BOOK 4: CHAPTER 19: CONFLICT

Mere hours had passed since he departed to test his powers as a full-fledged Ascendant, yet trouble awaited them already.

It hasn’t even been a day, and we’re already under attack?! David growled inwardly as he sensed the intrusion of hostile entities. They had barged into his territory, attacked the non-combatant Classers, and charged toward the Sanctuary.

He applied [Herald’s Blessing] on his lower body, circulated Vitae through his legs, and cast [Phantom Rush] to cover the last few kilometers to return to his territory instantaneously, although it looked like his help wasn’t needed.

Electra was already in action, releasing chaotic lightning bolts toward the eastern part of his territory. However, the Sacred Beast was not the only one on the move. Four figures resembling Electra followed her, releasing bloody projectiles and pristine-white arcs of electricity, all while spreading spheres of healing light and a network of lifelines.

The Guardian Idols activated and came to life as the first hostile entities barged into the territory, and the Idols used David’s powers to repay the pain they’d inflicted on the harmless Classers a thousandfold.

“What is going on here?” David leaped through the air and reached the eastern walls, where Mages and Archers had repositioned to prepare for a hard-fought battle, if that had even been necessary in the first place. Frey, the other Berserkers, and a few dozen Classers were already on the battlefield, tearing through the green-skinned cretins who dared to harm Orhain’s townspeople.

The dozen Classers suffered attacks from all sides, but months of tireless work and combat experience had taught them how to fight together against masses of enemies. Even better, Electra and the Guardian Idols blocked the cretins and killed most before they could pass by the melee fighters.

David didn’t even have to intervene to join the battle. Even the wounded non-combatants were surrounded by highly durable bubbles, making it increasingly difficult to kill them. The familiar figures of the Shadowalkers emerged behind the wounded non-combatants to tend to them and to carry them around the battlefield and back to Orhain.

“A new Rift formed,” someone he didn’t recognize answered beside him. The man offered him a light bow and added, “A massive Rift. We were a little bit worried at first when the Rift materialized, especially when Lilia’s research team determined it to be an anchored Rift, but only weak monsters emerged from it. For weeks, only weak Iron- and Bronze-ranked Goblins emerged from the Rift.”

He caught a hateful glare in the man’s eyes. It was aimed at the mass of green that stretched farther than most of his Classers could see. David overclocked [True Sight] and found the Rift that towered a good ten meters into the air and frowned deeply. Goblins ranked from Iron to the upper ranks of Silver emerged from the Rift in the dozens.

The worst part about that? It didn’t look like the Rift would stop spawning more Goblins anytime soon. If anything, the Rift was so stable that David was certain it would only stop spewing Goblins once there were no more monsters on the other side of it.

“There are thousands of them,” David noted, and his heart stirred as Electra and the Idols pushed forward. Power trickled into him and new bonds came to be. Yet, as fast as some bonds came to be, just as rapidly did they expand, grow… and expire.

The Weave’s constant stream of power surged momentarily before it decreased to its original, steady stream. Yet, instead of stabilizing back at its original height, the stream of power skyrocketed every other second before it died down as dozens of new bonds ceased to be.

All this while, David eyed the changes on his status with a grim smile.

Path of Conflict – 1962

Path of Conflict – 2593

Path of Conflict – 2352

Path of Conflict – 3215

Path of Conflict – 2975

Path of Conflict – 4012

The System updated the information regularly. There weren’t any instantaneous changes, but seeing an improvement in the numbers was a pleasant sight. So, too, was the increased stream of power flowing into the Divine Seed. Better even was that most bonds of Conflict were powerful.

It looked like all Goblins formed a Negative bond of Conflict with him the instant they emerged from the portal, and it only took a single glance at Electra, the Idols, or the Sanctuary their brethren charged at to transform that bond into one of Critic.

Watching their brethren die by the dozens, all while the heavy presence of the Sacred Beast and its lookalikes descended upon them within David’s territory, reinforced the Goblins’ Conflict and pushed it to Dissenter. As long as they survived that long, that is.

He eyed the Path of Conflict and noticed how it had already pushed beyond 5000. That was wonderful—and exactly what he needed. If he didn’t have to kill all of them. Unfortunately, keeping the Goblins that had emerged from the Rift alive was not an option, even if the first bonds reached the threshold of an Opponent, granting David a deeper connection to the Weave.

And, of course, more power than any other Conflict bond.

[Divine Seed]

Rank – 1-Star

(0.01%) → (0.02%)

“Are you not going to intervene?” the man asked, eyeing David curiously.

“Why should I? They’re doing great,” he responded with a shrug.

The man grimaced and pointed at the Rift, his eyes glowing in a dim golden hue. “But more are coming. Frey and the others can handle a few thousand of the ordinary Iron and Bronze Goblins, but stronger ones are heading our way. They will bulldoze Orhain if we don’t do anything.”

With we

, the man meant David. However, David could only laugh at that.

“There are no Goblin Shamans, Goblin Mutants, let alone Titan Goblins at the Gold Rank or higher,” he explained in a light tone, and interrupted the man before he could say anything else.

