Chapter 139 - The Final Battle

It took around 50 minutes of walking through the swamp-marsh before Brock was satisfied with his location. Glancing around, he surveyed the strange, iron-wood trees – as he’d taken to calling them – that littered the bog in every direction. Boulders peeked from beneath the waters and some were even large enough to seat oneself upon.

Like the one Brock was sitting on currently.

For the most part, the landscape looked rather destroyed, courtesy of the rampage he and Mio went on to eliminate any hidden threats to his evolution, which probably had a high chance of rendering him immobile or unconscious. Corpses of Ghouls and their viscera muddied the waters further and left the place smelling of gas and old blood.

“You ready?” Mio asked, idly studying the hard trunk of an iron-wood tree, “I don’t have all day.”

Sighing, Brock pulled one of the pears out from his inventory. His cells screamed as he held it close to his face, “Yeah, yeah.”

It scented strongly of – you guess it – pear and carried that unmistakable vitality along with it. It felt warm in his hands, despite his certainly that it emitted no heat, and to him, it almost felt like his skin was shifting and attempting to envelope the fruit in its hunger. Idly, he once again wondered what energy Treasures were constituted from.

Considering the feeling of vitality… Is it Original Life? A diluted version?

Quickly, he snuffed the thought out before it made him stall any longer. Closing his eyes, Brock spread his aura out to its further reaches and was satisfied as he felt no auras nearby, although he supposed the auras of Ghouls weren’t meant to be sensed anyway.

Regardless, he retract it to standby and entrusted Mio to protect him in case anything went wrong. Brock licked his lips and brought the Treasure up to his lips. Eagerly, he devoured it in a trio of large bites, feeling the fruit reach his stomach and imbue the entirety of his body with unadulterated power.

It was time to evol-

**

Slowly, Brock cranked open his weighted eyelids, his body feeling strangely… weightless. A warm flow rustled his ruined clothing and caressed his scarred flesh, and idly, he felt his skin itching, as though the entirety of his body was one big scab. As his eyes finally opened, an expansive void of green and blue presented itself to him.

“I’m… back here?” Honestly, he’d kinda forgotten about the place. He was thankful that he was able to speak and move, unlike the paralysis he recalled from last time. Experimentally, he lifted a hand to his eyes.

With his other, he scratched his itching chest. Wait…

Brock glanced down and lifted both hands up to his sightline. Both hands. His right one was pink and felt sensitive against the air, but he had both hands. He blinked. Joy began to well up inside him and Brock clenched his fist, feeling little pinpricks of a strange sensation on his palm. His skin was… really sensitive.

He supposed it had none of the conditioning his other had earned throughout his life. After all this time…

[User’s vessel has been restored.]
[Would you like to evolve your race? Prolonging the process may have adverse effects.]

[YES/NO]

A series of prompts flickered into his vision and Brock finally looked away from his newly ‘restored’ arm. A quick glance over the rest of his body showed that all of his scars had been removed as well, leaving him dotted with marks and lines of new, pink flesh. That explains why I’m so itchy. It’s my clothes against my new skin.

For the time being, however, Brock chose to ignore the discomfort and instead focused on the final prompt, the one detailing his race evolution. The part about how prolonging the process might have ‘adverse effects’ was certainly a cause for concern considering the System’s predisposition to misfortune, though as he was 100% not going to say ‘no’, it wasn’t an issue.

Rolling his shoulder and sparing one last glance for the stunning visage of the cosmos, Brock chose ‘yes’ with a thought.

[Race evolution will begin. This process is recommended to occur while you are unconscious.]

I can be unconscious her-?

“AAAAUUURGHGHHH!!”

Brock’s vision went white as pain exploded across his body. Through flashes in his sight, he could see his own blood floating through the air, his blood vessels bulging and popping. The greens and blues dimmed, and instead, Brock’s body was enveloped in lightning of the same colour. He felt boundless vitality healing his wounds as soon as they were created.

[Expelling impurities…]

The agony was excruciating, mind consuming. It attacked every faucet of his being, from his nerves to his very soul. His body felt warm, then hot, then numb, and slowly, ever so slowly, he felt his body become stronger. Better. In his patchy vision, he saw streams of crusted black gunk move and join his already darkly coloured blood. Together, they floated away in the void.

[Reforging vessel…]

I… Pain flared along his back, and it felt like someone was ripping his spine out. Abruptly, his body felt more in tune with the commands of his mind.

Regret… A sensation akin to Brock’s eyes popping assaulted his face, and he screamed once more. Searing heat filled his sockets as his sight blackened and then quickly returned. The colours of the void looked brighter, more vibrant. The sight in his left eye was once again clear.

