Targets

Zach didn’t attack Ra’azel. He was probably one of the few people in the world that could be his match. But he had learned his lesson. Ra’azel was a planner, he relied on his tools and his intellect to fight.

He had more than enough time to come up with the counters for Zach’s powers. He probably had ways to neutralize Zach completely. Which was why it was never the plan for Zach to fight him, but the others. Nayra and Eratemus hadn’t encountered him before, and both of them were incredibly strong, especially when fighting in tandem. Eratemus’ was in a body that was at the peak of skills, and his Death related powers could fuel Nayra’s to greater heights.

Their priority was to keep them occupied as much as possible, allowing Ryun and Naha time to search for Anatalien.

Zach focused on Kaeliss and Berion. He still had hope. He had noticed how Berion had hesitated from the start of the fight. He had felt his touch on Space, ready to intercede, but he hadn’t done too much to actually hurt them. And Zach knew that he could. He was one of the most powerful beings here.

Zach still felt the aftereffects of improving his skill. He had been on the verge of merging his aim and frozen time skills for a while now, it just so happened that he needed something more to stop the attack that Kaeliss had unleashed.

A tier 9 skill was needed, and he had decided that it was worth it. Now, he could feel the effects of the skill use. Each tier 9 skill had some drawback. Though he couldn’t have known what it would be, he had taken the risk. The side effect was immediately apparent to him, he couldn’t touch the skill perks that he had gained from the skills that had been evolved into his |I Stop What I Target|. It wasn’t the worst of his drawbacks, that honor still belonged to his |I Strike Through Time|.

Looking back, he was lucky that he never finished that attack and lost access to his skills.

Zach attacked Kaeliss, forcing him on his back foot and preventing him from having time to draw his runes. He activated For Every Second, Two and his [Arsenal Wings: Time], and blurred across the sky. His wings beat, and Time bent around him. He arrived before his foes had even noticed that he had left.

He saw Berion and Kaeliss brace as they saw his body move, but they were already too late. Zach with his |I Focused And Saw All Flaws| skill he saw where Kaeliss’ armor was weak, his Focused on Flaws perk made that flaw even weaker, he targeted it with Exploit Flaw, and decreased its durability by another 50%. His blade switched to Windsong as he swung with Tracking Blow.

Kaeliss noticed, somehow. Even with Zach’s armor amplifying the effects of his Time related powers, even with his perks. Or perhaps his armor noticed, it didn’t matter in the end. His body lurched to the side, but Zach’s blade followed.

He struck the weak spot and penetrated deep through the armor, through the scales beneath and into the flesh of Kaeliss’ shoulder. Then he unleashed his Shattering Song.

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The vibrations exploded out of his blade, spread through Kaeliss’ body. He heard him scream through the helmet, saw blood sprout through the crack. His armor was glowing, a blast of power exploded out of him, but Zach shifted with Evading Through Space. He stepped closer to Kaeliss avoiding the attack. With his other hand he grabbed his other arm, and opened his mouth.

Rift Shout rose out of his throat, ready to blast Zach’s foe straight in the face. Before he could, Space around him bent. Zach pit his will against it, and it let him go, switching to Kael. It grabbed him and pulled him away, leaving Zach hovering in the air alone.

He raised his head and saw Berion, glowing symbols orbiting him, thin lines attaching from the runes to the Space around him and a singular thin one from him to the main rune. He was feeding a part of his Soul to the runes, but it wasn’t at all like what he had sensed from the armors that the others wore or even what Kaeliss had done earlier.

This felt far more controlled, far more refined. Like what Ra’azel had done when he fought against him last time. That Berion had such mastery over the runes was troubling. But it also made Zach felt better about his read on the minotaur. If he had such control and mastery over it, he could’ve been a much more difficult opponent during their encounters. Berion had chosen not to utilize them.

Kaeliss was hunched, his armor glowing and closing the hole that Zach had pierced through it, probably healing him as well. Berion stood next to him, holding a hand on his shoulder.

“There is still time,” Zach yelled, using the Wind to carry his words to Berion. “You can still choose a different path. You can prevent bloodshed.”

Kaeliss’ head turned to glare at Zach.

“Prevent bloodshed?” The leader of the Unchained said, thinking that the words were meant for him. “There is no compromise with those who hold their power over others, or those who stand aside and let them.”

Zach’s eyes didn’t leave Berion’s, he saw the uncertainty in that face. He was getting through to him, he knew it.

Before he had a chance to say anything else, Kaeliss dove, his fingers drawing symbols in the air as he fell on top of Zach.

His Soul poured out of him, his armor burst into yellow light, and then, like Light he blasted across the sky, reaching Zach in an instant. His fists rained down on Zach, a dozen in a span of less than a second.

His stats had been increased so much that they eclipsed even Zach’s. He could feel it in his strikes, his armor was struggling to diffuse the damage across its surface. The River of Time was rumbling inside of Zach’s mind, he pulled on it, and moved across its surface in a way that would make him appear strange to his opponent. As if he was fading in and out of reality as he moved across the limited time as it happened.

It didn’t matter, Kaeliss was moving so fast, half of his attacks missed, but half of them landed. His fists were covered in something that struck Zach’s mind, but that had no effect on him. He shifted his blade back to Time, and then activated Slow Time. His mind already operated at a far slower perception of time, the fact that he could barely see Kaeliss’ attacks meant that he was incredibly boosted. Zach wanted to see just how much.

As Time around him slowed down, he saw his opponents’ attacks coming. There was no skill that multiplied his strikes. His Soul’s perception could get a much clearer picture of what was happening now. His armor was drawing from his Soul, but there was also something else branded on it, something that pumped power while eating his Soul to provide power. Knowledge was rolling inside of Zach’s head, his analysis skills and perks aiding the piece of him that had been taken from the Grand Spirit.

Zach could see it now, he was harnessing the light around him somehow. Just before Kaeliss launched a strike, the Light around his body would dim, as if he had taken it in himself. He was moving as fast as light.

Zach’s stats were high, but he couldn’t keep up for long. He had to end this quickly. As his Slow Time ran out, Zach had already gotten himself into position, and prepared his counterattack, ready to strike back.