Second World Chapter 1997: Chapter 1997. God Mode

"How...? How are you doing this...?" Jack stood frozen, struggling to comprehend the sight before him.

Master offered no verbal reply, lost in a moment of self-admiration. The Earth Titan Suit had vanished from his frame, replaced by a shimmering cloak of multi-colored aura that wrapped around him like a second skin.

"When did you learn to achieve the mana awakening state?" Jack demanded at last.

"Mana awakening? So, that is the name for this?" Master mused.

"That's impossible!" Peniel cried out. "To invite mana into your body and fuse with it, you have to clear your mind while staying conscious. We never saw you lose focus..."

"Is that the tedious method you use to reach your state?" Master laughed softly. "My path is different. However, I must admit that without analyzing your energy during our fight, I wouldn't have succeeded."

"You analyzed mine...?" Jack's disbelief grew.

"That is why I expressed my gratitude, isn't it?" Master countered. "I attempted to replicate your condition after feeling your energy. But I didn't invite external mana in like you do. Instead, I tapped into the mana already residing within me—my divine mana, which your kind has somehow managed to stifle. I activated every secondary skill from the divine treasures. Those five elemental divine buffs are perfectly compatible. By fusing them flawlessly and applying the technique I grasped from observing you, I drew out my divine mana. It is merely a fragment of my true divine power, but it suffices. Since our techniques differ, I won't use your terminology. No... I shall name this power... God mode."

As he finished speaking, a spell formation materialized on Master's staff, completing itself almost as fast as it appeared. Jack reacted instantly. He raised his hand, causing his runic ring of defense to manifest as a protective sphere that fully enclosed Peniel. A violent blaze erupted, attempting to incinerate the defensive orb. Master was trying to eliminate the fairy using the same tactic from their initial clash.

'Retreat into your dimension,' Jack messaged Peniel telepathically.

Without a word of protest, Peniel phased out of existence.

Master simply grinned. He showed no frustration at the failed attempt. Instead, he rapidly conjured another spell formation.

A massive hurricane suddenly formed with Jack at its epicenter. Under the influence of God Mode, the cyclone's velocity and destructive force were vastly amplified. The storm was packed with countless razor-sharp blades, shredding everything within its area of effect.

Jack moved the moment the winds gathered. Activating War God’s Stride, he phased through the howling gale and lunged toward Master's position.

Master retreated instantly before Jack could connect. Jack pursued him. Previously, while using divine incarnations, Master had rivaled Jack's power but lacked his agility. Now, his speed was nearly equal to Jack's. The two became blurs in the sky, engaged in a high-speed pursuit that carried them far above the clashing armies below.

Master maintained a constant barrage of spells while kiting Jack. Jack was forced to either weave through the magic or shatter it with raw power, keeping his runic ring of defense active throughout the chase.

Jack unleashed Devil Eye Flare. Two beams of light transformed into massive pillars of fire that diverged, racing toward Master’s flanks to cut off his path.

Master’s eyes ignited with a similar glow. Identical pillars of fire erupted from his gaze, intercepting Jack's beams. The resulting collision triggered a series of violent aerial explosions.

Master’s eyes flared again, this time emitting a dark radiance. A black hole manifested directly in Jack's trajectory. Jack veered away sharply, narrowly avoiding the gravitational pull of the void.

Back when Master reigned as a God, Devil Eye Flare and Void-displacement Eye were among the abilities he had obtained through his hacks.

As Jack evaded the Void-displacement eye, a colossal hand made of earth surged toward him. Simultaneously, Master unleashed Flame Wrath. The fireballs he summoned were significantly larger and far more numerous than usual.

Jack used Flame Strike to shatter the earthen hand. As the fireballs closed in, his runic ring of defense expanded into a sphere to shield him. Continuous explosions rocked the heavens as the fireballs slammed into Jack's barrier.

Before the Flame Wrath had even finished its assault, Master had already initiated another spell: Sea of the Elementals. Enhanced by God Mode, the spell summoned a titanic tidal wave of multi-colored elements. This elemental deluge crashed against Jack's defensive sphere like a heavy waterfall.

