Phi-Fic Chapter 166: Violence and Divinity
Chapter 166: Violence and Divinity
The Seventh Floor fell silent that even the raging storms seemed to pause.
Every Stream Hunter stared at the notification floating before them.
Half of his existence...?
The Storm Tyrant had offered half of his existence to the Tower!
No sane being would make such a trade!
Existence was more valuable than mana, skills, treasures, or even lifespan. It was the foundation of what made a person who they were... Yet Zephiron had offered half of it without hesitation!
A few moments passed.
Then the Tower answered.
[Request accepted.]
The system message appeared before every living being on the Seventh Floor.
[Countless viewers are questioning the Tower of Yxthar’s decision]
[Countless viewers are entertained by the turn of events]
[Countless viewers are questioning Zephiron’s insanity]
The heavens immediately trembled as cracks spread across the giant eye in the sky.
Illusory ancient chains of light began shattering one after another.
Crack. Crack.
Each broken seal released a terrifying amount of mana into the world.
The floating islands shook violently and several Stream Hunters collapsed to their knees.
Others struggled to breathe while even Adam felt the pressure increase several times over.
The Storm Tyrant laughed.
A deep, thunderous laugh filled with pride.
"Good."
The clouds parted as a portion of Zephiron’s true form became visible beyond the storm.
Countless wings made of lightning unfolded behind him. Even just his presence alone distorted the sky.
The Storm Tyrant lowered his gaze toward Adam.
This time, there was no mockery in his eyes, only anticipation.
"Come then, Mortal boy."
The storm roared.
"Show me whether your existence is worthy of the hopes they placed upon you."
This time, Zephiron’s objective was no longer the islands.
He no longer cared about destroying the defenses painstakingly built by the Stream Hunters.
He no longer cared about slowly whittling down their numbers.
His gaze had locked onto a single target.
Adam.
A vast wave of mana gathered within the heavens.
No—
It felt as though the entire Seventh Floor was being drawn into Zephiron’s control.
The winds, the clouds, the storms, the lightning.
Even the ambient mana floating throughout the world seemed to answer his call.
And at the center of it all stood the Storm Tyrant.
The moment several Stream Hunters caught a glimpse of his partially unsealed true form, screams erupted from below.
Blood flowed from their eyes as some staggered backward while others collapsed to their knees.
Adam’s [Authority of Invincibility] was still active, yet Zephiron’s existence had pierced through its protection.
The difference between them was simply too great!
Realizing the severity of the situation, Adam immediately retaliated.
[Crimson Dominion]
Thousands of blood spears erupted into existence around him.
The crimson weapons shot upward like a storm of arrows, rushing toward the lightning-winged god in the sky.
Adam knew they would not accomplish much.
But the intention of his attack was not meant to kill, it was meant to gather information.
Every battle required understanding, and he needed to know what worked and what did not.
Unfortunately, the answer arrived almost immediately.
The blood spears did not even reach halfway toward Zephiron.
The countless bolts of lightning filling the sky reduced them to dust, evaporating them before ever coming close.
From below, the other Stream Hunters immediately understood Zephiron’s intentions.
Dozens of support spells surged toward Adam.
From blessings, barriers, and even to enhancements.
At the same time, powerful chant-type spells began echoing from every island.
The support classes were already preparing for the worst possible outcome.
Then a familiar notification appeared.
[Temporary Copy is successful!]
[Temporarily Copied: Sound of Terror!]
[Reducing Sound of Terror to its E-Tier version...]
[Sound of Terror has been reduced to Whisper of Dread.]
[Temporary Copy: Whisper of Dread]
[Whisper of Dread: Emits a faint unsettling sound that causes mild anxiety, distraction, and unease. The effect is brief and easily resisted by those with strong mental focus.]
Adam clicked his tongue.
What a terrible situation... A skill capable of annoying ordinary enemies was practically worthless against Zephiron.
Perhaps he truly needed to start copying offensive abilities from his Viewers.
Low-tier support effects would accomplish nothing here.
The heavens exploded with light as countless bolts of lightning descended.
The entire sky seemed determined to erase Adam from existence.
Adam immediately accelerated.
His crimson wings beat against the air as he zigzagged through the battlefield.
He deliberately moved unpredictably, changing direction every second.
[Surreal Creation]
Hundreds of illusions appeared around him.
For a brief moment, the sky filled with countless copies of Adam.
Unfortunately, the chaotic storm mana proved too unstable.
The illusions barely lasted several seconds before disintegrating into fragments of light.
Still, those few seconds were enough.
Adam clasped both hands together.
Every drop of mana he possessed surged toward his palms.
The blood surrounding him trembled violently.
Then—
SKREEEEEECH!
