Level-Up Apocalypse: Surviving With The Assimilation System
Chapter 178: The Tea That Melts

"COME! BECOME ASH UPON MY BURNT PARADISE! SMALL, BUT STRONG YOU ARE!" The Jabberwock boomed as its voice caused the ground to tremble.

The challenge by the one-note beast was ignored as Finn approached, not without a plan of his own as he triggered a dormant ability, one of great strength, but equal risk–

["Cooldown Reset"]

[Mana: EVAPORATED] [0/4400]

It felt like a switch flipping in his mind as he knocked his wrist guards together, experiencing a fresh slate in his arsenal as he approached the calamity.

["Reaper Time activated."] [4:59]

As his five senses elevated, he witnessed one of the heinous claws reaching for him, bringing him to jump up and contort his body to avoid being snatched away. With his focus ascended to the point that each vibration in the air pushed his body to react on a higher level, he zoned in on the snarling beast–

["God-Killing Void"] [24:59:59]

The fiery landscape was swallowed up in a pitch-black expansion, engulfing both the man and calamity in its scope.

'Good. Even if it's devoid of reason, if it can't sense anything–it can't do anything,' he thought.

Scaling the height of the beast using its own arm as a bridge, he didn't hold back on unleashing the sharpness of his daggers across its body. Though as he slashed at its arm, all he found was that he left small scrapes, as though he was attempting to cut apart thick stone.

'--I can't get through its skin at all. It's like an armor–maybe I could use Rot? No…on something this big, it wouldn't even begin to cover enough space,' he considered.

There was only so much time to think about the proper way to attempt to dispatch the creature as the effects of the void were fleeting. He raced up its arm, leaping to the head of the paralyzed beast.

Standing on its forehead, he looked down at it, bringing his hand down to its skull. If nothing else, he could attempt to annihilate its brain–that was his plan.

["Touch of Rot"]

"---GRUAAAH?!"

Just as his palm made contact with its rigid head, beginning the process of sizzling and melting, the creature he stood on resumed its senses.

"Grh?!" Finn reacted.

It was a surprise to him, though he remembered something all too important to forget: God-Killing Void could not be sustained when using another skill. The unruly creature thrashed around, shaking its neck in an attempt to toss him off.

"STANDING ATOP MY HEAD?! I AM NOT A MOUND OF SOIL TO DIRTY WITH YOUR BOOTS, SMALL HUMAN!" The Jabberwock roared.

Finn struggled not to fall off, instead taking it into his own hands as he tossed his dagger straight towards the ground below–

["Blade Warp"] [2:59]

As his feet touched the soil, he huffed, replaceing himself right back to square one without dealing any damage to it once again.

'Dammit…Nothing is working against this monster. I guess this is just a case of a difference in level, but—that can't just be how it is,' he thought.

As hopeless as it all seemed to bring harm to those stone scales, something caught his eye before he could lose his drive–

'What…is that?' He questioned.

Hanging in the sky above the Jabberwock's head was a round object, reflecting the glare of the fields of fire below. A bit of squinting revealed the oddly-shaped item–a tea kettle, only colossal enough to match the beast's head in size.

"That's–" Finn mumbled.

It was only then that he noticed the one that might've been responsible for the conjuration of such a perplexing object, standing at the opposing side of the calamity-bringing monster. Seeing another person in that scorching valley didn't make any sense; it was complete suicide to even step foot there.

"Hatter–?!" Finn called out.

The Jabberwock finally took notice as well, though not before the magical kettle was tilted, causing the liquid inside of it to pour out like a steaming waterfall right onto the beast's head.

"GRUAAAAH–!" A roar of agony unleashed from the Jabberwock's mouth.

The eccentric figure stood tall with one hand behind his back, with another raised to guide the gargantuan kettle, "A most special brew for a most special guest. I call it the "Anti-Jabberwock Tea", not exactly catchy though, is it?"

Finn watched the abundance of tea douse the stone-skinned beast, though failed to see what effect it could have. As he witnessed it, the results formed before his eyes–the burning liquid peeled away at its scaled, softening them.

"My esteemed, final guest!" Hatter shouted from the other side of the burning field, caught in the fire as his words pushed towards the assassin. "I must leave the rest to you!"

