Bro, I'm not an Undead!-Chapter 1612: Godspeed Highway! (4)

The Aspiring Immortal Shadow was the most feared power during the Second Grand War.

While the Majestic Territory became a staple with a near infinite capacity for innovation that depended on the user’s mind and their growth in power, nothing quite trumped the benefits of reaching the Beyond the Veil Stage and forging the Aspiring Immortal Shadow.

This feature of the pinnacle of Aigas’ mortality had two simple benefits.

The Aspiring Immortal Shadow, when activated, took in all damage received by the user and crushed it in a nebulous space that neither the user nor the assailant could define. In essence, the user took no damage and no idea where said damage was transferred. Additionally, the Shadow allowed the user to establish a range around themselves where they could use any ability they had remotely. In other hands, any offensive power could be applied on an opponent without the need for contact; for those with abilities that already gifted them with range, the Aspiring Immortal Shadow gifted them extended reach.

Yes. The Shadow was a prototype, a discount Broader Existence.

Of course, using the Shadow was physically taxing. On top of that, the user had a few ’charges’ per activation; limited charges that they had to use wisely for one benefit of the Shadow or the either – never both at once.

Still, the capabilities of the Shadow could grow. Peak experts were supposed to eventually be able to reach the four corners of the world with their abilities and at their best, they could even brave attacks from hostile Divine beings without dying instantly.

Nigerra was every bit as competent with this power as someone like Rayn, the champion of the Deities had been back in the day. But like Rayn, there was one reason why she couldn’t access the full potential of her Aspiring Immortal Shadow: indeed, it was Asthon.

The deceased black bird’s spell on the world – his seduction of man, Sif and Giant into the ultimate power of beasts, the Majestic Territory – was the reason Nigerra’s Shadow never spilled any further from her body or took on her appearance, becoming the perfect Aspiring Immortal Shadow!

It was forever limited from reaching perfection.

But it was no matter. This limitation didn’t stop Nigerra from becoming a monster.

Kintar had realised just how difficult it was going to be to defeat this woman. After all, other than Nigerra’s Shadow...

’Shit!’ Kintar couldn’t keep up with the pace of monsters like Nigerra anymore. Her clones, which had helped her fight on the same level as Rias before, had been eradicated by the Death Knight’s wide-spanning attack on the ocean earlier.

Now, she couldn’t even react to a simple whipping action by Nigerra, a face grab that cost her plenty in the tug-of-war with the Beyond the Veil Stager. On contact, Nigerra used her Eye of Moving to move all of Kintar’s Genuine Divine energy reserves and vermillion core out of her body. The Mage was immediately left open to damage... and Nigerra didn’t give her a chance to recover.

Faux Sand Fist!

Faux Sand Grab!

Nigerra had grown faster again!

She sent her palm striking Kintar’s throat and chest almost simultaneously. The former ruptured like a pumpkin, and the latter sunk into itself like a whirlpool.

Nigerra’s Form Using technique was a series of palm strikes, but each could execute different effects. It was dangerously versatile. Kintar could attest that, especially while trying to keep her body intact as well as mobilise her mana for attack. However...

’Shit! Shit! Shit! I need my Divine energy! Without it, I’ll fall victim to—!’

But it was too late. With her Divine energy gone, she immediately fell prey to Godspeed Highway’s basic oppression and Primary assault function.

In a blink, she was warped to one of the pathways, and forced to race forward by a push from behind. By now, the requirement to not be crushed the counter kinetic energy from behind or from in front by a Trigger Racer, was to move at 70 times the speed of light.

"Last chance. Join me and you don’t have to die," Nigerra said, appearing before Kintar. "Explore your greater purpose with me outside of this dying world. If you are so hellbent on following a man, then follow Fulgardt. I swear it, he’s a better man than any – better than whoever you think you adore right now."

The long-faced woman was gliding at well beyond light speed, arms spread wide in welcome to the Unlimited Star.

Kintar was seething. Her body couldn’t accelerate to the Territory’s required speed immediately, especially with her mana locked up now, sealing her Magecraft. Still, the Realm Source Mage had means to attack.

"Get lost!" she cried, and her glare sent several hundred invisible blows blasting into Nigerra.

All of them did nothing.

Nigerra scoffed. "So be it, then. Die."

Kintar sensed the woman’s killing intent immediately and turned ashen. Her face turned ugly as she realised that this was checkmate. There was nothing she had that could get her out of danger on such short notice. Nigerra had her.

’Like this...? Allora. What would you think?’ Kintar lamented, teeth gritted.

...!!

Yet, it was Nigerra who turned sharply behind her, a look of concern on her face.

The Territory shuddered vehemently. A noise like a hundred thunders followed dozens of seconds later, representing the sudden damage the Territory had taken.

And indeed, the construct had been hit. For an instant, its boundary blurred, revealing everything outside it.

The Stark Troops were firing Triplefold Aggrante beams at it from all sides with Illyinni Wolverik and Shura Desmonn supporting them as best they could!

Nigerra clicked her tongue.

"Those insects..." she said, scowling... but her head had turned back to Kintar. "I figured you’d use that small opening to try and save yourself."

The Realm Source Mage was no longer on one of the pathways.

In the tiny window where the Aggrante blasts forced the Territory to blink – making its powers wane – she had reacted accordingly. She mobilised her mana as soon as the Territory’s hold weakened, struggled to reconstruct a new vermillion core and bounce it around her other cores to generate Genuine Divine energy.

She didn’t have enough time to produce enough, and now the Territory was bearing down on her in full force and growing stronger by the second.

"You bought yourself a few seconds. Now what?" said Nigerra. "I’ll just relieve you of everything again. Everything."

To this, Kintar had no retort, but not because she couldn’t muster one.

Her clustered mind was struggling with a new revelation. A new reality.

Nigerra snorted at the dense expression she made and used her Eye of Moving and Aspiring Immortal Shadow to remotely touch Kintar, stripping her of her mana cores.

She didn’t get to do it, though.

After all, she was the first to sense a sharp power brewing below her – a power she’d left for later.

"Majestic Territory Expulsion, Cogent Stark Order."

...!!!

A Territory exploded from below, bursting through the pathways as it rose proudly, contending on equal footing with Godspeed Highway. It claimed its portion of the imaginary mass within a split second, matching its prowess against that of Nigerra.

As it did, the fighting above – between the masked man and everyone else – paused.

Ashema scowled and immediately told the other Generals to beware.

Rias glanced at the Territory with a wary glint in his eyes.

...And then there was Kintar.

Her eyes were billowing with a series of emotion she hadn’t felt in a while. She stared at the silhouette of Pherdanta which rapidly became clear as her Territory’s boundary fully settled, splitting Godspeed Highway from its own space.

Unlike the lost look in Kintar’s eyes, however, Pherdanta’s were sharp and sure.