CHAPTER 186: KILLING THREE ASTRALS, UNEXPECTED GLOBAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

As soon as Sam activated the [Hatred Boost], his eyes turned a deep and burning crimson.

The [Star of Hatred] poured into his body, its energy fusing with his soul until he could feel it thrumming through every vein.

Dark red lines spread across his skin like a web of fire, glowing with the force of the hatred that surged within him.

Only moments ago, he had been crushed beneath the colossal body of the [Astral Bear], pinned under its impossible weight, powerless to move.

It had been suffocating, humiliating, and terrifying all at once.

But now, with the [Hatred Boost] ignited, something inside him refused to give in.

The despair did not vanish, but it was buried beneath a rising tide of raw determination.

Still clutching his primordial sword with both hands, Sam pressed his palms into the dirt.

His muscles screamed, his bones shook, but the star’s power fueled his resolve.

And slowly, impossibly, he began to lift.

First an inch.

Then another.

Every motion tore at him like fire under his skin, but he kept rising.

His body quivered, his arms bent, yet he did not stop.

Bit by bit, the mountain of flesh and fur above him shifted.

And at last, against all odds, Sam carried the bear’s crushing weight on his back.

The pressure was unbearable, his body threatening to break, but he endured.

The beast above him remained distracted, its attention locked on the chaos unfolding between the primordial clone and the other astrals.

That single oversight became the greatest mistake it could have made.

Because as Sam forced the bear’s body upward, he glimpsed what lay beyond.

A gap. A hole in its position, just enough for him to break free.

His lips pulled into a grin, blood dripping down his chin, and his eyes burned with unyielding resolve.

’Here we go,’ he thought.

With no hesitation, Sam thrust his primordial sword upward, piercing the bear’s flesh as he drove himself toward the opening.

The blade cut deep, ripping through the beast’s massive body.

SLASH!

A gaping wound split across its stomach, tearing its flesh wide open.

Blood and gore poured from the wound, spilling like a river as the bear roared in sudden agony.

The organs within threatened to spill free, the wound so massive it seemed unreal.

Sam forced himself through the opening, dragging his battered body out of its crushing hold.

For a moment, he tasted freedom again, the weight gone from his shoulders.

The bear stood in stunned silence, caught between shock and unbearable pain, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

Sam did not wait.

He could not.

[Primordial Clone: 11/100]

His eyes narrowed as the notification burned across his vision.

’Not good.’

He leapt into the air, tendrils of oblivion bursting from his sword to propel him upward.

They launched him higher, twisting and snapping like living weapons as he spun midair.

In one clean motion, he brought his sword around, cutting at the beast’s neck.

The edge of the primordial sword gleamed with destructive power, and the blade tore through fur, flesh, and bone alike.

In a single decisive strike, the [Astral Bear]’s head was severed.

The massive body collapsed to the ground with a thunderous crash, its life extinguished in an instant.

And just like that, the colossal creature was dead.

Ding!

[The "Astral Bear" has been killed by the Primordial.]

Sam froze.

"Huh?"

He looked upward, confusion spreading across his face as the announcement scrawled across the sky.

"Wait a damn minute."

It was a global announcement. One that every awakener that had access to the [Third Zone] could see.

Sam’s heart dropped.

"Oh, shit."

He had assumed, as with every mission before, that the system would only announce the mission’s completion once he had finished it in its entirety.

That meant all five astrals defeated, mission accomplished, reward given.

But he had been wrong. This mission was different.

Here, every single kill was announced to those who had completed the second mission. Not just the end.

Every awakener who had qualified for the [Third Zone] could see the announcement and now knew exactly what had just happened.

The announcement meant the battlefield had been exposed.

It meant Sam’s position as the primordial had been revealed.

And it meant every other awakener in the zone would know that someone had just slain an astral.

They would not waste time.

They would come rushing here in full force, desperate to see the Primordial.

Sam’s jaw clenched.

This was no longer just a mission. It was a race against time.

’We need to be faster,’ he told his primordial clone.

The clone’s eyes glowed, and it gave a sharp nod, its grin widening.

If they moved too slowly, others would arrive and see everything.

