BOOK 4: CHAPTER 20: UNBINDING

He shot higher into the air. Words of Power rolled from his tongue, expanding the range of Bloodlust as he regarded the massive camp from his elevated position.

At this point, the Divine Seed had established connections to more than 100,000 creatures with bonds of Conflict, but what truly surprised him were the beings without such a bond. Their animosity was apparent, yet no bond of Conflict ever formed.

While that made sense with the strongest Goblins, whose attacks would have seriously harmed him if not for [Bloodbound Bastion] and [Crimson Bulwark] protecting him, it did not make as much sense regarding the weaker Goblins. The strong were Sworn and Champions, and were thus bound to their Ascendant. If anything, they would establish new bonds with their Ascendants upon successfully invading the Earthen Union.

Setting aside the fact that David would never allow them to infiltrate his territory and create bonds with his people, he concluded that most of the weaker Goblins had already formed bonds with other Ascendants. Every creature could only have a few bonds with Ascendants. First, their individual strength was a crucial factor, as it determined the firmness of the connection between Classer and Weave. Second—though David could only guess here—the individual’s race played a role in calculating the limited number of bonds that could be established.

Regardless of the reason, his Divine Seed failed to establish a bond of Conflict with the majority of Goblins glaring at him from below. But that left more than enough bonds to form and grow. After all, it looked like the camp in the clearing was large enough to host more than 100,000 Goblins, and almost half of them had a bond at the Critic level with him.

If it looked the same in the other Rifts, I should be able to establish more than 250,000 bonds of Conflict, he thought, nodding slowly as he released the first barrage of [Blood Burst]. The projectiles whistled through the air in beautiful arcs. They spread out and left behind crimson trails as they accelerated, and they exploded, tearing through tents, small houses, and Goblins alike.

A few bonds tore, but it was a small price to pay in exchange for the hundreds of life signals that ceased to be. Next, rather than relying on [Fearwrought], Bloodlust, and long-range attacks to spread chaos and inflict seeds of fear, David pushed further. He applied [Herald’s Blessing] and cast [Phantom Rush] once [Crimson Bulwark] and [Bloodbound Bastion] had been renewed.

He dove to the ground and created a small crater with his crash, but he disappeared from his initial spot instantaneously. Several arrows, bolts, and magical projectiles whistled through the rubble and struck where he stood a moment ago, but David was already in front of his first target: a Sworn.

The Sworn was a blue-skinned Goblin. However, he was slightly taller than David and looked oddly human, if not for the almost serpentine eyes and massive tusks jutting from his jaw. He wore thick plated armor, heavy enough for the Sworn’s feet to disappear in the ground. He wielded a mighty hammer that was almost as tall as he was and swung it at David. A glistening light appeared, resembling the sun not only in brightness but also heat as it neared.

David’s eyes widened ever so slightly as it felt like a supernova had been ignited at the tip of the massive hammer, and he cast [Phantom Rush] to sidestep the brunt of the attack. Heat washed across his blood armor, which nearly collapsed, but the worst of the attack had ended. Unfortunately, the Sworn was not alone. David managed to release [Origin Lightning] at the blue-skinned Goblin before the other Sworn and Champions surrounded him.

Roots burst from the ground and latched onto him. They coiled around his legs and threatened to pull him underground as the soil underfoot tore open.

David grunted and released small currents of Rend to sever the roots as he sensed a sudden rise in the life signals around him. At the same time, a force tried to weaken him. It had to be a powerful Spark or Skill, yet his foundation [Unyielding Vitality] and [Indomitable Will] repelled the debuffs and curses.

His eyes narrowed, and he cast [Archaic Shackles] on a nearby Sworn as he pushed forward, ramming Serpent Fang deep into his gut. Arcs of black and white currents erupted within the Sworn. To his misery, the Sworn failed to come up with any countermeasures, and his heart exploded as the destructive arcs collided in his chest.

David cast [Phantom Rush] to evade several incoming attacks and condensed the power of Bloodlust and [Fearwrought] to target another Sworn. The Sworn froze momentarily, fear glinting in his eyes right before a pristine-white arc exploded in his face.

Ensuring the Sworn wouldn’t cause any more issues, David cast [Blood Burst], piercing what was left of his face to hit the Sworn’s brain.

