Is this really a Game?!

Chapter 1024: Against the Corruption: Reign's Battle for Time

Reign's heart pounded in his chest, the realization hitting him like a hammer. The entity was toying with him, using its overwhelming power to keep him at bay. Aethion and Jared's words echoed in his mind, urging him to just hold out for as long as he could.

'You need to buy time,' Aethion's voice echoed in Reign's head. 'You can't defeat it directly, but you don't need to, this entity is foreign to the world, and unfortunately for it, it has no idea that the Will of the world is one with a consciousness.'

'The system has just recently arrived, and some foreign entities will of course do their best to infiltrate the world and gain some benefits, but if the Will learns of their existence, it will do whatever it can to expel them.'

'You just need to hold out against this bastard, hold out until the Will learns of his existence through you, a seed of hope and a person that the Will has personally taken an interest in, and makes a move.'

Reign nodded his head at Aethion's words while continuing to battle against the entity, well, he was doing his best to survive against it.

He dodged another sweeping strike from the entity, his light barrier barely holding up against the force. He glanced over at his comrades—Wolf, Shadow, and Greenie—engaged in their desperate battle against the monstrous humanoid creatures. They were giving it their all, but the creatures were relentless, their corrupted forms adapting and regenerating faster than they could be destroyed.

"Shadow, Greenie, Wolf, fall back to me!" Reign called out, his voice ringing with authority. "We need to regroup!"

The three fighters exchanged quick glances, understanding the urgency in Reign's voice. They executed a coordinated retreat, each of them covering the others as they moved towards Reign. The humanoid monsters followed their grotesque forms undulating and shifting as they pursued.

'The others will be alright, we just need to hold out here for as long as we can, the situation will resolve itself naturally if we manage to do so.' Reign spoke to the three telepathically, not wishing for the entity to hear what he was saying.

Aethion quickly started talking as well, letting them know what would happen soon, and that they were currently fighting a battle that could not be won.

"What is this, you are finally realizing the disparity between our strengths?" The entity spoke with a mocking tone, its massive body made out of corruption standing tall while it smirked at Reign and the others.

The ground trembled under the weight of the corrupted monstrosity. Reign, Wolf, Shadow, and Greenie stood shoulder to shoulder, facing the entity and its relentless minions. The air was thick with tension, and every breath felt heavy.

"We can't let it overwhelm us," Reign said, his voice steady despite the fatigue gnawing at him. "Remember, we're buying time, that's our mission now."

Wolf, his fiery sword crackling with renewed energy, nodded. "We'll hold the line, no matter what."

Shadow's eyes gleamed with determination. "Let's show this thing what we're made of."

Greenie cracked his knuckles, his hulking form ready for battle as his hammer appeared in one hand. "Bring it on."

The entity, sensing the group's resolve, unleashed a barrage of corruption-fueled attacks. Dark tendrils shot out from its body, seeking to ensnare and crush them. Reign, channeling every ounce of his strength, formed a barrier of light around his team. The tendrils struck the barrier, causing it to shimmer and strain, but it held.

"Stay close!" Reign shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos. "We'll counter together."

The humanoid monsters lunged at them, their grotesque forms twisting and writhing. Wolf met them head-on, his fiery sword cleaving through their corrupted flesh. The flames seared the wounds, slowing their regeneration. Shadow moved with lightning speed, his daggers flashing as he targeted weak points.

Greenie, a tower of strength, pummeled the creatures with his massive fists, each blow sending shockwaves through their bodies before sending them flying back with his hammer that he could now easily use with one arm.

Reign focused on the entity, channeling his light into precise, powerful strikes. He aimed for its core, where the corruption seemed to be densest. The entity countered with swipes of its massive claws, dark energy crackling with each movement.

"You think you can stand against me?" the entity sneered, its voice echoing with malevolence. "Your efforts are futile."

The entity's words were true, even though Reign was still in his Nephilim form and was pretty much at the peak of Tier VI when it came to power, he was unable to inflict any notable damage to the huge body of the entity.

