144. Second Run (II)

Zane didn't need to say a word. The crowd parted, clearing a path straight to the Array.

"Here he comes!" said Tyler. He went into his dramatic announcer voice. "Can Zane dethrone the king—again?! It all comes down to this!"

"Let's turn to our color commentator, back by popular demand—Evan Armstrong!" said Becca.

"Hi!" beamed Evan. "I'm really happy to be here! Again!"

"Evan," said Becca. "We know you've been in contact with Zane as recently as yesterday. Tell us—what insights can you give us about his new powers?"

"Oh! Um. I don't know," said Evan. "I didn't ask. We just went fishing! I caught a really big tuna."

For a second, neither of them seemed to know what to say. They blinked at each other.

"Do you want to see my tuna?" said Evan hopefully.

"Err—that's alright," said Tyler. "Are there any other insights you'd like to share?"

"Ummmm." Evan thought about it for a bit. "Not really! I just know Zane's definitely gonna win." He nodded.

"…Right—thank you, Evan, for the analysis!" said Becca. "Alright—back to the action! Zane's stepping up now…"

***

"Ready!" said the operator.

Zane stepped on through.

The first layer unfurled before him. The surface of Mars with its magma golems.

And Zane wrecked them with ease.

Soon all that red landscape was flattened to plains of black ash; Stormfire burned over the lava, cannibalizing it, dominating it—until all that burned was blue.

𝔽𝕚𝕣𝕤𝕥 𝕃𝕒𝕪𝕖𝕣, 𝕎𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕙𝕗𝕦𝕝 𝕀𝕟𝕗𝕖𝕣𝕟𝕠, 𝕙𝕒𝕤 𝕓𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕔𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕖𝕕!

The only reason it took more than a second was the golems took time to spawn.

Then there was the second layer—the black-sand beach. With the squids.

When Zane chucked in a Stormfire Smash, his Stormfire spread greedily—and instantly. In less than a second, it'd deleted a county's worth of ocean. As well as everything living inside.

𝕊𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕕 𝕃𝕒𝕪𝕖𝕣, 𝔻𝕖𝕡𝕥𝕙𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝔻𝕖𝕤𝕡𝕒𝕚𝕣, 𝕙𝕒𝕤 𝕓𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕔𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕖𝕕!

The third layer with the wind demons was the same story. He Smashed so hard the explosion rippled out to the clouds—which caught Stormfire in an instant. The cloud layer was one giant burning plain; Stormfire blues clearing out the grayness, giving way to patches of softer gentler sky.

𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕣𝕕 𝕃𝕒𝕪𝕖𝕣, 𝕎𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕤𝕨𝕖𝕡𝕥 𝕎𝕠𝕠𝕕𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕤, 𝕙𝕒𝕤 𝕓𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕔𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕖𝕕!

And after Zane ran through the fourth layer—which had been a sun-baked desert—it became a field of stark-blue fires burning over heaps upon heaps of ash. Blue infected everything, tinging the air, even the sky, this strange soft aura that spread where Stormfire burned.

After he was done with his smashing, every layer looked exactly the same. Blue flames burning over black ash. His Stormfire was so strong now it changed the face of the world.

He kept crushing through everything.

He felt strong. Yes—he liked this. So far new Stormfire was passing with flying colors.

Sixth layer.

The minions, the little Snakes, all died in a single blast. Then there was that Level 117 Crystal Basilisk. Its Earth powers made it unusually resistant to Stormfire.

As it turned out, it didn't matter.

The pure raw power of his new Apocalypse Smash proved too much for the Basilisk to handle. Its head exploded. So did half its body, showering burning crystals everywhere…

𝕊𝕚𝕩𝕥𝕙 𝕃𝕒𝕪𝕖𝕣, ℂ𝕣𝕪𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕝 ℂ𝕒𝕧𝕖𝕤, 𝕙𝕒𝕤 𝕓𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕔𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕖𝕕!

