Sam teleported to the beast, his hammer hurtling back to him, still in the form of a lightning bolt. He arched his hand back, and prepared to slam the weapon down onto the drake’s skull. Before he could do so, however, space around him warped, and suddenly, he was a thousand miles from the monster. Or so it seemed. The drake was aligned with the element of Darkness, and as most higher level practitioners of that element were, it was proficient at spatial manipulation. Sam still wasn’t sure why Darkness was connected to the concept of space, but if he had to guess, it was something to do with the vastness of outer space, in some strange, convoluted way. Often, that was the way of cultivation.
Instead of forcing his way through the spatial morass, he closed his eyes, and sent a pulse of mingled Dao and elemental energy out, shattering the localized zone of spatial control. The dragon suddenly snapped back into close focus, and Sam in turn slammed his hammer into the base of its skull, shattering its scales. The flesh beneath exploded out from between the holes in its hide, and a fountain of brackish blood came with it. The drake roared in pain, swiping out with its clawed foot. Reality bent before it, and suddenly, the claw was already touching Sam’s torso. It traveled through warped space, so fast that even Sam was unable to dodge. However, it hardly mattered.
Sam affixed himself in place with a mantle of the Dao, and folded his arms, relying on his Resilience to protect him from harm. Rather than breaking underneath the strike, Sam broke the claw upon himself, his body, more durable than diamond, as obdurate as a planet. Sam grinned, and grabbed onto the stump of the claw, before the monster could escape. With a wrenching motion, Sam dragged the entire drake towards him, all hundred plus tons of it. His hammer went the opposite way, and shattered the entire side of the beast’s head, a wave of Dao energy exploding through its cheek, taking off its lower jaw.
Sam struck again and again, like a blacksmith striking an anvil, turning the drake’s head into a bloody, unrecognizable stump of flesh. The beast still lived, but not for long. Terra’s Will transformed into a coruscating bolt of heaven's wrath, and a charge of Dao energy surrounded it, turning the halcyon spear into one of mingled red, blue and gold. Sam thrust it down the drake’s gullet, tearing it apart from the inside. A wave of devastation traveled down its body, flesh exploding outwards until the spear exited the tail, turning the entire monster into pulp.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Essence poured into him, and he leveled up. Another wave of power coursed through him as his title upgraded in turn. As his body shone with brilliant white light, he stood suspended in the void, surrounded by devastation. The seventh layer of the Desolation Belt was over, and the floor, nearly finished.
As Sam watched the blood and flesh floating around him ice over as the cold of space got to work, a flash of light illuminated his left side as a ship appeared out of thin air. It was a massive hulk of rusted metal, looking more like a tank with rockets attached to it than anything else. It dwarfed him, easily a kilometer in length, and half that in height. Thick sheets of glass, hewn roughly into cylinders, served as portholes, through which Sam could see the distorted figures of a few people, watching him. Dozens of cannons and guns covered the ship, with one especially large one pointed directly at him, its mouth easily as wide as he was tall.
The side of the ship opened up in a small rectangular slot, and three figures flew out, all E Rankers. They were Teruvarians, or at least, the variants that appeared in this Multiverse. With four arms, and huge, intimidating physiques, they were even more impressive than the Teruvarians from Sam’s home.
“Are you Sam Atlas?” One of them asked, as he crossed his arms before his chest. Had he not been nearly a mile away, perhaps it would have been more imposing.
“Of course he is,” one of his companions said. “He took out what looked like an entire army here, and one of Abrinadus’ lieutenants.”
“Can I help you?” Sam asked mildly.
“Yes. We’re from the Black-”
“Tusks? Yeah, I’ve heard a lot about you,” Sam interrupted. “One of the researchers I rescued mentioned your group. Why exactly are you here, though?”
“You’ve done more in a few weeks to Abrinadus’ forces than we have in decades. We want to help you finish the job.”
“Oh. In that case, I’ll come with you. Perhaps it would be more comfortable to discuss this in your ship?”
The others nodded, and Sam teleported beside them, and propelled himself into the hull of the vessel, the others following behind him. He wasn’t afraid of a battle, not because he trusted the Teruvarians, but because he knew he was superior in the realm of strength. While all three of them were higher leveled, Sam had come to learn that levels meant nothing in the Tower. Rather, all that mattered was talent, and Ranks.