This… His bone seemed to pulverise and shatter within his flesh, the feeling akin to having a million ants crawling beneath his skin and burrowing deep. His muscles seemed to release a whipping sound as the fibres snapped and regrew. Tears fell freely from his eyes. His body felt sturdier, more resilient.

So… Brock’s insides churned and pulped under the pressure the lightning was imposing upon his body. Rapidly, the vitality they possessed saw his insides regrown and pulverised again and again and again, until finally, they resisted the pressure and stood strong. He felt them pulse with renewed vigour.

Much…

No new surge of pain followed.

[Mutating cells…]

Then a sensation akin to his entire body being fried with lightning enveloped him, and his throat became hoarse. Then, the lightning healed it, and he screamed with renewed vigour. Every aspect of his body felt supercharged. Every cell felt so searing hot that he was afraid that he’d melt. Slowly though, the pain receded, and as he stretched out his pain tightened body…

He felt incredible.

It was better than any level up or stat increase. It was like he now owned a whole new body, and that body was better in every way, shape and form. The air felt crisper in his lungs, sensations felt finer, even his sight was more vibrant. Every movement he made, whether breathing or finger twitch felt so smooth and well-oiled that it was addictive.

So, this is what evolving your race is like… damn…

A prompt appeared in his vision and Brock glanced at it. He knew it was his own power filled delusion, but he feltlike he could see the pixels that made up the text.

[Race evolution complete.]
[You have evolved into a High Human [E].]
[Race level has been reset to LVL 1]

Brock grinned. I’m a High Human now, huh? Awesome.

Savouring the quality of every breath he took, Brock watched as the void of vibrant colours around him faded to darkness. A brief moment of panic overtook him as he recalled a similar occurrence happening when he’d been sent to the Beyond, but as the blackness sloughed away like wet paint, he calmed down.

The gloomy sight of the swamp replaced that of the stunning void in a matter of seconds. Talk about a downgrade…

Despite that, the environment seemed to have been given new life by the newfound vibrance of his eyesight. The dark greens and browns seemed brighter, their colours more diverse. Idly, as he surveyed the sensations their environment brought his ‘reforged’ body, Brock shuddered. It was oddly cold.

Briefly, he considered that it might have been his new flesh being sensitive to the temperature but even then… it wasn’t this cold before… did a cool change come through?

Putting that aside for the moment, Brock looked around for Mio, though she was gone. Not even an aura signature remained. Absentmindedly, he spotted the skewer corpses of Ghouls littered along the base of his rock, so he knew she’d at least done her job.

Maybe she got bored?

In all honestly, he wouldn’t put it past the woman to endanger him because she got bored of standing guard. From the height of the sun in the sky, he shouldn’t have been out for more than a few hours. She’s thatimpatient? Huh.

Grumbling to himself about his only companion in this sticky wilderness, Brock finally settled down and opened his status menu, eager to survey his new and improved screen.

Status.

Brock Carter.
Race: High Human [E] LVL 1
Ascendancy: Fetters of the Bound [F]
Level: 73

[Stats]

Strength: 332.1 [+35%][Base: 246]
Agility: 969.3 [+35%][Base: 718]
Dexterity: 508.2 [+40%][Base: 363]
Constitution: 287.55  [+35%][Base: 213]
Vitality: 507.6 [+35%][Base: 376]
Intelligence: 1080.8 [+40%][Base: 772]
Wisdom: 787.05 [+35%][Base: 583]

[Augments] - Augment of Sparks (65.72%), Augment of Skies (47.13%).

[Techniques] - Ethereal Shackles III [F] (14.93%), {2} Salvation III [F] (32.11%), Silence of the Abyss IV [F] (73.08%)

[Titles] - At The Precipice II, Agent of Chaos, Blessed, Destined for Greatness, Underdog, Hidden Fangs, Leader of the Pack, Login Bonus, Opportunist, Enlightened, Mass Murderer, Needless Slaughter, Masochist, Trophy Hunter (Unique), Budding Power, Brainiac, Attuned, Embodiment of Freedom, False Life, True Hunter, Purified, Mad Scientist, Evolutionary.

Free Stats: 0
Shards: 18,512,179
Stars of Ascension: 14

A precursory check showed that his race had of course changed to High Human – a fact which brought Brock no small amount of childish awe as he considered it – and that he’d gained 25 stat points in all of his stats. The acquisition of the title Evolutionary explained that easily.

Evolutionary: Evolve your race to E Grade. +25 to all stats.