“Yes, stronger Goblins may emerge from the Rift sooner rather than later, and yes, I will deal with it. But I will not kill the Goblins here.”

David willed the space around him to obey as he stepped forward. He didn’t fall to the ground and walked on the air instead, consuming a trace of the power that should have flowed into his Divine Seed. Maybe it was over the top and a waste of Might, but David didn’t think so.

It was exactly what he needed to showcase his superior power to the Goblins, fortifying the bonds of Conflict, while also demonstrating to the Sanctuary’s residents who their ruler was—how powerful he was, and that he was leagues above the Goblins. That nobody had to worry about their well-being while he, his Guardian Idols, and Electra were there. He fortified the bonds of Favor and pushed them to new heights.

David stepped lightly toward the battlefield. He cast [Blood Burst] a hundred times in quick succession and whipped the blood projectiles through the air as he passed over the bloody mess. He went one step ahead and utilized [Blood Manipulation], killing hundreds of Goblins with geysers of blood and massive blood-conjured weapons that flung through the air, creating a show that strengthened both bonds of Favor and Conflict.

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The issue, albeit a small one, was the death of hundreds of Goblins and the termination of the bonds they’d formed. However, the result was more than worth the price he’d paid. The remaining bonds were stronger than ever, and the stream of power flowed toward his Divine Seed, filling it ever so slowly.

He could have done more to worsen his relationship with the Goblins, but those that had already emerged from the Rift did not deserve his attention. Killing a few hundred in a display of his power was all they amounted to.

That, however, did not mean the Goblins on the other side of the Rift didn’t deserve more attention. If anything, they deserved all of his attention.

The bonds of Conflict had decreased to less than 5000 by the time he reached the massive Rift, but the amount of power heading his way was stronger than ever. The weakest among the new bonds was a Critic on the verge of advancing to the next level, and it was actually sad knowing that all those new bonds would cease in the next few minutes.

I will have more than enough new bonds to abuse in a minute or two. He snickered, releasing [Blood Burst] to detonate the heads of the monsters emerging from the Rift.

David followed up by using [Blood Manipulation] to conjure four walls of blood. He solidified them, added spikes to the insides, and watched frenzied Goblins as they charged mindlessly into the spikes jutting from between the corpses.

It was far from perfect, but it would be enough to slow the invading masses temporarily. David studied the Rift for a moment, conjured the Obsidian Blade in its elongated form, alongside Scalemore. He applied [Herald’s Blessing] on his weapons and himself, and circulated Vitae through his body once he’d separated a few units to clean the mess Electra, the Idols, and his Classers had created.

Once everything was taken care of, David stepped into the Rift.

The landscape around him barely changed as he crossed dimensions. However, the sudden distance to his territory and all the bonds on the other side of the Rift clarified that he was no longer on his native planet. He was inside the Rift and located an ocean of life signals before him.

Emerging from the Rift hurled him into an ocean of green, blue, yellow, red, and various other colors, though they did nothing to change the nature of the cretins cackling before him.

Goblins ranging from low Iron to peak Gold cackled, screamed, and pushed each other to move toward the massive Rift. David grimaced and cast [Archaic Shackles], releasing hundreds of smaller grayish-silver chains that surrounded the Rift and slowed all nearby Goblins that weren’t chained.

He cast [Bloodlife Echo] and conjured a small figure with no more than 20 pure Blood droplets to kill the chained and slowed Goblins, stalling their invasion. Again, it was far from perfect, but it was good enough to focus on the real deal—the tens of thousands of Goblins that seemed to fill the entire dimension.

Are those Rifts? David mused, relying on Bloodthrone Dominion and [True Sight] to see the edges of the Rift’s interior, but he didn’t really see anything of great interest. Other than the Goblin ocean that occupied every corner of the dimension as well as the five Rifts connecting to this dimension. Each of these other Rifts spits out more and more Goblins, pushing the mass of cretins closer to the only Rift that led to the Earthen Union.

“That is a full-blown invasion, isn’t it?” David cocked an eyebrow, watching the monsters with a mixture of annoyance and excitement.

In all likelihood, he would have been mostly annoyed by this situation if not for the thousands of bonds forming the moment he stepped into the dimension. However, feeling the power of the Weave as the trickle transformed into a flood, he discarded all thoughts of annoyance.

Rather than complaining about his situation, David felt like thanking those disgusting creatures. They helped him grow, and he would be a fool not to make full use of such an invaluable opportunity.

He leaped high into the air, completing the preparations for the next step ahead of time. He took a deep breath, glanced down at the mass of thousands of Goblins, and unleashed Bloodlust. Only a few Words of Power escaped his lips, but they were more than enough to release Bloodlust explosively throughout the small dimension. It affected all the Goblins and forced them to turn toward him—to pay full attention to David.

And that they did.

David closed his eyes for a moment and gathered a portion of his accumulated Origin Essence to activate and overclock [Fearwrought]. He intertwined the Class Skill with the Bloodlust Intent and followed up with a simple cast of his Arcana. Cycle’s Embrace wasn’t ideally suited for something like this, but he used everything he knew to fuse death’s presence into the blend of [Fearwrought] and Bloodlust.