A massive warhammer landed on his shoulder, releasing a shockwave of force that penetrated the crimson shield and blood armor. Not even Scalemore blocked the impacting force. David gritted his teeth as a cacophony of cracking noises rang in his ears, and his legs would have collapsed if he hadn’t pushed to the side. He cast [True Restoration] with a grimace, but his fragmented shoulder wasn’t healed instantly.

More attacks reached him after that. Although he could evade many and withstand most of those he couldn’t avoid, the trio of Champions bombarding him with a mixture of brute force and magic effectively bypassed his defenses.

David grumbled but used [Blood Manipulation] to control the blood of his victims against his adversaries. He applied [Herald’s Blessing] and cast [Bleeding] on the surrounding blood pooling around him before releasing it at his well-equipped enemies. Bullets the size of raindrops burst from the pools of blood at high velocity, striking the Goblins’ least protected areas and piercing hide and flesh.

[Bleeding]’s effect triggered instantaneously, staggering the Goblins’ natural regeneration while accelerating the blood loss of those struck by the blood bullets.

Of course, the Goblins wouldn’t die from something like that. As Sworn and Champions, their powers rivaled those of the undead Rulers. However, David was much stronger than he used to be, and he now had the means to take advantage of the living — something he couldn’t do against the walking dead. 𝖗аΝÖᛒΕş

But rather than exploiting the weaknesses of the Champions and Sworn, David wanted to rely on something else. Something he first learned when he fought the Ancient Death Knight. Something he wanted to make his after all this time.

He slashed at the first Champion, all-consuming darkness clouding Serpent Fang’s massive blade as it neared the Goblin. An ethereal armor shrouded the Champion moments before the impact, but David never stopped.

He cast [Phantom Rush], pushing his momentum to an all-time high, and applied [Herald’s Blessing] and [Origin Lightning] to his massive weapon.

Grayish-silver chains erupted from the ground and coiled around the Goblin’s legs, binding the Champion momentarily in place. A moment later, Serpent Fang’s darkness collided with the ethereal armor and chipped it. Pitch-black lines rippled through the ethereal armor, weakening it just enough for Serpent Fang’s blade to strike true.

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Blood splattered everywhere as the blade pierced armor, hide, flesh, and bone one after another. Black and white arcs of electricity whipped through the air and through the Champion, yet it was Vitae Nihilum and [Herald’s Blessing] that exerted the greatest effect. The former weakened the Goblin’s defenses, whereas the latter pushed David’s weapon and body just enough to generate the strength needed to cut through the Champion’s defenses.

And that was exactly what he needed. He had to defeat one of the Champions with overwhelming power to demonstrate his capabilities to those who were watching. Several attacks impacted him; one bypassed his defense and pierced his neck, nearly beheading him, but the pain of broken bones and the looming threat of death were worth it.

The first Champion fell to the ground, his body split in half, writhing on the ground as intestines and blood gushed out from both sides.

Screams, yelps, and cackles resounded in his ears, creating a cacophony of sounds David could only enjoy. After all, they were part of the reason so many bonds of Conflict advanced to the Dissenter stage. Many of those who had been close enough to see him kill a Champion and Sworn were pushed to Opponent too, and that was exactly what he needed right now.

He took a deep breath, overclocked [True Restoration] as he cast it on himself three times in a row, and uttered a simple Word of Power a mere moment before he unleashed a massive wave of Rend.

Rend, in its rawest form, whipped out from Serpent Fang’s blade. It swished swiftly and unhindered through the air and cleaved through a Sworn, ignoring his defense, as well as the masses of Goblins standing behind him. But instead of killing all the Goblins, only half suffered grievous fates. Of the 500 Goblins within Rend’s effective range, approximately 250 survived. The rest collapsed, dead on the ground.

Yet, throughout the entire attack, not a single bond of Conflict was torn apart. Not a single Goblin with a bond of Conflict was slain by Rend in its rawest form. And it was all owed to the Weave, and to the realization he had just come to about his Intent and the Law governing it.

As he pondered the Paths of the Ascendants, David reflected on the inability to create bonds with those already connected to too many others. Then, he felt something stir within him. It could have been unimportant, maybe even useless — a mere daydream.

However, David didn’t feel like that. After all, he had seen what Rend was capable of when he fought the Ancient Death Knight before. He knew that Rend could distinguish its targets. If not for that, Rend would have severed Deryadus’ Arm’s fingers when he fought the Death Knight.

If it could distinguish the Ancient Relic from the soulflame he had targeted at that time, why shouldn’t Rend be able to distinguish between much more complex targets?