He remembered wrestling with that thing to a bloody grueling submission just a few days ago…

These past few days he'd grown fast. It made sense. He'd pretty much been devouring top-grade treasures nonstop.

The seventh layer was the garden with the man-eating plants. He walked right through it. Too easy.

The Eighth layer was those Bog Demons. Last time his Smashes had had a rough time breaking through; he'd had to resort to a Cyclone.

But this time a single Smash crushed whole swathes of those Bog Demons all at once—and when they went down, tried to reform, they couldn't. Stormfire was all over them like a rabid animal, gnawing at them, melting them until they were nothing but ash and steam.

Before his Stormfire had some trouble taking hold. Now it didn't matter how resistant they were. The Elemental Earth and Water felt off. Trembly and weak, as though cringing under the weight of his Stormfire. Like they were forced to bend the knee to a far greater power…

And this was just the highest grade pseudo-Stormfire Zane could muster—how would things be with true Stormfire?

He ran through wave after wave of Bog Demons.

Then the Boss came out.

𝕂𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔾𝕠𝕘𝕠𝕝𝕠𝕥𝕙, 𝕊𝕨𝕒𝕞𝕡 𝔻𝕖𝕞𝕠𝕟 (𝕄𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣)

𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟙𝟚𝟛

One Apocalypse Smash decapitated it nicely—it looked like an eruption blowing the top off a mountain. A second crushed it flat as it tried to respawn. The burning finished it off.

There was something so satisfying about smashing and burning at once. They went so well together, all the best parts of destruction rolled into one. It made some primal part of Zane's brain tingle with joy.

Zane stood amid the burning wreckage, surveyed it, and nodded.

This was quite good.

Still—he still hadn't taken a smidgeon of damage. He hadn't even gotten a chance to test Stormfire Blitz. Or Stormfire Renewal, for that matter.

But now the Ninth Layer was coming. The layer he'd died on last time—without even making it to the end…

He mashed his fists together.

***

The Ninth floor materialized. A high stone bridge over a lake of seething lava… a dark castle stood ahead, dreadful spires spearing at bleak purple skies.

Its gates opened up.

And a line of Blackflame Knights marched at him. Shields up, burning with Blackflame, melding to an impenetrable wall. Coming to sweep him off the edge of the bridge.

Last time Zane was here, an Apocalypse Smash couldn't even break through the shield formation.

This time, though… He narrowed his eyes.

We'll see about that.

His first Smash went down. Not from the side, trying to throw them off.

He launched it straight up the middle.

And it struck them like a wrecking ball.

Those heavy runed shields crumpled like foil. The blast sent Stormfire surging for the heavens. The Knights went scattering, shields flying, trying to right themselves—but his Smash mowed them over.

And kept going.

A second wave of Knights was pouring out of the castle too. And they ate the Smash straight-up. It was like watching a bowling ball go through pins; a perfect strike, and half of them went careening off the bridge, howling and flailing.

The ones left tried struggling to their feet. Then they found they had another issue.

Their shields were on fire. Their helms were on fire—their fire was on fire. Zane's Stormfire dominated that lesser Blackflame, devouring it in big bright licks until all that was left was the blue.

Zane grinned.

The waves kept coming. And he kept crushing. Their essence flowed into him…

𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝕦𝕡!

𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟙𝟙𝟛 -> 𝟙𝟙𝟜

Having good Skills and good Laws did a lot to make up for the Level gap. He was pretty sure every Monster he'd just killed was a good five, even ten Levels higher.

The opposite was true too. Someone with good Laws and Skills could make use of every increase in Level a lot better. Zane had noticed a Level-up to someone like him was not the same as a Level-up for your typical World Ranker. He could do a lot more with the essence.

Then came his first real test.

𝔹𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕜𝕗𝕝𝕒𝕞𝕖 ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕞𝕡𝕚𝕠𝕟 (𝕄𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣)

𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟙𝟛𝟘

A massive dark Knight carrying a massive shield. Everything about this thing was bigger and better. Even its Blackflame was a higher grade.

