Bab 64: The Rings of Heaven (Part 2)
Entering the next ring, I felt like it was playing me because of my comment of fighting in the dark. Now, it was literally a dark room.
Calling down my own Soldiers of Light, I'm delighted to find that they emanate their own light source, allowing me to get a slight glimpse into wherever we were. Unlike the previous rooms where it was hard for me to step in because the opponents would blend into the background, the ambient lighting gave me the chance to rise to the top once again.
Plus, a Mid-Grade Blessed finally appeared. Now, instead of giving me a singular Blessed Soul, it instead gave me 5. In turn, this also meant there was a reduced number of enemies. I didn't know how many fewer there were, but I could tell the difference.
Getting the announcement that I had slain all Low-Grade and Mid-Grade Blessed; my smile slightly falters when I see the Ruler.
Matching his dark and dreary surroundings, his armor was an imposing black with engravings of grey. His mask, with a plume of black, had a keyhole eye socket and where his eyes should be, was scratched out. Only brightened by the dimmed cloth that hung at his waist, or the dirty gold that painted his armor, the Ruler didn't stand out.
⸢Ruler of the Obsidian Ring, Nana⸥
"That name does not match at all."
As if he heard my comment, he slams his fists against one another and then Nana took two hops towards me before flashing straight in front of me. Having my gut meet with his fist, I'm rocketed backwards, only slowed when caught by Asmund.
Releasing all my Soldiers of Light for this fight, I let their lighting create a ring in which I can fight against Nana. Nana was a brawler and was on par with the strength that Akaza had showed when we fought one another.
Slamming his heel down into the ground, the ground shattered and raised before Nana then punched forward. Being carried by the shockwave of his fist, the mini rocks pelted against my skin and blade, giving me a few nicks of injury.
Focusing my vision back onto Nana once more, I cringe slightly and instantly use 'Flower Breathing Sixth Form: Whirling Peach'.
Evading around his fist just barely, I spin around and slam my blade into his neck. Contrary to expectations, Nana didn't even flinch. In fact, Nana even had the gall to look me dead in the eyes and give me the look of 'That's all?'.
Slamming his fists twice against one another, I watch as dark things dart into Nana's armor.
⸢Nana, Ruler of the Obsidian Ring, is using [Skill: Strength of the Dead] ⸥
Whipping himself around, Nana's arm rips through the air and creates a shockwave that destroys the ground where it was heading. Though, before he could do such, I had already used 'Flower Breathing Eighth Form: Eutierria' and in the ring I made around him, I now stood behind him.
Nana then began the fruitless thing of trying to attack the place where I stood. Each time, I would counterattack, but I was noticeably not doing anything to harm him. Eventually both of us eventually tired of this kind of combat. Nana, struck off to the side where he believed I would teleport. While I stabbed straight forward, not even bothering to dodge in Nana had decided to strike forward.
Ramming my blade through the hole in his forehead, Nana released a pit of black smoke and then I was notified of his defeat.
"All of these bosses are so annoying to deal with.' I rub my eyebrows. "Why can't they just be dumb and stupid like humans."
Having cooled off enough, I continue this relenting process and enter the 7th Ring.
"Oh boy, blue…"
As if to make me feel even more depressed, the room was the distraught color blue.
"What's next, green?" I can't help but joke.
Shaking my head, the huge number of opponents had diminished significantly since there were now much more Mid-Grade Blessed to deal with. This in turn allowed the boss to be summoned at a faster pace.
"Is it just me or are these rulers getting cooler the further I progress."
Standing in front of me is an absolute chiseled piece of blue armor coated with an array of golden threads that line every piece of his armor. His helmet even had a mini golden axe atop it and there was a plasma-colored plume coming from his head. In his right hand, he held a scimitar and in the middle of his chest was a glowing orange gem.
⸢Ruler of the Blue Ring, Xo ⸥
Running towards me, I dodge backwards against Xo's first strike and then quickly hold the flat of my blade above my head as Xu's plume smacks down onto me.
"Great, so he actually has two weapons…" I huff while feeling my knees buckle under the strain of the plume.
Swiping the plume off to the side, I find myself assaulted by Xu's actual blade. It was a constant battle of me defending since whenever I would dodge one of Xu's weapons, he would use his other one to pressure me.
Jumping away from Xu, I gain enough distance and use 'Thunder Breathing First Form Third Extension: God Speed'.
Striking the gem in the middle of his chest, I hear it break and then I continue to rush past him. Turning around to see if that had done it, my eye twitches when I see that all I had done was activate his skill.
