The Systemic Lands

Chapter XXIV – Day 353 – Battle With Uday

The dark skinned people grinding outside the city had fled at my approach. While tempting to try and capture them, I needed my complete focus for the fight to come.

The city walls were in sight was an older man with dark skin and pure white robe, and a staff came out of the city gate. He had was bald, but his eyebrows were white. I noted they had towers and defenses. Time to get his measure first, while I arranged for a massive alpha strike. For this could be none other than Uday.

“So, what has this old man and the East Bastion done to earn a visit. I have not heard of any movement from the West for a long time,” his voice had a thick accent, making it challenging to understand.

“I am the Ritualist. And the Astrologer asked me to pay a visit,” I said curious to see what his reaction would be to that name. Uday closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. His shoulders even slumped a bit.

“We submitted and bent the knee to the Astrologer and his team of Valkyries. Even paying tribute. Then when no more was heard after the calamity, we respected the boundaries he had set in place and never intruded. Yet now you come at his behest, what did he want?” Uday asked. The calamity, it was clearly a major event and probably what took out the Astrologer in some way, based on what he had said.

“He says a danger stirs in the West,” I said hoping to draw out more information. The old man took a step back.

“I will not dare think of her. For even in this remote corner of our world, I know of her power, her cruelty, her malice, and her will to dominate all under her gaze. I will not aid the Astrologer against this threat. For death is preferable,” Uday said. I frowned at that. The Astrologer wanted me to kill this man, not get his aid. This made no sense. Still, I sensed an opportunity. If it didn’t work, I would just kill this man regardless.

“The Astrologer wanted your help, against one of her minions. A man that goes by the name of Michael, who is already pushing East, conquering all the cities before him. The Astrologer couldn’t be spared from his current tasks and wanted me to gather help to fight this threat,” I said, waiting to see if this lie would take hold.

“The Astrologer may be mighty, but he disrespects me by not sending a Valkyrie at the very least. After the calamity, I did not even think he was still alive, but it appears he is. Or perhaps you are just using his name. You, who dabble in such disgusting things. Has he really fallen so low to take the path of the devil? A man who will not even speak to me face to face is no man to stand in front of Uday!” Uday said with conviction, his hand tightening around his staff.

I grit my teeth at his words. He was a dead man. After the constant disrespect from the Astrologer, I would suffer snide words no more. My werecats acted, targeting Uday with their mental attacks. My were-elephants leapt forwards bringing their clubs to crush him. My were-dervishes spun up into the air, ready to act.

“Mental Refraction!” Uday cried out a glow surrounded him for a second before disappearing. All my monsters stumbled as I lost focus. One of the werecats collapsed and I cut the tether as I felt it begin to have some sort of seizure. He moved forward and slammed his staff down on one of my were-elephant’s head. It exploded, blood and viscera moving outwards in a wave. Nothing was left of the head, I winced at the pain.

But pain was my old friend. I had dealt with far worse and triumphed. I had this Uday’s measure now. It was time to finish him off.

My were-sword dervishes swooped in. He deflected four attacks with his staff in two seconds, sending my monsters spinning away, their blades bent. One of my were-elephants slammed a club into his side. “Ahhh!” Uday let out a shout as he went tumbling across the ground. I had one werecat use a mental attack.

“Mental Refraction.” I cut the skill as soon as he began to speak. My two remaining were-elephants that were free to move leapt at him. He slapped a hand on the ground and went up into the air. He swung his staff out and burst apart another head of a were-elephant with ease. A werecat unleashed another mental attack at Uday.

“Mental Refraction.” I cut off the mental skill right away. My were-sword dervishes swooped in once more. He managed to knock away three of them, but the last one drew a gash across his left arm. I hit him with another mental attack from a werecat.

“Mental Refraction.” He used his skill again. I had my were-elephant move in once more. Uday moved to smash apart its head with his staff. I let the attack happen, but I had moved in wolves with slimes on their heads around him. The four blue slimes leapt off. Despite their low level, they were dangerous when used in a combination attack.

I had gotten my timing down perfectly. The moment he smashed my were-elephants head. I unleashed another mental attack, and the slimes were about to land on him. “Mental Refraction!” The mental attack was stopped, the were-elephant lost its head and died. But the blue slimes landed on his head, engulfing it.

