CHAPTER 187: USING CATACLYSMIC BARRAGE, KILLING THE ASTRAL UNDEAD

[You feel them getting closer, rushing at an extremely high speed toward your location.]

"Hah..." Sam let out a short laugh and grinned.

"Won’t matter."

The grin was not one of arrogance, but of defiance, the kind that came from standing at the center of a storm that refused to let him breathe.

Two more global announcements had come after the first one, and each of them poured oil on the fire, urging every group and every awakener who had entered the [Third Zone] to race even faster in his direction.

The realm had made it clear.

The primordial was here.

And if they wanted to make history, if they wanted to seize their one chance at glory, then hunting him down now was their best shot.

Sam could feel the weight of that pressure bearing down on him, but instead of cracking, he smiled.

’I feel like the closer I get to the last mission... the more stuff like this will happen.’

It was almost inevitable. This realm hated him. It had always hated him.

It wanted him dead, and it would twist every rule it had to bring that outcome closer.

Sam wouldn’t even be surprised if, by the seventh mission, the announcements stopped hiding behind vague descriptions and simply spoke his name outright, along with the words Kill him.

[But by that time... we’ll already be stronger than all of them =)]

A playful voice echoed within him, full of a confidence that Sam wasn’t sure he fully shared.

’Will he?’ Sam tilted his head slightly as he considered the words.

’Oh well... as long as I can survive that long, we’ll find out.’

His attention snapped back to the battlefield, to the towering form of the [Astral Undead].

It was a grotesque sight, a giant skeletal figure holding a massive blade that glimmered with the sickly power of the astral orb above.

White bones shone under its tainted light, purple energy crawling across their surface like veins of corruption.

And it wasn’t alone.

While Sam had been forced to contend with the [Astral Bird], the undead monster had taken advantage of the distraction to summon even more of its kind.

Now the ground around him was crawling with them, hundreds upon hundreds of undead pressing in from every direction, their empty sockets glowing faintly as they surrounded him.

Sam turned his head briefly toward the primordial clone.

The clone was locked in its own struggle, clashing with the [Astral Mage].

’I need to deal with this thing quickly.’

The barrier that shielded the primordial clone was already beginning to falter, cracks forming under the repeated impacts.

It wouldn’t hold forever.

And if the mage managed to break through, the battle would be lost before Sam could even blink.

Slash!

Sam’s blade met the barrier around the mage as he lunged, but his attack didn’t land.

Astral Barrier!

A shimmering wall of energy repelled him, the same defense that had been frustrating him since the fight began.

This wasn’t one of the mage’s main skills, so the descriptions he usually relied on weren’t appearing.

That alone made it more troublesome than it should have been.

’But that’s not the only problem with that thing,’ Sam thought bitterly, gritting his teeth.

’This is bad... really bad.’

Before he could dwell on it, the [Astral Undead] swung its massive blade down, a strike that split the air with crushing force.

Sam brought his sword up to meet it, the impact shaking his arms as sparks and energy flared between them.

His [Hatred Boost] had already burned out, leaving him with nothing but his base strength.

But even then...

Sam closed his eyes briefly and focused inward, pulling every drop of control he had into the moment.

Ever since his technique had evolved into the [True Primordial Sword Technique], everything demanded more from him.

His abilities no longer came cheaply.

They asked for his focus, his energy, his discipline.

But the tradeoff was power—more power than he had ever wielded before.

And he was about to show it.

Slash Storm!

Sam’s sword blurred.

Hundreds of strikes erupted in an instant, his blade moving at speeds too fast for the eye to follow.

The attacks spread outward in every direction, slicing through the army of undead that pressed against him.

The ground trembled under the force of it, the air splitting with the relentless storm of blades.

In less than three seconds, the battlefield was silent again.

Every single undead crumbled into fragments, dissolving into trails of purple mist that floated back toward the astral orb above.

Sam exhaled and shot forward without hesitation.

The [Astral Undead] was still standing, its blade raised once more.

’The description of [Undead Immortality] said it can’t be killed unless I shatter its core.’

Sam’s eyes flicked across its body, searching.

But there was no visible core.

No glowing heart.

No weak point screaming for him to strike.

Which meant only one thing—

Either the core was so small he couldn’t see it, or it was hidden deep within the very bones themselves.

Maybe both.

Still, there was no time to hesitate.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

Sam’s blade carved through its body in a relentless rhythm.

Bones shattered under each swing, fragments scattering across the ground as he cut deeper and deeper into its frame.

