Savage Awakening 442. The Second Challenge (III)

The Professor had barely finished his sentence when Zane's domain made contact.

And steamrolled those Tier 7 fields.

“What the—” was all he had time to choke out.

Then Zane went to work.

Ten blows.

That was all it took for Zane to crush that horde. Those spears were powerless against the weight coming back at them; Red Giants crushed their attacks straight up. It was clear the sheer destructive force coming at them was like nothing they’d ever felt.

“Looks like Zane’s done another level-up!” said Tyler cheerfully. “That’s a new Shard of Destruction, by the looks of it. Those giants are hitting a whole lot harder—”

There was a clattering sound. It was the notebook slipping out of Brom’s hands.

“…Professor?” said Becca.

The Professor just stood there, shaking, mouth slightly open.

Thunk.

He keeled over.

“Professor!” Becca knelt beside him—but he hadn’t blacked out. He was just lying there, stammering and twitching.

Eight full seconds passed—about enough time for Zane to clean up the rest of the Monsters. A vague high-pitched whine seemed to be coming from Brom’s ears. Then—

“Absolutely extraordinary!” roared the Professor. He leaped two feet in the air, landing on his feet.

His mustache quivered with such intensity both reporters were a little worried it might come off.

“In all my years…” Brom's fists clenched.

“Incredible,” he whispered. “Magnificent! Gentlemen—that—”

He jabbed a finger at the glass. “Is greatness manifest!”

Then he paused and scrambled to write that bit down.

“…You alright there?” said Tyler.

“Never better, good sir!” Brom’s eyes shone.

“Looks like he’s taking care of it without much trouble,” said Becca cheerfully.

“Indeed, madam—after last time, I must say—Zane set my expectations high indeed.” Brom nodded quickly. “I’ve never had higher—not even for the likes of Salazar! All-time expectations—and to think he could still surprise me…”

Brom did a little clap. His eyes shone.

“I must say—I’m even more curious about what his true limit is! Just what manner of fell beast can bring it out of him?”

His mustache bristled.

Zane started working his way through the jungle. He headed straight for that fort.

***

BOOM!

One good thwack of the hammer, and the walls came tumbling down.

The turrets bowled over in a rush—dozens of True Gods brought low, howling in surprise.

More came out to greet him.

Then the hammers fell and crushed them two at a time.

Zane marched forward, leaving only wrecked Gods in his wake.

He found a force waiting for him in the yard. The bulk of the horde.

Four Tier 7 True Gods.

And one a lot bigger than the rest—clearly the boss of the bunch.

Hobgoblin Chieftain (Monster Prince)

Essence Level 638

Twice as big and three times as wide—its belly nearly dragged on the ground, and its arms sagged heavy with muscle. Every inch of that enormous body was pumped with a dark vitality.

But what drew Zane’s eye was the spike going through its heart.

A strange Bone. Pulsing with Corruption—Corruption at a density he’d never seen. It gave the beast a second aura, a deathly shroud…

That strange power glistened through its skin, oddly familiar… It grinned, licked slime off its teeth, and pointed a heavy flail at him.

It screeched a command.

Its underlings charged.

Hobgoblin Elite (Monster Prince)

Essence Level 628

Hobgoblin Elite (Monster Prince)

Essence Level 623

Hobgoblin Elite (Monster Prince)

Essence Level 626

Hobgoblin Elite (Monster Prince)

Essence Level 631

Four Tier 7 Distortion Fields descended on Zane.

And he was plunged into a furious melee.

His hammers roared right out. In one blow, he smashed the first two clean out of the air.

The other two came up behind him, drilling several inches into his back, drawing thick streams of blood—but he whirled and clocked them hard. He could see the moment the Monsters felt the sheer heft, the weight of his Red Giant. The sheer size made contact—a direct blow, straight to the dome—then a massive shattering.

The goblin head was driven deep into the ground, breaking all over as it went—and the explosion rocked the fort.

Just then, a line of pain raked across his chest. More blood fountained out. Frostbite sank into the muscles there, deadening—

But Zane crushed right back. A Giant sent that Monster rocketing into the clouds.

In the end, it took less than a dozen blows.

He stood there, chest heaving…

Nothing but devastation around him.

But still—something wasn’t right.

The Chief was still standing there, looming across the yard, fist clenched on its flail. At its end—a spiked ball of incredible density, a Law that gave the weight of the densest of planets…

Then the Bone on its chest smoked black.

And he felt its aura erupt.

A Field roared out at him. He’d felt the like before—a Field of extreme density, making all that ventured in it feel like they moved through mud.

But with his new Destruction, he had nothing to fear. He stood his ground. Their auras collided.

And—to his surprise—their powers raged to a standstill.

Destruction crashed against it like angry waves. He pressed harder, forcing his will over the Chief, making the Monster growl—but still…

He couldn’t break it.

That Bone.

Its aura shot through the Field. He knew that aura—this close, he got a clear sense of it—and it struck him like a thunderbolt.

