[Voidknight Ascension] Chapter 66: Flames of War

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As Sam dropped onto one of the small, anchored islands with its shaman and light defensive force, he drew his sword and brought it down with all he could bear.

Adding the weight of his fall to the swing of the blade should have cleaved the shaman in two, but just as it was about to connect, Sam’s charred blade met a barrier.

The blade and barrier threw off sheet lightning and though Sam’s Strength was far from ordinary for his level, it wasn’t enough to break through.

With the barrier flexing under his assault, the only thing that helped Sam was the way it slowed his fall so that he didn’t collapse into a heap surrounded by five burly looking demons who had just turned at the sound of the disturbance.

I should have known better!

Protruding fanged grins were a permanent fixture on the monsters’ faces.

That’s not making them look any less creepy, Sam thought.

Without missing a beat, Sam swapped to a one-handed use of his greatsword and thrust his free hand out. Void mana swelled and burst into a gout of silver-black flame as he cast [Void: Scour].

At the same time, he positioned his greatsword parallel to the ground and stabbed forward, trusting that [Scour] would destroy the barrier, if even for a moment.

A moment was all Sam needed.

The barrier shattered like glass where the Void mana destroyed it, and his plunging sword took the surprised shaman in the throat as it turned around.

For good measure, Sam twisted and withdrew the blade, leaving the demonic shaman’s head dangling somewhere near its armpit.

You defeat the [Hellsent Shaman Oni (Boss) (Level 20)].

You gain substantial Experience for slaying an Incredibly Tough Boss monster!

Level Up!

Your [Swordsman] Job has reached Level 12.

+4 Strength | +4 Vigor | +2 Agility

+2 Dexterity

+2 Bonus Points

Level Up!

Your [Void] Path has reached Level 8.

+1 Insight Talent | +1 Strength Talent

+1 Arcane Talent | +1 Vigor Talent

The rush of a level up drove him forward, plastering a grin across his face.

Gaining so many stats from Swordsman was an incredible jump in power. Even in the middle of battle, Sam could feel the slight difference in his physical stats. He felt just a bit stronger, tougher, and faster.

It was too bad he couldn’t set his bonus points in battle, but they were nothing compared to the 4 Strength and 4 Vigor he received every Swordsman level.

Even Komachi cheered about gaining a new level. Soon she would be picking up her Second Order Job. Hopefully, it would make her healing even better.

Kai dropped down on top of one of the advancing guards, crushing him and then using his newly acquired club to cave the poor monster’s head in.

Sam turned and rushed the guards before they had time to form up a defense. Seeing one casting a spell, he raised his hand and used [Scour], causing the building magic to fizzle out as it snaked around the guard’s forearm.

The moment of confusion bought Sam enough time to activate his [Rolling Strikes] Battle Tactic as he stabbed the guard through the chest with one hand and kicked the impaled body off his blade in one smooth motion.

Before the body had fallen, Sam twisted around and caught a falling axe on the flat of his black blade. Activating [Power Stance], he shifted and maneuvered to get below the defender’s guard with an armored knee.

The creature was smart enough to back away as it doubled over in pain, but that wasn’t enough. It only presented its neck for a clean kill to Sam.

You defeat the [Hellsent Defender Oni (Level 15)].

You gain greater Experience for slaying a Tough monster.

Sam could feel the building power of [Rolling Strikes] like an electric tingle in his muscles urging him to go faster and strike harder.

He was all too happy to follow their urgings. An overhand strike, with all of Sam’s prodigious Strength behind it, broke the blocking spear of the next defender. A boot to the inside of the demon’s knee had it staggering to the side, and another twisting strike caught it on the side.

Grunting, Sam’s blade was stuck fast against some bone, like a lumberjack’s axe wedged into an old tree.

Letting go of the blade, Sam leapt to the side just as a large halberd came crashing down where he was. He stomped down on the axe head, wedging it between boot and rock, then kicked into the shaft, snapping the weapon in half.

With a flick of his boot, Sam had the shortened axe blade in hand and lodged it in the horrified expression of the demon’s face a moment later.

You defeat the [Hellsent Defender Oni (Level 15].

You gain greater Experience for slaying a Tough monster.

Level Up!

Your [Swordsman] Job has reached Level 13.

+4 Strength | +4 Vigor | +2 Agility

+2 Dexterity

+2 Bonus Points

Level Up!

Your [Adventurer] Legend has reached Level 7.

+1 to all Stats

+2 Bonus Points

Sam blinked as the red haze of bloodlust drained away with the realization that he had killed every demon except one. The one with his [Charred Claymore] stuck inside of it.

And all before Kai had even risen to his feet from killing one demon. The look of disbelief was enough to make Sam laugh, which only unsettled the remaining demon further.

It tried to get away, but that’s not easy to do with a 7-foot blade impaled in your ribcage. Sam reached out, grabbed the handle of his sword, and ripped the thing free as the creature’s black blood sprayed out.

For good measure, he continued his counterclockwise spin and used [Whirling Slash] to cut it the rest of the way in half from the other side, generating a stack of [Fury] at the same time.

Sam frowned at the dead creature. He disliked the way stances worked. They felt clunky and limiting. They were the very rigidity he was trying to get away from.

Using specific attack forms to generate a resource was stifling. He felt there was a better way. Even if the Shard disagreed, Sam yearned to find a way that fit his burgeoning style best.

Taking a deep breath, Sam focused on the jagged anchorstone at the center of the island. He envisioned the weak points and was already moving to strike when the first appeared.

