The Oracle Paths

Chapter 883 Who Is The Real Monster (Part 1)

Jake immediately threw up his guard, sensing an approaching attack. The Mana Storm suddenly condensed into a huge claw that slammed into him. He dodged with a backward somersault, but the mass of Mana he was swimming in gathered into vines and bound his arms and legs, suspending him in the air.

Contracting all his muscles as hard as he could to wriggle free, his biceps swelled, large blackish veins crawling across his skin. His legs in particular were already beginning to lose feeling under the influence of the Mana Storm poisoning them from within.

"No! I will not allow myself to be trapped alive like this!" Jake snarled.

The condensed Mana binding him and suspending him in the air didn't give way to the black lightning, but the tremendous influx of destructive energy did momentarily destabilize the space in that area. Jake's eyes widened and he suddenly glimpsed a solution.

This one feat consumed 75% of his Spirit Body's energy, most of which immediately vaporized upon contact with the Mana Storm. His previously optimal mental condition deteriorated sharply and he found himself in dire straits once again.

SHRRIIII!

Having almost exhausted his True Will, Jake used what was left to draw Words of Power on his body with his telekinesis, more precisely on his digestive organs. Runes like "Perfect Digestion," "Instant Assimilation," " Making Mine Own the Strength of My Food," and other such periphrases expressing the same notion were stacked on top of each other, sapping what little Soul Power and Spirit Power he had left.𝙛𝓇𝘦e𝙬𝑒𝚋𝒏૦ѵel. c𝒐𝚖

[Don't forget the Codexes in your possession.] Xi reminded him to make sure they had their best shot.

Jake equipped the five fused Codexes in his left hand and attempted to control the Mana Storm's behavior with them. The result was disappointing, because if there was a difference, it wasn't enough to affect the game.

The Grabbing Spell dissipated and the bubble melted away. Jake's consciousness also blurred and his ability to think quickly deteriorated. However, he had no intention of removing the Runes from his body.

His last coherent thought faded and he went into reflex mode, even allowing Xi to take control of his body if necessary. It was the kind of unspoken cooperation that only he and his Oracle AI could achieve.

Xi, who was in charge, noticed that every time Ruby was stunned, the Mana Storm around them returned to its original formless state. Jake, who had begun to claw at her, closed his fists again and focused exclusively on her face, nailing her head deep into the ground.

Ruby's tail snapped up behind Jake, who was beating her pretty face like a maniac, straddling her chest. It reared back and its sting took Jake's neck as its target.

Disregarding Ruby's face, he stomped on the fearsome appendage to lock it in place, then pulled hard on it with both arms. Ruby's venomous tail was violently torn off, releasing sprays of silver blood.

If it was true that Jake was able to deliver enough strength to rip her tail off, it was because he was attacking intelligently by focusing on the enemy's weak joints while focusing most of his Strength Aether into the limbs needed for the actual attack.

SHRRIIIIII!

The only hitch was that although Jake was no longer thinking, Xi could see that Ruby was not fully focused on their fight. Despite the constant pounding, her mouth and pores were wide open and they couldn't stop all that mana from flowing into her body. But most importantly, it didn't take a genius to notice that none of their blows were doing any significant and lasting damage to her.

As if to sound the final death knell, Jake lost control of his legs a few seconds later. The poison that was the Mana Storm had finally got the better of his lower half. Like a djinn popping out of a lamp, his legs scattered in Mana smoke and his torso lost its balance, tipping forward.

[Jake!]

Jeanie and Xi shouted his name at the same time. With no central nervous system and his spiritual energy depleted, Jake stopped moving and was slapped away by the monster's tail.

Shrrii, shrriii, shrriii!

The favorable environment of the Purgatory had only lasted half a second, but it was more than enough to regenerate Jake's brain, though not his mental faculties, let alone rid him of his pain.

[Jake, hang in there! Do not leave me to face this alone!]

Just as Xi thought the situation couldn't get any worse, three winged humanoid figures emerged from the Mana Storm. She recognized them at a glance.

[The Schwazen Virtues!]