redvbooks Chapter 168: Instant Kill Goal
Chapter 168: Instant Kill Goal
Adam did not care much about Zephiron’s words. There was a reason why the Stream System existed in the first place.
The path to the summit of the Tower of Yxthar was never meant to be walked alone.
If reaching the summit could be accomplished by a single person, then sponsors, viewers, companions, guilds, and allies would never have existed.
The Tower itself encouraged connections and it rewarded cooperation.
It created opportunities for people to rely on one another. Thus, there was no shame in receiving help.
In fact, being able to earn genuine support from others could be considered a talent of its own.
If Adam had learned anything from his first life, it was that talent alone was one of the least reliable things a person could possess while climbing the Tower.
Some of the strongest individuals he had ever known had died before reaching the higher floors.
From heroes to geniuses and to people blessed by fate like the prophetess Leila.
The Tower had buried them all.
Meanwhile, others who seemed ordinary had somehow survived impossible situations through persistence, luck, teamwork, and sheer stubbornness.
Survival was what truly mattered, and Adam had survived far longer than most.
Hidden beneath the shadows granted by [Nawh]’s Intervention, Adam quietly flew through the battlefield.
His existence had become vague and difficult to perceive.
Even his mana fluctuations were being concealed by the countless shadows wrapped around him.
Slowly, he moved closer toward Zephiron patiently like a hunter approaching dangerous prey.
Even then, Adam knew he could not get too close.
The amount of lightning mana gathered around the Storm Tyrant was absurd.
The sky itself seemed to be revolving around Zephiron.
Every cloud, every gust of wind, every strand of lightning carried his will.
If Adam entered that storm without preparation, he would be instantly reduced to ash.
His skill, [Crimson Rebirth], was still on cooldown hence death was not an option.
’If I drag this battle out, I’ll lose.’
Adam calmly analyzed the situation.
’His mana supply and mana regeneration are several tiers above mine. The Seventh Floor itself is supplying him with power. As long as this continues, I cannot win a battle of attrition.’
His eyes narrowed.
’I’ll have to kill him in an instant.’
That was the conclusion he had reached long ago, but there was an obvious problem.
The countless layers of lightning-infused mana surrounding Zephiron...
Any attack Adam launched would be destroyed before it ever reached its target.
Even getting close enough to strike was nearly impossible.
Still, despite his calm thoughts, Adam could not deny that he possessed a certain amount of pride.
He had received help from countless people.
His sponsors and viewers invested their existence in him.
If he still could not find a solution after receiving so much assistance, then perhaps he did not deserve that help in the first place.
Suddenly, a familiar notification appeared.
[TrickyRabbit has donated a C-tier gift]
[You have received: Lie of the Rabbit]
[Lie of the Rabbit]: The deceitful rabbit told a lie to the world. "Lightning does not affect you." For a brief period, the world will accept this falsehood as truth before eventually correcting itself.
[TrickyRabbit is shaking in nervousness, wondering if he’s of help.]
Adam raised an eyebrow at the timing...
’Are the strange Viewer’s capable of reading my thoughts...?’
A strange presumption entered his head...
He shook it off for now and immediately began recalculating his plans due to the sudden notification.
[The Chosen Conduit thanks TrickyRabbit.]
After sending his gratitude toward the nervous viewer, Adam immediately activated the item.
The gift shattered into countless particles of light.
For a brief moment, reality itself seemed to hesitate... Then the lie took effect.
The world accepted the falsehood as lightning no longer affected Adam.
As he continued flying forward, countless arcs of electricity brushed against his body.
Some struck his wings while others crawled across his skin.
Normally, each of those strikes would have been enough to severely injure him. Now, however, nothing happened.
The lightning simply passed through him as though it no longer recognized him as a valid target.
As though the concept of electricity harming Adam had temporarily ceased to exist.
Adam immediately accelerated.
Without the threat of the surrounding lightning field, he rapidly closed the distance. And thanks to [Nawh]’s concealment, Zephiron never noticed.
The Storm Tyrant remained focused on searching the battlefield. Attempting to locate the anomaly he intended to kill.
Yet Adam was already approaching from within his blind spot.
Soon, Adam reached a distance where he could finally attack.
Yet he did not move.
Because if he attacked now, Zephiron would react instantly.
The Storm Tyrant’s physical senses were not what made him dangerous.
