Chapter 345: Fight Against the Void
The Void Manifest’s massive form descended like a collapsing star, its limbs elongating into jagged spears of pure shadow. Adam met it head-on, his draconic jaws snapping shut around one of the shadow-spears, crushing it between his massive fangs.
CRUNCH—SHATTER!
The shadow-spear disintegrated, scattering into wisps of void energy. Adam’s silver-veined scales gleamed in the darkness as he reared back, his wings beating hard to hold his position. His voice rumbled through his chest, deep and resonant.
"You’re not getting past me!"
The Void Manifest’s layered, discordant voice echoed through the void. "You cannot hold! The Void consumes all!"
It raised its other arm, and a barrage of condensed void projectiles erupted from its palm, each one humming with deadly energy. Adam’s Apex Instinct screamed. He twisted, his massive serpentine body undulating through the storm of projectiles. But there were too many. One struck his shoulder, another his side, a third grazing his wing.
"Ghh—!" Adam grunted, his draconic form stumbling backward as the impacts rocked him.
But he didn’t fall. He planted his massive claws, his eyes blazing, and opened his jaws wide.
"[Prismatic Beam]!"
The rainbow lance erupted from his throat, striking the Void Manifest square in the chest. The creature’s form flickered, a crack appearing across its shadowy surface. But it didn’t fall.
The Void Manifest’s voice dropped to a low, guttural growl. "Insignificant."
It raised both hands, and the darkness around them began to compress—condensing into a sphere of absolute, concentrated void energy. The sphere pulsed, growing larger, denser, until it was the size of a small moon. The air around it warped, the void itself groaning under the weight of its power.
Adam’s draconic eyes widened. His Hunter’s Tri-Sense screamed warnings as he felt the sheer force of the attack. "That’s... not good."
"[Aegis of the Colossus]!"
The shimmering barrier flared to life around his massive form as the sphere shot toward him.
The impact was devastating. The sphere struck Adam’s Aegis, and for a moment, the barrier held. Then it cracked. Shattered. The sphere drove through, slamming into Adam’s chest and hurling him backward across the void.
He crashed into the invisible ground, skidding across the nothingness, his scales scraping against the void. He forced himself up, gasping, dark ichor dripping from his jaws.
"Tch..." Adam’s voice rumbled through his chest, strained and defiant. "If I take a hit like that again, I’m dead. I need to be more careful."
The Void Manifest was already moving, its form surging toward him with terrifying speed. Adam didn’t hesitate. He met it head-on, his draconic body coiling as he launched himself forward, his massive claws extended.
"[Serpent’s Wrath]!"
A storm of void, nature, and draconic energy exploded from his jaws, tearing through the Void Manifest’s form. The creature staggered, a crack appearing across its chest.
But it didn’t fall. It retaliated immediately, a wave of void energy slamming into Adam’s side and hurling him across the chamber. He crashed into a jagged rock formation, the impact cracking the ancient stone. He shook debris from his massive form, his wings spreading wide as he pushed himself up.
"Alright," Adam growled, his voice sharp and defiant. "You want to play rough? Let’s play rough."
He lunged forward, his draconic body undulating through the void, jaws open wide. The Void Manifest raised its hands, darkness gathering around them like a storm. Adam met it head-on, his massive form crashing into the creature. The two forces collided, sending shockwaves rippling through the darkness.
Adam’s eyes blazed. "I. Will. Not. Fall!"
He drove his massive claws into the Void Manifest’s chest, the golden light of Ouroboros’s Legacy flaring through his scales. The creature’s form flickered, a deep crack spreading across its chest.
It stumbled back, its movements slower than before. Adam pressed the advantage, his wings beating hard as he lunged forward, jaws open, ready to deliver the final blow.
However, the Void Manifest wasn’t finished.
Even as the crack spread across its chest, its form convulsed and a massive tendril of condensed void energy erupted from its core, slamming into Adam’s draconic chest with brutal force. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through his scales, and he was hurled backward, crashing into a cluster of jagged stone formations. The ancient rock shattered around him, and he slid to a halt, gasping.
"Ghh—!" Adam’s draconic form flickered, the wound on his chest weeping dark ichor. His regeneration was working, but the void energy in the wound was stubborn, resisting his healing.
He pushed himself up, his silver-veined scales scraping against the broken stone. His eyes narrowed as he assessed the situation. In his draconic form, he was powerful, but he was also a larger target. The Void Manifest’s attacks were too fast, too precise. He couldn’t keep up.
’I’m not winning this in my dragon form,’ he thought, his internal voice sharp and decisive. ’I need to be faster. More agile.’
His body began to shift. Scales receded, bones cracked and reformed, his massive form shrinking and reshaping. Within moments, Adam stood in his humanoid form, Ouroboros’s Fang already in his grip. The golden veins along its surface pulsed with light as he raised it, his eyes blazing.
"[Abyssal Step]!"
He dissolved into shadow, emerging directly in front of the Void Manifest. The creature’s hollow eyes widened as Adam drove the blade upward.
"[Prismatic Edge]!"
The sword blazed with rainbow light, carving a deep gash across the Void Manifest’s chest. The creature roared, its form flickering as it stumbled back.
But it recovered quickly. A wave of void energy erupted from its palm, slamming into Adam’s side and hurling him across the chamber. He crashed into the invisible ground, skidding to a halt.
Adam pushed himself up, blood dripping from a fresh wound on his shoulder. His eyes blazed.
"Tch... not enough."
He lunged again, Abyssal Step carrying him through the void. He emerged behind the Void Manifest, Ouroboros’s Fang already swinging. The blade carved through the creature’s back, and the Void Manifest stumbled forward.
But it spun, its hand shooting out to grab Adam’s throat. Its grip was iron, lifting him off the ground.
"You are... persistent," it hissed, its voice layered and discordant.
Adam’s eyes blazed. "[Domineering Will]! KNEEL!"
The psychic pressure slammed into the Void Manifest’s consciousness. The creature’s grip loosened, and it stumbled back, its form flickering.
Adam dropped to the ground, gasping. He didn’t waste the opening. He lunged forward, Ouroboros’s Fang blazing.
"[Serpent’s Wrath]!"
The storm of void, nature, and draconic energy exploded from his palm, tearing through the Void Manifest’s form. The creature convulsed, a deep crack spreading across its chest.
But it didn’t fall.
It retaliated with a wave of void energy that slammed into Adam, hurling him across the void. He crashed into a jagged rock formation, the impact cracking the stone. He pushed himself up, but his body was failing him. Blood poured from a dozen wounds, his scales cracked and broken.
The Void Manifest drifted toward him, its hollow eyes fixed on his broken form. It raised its hand, darkness gathering in its palm.
"This is the end."
Adam’s vision blurred. His body screamed in protest. But his eyes, dimming and bloodshot, still blazed with defiance.
’Gluttony,’ he thought, reaching out to the Crown of the Hollow Glutton on his brow. ’I know you’re watching. I need your help.’
