Level-Up Apocalypse: Surviving With The Assimilation System
Chapter 167: Monkey King

An earthen complexion of dark brown stone overtook his skin, hardening and cracking as his hair turned to grass, intermingled with blooming flowers.

Despite the cataclysmic parting of the sea, Sirius didn't seem angered at the rough treatment of his world.

In fact, beneath that helmet of scales, a smile could be felt radiating from the God of Heroes.

"I'm just grateful," Sirius admitted.

"Grateful? Is that so?" Polaris questioned, settling into a stance as he presented his fists.

Electricity sparked from Sirius' body as the great mountains of ocean waves stood tall, "One more time before the end, I can enjoy such a thrilling battle."

"I'll give you an exciting end, I can promise you that," Polaris claimed with a smile.

In that moment, both combatants set forth at the bare floor of the sea as the parted waves watched. The first move was made by Polaris, dashing forward as the moist ground was crushed beneath the power of his initial step.

However, Sirius' reaction came even quicker as a quick succession of bolts struck right for the earthen-empowered martial artist's body. As each of the bites of lightning collided with Polaris' body, to the surprise of Sirius, the man wasn't slowed down in his approach in the slightest.

Against the earthen body wielded by Polaris, the bolts were outright rejected.

In that split-second, Sirius found himself intrigued by the fascinating body possessed by the man, but that admiration was intercepted.

Utilizing "Dao of Unbreakable Earth", Polaris developed a body of peerless toughness, becoming nearly impervious while granting himself world-shaking strength. It came with limitations in elemental reach, though the benefits far outweighed the demerits.

As Sirius partially turned to his erratic element to evade, it was too late–the fist of the martial artist arrived faster. With the collision of his knuckles against the sternum of the God of Heroes, an impact was born that transcended the physical realm–

["Soul Impact"]

Through the toughness of the armor, past the flesh, the strike rang through the very core of Sirius' being like a mallet to a gong. It vibrated his essence, compromising the integrity of his soul as everything blurred in that moment for the one struck.

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For the God of Heroes, it was the hardest he'd ever been hit in his centuries of existence. Perhaps not the single most powerful blow he's received, but the very fact it hit him in his deepest, most integral part.

One's soul is the most vulnerable aspect of their being, lacking any physical form, unprotected, yet it tends to remain untouchable. To be struck so violently in that sacred part, it was an agonizing, freezing experience for even the long lived god.

"Nngh!--"

Sirius gasped out before the impact sent him flying back, being thrown into one of the unmoving waves.

Before the God of Heroes could emerge from the parted sea, Polaris remained steadfast, slamming his knuckles together once again—

["Dao of Ever-Changing Tides"]

A freely flowing, aquatic state took over his hair as his body bore cerulean marks, waving his hands in the air.

"Come on out!" Polaris shouted excitedly.

The colossal waves that had remained stagnant began to swirl around at his gesture. Leagues of water moved at once, spinning around before parting further at the guidance of Polaris. It was an act that could only be compared to the authority of a god, felt by Sirius as the sea moved around him wildly.

A cyclone of water rose into the sky, rotating with a disastrous torque before more and more of the very same phenomena emerged from the ocean. From each of the colossal storms of aqua, serpents born of the free-flowing element slithered out.

["Synthesis of The Great Depths"]

In every direction, the liquid serpents expelled beams of high-pressure water, leaving the surface of the sea in chaos before a bolt of lightning emerged from below. Though Polaris had commanded an effort of attacks that spanned leagues, it seemed impossible to catch the darting bolt of lightning that wrapped through every instance of water in a mere moment.

To the untrained eye, perceiving the movements of the God of Heroes was a task that bordered on simply unattainable; bouncing off the sky hundreds of times in a moment, Sirius moved while flicking bolts of lightning at the Xianxia System user.

Polaris moved his arms, contorting the tides to create barriers of water to intercept the incoming strikes.

'After being hit that hard, I bet you're not planning on taking an attack like that again–I don't blame you. Let's see if you can avoid me, though,' Polaris thought.

