novelnext Chapter 163: The Ultimate Strike
Chapter 163: The Ultimate Strike
[Time Remaining Before the Final Wave: 30 Seconds...]
[Time Remaining Before the Final Wave: 29 Seconds...]
[Time Remaining Before the Final Wave: 28 Seconds...]
As the final countdown began, a tense atmosphere spread across the remaining floating islands.
No one spoke or wasted their breath, their eyes glued onto the sky.
Yet despite the tension, there was no panic.
The nervousness that lingered within everyone’s hearts had long since hardened into resolve.
After all, they were not ordinary people.
They were Stream Hunters who had willingly climbed this far.
The First Floor had already become a relatively safe haven for humanity. Those who wished to avoid danger could have remained there and lived comfortable lives.
Yet every person standing here had chosen otherwise.
They had climbed, and they had fought.
They had risked their lives again and again in pursuit of strength, ambition, or dreams.
Of course, fear still existed.
Anyone who claimed otherwise was a liar.
The threat of death hung over every island.
The possibility of failure fixatedly weighed on every mind.
Yet none of them were cowardly enough to run.
Perhaps... Everyone was ultimately a slave to power.
Or perhaps they were slaves to their dreams.
Either way, they had chosen this path.
And now they would see it through.
[Time Remaining Before the Final Wave: 3 Seconds...]
[Time Remaining Before the Final Wave: 2 Seconds...]
[Time Remaining Before the Final Wave: 1 Second...]
[Time Remaining Before the Final Wave: 0 Seconds...]
[The Final Wave has begun.]
Then the sky darkened.
A terrifying pressure descended upon the Seventh Floor.
The clouds twisted violently as thunder roared.
Darkness churned within the heavens as though reality itself was being stirred.
Every Stream Hunter instinctively looked upward.
A gigantic storm began to form.
Lightning flashed endlessly within it, and winds screamed across the sky...
Then the storm condensed as countless clouds folded inward upon themselves.
A massive eye slowly emerged from the center of the tempest.
The moment it opened, every Stream Hunter felt their bodies grow heavy.
It was as though an ancient god had turned its attention toward the mortal world...
Its gaze swept across the floating islands.
It watched with arrogance and pity.
[Jurik_Joriksson has donated 2 Soul Cores.]
[Jurik_Joriksson is curiously looking up into the sky.]
[Woman of Specters feels slight discomfort from the power of Divinity.]
[Hazardous Combatant is showing eagerness for the upcoming fight.]
Then something unexpected happened.
The gigantic eye suddenly shifted gaze seemed to move beyond the islands.
Beyond the floor itself... and beyond the world.
As though it had noticed the countless viewers watching from distant universes.
Its expression twisted with annoyance.
A thunderous voice echoed across the Seventh Floor.
"Ah how utterly annoying..."
The single phrase shook the skies.
"Cowards who abandoned their climb."
"Cowards who surrendered their right to stand before the summit."
"Cowards who traded their ambitions for comfort and safety."
The eye narrowed.
"You dare watch?"
"You dare sit beyond the walls of your universes and treat my world as entertainment?"
The storm raged more violently.
Lightning tore through the heavens.
[The Storm Tyrant is showing hostility toward all Viewers.]
A system notification immediately appeared.
Countless viewers began responding.
Messages flooded the sky.
[A majority of the Viewers are showing pity toward the lowly god.]
The reaction only seemed to anger the Storm Tyrant further.
Its voice boomed once more.
"Pity?"
The clouds shook.
"You pity me?"
"I need no pity from spectators."
"I need no sympathy from those who abandoned their journeys."
The eye glared upward, far beyond what could be perceived.
"You stand behind your protected universes and call yourselves gods."
"You watch heroes struggle, you watch civilizations rise and fall, and you watch worlds burn."
"And all the while, you tell yourselves that your choice was wise."
The Storm Tyrant’s voice became colder.
"You speak of responsibility and sacrifice, but I only see fear. Though you claim to have chosen to protect what was yours rather than challenge what lay beyond...."
The storm grew larger and larger.
"I would rather die a thousand deaths pursuing the summit than spend eternity watching others walk the path I abandoned."
Silence followed.
Even many of the viewers stopped speaking.
Adam watched quietly from his island.
The words caused him to remember a conversation he once had with Xel’Shaar.
Back on the Third Floor, Xel’Shaar had used similar words.
Though the terminology they used were a bit different, the meaning behind their dialogues were still the same.
There was clearly a stigma among many Floor Bosses toward those who had become Viewers.
At the time, Xel’Shaar had already explained why.
Every climber who reached a certain point in the Tower would eventually be given a choice.
To either become a Viewer or to continue climbing toward the summit.
Naturally, Adam had questioned why anyone would willingly abandon the climb.
Xel’Shaar’s answer had surprised him.
"Once your universe gains a Viewer, it becomes protected from many external threats."
The metallic warrior had paused before correcting himself.
