CHAPTER 52: ZORATH, THE BLACK SUN’S TRUE FORM

Zorath leaped from the [Black Sun], shooting down like a meteor aimed directly at Sam.

His body tore through the sky, leaving behind a trail of corruption and pressure so thick it made the air quake.

In response, Sam simply raised his hand upward.

Abyssal Obliteration!

Three massive portals of darkness snapped open above him in a swirl of shadow.

And then, without hesitation, the attack activated.

Hundreds of shadow bullets burst from the void like machine fire, all honed in on the descending enemy.

In the air, with nowhere to dodge and momentum pushing him down, Sam assumed at least a few bullets would strike, and they did.

But...

Corrupted Barrier!

Zorath’s body shimmered with black light as a large shield of pure corrupted energy formed in front of him.

It absorbed the barrage of shadow bullets completely, holding firm as Zorath shot through them like a black comet.

Sam narrowed his eyes.

’Wait a second,’ he thought, eyes flicking between the humanoid figure and the massive orb still hovering above. ’Is Zorath the figure coming at me... or is he the Black Sun above?’

After all, the eye on the floating sun remained fixed on him, unmoving. It hadn’t left its position.

Yet this being, the one attacking, felt just as powerful.

[Hell-Mode Analysis: They are both the same being. Zorath is the true form of the Black Sun, who extracts his power from its corruption.]

Sam’s eyes sharpened.

"So I need to kill both, then," he muttered, raising his primordial sword with both hands as the bullet storm ended and Zorath’s barrier vanished.

"BULLETS WON’T WORK, PRIMORDIAL," Zorath bellowed, his voice echoing like a thousand voices at once. His corrupted aura flared as he plummeted downward, fists igniting in black flames. "YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME!"

Fwish!

He reached him.

BAM!

The moment one of Zorath’s fist connected, Sam blocked it with his sword, but the impact was immense.

The corrupted energy behind it sent shockwaves through the sub-layer.

The stone under Sam’s feet shattered as cracks shot out in every direction.

Even with his strength, Sam’s legs nearly buckled from the pressure.

He gritted his teeth and forced his arms to swing the primordial blade, deflecting the next punch and pushing Zorath backward.

"Truly marvelous," Zorath laughed, landing cleanly a few meters away. "But that won’t be enough."

Now that Zorath had fully landed, Sam finally saw his true form up close.

The Black Sun had always been just a massive sphere of dark energy with a glaring eye.

But this form, this humanoid embodiment, was something else entirely.

Zorath stood over four meters tall, his body covered in sleek black armor that shimmered with a white sheen.

He had four powerful arms, each one wreathed in corrupted mist, and his head lacked a face entirely, except for a single, massive eye that glowed with the same light as the Black Sun.

Then, without warning, Zorath joined all four arms together as if in prayer.

"Answer my call, Black Sun," he murmured, voice low and distant. "The time has come. The last Primordial..."

The Black Sun above began to tremble.

Slowly, the massive orb of corruption descended toward the ground, growing in size as it dropped.

By the time it hovered just above the battlefield, it was monstrous, a towering presence that flooded the area in shadow.

Sam stared up at it.

"...Hm," he grit his teeth. The pressure was suffocating, but he didn’t take a step back. "Doesn’t matter. I just need to keep going."

He closed his eyes for a moment, forcing himself to focus.

[Abyssal Obliteration] didn’t work. [Sovereign Inferno] probably wouldn’t either. Zorath and the Black Sun were forged from the same corruption, and fire wouldn’t hurt them.

But there had to be something.

His class wasn’t for nothing. His abilities weren’t made to fail.

And more importantly—

’He’s probably like the others... Strong, fast, able to regenerate, but with low defense.’

If he could land just one clean hit with his full strength, that might be enough.

[The Black Sun stares at you, focusing its corrupted aura to fuel its true form.]

Sam’s gaze flicked upward again.

That thing was still transferring energy. It was actively empowering Zorath’s body... but maybe, just maybe, if he killed the true form, both would fall.

"But still," Sam said aloud, gripping his sword, "I don’t get a word of what you guys are talking about... and yet, I still feel like I need to kill you."

"...Typical Primordial," Zorath muttered, snapping into a stance as all four fists surged with energy.

And then, he vanished.

"What the—"

BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!

Sam’s [Eternal Barrier] was struck four times in a single second, one hit for each fist.

The hits rattled him, sending a shiver through his muscles. He barely had time to process it.

’Adapt,’ he told himself.

Another barrage of strikes came, but Sam caught them with his blade.

He twisted, planting a foot in Zorath’s chest and kicking him away.

"You are in my domain," Zorath growled as he slid backward, completely unharmed. "If you understood just how outmatched you really are, even you would surrender."

"...Show me then," Sam answered calmly, his eyes already scanning the sky.

Above, the Black Sun began forming a new sphere, it was charging another beam.

This was what made the fight harder than anything Sam had faced so far.

Not just Zorath’s strength, but the dual threat. One opponent on the ground, one in the sky. Two sources of danger, acting as one.

He had to dodge both. Or take the hit.

Fwish! BAM! BAM!

Zorath lunged again, fists flying in rapid combinations. Sam dodged low, parried right, sidestepped the last strike.

He countered, Zorath dodged it with ease.

They were evenly matched. Neither gaining ground. Every exchange caused the corrupted plaza to shake and split further apart.

And then—

FWOOSH! BOOM!

The [Black Sun] released its beam. A massive pillar of corruption surged downward toward Sam.

He had no time to dodge.

BOOM!

The energy enveloped him fully.

-1! -1! -1! -1! -1!

Damage values flickered in front of his eyes. Not health, but barrier durability.

[Eternal Barrier: 36/50]

"You realize it now, don’t you?" Zorath’s eye narrowed, a grin forming in his voice. "You’re being cornered."

Sam looked up again. The Black Sun was already charging another beam.

The longer this went on, the more beams he would have to take. And eventually... the barrier would fail.

Zorath could clearly sense it.

"Looking for something?" he asked mockingly. "How much longer can that little barrier of yours last?"

"I wonder the same," Sam exhaled slowly and took his stance again, blood still pumping calmly through his body.

"Let’s find out then," Zorath roared.

The corrupted energy around him exploded in size. He was drawing even more power from the [Black Sun], feeding off its limitless source.

Then, he dashed forward.

And this time, he activated a skill.

CORRUPTED SPEARS!