The Divine Hunter
chapter-586

I'm the shadow of divinity? The shadow of the devourer of civilizations? Roy was in a daze, thunderstruck, but then, inexplicably, he felt something within him loosening up. Something that had been locked for a long time.

Before he could think deeper, the whole chamber started rumbling violently. The infinite tentacles on the walls contracted and collapsed like quicksand, quickly devouring their captives.

"Stay true to yourself, Roy." Alzur was getting drowned out by the crimson wave, but stubbornly, he kept shouting and screaming, "Don't let it assimilate you, or you'll lose everything!"

The legendary sorcerer's honestly tipped the scales in his favor as well. Roy held his sword with both hands and leapt into the air like a hunting cheetah. He swung his sword down in a straight line. Crimson light burst forth, conjuring a red crescent, and the crescent cleaved a bloody gash on the walls. Hundreds of entangled, wriggling crimson tentacles were sliced in half, and they fell to the ground.

But not a single drop of blood came out, nor did the entity scream. The sliced tentacles melted into the ground like snow. The gash on the wall was quickly filled in by more tentacles. Roy quickly made some Signs. Blue and red runes appeared on his palm. Purple bolts and scorching flames whizzed through the air, crackling and sizzling.

The elements crashed into the collapsing wall, and then crossbow bolts hurtled across the air. However, no matter how much Roy swung his blade, shot his bolts, or cast his Signs, it was futile effort. The crimson chamber was unhurt in the slightest, and the captives were gone without a trace.

The rumbling came to a stop, and the tentacles stopped wriggling. The sound of heartbeat was gone as well. Only silence remained. Eerie silence.

Roy was alone. Feeling spooked, Roy frowned. Unease and danger were prickling him, giving him goosebumps. It was as if countless eyes were hiding behind the walls, staring at the young witcher with judgment.

Roy took a deep breath and looked around, his senses tightly locked on his nape, the hardest spot to defend. Quickly, he made Signs, covering himself with golden and black barriers. Underneath him, a kaleidoscopic ring of Yrden glinted and glimmered. He uncorked his decoctions, downing ekhidna's decoction, Thunderbolt, and Petri's Philter at the same time. Black veins crept up =his neck, eventually taking over his face, but it was of no use. The Elder Blood was still screaming, and the sense of danger did not abate in the slightest.

Something popped. It was almost quiet, but Roy heard it. On both sides of the towering wall before Roy, swirling holes appeared. There was not a sliver of light in those holes. They were as dark as a moonless night sky. The silent void attracted Roy's attention, and he felt the air of chaos pouncing at him. It was like a gigantic creature, bending down and huddling its face closer to a narrow little cave to see what was inside.

The creature spun, taking all of Roy's attention. Every time it spun, a flood of information would overwhelm Roy's mind. He saw green planets hanging in the endless void of space, and he saw scenes showing creatures of every race battling. Humans, dwarves, elves, gnomes, fungi people, and beastmen swinging their weapons and blasting magical energy away on the battlefield. These were wars. Battlefields filled with blood, death, and horror.

When the wars reached their peak, a titanic, horrifying crimson octopus came out of the void, flailing its tentacles. Every single one of its tentacles was gigantic enough to blot out even the sun. The creature wrapped its tentacles around the planet, sucking and slurping away. Humanity was devoured, and beasts grew in abundance on the planet. The greenery turned into something lusher.

Having satiated its hunger, the creature let go of the planet. Like a jellyfish in the ocean, it swam away, red light strobing around its body, and it leapt into the next universe. The darkness of humanity was purged from the planet. Civilizations were devoured and destroyed, but thousands of years later, human civilization would be born again. This was an endless cycle. Feeding on them was the Most High's instinct and duty.

***

The darkness blinked. The monumental creature just blinked. It opened its eyes, revealing a pair of gigantic crimson peepers. The creature looked around, its eyes red as perfect rubies, then it met eyes with Roy, and the creature radiated a certain emotion called joy. Like endless waves on a sea, the creature's joy crashed down on the witcher's numb little heart. Every single cell cheered for the reunion. The witcher relaxed, holding his blade in a more eased up manner. A small smile curled his lips.

