Chapter 274
The dimension tore open, and Lucious stepped through it.
When the rift snapped shut behind him, the oppressive, crushing red sky shattered like thin glass. Natural sunlight flooded back into the ruined courtyard of Stormbreak. The suffocating weight of the fifty-percent stat penalty vanished instantly.
Rudra exhaled a long, shaky breath and planted the butt of Extortion into the dirt to keep himself upright. The second the Devil Monarch left the territory, the terrifying 50% stat penalty vanished entirely. And with it the penalty for the healing effects and resource regeneration also stopped.
Rudra’s [Regeneration] stat sat well over two thousand. Combined with the passive effects of his [Curse of the Troll King] and [Starfish King Slayer] titles, his health and mana bars began to refill in real-time.
And as soon as his Mana increased over the amount required for the spell, he immediately triggered the spell he had learnt from Mumud quite some time ago.
“[Mumud's Spell Drain].”
The lingering, chaotic ambient mana left behind in the courtyard rushed toward Rudra, sinking into his black coat. The drained energy rapidly converted, maxing out his depleted stamina and mana pools.
A blue system window chimed in his peripheral vision.
[You have acquired the title 'One Who Entertained an Absolute'.]
[One Who Entertained an Absolute]
[ - Beings of Transcendent rank or higher who encounter you for the first time have a significantly reduced chance of immediate hostility, and an increased chance of choosing to observe or test you rather than attack outright.
- Charm +200, Dignity +200, Composure +200.
- Resistance to status effects and stat-suppression auras when encountering beings of Absolute rank in the future.]
Rudra swiped the prompt away without reading the details. He didn't care about titles right now.
With his resources restored, Rudra raised his left hand. The skill his [Rune of Analysis] had analyzed from Pope Drevigo glowed warmly.
"[Saint's Breath]," Rudra cast.
A wave of brilliant, warm light erupted from his palm and washed over the ruined courtyard. Rudra felt his own fractured ribs snap back into place, restoring eighty percent of his maximum health. The light washed over Piaro, Mumud, the Beastmen, and the Knights, instantly restoring fifty percent of their health bars.
The golden wave didn't stop there. It expanded outward, enveloping the four strangers from the Tower of Wisdom.
Ken let out a sharp grunt. The sickening angle of his shattered right arm snapped straight. The bones knit themselves back together instantly under the massive burst of divine energy.
Ken rolled his shoulders, his eyes widening in genuine surprise. He clenched his newly healed fist. "Ho. That is quite a good healing effect. Are you a high priest on top of being a combat-oriented legend?"
Biban rested his giant sword on his shoulder, completely healed of the minor scrapes he had taken during the clash. "A Staff Saint who drops ultimate healing spells. I'm telling you, Ken, this generation is a complete mess."
The bleeding stopped. For a single second, the courtyard looked stable.
Then, the wounds on the NPCs began to smoke. The Devil Monarch's residual energy actively fought the system's healing. Abellio immediately stepped forward to paint the stasis field, locking them down before the corrupted energy could eat through Piaro's new flesh.
Piaro grunted, dropping to one knee. He was still fully conscious, gripping his hand plow tightly, but the newly healed flesh on his severed right shoulder began to blister and corrode. Beside him, Elysia and Elara—who were covered in deep cuts and masonry dust—winced as their health bars began ticking down again.
The Devil Monarch's attacks weren't just physical. They had left a concentrated residue of divine energy and demonic force buried in their tissues. The conflicting energies were actively eating the newly healed flesh.
Rudra didn't suffer this side-effect. His [Harbinger of Divine and Demon] title recognized the opposing forces and simply neutralized them on contact. But his allies didn't have that immunity.
"Abellio," Jessica called out sharply. "Lock them down."
The painter didn't waste a second. Abellio stepped toward the clustered bodies. He drew his large brush and painted a massive, glowing canvas directly onto the empty air. Ultramarine paint cascaded down, washing over the dying NPCs like a gentle wave.
It didn't heal them but rather acted as a strict stasis field. The paint froze their terrible injuries exactly as they were, completely halting the health drain and pausing their death timers.
Rudra leaned on his staff, his red eyes darting between the four strangers.
During the fight, they had mentioned the title Pioneer. They had even mentioned Kraugel, the previous holder. There was a hint regarding an organisation that the Pioneer had access to according to the [Pioneer] title.
These were the members of the Tower of Wisdom.
Biban walked over to the stasis field, resting his giant sword on his shoulder. He stared down at Piaro. The farmer looked exhausted, but his eyes were sharp and awake, tracking the swordsman's every movement.
"I don't understand this at all," Biban complained loudly, gesturing at Piaro. "Why is a Sword Saint holding farming equipment? And how did he just interfere in a fight at that level?"
Biban scratched his head, genuinely baffled. "He's barely a Legend, yet that Space Sword and Heart Sword he just swung crossed directly into the realm of Transc—"
Jessica moved instantly. She slapped her hand over Biban's mouth, cutting him off mid-sentence.
"You talk entirely too much," Jessica hissed, her eyes darting around to make sure no one else had heard the leaked information about Transcendence.
Biban mumbled something defensively against her palm.
Jessica sighed and turned to look at Rudra. She studied his black coat, the legendary staff, and the lingering energy of his skills.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Pioneer Rudra," Jessica stated. It wasn't a question.
Biban's eyes went wide. He pulled Jessica's hand away from his mouth and stared at Rudra in disbelief. "Wait. Pioneer Rudra? He is the Pioneer?"
Ken let out a short laugh. "You could have introduced yourself before we started throwing punches."
"I was a bit preoccupied," Rudra said tiredly.
Abellio stepped up next to Jessica. He offered a polite, formal bow. "Your intervention was helpful. Once you have managed the aftermath of this disaster, you should visit the Tower. We have much to discuss. Though I ask of you to keep the existence of us and the Tower a secret from the public"
"Noted, I'll keep that in mind," Rudra nodded.
Before opening the portal, Jessica turned her head. Her gaze lingered on Mumud. The Magic Saint was sitting on a broken bench, awake but incredibly drained from his instant resurrection for the first time in a suppressed environment. He was actively weaving threads of willpower through his own ribs to stabilize his mana core.
Jessica narrowed her eyes. The sheer density and structure of his magic reminded her vividly of the strongest beings to ever exist, the Dragons. She didn't say anything, but the observation clearly unsettled her.
With a wave of her staff, the portal opened. The four Tower members stepped through, and the rift vanished.
"My Liege!"
Neria sprinted into the courtyard, her hands glowing with pure, blue water magic. The Half-Siren priest dropped to her knees beside Garrick. She pushed her healing magic into the Panther Chieftain’s severed arm.
The water hissed into steam and evaporated instantly.
"The water is not able to fully heal them," Neria said, her voice tight with panic.
Elysia and Elara walked over, heavily favoring their injured legs. They looked at the corrupted wounds and shook their heads.
Elysia reported grimly. "Our highest-tier potions simply evaporate on contact with that residue. Only Neria has true healing magic, and it isn't potent enough to breach the unknown beings’ energy."
Rudra looked at the black, corrupted edges of the cuts. Normal magic wouldn't work.
He opened his Deep Sage interface and pulled up [Knowledge Creation].