinging his weapon just enough to create a shockwave of dust and power that swept across the arena floor.

Kherbann continued his assault and after twenty seconds, pulled back, scanning the area he was standing in.

I think he just realized we haven’t moved but a few yards.

“How?! How are you able to withstand me?!”

“Oh, were you being serious?” Max asked, winking at the rock god. “I thought this was you warming up.”

The green color changed to red, and the Kherbann came at him again, a wave of pressure and heat rising from it.

Max’s sonar went wild, as hundreds of stone bullets came at him from the charging god.

He dashed to the side, hammers deflecting as many of the incoming pieces of stone as possible, but a few struck his armor and body, their impact doing little as the heat they gave off only singed his skin.

Need to fake this.

Wincing, Max pretended to stumble, barely avoiding a massive stone fist twice its normal size slamming into the spot he had been.

More bullets came and he absorbed them, ignoring the laughter from Bob in his head.

This is insane… I mean… are we really this strong?

Every second, the rock god sent more and more projectiles his way, and even as they sped up, Max’s body and his resists were shrugging them off with ease.

Compared to the World Champion, Kazrak, this one doesn’t seem strong at all.

So either he is holding back, or we’ve grown so much since that last fight that perhaps the werewolf would have been an easy fight if it took place now.

Max moved backwards and sideways, never stopping as he watched the stones Kherbann sent at him return to the god after a few moments.

“Hey Rocky, do you have anything better?” Max asked. Both weapons crossed, he caught an overhead strike, stopping it easily.

A grunt came from the rock god, and its color changed again, becoming whiter than snow. Its body started to grow.

Well that’s a familiar skill.

Seems multiple gods might enjoy it.

His opponent’s next strike hit with enough power that Max felt the impact as he parried it, taking a step back to lessen the hit.

Kherbann’s attacks accelerated, his arms transforming into white stone hammers that smashed down onto Max over and over.

There was no skill involved in the strikes. Each one came with all the strength it appeared the god could send.

Rage?

No… his eyes are empty.

Max saw what Bob meant. The stone where Kherbann’s eyes were was completely white, like the rest of his body.

I’m going to hit him one time. No skills for right now.

After parrying the hammer that struck, Max moved close to the now thirty-foot-tall god, his weapon colliding with its right shin.

Its leg shattered like it was made of chalk, and the artifact Max wielded crushed the stony appendage with ease.

As such, Kherbann began to fall to the side, and Max moved out of the fall area, watching the stone return to its black color.

“What was that?!” Kherbann cried.

Crap… the weapon.

Yes… one hundred percent damage bonus to gods… we didn’t consider that.

Basically, an attack with twice my normal damage.

Kherbann was rebuilding his leg, a stone sword waving between him and Max.

“I mean, it wasn’t that bad, was it? Surely you’ve felt worse.” Max felt a twinge of guilt for taunting the stone god, but then it all vanished as Kherbann’s body transformed into a giant boulder, growing larger and larger until it was fifty feet wide.

Max sighed when it came at him like someone had shot it from a catapult.

[ Demonic Teleportation ]

The boulder slammed into the side of the arena, a loud boom echoing as some of the stone broke off and slowly reformed.

I didn’t want to use that…

The other option was taking a hit from that, and I doubt we could come out of that unscathed.

The boulder came at him again, and this time, Max was ready, dancing and dodging, sprinting out of the charging object, which flew with a speed and force that seemed almost capable of destroying anything it hit.

Less than half a minute later, the boulder shrank and Kherbann’s body returned to his original size. “I yield! You may have my world!”

Max laughed as the god held out both hands, taking a step back, putting distance between them. “I thought you said you were going to enjoy taking the time you needed to remove my flesh and blood from between your cracks. And don’t forget, you said no surrender. The system will honor that.”

“I YIELD!” the rock god screamed louder.

Nothing happened as Kherbann called it out again, glancing up at the screen far above.

“Two worlds! NO three! I’ll give you three! Just spare me!”

