Earth's Core 180

 SPLASH!

Bones fragments, hot red blood and chunks of minced meat splattered all over Darvajka. His pupil contracted, his breath haggard, his gaze fixed on the spot next to him, where for a fraction of a second he sensed sinister pressure manifesting around Cattelin before crushing her from all sides.

“Eh? No!” Darvajka shouted as his eyes met the distanced, nonchalant Zax’s and the same pressure manifested again, confining and closing in on him.

BOOM!

He released his aura and mist explosively, barely managing to resist the heavy, dark attribute energy originated, weight.

Catching his breath, Darvajka swiftly averted his gaze to Colonel Rijok, to plead for his help, but his voice got stuck in his throat. A two meters tall figure emerged behind his back.

SMASH!

Zax slapped, solely relying on physical strength. Completely disregarding a first level Martial Mortal’s protective mist guard, he casually smacked Darvajka’s bluish head, like hitting a fly and obliterating it.

“Martial Mortals sure are strong…” Zax self remarked earnestly.

Failing to kill Darvajka by his dark attribute domain, he learnt that below the third realm, he probably does not need to make the slightest move to kill an opponent. Against Martial Mortals, though, unless he would combine it with his physique or soul energy, dark attribute energy would only be useful as deterrence.

“How can this be possible…!” Helev Hetra exclaimed in bewilderment.

Following Zax’s outburst, she, Boolian and Colonel Rijok regained their senses only after Darvajka’s headless body fell, twitching, on the ground.

“So fast! Striking a Martial Mortal down in one attack!” Boolian commented, the look on his reptilian mien, as well as on the other two second level Martial Mortals, conveyed panic and rising fear. Especially since he and Helev Hetra could only keep up with Zax’s silhouette.

Colonel Rijok, more so than the other two, stood there, utterly stumped. Although those were his subordinates who perished, one of which belonged to the same power as him and was a promising recruit from no less than one of the three most powerful families in the reclusive New Earth, although he would have some explaining to do for their deaths and loss of the perfect dark attribute’s essence and although Zax’s resurgence and display of strength were staggering, none of these mattered to him.

“He… He… in one fell swoop he actually obtained enlightenment to the domain of the dark attribute, scratching the surfaces of the natural elemental forces!” His solemn words stirred turmoil in Boolian’s and Helev Hetra’s hearts.

What sort of concept was an understanding of the natural elemental forces? All they knew was that below Immortals, only scarce amount of fifth level Martial Mortals and the most exceptional Ascended Elites were close to possess these advanced insights through the seven attributes and even they were divided by levels of Low, Medium and High.

His Young Eminence, for example, has a near Medium understanding of the light attribute and its worldly energy. Zax, on the other hand, seemed to have an even higher level of understanding regarding the dark attribute and its energy, all thanks to the magnificent perfect dark attribute’s essence and probably the fact that he integrated with a dark attribute which originated from the extraordinary Black Core.

Zax vanished and reappeared beside the unconscious Fengar. With a pensive look he examined his condition. “Fortunately he is more exhausted than wounded”. Zax mused.

Utilizing his dark attribute domain, he lifted Fengar off the ground and moved with him, in a flash, in front of Gong Vreil. “Take care of him and your debt will be settled”. He said, his eyes emanating killing intent as a warning.

Lurvar, Hereb Lish and the three first level Martial Mortals stood silently, slightly shifting their postures away. Witnessing the death scenes of Cattelin and Darvajka they were all horror stricken. Even the proud and headstrong Murreta paled when Zax’s speed was no different than teleportation for his eyes.

Now that Zax also mentioned the word “debt” and posed a chance to write off Gong Vreil’s, all five dreadfully realized that, at the moment, the cloud of death is hovering above their heads.

“I- I- I’ll take care of him! Definitely take good care of him! Here, I have some effective medicinal pills; I can help him consume them!” Hereb Lish hurriedly offered in a loud, petrified voice and the other four, Murreta, Lady Zhuah, Kitobara and Lurvar sullenly cursed his quick wittedness and cowardliness.

Zax laid Fengar, ignoring Hereb Lish, stood up and turned to meet the lingering looks of Boolian, Helev Hetra and Colonel Rijok.

Confronting these overbearing three who formerly sought to abuse, kill and steal from him, brought forth a belligerent smile, blooming on Zax face.

Being glared at so imposingly had undermined Helev Hetra’s firmness to handle Zax alone. Moreover, killing a first level Martial Mortal in one blow… Yes, she can replicate the feat, but to do it so casually, when the enemy alert and focused… the answer was obvious.

‘What should we do, Rijok? Can we beat him?!’ She sent apprehensively, struggling to comprehend how Zax survived the corrosiveness of the unrefined dark attribute’s essence and grudgingly digesting the sudden predicament.

‘Don’t be unruffled; we are still high ranking members of the five powers’. Colonel Rijok chided Boolian and Helev Hetra and opened. “Congratulation! Withstanding the virulent effect of the unrefined dark attribute’s essence, you certainly earned it. The five powers are also very appreciative when relating to the birth of a new expert, much to the point of overlooking old enmities. In this respect, having taken the lives of my subordinates, all hatreds between us should be resolved”.