A deafening sound tore through the sky.
A razor-thin beam of crimson blood erupted upward.
Unlike the previous blood spears, this attack was entirely focused into a single point.
It resembled a sniper round traveling at impossible speed, yet the destructive force hidden within it rivaled that of a battlefield artillery strike.
The blood ray pierced through layers of lightning.
The surrounding air exploded from the pressure.
A scarlet line carved directly toward Zephiron.
The Storm Tyrant watched it approach.
"Indeed."
His voice echoed throughout the seventh floor calmly.
"You truly are an anomaly."
Lightning danced around his wings.
"How many little tricks do you possess, mortal?"
Zephiron casually raised one hand as [Divinity] wrapped around his fingers.
The moment he closed his fist, the blood beam shattered instantly.
It broke apart like fragile glass as the fragments vanished into the storm.
"The essence of this world wishes to weaken the effects of [Divinity]."
Raiden’s amplified voice echoed throughout the Seventh Floor.
The [Lantern of Essence] glowed brilliantly.
The world itself responded as the winds shifted and the clouds resisted.
The very environment attempted to suppress Zephiron’s [Divinity].
Yet Zephiron merely glanced toward the Northern Island.
His expression remained indifferent.
He wasn’t worried.
Although suppression existed, but the effect was negligible.
His state of existence was simply too overwhelming, and this wasn’t even half of his original power.
Lightning exploded across the sky as thousands of bolts immediately converged upon Adam.
Adam responded by creating layer after layer of blood barriers.
Wall after wall of crimson protection emerged before him.
Each barrier lasted only moments before being shattered despite being enhanced by the authority of [Invincibility].
Support-type Stream Hunters desperately cast additional shields.
Unfortunately, their spells fared even worse.
The shields barely formed before disintegrating under the pressure.
Adam was slowly being pushed back.
Then—a small figure shot into the sky!
"Miya!"
Several Stream Hunters shouted in shock.
The young woman had already enhanced herself with mana to the limit.
The moment she realized Adam was being targeted, she could no longer remain idle.
Her body became a streak of light. Within seconds, she crossed half the distance between the islands and Zephiron.
Her wooden sword rose.
[The First Swing]
A simple slash. The origin of all swordsmanship.
The beginning of every swordsman’s journey.
The sword descended.
The technique collided directly against the incoming lightning.
For a brief moment, the storm split apart.
Yet unlike before, the lightning did not fully yield.
Zephiron casually waved his hand.
The divided storm immediately reformed.
The First Swing had failed.
Miya’s expression remained calm.
She raised her sword again.
[The Second Swing]
The atmosphere changed.
If the First Swing represented the beginning of swordsmanship—
Then the Second Swing represented everything that came after.
Every swordsman who had ever doubted themselves.
Every warrior who failed to protect someone.
Every regret and every mistake, along with every missed opportunity.
It was as though countless invisible swordsmen stood behind Miya.
Their experiences and their failures, along with their accumulated understanding... All flowed into a single strike!
The wooden sword descended.
This time, the slash carried the regret and understanding of countless lives.
A silver arc stretched across the heavens.
Even the storm seemed to hesitate before it.
Zephiron’s expression slightly changed
Yet for a being like him, even the smallest change was enough to show that Miya’s attack had earned a fraction of his attention.
His eyes narrowed before he slowly raised an arm.
The skies immediately answered his command.
A violent storm erupted around Miya.
The winds howled like enraged beasts as countless currents wrapped around her from every direction.
The pressure was overwhelming. Before she could properly stabilize herself, the raging winds disrupted her movements and shattered her balance.
The world itself seemed determined to reject her.
A deafening boom sounded out across the battlefield.
Miya’s figure was launched through the air like a cannonball, crashing across the floating islands before finally slamming into the ground.
The impact sent cracks spreading through the earth beneath her.
Several nearby Stream Hunters immediately rushed toward her position.
"Healers! Over here!"
"Protect her!"
Without hesitation, support-type abilities activated one after another.
Warm healing magic flowed into Miya’s wounded body while layers of barriers and protective spells surrounded the area.
Golden shields, translucent walls of mana, and reinforced defensive formations appeared around her.
No one dared underestimate Zephiron.
The moment Miya was injured, they knew the Storm Tyrant might attempt to finish her off.
More defensive spells were cast and more protective artifacts were activated.
The Stream Hunters worked together desperately to create a safe zone around her.
Above the battlefield, Zephiron glanced toward the wounded swordswoman.
For a brief moment, lightning gathered around his fingertips.
Yet before he could act further, countless hostile gazes locked onto him from every island.
His attention shifted once more.
Back toward Adam.
The true target of his wrath had never changed.