He collapsed to his knees while I reveled in the pleasure of feeling my summons melting the flesh off his face. “AH!” Uday let out a shout blowing the front portion of the blue slimes off his face with just his voice. More mental attacks came from the weredeer and the werecats all at once.

The were-sword dervishes swooped in and impaled him. The blades only sank in a couple of inches. “I am Uday!” The man shouted, and rose to his feet. The flesh of his head was heavily melted, blood pouring down. His eyes were no more, but sockets that were leaking fluid and blood. That only slowed him down slightly. He kicked off the ground and sailed through the air.

The slimes couldn’t hold on at his speed and fell off. The were-sword dervishes, ripped deeper gashes into the man as he leapt away. Despite the blood loss and massive injuries, even the mental attacks didn’t stop him. He was heading for my body! I had the were-elephant carrying me leap up and away.

Uday landed on the ground and tilted his bloody head slightly. He kicked off the ground right for me in the air. I couldn’t maneuver in the air! And there were no monsters to intercept him. His staff stretched outwards and with a single thrust my were-elephants head exploded. My monster began to tumble to the ground, with me still attached to its back.

I had prepared an escape plan in case I ever ran into Michael again and now I would use it on Uday. An unstoppable force of will and a desire to see me dead. That was nothing new. I had a wereslime with me and I had already deposited the large amount of blood powder into it. While not a weapon of mass destruction, it was still a powerful attack, and I was immune to it.

The were slime exploded, the blue acidic slime engulfing everything around us in the air. I would lose the cart and all of my supplies, but it would force Uday back. The man’s entire body was engulfed and forced back as the force of the expanding slime pushed him away from me.

We hit the ground, thankfully the decapitated were-elephant didn’t crush me as I tumbled along the ground. My Body stat holding up. The limited consumption I had used myself, coming in quite handy. My low level hybrids and summons swarmed Uday. He let out one last pitiful moan as his body and flesh melted before he was ripped to shreds. I made sure his head and brain were both crushed into paste. I got to my feet naked and dripping with blue slime.

I had won. But that had been an insanely hard fight. I looked at a crowd of people who decided to charge at me. My werecats and sword dervishes made quick work of them, leaving behind a field of carnage. The only real threat had been Uday. The rest were worthless.

I had two of my werewolves pick me up and carry me towards the city with the rest of my summons. My sword dervishes quickly swept the top of the wall of any opposition while my werecats used mental attacks to target anyone that looked to be putting up any kind of resistance. I was about to step into the city when a bright white dome surrounded it.

My sword dervish hybrids inside were cut off and I saw them go feral, with my tether cut off. My monsters poked the shield, but it was unyielding. Various attacks did nothing to it. There was probably a timer. No matter, I would more than happily wait them out. Once the shield fell, they would be no more.

Still, the fact that the shield cut the tethers was concerning. Uday had been too overconfident. If he had lured me inside of the city or split my forces he could have won. But he underestimated me and that was his downfall. Now Uday was dead, and this city shield was quite an interesting defense. I had no doubt that Michael would try to use this on me, but just as he learned from me, I could learn as well.

One of my werewolves brought over Uday’s staff. The moment I held it, my eyes went wide. An enchanted item. Three level 4 enchantments, passive force enchantments. That was how Uday was able to explode the heads of my were-elephants.

A clever trick and a useful item to equip my future level 4 hybrid with. It had been a shame I had to kill Uday, but there was no other option. The man just refused to quit or be pinned down. I smiled at the thought of the same thing happening to Champion Michael.

His time was coming. With the power of consumption, I could rapidly replenish my ranks of level 3 hybrids and even combine them. I had so many experiments and combinations that I could think of and the surrounding zones were filled with monsters Champion Michael had never even seen. Surprise was its own weapon.

There was also a convenient city, right here with lots of test subjects. I would build up the grandest army, with a level 4 monster at the front. With that force, I would sweep across the Systemic Lands, nothing to stop me. I would use my original plan of traveling from city to city, gathering up test subjects and expanding my army.

The Astrologer was wrong about me, and he would pay the price. Summoning and hybridization was the path forward. The best path.