Chapter 786: A Body Under Siege [Monthly Bonus 3]
Celestia was still managing to hold out, striking down the continuous blasts aimed at Arthur from behind and deflecting them, keeping his rear protected for the time being.
However, Celestia didn’t have an infinite supply of cosmic energy. Her reserves would eventually run dry, and once that happened, Arthur would be forced to defend his rear on top of dealing with the crushing creation energy attacking him from all directions and the increasingly concentrated beam still blasting at him from the front.
The beam had now become even more focused, reaching the point where it was no longer just a concentrated stream but had effectively turned into a laser.
Eventually, it fully compressed into a razor-thin point, no wider than the beam from a laser pointer, and with all the energy that had once been spread across a meter of diameter now condensed into that pinpoint size, the resulting piercing power was naturally immense.
It tore through Arthur’s gravitational shield once more, even ripping through the space around it, and Arthur was forced to raise Lostvayne to block the attack directly, relying entirely on the sword’s own durability to absorb the impact.
But even then, fragments of the energy scattered like sparks flaring off during welding, and those splintering sparks struck Arthur’s face, cutting through the destruction energy layered over his skin and searing his actual flesh beneath it.
Arthur continued forcing himself forward, and as he did, the pressure from the creation energy surging in from his sides eventually wore down the layer of destruction energy coating his body.
That pressure broke through the barrier faster than he could channel Lostvayne’s power to restore it, and small openings began to form in his defences, gaps through which the creation-attributed cosmic energy wasted no time in slipping through.
Maybe the Seed Engine had done something to the cosmic energy beyond simply directing it to attack Arthur from every direction, because unlike before, this time, the moment it touched his skin, it seeped in immediately.
Just like how Arthur often bypassed his opponents’ physical durability in combat, the creation-attributed cosmic energy now ignored the toughness of his skin entirely, slipping straight into his body and causing internal damage on contact.
Blood began to drip from his orifices as he roused his magic power, trying to form some kind of internal resistance against the invading energy, while still relying on Lostvayne’s power externally to keep more of it from breaking through.
But the closer he moved toward the Seed Engine, the more intense the energy became, and the harder it was for Arthur to hold his defences together.
For a moment, Arthur considered stepping back, thought about retreating, maybe getting stronger and returning later, but the Seed Engine had already demonstrated some level of adaptive capability in how it was altering the nature of the beam it was firing at him from the front, gradually refining it into a laser, as well as the way it had changed the nature of the creation energy so that it now seeped directly through his skin, unlike before when it only burned the surface.
If he left now and returned later, there was no guarantee that this machine wouldn’t adapt even further, strengthening its defences specifically against him.
He couldn’t afford to take that risk, so he kept pushing forward.
Arthur forced himself to move even faster now, because he knew his body wouldn’t hold out indefinitely.
The internal resistance he was forming with his magic power to fight off the cosmic-creation energy that had already entered his body was rapidly deteriorating. He tried to redirect some of Lostvayne’s power into his body to combat the invading energy, but the instant he reduced the intensity of the destruction energy he was using on the outside, the focused laser beam from the front immediately gained ground, its pressure pushing him back a full step.
Arthur had no choice but to redirect all his focus back outward, reinforcing his external defences once again and throwing everything into maintaining his advance.
He resumed his push forward, drawing out as much energy as he could manage from Lostvayne’s stored reserves. The sword had devoured a vast number of souls over the past few years, and as a result, had accumulated a tremendous amount of energy.
The limit now wasn’t the supply, it was how much of that energy Arthur himself could output in a given moment.
So Arthur pushed those limits, channelling out as much of that stored energy as he could in a single moment, forcing it through his body to drive himself forward, step by step, inching closer to the Seed Engine.
But the closer he got, the more intense the pressure became.
The Seed Engine was now drawing not just the planet’s ambient cosmic energy, but from the space beyond it as well, using everything it could access to repel him.
On top of that, the planet itself had begun supplying cosmic energy from its core to the Seed Engine, actively working with it to force Arthur back. And being an apex planet, it had no shortage of energy to give.
The pressure built up rapidly. More gaps opened in his defences, tearing through his skin, and more of the creation-attributed cosmic energy seeped through, permeating his body and ironically causing destruction from within.
The ground beneath Arthur’s feet began to crack under the immense pressure, and his legs sank several centimetres into the crystalline terrain, but he dragged himself forward, lifting one foot after another, step by step by step, forcing himself to continue advancing.
Suddenly, the side cannons that had been firing arcing blasts of creation energy behind him shifted their aim, tilting forward and unleashing continuous beams of energy that merged with the laser Arthur had already been contending with, increasing the overall pressure pressing down on him.
With his rear no longer being bombarded, Celestia was momentarily free, and Arthur immediately extended his right hand and grabbed her, absorbing the remainder of her cosmic energy. He then directed that energy inward, using it to fight against the creation-attributed cosmic energy that was still ravaging his body from the inside, the same energy that had already reduced him to the point where blood now steadily leaked from his nose.
His natural regenerative functions as a Sub Cosmic being required cosmic energy to regenerate damage, but because all the cosmic energy surrounding him was creation-attributed, his body couldn’t use it for regeneration due to the conflicting affinities.
But now, with Celestia’s pure cosmic energy coursing through him, his body finally had something it could use to repair the internal damage caused by the invasive creation energy.
Yet, even as that regeneration process began, more creation cosmic energy slammed into him from the sides, repeatedly opening fresh gaps in the destruction energy layer wrapped around his skin. In the brief moments before Arthur could seal those openings, more of the hostile energy seeped in, slipping through his skin and flooding into his body’s interior.
The creation energy was actively breaking down Arthur’s cells, while he simultaneously used Celestia’s power to fight against that same energy and regenerate the damage. Some of the lingering creation-attributed cosmic energy was even being consumed in the regeneration process itself.
He continued this cycle as he advanced, and this paradoxical repair loop of destruction by creation and regeneration occurring repeatedly began to slowly transmute Arthur’s body.
But he didn’t notice it happening, not because he was too focused on the strain of maintaining his defences, but because the Seed Engine changed tactics again.
The two side-mounted cannons that had previously combined their fire with the central laser beam suddenly angled their barrels, redirecting their shots not at his body but directly at his hand—the one gripping Lostvayne.
Originally, the laser had been aimed straight, allowing Arthur to block it with Lostvayne’s blade. But suddenly, the cannons shifted their aim toward his hand, specifically, the back of his palm, striking that spot directly and damaging it, which naturally disrupted his grip on Lostvayne.
That brief loss of control gave the laser-like beam of creation-attributed cosmic energy a direct path, and it struck Arthur’s body squarely.
Instantly, the two side cannons adjusted again, firing burst shots at different points across Arthur’s torso. Celestia and Lostvayne responded immediately, acting on their own, with Celestia intercepting the burst shots, while Lostvayne moved to hold off the central beam.
But the damage had already been done. The worst damage he’d suffered so far.
A metallic taste flooded his mouth as trails of silver blood spilt past his lips. His vision went white, his knees gave out, and he collapsed onto one knee, choking on his own blood as it hit the ground beneath him in a thick splash.
