Regression: Reclaiming the End-Chapter 43: Into the 7th Floor Part IV - Astral Overdrive Activated

Chapter 43: Into the 7th Floor Part IV - Astral Overdrive Activated

Amplified Stats:

Strength: 44 → 220

Penetration: 40 → 200

Durability: 33 → 165

Intelligence: 32 → 160

Vitality: 32 → 160

Mana: 35 → 175

Regeneration: 45 → 225

Resistance: 45 → 225

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My arms stopped trembling, my lungs stopped aching, and my mind is as clear as glass.

Even my pain... dissolved into clarity. All that remained was resolve.

Across from me, the Shard-Eater paused.

Its mimicry tried to parse what it saw.

But it couldn’t. Because this wasn’t a technique. This wasn’t a style. This was me + HIM.

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Caelum Nihil, the Unseen Sovereign—stitched into my soul like threads of impossible matter.

"You wanted to burn me out?" I said, stepping forward.

The stone shattered beneath my footstep.

"Now watch me burn through you."

I vanished.

No—moved beyond what movement meant.

And reappeared in front of it.

My fist drove forward, cosmic-flame igniting from elbow to knuckle. The air cracked.

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[ Emberfang Style – Burn Stack 15 REAPPLIED ]

[ Bonus Trait: Astral Conduction – Defense Ignored, Healing Locked (3s) ]

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The Shard-Eater tried to mimic.

But It couldn’t.

Because it no longer understood me.

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[ Skill: Astral Overdrive – Active ]

[ Effect: Entity cannot be mimicked while under cosmic infusion ]

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The Rift-born mirror shattered at its source. My soul, stitched with Caelum Nihil’s mark, had become an anomaly even the Crimson Rift couldn’t copy.

It lunged in desperation—sloppy, full of primal instinct. No technique.

I sidestepped with ease. My movements now existed in a higher tempo, like I was threading space before it could form.

"You’ve lost the thread," I whispered, as my elbow buried into its side.

[ Burn Stack: 10 ]

It gasped—wheezed, actually—black ichor spurting from its mouth as its ribs folded under the pressure.

I didn’t let up.

Kicked its leg—dislocated the joint.

[ Burn Stack: 11 ]

Brought my fist down like a comet into its spine as it staggered.

[ Burn Stack: 12 ]

It roared—thrashing wildly, erupting in mirrored flame in panic.

But I was already behind it.

"Flame without shape."

I drove a palm into the back of its head.

[ Burn Stack: 13 ]

Then my foot snapped into its chest—sent it crashing backward into stone, shattering the floor.

[ Burn Stack: 14 ]

It crawled now—glitching, limbs spasming.

No form. No thought.

Only the dread of something it could no longer mirror.

"You were made to copy me..." I said, walking slowly toward its broken form, "But what happens when I become something you were never built to understand?"

It looked up at me—fear in the inhuman gleam of its eyes.

"You burn."

I clenched my right fist—flames coiling like serpents around my knuckles, forming a spiraling brand of Caelum’s sigil.

[ Emberfang Style – Burn Stack: 15 (MAX) ]

[ Infernal Trigger: ’Combustion Mark’ – Activated ]

[ Effect: Targets at 15 stacks receive 30% reduced healing, defense nullified, and suffer Infernal Detonation ]

I struck.

A single, clean, downward punch—cosmic fire erupting as my fist connected with its chest.

And then—

Combustion.

It didn’t just scream—it howled, like the Rift was trying to tear its voice out of existence.

From within its body, the burn stacks ignited—fifteen simultaneous flares, bursting outward like sunspots.

Its skin peeled away in streaks of seared crystal.

Its core ruptured, veins glowing white-hot.

And then—

A pillar of flame exploded into the air, a vortex of white-ember spiraling skyward as the Shard-Eater Manifest was erased in fire.

I stood at the center. Unmoving

Breathing slowly as the light faded, and all that remained of it turned to black ash scattered inside the labyrinth.

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[ Target Eliminated: Shard-Eater Manifest ]

[ Quest Complete: Troll Extermination – Objective: 1/1 Fulfilled ]

[You have cleared the 7th Floor of the Labyrinth.]

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[Anomaly Detected: Floor 7 contained non-native entities.]

[One (1) Troll identified—unauthorized variant for standard difficulty.]

[Adjusting Reward Parameters...]

[Rewards Calculated.]

[Reward Tier Increased.]

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The system chimed softly in the aftermath, but I didn’t hear it right away.

The flames faded.

Bit by bit, the celestial burn in my veins went dim.

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[ Astral Overdrive: 00:04... 00:03... 00:02... 00:01... ]

[ Astral Overdrive – TERMINATED. ]

[ Warning: System strain detected. Initiating Stabilization Mode. Movement speed temporarily reduced. All base stats temporarily lowered by 20% for 15 minutes. ]

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Then came the weight.

The sudden, crushing return of mortality.

My knees buckled, and I staggered forward a half step, catching myself on a fractured slab of stone. My breath was ragged and shallow. My muscles screamed—not from damage, but from sheer overuse. Like they remembered they were human again.

"Tch..."

Even my vision dimmed slightly at the edges. My whole body felt like it had been rung out—like I had burned too hot, too fast, and now the wick was smoldering.

[ Status Effect Gained: Astral Strain – Movement -20%, Regeneration -35%, Duration: 15:00 ]

The worst part?

My mind was crystal clear.

And I felt everything.

The ache. The soreness. The static in my mana circuits. Even my soul felt like it had been scraped raw where it touched Caelum’s.

Still, I looked down at the scorched remains of the Shard-Eater Manifest.

No ash. No blood. Not even a core. It had been completely unmade.

I smiled.

"Heh..."

My fist clenched—still trembling, still warm.

"That was a fun fight, I guess.."

Not just because I won. Not because of the skill gain, or the quest, or the victory.

But because for the first time in a long while... I felt pushed.

And for once in this timeline, I didn’t have to hold back, even if it nearly broke me.

"Good mimic..." I muttered, stepping over what little was left, "But I’m the original."

’And originals always burn brighter in the end.’

-

The silence didn’t last long.

The ground pulsed once beneath my boots—softly, like the Rift itself exhaled.

Then the System bloomed.

A ring of blue-gold light circled around me as the air crystallized into cascading holograms.

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[ You are the First to Clear the 7th Floor. ]

[ You are the Fastest to Clear the 7th Floor: 45 minutes, 11 seconds ]

[ Rewarding Bonus Experience... ]

[ Calculating Individual Efficiency: 98.7% ]

[ Solo-Clear Bonus Applied. ]

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Golden motes of energy flooded into my body—rushing through my circuits like molten light.

My limbs steadied. My breath deepened.

I felt it before I saw it.

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[ Skill Proficiency Reached – Emberfang Style – Lv. 4 → Lv. 7 ]

[ Effect Scaling Increased: Burn Stack generation now scales with Dexterity and Strength. ]

[ Critical Threshold (15 stacks) now inflicts: -40% healing, -35% defense, and applies Infernal Seal (3s) – blocking passive effects. ] ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

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