The Oracle Paths

Chapter 1217: More Than Enough

If it was a matter of forcing a clash between two incompatible energies so they’d annihilate each other, Jake was damn sure no Player in this Ordeal could do it better than him. Hell, as far as he knew, he might be the only one with an Energy Body at such a high level—or even the only one with an Energy Body at all.

But no need for so much waste. Jake wasn’t a Digestor or irreversibly corrupted, but Destruction Aether and Lumyst weren’t exactly strangers to him either.

He just had to tread carefully. Whether his Destruction Lumyst could obliterate an enemy’s Black Lumyst with similarly destructive properties remained to be seen, but it was sure as hell worth a shot.

One of the many Lumyst Cores he’d planned but hadn’t had the chance to fully develop yet, situated not far from his heart, suddenly began growing and mutating visibly. The ambient Aether he continuously drew from the deeper layers of the Aetherdream through his Energy Body abruptly converted into Destruction Aether, then into Destruction Lumyst at nothing more than the sheer force of his will.

Within moments, a Black Lumyst even darker and more ominous than his Metal Lumyst or the monsters’ own Black Lumyst sprang to life, rapidly flowing toward the newly created core, catalyzing its evolution at breakneck speed. A few dozen seconds later, Jake halted the process and plucked the dying lizard from the monkey’s arms.

”Let me handle this.”

At his fingertip, a single droplet formed, ink-black and as thick as mercury, radiating a sinister aura of ruthless annihilation. Before anyone could intervene—captivated and horrified as they were—Jake propelled it straight into the unconscious lizard’s forehead with a mere thought. It pierced effortlessly through its scales.

”What the hell did you just do?!” Mani burst out, outrage tinged with fear. ”Are you seriously trying to finish it off for good?”

He shivered at the thought of what would happen if that vile substance touched him instead. None of them had even had a chance to react. The mere thought was nightmare fuel.

”Can you shut your mouth for a second?” Asfrid cut him off coldly, her gaze icy. ”Even the monkey, who clearly cares about that lizard, hasn’t moved a muscle.”

The Cho Min Ho lookalike realized he’d probably jumped the gun. The monkey was indeed surprisingly serene compared to his previous seething fury—the contrast was jarring.

”I fought fire with fire,” Jake eventually replied flatly, pointing to the lizard. ”Look, he’s already recovering.”

He’d spoken casually, but it hadn’t been as straightforward as he made it sound. Without his ridiculously boosted mental stats and knack for energy manipulation, precisely controlling his power inside another being’s body to target only hostile energy would’ve been messy at best and disastrous at worst. Even if the lizard survived and the alien Black Lumyst was purged, it would have come out severely damaged.

Noticing the lizard’s torso and limbs were already regenerating, the shapeshifter bit back his next comment. Seeing was believing, and he wasn’t that thickheaded.

”Impressive. Looks like I worried for nothing,” he awkwardly apologized.

”No, you were right to worry,” Jake retorted with a sinister smirk. ”The technique I used to save him could easily kill if that was my intention.”

”Ah... Lucky for us we’re allies then,” Mani muttered, averting his eyes.

”For now,” Crunch purred, momentarily rousing from his nap just long enough to shift positions.

His interjection was impeccably timed, the cat’s ability to twist the knife honed enough to write a manual. Lord Phenix’s crestfallen expression showed the turkey could only blame himself for not thinking of it first.

”Time for the next fight,” Will apathetically brought them back to reality, habitually adjusting the nonexistent glasses on his nose—a tic he inexplicably couldn’t shake despite years without them.

This time, Master Eldrion had decided to seize the initiative, sending out his fighter first. Having likely saved his ace for last, he had to be feeling confident.

The arena, which Jake hadn’t had time to repair due to the lizard’s critical condition, was still a wasteland of craters, bottomless pits, and heaps of rubble from the previous battle. The enormous hole through which each enemy beast had emerged was still gaping open, but whatever was struggling to squeeze out this time seemed too big for comfort.