⸢Xu, Ruler of the Blue Ring, is using [Skill: Battles of Fire] ⸥
Watching him step towards me with blue fire spewing from his body and spreading across the entire room, I can't help but continuously stare at the pulsing blue that lay where the gem was supposed to be. Yet, Xu didn't even choose to get close as he just swiped both his scimitar and plume forwards to send blistering hot flames towards me.
The moment that I'd get close, Xu would seemingly explode with a new set of flames. Knowing full well that Lightning Breathing didn't have a piercing technique, I click my blade back into its sheathe and then dart between the wall of flames that Xu created in his next two strikes.
Arriving in front of him before he could explode with flames again, I unsheathe my blade and use 'Ice Breathing Fourth Form: Piasuaisu'.
The moment that my blade entered Xu and pierced through his back; blue fire spewed from every crevice in his body before then changing to an icy mist. Kicking Xu away from my blade, his middle shatters apart while his limbs lay there.
"I wanna go home." I silently cry to myself, but I lower my head since I was certainly getting a huge boon of benefits from this.
Pointing forward, I march into the next ring.
"No way, right?' I can't help but gape. "If I had 500 yen for every time I guessed a room would be green, well, I'd have 500 yen."
The room of course had to be a dark green color. With even less enemies to face this time around, the boss fight came a lot sooner than before.
"I take it back; the bosses did not get better the further we progressed."
Imagine an old timey knight, now imagine them green, and there you go. There is nothing phenomenal about this boss.
⸢Ruler of the Dark Green Ring, Yayau⸥
Tiredly, I charge at him and clash swords. Though, I stutter step forward when his blade suddenly snaps, and I cut off his arm. Still wondering exactly what had just happened, I watch as if he were a demon and he simply just regrows his arm and sword and acts like absolutely nothing had happened.
Knowing that this enemy was just weak though, I stride up to him, enter a sword clash which I easily win and then behead Yayau. Even without his head though, Yayau just grows a new one. This continues for a while in which I try and find out how to kill Yayau, but I haven't figured out anything thus far.
Just as I get the inspiration that I need, Yayau uses his special skill.
⸢Yayau, Ruler of the Dark Green Ring, is using [Skill: Ursa Major Patron] ⸥
Staring at the figure that stood behind him, I can't help but slightly quiver.
Following the movements of Yayau, when Yayau swipes his blade, Ursa Major swipes its paw into me, sending me hurtling backwards, crashing into a wall as even with all of my Soldiers of Light, they were unable to stop my momentum. Coughing out a mouthful of blood, I stare at Yayau who walked towards me without a care in the world.
Flipping the bird, I use 'Ice Breathing Sixth Form: Frozen Tomb'.
Shoving my sword to the heavens, Yayau doesn't even have the reaction time to escape from pillars of ice that cover his entire body. The giant Ursa Major which had been looming over Yayau then let out a cry before dissipating into thin air.
Getting the notification of the kill, I realize that the time for my "vacation" is almost over.
Almost letting out a cry of joy, I skip into the very next area and nearly cry when I find that the colors had returned to normal, and the Blessed were no longer camouflaged. Though, it was rather weird to see that all of them were female, it made me wonder what my last floor for now would be named.
After killing off all the Low-Grade and Mid-Grade Blessed, the moment I see the ruler of the 5th Ring, I can't help but smack my lips when I see the Ring's name.
The Ruler is dressed in a very modern light armor with a white/gold hood that covers a golden mask. With gold accompaniments and grey/white/black armor, the Ruler draws two daggers.
⸢Ruler of Being Drilled, Loaco ⸥
Sighing a bit, when I reopen my eyes, I find that Loaco had disappeared. Constantly turning around, the air to my right suddenly shimmers and a rift of stars opens to release Loaco from their hold.
As I enter a deadlock with Loaco with her pushing down onto me, the air between our swords begins to shimmer and then another rift opens and Loaco flows through. On the other hand, no matter how hard I tried, I could not enter the rift.
This process of gopher proceeded until I managed to nick Loaco just a bit before she had entered a portal. Appearing further away from me, Loaco then put her hands up to the sky and I watched as over 80 separate shimmers appeared in the air.
⸢Loaco, Ruler of Being Drilled, is using [Skill: Comets in Motion] ⸥
"Great."
The shimmers then opened ginormous rifts in which comets began to hurtle down onto my position. With my muscles near bursting from my body, I unleash a continuous stream of 'Wind Breathing Third Form: Clean Storm Wind Tree'.
