CHAPTER 188: KILLING THE ASTRAL MAGE, NUKE

Sam charged up another bullet of his [Cataclysmic Barrage] and fired it straight at the [Astral Barrier].

Before this, the primordial clone’s attacks had failed to break through.

The barrier had been able to withstand every slash, focusing its strength into each point of impact and holding together no matter what came at it.

But this time was different.

Fwish! BOOM!

The bullet shot out of Sam’s turret with overwhelming force, tearing through the air before slamming into the barrier.

At first it held, as if resisting with everything it had.

But then, tiny cracks began to spread.

"=)"

The primordial clone reacted the moment it saw what was happening.

It didn’t hesitate, summoning its own turret and firing a bullet in response.

BOOM!

The two turrets echoed one another.

Sam’s fired, then the clone’s.

The repeated explosions shook the battlefield, each one spreading the cracks across the [Astral Barrier].

With every hit, the shimmering wall grew weaker, thinner, until the fractures threatened to shatter it completely.

’Instead of being able to fire endlessly, this new evolution only lets me shoot one powerful bullet every few seconds.’

Sam understood the change clearly.

The ability had shifted from something spammable into something devastating, but limited.

That meant his old [Bullet of Oblivion] had lost most of its use.

He would have to find new skills for it later, when the evolution was complete.

For now, the priority was breaking through.

The body of the [Astral Mage] trembled.

It wore a mask, its face hidden, but the fear was obvious.

The thing was terrified.

[Proceed =)]

Another shot from Sam’s turret slammed into the barrier, and this time it shattered completely.

Fragments of light scattered like broken glass, vanishing into the air.

The [Astral Mage] stood there defenseless.

Sam didn’t waste even a breath of hesitation.

He rushed forward, blade raised, ready to end it.

The mage had always relied on its barrier for survival.

Its defense was pitiful without it, fragile to the point of breaking under a single hit.

Now that the shield was gone, the fight should have been over.

At least, that’s what Sam thought.

But suddenly—

[Damn, we’re fucked.]

"...?"

[The second full skill description you had checked.]

Sam’s eyes went wide.

He remembered.

Out of the fifteen skills he had seen, two had stood out.

The first was [Undead Immortality], which had shown him the weakness of the astral undead.

The second was something far more dangerous.

It was called [Nuke].

And it was the [Astral Mage]’s third most used skill.

[Nuke]

[Rank: Determination]

[Description: If they are about to kill you, you might as well take them out with you. The "Astral Orb" will revive you anyway as long as it remains. It might be painful, but it is the best solution to eliminate your enemies.]

[Hell-Mode Analysis: We should run.]

"What the fuck."

Sam barely had time to speak.

The mage lifted its staff, the purple orb at its tip glowing brighter and spinning faster than before.

Then, without warning, the orb detached from the staff.

It floated in the air, trembling violently as its size expanded.

Larger.

And larger.

Growing dozens of times bigger, then hundreds, swelling until it dwarfed everything else in sight.

"...."

[We can’t run anymore.]

"...Damn."

The primordial clone still finished the job, swinging its blade and cutting clean through the mage’s neck.

The head fell, the body collapsed, and yet the orb didn’t stop.

Even in death, the mage’s last skill carried on.

The [Nuke] wasn’t about winning.

It was about dragging your enemy down with you.

’The fact that this is its third most used skill... tells me all I need to know.’

Sam let out a quiet sigh.

’Oh well.’

Escape was impossible now.

The orb’s glow intensified, its light almost blinding, and the pressure of its energy shook the ground beneath his feet.

It was about to explode.

Sam didn’t run.

He simply stood there, staring at the growing mass of destruction.

"I hope I can take that."

...

Meanwhile, in another part of the realm—

"Come on, people!"

"Stop pushing, dumbass, there’s enough space for all of us!"

"God damn it, I need it!"