Whatever their opponents had cooked up for this last animal round, it promised to be colossal. The tremors and cracks spreading from the pit hinted this was just a preview.

”It’s supposed to be our turn to send someone in,” Enya noted pensively, eyeing the merchant. Any of the dragons in human form shadowing him would qualify.

”I’ll fight,” the monkey declared, defying everyone’s expectations.

Cho Min Ho had sent three mascots instead of two—just to be safe—and he wasn’t even planning on throwing down. If his buddy hadn’t been fatally wounded and then rescued by their leader’s rival faction, he wouldn’t have given a damn.

Jake sized up the little monkey with an impassive stare and shook his head. ”No matter how tough or genuine you think you are, I don’t trust you.”

The monkey’s golden eyes narrowed at the remark, but he didn’t lose his cool. Instead, he turned to Mani and barked, ”Send us back.”

”Wha–what do you mean by that?” Mani stammered. He’d clearly heard, yet his mind refused to accept the implications. He wasn’t about to pay that price twice!

”You got it,” came the reply. ”Our job here is done, so it’s time for us to bounce. Cho Min Ho made it clear that the transport fees are on you.”

”For teleporting you here! Not for sending you back!” The metamorph roared, his face flushed and his eyes bulging.

”I don’t give a damn—that was the deal.” The monkey dismissed him with an arrogant ear-cleaning, completely ignoring the outburst.

Witnessing the monkey’s relentless indifference, Mani’s fervor deflated like a popped balloon. He suddenly felt utterly drained.

Without another word, he reactivated the Space Link and sent them off to Cho Min Ho and his crew. The chihuahua reappeared right on time, like a flower blooming in spring.

Before being teleported, the monkey asked Jake with calm curiosity, ”So, who are you sending in my place? Their candidate looks stronger than the previous ones...”

”Don’t worry about it,” Jake chuckled. ”King’s Idol Alliance isn’t the only group that can tap into the Space Link.”

At those cryptic words, the three little mascots’ faces lit up with understanding—and then they vanished, teleported millions of miles away.

”Wha–what did you just say?” Mani finally blurted out. The Myrtharian Nerds could also use the Space Link? That was massive news!

If Jake played his cards right, he could wreck their plans! Of course, as the metamorph’s expression shifted in an instant, Jake felt nothing but pure contempt. I’m afraid none of you could ever imagine the way I played my cards.

Meanwhile, the beast conjured by the Radiant Conclave had finally completed its long trek from the bowels of the earth to the surface. Whether it was the centipedes, the pitbull-gorilla, or even the shrike, their bones would be nothing more than toothpicks against the abomination looming in the arena.

The creature was so colossal that words couldn’t do it justice. Only Crunch’s final form could still dare to size it up without averting his gaze—but just barely.

The abomination—with its dark, almost obsidian skin and membranous wings—was unmistakably humanoid, evoking a bat that had evolved over countless generations in a relentless pursuit of ultimate power. This monster boasted its own arms and legs in addition to its wings, its proportions nearly perfect despite reversed knee joints and an extra limb. From its razor-sharp claws to the billowing plumes of inky Lumyst smoke escaping its body, and down to its elongated fangs, in many texts such a creature could only be described as the Devil.

”Oh my God... does this world really harbor horrors like this?” Esya swore, her voice laced with disbelief.

”That’s... unexpected,” Asfrid admitted, frowning in confusion.

”It’s just a bat,” Jake downplayed, a shrug in his tone. ”A damn big one, though...”

In contrast, Cho Min Ho’s doppelgänger was too drained to even be surprised. After dispatching the three mascots, he was nearly out of Aether Points. Still, if he looked at it objectively... he wasn’t convinced that the monkey was truly his adversary. In the end, sending them off might have been for the best.

”Do you really have a fighter who can take on this thing?” Mani asked skeptically.

”More than enough,” Will snickered, while the others smirked.

Jake just rolled his eyes before declaring in a deep, measured tone—extending his hand toward the arena—”Mufasa, come!”