The Oracle Paths

Not only the other Myrtharian Nerds, but Jake was left flabbergasted when he realized that he had two-shot a Virtue. The angelic creature that could have killed him with a casual swipe couldn't do anything, crushed, ground down and swallowed up by a Spatial Rift before it could offer any resistance.

'Is my killing move truly so overpowered?' Jake thought speechlessly.

He had expected an uphill battle, but instead he found himself struck by a sense of emptiness inside, but also of trepidation. He had underestimated the power of his True Will. His Soul Strength and Spirit Body level were nothing special compared to this almost 1000 year-old Virtue, but it had only taken one mistake for the angel to meet his demise.

Did this mean that any Player who could actively deploy their True Will could screw him to death if he wasn't on guard? The thought horrified him. Because unlike the Schwazens, these Players had an Oracle Device and some of them even had an Oracle Rank higher than his.

This reaffirmed his resolve to capture Ruby or another Digestor Trojan. To their sullen faces, the other Myrtharian Nerds had also come to the same conclusion.

A demonic aura suddenly erupted from within the second temple, an overwhelming spiritual pressure spreading like a ripple throughout Cradel and beyond. All of the Myrtharian Nerds, Jake included, were struck by an intense headache as if they had just been run over by a truck.

This was despite the fact that they were all wearing protective airtight suits made of pure Adamantium, a magic metal known for its incredible spiritual insulating properties. Jake, who wasn't wearing his helmet to make it easier to use his True Will, even got down on one knee, blood pouring from every orifice.

If this was the Jake from the beginning of the Ordeal, his brain would have exploded and his Soul would have been severely damaged, making him a vegetable. His lvl 50 Spirit Body was insignificant compared to this new foe, but the tremendous boost from his Grade 4 Aether Core made up for it.

The Myrtharian became as still and steady as a waveless sea, his mind focused entirely on how to defeat this second Virtue. The Aether Sun Cores formation activated again and he cautiously waited for his enemy to appear. When the angel finally emerged from its temple and he was about to open fire, four familiar figures flashed before him.

From left to right, a woman in armor with long golden hair, a giant with dark skin and a long silver mane, a second giant almost identical from behind except for his pale skin and finally a woman in armor with long blue seaweed hair. Lucia, Gerulf, Rogen and Asfrid.

"Let us deal with this Schwazen." Lucia glared at him accusingly. "You've already shown off enough for one day."

"Gerulf doesn't like to be outdone by his student. I'm still your first mentor and a gladiator champion." The Kintharian grunted matter-of-factly as he donned his own helmet. Just now, he and Rogen had been protected by Asfrid.

"No need for that rock-eating dork." Rogen scowled with contempt. "I, Rogen, is more than enough to freeze this angel to death."

The aura of wisdom and dignity enveloping Gerulf instantly crumbled upon hearing the Throsgenian's insult, and the two giants immediately got into a wrestling match. Ignoring the two idiots, Asfrid said to Jake without turning around,

"You're not the only one who's made progress. The Myrtharian Nerds don't want to be a burden on you anymore. Our individual power isn't always enough, but together we can lift mountains. You just worry about saving Ruby, we'll take care of the rest."

Jake frowned, but as he looked over to where the other Myrtharian Nerds were he was shocked to find that they had all shifted positions. Hephais and Daniel were even absent. He hadn't even realized they were gone.

Hade, Mufasa, and Shere Khan had already slipped away into the Temple of Aurae and the loud blasts of explosions soon began to resound inside. A dome of golden light shrouded the structure, trapping the three Players inside.

"Offensive Formation One." Asfrid ordered telepathically.

Azeus, the probationary god of thunder, transformed into a streak of multicolored lightning that violently battered the black storm clouds swirling above them. His presence became untraceable and the storm surge was greatly magnified.

Haynt leapt high into the air and blinding dots of light magically illuminated the opaque clouds, forming a constellation of stars in the shape of a giant sword. The Astral joined his two outstretched fingers and began to move his arm as if he were wielding a blade.

A mirage of a very corporeal sword shot out of the star constellation and rained down like a meteor on the lone figure of the Virtue at near teleportation speed. A huge multicolored lightning bolt burst out of the clouds like a huge snake of light shortly after and hit the blade halfway to the ground, encasing it in a halo of condensed electricity.

The Virtue in charge of protecting the Digestor temple was obviously aware of everything that had happened earlier, but it showed no signs of rage or anxiety. It showed the same detached and benevolent face as his comrade who was murdered before its eyes.

However, that didn't mean it was a fool. Although it could not abandon the temple under its protection, it did not mean that it intended to stand still like a retard. A split second before impact, it sidestepped out of the giant sword's reach.

There was no sound of collision or explosion, only the peal of thunder as the giant sword plunged into the depths of Quanoth, boring a hole so deep and dark that anyone who fell in would never be found.

BANG!

The Virtue suddenly somesaulted for no apparent reason, its body moving so fast that thousands of afterimages formed in its wake. A few seconds later, a deafening shot, comparable to Azeus' thunder clap, echoed in the distance and the angel reappeared with a large hole in place of his left shoulder.

"True... Will?" Virtue murmured quietly as it lifted its falchion with a two-handed grip.

The creature raised its guard just in time to casually block Lucia's Myrmidian gladius sword. On impact, the alien's relaxed muscles bulged, its throbbing veins tripling in size to withstand a force that gave it the false illusion of being squashed by a huge mountain.

"Slash of Victory." Lucia uttered eerily in a soft whisper.

Virtue experienced the concept of defeat corrupting its unwavering resolve as the weight of the enemy sword increased exponentially. The heavy blade of its falchion sprayed sparks with a shrill sound and only by coating its whole weapon with its True Will of Destruction and angelic energy did it manage to repel the attack.

A shockwave comparable to a nuclear bomb resounded, forcing Lucia to scramble back to escape the destructive cloud. The air and the ground blackened as if someone had dumped an ocean of ink onto it, and everything that was touched broke apart before disintegrating.

Everyone scurried backwards to avoid the destruction, but Jake was no longer with them. Taking advantage of the window provided by the previous assault, he had teleported to the second temple.

"I'm not letting a mole sneak in under my nose." The angel snorted as he bolted toward the temple under its protection in pursuit of Jake.

But barely after taking three steps, its entire body became trapped in a block of eternal ice. This supernatural ice was so cold that it clashed with the angel's True Will of Destruction, freezing the affected areas and momentarily stopping their disintegration.

"Sitting Ice Duck." Rogen proudly announced the name of his first killing move to follow Lucia's example.

A perfectly spherical magma rock about a meter in diameter instantly pulverized the block of ice, shooting through the skies at a speed far exceeding Jake's maximum flight speed at his peak.

BOOOOM!

The shockwave, combined with a splash of lava, obliterated everything in its path, including the remnants of the destruction aura still spreading.

"Duck Smash." Gerulf sneered as he patted his Throsgenian rival on the shoulder with a tinge of disdain in his eyes.

Rogen immediately flew into a rage, but a cold sidelong glance from Asfrid forced him to swallow back his desire for revenge.