It was his existence. The moment killing intent appeared, Zephiron would notice. The moment mana gathered for an attack, Zephiron would respond.
Adam needed something else... Something that would create an opening.
Without hesitation, he reached into his inventory.
Then he pulled out another item.
A cold, crystalline cube appeared in his hand.
The surrounding air immediately began to freeze.
Even before activation, frost spread across its surface.
A system notification appeared.
[Absolute Zero Environment] : Brings the entire current floor to a standstill by forcing the temperature to absolute zero, freezing atoms in place and halting all motion for 10 full seconds.
It was a gift given to him long ago by a viewer named [ABSOLUTEZERO01].
[Absolute Zero Environment] was one of the most terrifying items Adam currently possessed.
Although it was a one-time item, it was comparable to the [Weapon of Invincibility] that was in Xel’Shaar’s hands.
Unlike weapons that destroyed through force, this item attacked the very concept of movement itself.
The small crystal cube resting in his hand radiated a coldness that could not be described with ordinary words.
It was not the sort of cold that came from winter winds or frozen mountains. It was a cold that felt unnatural and lonely.
A cold that seemed capable of freezing thought and motion itself.
Even while protected by layers of mana, Adam could feel the chill seep into his flesh.
His blood flow slowed as his muscles stiffened. Frost crept across his fingertips.
For a brief moment, he even wondered if the item would freeze him before it froze anyone else...
Without hesitation, Adam crushed the cube.
Crack.
The item shattered.
The next instant, the entire Seventh Floor fell silent.
The raging winds stopped and the crashing thunder vanished.
The countless arcs of lightning hanging throughout the sky froze in place like silver branches suspended in glass.
The clouds stopped moving while the ocean beneath the floating islands became still.
Even the drifting particles of mana within the air ceased their motion.
Everything had frozen.
The world had been forced into stillness.
As the item’s user, Adam was protected from its effects.
Frost covered his body, but it flowed around him harmlessly, allowing him to move while everything else remained trapped within the frozen world.
In front of him, Zephiron’s eyes widened.
For the first time since the battle began, genuine shock appeared on the Storm Tyrant’s face.
"You—"
The word never finished as the frost reached him.
Adam moved immediately as there was no time to waste.
His hand reached into his inventory once more.
A worn dagger appeared in his grasp.
Its blade was chipped and weathered, as though it had survived countless battles throughout countless ages.
The metal carried strange markings that constantly changed when looked at directly.
[Fatesplit Fang] : An old, worn dagger once used by those trapped in an endless cycle of fate after angering a forgotten god. Allows the user to mark a target, increasing all damage dealt to that target by 50%.
It was another gift from the strangely intelligent viewer [NONEXNIHILIO42069].
Adam shot forward.
Within the frozen world, he appeared like a crimson streak crossing the silent sky.
Reaching Zephiron’s back, he swung the dagger without hesitation.
Slash.
The blade struck the back of the Storm Tyrant’s neck.
However, the difference in their existence levels was far too large.
Instead of cutting through flesh, the dagger only managed to leave behind a shallow scratch.
A tiny line of blood appeared and nothing more.
Yet Adam did not feel disappointed.
The purpose of the attack had never been to wound, the purpose had been to mark.
The moment the scratch formed, the effect of [Fatesplit Fang] activated.
A faint symbol appeared upon Zephiron’s body before sinking beneath his skin.
The mark had been successfully applied!
Adam immediately followed up.
[Authority of Disconnection]
A strange power flowed from his hand.
The Authority attempted to separate what should remain connected.
Its target was obvious, Zephiron’s neck.
The flesh around the wound twisted as a deep cut suddenly appeared.
However, due to the overwhelming difference in existence, Adam could only sever a small portion of flesh and muscle.
The Storm Tyrant’s head remained firmly attached.
’Still not enough...’
Adam pressed forward relentlessly.
[Crimson Dominion]
Blood erupted from beneath his wings.
Countless streams of crimson entered through the wound he had just created.
The blood burrowed into Zephiron’s body like living serpents.
Veins spread beneath his skin.
The frozen Storm Tyrant was rapidly being filled from within by Adam’s mana-infused blood.
As the ten second timer was about to come to an end, the frozen world began showing signs of movement.
Tiny cracks formed within the frost surrounding Zephiron.
The effects of [Absolute Zero Environment] were ending.
Seeing this, Adam raised his hand.
His fingers curled tightly into a fist.
Then he clenched.