The creature behind those eyes and Roy were like long lost mother and son, or a pair of identical twins who were reunited after years apart. Roy's worry, concern, and caution melted away. A loving voice called out to him, like a mother calling out to her son. Roy let his guard down.

"Come back. Come home…" And be one.This is the immutable truth. The dark fate you cannot defy.

Drowned in warmth and joy, the witcher took a step toward the monster. A pair of tentacles shot out from left and right, wriggling in the air like titanoboas slithering among bushes. The tentacles wove their ends into a small platform. Roy stepped onto it and was taken into the air, until he was standing between the great creature's eyes.

A long slit spanned the chamber's walls, but as the witcher came closer, the slit opened up, forming a deep, dark maw. It was like an abyss, and ancient winds of chaos came blowing out of it. Every incisor on the maw was glinting crimson. The maw remained open, waiting for the witcher who was lost in his joy to fall into it.

Winds ruffled Roy's hair, but the witcher didn't notice. He leaned ahead, letting the tentacles take him to his death.

The endless darkness within the maw sprang to life. A blob of black goo pounced on the witcher, enveloping half his body. Ripples spread from the center of Roy's body, and the witcher was like a piece of obsidian getting thrown into the sea.

This was a process of cleansing. All of Roy's memories, including his status, name, his family (Susie, Moore, Mino), his friends (Letho, Vesemir, and more), his lady friends (Coral, Triss, and Casiga), were thrown deep into the abyss, disappearing as they fell into its depths.

The countless consciousnesses devoured by the Most High resided in the depths of this darkness. They cleansed all feelings and returned it to chaos. Then, the consciousness of the Most High surfaced, gaining strength with every passing moment. At its core, the Most High was a ball of impulses. A ball that felt only hunger. It must feed. It must feed on greed, selfishness, arrogance, and weakness. It must feed on humanity's darkness.

The entity would devour this planet, all its civilizations, and sentience, even if one of those sentient minds was itself, a clone named Roy. It would devour Roy's character sheet and the boiling Elder Blood. Everything would return to chaos.

A voice screamed. And new life will come from destruction! A new cycle shall begin! The voice rang far and wide.

No! The maw was almost done devouring Roy. Only a pair of feet remained, but the feet froze. And then, a flowing, roaring explosion blasted through the chamber. Glimmering starlight shot into the air, and endless stars twinkled in the void behind the witcher. The grand light of the galaxy filled every corner of this bloody chamber, forcing the bloody eyes to close themselves.

The light slammed into the darkness swallowing Roy. As if it was burned by holy flames, the maw let out an ear-piercing screech, and it abated like waves going back to the ocean. Roy was spat back out, and he fell to the ground head first.

His clothes were devoured, revealing his scalded skin beneath. Most of his body was corroded, leaving hideous holes and gashes. The witcher's muscles, veins, and even bones were exposed to the elements, but his head was the most horrifying thing of all. It was like a ball of dough, and his features were kneaded together. Without a mouth, he couldn't make a sound. Without his eyes, he couldn't see what was before him. There was only white nothingness. His limbs were bent at unnatural angles, as if they were made of rubber. His back was slightly hunched, and he was wriggling on the ground like a maggot.

He didn't resemble Roy at all, but the galaxy hanging above him draped him in a layer of magnificent colors, and he raised his head. Despite having no face at all, he stubbornly, furiously, hysterically screamed at the Most High. At the eyes and the bloody maw on the wall.

"He thinks the Most High created me? He thinks I'm your shadow? A worthless appendage and a marionette who can't control my fate?" The mangled Roy screamed silently with all his might. With all his soul. "No!"

Even identical twins would grow up to be vastly different people depending on the environment they grew up in. Eventually, they would end up as two different, independent entities. They might live their whole lives never meeting each other.

"And I'm Roy." The melting body was wriggling even more violently. The entity could hear the voice of Roy's heart. In response, its eyes went wide, and they looked like two crimson full moons hanging in the sky.

The tentacles lashed out at the air, stirring the galaxy up. Winds of chaos shot out of the dark maw, keeping the witcher pinned on the ground, forcing him to submit. An ancient voice, carried through endless time, spoke to him. There was doubt and admonishment in that voice, but all Roy felt was motivation.

