novelraw Chapter 67: Phasebreaker!
Chapter 67: Phasebreaker!
The Sector Arbiter did not wait for a formal introduction.
The floating crystals that made up its body began to spin rapidly, creating a humming sound that made the whole room vibrate.
The glowing central core pulsed with a blinding intensity, sending energy into the pyramid-shaped shards orbiting it.
Daniel tightened his grip on his Twin Fang daggers, as his eyes locked on the enemy.
Suddenly, the Arbiter unleashed its power.
Beams of light shot out from the spinning crystals in every direction. It was a chaotic storm of lasers. Red, blue, and green beams sliced through the air, heating the atmosphere instantly.
Daniel reacted with the speed of a Divine Warrior because he knew a single hit could be fatal.
He activated [Shadowsteps], tripling his agility in a heartbeat. He sprinted to the right, dodging a red beam that burned the metal floor exactly where he had been standing.
He didn’t stop moving.
He didn’t stop moving, instead, he ran along the edge of the circular platform and kept his body low to the ground.
A green laser swept horizontally toward his head. Daniel dropped his weight and performed a baseball slide. He passed under the beam while the heat burned the tips of his hair.
He scrambled back to his feet and jumped. He pushed off the ground, launching himself toward one of the floating walkways above the platform.
He grabbed the railing and swung himself up, flipping his body over the metal bar.
The Arbiter tracked him perfectly, and the crystals realigned to point upward. A volley of blue energy bolts shot toward the walkway.
Daniel didn’t stay there. He used the walkway as a springboard. He ran along the railing, his balance was perfect thanks to his high Agility.
He leaped off the edge, performing a twisting mid-air flip to avoid the incoming fire. He landed on a support pillar and used his new [Wall Adhesion] fragment to stick to the vertical surface for a split second.
He looked down at the Guardian. "This shit is crazy fast," Daniel muttered, pushing himself off the pillar to land back on the main platform.
He needed to test the creature’s defenses up close. He landed in a crouch and immediately launched a counter-offensive. He sprinted straight at the floating construct.
He zig-zagged to throw off its targeting sensors. He closed the distance in two seconds. Daniel feinted with his left hand, throwing a quick jab toward the core to draw its attention.
The Arbiter didn’t flinch. He followed the feint with a vicious right hook with his dagger, aiming to smash one of the floating crystals.
SWISH!
There was no impact. His hand passed right through the crystal as if it were made of smoke. "Phase Shift," Daniel realized as his momentum carried him through the enemy.
"Physical attacks pass through it."
He turned on his heel to face the monster again.The Arbiter solidified instantly and retaliated with a [Multi-Spectrum Beam Array].
Six beams fired at once, converging on Daniel’s position. He couldn’t dodge them all by running, so he crossed his arms in front of his chest and activated his defense. "Shield!"
A blue, hexagonal barrier formed in front of him, boosted by his [Shield Mastery] passive skill.
The lasers slammed into the energy shield.
BOOOOM!
The impact pushed Daniel backward. His boots skidded on the metal floor, leaving black marks. The shield cracked under the intense heat and pressure, but it held long enough to save him.
The shield shattered into fading sparks, and Daniel dropped his arms. He was panting slightly.
This was a bad match-up because he couldn’t hit the enemy, but the enemy could hit him with overwhelming firepower. He needed to disrupt that phasing ability.
He watched the Arbiter closely. It shifted between solid and intangible states constantly, vibrating at a high frequency.
"It is vibrating its molecules to pass through matter," Daniel thought. "If I can disrupt the air around it, maybe I can force it to stay solid."
He needed a shockwave. He needed [Forceburst]. Daniel sheathed his daggers. He didn’t run away this time.
He ran straight at the floating construct. The Arbiter rotated its crystals and prepared another volley.
Daniel moved erratically.
He jumped over a low sweeping beam and slid under a high one. He got within striking distance. He didn’t punch the monster directly. He stopped abruptly and punched the empty air right in front of the monster’s core.
He focused every ounce of his kinetic energy into his fist. "[Forceburst]!"
BOOOOM!
The air exploded. A massive ripple of kinetic force blasted outward from his fist, distorting the space around the Guardian.
The shockwave hit the Arbiter while it was trying to phase, and the delicate frequency of its vibration was shattered by the raw impact.
The creature let out a distorted, electronic screech. Its transparent form flickered violently and slammed back into solidity.
The crystals turned opaque and heavy.
"Got you," Daniel grinned. But the Arbiter was a Level 6 Elite, so it was not helpless.
As Daniel prepared to follow up with an attack, the creature reacted. The crystals glowed a deep purple.
[Telekinetic Shove].
An invisible wall of force slammed into Daniel’s chest.
"Argh!" Daniel cried out. He was lifted off his feet and thrown backward. He flew across the platform, unable to stop himself. He crashed into the metal wall on the far side of the room.
The impact knocked the wind out of him. He slid down to the floor, gasping for air. His vision blurred for a second.
His C-Grade Deflector Vest had absorbed some of the damage, and the scrap metal patch he had applied earlier held firm, but his ribs ached dully.
Daniel shook his head to clear the dizziness. He looked up and saw the Arbiter was recovering.
The crystals were spinning again, trying to re-establish the phasing rhythm. But it was stuttering. The [Forceburst] had damaged its internal calibration. It flickered in and out of reality, unstable and vulnerable.
"This is my chance," Daniel whispered. "I have to end it before it stabilizes." He forced himself to stand up. He ignored the pain in his chest. He summoned his mana, feeling the [Energy Siphon] pulling power from the room to refill his reserves.