The Systemic Lands
Chapter 265: Day 538 (4) – A Great Merging

The Ritualist began to convulse as the City Shield came online. He screamed. I raced forward. Naran struck out, hitting the Ritualist in the chest. His face was partially ripped off, but I couldn’t spare him a second glance. I needed to end this, here and now.

I swung out with my sword. Acid Shot x2. The Ritualist lost his head which went tumbling to the side. My acid impacted his body, which quickly melted. The arm much slower than the rest of it. I only hesitated for a moment and rushed for the head.

It glowed and then burst outwards in a bright light. I dodged to the side as a massive hand slammed into the ground. Acid Shot x2. My attacks bounced off an invisible wall in the air and splattered uselessly on the ground.

Where the Ritualist had once stood, there was a monstrosity. A doll like figure, twice my height. Its surface was a metallic sheen. There were white eyes embedded into the figure with no pupils, just pure white. All of them weeping tears. The head of the doll had no mouth or other features, just more eyes.

Each hand had ten pointed fingers with multiple joints. The feet were the same way. There were no genitals or other human features beyond four limbs and an oblong metallic piece that might be called a head.

People were screaming and running away in panic. I couldn’t spare any time for them. “Formation one!” Ten people rushed forward with spears. They leapt at the monstrosity.

“Imbue Fire!”

“Imbue Cold!”

“Mind Jab!”

Three more of Clarissa’s guards attacked the monstrosity that had been the Ritualist mentally. The spears impacted the monster but only scratched. One eye was popped. Two of the guards were grabbed in the super hybrid’s hands and burst like water balloons. Blood and viscera landing on the ground. I watched to gather information and get my bearings.

The Ritualist had done it. He had created a level 4 hybrid that was clearly a force to be reckoned with. But in the end, he had used up everything he had, including himself. Now to just kill this thing. All three people who had done mental attacks instantly collapsed blood pouring from their facial orifices. I noted their eyes had burst.

“Formation three!” the Captain of Clarissa’s secret super squad leapt in with a sword. The swords impacted the super hybrid, cutting several eyes, but two more were caught and crushed. The super hybrid ignored them and leapt for me. I leapt away and it followed.

Acid Shot. An invisible barrier blocked my attack again. The super hybrid paused and glanced at Clarissa who was dragging Naran out of the plaza. Dammit! I rushed forward and stabbed the super hybrid with my sword. I was forced to leap back, only cutting one eye out of hundreds. I felt the despair of a mental attack focus on me, but I stood strong.

“Formation seven!” The remaining six soldiers leapt high into the air, with spears again. They then instantly all changed directions and slammed into the ground. Within a second they jerkily came to their feet. One of them somehow broke free, the leader and he leapt at the super hybrid. It swiped out a hand and the man’s head separated from his body and went bouncing away. The super hybrid’s twenty fingers twitching wildly.

I raced forward. The six of them raced to intercept me. Acid Shot x6. They all dodged, but the super hybrid had been my target. Acid Shot x6. I followed up the first wave of acid with a second while jumping into the air.

I felt something yank me back down as the super hybrid raced at me. Acid hit its massive body, since it wasn’t ready for the double attack and had been distracted. It had not mouth, but I was sure it was screaming in pain. I kicked off the ground and retreated to the store pillars. I quickly purchased a restoration to refresh myself.

Clarissa’s super squad and mental attack had been useless, just like I knew they would be. In the end stats were what mattered and the Ritualist had too many stats. In his new form I would have to put him as a high end level 4, since he had become the combination hybrid of multiple level 4 monsters.

It wasn’t going to go down easily. It raced at me. I kicked off the ground and began to strafe the super hybrid in a circular pattern. Acid Shot. Acid Shot. Acid Shot. Acid Shot. The first three were blocked by the fourth attack hit the super hybrid, melting it just a bit more and ruining the eyes.

The remaining eyes all suddenly glowed. I hated myself and stumbled back. The monster leapt at me. I rolled out of the way as its pointed fingers pierced into the ground and then its hand slammed into the stone, cracking it.

A foot kicked out and missed. It then twisted at a weird angle and tried to stomp me. The ground shook. The five people who had been controlled from earlier leapt at me. “Air Burst!”Acid Shot x5. I shot away and melted them.

My energy was at critical levels now. The super hybrid leapt at me. I dodged and it became a game of cat and mouse. I was the unfortunate mouse. After about fifteen seconds of dodging the super hybrid came to a halt.

It waved its hand and a glowing silver orb appeared in front of it and shot forwards. I leapt to the side. The orb hit my home and exploded in a wave of spatial force. There was no other way to describe the attack. It wasn’t an explosion or a dusting. Instead that portion of the building was cut up and the pieces were blasted away at high speeds, impacting anything near them.