Hearing his little speech, Boolian and Helev Hetra were astonished to discover that even the prominent Colonel Rijok was trying to avoid a fight. It is important to note, that aside of his profound insights to the dark attribute, their opponent still was just a newly promoted second realm bodily cultivator.

Bearing his teeth in a predatory smile, stretching and clenching his fingers and simply enjoying the feeling of overflowing bodily and dark attribute strength, Zax was deaf to the notion of forgetting and forgiving.

“A while ago you were bent on eradicating me, going as far as letting your subordinate torture me, afterwards taking the trouble of besieging yourselves. In this respect, I’m fine with resuming the carnage!”

“Disperse!” Colonel Rijok shouted.

Dark shadow loomed over Boolian, without making a sound Zax moved shockingly fast, targeting the Pink Eyes Agama first.

Releasing a burst of flames and swinging his tail, Boolian beastly nature surfaced in an attempt to block Zax.

Laughing amusingly at the slow motion of the tail, Zax reached and grabbed it. ‘This breakthrough sure changed me. I feel like a butterfly that just came out of its cocoon!’ He thought excitedly.

The Black Core outdid itself in this time’s interference and modification of the Seven Stages Of Bodily Refinement’s last gate. If Zax broke through with the same old boost, his strength should have rivaled the second realm’s level stage of a Peak grade bodily cultivation technique, surpassing his Master and Grandmaster. However, he felt much stronger than that and the aforementioned breakthrough was a lot more brutal than usual.

‘I somewhat became taller, not by much, exactly two hundred centimeters tall’. Zax thought and pulled Boolian’s tail.

Spewing raged breaths of searing red liquid, Boolian dislocated his tail, spun and roared at Zax.

The fiery liquid was dangerously hot, even for Zax. He forgo the tail, raised the palm of his right hand, which brimmed with dark attribute energy, and leaned forward.

The fiery liquid splashed sideways, unable to go past the black palm. Zax pushed his arm, grasping Boolian’s neck.

‘A second level Martial Mortal’s physique is still below the second realm’s second level’.

The Marital Mortal realm was divided to five levels. Only third level Martial Mortal could use their mist energy to enhance their physique to the Beginner phase of the second realm’s second level, though in the most average way.

‘In comparison I… apparently did not bulge up as Master and Grandmaster after they attained the second realm of bodily cultivation, but became around thirty percent thinner and, correspondingly, thirty percent denser, polished’.

He let go from Boolian’s neck and stopped using dark attribute energy. Boolian reignited his aura and a torrent of fiery liquid gushed from his mouth.

SPLASH!

The hot liquid was blocked by Zax’s exposed palm, yet some of it managed to hit his arm and torso, by bit missing his face. The sensation on his skin was probably akin to dipping one’s hand in lava, Zax assumed. He was curious of seeing how much his boy can endure and fast enough he got the answer.

The fiery liquid was most likely Boolian’s most terrifying attack. It burnt deep into Zax’s skin, scorching, melting it and everything within. Only when it reached was it suppressed and gradually cooling down.

A non cultivator would have been turned to ash before even being able to react. Zax, on the other hand, could feel his skin and flesh smarting for a long while before his nerves decimated and he lost sensitivity. Then again, the stronger a cultivator’s soul was the more he or she could endure pain and if comparing to the pain caused by the dark attribute’s essence and his breakthrough, then the one he currently experienced could only be classified as ludicrous.

Either way, testing how much he can tolerate was not Zax’s objective, but his regenerative abilities.

With a simple intention all the flesh and seared parts of his body began to recover as if nothing imperiling transpired.

‘As I thought… By recharging my vitality with dark attribute energy my body can regenerate and heal at a fast, visible rate, even from the gravest wounds’.

Apart from exceptional strength, such was another of the Seven Stages Of Bodily Refinement’s advantages, abnormal recovery abilities that truly shone, ever so brilliantly due to the involvement of the Black Core, after progressing to the second realm.

“Helev Hetra, Rijok, SAVE ME!” Boolian bellowed.

“Before, you coveted my left arm”, Zax’s countenance turned cold. Holding Boolian with his right hand, his left hand was covered by blackness. “Here, you can have it!”

BOOM!

His fist landed on Boolian’s reptilian hand, popping his pink eyes out and crushing his skull.

A Peak Core Master, a first level Martial Mortal and now The Pink Eyes Agama, a second level Martial Mortal, in a rather pitiful fashion, joined the death toll.

“We are the esteemed experts of the five powers! The consequences of your action will crush you down, YOU MAD PSYCOPATH!” Helev Hetra’s eyes turned red.

Knowing how faint her chances of surviving against the monster that Zax became, aware that she cannot rely on Colonel Rijok or the three from Luminous Church, she extended her hands and threw twenty eight pebble size World Gathering Bones.

“No, just mad!”

A thunderous voice sounded in her ear and acute pain transmitted from her stretched left arm.

Up in the air, Zax appeared next to the towering woman, Helev Hetra, with one hand crushing the bones in her arm and with the other smacking the side of her head.

BANG!

Her head exploded and body loosened, dangling in the air until Zax released her arm.

They could have been his compatriots, share the same features as his loved ones or serve under his seniors and he might show reasonable leniency for most offences, but threated his life or the lives of those close to him and kill he shall!

Chapter end