Chapter 271: Vindictive Heavens
Ethereal feathers buffeted the stagnant air of the Underlayer, forcing a rush of wind across the soil-covered ground. Small vortices of turbulence, created in the wake, lifted handfuls of dirt before redistributing them back to the surface. A powerful flap of angelic wings generated a burst of speed that propelled the Holy Avenger Spear and its wielder forward.
The blessed weapon punched through the metal shield of an alien defender with a crunch, bypassing the meager resistance with the tip’s extraordinary sharpness. The precise strike masked the crushing power behind the blow, but the way the weapon’s victim exploded into mana, dissipating as if it always lacked a physical presence was evidence enough of the holy devastation wrought by the spear. Though the Elite Ruin Construct attempted to guard itself, the effort was futile against the momentum of the sacred strike.
While the mana smoke from the defeated monster wafted into the atmosphere, the guiding spear twirled, whistling through the air, and the spiked butt found its mark in the center of the diamond shaped head of a second Construct. The attempt to counterattack only put the invader in range of a swift execution. The heavenly treasure was a blur of violence, and before the winged Champion landed, a third construct was ruined by the radiant tip of the deadly spear, failing to evade chastisement as it shifted to the flank of the attacker and was transformed into a burst of mana smoke.
Coop slammed his feet into the ground, having destroyed three constructs in a split second, before taking two steps and bounding back into the air with a low grunt. He flapped his manifested wings once, generating another burst of speed that extended his leaping thrust five times as far as he could have normally moved. Holding the spear forward with a firm grip, he used the extra distance to catch a grouping of support Constructs by surprise, completely ignoring the protective line that failed to match his maneuverability and futilely defended the supporting Elite Ancient Constructs.
The ranged Spite and Scourge Constructs fired projectiles into the air, doing their best to track his streaking path, but the bolts only pierced the trail of sparkling mists that lingered in the air, flying harmlessly off into the distance. Compared to the Champion, who was completely unbound, the invaders moved as if they were hobbled by tar. Coop dashed with speed granted by an Agility advantage equivalent to thousands of levels, then further boosted it with powerful wings.
Holy light emanated from the tip of the golden hued spear as it bore down on his targets, bolstered by the encouraging strength of purpose. The last second dodges of the unarmed Elites barely delayed their demise, inevitable as it was. Coop expanded one wing to adjust his movement, twisting his torso and catching the monsters like a raptor hunting desperately fleeing prey.
A steady chorus of gregorian chants accompanied Coop’s actions, echoing in his head as if the Underlayer battlefield was actually an empty cathedral. The deep tones of grand pipe organs resonated in his bones as the Revenant was divinely inspired to smite those who sought to desecrate the planet. Holy mana burned from his eyes, transforming them into nebulous orbs of golden energy as he aggressively sought his targets. From his perspective, the Underlayer was witnessing an empyrean sunset, and it was glorious.
His next sweeping attack sent a wave of holy mana chasing the pious weapon before emanating across the Underlayer, igniting another dozen Primal Constructs with smiting fire. He flapped his wings and burst through the flames, surprising the enemies that were further back and blinded by the shining flames. Even simple attacks were devastating.
The next iteration of his strategy had been another tactical improvement. Rather than a burst of firepower granted by activating the skills granted by the possession, he simply embraced the empowerment and fought with his own physical attributes. The increase in stats improved his efficiency significantly, but as he speared his way through the enemies, the Apparition of Vindictive Heavens provided some divine guidance as well.
Coop temporarily became the depiction of an archangel, borrowing the combat scheme of a celestial entity and incorporating them into his normal tactics. It was a feat only possible thanks to his experience with the Haunted title, but it worked beautifully.
The multiplier to his stats set him far apart from his opponents, extending the already significant gap between himself and the invaders to absurd amounts. Even the four Field Bosses that accompanied the Primal Construct armies were relegated to desperately defending themselves for a few seconds before being sent to oblivion, as if they were sacrificial monsters better suited for a starter zone. They may have been meant to be the armored tanks to the Construct infantry, but Coop dismantled them with equal ease.
All of Coop’s success had come without an expenditure of a single point of mana. Other than the reservation for Inheritance of the Mists, he was adroitly conserving his resources. The pressure of combat was instead being applied to his well-trained stamina, but a few hours in the dirt was nothing compared to days hustling through beach sand, especially when he could supplement his sprints and mistjumps with winged flight.