Master continued his relentless bombardment, casting one offensive elemental spell after another. Some were entirely unknown, while others were legendary techniques used by powerful beings. Among them were the Sky Tsunami and Primal Storm of Broidrireg, the Lightning Turbulence of Asmodeus, the Dark Plaguing Spears of the Eldritch Beholder, the Flame Bloom of the Herald of Greed, and many others.

The depth of Master's spell library was beyond comprehension. Even without the Necronomicon's cooldown reduction, he possessed an inexhaustible arsenal.

"This doesn't make sense...," Jack muttered. He was relying on his Runic Ring of Defense to withstand the onslaught, but visible cracks were beginning to spiderweb across the barrier. He channeled his mana awakening power into the ring to keep it from shattering. "He's casting high-tier spells non-stop. The mana drain should have caused him to black out by now."

"It might be exactly as he claimed. Your states are fundamentally different despite the visual similarities," Peniel suggested from her hidden dimension. "He is tapping into his internal divine power. His body might be able to handle that strain differently."

"Damn it!" Jack hissed. This meant he couldn't win a war of attrition. To make matters worse, his own time in this state was running low. Only the runic suit from the Runestone of the Devil King and his disciplined use of skills had kept him going this long.

The sounds of agonizing screams pulled Jack's focus downward. He realized the armies below were being devastated by the collateral damage of Master's spells. The force of Master's attacks had gradually pushed Jack lower until he was hovering just above the battlefield. The stray magic was hitting members of the Council of Elpo and Master's own legion indiscriminately.

Master showed total indifference toward his own allies' lives, continuing his unrestricted bombardment. Jack was eventually forced down into the thick of the fighting. Everyone nearby, save for the mindless zombies, scrambled to escape the kill zone. The undead not only remained but actively grappled their enemies to keep them trapped under the falling spells.

Master's next invocation was the Hand of God, an elite non-standard Priest spell. A titanic hand of pure radiance descended from the heavens. Trapped under the ongoing barrage, Jack had no choice but to brace himself as the luminous hand crushed down on him.

The force drove Jack into the surface of Sky Haven. Fissures erupted from the impact site, and the entire floating island shuddered, dipping momentarily before stabilizing.

As the Hand of God dissipated, Jack was revealed at the bottom of a deep crater. He was physically unhurt, but his Runic Ring of Defense was on the verge of total collapse.

Jack ground his teeth in frustration. If he continued to hold back his skills, he couldn't match Master's God Mode. Yet, if he went all out, he would reach his limit even faster. Both paths seemed to lead to defeat.

There was no time for deliberation. Master had already launched his next attack: Hail of Ice Calamity. The falling ice blades were wreathed in multi-colored auras. Instead of falling straight, they moved with a predatory intelligence, swerving around obstacles as they homed in on Jack.

Jack countered with Scourge of the Demon Swords. A hundred demonic blades manifested and surged upward to meet the ice. While Scourge of the Demon Swords was inherently more powerful, both were now buffed by the multi-colored aura. The demonic blades dominated the clash, shattering the ice swords upon contact.

Though the ice blades were more numerous, the demonic swords cleared the path completely. After destroying the ice, the demonic blades swerved and streaked toward Master.

However, not a single blade reached its mark. Master cast Extreme Telekinesis, another of his hacked non-standard spells. He had modified it to affect far more targets than originally intended. All one hundred demonic swords were frozen mid-air before being crushed into fragments.

Master then unleashed Mirror Image. In God Mode, every duplicate possessed Master's exact mana signature. The copies scattered in multiple directions. Jack activated Gold Dragon Sight, searching for the true Master among the illusions.

Several copies charged directly at Jack. He initially assumed the real Master was among the attackers, only to realize with a jolt that the true Master was moving in a completely different direction. He quickly identified the target.

Red Death was completely unaware that Master had appeared behind her. Like Jack, Master was utilizing mana concealment. Master thrust his hand toward the unsuspecting woman, his palm glowing with a sinister, ghostly light. He had prepared the spell Hand of Death—an ability capable of instant execution—before he even arrived.

The glowing hand struck Red Death square in the back. Her HP plummeted to zero before she even realized she was under attack. The woman who held the ultimate assassination class had been successfully assassinated from the shadows.