Chương 294: Chapter 289

Nightmares are the basic forms of Apocalypse's manifestations. This is a starved monster, in fact. Ask Jacob Cloud to analyze ALL its weaknesses with his Grimoire. If I'm correct, it usually carries two cores. Unlike our superior monsterification, which can withstand extensive delocalized damage throughout the body, a Nightmare's own regeneration comes from the cores it grew. That means that as long as its cores are destroyed, it won't regenerate anymore.

"Cloud, you useless bastard! It has cores! We just have to find them! Use your cursed Rainbow Skill to see where they are!" Jacob looks at Astabazos with a frown and says, "right shoulder, left knee. I had already seen them. But the Grimoire says that they have too much energy to break them down easily. It says that dismembering the Nightmare would be easier."

"Its aura is getting back to actual Imperium Rank! We don't have the time! We must destroy the cores!" Astabazos briefly closes his eyes and grits his teeth. I didn't want to do this. I—I… He doesn't finish the thought. If he did, he wouldn't go through with what he needs to do. He monsterifies completely, releasing a thick Peak True Diamond aura. From the handsome Infernal man he was, he now becomes a being made of what looks like red crystal, which grows all around him and covers him from head to toe.

His claws elongate and he's not able to grasp the dagger anymore. Yet, the crystal seems to hold much more power than his own dagger did." Now!" a cavernous voice comes from Astabazos as both him and Jacob, who snared the Nightmare with Embrace of Darkness, rooting it in place for a few seconds, attack at the cores' positions. Astabazos goes for the shoulder and Jacob goes for the knee." MY MEALS! MY MEALS!"

The blows from each fighter tear the flesh apart, revealing two white spheres—the cores of the Nightmare where all the regeneration comes from. Astabazos's strike shatters the core on impact, but Jacob's own attack has not been powered enough to do so — only cracks appear on the white core. Astabazos is about to curse Jacob when a scary aura envelops the Leader of Champions and tendrils of fire and blood shoot from his aura and jam themselves into the core. This book's true home is on another platform.

Check it out there for the real experience.

"Baptism of Blood and Fire!" Jacob shouts. Astabazos sees how in a few instants, the power of the core is sucked inside of Jacob's aura and takes several steps back. Even in his fully-monsterified form, he feels fear at that power. Pure, unadulterated fear. The Minor Nightmare of Apocalypse shouts in severe pain and, with Jacob being the last one who attacked him, focuses on him. Astabazos waits back, trying to see what's going to happen.

He can see that Jacob absorbed too much power in his aura for him to actually absorb it well and he looks in almost as much pain as the Nightmare. I might kill both in one go, Astabazos thinks through the telepathic link. The Prophet told us about that Skill. He didn't use it against Nimirea and Iskara because it's essentially a funnel to convert a creature's power into nourishment. It's not very different from how the Nightmare itself works, actually, now that I think about it.

Let me make a note about that real quick— Delefagus! Alright, alright. As I was saying, Baptism of Blood and Fire is a descendant of Primordial magic, something that Baalrek gave Jacob—at least the Prophet described it as such. It can be used to force an evolution of another Skill, but I don't know what— Before Delefagus can end his sentence, Jacob's aura suddenly compresses.

Without the cores, the Nightmare is barely regenerating, but it's still a force of nature, and its aura, albeit slower than before, is still climbing. But Jacob suddenly starts dodging even… it's not faster… it's smoother. [Heavenly Balance (Diamond) has received a massive influx of energy.] [Heavenly Balance (Diamond) becomes Heavenly Balance (True Diamond).] Jacob feels like his body has just become much, much lighter.

Before, even with the Grimoire showing him all the flaws in the Minor Nightmare of Apocalypse's attacks, he didn't have the raw speed and power to keep up with all of its attacks. But now, with Heavenly Balance's limit being removed and it arriving at its rightful place, Jacob feels like he just gained a new body. Heavenly Balance doesn't change his power or speed per se, but gives him a massive control of all his motor functions, his Mana, and even his thinking that he didn't have before.

And so, he strikes the creature time after time, now inflicting Afflictions that, thanks to the upgrade of Heavenly Balance, stick around for longer, allowing Jacob's aura to suddenly climb faster and faster, with the Nightmare's own aura diminishing because of the Afflictions. The aura gets more and more compressed as it's pumped into Heavenly Balance. The monster's multitude of eyes start crying blood as Jacob cuts deeper and deeper into him, until the thing lunges desperately at Jacob." MY M E A L!"

Jacob exhales slowly, and then, grabbing the spindly arm, throws the monster on the ground, using his wings to jump up in the air until, close to the ceiling, he does a somersault and, leaving a massive crater on it, shoots down like a falling star. Astabazos raises a hand to cover his face from the massive impact that shatters the ground of the tomb and leaves a massive crater, several feet deep. He readies his dagger to kill the spent Jacob.

This is going to be the crowning achievement of his life as a Dark Champion so far. Be careful, Astabazos. I'd imagine he hates your guts since you turned the Infernal Princess. You might want to use the Mantle of the Abyss now or— But before the monsterified Infernal could do anything, two blue eyes that shine like flames pierce him from the cloud of dust.