"No. A more accurate statement would be that only a being possessing the status of a [Viewer] can properly defend a universe from dangers beyond it."
Adam still remembered those words clearly.
Xel’Shaar had continued.
"In essence, you become a god. A guardian tasked with protecting your universe."
At the time, Adam had understood why so many people accepted the offer.
It was a noble duty and perhaps a necessary one.
Yet Xel’Shaar had also revealed the cost.
"But once you become such a being... You lose the right to reach the summit of the Tower."
As Adam looked toward the raging Storm Tyrant above, he suddenly understood where some of that resentment came from.
To many climbers, becoming a Viewer was a noble sacrifice.
To others...
It was simply another form of surrender.
...
A massive amount of condensed mana erupted across the sky.
It gathered around the Storm Tyrant like an ocean being compressed into a single point.
The surrounding clouds twisted violently as the sounds of thunder got louder.
Lightning flashed endlessly.
Even before the attack was launched, the pressure alone caused weaker Stream Hunters to pale.
Adam immediately recognized what was happening.
If his memories from his previous life were correct, this was the Storm Tyrant’s first ultimate attack.
And it was infamous for a reason.
Most Floor Bosses preferred to test their opponents first.
The Storm Tyrant was different.
The moment the battle began, it would unleash one of its strongest attacks in an attempt to wipe out as many challengers as possible.
In simple terms...
The bastard was opening the fight with an ultimate skill!
The gigantic eye in the sky narrowed.
Then the accumulated mana exploded.
A vast wave of electricity, thunder, and [Divinity] descended from the heavens.
If one were to describe it, it was more of a natural disaster rather than an attack!
The sky itself seemed to collapse as countless bolts of lightning rained downward.
Thunder shook the floating islands.
The divine energy mixed within the attack caused many Stream Hunters to instinctively feel despair.
However, Adam remained calm as he had already warned everyone about the possible developments during the fight against Zephiron’s [True body].
Not only that, he wasn’t the only person who possessed information regarding this Floor Boss.
Communication between floors was possible.
Numerous Stream Hunters from higher floors had already shared information regarding dangerous enemies.
More importantly, Raiden and Miya had personally reached the Tenth Floor before.
Although they had only fought one of the Storm Tyrant’s false bodies, their experience was still extremely valuable.
The moment the heavenly wave descended, countless defensive measures activated simultaneously.
Barrier crystals lit up and protective formations carved into the islands released their stored mana.
Defensive artifacts purchased through the Stream Shop began to glow.
Golden shields rose into the sky as walls of mana formed above the islands.
Protective domes expanded outward as well.
Every preparation made during the past several hours immediately came into use.
Even so, the attack remained terrifying.
The barriers trembled under the pressure, and some even cracked instantly.
Then, from the Northern Islands, Raiden raised a silver lantern into the air.
The artifact known as [Lantern of Essence].
Its light spread across the battlefield.
"The essence of this world begs for protection."
His hoarse voice was heard calmly all throughout the floor.
Adam watched closely.
If he remembered correctly, Raiden’s ability revolved around manipulating the [Essences] that existed within the world.
It was an ability that Adam compared to the powers associated with their universe’s [Omniscience] and [Omnipotence].
Everything possessed an Essence.
Fire contained the Essences of [Heat], [Combustion], and [Light].
Water contained the Essences of [Flow], [Life], and [Adaptability].
The ocean carried countless Essences, including [Depth], [Pressure], and [Vastness].
Even humans possessed Essences such as [Thought], [Emotion], [Memory], [Complexity].
These Essences were the concepts that made something what it was.
Raiden’s ability allowed him to communicate with, guide, and redirect those Essences.
It was an incredibly versatile power. However, it wasn’t without limitations.
First, he could not fundamentally alter an Essence.
He could not turn [Heat] into [Metal], nor could he transform [Light] into [Blood].
An Essence remained true to its nature.
Second, he could only influence Essences that were currently available.
And even then, he had to respect ownership and authority.
For example, Raiden could not simply seize control of Adam’s blood.
Adam’s [Crimson Dominion] held a far greater claim over the Essences of blood than Raiden did.
In many ways, Raiden’s power was not truly about controlling and more about cooperating with the things around him.
He borrowed assistance from the world itself.
And now, the world answered.
The silver lantern shone brighter as the Seventh Floor responded.
After all, what world would willingly allow itself to be destroyed?
The winds began to change as gentle currents rose from every island.
The Essences of [Flow] and [Movement] gathered together.
Invisible streams of air twisted through the battlefield.
The lightning descending from the heavens suddenly lost its direction.
Bolts that should have struck directly instead curved away.
Others dispersed harmlessly into the atmosphere.
The thunderous vibrations shaking the islands were weakened as the winds carried them away.
The sky itself seemed to resist the Storm Tyrant’s attack.
For a brief moment, it looked as though the entire Seventh Floor had chosen to stand alongside the Stream Hunters.
And against that collective resistance, the first ultimate strike of the Storm Tyrant began to lose its overwhelming momentum.