Chapter 298: Pillar of Heaven
Coop’s ethereal morning star smashed through a fortified Field Boss that skittered along the surface of the ground, using its many legs to navigate the battlefield with unsettling efficiency. It had surreptitiously crawled into range, using the cover provided by the parties of Elites to try and catch its target by surprise. The monster bore its pointed mandibles, aiming to drill into its victim, only for the heavy mace to catch it unprepared, sending shards of its metallic body splashing in all directions. All eleven primary legs were splayed out beneath the pressure, but the center of its body was completely annihilated as if it had been banished from existence.
A shockwave erupted from where the dirt received the strike, too slight to have a real physical impact on the battlefield, but strong enough to momentarily clear the air in the immediate vicinity of the combatants. All of Coop’s more dramatic movements had enough gravity to be framed by smoke and dust, as if he was dragging the heavy atmosphere with his most powerful swings.
The tough shell of the monster hardly slowed the momentum of the crashing slam he had brought down before the fanged mandibles could snap shut. A streak of mana accentuated the path toward the earth, conveniently highlighting his actions for those who were too slow to accurately observe. Coop imagined that the weight of the mace was further fortified by the weight of the abyss, watching as dark ribbons streamed behind the weapon before he reloaded for more thumping attacks.
Sweat dripped from the Champion’s brow as he jerked the ponderous weapon back out of the shallow crater and shifted his attention to the nearest party of Elite Primal Constructs. They rushed his flank with reckless abandon, seeking to capitalize on the death of a boss monster, praying that it had at least been enough to distract their target.
Coop had been making smooth progress through the final army of the invaders, steadily moving across the control points representing Shinjuku Gardens on the surface with practiced ease, almost like he was savoring the last meal of experience he would have in the Underlayer Event. He whirled on the aggressors, already aware of their movements, predicting their actions after developing such a familiarity with the Primal Constructs that he didn’t even need Presence of Mind to understand their intentions.
Combat with the manifestations of alien invaders was a straightforward challenge, one that Coop willingly embraced as yet another grind. If only everything in life was so simple. He had been introduced to more than half a dozen societies as he circumnavigated the globe, and he didn’t even want to start thinking about the many differences they would need to address or the disagreements that would have to be overcome.
Instead, he just wanted to focus on what he saw as a common denominator to their problems: the Primal Constructs. They weren’t so much of a problem for him and his friends, but they were the catalyst for the population dynamics across the globe. The first step in getting everyone on the same page was to rise above the alien invaders. At least, he thought so, recognizing that it was almost certainly a drastic oversimplification of a complicated apocalyptic scenario. Hopefully, someone else could iron out the details on his behalf.
Coop grunted as he prepared another strike, concentrating on utilizing all of his Strength, engaging his entire body as he moved. In order to compensate for the necessarily slower attacks, he was intent on transforming every collision into a moment of absolute disruption. Each individual swing impacted entire groups of enemies, directly and indirectly, like a giant fist slamming a plate-filled table. All of the dishware was rattled even if they avoided being shattered.
The end of the event was within reach, and Coop was making the most of the last batch of monsters, flexing the central core of his stats in Strength, Body, and Mind. The final battle had become a celebration of his uppermost advantages as a way to compensate for the mental baggage that had piled on.
Coop blasted the entire party of constructs with a single crunching slam, then repeated the motion of lifting his mace out of the dirt, while turning to another assault. He could sense that it was the end - the time to sprint for the finish line at the end of a marathon.
As the conclusion approached, time slowed and Coop embraced Inheritance of the Mists, not bothering to specify a single attack to empower. He intended to keep this last possession going until he completed the task of destroying the rest of the Primal Constructs.
Regardless of the settlement on the surface and the people who had control, defeating the Primal Constructs was the one burden he was happy to bear. Coop would see it through. He wouldn’t be discouraged by exhaustion, frustration, or politics.