Savage Awakening 448. The Second Challenge (IX)

It shattered him.

Warning!

Health under 25%

Warning!

Critical Health—

The box flickered out.

Dimly he felt himself crash, whipped hard into the ground.

He’d been hit so hard it felt like his soul had been blasted from his body.

He found himself facedown on the ground, and groaned.

His Health bar was flickering—just barely there…

He had to get up.

The rumbling was starting up again. That beast was coming around. If he couldn’t find it in himself—

But his body was broken through and through.

There wasn’t a bone, not a muscle, left inside him that was still intact. Every last fiber had ruptured. Every vital organ crushed.

It was the hardest blow he’d ever taken.

He couldn’t move a muscle.

He lay there in a lake of his own blood, trying to will himself up. But even his heart was struggling, mortally wounded. The strongest part of him. He’d taken so much force it nearly stopped the muscle.

That blow had broken him in everything but spirit.

The pain rose to a cresting wave. Threatening to end him…

He felt Reina right behind him.

On her knees, blood trickling out of her mouth—he could feel her watching him as he lay there, feel her shock. Her disbelief.

She’d held on as long as she could. She’d trusted him to do what he’d promised. What he’d always done for her.

“Zane…” she whispered.

Her presence behind him gave him strength.

He refused to fail her.

He growled—shuddering—built up to an arm.

He had so little Health left his blood hardly had anything to pump. But he fought even harder, even as his vision was starting to dim—

His eyes widened.

A fury ignited behind him.

At first he thought it was the Monster. Then he heard Reina’s cry.

A sound of pure rage. He felt her stagger up, just watching him—seeing what it’d done to him…

Then she was on fire in the Astral Plane.

A stark tree shimmered behind her—some avatar. Her eyes went shining white.

An aura overcame her more ancient than the Megalodon itself, an aura of such majesty it gave even that great beast pause.

She thrust out her hands, and an immensity of light graced the air, flowed into him.

His Health burst up 10%.

And he felt a shock of brilliant energy.

He felt the strength of her feeling, her determination.

Reina collapsed, eyes rolling back…

A blistering vitality exploded out of him, so painfully strong his body could hardly contain it.

He let out a full-throated roar.

He was burning up. Every muscle bulged, stuffed full of that vital energy, stoked strong and war-red—

He wasn’t sure what was happening to him.

His Health soared—up 20%, 30%—

He felt incredible.

When Zane stood again, his breaths stained the air. His aura was laden heavy with some new Law.

She’d stuffed him full of Creation.

She’d rebuilt him.

He’d just barely staggered up when the Megalodon broke through. Shrugged off a continent as it bore down on him.

He loosed a blast straight for its dome.

Creation and Destruction and fury melded in one all-out blow.

And when that blow landed…

It wasn’t Zane who was sent hurtling away.

He hit that thing so hard it looked he wiped a mountain range off its continent of the body.

Plunged those mountains into a canyon, a canyon that snaked snout-to-tail— 

The hammers pulled away, leaving craters that showed from space.

It flopped back violently, bellowing—it spoke to its insane durability.

But this time it landed on solid ground.

The ground shattered, showing only more ground beneath…

Nowhere left to hide.

Reina had gone down.

But before she let herself fall, she’d made sure to give him everything he needed.

Now his foe was prone before him. And the powers that made the Heavens themselves were coursing through his limbs.

You didn’t need to ask Zane twice.

He let out a sound straight from the heart. And attacked.

Hammers rained like meteors. Great mushroom-clouds spat up where Megalodon lay thrashing, and the realm, the very oceans, tilted back-and-forth, blow by blow.

Still the Boss thrashed at him. Whacked him into the ground, tried slamming him, charging him—even stranded like this, it packed a hefty punch.

But it couldn’t get going anymore.

He just kept breaking it—making craters of its vast form, shattering it over and over. It couldn’t do the same.

Zane had taken its best shot.

And there was something uniquely frightening about a man who could take your hardest punch, and get up, and just keep coming. Come even harder.

He’d seen that feeling when he took down men. Seen the moment he broke their spirit.

It turned out even Monster Kings—the creatures that ruled the elements, that dominated galaxies—could feel that same despair.

He slammed it down again; blew a mountain of a fin straight off its body.

As they wrestled down the final stretch, as world-breaking quantities of power were exchanged, over and over…

The end was no longer in doubt.

Then Zane stomped into one last Apocalypse Charge. A charge starting at the tail, building step by step, racing up the full length of that shark, wrecking as he went—

He leaped.

Heaved his hammers all the way back, so far they touched the horizon.

He felt every muscle in his arms, his back, stretched to the brink.

And unleashed.

When they fell, it was like watching the sunrise. Moving through noon, crashing through dusk… moving with an undeniable force.

He shattered the Megalodon utterly.

A thousand thousand smoldering pieces, chunks that punched a black starscape through the fabric of reality.

He landed in a crouch, smoking heavily.

He took in the world-rending explosion. Then… silence.

He grinned.

He would’ve blacked out by now. He’d burned Limit Breaker far too long. But— 

“Reina,” he breathed.

He knelt by her side. She was still breathing—she seemed alright. Her heart was still going a bit fast, her soul light.

Relief filled him. For a second he just admired her.

He carried her in both arms. A portal had opened up.

With that, he strode out into open air.

The world collapsed behind him.

***

Event challenge completed

Reward get!

+4 System Store Credits

Friend of the System has been activated!

+4 x 2 -> +8 System Store Credits

 Total credits: 12.4

 Level up!

 Level up!

 Level up!

 Level up!

 Level up!

Essence Level 538 -> 543

***

“He really just dominated a Monster King.” Tyler rubbed his eyes. “I don’t even know what to say.”

Becca was speechless too. “The Professor’ll have something to write about when he wakes up.”

They watched for a little while as Zane checked on Reina. It was the first thing he did after he finished the beast. Then he gently carried her out.

 “Zane showed his class!” said Tyler. “But you’ve got to give credit to Reina too. If she wasn’t there...What the heck was that power level at the end?!”

“I’m not sure…” said Becca. “They just seem to bring the best out of each other.”

“She’ll be needed back at the World Tree after this. But they do plan on getting together again for that final Wave,” said Tyler. “I think we speak for all of Earth when we say we’re eager to see what they can do!”

The broadcast showed a few final shots in the next few hours—the best of Earth coming out, all wounded. Vanessa was sliced up pretty badly. Jason was bleeding from a thousand cuts. Eze was mostly untouched, except for one arm which was totally shattered.

Evan, Avery, and Chomper burst out of a portal, gasping and shaggy, looking like they made it out by the skin of their teeth. All three fell over the moment they emerged.

Then Avery gave a little fist-pump from the ground.  

“Heck yeah!”

***

First he made sure Reina was safe. It’d be a while before she woke. She’d earned her rest.

He saw his friends make it out on the Scrying Glass.

All told, this challenge turned out pretty damned well.

He turned his attention to the Store, feeling pleased.

His prize was waiting. But it had an extra note, a nice surprise.

Shard of True Destruction (12 System Coins)

This Shard will put the user over the Tier 0 Destruction threshold. It will grant the permanent Divine Profound-grade buff, ‘Armor’s Bane.’

Grants the user 100% more damage against all armors, including armors of Creation. Stacks on top of all other boosts.

That looked quite strong. Especially if stuff like scales, or hides, or that shark’s rocky skin counted as armor.

Then he noticed something else. A new section of the store, grayed out.

Unlocked at Friend of the System Tier II

He read the title.

“Locked store?”