Chương 85: Ghoyusiffiy Pillar

"Have you finished your training?" Veda asked. Joe nodded.

"I'm ready. It's time for this bird to soar."

"Do you have a plan? Fighting him inside the city is very different to fighting him outside. He will have the advantage there. You can move around freely using your space jump, but so can he. If his pillar is above level ten, he can teleport anywhere inside even faster than you. It will be very hard to corner him. You should try to lure him out," Veda warned. She was right. Fighting inside the city would be a nightmare. Was there any way to draw Pathfinder out?

"I do have a plan, but it involves fighting him in the city," Joe admitted.

"I don't know how I could lure him out. Would he be foolish enough to do that?" A part of him wished Corel was here. She knew Pathfinder better than anyone. She'd know exactly what to do.

"Don't let overconfidence blind you. If you fight him inside the city, you will be alone against hundreds, maybe thousands. They'll have many defences, maybe even arrays, to slow your movement or limit your skills. There is a reason those in the Multiverse never fight a pillar owner inside their city."

"Okay," Joe said with a small grin.

"So try not to fight him inside the city and draw him out somehow. It sounds easy enough." Veda shook her head, unimpressed.

"For now, you need to do some scouting. Watch the city. Look for weak points. Build your plan around what you see. All plans fall apart when the first piece moves." Joe nodded. Sitting still and over-planning had never been his strength anyway.

"Time for some recon." They packed up and headed southwest, toward the last known location of Pathfinder. Joe sat hidden a mile east of the unknown city, cloaked from sight. He'd reached out to Sarah, but she said there had been no sightings of Pathfinder since his retreat from the Relashran Pillar. So Joe had to assume he was still here. He relied on his enhanced eyesight and Mana Sight to survey the area. The city buzzed with movement.

Voldura streamed in and out in a steady flow, moving supplies, coordinating patrols, escorting shipments. Even at night, the activity barely slowed. It was a hive of motion and purpose, and there was no clear opening yet. Veda had suggested he disrupt the supply routes leading into the city. It was obvious they didn't grow much food inside the walls; instead, it was shipped in from nearby farming towns. But Joe had dismissed the idea. He preferred to keep civilians out of it as much as possible.

Instead, he focused on identifying every armoured Voldura coming and going, hoping to spot someone high-ranking enough to kidnap. Someone with standing, maybe even someone who could bait Pathfinder into a confrontation. A day ago, he'd accidentally alerted a pair of armed guards. He'd been forced to incapacitate them quickly, but at least he'd learned the name of the city from them: Ghoyusiffiy Pillar. Still, their disappearance wouldn't go unnoticed for long. He was now on a clock.

His opportunity came when he spotted a familiar face, Nodo Vor. Joe remembered the massive Voldura from their forest scuffle after he'd rescued Corel. He also recalled the name from the top ten rankings back when Volduran dominance was far more pronounced. That had shifted now, thanks to increased participation from humans. Still, Nodo was no slouch. Seeing this as his best chance so far, Joe messaged Veda that he was going in to grab Nodo. She wasn't far and agreed to the plan.

Joe Space-Jumped right behind the unsuspecting Voldura, catching him just outside the open gates of Ghoyusiffiy City. Nodo reacted instantly, but it wasn't fast enough. The stat difference was just too wide now. Joe wrapped him up in mana and slammed him to the ground. His fists came down again and again on the back of Nodo's skull until he heard a distinct crack. The Voldura slumped unconscious on the ground. Dozens of Voldura stared at Joe in shock.

Most were unarmoured civilians, but at least ten were soldiers, and they were beginning to recover from his shock appearance and raise the alarm. Only two seconds had passed since he Space-Jumped in. He activated Space-Jump again and again, rapidly knocking out every Voldura he identified as a threat. Within ten seconds, everyone over level 100 lay unconscious. The rest fled in fear. He took the moment to stare into the city, taking in what details he could from this close.

But more importantly, he wanted the witnesses to know who he was. Let them run and tell Pathfinder. Let them know Feormere had come and taken one of their own. Anyone with a high enough level who saw him would also see the bounty notification, leaving no doubt about who he was. He stood tall over Nodo's body and waited. The response was fast. A group of armed Voldura rushed the entrance, unleashing a storm of mana and thrown weapons. Joe moved fluidly, dodging with ease, hoisting Nodo over his shoulder.