Nothing he did worked, no attack he used was able to wound the enemy and no matter where he attacked, the result was the same.

The body had no weakness that he could exploit, at least none that he was able to notice.

He knew that he couldn't win, and yet, deep inside him, he was hearing a voice that kept telling him to try. A voice that sounded familiar, the same voice he had heard multiple times in the past, back when he lost control over his body.

'You damned bastard, I'm not going to listen to you, so just stay quiet!' Reign shouted inwardly as he continued fighting against the entity. He said he wasn't going to listen and try to defeat the entity, and yet, he was actually doing so.

He was still going to do his best to prolong the battle, but if there was a chance to end the fight early and defeat the entity, he would gladly do so.

"Who is master talking to?" Jared asked with confusion while Aethion sighed before looking back.

"What are you up to now?"

"Nothing, but he seems to think otherwise." The copy of Reign that was present deep inside his consciousness said as he showed itself.

"Oh, so master was talking to you," Jared said with a nod while the copy sighed and shook his head.

"No?" Jared asked with slight confusion as Reign once again spoke inwardly, again telling somebody to shut up.

"Oh, I see." Jared suddenly nodded his head before looking back at the copy.

"You are not going to speak to him?"

"No, there is no real need to do so." The copy said as he stared ahead, looking at the battle taking place between Reign and the entity.

"I just hope he doesn't do something drastic, there is no need for him to risk his life today, a minute or two more, and Cyrus will definitely arrive."

Aethion nodded his head, completely agreeing with the copy, but being unable to tell Reign any of it. It was, after all, the copy that had created the soul contract that bound him to Reign, a contract that even he at his peak wouldn't be able to replicate or go against thanks to how well it was made.

Aethion was certain the reason the copy was capable of creating and forcing one to sign such a contract was thanks to the memories a Nephilim would get, the copy was experiencing everything Reign experienced after all, not to mention the fact that there seemed to be more than meets the eye when talking about this copy specifically.

"Tch, he shouldn't have done that." The copy suddenly said as Aethion focused back on the battle and widened his eyes.

Reign had arrived near the center of the corrupted entity, he had actually managed to pierce through it for the first time and get close to the main body, but he was unable to move closer to it.

'You idiot, I already told you that you can't defeat him, he let you in on purpose, get out of there!' Aethion shouted with fury and worry as Reign's eyes, which had been narrow and stared ahead with great anger, suddenly softened and widened as he realized what he had done.

His light exploded around him as he flapped his wings and tried to get away as fast as he could, only for the wound he had made in the body to close and for him to suddenly find himself in a place shrouded in darkness and full of corruption.

He was trapped inside the huge body, and even though he was doing his best to move out of it, to use his light to blast the corruption away and escape, he was unable to do so.

"I have heard that Nephilims as young as you have issues containing their anger and keeping their egos in check." The entity spoke to Reign as it stared at him with a smile.

"It seems that was true, even while fully aware of how powerful I am and how desperate the battle you are waging is, you still tried to injure me and try to kill me, even while knowing such a thing is nearly impossible for you."

"Perhaps if you ever get reborn, if your soul gets saved, you will do things differently, little Nephilim." The entity said as the corruption inside the body suddenly moved, all of it moving toward Reign in an attempt to crush and smother him.

His light was keeping it at bay, but it was getting closer and closer, and Reign knew that in only a couple of seconds, he would be swallowed by the corruption. Read latest chapters at m_v-l'e|-NovelBin.net

'Dammit, dammit!'

'You damn copy!' Reign shouted in his head while the copy sighed and shook his head.

"He still has much to learn, whenever he faces a powerful enemy, he has trouble controlling himself."

"Luckily, everything will turn out fine this time." The copy said as the battlefield suddenly froze.

It didn't freeze literally, it was just that the appearance of a new person made everything that was going on stop as the aura coming from him made even the entity freeze in shock.