A streak of deeper black running through—the pure matter of a dark Creation.

He’d felt this before.

Felt it blotting out the skies above, as Noughtfire dueled in the skies…

The power of Malzareth.

The smallest fraction of it. So small he didn’t notice it at first. And yet, planted in this beast, it made all the difference.

It gave the Chief’s Field a sliver of Creation.

The Monster Overlord was trying to tip the scales in its favor.

They locked eyes; the Chief growled at him, and he growled right back.

It looked like he’d have to work for this one.

Then—as though they agreed on it—they came at each other like two charging Titan Rhinos. A battle of two heavies.

And just by the way they charged, the hardness in their eyes, it was clear both sides had utter confidence in their physical might.

It was time to break the enemy.

Zane went all-out. Red Giant hammers went straight for the Chief’s head.

But at the same time, that heavy flail crashed into his chest—streaked all over with the black of Creation—

CRUNCH!

The heft of it sank deep in—blood exploded out of his chest, making a mess of the muscle. The blow nearly knocked him off his feet. He grunted.

7% Health—wiped out in a single blow.

But he felt his own connect. And grinned.

He knew he’d gotten the better of the exchange.

The moment Zane’s Giant dropped, Creation surged through that Hobgoblin physique, granting it immense durability, immense regeneration—

But Destruction surged harder.

And that bulbous green nose shattered with a satisfying CRACK!

Black blood gushed. The Chief roared.

They locked eyes.

Then they surged at each other again, harder, fiercer—CLANG-BOOM!

Zane took a spiked wrecking ball to the side of the head. But he trusted his head to take it—and sure enough, he came away from it bloodied, head ringing fiercely, world wobbling—

But it hadn’t knocked him out.

It was the price he paid to crack the Chief with just the same thing.

He was betting that Goblin didn’t have his chin.

And he was right.

Red Giant uppercutted the beast with such force it lifted all that dense mass five feet off the ground—and sent it crashing, jaw fractured. Crackling with the light of Destruction.

Zane wiped blood out of his mouth and grinned.

If it was a slugfest this beast wanted…

He was happy to oblige.

As the Chief scrambled up, for the first time it seemed to feel a real urgency; they exchanged blows again and again, and it had to stumble back—

Warning!

Health under 75%

But Zane didn’t mind.

It was clear—smash to smash, the Chief just couldn’t keep up.

Right now he was wielding only the base version of Red Giant. He could feel that. He hadn’t unlocked the bulk of its destructive potential.

Just the bulk of it—the weight, the density, the sheer force—felt like being hit by a falling star.

He could see each blow shocking the Chief—see it in the Monster’s eyes.

It had never been hit so hard in its life.

It just couldn’t handle it. It roared, eyes bloodshot, and made a sloppy slam.

This time Zane stomped out of the way—and clocked the Chief so hard he left the Monster in a smoking crater.

Smoke billowed…

Zane advanced.

This thing could take a punch. But that was fine.

He could go as long as they had to.

But just as he came near the mushroom cloud, there came a rumbling.

A chain lashed out—but not where he expected.

It wrapped tight around his leg. He blinked down at it.

Then an immense force yanked him off balance; he roared.

It dragged him to the smoke. He tasted ash. Then—

CRACK!

An elbow the size of a baseball bat smashed him right in the face. He felt his nose shattering—spurted blood—his vision grew double; a harsh ringing filled his ears.

He growled, trying to right himself.

Then he felt those massive arms wrapping around him. Heard the Chief howl in triumph—

The Chief’s whole body—every single enormous muscle—exploded with the powers of Creation. Some grotesque, all-out Skill. That Monstrous Bone went white-hot.

Then it began to crush.

And it was Zane’s turn to feel a force closing in on him like he’d never felt before…

***

“No!” Brom ran up against the scrying glass—“Get out of there! Come now—this can’t be how it ends, surely not!”

But Zane looked dazed. That elbow had hit him very clean, loaded heavy with the powers of Creation—he frowned down at the crush, so huge it seemed to swallow him up. For the first time, they saw him starting to struggle.

“As ever with great men,” said Brom, face falling. “Their pride makes their downfall… the Hobgoblin Chief’s got some of the most brutal crushing force of any Monster Prince—even more than the Elephant Beetle!”

He shook himself. “No—great men rise when they go down! I’ve got faith in our man. There’s still time yet—”

Then he saw the looks on Becca and Tyler’s faces.

“What?”

“Professor,” said Becca gently. “Do you know what the #1 rule is when fighting Zane?”

“What?”

“Don’t challenge him to a test of raw strength.”

“Eh?”

The Professor turned to the screen.

Just in time to see Zane give a massive flex.

The Hobgoblin’s eyes bulged. Its arms bulged to nearly double the size as every muscle strained harder.

Zane roared, flexed harder still, a whole-body effort—

His eyes went crimson.

Chains shattered down his whole physique. Limit Break.

The Hobgoblin’s arms exploded off of him; blood erupted.

And in the same moment—every muscle on those massive limbs—tore, just like that.