As he leapt backwards and evaded their fire, he raised his voice and waved.

"Say Hi to Pathfinder for me!" he shouted, turning to flee from the city. He doubted a single abduction would be enough to draw Pathfinder out, but maybe, just maybe, another familiar face would appear. Then he saw them. Two slim, tall Voldura stepped into view from around a corner a short distance from him. Both were heavily armoured in polished battle gear. They raised their arms and pointed directly at him. Joe quickly activated Identify as he glanced at them: Lithan Vor. Neuwo Vor.

He turned away, ready to Space-Jump with Nodo still slung over his shoulder, until that second name echoed in his mind. Neuwo Vor. A voice whispered from memory, Samira's voice, retelling the day she and Esha had been captured… The day Drishti died. Killed by a Voldura named Neuwo Vor. Everything around Joe fell silent. His vision dimmed. His soul rang with grief. He didn't erupt in fury. This time, something deeper took hold.

A numbness crept through him, draining every emotion, every thought, until only one remained. He dropped Nodo like a sack of rocks. Turning with an empty gaze toward Neuwo, his Aura detonated outward like a tidal wave, erupting with the force of something primal, uncontainable. There was no attempt to restrain it now. Only one thought repeated itself in his mind, over and over. A single word, heavy with grief, carved with loss, and burning with cold righteous vengeance. Death.

__ Neuwo Vor jogged toward the southeastern entrance of Ghoyusiffiy City, his movements sharp with irritation. He was annoyed and restless. His pets were all back at his home pillar, and he wanted to return to them. What was the point of being stuck out here chasing rumours? This human, this Feormere, was causing far more trouble than he was worth. Reports of the human's antics outside Relashra were stirring unrest in the city.

Clanmates whispered openly of leaving, of fleeing the city and abandoning the Vor altogether. The talk was spreading like rot. But yet, he had to follow orders. For now. Pathfinder wouldn't hold power for much longer. That much was clear. His failure at Relashra had started a slow unraveling. His grip on the clans was slipping, thread by thread. Not that Neuwo cared about power. All he wanted was strength and the freedom to do whatever he pleased. He arrived at the city's entrance to a scene of chaos.

Voldura were running in fear, scattering in all directions. Neuwo looked out and spotted the human, small, unimposing, carrying Nodo's limp body over his shoulder. A notification flashed, Feormere - Claim the bounty. That's him? Neuwo scoffed. The human didn't look like much. How had he subdued Nodo so easily? He cast Identify, but the result returned only two question marks. A blocker. The human glanced in his direction, then turned away. Pathetic. Neuwo raised a hand and pulled his sword from storage.

"Where are you going?" he called out. Feormere took a step… then paused. Neuwo grinned, crouching low, ready to dash forward. Then it hit him. Feormere's Aura washed over him like a premonition. Neuwo froze in place, his face draining of colour. It was overwhelming, too vast, too fierce. This was the real Feormere. The one who haunted the whispers in the dark. the one who made cities tremble. His body screamed to run, but he forced himself to breathe. Feormere turned and locked eyes with him.

Neuwo was thankful he couldn't see the hidden eyes. He blinked. Feormere was gone. No, he was beside him. Neuwo didn't even have time to raise a hand before the world bled red. Then, Neuwo Vor died without a sound. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. __ Joe moved in complete silence. His fist drove through Neuwo's chest with a crunch and a wet squelch. Blood fountained out as his hand burst through the Voldura's back.

He pulled his arm free, stepped back, and swiped, splitting the body in two. The halves collapsed in a splash of gore. Joe stood still, staring down at his blood-soaked hands with empty eyes. I did it, Drish. You can rest now. He's dead. A shadow shifted. Shimmered, warped, and a cloaked figure emerged from the dark, stabbing something into Joe's leg with a sharp thrust. Joe reacted a fraction of a moment too late, swatting at the shadow. But it twisted away with a shudder and vanished. Joe activated…

pain slammed into him like a freight train. Mana Sight refused to activate as he clutched his head in agony. He collapsed to his knees, gasping as his vision spun. What the hell was that? His leg throbbed, hot and foreign. The grogginess lingered as he forced himself upright. Dozens of Voldura now encircled him, weapons raised, waiting for the command to strike. He had no time. He focused forward, tried to activate… Agony lanced through him again, this time worse than before. Then the attacks came.