["Insight of The Deep"]

Across every inch of the sea that surrounded him, Polaris closed his eyes as he instead solely placed his senses throughout the ocean itself. Every inch of water became just as his own body; feeling everything through the boundless mass.

"Grgh!--" Polaris winced, feeling his body tense up.

Though he tried to sense the speeding god through the sea, it backfired; the entirety of the ocean was shocked by the trails of Sirius, felt directly by the one who linked his senses to the water. It pushed him to relinquish his synchronized sense, though it was too late as the momentary stun brought him face-to-face with the lightning-quick deity.

In that moment, the exact way that Sirius approached with a fist utterly engulfed in energy, Polaris recognized what was coming–

"Payback."

–The fist struck against Polaris' sternum, pummeling an astronomical surge of electricity through his body in tandem with the force. Exuding from the point of impact, lines of lightning cackled as the shock wave further parted the void in the ocean, bringing forth an artificial rain that trickled over the sea.

Polaris found himself flying back, slamming through colossal waves before being back in the air repeatedly, flickering in and out of consciousness. More fickle than his own state of mind was the very fact that the direct hit had brought his heart to a stop–a single hit kill.

'So, that's how he returns the favor…Well, favor returned–my body is barely responding,' the thoughts flashed across Polaris' mind with thrill.

["Divine Interference: First Gift"]

As the cultivator's body teetered on the edge, his bones shattered and his internal organs failing, a phenomena was born against his own understanding; a secret skill embedded into his Xianxia System. A second wind stirred his consciousness awake, mending his wounds and filling his body with strength.

Polaris flipped himself around in the air as the unruly sea swayed, slamming his knuckles together as blood leaked into the air from his nostrils, "--Alright!"

["Dao of The Boundless Cosmos"]

Those irises of a rainbow kaleidoscope, shining with a brilliance beyond mortal reach; Polaris swept his hands, stirring the vast sea. Sirius bolted across the ocean towards the man, though found himself intercepted by an ominous sight–

Waves taller than the clouds rose, peeling from the world as the bottom of the sea was left bare.

What the God of Heroes witnessed wasn't an authority over the great blue–it was something else as those glistening waves loomed over.

'He's manipulating space itself. You were holding out on me still? I'd be offended if I wasn't ecstatic right now–show me,' Sirius analyzed.

As the God of Heroes prepared himself to face the warper of cosmic force, a presence flickered for just a moment, only just then entering his senses–

"Wukong."

A golden light shined from behind Sirius as he spun himself around, being blinded in the process. It only just then entered his mind that another had entered the fray, or rather, jumped back in–

[Aspect of The Monkey King summoned.]

The radiance was expelled from a shout as the one who crashed into the duel made his presence imposed. Nearly unrecognizable, Jotham stood upon the air, clad in tan fur with the features of a monkey having blended with his human appearance.

Unmistakably, both presences were distinctly divine; it was no different than a strong scent to Sirius–a certain heat and density to the air around those who possessed that caliber of soul.

'That guy survived the slash earlier? Maybe I sold him short,' Sirius considered, looking towards the one who wielded the authority of the Monkey King.

Amidst Sirius' own thoughts, it was cut short as the first move was settled by Jotham, who hoisted not a blade into the air, but a decorated polearm that jingled. As it was lifted, the size of the scarlet pole extended miles into the sky.

To an incredibly scale, the mythical weapon was brought down as the downfalling weight caused the waves to ripple and split once more–

["Befalling Heaven"]

Beneath the scope of the pole that fell like a mighty tower upon the sea, the lightning bolt dashed through the sky, aiming right for the wielder. As Sirius' fist primed itself for the monkey-featured man, he was suddenly brought only punching the air, not facing the Monkey King.

"Ah–?" Sirius reacted.

It wasn't an act of illusion, but moving him completely out of place in that split-second as the infinitely scaling pole slammed into the ocean. As waves crashed, Sirius turned to replace the one that had forcibly warped him.

Polaris stood on the sky with a confident smirk, "Sorry, I know being moved around like that can make your head spin. Hope you're not prone to motion sickness."

"What a problematic ability," Sirius remarked.