Skyfire Avenue - Chapter 784

Chapter 784

Chapter 784: Infinite Violet

As the light dimmed, the air around them suddenly felt thicker . Its quality changed, and the presence Lan Jue felt wasn’t moving toward them, but instead toward the progenitor .

A doppelganger? From Monarch . Lan Jue knew the chances of running into one of them was high, but all the same his heart began to beat faster . These monsters were at least equivalent to a Nirvana-level Paragon, and if the progenitor was as strong as they suspected this fight wasn’t going to be easy . They were deep in enemy territory, beset on all sides by danger .

“Everyone be careful!” Lan Jue cautioned . His mother was close, but they had to rely on their own strength too .

A violet-gold light flashed in the horizon, and a sense of foreboding that difficult to describe swept through the area . The oppressive pulse of intention even sent Occisus’ sword array into chaos, causing them to vanish and revealing the people that had been hidden within .

Lan Jue stared with wide eyes . The strength of Nirvana couldn’t do what they just witnessed . A terrifying thought occurred to him – what if the home worlds were disguised as humans, and were hiding on these planets? What would they do?

If this was their ploy it would be a good one . Foregoing evolution to draw the humans in for a sneak attack… it would spell the end of their species, without question . What sort of carnage could a creature on the cusp of immortality produce?

As the thought wormed through Lan Jue’s mind he narrowed his eyes . It was the nightmare scenario, but he was wise enough to know the chances of it happening were slim . Prior to evolving they were subject to the restrictions of universal protogenia . They would be putting themselves at tremendous risk if the alien home worlds chose to fight . But, what if?

They had been surprised before . They thought the aliens couldn’t teleport twice in a short time, but they were wrong . The beasts spent a great deal to do precisely what the humans weren’t expecting . Who was to say they wouldn’t make a similar gamble if it meant destroying the humans’ final line of defense?

“Careful!” He urged again .

The Pharmacist seemed to understand his worries . “That isn’t him, it’s fine . ” She had had the same thought, but it was different for her . She knew Monarch better than Lan Jue did .

She had come face to face with him in the Shattered Starfields, during her failed assassination attempt . His riposte had been weakened, having just teleported, but she could feel him through her connection to Ultus . She knew Monarch’s aura as well as she knew her own .

What she felt from the nearby aura was very similar, but lacking in one key component . She couldn’t feel Ulttus, and that meant this couldn’t be him . At worst the creature had powers of the Infinite – not an immortal . They had a chance .

Lan Jue shook off the fear that had gripped him . Excellent, this wasn’t the real thing!

In the distance the image of the Violet Monarch glared coldly at them . Forsaking needless chatter, it stepped forward and greeted them with a single punch .

Everything between them and the alien doppelganger warped . It was like reality was compressed then exploded in all directions . Instantly the humans were bombarded with a painful sensation that threatened to drive them mad .

The Pharmacist was in front . She lifted her right hand to defend herself and Occisus appeared in her grip, milky white like it was made of flawless jade . In response her dharmic image appeared, and the boon of her Slaughter Domain once more transformed her into a Reflection of Heaven and Earth .

In an instant woman and sword were one . The promise of murder hung thick in the air as her image swelled . As it did, Occisus grew and brazenly swiped the air before it .

A flash of white energy tore through the sky . The power from the doppelganger’s punch was cut in half and pushed to the side . In the same instant a dull grey light burst from behind the Harbinger Faerie and shot into the distance, evading the enemy’s punch .

It was the Gourmet, Infernal Vanguard . Using Hades’ unholy flame he’d paved an escape route for them . It removed them from the scope of the doppelganger’s attack . The backdrop greyed as suddenly the humans were deposited closer to their attacker .

The Monarch doppelganger grunted, vanishing in a blink and appearing before the humans . Its hand shot out, fingers bent like hideous claws as it groped for the top of Lan Jue and Qianlin’s head .

It was incomparably fast . By the time the humans were delivered from the Infernal Vanguard’s route of escape, it was waiting for them .