It is a tempting offer… we win… he goes home weaker… but…

Yes… But we don’t get to see what happens when we kill a god.

Can you resist that? Can I resist that?

“Five! Seven!”

Max chuckled, ignoring the god who had backed itself up against the invisible wall of the arena.

The first time I killed someone… that lust… I did it because I had no choice. Serhmy would have killed me. But doing so unlocked a desire we both know was difficult to resist.

Yet you did, and because of it, I am not a mindless skill bent on consuming everything. Instead, I have a mind, and we both know there is more power to be gained from well-laid-out plans than from butchering every being we come across.

So do we kill him? Do we take the worlds he offers in exchange for his life, or do we see what it feels like to kill a god?

Igarra and Kazrak were gods. Even Ezreal was a god.

Except it’s different. You and I both know it. We can feel it. You are different.

[Skill Description - Consume ]

*****

Consume - Legendary Skill: When killing a person, creature, monster, or god, the skill holder has an improved chance to consume some of the essence of the one defeated. Health, Stamina, Mana, Stats, and Skills have a higher chance of being gained against higher-level foes. Stats consumed cannot be acquired if their current base stats are higher. Skills can be upgraded if a higher skill is consumed. No experience may be gained by killing. No experience is gained via quests. Consume has an exceptionally higher chance of consuming bonus stats.  Consume has become sentient. 

*****

Before we defeated the tower, it didn't say gods. Now it does.

“Nine! Nine worlds to let me live!”

Kherbann’s voice rang out over the conversation Max was having within.

It was hard to imagine a rock looking afraid, but the god’s stony expression was one of terror someone might find carved in stone. His mouth was open, his eyes wide and pleading, and a stone hand was outstretched as if to ward him off.

The others wouldn’t pass up this chance. We need to get stronger Max. Even though this one seems far less than us, you cannot pass up on this. I… we will overcome whatever lust or desire this kill brings. To protect the others, and your daughter Miranna, you must do what I said you would have to do the first time we spoke.

Max nodded slowly, his lips pressed together, as the truth of Bob's words echoed within his soul.

Every memory of every person he had ever killed flashed before him.

The burning words Bob had spoken the day he had granted mercy to a man named Grant. He had been dying, and as the army of undead drew close, with no way to save him, Max had put him out of his misery. A quick death versus a far worse one.

But that death had unlocked a hunger. It hadn’t been done just to be kind. Bob had told him the value in such an act.

“Kill him and grow stronger.”

Those words had been true. Killing Grant had given him a taste of magic. He had gained the Fire Magic skill, which provided Max with the strength and power he needed to help overcome what came next. It had allowed him to help protect his new friends.

His eyes fell upon Kherbann, who appeared to be relaxing.

“Nine! Yes! Thank you!”

Max chuckled. “I’m sorry… I wasn’t nodding because I accepted your offer,” he replied. “I was simply convincing myself why I was going to kill you.”

The rock god raised both hands, his arms transforming into stone walls, yet this did nothing but delay his impending doom.

Max’s hammer struck, shattering the stone like a hammer against glass.

His weapons were a blur and even without activating a skill he tore through the stone god. Arms were shattered, ground to dust, his torso and legs mere rubble.

They tried to return to the head that lay on the ground at Max’s feet, but there wasn’t enough time.

“Thank you, Kherbann. Perhaps others might be wise not to attack everyone who suddenly appears on the list of ones to challenge. Doing so might not go as they think.”

His artifact came down. One of the Nine, crafted from the tooth of Wekime, god of Force and dragons.

Deep inside the stone was a tiny core, like a pebble, yet it held the spark of everything Kherbann was and had been.

It erupted under the weight of Max’s strike.

And a sensation that he hadn’t felt in so long surged through his being.

Laughter erupted from his mouth on its own.

This kill was different than Igarra. Now he was a god and something deeper inside him longed for this sensation. Kherbann had the first god to die by his hand in this new life. Yet, so many more would soon follow.