Level-Up Apocalypse: Surviving With The Assimilation System

He ducked into one of the rooms attached to the hallway, finding the decrepit office of a doctor.

There was nothing there besides a chair, metal table, and a desk–not even a door as he glanced back over.

'It changed? Guess he wants to block off my sight of him, but he's doing the same, isn't he?' Finn considered.

As quickly as he thought of that, he realized the error in his thinking. If the building was under complete control of the killer, it would stand to reason it was an extension of his senses.

'Eyes—every inch of this place are practically his eyes,' he realized.

Just as he discovered that, he glanced down to find a hole splitting upward from the floor. It wasn't just that spot; across the ground, from the walls, coming down from the ceiling, dozens of holes opened.

The whistle of grinding meeting his ears prompted him to ready himself as what awaited within the cavities erupted–incredibly long, barbaric blades that stabbed into the room.

He moved himself, stepping back as the spear from the ground nearly pierced his chin, having to duck as one came out of the wall behind him, brushing against the back of his hair.

In that enclosed room with countless blades sliding in and out, jabbing violently, he was no better than a fish in a barrel.

A dance needed to be performed as he flipped around, landing his feet against the wall, having to hop onto his hands and back upright to dodge the retracting blades.

All of his effort into evasion was successful before—more holes sprouted. Dozens, maybe hundreds of the slick spears pushed inward from every direction all at once.

'Not good—' He witnessed.

["Impervious"] [4:59]

The invincibility clad itself to his body as the countless blades pushed against him, grinding against his body with the intent to skewer his flesh. Though in that moment his body was completely unbreakable, he could feel the pressure of the blades pushing against him as they broke against his invincible self.

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"--Fffa."

An exhale escaped his lips as his impervious state faded within a breath, not leaving him much of an opportunity to wait around. He looked towards the wall that led to the corridor, squeezing his fist as he cocked his arm back–

'I'll have to make a door,' he thought.

["Supercharge"] plus ["Magenta"]

The magnified burst of lightning was launched with enough force to burst through the wall, granting him passage as he dashed through before the hole could close. Right as he stepped a single foot into the rust-encrusted corridor, that murderous blur met him halfway.

That sinister presence drew him to move without fear slowing his blade.

He slashed his dagger, bringing it across the side of the man's neck. It was a mutual greeting, as the knife of the nameless killer cut across his hip. Only by leaning did he avoid having the blade plunge through his gut, avoiding a far worse outcome.

Exchanging wounds with the man of sinister origins, there wasn't an ounce of fear pumping through his heart. It wasn't a natural development he overcame itself; an attribute of his "Zombie" body.

As he pivoted, flipping his blade around as he sought to plunge it through the man's neck to finish the job, the killer's knife was primed for his heart. With timing no more than milliseconds apart, it would be a neck for a heart; an exchange of unavoidable death for both men.

Just as his dagger would skewer the throat–

Just as the knife would cut through his heart–

["Dreamwalking"]

Rapidly approaching his own death in exchange for the end of the nameless killer, the nebulous ability was activated while conscious for the first time. It felt as though time stopped, unable to move as he was connected to the Devil only by the tip of his dagger touching his neck, and the end of the knife greeting his chest, though neither yet piercing.

"Huh?--"

The scenery began to unravel, warping around them as the man in front of him even began to blur. No, it wasn't that the apartment was changing; he was being moved from it, pushed through a kaleidoscope of brain-numbing flashes of color.

A nauseating fluctuation; it felt as though his eyes were splitting apart, compounding like that of a fly to perceive the shifting scenery.

'Dreamwalking…How did it activate? Why did it–? I've never even seen it used, only while I'm asleep–what's going on?' He questioned.

Left completely frozen amidst the influx of colors against his eyes, it all quickly dispersed as he blinked once. Where he found himself was a place deeply familiar and equally unsettling; a scenery he had never hoped to see again.

A black sea that stretched on as far as the eye could see, a void staring down at him from above; it was the sights of that horrific night of the "Third Impact."

He stood on the surface of the water, glancing around as the abyssal ocean rippled, still questioning how he found himself back at such a place.

'This is where I faced it…the "Furthest From God"--I thought this place was some kind of hallucination, but it actually exists?' He considered.

Back in the depraved place, he watched the water ripple as the haunting figure rose from beneath the surface. Of course, he knew he'd be here; the nameless killer emerged like a shark from the depths.

A flicker; for just a moment, he perceived the sinister man as something else, something inhuman. Briefly, he saw him as the faceless entity of black tar he once faced.

["The Furthest From God"]

["The Devil']

Those two names, seemingly belonging to two different entities entirely; only when placing them together did he see how similar they were. It wasn't a relation by coincidence, nor did he find himself returned to the abyssal sea by chance.

'This guy…That thing I encountered at the night of the Third Impact–they're connected in some way, aren't they?' He reasoned.

None of that mattered in comparison to what he needed to do at the current moment–survive. He was caught off-guard by the sudden leap taken by the knife-wielding man, who was already in front of him, coming down with sheer malice.

["Phantom Retreat"] [0:09]

He briefly turned to a shadow, pushing himself several meters back as the nameless figure crashed down onto the sea. The whistle of wind past his ears was followed by a visceral force carving through the black water, passing only mere inches by him.

It was a fortunate miracle that he leaned just slightly to the right as the unseen slash parted the sea just briefly. Such strength and range behind the knife wasn't something he believed was previously within the man's arsenal, forcing him to stay active on his feet.

["Phantom Flow"]

Surfing across the water, he opted to replace his dagger with a weapon more optimal against the knife wielder.

[Winged Spear]

The lengthy tool wasn't his most comfortable weapon, but its reach was far superior to a hunting knife.

Nonetheless, in the heat of battle with his heart drumming in his ears and his blood heating up, it felt as though he'd been wielding a spear since before he could walk.

Coming straight ahead, the knife-wielder dashed with steps that barely made the water ripple.

"Not very talkative, are you?!" Finn shouted towards the nameless man.

Before that knife could get within range, he pushed his spear forward with rapid thrusts. The tip of the spear kept [Nameless] back, nearly driving the end through the man's heart.

It was like attempting to keep a predator at bay; he pushed the silver end forward, forcing the killer back only to bring him circling around to try for another bite.

'He's relentless—I won't win by tiring him out, that's for sure,' he thought.

An exhale pushed through pursed lips as he cocked the spear back in a single motion, spinning around on the riptide of shadows. Right behind him, the bestial killer sprang towards him with that knife—

["Heaven Piercer"] [Mana: -500] [3100/4500]

He rotated his shoulder with sublime speed, thrusting the spear as it produced a sharp blade of light. It stretched onward for a mile, though penetrating only the bare wind.

Seamlessly, the man sank into the water, dipping beneath it with only the most subtle of ripples.

'He ducked into the ocean—?' He realized.

Side to side, he turned, looking for where the killer would surface, though found the deep-black water rippling all too much. It wasn't the result one man rising, but something much more dire–

"Shit," Finn muttered.

From the unseen depths, abyssal figures emerged all around him, nearby and in the distance. The pillars of the black substance remained enigmatic in shape until he looked up.

An army of colossal limbs, each wielding knives that could carve apart buildings as though they were cake. It was the spitting image of that night, staring up at those abyssal arms.