A dragon’s roar shook the earth, and a golden serpent coiled up around the two non-Paragons . Instantly the doppelganger’s attack destroyed it, but Lan Jue and Qianlin were spared for the moment .

Gripping tightly to Qianlin’s hand, Lan Jue didn’t hesitate . Both of them became bolts of lightning and fled . Before the doppelganger could follow it was surrounded by an expanse of white energy from the Pharmacist . This time Occisus’ power was deadly frigid .

Monarch’s doppelganger held its ground . Both of its hands lashed out, one toward the Pauper and gourmet, the other reaching for the Pharmacist’s Banishing Blade . The two men were thrust away .

Just as it seemed ready to grab Occisus, its hand turned over and it flicked out a finger to strike the flat of the blade .  “Ding!” The Pharmacist and her weapon were knocked away, but the doppelganger didn’t follow .

It was finding Occisus’ deadly power to be troublesome . It showed the truth, this beast wielded the power of the Infinite!

In only this brief exchange the truth was revealed to them . The doppelganger’s powers were inferior to Jue Di, though indeed ranked among the Infinite . Still, in a blink it had forced three Paragons to retreat . Its strength was clear .

Only one more of their number was close enough to engage . The Driver .

He engaged a step behind the others . Bolts of crystalline purple light coiled around his fist as he delivered a simple and unobtrusive punch .

Captus appeared in Lan Jue’s hand and his eyes burned with fervent light . Likewise there was a flash of blue by his side when Qianlin’s Banishing Blade was summoned . The two of them looked silently at one another, looking at their reflections in each other’s eyes .

In perfect harmony both sword were thrust forward, toward the dominating alien .

A bright light burned in the doppelganger’s eyes, red and violet and angry . It stood in defiance of the Driver’s punch, reaching out to grab him with its own hand .

Its purpose here was clear; to destroy all the humans . Of course killing a handful of Paragons was certainly easier said than done . Even at the doppelganger’s level a human’s Talent had a constraining effect . And indeed this creature was just a shadow of its true self, and did not possess the protogenic comprehension of its victims .

The monstrous effigy moved in to destroy the Driver, before turning its attention to the others . However, much to its surprise, the moment its hand clapped onto the Driver’s fist it felt lightning rip through it . As though struck by lightning the doppelganger shook and shivered from thousands of empowered volts before retracting its arm . The Driver fled before it had time to recover .

As its prey ran the beast lifted its arm . The hand that had stopped the Driver’s attack was partly hidden beneath burning coils of electricity, but the damage was clear . Of course the Driver himself was not nearly strong enough to cause lasting damage to something so strong . However, it was important to remember that his combined yin-yang lightning was sanctified with immortal qi .

Immortal qi, an enduring legacy from the immortal realm of the ancient days . What alien creature could match it? It bore the power of tribulation lightning in its depths .

What Lan Jue and the others did not know was that tribulation lightning was created from universal protogenia . It was the foundation of that terrible, destructive force . The realm of immortals was used to shield the universe’s most powerful from this .

Defending oneself from the constant threat of elimination was taxing, so the wisest of the ancient conceived of methods to protect themselves . Among them was channeling universal protogenia, transforming it at just the right time into a weapon .

It became necessary that one needed to know how to manipulate universal protogenia to become an immortal . Only if it was proven they could command those forces would they be allowed to serve their functions in the immortal realm and contribute to their shared protection . Thus where they able to call upon the power of the immortal realm .

For the alien home worlds, that which they feared most was what they fought so fervently against – universal protogenia . Monarch’s copy could not defend itself from the echoes of tribulation lightning that lived in the Driver’s Discipline . It had surprised the beast, for it thought it knew the scope of the human’s power . Carelessness had brought consequences .

Its reprieve was short lived, as a moment later Lan Jue and Qianlin’s sword attack caught up with it . Focused flow and a thousand swords as one – Harmonious Blades, without reservation!

Against a foe as powerful as this, Lan Jue didn’t dare hold back . It was now or never – the time to break through had come .