NABC Chapter 128 The Empousai
Chapter 128 The Empousai
Name: Rex Xander
Level: 38
XP to Next Level: 752,700/1,900,000 XP
Race: Human (Hero of Time)
Your journey continues on empire
Class: Cerberus Slayer (Effect: Gains 2x more XP from wolf-like creatures)
Strength: 258
Agility: 282
Endurance: 194
Intelligence: 224
Aether: 0/180
Available Ability Points: 0
Active Skills:
Aegis of Eternity (Lv. 1) (XP to next level: 160/300)
Cost: 5 Aether per second.
Description: Create a timeless bubble to isolate from time's flow. Inside, immunity to damage and rapid healing occurs.
Passive Skills:
Fate's Eyes
Titan's Will (Cooldown remaining: 22 hours)
Rex slammed his fist into the dusty stone floor, a wave of frustration coursing through his veins. His system panel floated in front of him, mocking his progress.
"I still haven't leveled up!" he growled. The weight of the number, 752,700 XP seemed like a mountain he could never scale.
Before, with every creature he felled, the thrill of leveling up had surged through him like an electric current. But now, it was as if the universe had decided to chain him to mediocrity, taunting him with unreachable heights.
He pushed himself to his feet, every muscle in his body protesting. The oppressive air of Hades' domain pressed against his skin like a heavy shroud, and the eerie silence of the Temple of Thanatos and Hypnos felt alive, as if the walls themselves were whispering threats.
"Cronus!" he shouted, his voice laced with desperation as he turned to the void around him. "Any idea where I can find some easy kills that'll still fetch me a lot of XP?"
"Thou wants to fight badly and yet thou knowest not that thine enemies are already before thee?!"
"Wait, what?!"
Name: Empousai
Race: Demon
"That was tougher than I thought," Rex muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "Still not enough to level up? Are you kidding me?!"
XP to next level: 1,252,000/1,900,000 XP
"So, they only gave 100,000 each uh?..." Rex deduced.
Before he could stew in his irritation, a sudden shift in the air made him freeze. A sharp, electric pulse zipped past him, ruffling his hair. His instincts kicked in, and he snapped his head up.
What he saw stopped him cold.
A sea of wolves stretched out before him, their hulking forms emerging from the shadows like phantoms. Their fur wasn't just black—it writhed, shifting like living darkness clinging to their massive frames. Their eyes, empty voids blazing with an eerie white flame, pierced through the gloom of the temple. The flames danced unnaturally, flickering in a rhythm that seemed to echo some silent, unholy chant.
The wolves weren't just numerous—they were titanic. Each one rivaled the Cerberus in size, their growls a low, guttural rumble that vibrated the very ground beneath Rex's feet.
Name: Summoned Hounds of Hell
Race: Demon
Strength: 100
Agility: 100
Endurance: 100
Intelligence: 100
"Pfft! Weaklings!" Rex scoffed, though his voice carried a slight edge, betraying his unease. He flexed his fingers, cracked his neck, and rolled his shoulders. Even without Aether, he felt confident he could handle them. But a nagging thought clawed at the back of his mind.
"If these are summoned... then where's the summoner?"
His question was answered almost immediately. From behind the massive wolves, figures began to emerge, stepping forward in unnatural synchronization.
Empousai.
But these were different.
Unlike their fiery counterparts, these ones were unnervingly pale, their skin a ghastly alabaster that gleamed under the flickering flames of the Hounds. Their movements were jerky, almost puppet-like, as if an unseen force guided their every step. Their auras were weaker, lacking the raw ferocity of the fiery Empousai.
Yet something about them felt more insidious.
The silence they carried was suffocating, their hollow gazes fixed on Rex as if measuring him, dissecting him. The wolves stood sentinel by their sides, unmoving, their burning eyes locked onto him like judgmental specters.
"There are three paths of the Empousai," Cronus's voice cut through the oppressive stillness. "The fiery path, the shadow path, and the summoning path. You have defeated the fiery path. Now, only shadow and summoning remain."
Rex slapped a hand to his forehead with a groan. "Cronus, you really need to work on giving me a heads-up before these things show up!"
"Thou hast not asked, Harbinger," Cronus replied, his tone as unbothered as ever.
"Say what now?! I haven't asked?!"
........
Rex lowered his hand, glaring at the pale Empousai and their monstrous hounds. "Fine. If they want a fight, I'll give them one."
The wolves began to prowl forward, their claws scraping against the stone floor with an ear-piercing screech. The Empousai followed, their ghostly forms gliding with an eerie grace. Rex took a deep breath, planting his feet and tightening his fists.
"You all brought an army," he said, his voice calm, almost amused. Then, with a dangerous gleam in his eyes, he added, "Shame it's not enough to make this fun."