Azimuth: The Elden Throne

Yay, chapter 300! ??????

Never thought we would get here but here we are, how exciting!

Sometimes people ask me how far we are in the story, and I would say it's hard to say, but I would say somewhere around half? ??

We are very close to ending this Volume and with it, starting the next phase of the story I talked about long ago.

I can't say how things will progress from there but there's a lot to explore still.

But we're certainly going somewhere, one step at a time, Dale's almost Level 100 after all, and things will truly change when that time comes.

Anyway, that was all from me, enjoy. ??

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[DING]

[The Fifth Floor's Dweller has broken free from its Fifth restriction]

[To keep it contained, part of the Ritual will be redirected to the remaining restrictions]

[The Fourth Floor's Dweller grows stronger]

[The Fifth Floor's Dweller has broken free from its Sixth restriction]

[To…]

…

[The Fifth Floor's Dweller has broken free from all of its restrictions]

[There are no more restrictions to empower]

[The Guardian Spirit of the Fourth Floor has dissipated]

/Tremble…/

Under the messages of the System, the entire Catacombs shook ominously.

The walls and stone around the Heroes grew red as vein-like protrusions formed on its surface, running deep into its halls, pumping energy into its depths…

[Unable to Seal it any longer, the Ritual's power will instead be used to strengthen its sealing chamber, preventing it from escaping… For now]

[To maintain this state, a great portion of the Ritual will be redirected to the last floor]

[The Fourth Floor's Dweller grows stronger]

/Tremble... Shake.../

"SCREEEEEEEEEECH!!!"

[DING]

[The Fourth Floor's Dweller is trying to break free!]

[The restrictions of the Forth Floor have started to loosen…]

""...""

Hearing the notifications, everyone was speechless…

"Phew... Resting's over, time to move." One of them said as they got up from the ground

"I know everyone's tired… But if we don't move now… Then never."

"It would be best to call it a day here if that's the case... But that doesn't seem to be it either, aye?"

"Remember what's at stake, focus... Now more than ever."

Everyone seemed to nod in their own ways, grabbing their weapons silently, sharpening their resolve…

And while the Heroes delved into another challenge…

…

[DING]

[You've broken free from all restrictions]

[Your Status is beginning to normalize]

[Level Penalty has been lifted]

[Health Decay has been purged]

[Skill Lock has been removed]

[...]

…

[With the Ritual Supression's now gone, inactive Effects are now applied]

[Effect, World Boss has been applied]

[World Boss -> All Base Stats +100; Base Health Pool x20; CD reduction +50%; All Sloted Skills +3 to their Ratings; …]

[Effect, Variant has been applied]

[Variant -> Two Skills have been randomly Upgraded]

[Confluence 3-Star -> Harmony 1-???][1]

[Fighting Spirit 5-Star -> Inextinguishable Will 1-???]

[Effect, Special has been applied]

[Special -> Temporary Skill, %!@=^#*^%! 9-Star has manifested][2]

[Due to your actions, your role has been partially altered and the Theme of the Mission has changed]

[You've successfully freed yourself from the binding chains that prevented you from gathering power, now it's time for the next step]

[Escape from the Fifth Floor before the Heroes arrive, or risk facing them alone while weakened from the aftermath of the Ritual]

[Both paths can lead to victory, but regardless of your choice, the end is nigh]

[Be careful, as Power is a sweet poison to the Mind]

/Inhale... Exhale.../

… Dale rested on the ground, enjoying his ever-returning strength.

"..."

But in truth, he was struggling.

His body was going through many changes, his muscles squirmed and his mind was being filled with all kinds of information.

Warriors fighting, pondering, reaching an understanding… Peace and Conflict...

Their realizations also became his.

/Twitch…/

It was hard to say how long this lasted, but even when the System beeped by his ears once more, Dale did not rise from the ground.

…

/Later…/

"Huff…"

A worn-down but rejuvenated Dale opened his eyes amidst a pile of chains and rubble.

The room he stood in was still as silent as before, but the walls and ceiling now shone in faint reddish lights, illuminating his surroundings.

He could now see everything.

And just like he expected, he seemed to be within some sort of box cell, albeit the ground he stood on wasn't, in fact, the ground of the room.

At the edges of the ground stood a hole leading further down, one that widened as you went into the darkness, something that repeated on all sides.

So it seemed he was standing at the base of an inverted square pyramid… Not that it changed anything, though it was something to remember.

Because if this entire structure was being supported by a thin pillar, the tip of the pyramid, then there was the possibility it may collapse…

Just a needless worry that passed through his mind.

"..."

Turning his head, Dale saw a small pathway going over the abyss at the end of the platform… The bridge going out of his room.

If he could cross it, then he would be able to escape and with it, win, securing his life while also being able to continue planning as Babylon was just about to end.