The roaring Elder Blood was not the only thing helping him in his fight against the Most High. All his emotions stood with him too. Sadness, delight, fury, everything good and bad, everything he gained from his experience. Be it monster slaying, cold-blooded murder, his adventures in the Northern Realms, and the discovery of the truth behind so many mysteries… All the memories he had, all the experiences he went through made him. It made Roy unique. It made sure he remained true to himself and would never be assimilated.

Roy took his stand, declaring war at his erstwhile creator. "From the moment I descended on Kaer, from the moment I made my first choice, I no longer was tied to the Most High. The trace you left became my power. It became my character sheet! I am not you! I do not exclusively go after the darkness of mankind. I accept everything. I devour everything that stands in my way, but I do not destroy civilizations! I am a traveler who has gone through time and space!"

The vibration of his soul blasted through layers and layers of obstacles. It echoed through space, rumbling it.

The light of curiosity flared in the eyes of the Most High. Liquid crimson flames were rolling within them, as if challenging Roy to prove his worth.

"I am Roy! A witcher of the Viper School!"

'Level 13 Witcher (20500/14500)

Do you wish to level up?'

Yes!

'Level 14 Witcher (3000/16500 [3000 EXP taken away from the act of guarding your soul]).

You have leveled up. Your health and mana are replenished. All negative statuses cleared.

You gain (1) skill point and (1) stat point.

Will: 34 → 38 (+2 to main stat. +1 from the remaining stat point. +1 from stat point gained through level up).'

Crimson flesh started to grow on the broken, melted body. They wove themselves into new pieces of flesh, and skin grew over it. The bent, broken bones were cracking and growing and getting straighter, returning to their original state. The merged features started stretching out, revealing silver eyes and tightly pursed lips.

In less than one fraction of a second, a determined young man stood up, barely wearing anything. In his hands, he held his swords, but that was not the end of his change. Far from it.

Aerondight, Gwyhyr, and Gabriel all leveled up as well.

'Massacre Level (9 → 10)

Bloody Aura: Any attacking enemy that comes within 3 meters of you has a 20% chance to be Feared by the aura of murder. If their Will is not higher than yours, they will lose control of their bodies for 3 seconds at most.

You gain a permanent (30 → 45)% damage increase to creatures you have hunted before.

Fear: You may cast this skill and Fear single, multiple, or all targets within (3 → 4) meters around you and mandate a Will check. If their Will isn't stronger than yours, they will lose control of their bodies for (3 → 4) seconds at most. 1 minute cooldown.

Note: This skill will level up as you kill a higher number and species of creatures.'

***

'You now have 30 points in Will.

Massacre has reached Level 10.

You have awakened a new branch of power.

Descend: Your will has shattered the walls between reality and fantasy. Once you activate this power, you will unleash your murderous will in its full state. The power of your will shall gather your emotions, desires, fighting spirit, all your skills, and the strength of your body, turning them into the form of the Most High.

You may use all abilities of the Most High as you wish and break all limits. This form costs 10 souls/EXP per second. You may exit this form anytime you wish. Once your EXP reserves fall below 10, you will exit this form automatically. A long refractory period follows the usage of this form. You cannot use this form again during this period.'

Activate. Roy felt a surge of burning warmth coming from within his body. Strength filled his heart, and it roared down his limbs. The moment that familiar energy came rushing out of his pores, Roy almost screamed with ecstasy. He felt like he was floating in the void, and crimson energy was swimming within his body, shooting out like streams of fire burning brighter and brighter. The crimson flames wrapped around his body, flailing around like tentacles. Within this ball of flames, Roy ballooned and changed his form, turning into a bloated, oval-shaped creature resembling an invertebrate.

Beautiful star-shaped tattoos covered his skin. This was the power of the Elder Blood. His eyes burned with silver flames, and his tentacles drew a crimson sun above his gigantic head. The tentacles flailed, and they fired off roaring flames into the distance.

Roy had changed into the Most High, floating in the void, radiating starlight and crimson illumination.

And he pounced.

***

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