Previously on Second World...
Jack struggled to comprehend the depth of Master’s power as he unveiled his God Mode, a transformation that brought forth a chaotic onslaught of elemental spells. While Jack utilized his defensive skills to counter Master’s relentless assaults, he quickly realized that outlasting his opponent was not an option, as Master freely unleashed destructive magic without concern for his own allies. Amidst the fierce battle, Master cunningly ambushed Red Death, delivering a fatal blow with the deadly Hand of Death spell, further escalating the carnage. Tensions simmered as Jack faced an overwhelming foe while the battlefield remained engulfed in turmoil.
Master spotted Jack rushing toward him and offered a mocking grin before pivoting away. "F*ck! He’s avoiding me on purpose," Jack realized.
That was precisely Master's strategy. Even though he appeared to cast high-level spells effortlessly while in God Mode, he could feel that the duration of this state was dwindling. He wasn't certain if he could outlast Jack. Although he had attempted to crush Jack with this newfound power and seemed to hold the upper hand, Jack was still far from being defeated. Consequently, he needed to bolster his legion's chances of victory in case his God Mode expired before Jack’s mana awakening.
His chosen tactic was to ensure his army's success. Even amidst his intense duel with Jack, he remained acutely aware of the battlefield. The primary threat came from the twenty-two players who had arrived with Jack. Despite being the only players on the opposing side, each displayed Tier-breaking skills and abilities that were both devastating and unfamiliar. Master suspected they, like Jack, possessed hidden or unique classes.
His legion had already lost the enhancements from the Demonic Contract. While he could utilize the Necronomicon to reset the cooldown of his Magic Clone and restart the Demonic Contract, those twenty-two players might just disrupt his clone again. To truly secure the advantage for his legion, he had to eliminate those players first.
Master executed an Extreme Teleportation, vanishing and reappearing a vast distance away from Jack. This maneuver placed him right in front of his next mark: Will Corner. This player, wielding a bard-like class, was responsible for the widespread buffs, healing, and area-of-effect damage shifting the tide of the war. Master refused to let it continue.
Will was startled by Master’s sudden arrival. Reacting on instinct, he raised a Sound Shield and unleashed his most potent ability, the level 90 Angelic Conductor skill: Voice of God.
The air surrounding Will erupted in a transparent shockwave. The blast forced everything nearby backward, including Elayne, who had been performing music close by. While the skill seemed to radiate energy in every direction, its primary force could be focused, and Will aimed that concentrated power directly at Master.
The invisible energy of the Voice of God slammed into Master. Had the force been visible, it would have resembled a massive cyclone. However, Master stood his ground, protected by a gargantuan magic shield shimmering with a multi-color aura.
Once the roar of the Voice of God faded, Master lunged. Before Will could react, Master’s hand struck him. It was a hand forged of frost—the Ice Death—which carried an instant death effect.
Will was instantly encased in ice. Master followed up with a Force Impact, shattering Will into countless frozen shards. "Coward! Are you too scared to fight me?!" Jack roared, flying toward them at extreme speed. Master merely sneered at the outburst and once again moved in a direction away from Jack.
Knowing he couldn't let Master continue the slaughter, Jack activated Time Reverse. The world began to rewind.
"Hm...?" As the flow of time inverted, Jack felt a sensation. