The thing that surprised Ethan the most was how easy it was to let go.

When he'd seen the armada approaching Griffon's Watch, he'd barely even thought about the lives on board each vessel. Instead, he'd leaped from the balcony of the only tower that remained, cast his newly upgraded Mana Veil with a Summon Illusion to trick the boats, and then waited for the right time to make a dive bomb assault to crush their vanguard.

The ships had been broken easily. The body of Revok – Chimera of Westerweald – was his to command, and the extra damage the creature's gargantuan weight put behind [Dive] was enough to send shockwaves through the whole fleet. After the initial assault, it had taken only a few moments for him to calculate his main weakness – his flanks – and with the Spirit Cores he was steadily gaining, he quickly upgraded [Albionic Authority] to give him the edge.

Or, more appropriately, allow the ships of the fleet themselves to have an edge over their masters:

Albionic Authority (Grade A)

You command any plant life directly connected to the earth to fight for you for 80 seconds. Effects differ based on plant life affected.

Grade A Upgrade: [Unyielding Nature] Unlocked!

You can command any objects made from the bark of an Argwylian tree.

He'd then watched as the boats that turned about to hit him with their cannons were suddenly rendered immobile. Then, as the living spirit of the earth within the wooden planks of those ships took hold, the boats exploded in a fiery bloom.

He kept up the pressure – seeing that they were trying to regroup. Those warriors who had survived the destruction of their ships he left alone – they weren't worth the paltry sum of Cores their deaths would grant him.

But the Greycloak warriors on the other hand, they fell quite nicely to his Onixia-coated claws, netting him some good profit:

Spirit Cores Gained: 950

Spirit Cores Gained: 950

Spirit Cores Gained…

The numbers kept going up, and so too did his upgrades. With every swipe of his scorpion tail, every beat of his mighty wings, and every flash of his triadic death beams, he tore into the fleet and saw to it that he elevated his Skills to the level he needed them at:

Summon Shadow Wraith (Grade B)

You summon five wraiths under your command, each one able to perform a slash attack that deal 50 DMG per hit (Double to [Human] opponents).

Summon Mana Veil (Grade C)

You create a dense layer of fog 100 ft wide. Any targets within this fog must pass an Intelligence check (INT: 60+) or be {Silenced} for the duration they remain within the fog.

{Silenced} targets cannot cast spells.

Summon Illusion (Grade C)

You concentrate to form an illusory entity from you or your target's mind. The target becomes convinced the illusion is real, although more perceptive creatures can see through the deception (PERS: 70+)

Grade C Upgrade (Mass Illusion)

Illusion now works on any non-perceptive targets within range.

Current Spirit Cores: 4550

5000

5670

More, he thought as he struck down another screaming Greycloak that tried to take a swipe at his underbelly. I'm nowhere near what I need…the 50000 Cores that will let me take you down, Keadmon.

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

He spared a look at the sun dangling above the dark haze he'd dragged over the sea, and flapped his wings to soar towards it.

We'll get them, Ethan, Sys assured him. There's plenty of fight in this world. Plenty more Skills still to obtain…plenty more ways for you to become the strongest thing that's ever walked this earth.

He heard the shrill cries of pain he was leaving behind him as he flew towards then sun, turning to look down at the smoking remains of the Lucent fleet and feel…nothing.

No remorse. No pangs of pity. No sense that the men down there didn't deserve all the pain they were experiencing.

And he realized then that he'd never truly let himself go. He'd never succumbed to the power that his Demon Hat form really provided him. Why hadn't he just done this sooner? Why had he allowed thoughts of mercy to cloud his judgement? This is what Jun expected of him. It's what Sys knew he could be. And – no – it was what he had to be to see this thing through to the end.

The Cores from the fleet would be his first windfall – and breaking the armada would ensure that Sanctum was safe. Only then could he finally go towards his destiny. He'd neutralize Lucent as a central seat of political power in the region, first. Then, he'd burn Caer Krea – that dismal looking fortress that loomed in the mountains on the horizon. With the fortress-monastery gone, he'd practically have free reign over all of Westerweald.

Then, he'd fly to Eastmarch. He'd let them know that the true Archon – the last Archon – was here. And once he'd destroyed their pitiful civilizations, too, only then would he finally go to Mistborne Isle and meet his destiny.

He activated [Dive], throwing himself at the right-vanguard of boats that had just fired their cannons and ballistae blindly up at him. Trails of fire streaked past him as he let out his terrifying roar, and, ignoring the pain in his shoulders as two ballistae impaled him, he struck true.

The shockwave his hit on one of the battleships produced a whirlpool that drowned anyone who tried to make it out. Every ship within a four-mile radius split apart and threw their weapons and warriors in every direction. Two Greycloaks, their bodies torn from the waist down, went flying up right in front of his snake and goat heads.

Typhos, Baphomet, he said. You know what to do.

They greedily snapped their jaws down on both men and swallowed them, licking their lips at the taste of Greycloak blood. The blood of Krea that should have been poisonous to one such as him.

But that was all a lie, he remembered. These Greys had perpetuated that lie for centuries in Kaedmon's name – that they were divine. Absolute.

That fact might have pissed him off sometime, long ago, when he was still just Ethan Hawke. But now, it didn't phase him at all. These men were obstacles in his way. Nothing more.

You're enjoying this Sys, I presume? He asked as he sent three more beams of death towards the center of the fleet.

I don't know if I'd use a word like 'enjoyment' to describe this massacre, Sys snickered. Maybe…satisfying, is the right word? All the bullshit holding you back – its finally gone. No more inhibitions. No more doubt. Now, you're unstoppable, Ethan.

As Sys said this, a thick beam of golden light answered his, smacking into his face and forcing him to take flight to avoid it. His seven eyes blinked, with Revok's lion-head registering pain – a jaw cracked and burning with the attack.

It was nothing that Typhos' Regen ability couldn't fix, but it was a surprising degree of power that he hadn't seen so far.

Unstoppable, am I? Ethan forced a grin from his lion-head mouth. Looks like there's someone out there who thinks otherwise, Sys.

Well, I guess we'd better illuminate them, huh?

Ethan summoned up more Shadow Wraiths to surround the attacker and took flight again, this time hovering around the perimeter as the beam traced an arc round all his summoned flock and dispelled them almost as soon as they had appeared.

I'm a demigod but I'm no fool, Ethan thought. Let's see what we're dealing with, here.

Summon Shadow Wraith (Grade B)

You summon five wraiths under your command, each one able to perform a slash attack that deal 50 DMG per hit (Double to [Human] opponents).

(Grade A) Upgrade: Darkglance

You can now see through the eyes of any Shadow Wraiths you control.

Spirit Cores Remaining: 6500

The upgrade was enough to let Ethan see who was at the center of the lightshow: an old, cloaked Grey warrior holding his staff aloft, beating back the shadows around him with divine magic from his 'Lord'.

Old man thinks he's Gandalf, Ethan smirked. Let's show him what he's really up against.

The light of the old mage pierced through the gale of darkness. Ethan flew low, ocean level, flapping his wings in a [Wing Buffet] that sent several ships flying back, their hulls splintered from the power of his [Gale-Force Gust].

Then, he allowed the Mana Veil to lift – and he heard the victorious cry of the old man as he thought that he was the one who managed to beat the darkness of the Archon back.

That notion was dispelled when Ethan rose above the seabed and bellowed a fiery belch into his face. Then, his jaws clamped down on the old Greycloak and he felt the distinctive Crunch of his frigid bones as they were ground to paste within Revok's mouth.

The valiant defense was broken – men who had stood beside the upstart wizard turned tail and ran, dunking themselves into the water, ignoring the flaming sails that singed their flesh as they fell.

And yet, there was one man who stood tall among them.

Ethan cocked his gazes down at the warrior. He wore a rather crooked set of Coryph platemail – its turquoise radiance reflecting the destruction that blazed all around it. In his hand he gripped a sword that was lit up like a candle – swathed in the same divine light that his brother had just lost.

Ethan saw him gulp. He was putting on a brave show for his warriors, but there was fear hidden behind those narrowed eyes and furry brows.

All the same, he brandished his blade in front of the Archon's face.

"Pleasure to meet ya," he said. "I'm Sir Ranok, and I'll be taking those heads from your shoulders."

Ethan had to laugh. The bravado of this man was wholesome.

Alright then, he thought with a chuckle, dispelling the mist around them and creeping towards the valiant Greycloak. Let's see you try.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.