His last attack confirmed David’s nagging suspicion and revealed far greater potential. Rend could sense the bonds, and it could instantaneously tell whether the bonds were connected to David or not. If not for that, the Goblins with bonds of Conflict would have died from his latest attack.

That was probably why he felt a shift in the Weave. But whether it was his position in the Weave that shifted, or the Weave itself, no longer mattered. The shift, though minuscule, was crucial.

It felt closer, and the sensation grew even more potent as he released Rend again. The Intent’s power increased drastically from one moment to the next, reaching a level that would normally be hard to attain. Even if he’d infused [Origin Lightning], [Herald’s Blessing], and traces of Vitae into Rend, none of that was necessary right now.

Rend whipped through the air faster than ever and barreled through the masses of Goblins. The remaining two Champions were struck as well, yet Rend didn’t cause any physical harm to them. Neither did it harm the mass of 1,000 Goblins within Rend’s effective range.

Instead, as the seconds passed, David felt new bonds of Conflict come into being. They erupted all of a sudden, even though he was certain all accessible Goblins within the clearing had already established a bond of Conflict with him.

But these bonds were new, and they connected him to the Goblins who had already been connected to the maximum number of Ascendants. Their bonds leaped straight to Dissenter; some even to the Opponent level, surprising him greatly. As did the shift on the battlefield.

Did I just sever their bonds with other Ascendants…using Rend? he wondered.

It was the only thing that made sense in his mind. If not for that, how else would he have been able to establish those new bonds of Conflict? Even the pair of Champions struck by the latest wave of Rend suffered its effects. Their physical health hadn’t changed one bit. Their life signals were as vibrant and unbothered as before, yet they collapsed to the ground before his eyes, their faces distorted in unbearable pain.

He disregarded his initial plan and focused entirely on Rend as it severed through foreign bonds. The Intent did little to harm them and ignored their physical vessels. Instead, it tore through their souls. While that did not affect the ordinary Goblins, both Sworn and Champions suffered greatly. They failed to resist Rend once it was no longer a physical attack and reacted too late to block the energy blades that carved through their souls. They were separated from the one thing that made them special: the power their Ascendant granted.

David, following his instincts, reached out for the Ancient Law governing Rend … and grasped it.

This time he didn’t need Vitae Nihilum to extend his reach. He stretched far and touched upon the Law. The Source vibrated and shimmered within his mind space. The lines engraved into the Source shimmered brighter and brighter as new streaks of starlight silver came into being.

The Source’s light left the mind space and appeared in the Weave, displaying the Laws and Intents woven into David’s being. The edges of the Source unraveled before his eyes, showing him the limits of his energy reservoir as well as the true extent of the Ancient Law.

Even though he successfully grasped the Ancient Law, he could not engrave it onto his Source—not in its full might. He could [Sacrifice] his existing Intents, as well as the Law of Blood, to engrave a larger portion of the Ancient Law on the Source, but even that was far from enough. The Ancient, in the full might he had grasped upon, was not something a 1-Star Ascendant could handle. Maybe it would be too much to handle for a Minor God as well.

But he did not need the entire Law. Not right away. A portion was all he needed—a strand to etch into his Source to expand on once he was strong enough to accept more of the Ancient Law.

That was the plan, and it did work. However, all David managed to etch onto his Source was one line. The line was greater than the entirety of the Law of Blood, yet it was no more than a mere line. But that was all David needed to gain access to the Ancient Law.

[Ancient Law of Unbinding has been etched onto your Soul.]

[Law of Unbinding – [Fragmented (0.01%) – (Ancient)]]

Rend – (Superior)

“What a plain name.” David scoffed, breaking into a sweat as his eyes fluttered open again. Arcs of Rend swirled around him without any guidance, but they did enough to keep Goblins, Champions, and Sworn at bay.

His eyes darted to the Sworn, and he reached for the strand of the Ancient Law that had been engraved on his Source and unleashed Rend.

A blade of energy whipped out from his hand faster than he could look. It smashed heavily into the Sworn and tore through the Goblin’s soul, ripping the connection to his master apart. But it was not like the Sworn was freed just like that. An otherworldly scream of unimaginable pain escaped his lips, his eyes bulged in agony, and his heart burst.

The Sworn, mighty and bound to an Ascendant mere moments ago, was released from his shackles and killed in the aftermath.

“Hmm…” David regarded the dead Sworn for a moment. “Looks like I have to experiment a little bit more.”