He was forced to put the glider away a few times and brave the winds with his body until he fell through a rough patch . Zac’s heart was beating like a drum all the while . He was essentially parachuting without a parachute inside a raging storm .
One hour later , Zac finally saw the edge of an island below . It wasn’t the starting continent , but it had to be a neighboring one .
Zac landed on the island’s edge , partly hidden among a vanguard of fleeing beasts . Deafening roars greeted him , and the bloody air was proof the great reshuffling of the Calamity’s limited real estate had already begun . Each island could only support so much life , far less than the massive mountain had housed . Zac didn’t join the mayhem , keeping a low profile as he ran toward the other side .
After some deliberation , Zac opted to stay in his Draugr form . There was a high risk of a rough battle waiting for him up ahead , and he didn’t want to expose his human side if not needed . In contrast , his Draugr persona already had a reputation as a top-tier expert thanks to the global message , which might make some people back down . After all , this was a Red Zone without any safety nets .
Even then , it only took half an hour before Zac felt a weak pang of danger as a bolt of nothingness shot toward him with incredible speed . It was launched from a dead angle , not creating so much as a ripple of energy . Zac could still sense it with his newfound domain , allowing him to adapt even faster than merely relying on his danger sense .
Zac dodged as layers of Death spread from his body , kicking up a storm in the environment that swallowed the forest around him . His spiritual domain was strong , but it didn’t have the reach of his Peak-mastery Fields of Despair] , which exposed two warriors—one hiding in the distance whereas the other was almost upon him , moving at breakneck speed .
The projectile passed him by with incredible momentum , punching a fist-sized hole straight through a nearby boulder . It had to have contained incredible force to destroy the hard rocks of the floating islands so effortlessly . Even Zac wouldn’t have had an easy time absorbing such a blow . But there was no time to worry about the hidden archer .
Four chains dripping with corrosion shot forward , forming a deadly prison as the jagged edge of Gorehew] appeared . The skill hadn’t changed much since reaching Peak-mastery . It only built upon what it already had . The jagged edge was sharper , heavier , and could absorb blood far more efficiently in a protracted war .
Instilled with the branches of Pale Seal and War Axe , it carried terrifying weight as it cut toward the incoming warrior . However , Zac suddenly swirled around , cutting empty air as a chain impaled the hooded attacker . His swirl repositioned the chains , allowing them to slightly divert three more projectiles launched from the shadows . Zac growled with annoyance upon seeing cracks appear on the chains of Love’s Bond] .
The incoming warrior shattered like a broken mirror when Love’s Bond] pierced him , and the real warrior appeared where Zac swung his axe . The jagged edge crashed into a refractive barrier . The shield was completely incapable of stopping Zac’s momentum , but the warrior was already gone by the time he’d cut through .
A scream in the back of his mind warned of danger , but there was no time . A huge conflagration swallowed Zac , but its force wasn’t enough to leave more than shallow wounds on his frame . The flames were cut apart with a swing of Gorehew] , and a stomp quenched them altogether . After looking around , Zac snorted and continued walking .
The two attackers were already gone after their ambush failed . He’d sensed the melee fighter teleporting to the edge of Fields of Despair] when his defensive skill failed . Then he was gone before Zac could catch up , and the ranged fighter similarly chose to back away . Without using Pillar of Desolation] or Arbiter of the Abyss] , there was no way to make the two assassins stay .
They clearly hadn’t gone all-out , only testing the waters to see if it was a worthwhile fight . Witnessing Zac’s strength , they chose to back down . Unfortunately , there was a very real chance the two were only scouts , and the real fighting force was somewhere close by . Zac was confident in his strength , but he didn’t like the idea of fighting a whole faction so soon after breaking through , with his soul still in a fragile state .
He was about to flash away with Abyssal Phase] , but a rumble made him pause and look up . A smile spread across Zac’s face as the sky darkened . He might be alone , but at least he had the environment on his side .
29
CALAMITY
A huge gust passed by overhead , leaving behind a curtain of explosions . Far off , a boulder the size of a skyscraper fell , piercing through the budding storm and enraging it all the more . The winds reached Zac soon enough , who pushed the chains of Love’s Bond] into the ground to avoid getting swept away .
A deadly storm was descending on the region , this one an even mix of Life and Death . Explosions of both elements lit up the sky , and visibility worsened by the second . Last time , it had turned into a painful lesson about the dangers of the Red Zones , but Zac didn’t start looking for a cave to weather the storm .
He chose to keep moving . But just as Zac was about to resume his sprint for the other shore , he felt a surge in his body . The source wasn’t the gathering energies around him that had burrowed into his body . Rather , it was Immutability of Eoz] that had woken up .
Its cleansing waves of darkness swept through him , forcing an illusory mark to the surface . It contained a weak hint of fire , and Zac’s eyes widened in surprise . He really couldn’t look down on the guests in this place . The ranged assassin had been powerful enough to damage Alea’s chains , and the melee fighter managed to leave a delayed tracking mark in the conflagration .
Zac hadn’t noticed a thing . He would have been in big trouble if not for his Hidden Node . Zac ran a thorough scan of himself and the chains , but it looked like that was it . Still , the experience filled him with greater urgency , and he risked his safety by activating Abyssal Phase] despite the explosions around him .
Why leave a tracking mark if you weren’t planning to come back , most likely with backup? The theory the two before were scouts of a larger party just grew more likely , and Zac needed to get away . The surroundings turned to a blur as Zac became a stream shooting across the island’s surface . The agitated energies felt like knives cutting through his incorporeal form , and he soon couldn’t maintain the skill anymore .
He appeared in a secluded vale in a puff of Miasma , his body covered in shallow wounds . Zac didn’t do anything to deal with the lacerations . For one , they’d close soon enough thanks to his improved constitution . Secondly , his ichor worked just as well as his blood to quell the growing storm around him .
His movement skill was quick , but it couldn’t match up to the ferocity of the Calamity . Half a minute later , the storm had caught up , reducing visibility to almost zero . Screaming gales and constant eruptions drowned out all other sounds . At least it would be incredibly difficult for his pursuers to find him like this .
Even the constant roars of beasts fighting were gone . They knew well enough not to stay on the surface when faced with the wrath of the environment . Explosions in the atmosphere grew more frantic , and just moving became a chore . But as bad as Zac had it , the other guests probably had it worse .
The coalitions might have been able to prepare some measures against the environment if they had more time , but this was a time-sensitive event . There was only so much you could do in a few minutes . This was his chance . The further he could progress while the others were locked down , the fewer enemies he’d have to fight .