Explosions shattered the air, flashes of mana and steel lighting up the city road. And Joe fell, unconscious. __ Veda cursed the moment Joe Space-Jumped inside the bubble and killed a Voldura. She snarled, jaw clenched, holding herself back from rushing in after him. [Joseph, get out of the bubble. You just alerted the owner!] - Veda. Eyes locked on the scene unfolding, she saw it; something shifted in the shadows. A cloaked figure emerged, moving like smoke.

It pulled out an ability-blocking array spike and stabbed it into Joe's leg. [Nooooo! Get out! Get out! Get out!] - she sent in a panic. Inside the city. Skills blocked. Surrounded. She watched helplessly as Joe fell to his knees, shaking in pain. No, no, no… she saw an explosion go off near him, sending his body flying deeper into the city, out of sight. She swore aloud and turned, sprinting at full speed. Panic surged through her veins. She couldn't intervene directly because of the damn system.

She needed to find help. Fast. __ Joe once again regained consciousness as he crashed through a building wall, coughing blood. Disoriented, he blinked at the world around him. How long has he been stuck in this city? One hour? Two? More? The jet-black spike in his leg tugged at his vision, the skill blocker. He reached for it, but the moment his fingers touched the smooth surface, pain surged up his arm and leg like fire, ripping a scream from his throat. An explosion detonated nearby.

He was flung sideways, more blood spraying from his mouth. Pain bloomed across his torso, cuts deep and jagged. No broken bones, thankfully. His insane stats kept him alive. He staggered upright, head spinning, trying to move. A figure appeared at his side. A wood-covered fist slammed into his chest. He flew backwards. He hit the ground hard, groaning. Standing above him was Pathfinder.

"Welcome to Ghoyusiffiy City," the Voldura said coldly, grabbing Joe by the leg and hurling him through another wall. Joe crashed through the wall and out into a city street. He staggered to his feet, the pain from the skill blocker finally beginning to fade. He lost count of how many walls he had been thrown through now. But finally Pathfinder had joined the fray. The Voldura's punch didn't hurt as much as he'd expected even with no Barding or Mana-Coating active.

Now they were all here: Pathfinder, Clors, Godo, Nodo, and several other high-level Voldura he recognised. With no skills at his disposal, Joe was badly outgunned and outnumbered. A bolt came screaming toward his head, he ducked, rolling to the side just as a kick aimed for his ribs missed by inches. Pathfinder reappeared at his flank. Joe lashed out with a counterkick, but the Voldura was already gone, teleporting away again. Cursed bastard, Joe thought, breath heaving.

Fighting him inside the city was indeed a nightmare. He vanished before Joe's hit could connect. So Joe changed tactics, running instead, trying to isolate one of the others. He spotted Clors and surged toward him, reaching out to grab the Voldura, only for Pathfinder to intercept, slamming a foot into his ribs and knocking him off course. Joe twisted midair, swinging a fist, but hit nothing but air. He cursed as equal amounts of frustration and exhaustion clung to him.

A deep, sinking dread began clawing at his gut. He spotted a bend in the glowing city bubble above and sprinted toward it. Get out! Just get out! He slammed into the city's bubble. Blood exploded from his mouth as the impact rattled his bones. Vision spinning, he raised both arms just in time to block a descending knee that sent him crashing back. A hand grabbed him and spun him around before hurling him like a ragdoll through another wall. What was he doing? How was he going to get out of the city?

Of course the bubble was sealed… He tumbled into darkness, colliding with furniture and splintering wood. Groaning, he pushed up to his knees, preparing for the blow he knew would come. Pathfinder didn't disappoint. A massive wooden hammer slammed into Joe's back, pinning him to the floor with a thunderous crack that split the ground beneath him. Joe groaned, body going limp under the hammer's crushing weight.

