Read Novel Full Chapter 588: Undead Appearance
Chapter 588: Undead Appearance
A circle bloomed beneath Michael’s palms. Lines of blackish green mana chased each other in tight geometry, then spread.
The ring widened, then widened again as Michael poured power into it.
Runes ignited around the circumference like a crown of eclipsed stars.
The air shook.
"Now."
The array flared.
[Death Arrow]
The circle ruptured into a storm. Spears of black light poured out in sheets, a rain that turned the night into a field of falling stars. Each arrow keened as it dropped, air warping around their edges.
They came by the hundreds, then by the thousands, a deluge aimed at the two predators below.
Michael had only attempted a large-scale casting of this magic a few times before, but even those instances could not compare to what he was unleashing now.
The lion reacted first. Its mane swelled into a blazing corona and it threw its head back with a roar. Solar fire billowed upward in a rising dome, a sun-forged canopy to meet the storm.
Death Arrows struck it and burst like cinders on the surface, leaving pits of darkness that healed almost as fast as they formed.
Not all were erased. Gaps opened in the blazing shield where the volley pressed hardest, and a handful of arrows punched through to rake the beast’s shoulders and back. Black wounds smoked against molten fur, shallow but the pain and damage was real.
The serpent chose a different answer. It widened its jaws and exhaled a river of venomous mist, turning the air into a hissing veil. Arrows entered the cloud and dimmed at once, edges bubbling, shafts pitted as if eaten mid-flight. Many died there.
However, enough survived to rain through, peppering the serpent’s coils and scoring thin trenches across emerald scales. One sank near the earlier crack and the beast flinched, body knotting as it bled a thread of oily black.
Michael held the array open, teeth clenched, shoulders trembling. The circle drank his mana like a bottomless well.
The circle pulsed again, another cascade of arrows screaming downward.
The lion roared, its mane flaring brighter as it forced its dome of fire wider. The serpent thrashed in frustration, venom pouring from its mouth in rolling waves to consume the onslaught.
And then—
A sharp, crystalline hum split the night.
The crystal beast with wings finally moved. Its feathers shimmered like jagged shards of glass, each one refracting starlight into razors.
"Pathetic. For all your roaring and hissing, you let the fruit press you this far?"
Its voice carried mockery and disdain, slicing through the chaos.
"You barely scratched him. Is this what passes for strength now?"
It lowered its wings, glass-like edges catching the light.
"Watch."
The crystal beast’s wings spread wide. Its body pulsed once, light scattering like fractured glass.
The storm of Death Arrows met its feathers—then twisted.
Each arrow that should have pierced down rebounded, turning mid-flight. Hundreds, then thousands of black streaks reversed their descent, rising back into the sky, bending in arcs until they aimed at their original caster.
Michael’s pupils shrank.
The world filled with his own magic. For the first time, Michael understood what it meant to face his own attack head on.
Arrows tore at him from every angle. He whipped his arms up, layering a [Mana Shield] in desperation. The first volley struck.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The shield shuddered violently. Each arrow slammed against it like a hammer, and though the construct held for a moment, cracks burst outward with every impact. One arrow pierced through, grazing his side, another ripped past his shoulder, a third scored his thigh.
Michael hissed, his body jerking as pain lanced through him.
"What... sort of ability is this?" His teeth clenched as his gaze locked on the crystal beast, wings glittering like a hall of mirrors.
The crystal beast’s laughter rang out. Its wings spread wider.
"I love it," the creature said, voice thrumming through the void. "That attack of yours.... it is beautiful."
Its eyes narrowed, a glint of cruelty flashing through their crystalline depths.
"But unfortunately... it is one without the blessing of the world. Powerful, yes, but incomplete."
Michael’s shield cracked again.
The crystal beast tilted its head, as if savoring the sight.
"Still," it continued, "for the first time in centuries, you have made me... appreciate something. To honor that, I shall reward you."
Its wings pulsed, light scattering outward like a thousand mirrors igniting at once.
Michael watched in shock as "mirrors" condensed from what seemed to be "light" appeared in mid air.
But what shocked him was what came out of these mirrors.
A Death Arrow.
"Allow me to show you what your creation could be capable of, had you been given more time. A taste of its true potential. And as thanks for amusing me, I will even grant you the sight before you die."
Michael’s breath hitched. L
The beast’s voice slithered back into his ears.
"So... obediently allow yourself to be swallowed. Become my strength, fruit. Do not fight. Struggle only diminishes your worth."
The arrows began to tilt, their points all aligning with Michael’s position in mid air.
Shock rippled through him, sweat slicking his back even as his healing struggled to keep up with the cuts and burns already scarring him.
What kind of Law is this? he thought, chest tightening.
Just as Michael watched in desperation, the arrows of his own creation curved downward at blinding speed, converging from every direction. His body tensed, ready to throw itself through the smallest gap in the storm.
And then—
A shadow eclipsed him.
From behind, a gigantic hand surged out of the void, its fingers gnarled and vast enough to blot the arrows from sight. The hand closed with a thunderous crack, shattering dozens of black lances in its grip. A tide of power rolled out, a crushing aura that warped the air itself.
Michael’s eyes widened.
"Sorry I’m late, Master."
It was Beginning.
The Titan’s form emerged from the void. His massive silhouette loomed, his eyes gleaming like twin abyssal green suns. The aura pouring from him was suffocating, yet to Michael, it carried something familiar.
Beginning’s voice rumbled.
"You dare... throw his strength back at him?"
The Titan raised his hand again.
"You shall die first for your insult."
[Titan - Level 70]
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Next Title: Law Seeds