True Damage

HELEN'S POV

Bali's wide-eyed expression would now forever remain emblazoned on his face.

I ignored the notification as I followed the trail of black ichor back to the position where I had successfully taken his head.

I shivered as I remembered the look of pure malice he had when he realized I had fooled him big time. I sat lotus style while I reviewed everything once more.

From the moment I had baited him into taking to the air. Showing him what I could do with the earth made him try going aerial in his battles. An advantage for me because I realized his prowess with the Beyonder perk was limited to the ground.

While fast in the air he was not scarily fast as he was on the ground. With him already thinking I was too scared or bad with using my wings he was left with the assumption and belief that he superseded in that avenue as well.

If not he wouldn't have clashed straight forward as he did.

Mellifluent had aided me in dousing him and quenching the devil's fire on his wings and a sharp blast from my feet with embers of the flame had helped my wings redirect my trajectory.

Without the opposing force of the silver flame on his wings. The Unborn's Gift had a field day slicing off his right wing.

The next events had been purely a last-minute spur to capitalize on the advantage of his being off balance in the air. The strain on him due to mellifluent dampening his body made it hard for him to activate his devil's fire and reforge liquid silver. It made taking him down even easier.

Activating Titan's Step had brought out the sharp silhouette of a colossal existence. Too quick to notice. The effect luckily had stayed just as I desired. Carrying the force with me whilst flooding more divinity into the sword I caught Bali with his pants down. His lack of Devil's fire due to his damp skin didn't help matters for the God slayer.

The sensation of skin tearing apart, flesh rending, and muscle splitting was still fresh in my mind, the pain in his expression hard to deny. His shock and then rage quickly appeared.

Yet I had been faster.

I shivered at the feeling of bone shattering and flesh parting as my left hand mowed through his neck as Daemon's First activated to aid me in sweeping his head off his neck with a clean decapitation.

Gruesome.

His shock and emotions having stunned him even more than my sword through his chest had bought me this opportunity.

Just like in the battle with the elf, I sat for a moment resting my still racing mind and heart still not believing I didn't get respawned.

I stood and walked away from his corpse. First I headed around from one deviling's corpse to the other looting. Good thing this room was small. Each deviling gained me an ugly black core the system registered as Netherite. By the time I was done scavenging, I had earned myself 34 of them.

Back to the dead devil I looted another piece of Netherite ore. This one much bigger than the others. The deviling Netherite was big enough to let my thumb and forefinger meet around it. Bali's ore was the size of a fist.

Across the pond, a flight of stairs left the ground to the top of a platform. I moved up the crude stone stairs made with no artistry to them. On the platform was a familiar pillar behind a stone throne where I suspected Bali had been seated whilst I fought the devilings.

On top of the pillar which came to my waist sat the checkpoint orb. Releasing a sigh of relief I decided to access my gains before heading to the next lair.

Seated on the Devil's throne I made for an impressive sight. Spotting that Bali's corpse was just close enough I quickly reactivated my stream. Making the bird take the full view of me atop the throne and then making sure it covered the area with a bit of a pause on Bali's corpse before I brought the bird back to me.

"So much for the Devil" I commented with the bird flapping in front of me then ended the stream.

'There's no point in keeping secrets of the game anymore. Only fools would not see or understand things from watching various streams. No matter how the company was making sure to hide it.

'Fortunately, I didn't sign any NDA.'

I pulled up my notifications and scrolled through them.

[Mellifluent]

[+12% Comprehesion]

[You have slain Lv5 Deviling]

[+ 500exp]

[+10MVC]

[You have slain Lv3 Deviling]

[+300exp]

[+10MVC]

[You have slain Lv4 Deviling]

[+400exp]

[+10MVC]

[You have slain Lv7 Deviling]

[+700exp]

[+10MVC]

[You have slain Deviling x30]

[+12400exp]

[+300MVC]

[You have leveled up ] x4

[Earthen Forge]

[+ 5% Conprehension]

[Earthen Grace]

[+5% Comprehension]

[Divine Purity]

[+7% Comprehension]

[You have Defeated Auzule Bali]

[+3500exp]

[+1000MVC]

[You have leveled up] x2

[Swordmanship leveled up] x4

[Archery leveled up]

[Golem Armor leveled up ]x3

[Evade leveled up]x5

"I didn't get to level up my Aura. Probably a good thing though since I doubt I would have managed to kill him if he had increased his aura even more than what he had used. " I shook my head before continuing. Then I realized that I leveled up after killing the devilings yet was still too weak to fight a level 35 Devil.

"Damn the home-ground advantage" I cursed. Bringing up my template I whistled appreciatively.

NAME - Hildelith Fearghal - Warrior One, Of Fire and Brimstone

TITLES - One of the Speakers, Ender of the Beginning.

FEAT - Creation's Witness, Motivated.

RACE - Nothing >>

BEING - Creator 79

LEVEL - 30(844/3000)

HEALTH - 41/41(410/410)

STATS

Str - 330 + (50)

Agi - 465 + (30)

End - 410

Mind - 416(422.2)+ (20)

Will - 395(402) + (20)

HIDDEN STAT

Perc - 20

Def - 10

Soul - 10

UNALLOCATED STAT POINTS: 35

SHARDS

1909(Minor)

131(Lesser)

56(Small)

1(High)

1(Higher)

1 (Greater)

CORE

One-Spark

SKILL

Eyes of the Unseen (INNATE)++

Meddler of Fate(INNATE)+

Soul Dao (PASSIVE)

Swordsmanship Lv9 - (7/450)+

Archery Lv8 - (18/400)+

Evade Lv 24 - (241/1150)+

Dagger Lv10 - (43/500)+

Aura Lv8 - (56/400)+

Daemon Fist Lv3 - (137/150)+

Golem Armor(ACTIVE) Lv5 - (0/250)

Kill Slot(PASSIVE) Lv5 - (198/250)+

INSIGHTS

Divine Purity - (+ 25%)

Earthen Grace - (+ 20%) + (+ 2% sp)

Earthen Forge - (+18%)(+ 2% sp)

Embers of the Flame

Titan's Step

DOME RUNE - Source Eternal (+10%)- (Mellifleunce +20% +5%) (Eternal Frost +5%) ( Unbound Mists +5%)

It was always strange how I didn't feel level-ups. No refreshing or healing of wounds. It was aggravating. Well, I did have divine purity.

My eye twitched at the low defense I had from the armor. Hopefully, they managed to restore or even upgrade my Vulcan's Prize. The 20-to defense was something to have. I equipped the cloak of the one to gain the extra 10 to my defense.

Having my Health looking like this.

HEALTH - 41/41(820/820)

It was fortunate that Bali had struck less than normal. If not I was certain of losing yet another armor.

The next thing I noted was the 20 to perception. I was certain it had been a ten before. Even more confusing was eyes of the unseen with an additional plus sign next to it.

I sighed before quickly looking over my insights. Frowned at the two with no visible improvements and smiled at the rest.

'In due time'.

Next was the mission rewards.

[MISSION]

[An Old Feud]

The gods have been slighted one too many times. Put the Devil in its place. Show the might of the divine.

[Rewards] - [Unascertsined]

[Failure] - [Loss of five levels.

Devil kill mark. Gain negative title - The Sullied ]

[REWARDS GRANTED]

[+2Levels ]

[Title - Unsullied]

[+5 to End]

[+6 to Agi]

[1000MVC]

[Boon of the Son of Ozdane] - [Silver reflection]

[Unsullied]

Bringing pride to the creator gods and showing the Devil his place. Those who see you shall know you endured the corrupting of both body and person yet stayed unsullied. You gain +15% sp in Divine purity mastery. Mike Resistance to Nether Corruption]

[Devil Boon - Silver Reflection, ]

[••••°]

Devil's mirror. Create a copy of anything or anyone with 15% of the power or value of the original. Limited to beings below the ∆•¶∆•°•. When used on self in battle a distraction is made to hide the original and copy.

[Duration - 30 mins] [Cooldown - 1 hour]

I was more interested in the Devil's boon as now I had a partner to help me fight. Hopefully, it would be more useful the stronger I got.

Exiting my template I rose from the throne, sword in hand trudging over to the pillar with the checkpoint orb. My will grazed it activating the prompt.

[CHECKPOINT]

[Proceed to Next floor]

[Leave dungeon]

Tapping my choice, light escaped the orb filling the space around me till there was nothing but it in sight. Then the light was gone.

I stood at the edge of a cliff this time. Behind me was a drop that showed a large area of black smog covering the air and extending far beyond sight. Flashes of purple lightning frequently showed up in the smog.

"Hopefully not that way".

Looking up front I saw leaving the cliff led into a forest.

The first thing I noted about it was how normal it all looked. The trees were normal oak trees. The soil was normal. Everything was like something that came from outside the game.

"Weird but not disliked." I did expect an eldritch scene or something.

Walking I crossed the distance and arrived inside the forest. The ground rumbled and the trees swayed. Alert I watched as the cliff I just left crumbled and broke falling into the smog below. Stopping right up till where I stood.

GULP

[You have entered the Ring of Shinoc]

******

A roar reverberated through the shadowy mist realm. Shockwaves spread about reducing everything to ash as the force of the roar damaged the area.

The mist that had cleared flowed back trying to conceal the large Dracula-looking tower from which the roar escaped.

Various forms scurried about after the loud cry of the voice. Most of them hid while only a few hurried to the source of the outcry.

The door to a room was flung open by a Deviless. Her red skin was exposed for all to see, mammary glands swaying with her rush. Clothes were obviously not a thing she understood. Others equally half clothed or not clothed at all strode into the room.

The Deviless hurried over to a bed where a Devil lay. If Helen were here she would see it as the same Devil whom she just slew in the Harbinger lair.

The Deviless snarled as she noted the blood seeping from the devil's chest. The screaming devil had his four eyes open and muttering a name over and over.

As the deviless and the several devils and other species that looked nothing like devils scurried around to treat the injury, a mad smile stretched on the being's cheeks.

"Bali. Who did this? How? Say so I may..."

A look from the devil had the Deviless shutting up.

Bali went back to muttering the name over and over again. A hint of madness was evident in his gaze.

"Template".

Bali was aggrieved with using this means. But it was either get used to it or grow weak. Something he refused to do.

Strength was needed to rectify the mistakes of millennials passed. Now strength would be needed to slay a certain female. As such he knew he had to still swallow his distaste. Besides this was the only good way to get a proper explanation of what exactly happened. He knew, but not all of it.

His eyes twinkled as the battle log appeared.

[True Damage sustained]

Your soul has been damaged. All status debuffs gotten fur to this damage will be felt even by the main body.

[Status Effect - Soul Crack]

Your soul has sustained damage from a star strike.

[You activated Lie affinity - A False truth]

Sacrifice a low-level fragment to take true death for you. Loss of total fragment levels.

Loss of total fragments stats.

Bali chuckled. He was enraged and felt slighted, yet he knew he was pleased. Pleased that the goddess was strong. After all, no ordinary goddess could perform a Star strike on a being of his level. Given the skill was weak as a true star strike would have obliterated him from existence.

" Hahahahahahaha!"

Bali devolved into a mad laugh, black blood seeping from his wounds even more.

"Stat still Bali " the Deviless urged glaring at her older brother.

"Hildelith" he whispered as he chuckled. His eyes shut letting the Devils treat the wound that should have healed on its own had it not been a Star strike.

Bali's mind went to a dreamscape where he battled to his heart-made content. Each of the fights with the same golden-haired trickster of a goddess.

Bali was unbothered. The void was smaller than one would think. Sooner or later he would find his new conquest. Hilde would fall by his hand and only then would he truly be a God Killer. Just like his father. Just like Ozdane the Sixth.