A foot drove down onto the back of his head, his vision went black in one eye, and blood gushed from his cracked lips. But Joe wasn't done. He searched deep within himself as adrenaline pumped through his body. With a roar he freed himself with incredible force, as the hammer cracked and was flung aside. Joe slammed a foot down, and chunks of debris blasted out around him. Giving him a moment of freedom as the countless Voldura around him ducked the flying rocks.

Joe tore the wrapping from around his right arm and flexed his hands. If Pathfinder and his lackeys wanted a fight. A fight they would get. He blasted forward, all thoughts of pain and exhaustion blown from his mind. Joe's fist slammed into the guard of Clors, who grunted in pain as he was blasted backwards, through a stone wall. Joe rolled his shoulder as a huge axe slammed down toward his arm, it missed and instead crashed to the ground. Joe kicked out at it, sending the wielder crashing to the side.

Joe flipped through the air, slamming into another Voldura as they both crashed through a door and detonated in an explosion of furniture. The melee continued in the constrained confines of a rapidly deteriorating house. At first, Joe fought two Voldura. Two quickly became six. Six became ten. Multiple unconscious Voldura bodies erupted from a wall as Joe forced his way to freedom. But his run was short-lived, as Pathfinder materialized in his path and slammed a giant hammer down upon him once more.

Joe did manage to roll the hit and lash out, finally connecting at last as Pathfinder flashed away a moment too slowly. Joe felt the connection, but didn't see the outcome, as he was forced to engage six more Voldura that pounced on him. For hours, Joe fought with everything he could. The Volduran casualties were beyond imagining. Little did he know that he almost… took out Pathfinder's entire city force. But Joe's ridiculous stamina finally gave out just before sunset. Much to Pathfinder's relief.

Joe fell to one knee, both eyes now swollen shut. His face felt like a mangled mess of bruises and broken skin as it was repeatedly slammed into the ground. Every part of him throbbed. He could barely breathe as the last remnants of Pathfinder's forces pounced on him. Finally, after an eternity, Joe stopped resisting. He had no strength left. As his mind slipped into unconsciousness, an image flashed behind his swollen lids: Corel and Rose staring at him with disappointment. He wished he could apologize.

But he couldn't. Darkness pulled at him. But just before he slipped under completely, he felt it, a tug… A vine, rising from the void in his arm as everything faded to black. __ Clors jumped back as his danger sense screamed of incoming death.

"Back!" he shouted, prompting Pathfinder, Nodo, and Godo to instantly retreat. All four paused, eyes scanning for danger as Feormere, whom they'd spent hours beating, twitched. From his arm, a massive white vine clawed its way out, flailing wildly through the ruined room.

"What the hell is that?" Pathfinder yelled, eyes narrowing as he raised a hand and launched a surge of twisting wood toward Feormere's body. The vine whipped around… and the attack vanished. Not blocked. Not deflected. It simply ceased to exist. Clors stared in stunned silence. Around him, no one moved, no one breathed. The vine swung again, and this time struck Godo squarely on the chest. The Voldura launched into a wall, crashing down limp, unconscious. His mana vanished completely.

"Get back! Everyone out!" Pathfinder barked as he teleported away. Clors didn't need to be told twice. He bolted from the building, Nodo close behind, dragging Godo over one shoulder. Clors glanced back once at the shattered house, heart pounding. What the hell was that? __ A full day passed. Pathfinder stood outside the broken house, arms folded, gaze locked on the thrashing vine within. Feormere still lay inside, bloody, broken, unconscious, but alive.

That impossible vine writhed violently around him, striking out at any motion within reach. They had tried everything. Attacks up close were useless; attacks from range fared no better. Even a surprise teleport strike had failed. He had lost the mana in his arm the moment he appeared near the body. The vine had swatted him like an insect. Every attempt had been neutralized, effortlessly. Every skill, every strike, erased with a single sweep. He gave the order.

The Voldura had begun constructing a thick wall around the remains of the house, piling debris and stone to create a barrier. The goal was simple: keep the vine in, and everyone else out. They would wait. Sooner or later, it had to stop thrashing. And when it did, he would kill Feormere. He would end it once and for all, then he would claim his Seeker.