As he closed the menu, Brock glanced over into one of the puddles and gazed at the reflection that looked back at him. For the most part he appeared to be the same, save for a lack of scars and a slightly sharper jaw and more chiselled face. It wasn’t enough for him to become top tier handsome, but he’d certainly managed to make his way into the lower reaches of it.

Just like he’d seen back in the void, marks of pink flesh replaced his prior scars, making him feel somewhat like an animal with an exotic coat. He supposed they’d become tanned and less sensitive with time, especially his newly regenerated arm – wriggled his fingers in joy – but for now, the uncomfortable itching afforded by his clothes was annoying him greatly.

“Now where’s Mio?” Brock scanned his gaze over the area, idly using his eyes to seek out any aura traces she might have left behind, however small that chance may b-

The area dropped by another several degrees, and Brock felt his body grow cold and stiff. A voice, amused and surprised echoed through the area, “Currently, your woman is… indisposed.”

Brock glanced up, sighting the form of Zin Keene floating above the treetops, safe from the bubbling swamp. Purple blood was splattered over his front and coated his hand. Occasionally, it would drop down from his fingers and land in the waters of the swamp. Brock felt his mind go blank.

He… was waiting for this…?

Then, as he realised the implications of the blood he was covered in, Brock felt immense rage surge from within him. Anger, hot and heavy, made his body sweat. A voice, quiet, almost a whisper, resounded in the back of his mind, but he was too consumed to recognise what it was saying. His newly reforged body struggled against the icy bindings that held him.

They seemed to have strengthened. They… relate to the power of my emotions…?

When he’d felt fear when he and Zin had first met, his bindings had also strengthened much the same way. If he wanted to escape, he’d need to calm down. He glanced back at the splotches of Mio’s blood. I… can’t…

“I’ll admit,” Zin slowly descended, until he was merely a meter from the waters, “I’m baffled you lived this long; enough to even evolve your race. I supposed you avoided the Great Machine’s punishment this time.”

Brock felt an aura press down on him, threatening to squeeze his brain to mush. He mobilise his own, and although it wasn’t enough to cast aside the oppression, the pressure eased up significantly, “Fortunately, that means I’ll have a live Error to study. You’ve outdone yourself, you pathetic creature.”

Brock strained against his bindings once more. He was truly trapped. He took a deep breath, focusing as it entered his lungs. His anger subsided, but only a little. Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

The demon began to float closer, and he outstretched his arms, “Really, you are a foolish creature. Even for an Error, I would have assumed you adept enough to know that evolving your race expels all the current aura you hold to be replaced.”

A smile played on his lips, and he reached out. His fingers grasped Brock’s jaw, “Or, in your case, Curse Remnant. It’s a pity you’re yet to uncover your Curse. It’d be truly interesting to see one in action.”

Brock felt his emotions once again become tumultuous as he felt the warmth of Mio’s blood – her fresh blood – against his skin. Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

His bindings were weakening as he reigned in his emotions. Only a little bit more now…

Zin glanced around the area and Brock felt the demon’s aura take to the air before abruptly pausing. The pressure on his mind eased, and Brock used to respite to instead use Silence of the Abyss to enhance his body. His arm twitched and the binding strained to hold him. Deep breath in. Deep breath out…

“Ah, yes. I almost forgot,” Zin leaned close enough that Brock could smell his breath. Oddly enough, it smelled of a well-seasoned steak, “I can’t transport you due to your little ability. At least while you’re conscious.”

Brock’s stomach dropped as he watched the demon’s fist rear back. If it hit him, he’d have no chance. His eyes picked up the swirling aura enhancement residing upon his arm, and he could see effortlessly how much more complex his enhancement was than his own.

Then the first blurred downward.

Brock forced his body to the side, using the culmination of everything he’d attained. Chains rose from the shadow of a tree nearby and tugged him aside as Silence threw him. The bindings shattered with a resounding clatter, and he impacted the water a few meters off.

Regaining his bearings with a roll, Brock watched as Zin’s fist continued into the rock. Dust exploded outward, and as it cleared, Brock witnessed a divot over ten meters in length where the rock had once been. Now, it was gone. Two slitted eyes snapped over to his position.

“Struggle all you want, Error.” Zin snarled, revealing his fangs to Brock.

Brock tightened his hands to fists.

I… can do this…

Mio flashed in his mind. Then the sight of her blood upon Zin’s body did too.

I will fucking do this.

Brock snarled back and stood. Just like he’d seen Jane do, he adopted a wide stance and brought his arms up, one pink, one tanned. Silence of the Abyss settled over his body and prepared to enhance any of his movements. If not for the current state of his pathways, his Augment of Skies would have joined it.

I’m gonna fucking kill this guy.

“Watch me.”