Breaking the comets apart or shoving them off to the side, I successfully defend against Loaco's onslaught. When I find her missing from her spot where she had cast her skill, I backflip into the air and watch in seemingly slow motion as Loaco had tried to stab at my back.
Using 'Wind Breathing Ninth Form: Idaten Typhoon', I unleash a powerful gust of circular wind that cuts all Loaco's limbs from her body.
Near collapsing on the ground after straining my body in such a short period, I turn my gaze to the system alarm that had gone off.
⸢Collected Blessed Soul: 4,500/4,500⸥
"I'm glad the quest finished at the 5th ring. If it didn't, I'd still have to return. …Plus, I'm tired of this place." I give a weak victory.
---
⸢ [Normal Quest: Collect Blessed Souls (Part 1)] has been completed.
[You can receive the following rewards.]
-1. Item of your choosing
-2. Bonus Stats +20.
-3. Hidden Reward
[Reward 1.] You can choose any item. Please choose an item. ⸥
"Blessed Random Box."
⸢You chose the Item, Blessed Random Box. ⸥
---
Watching it materialize in my hand, it unboxes itself and reveals another key, bright blue in color.
⸢Name: ?? Item Class: ?? Type: ??⸥
Putting it into inventory until its useful, I accept Reward 2 and then reward 3.
---
⸢[Reward 2.]
You received bonus stats +20.
-
[You selected reward 3.]
[Recipe: Hidden]
You can learn the crafting method for [Hidden]. ⸥
---
"What's the point of giving me a Hidden Reward if it's just going to continue to be hidden." I sigh. "Well, not that I care, I just wanna go back."
------
⸢Item
[Item: Nana's Shoulder Tassels]
Item Class: A
Type: Accessory
+10 Strength, +10 Agility, +10 Sense
Set Effect will activate if this item is equipped along with 12 other items ⸥
---
⸢Item
[Item: Worn Gauntlets]
Item Class: B
The gauntlets once worn by Nana that will increase handheld damage.
Effect: 'True Strength': +50% increased damage when not using a weapon. ⸥
---
⸢Item
[Ingredient Item: Forge Hammer]
Item Class: ???
Type: Ingredient
The hammer that Nana used to forge his own set of armor. It can forge any piece of metal, even if it should typically be unresponsive and thus used as an ingredient for change… whatever that may be.⸥
------
⸢Item
[Item: Xo's Plume]
Item Class: A
Type: Accessory
+10 Strength, +20 Sense
Set Effect will activate if this item is equipped along with 12 other items⸥
---
⸢Item
[Item: Orange Gem]
Item Class: B
The gem on the outside of Xo's armor that will increase fire damage for those who can solely use it.
Effect: 'Flame Control' +50% damage and control for those who can only use fire magic ⸥
---
⸢Item
[Ingredient Item: Blue Gem]
Item Class: ???
Type: Ingredient
The gem that was at the core of Xo. It contains a power to spew blue fire from any weapon and thus used as an ingredient for change… whatever that may be. ⸥
------
⸢Item
[Item: Yayau's Traveler's Ring]
Item Class: A
Type: Accessory
+20 Agility, +10 Intelligence
Set Effect will activate if this item is equipped along with 12 other items⸥
---
⸢Item
[Item: Foot Soldier Cap]
Item Class: B
The cap that Yayau wore that will increase the vitality of a basic foot soldier.
Effect: 'We're Strong with Buffs': +75% Vitality for a Soldier of Rank Angel (Effect will still be applied even when the wearer is no longer Angel Rank) ⸥
---
⸢Item
[Ingredient Item: Self-Repairing Metal]
Item Class: ???
Type: Ingredient
The metal that was used in Yayau's sword. The metal can repair itself if given the opportunity and is thus used as an ingredient for change… whatever that may be. ⸥
------
⸢Item
[Item: Loaco's Necklace]
Item Class: A
Type Accessory
+10 Agility, +20 Intelligence
Set Effect will activate if this item is equipped along with 12 other items⸥
---
⸢Item
[Item: Centerpiece Ornament]
Item Class: B
The ornament worn on the middle of Loaco's chest that will give any female a buff.
Effect: 'Capable and Effective'
+60% damage when equipped by a female⸥
---
⸢Item
[Ingredient Item: Dagger Habaki]
Item Class: ???
Type: Ingredient
The collar around one of Loaco's daggers. Perfectly fits the blade to the scabbard and thus used as an ingredient for change… whatever that may be. ⸥
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
Kogatsu
Kogatsu "I was reading, simple as that 0_0 ." - Me
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone