Chapter 325: Inquisitor, The Second Moonscorched Commander
Chapter 325: Inquisitor, The Second Moonscorched Commander
The air around the group crackled with tension as Stark, Sora, Shock, and Artist stood in the eerie street of Termina, facing the Moonscorched Inquisitor.
Its blackened robes fluttered with the unearthly energy that radiated from it, a bell in its single remaining hand.
Stark kept his gaze steady, watching the other participants closely.
The Inquisitor was a real threat, but the greater danger now lay in the ones standing beside him.
"Guess it's finally time to put on a show," Shock muttered, electricity flickering around his body like a second skin.
His eyes darted between the Inquisitor and Stark, the grin on his face widening.
Artist, as usual, remained eerily silent, his gaze lost in the void as if his mind was consumed by something else entirely.
His paintbrushes, which seemed to materialize out of thin air, floated lazily by his side, dripping with vibrant, shifting colors.
Sora said nothing, her vines subtly twitching, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
Her eyes remained locked on the Inquisitor, but Stark knew she was just as aware of the others as he was.
It was Shock who spoke first. "Look, we all know we want the reward. But that thing's no joke." He pointed at the Inquisitor. "How about we form a temporary alliance? Just long enough to wipe out that thing."
"Temporary alliance, huh?" Stark said, his tone flat.
His eyes flickered to Artist, who still hadn't spoken.
Sora remained silent as well, but she gave a small nod, acknowledging the necessity of teamwork.
At least, for now.
Before they could finalize any agreement, the Inquisitor's bell rang—a sharp, haunting sound that cut through the air like a blade.
The street trembled, and from the shadows, five grotesque, three-headed beasts materialized, their monstrous forms twisting and writhing with malice.
[Three-Headed Beast - Level 550]
The same monsters he and Sora struggled against.
The monsters were vicious, relentless, but they weren't his immediate concern.
He needed to know who he was fighting alongside—or more accurately, against.
He turned his gaze toward the others then used [Perception].
The first one he used was against Sora since he hadn't done that since a while back.
...
[Name: Sora]
[Level: 109]
[Class: Domination; Plant Princess]
[HP: 153,000]
[Strength: 18,728]
[Stamina: 17,201]
[Speed: 16,472]
[Defense: 15,983]
[Skills: Domination, Flower Analysis, Radiance, Elements of Nature, Vine Surge, Pollen Bombs, The Flaming Rose, Regenerative Drop, Nature Distortion, Flower Barrier, The White Jade (Mythical), Evergreen Resilience, Petrification, Vine Barrier, Vine Smash, Carnivorous Plant, The Flower of Hope (Godly), Flora-Guns (Mythical), The Birth of a Star (Godly), Vine Transformation (Godly)...]
...
He already knew Sora's capabilities, but it was good to have a reminder.
Then, his eyes shifted to Shock, and his [Perception] skill activated once more.
...
[Name: Shock]
[Level: 127]
[Class: Domination; Electric Overlord]
[HP: 205,000]
[Strength: 20,742]
[Stamina: 19,991]
[Speed: 22,183]
[Defense: 17,632]
[Skills: Domination; Thunderclap, Lightning Flash, Electric Surge, Stormcaller (Mythical), Thunder Prison, Overload, Shockwave (Godly), Static Discharge, Arc Lightning, Volt Burst, Thunder Crash, Chain Lightning, Thunder Blitz, Lightning Blade, Electrocution, Surge Barrier, Ion Pulse (Mythical), Electromagnetic Field (Godly)...]
...
Shock was even more dangerous than Sora in sheer offensive power.
That much was clear.
Finally, Stark focused on Artist, who was still standing silently, his brushes dripping colors into the air.
...
[Name: Artist]
[Level: 130]
[Class: Master of Colors]
[HP: 189,000]
[Strength: 19,582]
[Stamina: 18,937]
[Speed: 18,745]
[Defense: 16,981]
[Skills: Brush of Life (Godly), Palette Shield, Canvas Creation, Color Infusion, Stroke of Genius, Masterpiece Summon, Spectrum Slash, Oil Wave, Canvas Barrier, Portrait of Power, Ink Torrent (Mythical), Watercolor Burst, Chromatic Storm, Paint Strike, Vivid Imagination (Godly), Brush Barrage, Pigment Veil, Artful Dodge, Splatter Explosion (Mythical), Abstract Detonation (Godly)...]
...
Artist, as bizarre as he was, had incredible potential to wreak havoc with his arsenal of artistic skills.
As they said before, each of them could rival Stark in terms of power and skills.
If it wasn't for [Heaven's Spear] being so overpowered, surely it would have been bad for him.
Suddenly, the Inquisitor's bell rang again, snapping Stark out of his thoughts.
The five three-headed beasts lunged forward, charging with terrifying speed.
Stark tightened his grip, and just as Shock moved to engage, a panel appeared in front of all of them.
[Only the person who deals the final blow will have their tasks marked as completed.]
For a moment, there was silence.
The implications hit everyone at once. Shock's smirk widened.
"Well, guess that alliance didn't last long," he said, lightning sparking violently around him. "Everyone's on their own."
"Agreed," Stark muttered.
His hand crackled with crimson energy as he summoned [Crimson Spears], aiming them directly at the oncoming beasts.
They weren't going to cooperate, but the bigger threat still loomed ahead.
...
[Name: Inquisitor, Moonscorched Inquisitor]
[Level: 560]
[HP: 4,800,000]
[Strength: 2738]
[Stamina: 39382]
[Speed: 2391]
[Defense: 27837]
[Skills: Bell of the Abyss, Curse of Unraveling, Echoes of Despair, Lunar Shroud, The Ultimate Summon (GOLDY)...]
...
Sora unleashed a barrage of vines, lashing out at the nearest beast, while Artist, with a flourish of his brush, painted swirling colors in the air that formed into a massive barrier.
The beasts slammed into it, but the barrier held.
Stark wasted no time, throwing one of his [Crimson Balls] into the air and snapping his fingers.
In an instant, he teleported behind one of the beasts, driving a [Crimson Spear] into its back.
-312,942
The creature howled, but its regeneration kicked in immediately.
'Damn, they regenerate just like the last one,' Stark knew they couldn't waste time on these things—they had to focus on the Inquisitor.
But Shock had other plans.
With a wild grin, Shock summoned a bolt of lightning from the sky, striking the beast Stark had attacked.
-656,482
The damage was insane.
"Thanks for softening it up for me," Shock sneered as the beast collapsed.
Stark gritted his teeth. "Focus on the Inquisitor!" he barked, but Shock was too engrossed in stealing kills to listen.
Sora, meanwhile, unleashed her [Pollen Bombs], summoning a few pollens in her hand, then blowing them with her mouth, hitting nearby monsters.
-474,390! -501,238!
Artist remained oddly distant, his brush strokes growing more frantic.
Stark noticed that his abilities were subtly shifting the battlefield—colors bled into reality, warping the space around them.
The beasts would step forward only to be thrown off balance by what looked like nothing more than a splatter of paint.
But the Inquisitor wasn't idle.
Its bell rang out again, and with it came a wave of curses. Enjoy exclusive chapters from ???
Stark felt a cold shiver run through his body as the curses took hold.
[Cursed: Attack Power Reduced by 20%]
[Cursed: Movement Speed Reduced by 10%]
"Great," Stark muttered, his strength sapped by the curse.
The Inquisitor let out a hollow laugh, but before it could ring the bell again, Stark summoned his [Spear of Judgment] and launched it directly at the cursed figure.
The spear tore through the air, but the Inquisitor's bell rang once more, and the beasts surged forward, taking the blows meant for their master.
-1,193,928!
It killed three of them, but at least the inquisitor wasn't hit.
"Damn it!" Stark cursed, but he wasn't done yet.
He activated [Aura Smash], summoning five crimson fists that launched in rapid succession at the Inquisitor.
-145,892
-153,731
-149,321
The Inquisitor staggered but didn't fall.
It retaliated, swinging its bell in a wide arc that unleashed a wave of dark energy.
Sora barely dodged it, and Artist erected a shimmering canvas barrier just in time.
Shock wasn't as lucky.
He took the hit head-on.
[You have been moonscorched.]
But instead of retreating, he smiled. "That all you got?" With a roar, he unleashed [Chain Lightning], his body crackling with raw power as arcs of electricity jumped from him to the surrounding beasts.
-318,294!
-344,281!
-332,180!
The two beasts shrieked in pain, but none of them fell.
Stark, however, had seen enough.
Throwing another [Crimson Ball] into the air, he snapped his fingers and teleported directly behind the Inquisitor.
Without hesitation, he summoned [Asura's Arms] to summon four additional arms.
Crimson energy erupted around him in a violent whirlwind as he smashed ground with all 6 of his arms.
The energy smashed them into the ground, dealing devastating damage.
-789,482!
-823,193!
All creatures were now dead as the others also dealt damage.
The Inquisitor's bell slipped from its hand, clattering to the ground, but it wasn't done yet.
It raised its head, grinning beneath its mask, and slowly reached for the bell again.
"Not today!" Stark roared, summoning his [Crimson Spears] and aiming for the creature's hand.
Just as he was about to land the final blow, the Inquisitor raised the bell one last time, shaking it violently.
"THE ULTIMATE SUMMON!"
The ground trembled, and a massive, horrifying presence began to manifest in the sky above all of them.
"What the..."
"Huh."
Even the participants that were far could see it.
[Summoning Chaugnar...]
The battle was far from over.