Finn could only focus on the fact that the peculiar man stood in the ravenous blaze, shouting out, "--Get out of here! You'll die in this fire–!"

"There is nothing left for me anyway, dear friend," Hatter resolved with a calm smile as the flames ate away at his body. "This mindless beast–it turned all of my beloved companions to ash long ago. Rabbit, Cat, Mouse, Hare, ah…even dear Alice."

The words of the burning man became more distant as the fire crawled over his body, filling any air left in his lungs with smoke.

"I have lived a maddening many years for this moment. Right now…I have perfect clarity. I am not a vengeful person–I do not hate this foul beast. I just want…this all to finally be put to rest–our fairytale to finally get its closure," Hatter weakly spoke.

From his body, the clothes turned to ash of the pale Hatter, relinquishing his precious hat from atop his head as his orange hair cascaded down his face.

"I believe that's why you have kept returning here, dear friend," Hatter pointed his words at the assassin. "The universe granted me that gift–your killing prowess. Please, make use of it for me."

With that final request, Hatter's body was relinquished to the flames, leaving his body to crumble to blackened ash to coat the charred land.

As the Hatter's eyes closed for the last time, he did not see darkness, instead opening his eyes to the serene sight he was very familiar with.

At that peaceful little table set, he sat there with spring winds brushing past the watchful trees. Around him sat his guests–the ever mannerful White Rabbit, the grinning Cheshire Cat, the Hare, and even the hero of Wonderland, Alice.

["...Ah, that's right. I am the host of the tea party. How rude of me not to fill your cup, dear guests. This is what I'm content with. I need nothing else but tea and friends. I love to hear their stories, though I've stopped having new ones of my own many years ago.

It can't last forever, though–I doubt anything truly can."]

–

The tail of the beast came crashing down at the final resting spot of the host of the tea party, exuding the rage of the Jabberwock as its soaked scales peeled and melted.

"You…! Tea drinker–you dare…! You dare! You dare! You dare!" The steaming Jabberwock repeated, slamming its tail down and stomping its feet at the ashes of the fallen Hatter with each shout.

A wish that could only be granted by his blade; by his hand. Amidst that fire that cackled against his armor, Finn stood there with a new feeling welling inside of him. It was the first time he was asked to take another life as though his ability to kill was some sort of kind gift. Discover hidden content at mvl

None of this strange world's problems were his own; no more pressing than a dream to him, yet in those final moments of the Hatter, he understood.

'It's almost similar to the First Order…This world has nothing left to give–all there is left is to let it rest,' he realized.

Squeezing the handle of his daggers, he looked up at the beast that was still thrashing and cursing the Hatter as the tea had left its stone skin all but useless in protecting itself now. He dashed ahead, sprinting right for the enraged destroyer now.

It thrashed its feet, swinging its arms around and sweeping its tail through the flames. As one of its arms scraped across the soil, it rumbled the valley, bringing him to jump up as he felt the vibrations pass right beneath his boots.

In his approach, the Jabberwock spun around, dragging its massive tail towards him. He jumped up again, this time planting his feet on the passing limb with perfect timing as he continued his sprint on it as it moved.

"GRRRRH–! YOU!" The Jabberwock growled.

Before it could fling him off, the assassin leapt from the tail himself, heading for a face-to-face meeting.

["Grandiose Slicer"] [9:59]

"Replication."

From both of his daggers, a grand, blue light extended from the blades, humming with an extraordinary force. The magical length granted to his weapons made them formidable enough in size to contest the beast.

As its mouth opened, gathering a blazing light from its throat, it was only a second away from unleashing the heat within it before Finn moved his blades first. In a cross slash, he brought the light-forged blades through the monster's neck, cleaving through the softened shell with little trouble.

"GRRRK?!--"

Before any fire could be expelled further from the maw of the beast, its head was separated from its neck. As the light of the [Grandiose Slicer] faded, Finn landed back on his feet just as the massive head crashed down in front of him.

["The Jabberwock defeated."]

[Experience points: +1,000,000]

[Level fifty-seven reached!] [5000/350000]

[Assimilated ability from ["The Jabberwock"]: "Jabberwock Shift"]

[New Skill(s) Obtained: "Inner Threads"]