There was just about 1 and a half hours left… Maybe less, he didn't quite know how long he stood there on the ground.

Regardless, he couldn't waste his time here any longer…

But then again, was this the right choice?

His eyes serene, Dale still remembered the notifications and the memories that played by in his mind.

If he left now, would he still remember those? Or would they be taken away together with all other privileges?

It was worth pointing out that right now his Status was that of a Monster, not that of a Player, and it obviously couldn't stay as such as he didn't quite know the consequences of following said path.

Although the term "Monster" could be subjective to the viewer, that is only a form of interpretation by the people.

This term could hold a completely different connotation in the hands and eyes of the System, and remaining as one could very well impair his ability to complete and follow Questlines if not worse.

Besides… Wasn't it too soon?

Many of his Skills had improved and wouldn't it be a tad too much to just leave?

At the very least he should try them out and see what he needs to achieve for the System to recognize a Skill worthy of a Rank Up.

Though, at the same time, it was hard to say if he should take these for granted.

The Understanding of someone belongs to them solely, it rarely can be transmitted to another, especially one that followed an entirely different path, even if the medium at hand is similar if not equal.

Dale would achieve the top by his own understanding, he wouldn't incorporate the Skills of others onto his own without putting in some thought and reflecting as they did.

It would be the epitome of recklessness.

/Clang…/

However, above all that, there was one more thing preventing him from leaving.

"Hum…"

Behind him, vanishing into the air was a half-translucent chain.

It didn't bind anywhere on his body but it was still there, following his every move.

And albeit it didn't seem to do much, Dale could infer what this chain's purpose was.

It was there to prevent him from leaving the room… It could be said to be the very final restriction.

Not one of Power, Skill, Mental, or anything of the sort, it was just there to prevent him from moving too far off the rails.

Nonetheless, Dale did not pay it any heed, albeit he didn't ignore its existence completely.

He started to train on the side and recover from his wounds, keeping the floating chain in check just in case it decided to stop being passive.

And like that, time continued to pass.

…

/Crunk…/

/Stop…/

Midway through Dale's training, the doors leading to his room opened, and the red runes around him lost their strength as they flickered into oblivion… Plunging his surroundings into complete darkness once more.

Aside from the presence of the red chain above him, it acted like a firefly in the dark...

/Shua shua shua!/

"Urg…"

Following that, several floating flames ignited in the room, lighting it up considerably, causing Dale to cover his eyes in annoyance and even a bit of agony.

'They're here.' He thought momentarily as he looked at the bridge

There, a group of ten Humans of all sizes approached him.

A man holding a large, and rather heavy shield…

Warriors holding all kinds of weapons… One which Dale recognized.

Cloaked individuals on the back…

A girl holding a golden staff…

And finally, someone else Dale also recognized… An Archer.

The Rank 10 of the Duel Arena… Since, although he lost his position to Dale, he recovered it while he fought his way to Rank 1.

They all wore incredibly distinct pieces of armor and none of them seemed to belong to the same group, giving quite the weird vibe as none fit well next to one another… Maybe with the exception of the cloaked ones in the back.

Their equipment, however, was dirty and even a bit bloody if not worn out.

As expected, their previous fights took their tool on their condition, but if they lost one thing, they gained another.

Cooperation.

By looking at them, Dale's worries were confirmed, his enemies weren't just your average people, they were amidst the best of the best squared.

And the fact he couldn't recognize most of them was a massive problem, there was no way to know what they could pull out from their ass…

Ten Skill Slots was one thing if they were anywhere close to any of the top 10 he fought before… Those numbers meant little.

At the very least, the previous Rank 1 wasn't there, if she was he would've had to seriously consider escaping because, without his weapon, it would be difficult to fight ten on his own.

/Break…/

As he thought about what to do, inspecting his opponents, the chain floating behind his back also shattered, waking him up momentarily.

"Huff…"

He looked at his arms and sighed.

Albeit unconventional, he did have a weapon.

/Clang…/

Dale raised the chains around his arms, looking at his opponents through the visor of his helmet.

But as time passed, they still did not cross the bridge, leaving him hanging awkwardly…

So without much to do, he started to inspect their equipment as well.

And what he saw…

…

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Notes

Sorry, but I had to cut this chapter in half... A bit less maybe.

I said I would end this small Arc this chapter however the chapter was too big, and with Webnovel's monetization, if I let it all at once, it'll end up more expensive than two or even three chapters back to back.

So I'll post the rest still today so technically it's still the same chapter just posted in different parts of the day.

Peace!

[1] I actually rolled a dice for these, a d12, a shame, it would've been cool if it was Spear Technique but I'll go with this, it's fun

[2] It's not that the name isn't showing, it's more to indicate that its written in a language Dale doesn't understand.

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