’Because of the evolution, everything takes more energy to maintain,’ Sam thought as he pushed harder, his muscles burning.

’I can’t hold [Slash Storm] for much longer... I need to end this now.’

He kept slashing, faster and faster, until finally the towering skeleton began to break apart.

Its body collapsed under the barrage, crumbling into a scattered heap of bones that lay motionless at his feet.

But then—

Fwish!

Undead Immortality!

"Damn it," Sam spat, watching the bones pulse with purple light.

A foul aura seeped into the pile, knitting every fragment back together.

In only a moment, the giant undead stood before him once again, blade in hand, glaring down at him with empty sockets that radiated cold hunger.

’This isn’t working. I didn’t see anything resembling a core the first time either.’

The longer he spent here, the more dangerous this battle became.

He had to deal with this thing fast, then get to the primordial clone.

The clone was still trapped in a stalemate against the [Astral Mage], unable to break its barrier.

Neither side could land a decisive blow, and so the outcome rested squarely on Sam’s shoulders.

If he failed, they all failed.

[The presences are so close you start to distinguish their auras.]

[Just get this over with already.]

’I’m trying,’ Sam groaned inwardly.

He lashed out again, striking at the undead’s body over and over.

Every time he tore it down, it simply returned, piecing itself back together as though mocking his efforts.

The cycle repeated endlessly.

He killed it.

It revived.

He destroyed it again.

It came back stronger, pulsing with that same tainted aura.

The monster couldn’t hurt him, not really.

His skill, his defenses, his speed, all were enough to block its blade and counter every undead it summoned.

But the frustration of seeing it refuse to die gnawed at him with every passing second.

"COME ON," Sam roared inside his head, "JUST DIE ALREADY!"

[Seeing an enemy stand so firmly before you without dying... fills you with DETERMINATION!]

His eyes flared.

Something snapped inside him.

He wasn’t going to hold back anymore.

Not against this thing. Not against this mockery of life.

Sam leapt upward, his sword flashing as he reached the giant’s head.

With one clean strike, he severed it from its shoulders.

The skull tumbled downward, cracks spreading through it as it fell.

But he knew. That alone wouldn’t be enough.

It would just come back again.

Which was why—

"TAKE THIS, THEN!" Sam shouted, his laughter wild, edged with madness.

CATACLYSMIC BARRAGE!

His aura flared crimson, swirling violently around him as the evolved skill took shape.

---

[Cataclysmic Barrage]

[Rank: Forsaken+]

[Description: Summon a giant turret made out of your aura and affinities that will launch powerful bullets.]

---

The moment he activated it, his aura and affinities merged together, twisting in a spiral above him until they condensed into form.

A massive turret emerged, standing five meters tall, its barrel glowing with violent energy.

’Holy shit,’ Sam’s eyes widened, then his grin returned, sharper than ever.

’Perfect.’

He had meant to test this only after evolving all his abilities in the [Dimension of Time], but there was no room for patience anymore.

This fight demanded everything.

The turret stood firm, anchored by a base of aura, its enormous barrel gleaming as it locked onto its target with deadly precision.

’It’s not like before,’ Sam realized.

When a skill reached [Tier 2], it wasn’t just an upgrade.

Sometimes it transformed completely.

What had once been endless streams of bullets fired from black holes in his [Abyssal Obliteration] had now become something entirely different.

He was no longer summoning fragments of destruction.

He was summoning weapons themselves.

’And [Hell-Mode Analysis] said this is only one out of three modes,’ Sam thought with exhilaration.

’Perfect.’

The turret locked onto the falling skull of the [Astral Undead].

Sam’s voice cut through the battlefield.

"FIRE!"

Energy surged inside the weapon, condensing in its barrel until it roared with power.

The ground shook. The air bent.

And then—

BOOM!

A colossal bullet erupted outward, screaming through the air like a comet.

It collided with the skull in an instant, and instead of piercing through it, the bullet detonated.

The explosion swallowed the head whole, disintegrating it in a single violent burst.

Sam’s grin widened as he saw the result.

’Holy shit!’

There was no reformation this time.

No purple aura crawling across the bones.

The body collapsed into dust, vanishing into the air as though it had never existed.

The core had been in its head, tiny and hidden, but now it was gone—obliterated with everything else.

"HAHA!" Sam roared triumphantly, laughter echoing across the battlefield.

Ding!

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

[Only one "Astral" remains.]

Sam turned immediately, his gaze snapping toward the [Astral Mage].

The mage trembled slightly, its once calm composure cracking, its barrier flickering as if it knew its end was approaching.