Another orb began to form and when I went to kick off the ground, I felt my foot get yanked out from under me. Acid Shot. My ball of acid hit the flying glowing silver orb of death. The orb exploded, shattering the ground near it. I kicked the ground and maneuvered away.

The super hybrid leapt after me, quickly covering the distance. Its hands spun around. The entire world began to tilt and spin. I had lost all sense of up and down. I hit the ground and went rolling along it. I used my hands to hit the ground and kept rolling as the super hybrid raced after me. I ran into a building while facing downwards.

I slammed my hands into the ground and went tumbling up in the air. The world stopped spinning as the super hybrid slammed into the building. Three Radiant Beams were fired from across the plaza into the super hybrid.

The beams bounced off its shields like a disco ball of death. One grazed my armor, leaving a scorch mark and melted metal behind. Thankfully it missed my eyes. The super hybrid stomped out of the building only looking partially worn down. Why couldn’t the Ritualist have chosen nice happy level 1 monsters to merge with? Not Puppet Masters, and Weeping Children and whatever other garbage he stuffed inside his body.

My acid had done good work, but not enough. I was on a time limit. I knew the City Shield was suppressing it. Once the City Shield went down it would take control of everyone once again. Then there would be no easy way to win. Leading it out of the city would just give it monsters it most likely could take control over. Everyone else was useless. While it was clearly struggling to take control of people, the super hybrid could do so if it exerted itself.

At least everyone else had the common sense to keep away. Physical weapons were doing barely anything. Mental attacks barely seemed to affect the super hybrid. It had shields to stop energy attacks. It had its own mental attacks, could use tethers, and was incredibly strong.

The super hybrid slammed into the ground where I had been as I employed a random zig zag pattern around it. I had noted that it was only able to impact my movement if I was predictable and it took time to set up. I just needed to keep moving to avoid being caught.

The eyes suddenly began to glow, and the metallic surface of the super hybrid began to emit light in waves. A crushing pressure exploded from it. It reminded me of Death and the pressure it had exerted. I moved in and strafed one way before going the other. Acid Shot x4. One of the Acid Shots managed to get through. Now I was nearly empty with no emergency escape reserves, but its body was melting some more, and the pressure let up.

A Radiant Beam was blocked as the monster spun about around its torose and pointed a finger at the beam. It splintered scorching everything nearby as the beam was divided into several smaller beams. It gave me a moment to catch my breath and retreat to the system store.

I purchased another cheap restoration and then a large metal spear with a barbed head. I quickly moved back towards the Super Hybrid before it could attack the pillars. We didn’t need any more of them broken. That would just be asking for trouble. Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ NʘvᴇlFire.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

I raced forward and thrust the metal spear forward, aiming for the monster’s center mass. An arm batted it to the side. I let go but kept moving forward. Acid Shot. I used the skill at point blank range. The monster’s hand was the target. I had noted it’s ten fingers were always doing something even more so when it used an ability.

I dived under the arm and then slammed my hands into the ground. I angled myself to flip forward while keeping my momentum. I kept moving only taking the time for a midair turn once I had gotten some distance. The super hybrid’s left hand was partially melted, and it was right on my tail.

Dammit, just die already! I kicked off the ground and began to zig zag randomly before I could be tripped up. The monster slammed into the ground behind me. Even with the two recent restorations I was mentally exhausted.

The fight with the golems had been longer, but most of that was just running away, not constant combat. The super hybrid swiped its left hand. Ten smaller silver orbs formed in the air the size of tennis balls. They then began to fly at me twisting and turning.

It was combining skills, just great. Why couldn’t the combination of monsters have made it a misshapen lump instead. I ran right for a building, it was the city treasury, since it was three stories and all alone. At least it had already been emptied. I leapt into the air straight ahead and did a backflip off the side.

The seven of the silver orbs couldn’t change their trajectory fast enough. Impacting the side, sending chunks of debris flying everywhere as space itself seemed to crack. Several of the gray pieces of debris bounced off me which I ignored from my armor and Body stat. One small silver orb rushed by my head and I felt my heart skip a beat.

Another missed my right arm as I swung it up and out of the way. The last silver orb struck my right foot. I felt it get caught on something, lacerations exploded across the bottom of my foot, but it didn’t separate from my body.

I landed on the ground as blood rushed out of the deep cuts I had sustained, and the foot had gone limp. Something important was cut. The super hybrid leapt at me, not giving me a moment respite. That saved me since getting started moving with one foot was much harder than continually kicking off the ground. I needed to get a restoration and then figure out how to win.

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