It worked, and the mental attack’s power was amplified significantly, resulting in the creation of more than 20,000 bonds of Conflict.

The bond skipped the Negative level and pushed straight for Critic, which was still not enough for David. He plummeted to the ground, squashing an unfortunate Iron-ranked Goblin as he landed. The Obsidian Blade glowed in his hand, expanding as he used Rend at its lowest level. He applied [Lacerate] and [Bleeding] to the next attack and released a thin blade of energy toward the masses.

Rend cleaved through rows of incoming Goblins, killing several dozen instantaneously. As for those who survived—hundreds who barely escaped being cleaved in half—they suffered grievous wounds as [Lacerate] and [Bleeding] jumped into effect. Their wounds ripped open, and they bled to death like the pitiful creatures they were.

Countless bonds around him grew even more intense after that, but David no longer paid attention to the Divine Seed’s stats.

He regarded the creatures around him and manifested the Pillar of Life to apply his Arcana in a way that allowed him to utilize it properly. The Pillar of Life illuminated the dimension. It pulsed with an abundance of life and flooded the nearby Echo with vitality. Applying Cycle’s Embrace to the Echo, he hoped it would survive long enough to stall for more time.

That was the plan, until Electra barged through the massive Rift. She hurled mountains of complaints at him, which David accepted with a sigh before casting Cycle’s Embrace on her.

With the Sacred Beast’s aid, annihilating the ocean of cretins was only a matter of time. Yet, as they spread death and destruction, killing thousands, David’s eyes flicked to the five Rifts on the other side of the dimension. The stream of incoming Goblins never ceased. If anything, more Goblins emerged from the Rifts as he and Electra wreaked havoc.

It wasn’t like that helped the Goblins in any way. All they received was death—whether it be from a black-violet arc, a pristine-white bolt, [Blood Manipulation], Cycle’s Embrace’s drainage of lifeforce, or a simple cast of [Blood Burst]. The Goblins died. They didn’t even have a chance at survival.

Therefore, once Electra feasted on the strongest Goblins and the effect of [Fearwrought], overclocked and intertwined with Bloodlust and death’s presence, reached its peak, David didn’t interfere when the Goblins retreated.

The cretins backed off as the fear of death bloomed in their hearts, overwhelming their natural wild instincts and thirst for blood—urges that should have been strong enough to crush dread and terror. Goblins should not be afraid of death. The fear of death was unknown to them. Apprehension, maybe, but fear? David felt it was something new for them, and he salivated as the bonds of Conflict responded accordingly.

Critics became Dissenters, pushing his growth to new heights. What a beautiful sight!

Hundreds of bonds grew distant as the first Goblins retreated, but David was far from done.

“Since you decided to invade the Earthen Union—to infiltrate MY territory—I will return the favor,” he mused lightly, replacing the Obsidian Blade with Serpent Fang. Pristine-white lightning currents crackled across its surface, merging with the violet arcs the soulbound claymore emitted naturally.

Electra roared aloud, ushering the Goblins to retreat even faster. A moment later, the Sacred Beast slithered through the air at top speed to reach the other side of the dimension. She sent him images of death and destruction and disappeared inside one of the five Rifts.

Her images shifted as their connection weakened from the distance between them, yet David could see a colossal plateau surrounded by cloud-piercing mountains. As curious as the landscape of an unknown world was, he focused on the massive settlement that encompassed most of the plateau and grimaced.

Wreak havoc. Kill or cripple the strongest. Leave the rest alive as long as their bonds of Conflict are at the Dissenter level or higher.

Maybe it was foolish to leave his enemies alive—especially with a desire for vengeance, which was likely to be the case for every Opponent bond created in the next few minutes—but David wasn’t scared. If anything, he was looking forward to it.

Plus, he wanted to make the most gains while also giving a warning to those stupid enough to invade the Earthen Union. The death of a few thousand—maybe even tens of thousands—of Goblins hardly mattered. As long as he got the point across, any number would be acceptable.

David released hundreds of bloody projectiles after some Goblins decided to stop running from him. They attacked—or tried to—and met death with a bullet to the head. Their skulls splattered apart, ushering David to release enough Vitae Nihilum into the dimension to consume all the corpses.

Vitae cleaned up his mess as the last Goblins retreated, while he advanced, following the Goblins into the Rift next to the one Electra had entered.

The scenery didn’t change drastically. Instead of a massive, mountainous plateau, David emerged in the middle of a vast clearing surrounding an even grander forest. Several deadly projectiles—bolts, arrows, and magical blasts—rushed at him with great velocity, but David cast [Crimson Bulwark] and [Bloodbound Bastion] to block most of the attacks. Only a handful pierced the crimson shields and his blood armor, and just one had enough momentum to scratch Scalemore.

David hadn’t stopped using Bloodlust merged with [Fearwrought], and he flashed the Goblin camp a brilliant smile.

“Wow,” he whistled, patting his racing heart in anticipation. “If that isn’t a feast, I don’t know what is.”