The [Charred Claymore] cracked sharply against the stone, sending twisting lines dancing away from the weak point. Two more joined the first in quick succession, and the whole thing crumbled to rubble when he struck the final weak point with the palm of his hand.

Before Sam had a moment to congratulate himself, the rubble started to glow bright white, streaked with red.

The stone made small bubbling and popping sounds as it melted together into a slag heap. Through the hole it made in the island, Sam could see the massive chain that attached it to Raiko’s Skyshard turn the same color.

The chain melted, dripping molten demonic stone onto the forces below.

It was then that Sam noticed an entire section of the black demonic tide below had dropped to the ground, writhing in agony.

As the anchorstone and its attached hook into the Skyshard were destroyed, the hook detonated with a shimmering blood-red wave of mana that cut short the suffering of the demons below.

Sam nearly fell over from the blinding series of notifications that filled his vision and the Experience that overwhelmed his senses.

You defeat the [Hellsent Barbarian Oni Summon (Level 14)].

You gain greater Experience for slaying a Tough monster.

You defeat the [Hellsent Barbarian Oni Summon (Level 14)].

You gain greater Experience for slaying a Tough monster.

You defeat the [Hellsent Barbarian Oni Summon (Level 14)].

You gain greater Experience for slaying a Tough monster.

You defeat the [Hellsent Barbarian Oni Summon (Level 14)].

You gain greater Experience for slaying a Tough monster.

A slew of Shardscript assaulted him of many more monster deaths, drowning Sam in level ups.

Level Up!

Your [Swordsman] Job has reached Level 14.

+4 Strength | +4 Vigor | +2 Agility

+2 Dexterity

+2 Bonus Points

Level Up!

Your [Swordsman] Job has reached Level 15.

+4 Strength | +4 Vigor | +2 Agility

+2 Dexterity

+2 Bonus Points

Level Up!

Your [Void] Path has reached Level 9.

+1 Insight Talent | +1 Strength Talent

+1 Arcane Talent | +1 Vigor Talent

Level Up!

Your [Adventurer] Legend has reached Level 8.

+1 to all Stats

+2 Bonus Points

Apparently slaying the shaman, wrecking its isle, and then demolishing the anchorstone put down all the demons the shaman summoned. Probably from that very Isle.

And it seemed the battle had been going on for a while.

Out of the corner of his eye, of which he did not have much time to regard, a cascade of shadowy explosions ripped across the Skyshard, dozens upon dozens of oni falling.

“What the fuck was that?” he said, looking back at Kai, who was similarly stunned.

The Cleric clapped Sam on the shoulder and pointed. “Following you was the right thing to do.” Kai frowned. He was good at that. “You’re… not hurt.”

Somehow, the Cleric made it seem like an accusation.

“Mahalo,” Sam said with a smirk. “This is just the first anchorstone. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to stitch me back together with your magic.”

“Did you do that?” he asked, motioning toward the wedge of clear space down below. “I saw countless demons down there.”

“They’re connected in some way,” Sam guessed. “Killing the shaman, or maybe the anchorstone, kills all those connected to it and gives Experience for them all.”

“Then let’s hurry to the next anchorstone,” Kai said with a glint in his eyes. “I’ve already hit level 10 Cleric, but cannot set my stats.”

“Yeah, seems like it still thinks we’re in battle, which seems a fair assessment.”

“I would like to pick my Second Order Job before Matt,” Kai said. “Let’s go.”

Sam wasn’t about to argue. The swelling of his muscles told him he had gained a good surge of Strength from those levels without needing to see the notifications.

Too bad leveling up didn’t heal him or even award him the extra HP. It just increased his maximum. He had to heal back to full on his own or with the assistance of a healer.

Sam looked at Kai. “You said I’m not hurt, right?”

“I cannot tell that you are,” Kai said, looking Sam up and down skeptically. “Are you?”

So he can’t tell what my exact HP is, Sam figured.Otherwise, with all the level ups I’ve been getting, he’d notice that I’m not at 100% anymore. But I don’t actually feel hurt, so maybe that’s it? I’ve improved, but I’m not injured so it’s somehow different.

Weird.

It was about that time that the floating island began to rumble below Sam and Kai’s feet. Komachi poked her head out and yowled, pointing a paw up into the sky.

Matt had thrown down the [Makeshift Rope]. He had seen what Sam and Kai could not.

Their island was breaking apart.

Unfortunately, the island had sunk or their Skyshard had been buoyed up by the explosion of mana, because the rope no longer reached their tiny island.

Staggering toward the hole in the center of the island where the rope was nearest, Sam sheathed his sword and cupped his hands. “Come on, Kai, I’ll give you a boost.”

“And what about you?” the Cleric asked, putting his boot into the holster of Sam’s laced fingers.

“We’ll go back up to the Skyshard and move away from here, hopefully closer to another of the anchorstones,” Sam explained as he thrust up and sent Kai flying upward through the air.

The large man flailed inexpertly as he soared past the dangling rope by well over half its length. Sam chuckled and tensed his legs to jump, just as the ground beneath him broke apart.

All of his upward momentum was robbed, and he nearly fell over as he tried to jump on air.

If only double-jumps were a thing here!

He fell at the same time that Kai managed to grab onto the rope.

Sam lost his footing, sliding, and bouncing from one shattered piece of the island to the next. Komachi huddled deep into his armor and began casting [Regen] on him in preparation for the long fall below.

This might hurt a bit, he thought to himself as he scrabbled for something solid to hold on to.