Thousands of awakeners stormed through the [Third Zone], abandoning everything the moment they had seen the global announcement.

The first message about a Primordial killing an astral had set off a frenzy.

Every race, every group, every faction wanted to be there.

Humans and beastkin pushed forward.

Celestials relied on sheer speed to surge ahead.

Angels spread their wings and streaked through the skies.

Elves boosted themselves with magic.

Demons ran recklessly with brute force.

Dragons shifted into draconic form and rushed forward, their massive bodies cutting across the land.

None of them cared about anything else.

They wanted to reach the Primordial before he finished the job.

Every one of them assumed the same thing: he would win.

How could a Primordial lose so easily?

They knew the terror such a being represented.

Then another announcement came.

The [Astral Bird] had been killed. Then the [Astral Serpent]. Then the [Astral Undead].

Every new message drove them into even more of a frenzy.

The closer the Primordial came to wiping out all five astrals, the more desperate they became to reach him.

By the time only one astral remained, only the fastest were still ahead, straining every last ounce of strength to cover the distance.

Among those at the front were Belle and Seraphine.

Both of them knew the truth, that the Primordial was Sam.

Neither would reveal his identity.

But they wanted to see what would happen when the others reached him.

With thousands rushing toward his location, what could he possibly do?

They wouldn’t get the chance to find out.

Because suddenly—

"Stop!"

The command came from Lucien, the leader of [Eternal], the celestial group that had cleared the first two missions.

The shout made his entire group halt at once.

And because of it, the others nearby stopped as well.

Even those slightly behind slowed down, confused.

"Why are we stopping?"

"Did something happen? Did we find him already?"

But then their eyes caught sight of it.

"...What the fuck..."

"Huh?"

"Did the Primordial do this?"

In the distance, a massive orb hovered in the sky.

It grew larger and brighter with every passing second, its glow spreading until even from far away it looked overwhelming.

Everyone froze, staring with wide eyes.

None of them could understand what they were seeing.

"That thing’s about to explode!" Lucien shouted.

His warning was meant only for his own group, but everyone around heard it.

And the more the orb swelled, the more people backed away.

"Just what the hell is happening with that parasite..." Lucien muttered under his breath.

"...Can’t even... do anything right."

But not everyone shared his caution.

Some weren’t willing to wait.

"I don’t care, I’ll just tank it."

"The Primordial is bluffing! He knows he’s screwed if we reach him!"

They ignored the danger and charged forward.

In their eyes, only a few minutes remained until they would arrive.

It was their worst mistake.

Because just then, the giant purple orb reached its peak.

It stopped growing.

It shone brighter than ever, brighter than the sun itself, and cracks of light spread across its surface.

After a few seconds, beams of raw aura erupted outward.

The world seemed to slow down.

Everyone saw the flash. Everyone felt the surge of dread.

And then—

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The orb detonated.

The explosion ripped through the air with such power that even those back in the [Forsaken Kingdom] heard the sound.

A colossal mushroom cloud of purple fire and smoke rose into the sky.

Kilometers of land were obliterated in an instant.

The awakeners rushing forward had no chance.

Even those far from the center of the blast were forced to retreat in panic.

The aura wave crashed against them like a tidal force, slamming into their bodies and sending shockwaves through the land.

"We can’t."

Lucien’s voice was grim.

"We’ll get him another time. Focus on survival."

The [Eternal] group pulled back.

Others followed suit, scattering in every direction to escape the lingering devastation.

But Belle and Seraphine didn’t move.

Their eyes sparkled, reflecting the sight of the massive explosion.

"Wow."

"It’s... beautiful."

Nobody could deny what had happened.

The Primordial had unleashed something beyond comprehension.

And their doubts were erased when the panels appeared.

Ding!

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

[All five astrals have been killed, but it seems like only one person contributed to that.]

Another message followed.

Ding!

[Global Announcement: The "Third Mission" has been completed by the Primordial.]