That was the worst-case scenario.

A battle not just against the astrals, but against the eyes and blades of the entire realm.

Sam could already feel it in his bones, the system confirming his dread.

[You can feel the presence of hundreds rushing toward you.]

[Finish the job, or else we might have to slaughter this entire realm =)]

His expression hardened.

The crimson veins across his body flared brighter, hatred rising inside him like an inferno.

His teeth clenched, his gaze sharpened.

’No point thinking about anything else,’ he thought.

’Kill them all. Nothing else matters.’

His eyes flared, glowing with crimson fire.

The clone’s smile twisted wider, mirroring Sam’s intent perfectly.

Then—

Fwish!

The two of them launched forward at once, splitting toward separate targets.

Their combined aura struck like a tidal wave, raw power crashing through the battlefield.

The remaining four astrals faltered, their bodies trembling under the oppressive force that surged from Sam and the clone.

But retreat was impossible.

They had no choice but to stand their ground.

Sam charged at the [Astral Bird] and the [Astral Undead], while his clone rushed toward the [Astral Serpent] and the [Astral Mage].

The bird spread its wings wide, feathers glowing as power built within its body.

It let out a piercing cry and hurled itself into the sky, soaring higher and higher before locking its gaze onto Sam.

Then—

ABYSSAL DIVE!

The bird plummeted downward like a meteor, its body wreathed in energy, aiming to obliterate everything in its path.

At the same time, the [Astral Undead] raised its skeletal arms, summoning hundreds of undead soldiers.

The horde swarmed Sam in a wave of bone and rotting flesh.

He cut them down in a blur of motion, his sword cleaving through them like paper, but the numbers were endless.

The undead astral stepped into the fray itself, its blade colliding against Sam’s primordial sword in a clash of sparks.

Sam met its strikes, blocking, parrying, holding ground, but his eyes never left the sky above.

He could feel the pressure of the bird’s dive closing in.

The air itself quaked as the astral bird neared, preparing to shatter him and the battlefield alike.

Sam’s gaze grew cold.

"Die."

He gripped his sword tighter, hatred focusing into a single point.

In one swift motion, he unleashed his power.

PRIMORDIAL CRESCENT SLASH!

The strike tore through the air, a crescent of pure destruction launching skyward.

It didn’t need to touch the bird.

The force alone warped the world around it.

And then—

Slash!

The crescent tore straight through the astral bird’s body mid-dive, cutting it in half before it even reached the ground.

Blood and feathers scattered across the battlefield as its two halves crashed down.

Ding!

[The "Astral Bird" has been killed by the Primordial.]

Sam’s lips curled.

’Two out of five.’

His focus sharpened on the undead astral, the toughest of them all.

It was said to hold a kind of immortality.

That meant this fight would be harder than any other.

Meanwhile, across the field, the primordial clone faced its own opponents.

Its grin widened as it studied the [Astral Serpent] and the [Astral Mage].

Then it made its choice.

It charged at the serpent first.

The mage’s power was slower, its spells required preparation.

Already it was beginning to form [Astral Chains], weaving them with focus.

But while it was preparing, the clone had already closed the distance.

The serpent lashed out with a [Tail Swipe], its massive body moving like a whip.

The clone dodged effortlessly, sliding past the strike.

The serpent hissed and spat venom, unleashing a beam of corrosive energy that melted through the ground.

The [Primordial Barrier] hissed as the venom ate at it, burning through layers of protection.

But the clone didn’t falter.

It raised its sword, focused its hatred, and unleashed its technique.

SLASH STORM!

Dozens of strikes burst forth in the blink of an eye.

Each swing carved through the air, slamming into the serpent with relentless force.

Its scales resisted at first, gleaming with astral toughness.

But slash after slash ripped deeper, tearing scale, cutting flesh, shattering bone.

In less than three seconds, its body split apart, its head falling as the clone ended its life.

Ding!

[The "Astral Serpent" has been killed by the Primordial.]

The clone’s grin stretched further.

"=)"

It turned its gaze toward the [Astral Mage].

Three down. Two more to go. The end of the battle drew closer.

And Sam knew every second counted.