It hefted its shield before it—the thing looked to Zane like a cliff face rising in front of him. It glowed with a defensive Skill.

Then the Champion came marching.

Zane gave it a look-over. Again—he could take it off the side, but…

He thought of another way. A more fun way. He wanted to get his hands dirty. Besides—he'd run around the thing last time, but it wasn't his style. Zane smashed his fists together, let out a heavy breath.

He was done running.

He went straight for the Boss. Chucked up an Apocalypse Smash. And hammered that shield, straight-up. Strength against strength.

BOOM!

The thing caved in like a soda can; the Champion staggered back. Its whole arm shuddered, like it was about to lose control—

Zane's second Smash folded it clean in half.

BOOM!

A second ago it had been a beautiful thing—all sleek lines and reinforced steel, propped up by powerful runes. The kind of thing that'd have pride of place in a Master Armorer's shop.

Now it was a smoking, flaming, broken thing, flung out like scrap metal. Sent to die a sorry death in the lava.

The Champion stared at its trembling arm. Then at Zane.

A beat.

Then it ran at Zane roaring, hefting its massive sword—

And Zane rose to greet it.

Time for a new Skill.

He kicked off hard. Stormfire Blitz!

An explosion erupted under his feet. Not made for maximum damage but maximum propulsion. It had that lightning burst of electricity and the explosive thrust of Fire.

His eyes watered. He felt a shrieking rush of air; the world blurred to a stream of colors. He found himself very confused an instant later.

…Where was he? The first second he thought he'd found some secret tenth layer. All around him was a distant purple darkness. He looked down—he seemed to be hovering above a fluffy gray snowscape…

Then he was yanked to a hard stop. He blinked at his hands. It was his Chains. Anchoring him to the ground. Dropping down, down through that fluffy snowscape…

He began to fall. Fall right through that dirty snow.

Then he realized they were clouds. The world started resolving beneath him.

The bridge, the castle, that giant lake of lava came rushing up at him again…

It was a lucky thing the Blackflame Champion seemed just as confused as he was. It scanned all around—it couldn't seem to find him.

Then, mid-fall, Zane had an idea.

He cranked up the Steely Density to its highest. Then turned so his body was angled straight as an arrow.

He dropped like a comet.

He led with his hands. His fist.

He dropped faster and faster—saw the shiny black steel of a helm growing huge, suddenly, in his vision, simmering Laws of Elemental Steel—

He cocked all the way back. Bared his teeth. And threw.

Stormfire Punch!

CRACK-BOOM!

The instant Zane's fist met that helm, a lot of things broke. All at once.

Many things in Zane's fist broke. So more force went through it in that instant even Elemental Steel couldn't handle it. He heard the shattering, felt his hand flare red-hot in pain…

But the Knight got the worst of it. By a longshot.

Its helmet, like Zane's fist, had a lot of Elemental Steel in it. But unlike Zane's fist, it also had to take the full brunt of his Stormfire.

It crumpled like paper. Under the helm its skull had caved all the way in, too.

The head beneath exploded in blue-white flame.

That massive body sagged to the ground. And fell, face-down, jittering the bridge all the way down.

Zane landed, panting, smoking, grinning.

He looked to his fist. Surprisingly it wasn't meat paste. There was Elemental Steel for you. It still looked mostly fine, actually—a bit battered but usable. A few bones inside were broken, but he could still throw it hard if he wanted to. It was maybe… five percent damage, Health-wise?

Then ghostly bright-blue took to the skin.

A brilliant blue light spreading to all the broken bits in an instant. A blue that melded the cauterizing, healing powers of fire with the revitalizing powers of electricity. In a uniquely potent blend. He felt his bones mending on the spot.

Seconds later it was like he'd never been damaged at all.