The ground shook heavily as if it was about to collapse. Thousands of sturdy infrastructures collapsed promptly without warning. The earthquake's range covered the entire three nations and all the standing buildings had fallen.
There were only a few places that weren't affected by war but this sudden earthquake demolished all the buildings. The civilians that were hiding in those places weren't spared at all. Various buildings fell and crushed their bodies into meat paste.
Only a few people survive.
Even the gigantic Aranhgrad was swaying in the mid-air. Its enormous weight added a force on the ground that made the earthquake more powerful. The area around its legs collapsed creating a fifty-meter pit.
"This..."
Souta supported himself by grabbing the edge of the wall. The laboratory didn't collapse as the runes around it supported its foundation. This place was hiding the Stone Monument left by the God of Space, so it was natural that this place was sturdy. It's just that the Red Matter Association turned it into their laboratory to research the truth.
'The space is trembling. It's distorting as if someone was grabbing and twisting it.' Saya commented as she felt the space around her.
"Just like what I expected... The God of Space created this subterranean world so his inheritance should be in this place like the Stone Monument but there's nothing left. The Red Matter should be the one that gained it."
Souta concluded by putting all the pieces of the puzzle together. The Red Matter gained the inheritance, if not then how did they know that a giant fortress was buried underneath the three nations?
"Chief Captain would suffer a defeat this time... Luckily, I'm prepared."
He muttered before he fixed his posture. The earthquake had stopped and most of the objects in the laboratory were thrown on the floor.
"Also, the Red Matter set up a formation this way and I only made a few twists to turn the favor to us."
In this formation, no one blocked Vandal from approaching the giant fortress. Avron already planned to confront Vandal from the beginning so the other members of the Red Matter didn't block his path. If that's not the case, Vandal would have to face the army of Red Matter before he could approach Avron.
...
"What was that?!"
Vandal's complexion wasn't good. That attack shook the entire fortress and everything almost collapsed. If he didn't activate his [Element Drive] on time, he would suffer heavy damage.
Still, his entire right arm was gone. It was crushed into a bloody mist by that power. Regarding this, his combat prowess had been downgraded by a large margin since his right hand was his dominant hand.
"Archetype... This is the secret of gods. Since you are at the same level as me, you would be able to understand my words." Avron said with a faint smile.
"Archetype...? What's that?" Vandal was confused. It was his first time hearing this term. He had no idea what his opponent was talking about.
"People below Five Shackles wouldn't hear this word. No, according to my research, some unknown power is blocking their senses from hearing and understanding it. So it's impossible for them to learn it." Avron said.
"What...?!"
"No need to feel shocked. The Archetype is one of the powers that will let us pave the way toward godhood. A lot of people didn't know about it, since even if they heard it they would easily forget it due to that strange power."
"You are saying that this is the key to achieving godhood?!"
"Yes, I've gained the inheritance of a god and learned a lot about things regarding them. You've trained your skills and [Elemental Drive] while I trained myself to use this skill perfectly." Avron said to him. "Judging from your words, it seems that your god never told you about this. Am I right?"
Vandal listened to Avron's words. Judging from the current situation, he didn't have a chance to defeat his opponent. He was saving his [Element Drive] for a critical situation but that attack changes everything.
It forced him to use [Dual Element Drive: Lightning and Wind Integration] and what made it worse was that Avron hadn't even used his [Element Drive].
'Should I retreat? No, I can't retreat... Avron will succeed if I back down. I need to create an opportunity to weaken him even if I die. Then, I will leave the rest to my warriors.' Vandal said inwardly.
"Oh, you still haven't given up. I can see it in your eyes." Avron said with interest. He raised his hand. "Try to dodge it."
Swoosh!
Before he could even use his skill, Vandal quickly moved his body leaving a trail of lightning and wind. He covered several kilometers in less than a second. It looks like he teleported rather than dashing due to his unbelievable speed.
"I'm here."
Vandal's eyes constricted as he heard a voice behind him. He quickly traveled but the space around him started to twist.
[Archetype: Spatial Domination]!
[Fifth Form: Veil of Prostor]!
[Second Form: Invisible Night Blade]!!
It was silent but various objects were suddenly sliced into two. There was no resistance as almost everything was cut cleanly including those rare metals on Aranhgrad.
It was invisible but Vandal could sense the huge amount of mana coming from it so, he barely avoided the invisible blade without taking any damage.
It even caused a huge slash on the entire Aranhgrad.
"You...?! You didn't even care about this fortress anymore."
Vandal said while breathing heavily. He kept moving his body from another place to another as he didn't know when will Avron would attack him again.
"About Aranhgrad? No, I don't care about it. Its purpose was to condense that thing called "Prototype Sicily". According to what I know, Aranhgrad is one of the things that could create it. Never mind it..." Avron dismissed it as he waved his hand.
Suddenly, he vanished from his position as a huge wave of lightning and sharp winds flashed on it.
Boom!!
"He avoided it! Just like what I thought he never let his guard down!"
Vandal narrowed his eyes. He quickly turned around and waved his hand, creating a burst of lightning and wind.
He sensed his opponent's energy signature behind him so he didn't need to look to confirm it. Just attack with an intention to kill his opponent. Never let him have a chance to attack.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Lightning and wind pillars bombarded the entire surface of Aranhgrad. Yet, none of the attacks managed to leave the area. It was blocked once it left a certain distance from the Aranhgrad.
Block? Block by invisible barrier... No, it was precise to say that the space around the fortress was locked.
Vandal realized it so he knew that he couldn't escape anymore and that he also could receive reinforcement. They wouldn't even be able to monitor the happenings here with the spatial lock ability.
That's why he was fighting recklessly without even thinking. That's the only way he could fight since his opponent understands his way of fighting.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of explosions erupted as the lightning carpet bombed the whole surface. No infrastructure was spared this time and cracks formed on its thick shell. The runes that were strengthening it were flicking widely.
Swoosh!
Vandal opened his eyes widely as he turned around. A hand pierced his stomach and lightning burst out of his wound.
Crackle!
Avron pulled out his hand but was quickly grabbed by Vandal. Vandal didn't spare any seconds as he sent a huge amount of lightning to Avron's body.
Argh!!
Avron screamed in pain. He gritted his teeth as he raised his hand and threw invisible blades.
[Second Form: Invisible Night Blade]!!
Vandal moved to the side as he pulled his opponent with him. Then, he kneed Avron on the stomach.
"Don't underestimate the strength of a warrior!"
He roared as he continued to deliver a blow on his opponent's body.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Suddenly, darkness burst out from Avron's body. It spread out quickly and swallowed the lightning in the area.
[Element Drive: Dark Integration]!!
Vandal widened his eyes. He loosened his hand before he jumped away but several slashes appeared on his body.
Spurt!
"Ah, this hurts... It even damaged some of my internal organs." Avron mumbled as he slowly turned his head to Vandal. His eyes were devoid of any emotion. It was as if it was darkness itself.
Boom!!
"What?!" Avron widened his eyes as he looked above.
Sounds of broken glass echoed in the whole area. It was so loud that it made some people cover their ears.
The space lock was shattered by a boundless force. It was followed by enormous pressure that slammed the Aranhgrad.
Bang!!
"What?!" Vandal was shocked when he felt it. This sudden turn of events was outside of his expectation.
In the old laboratory...
Souta glanced outside and muttered, "It's here... Everything is set in place."
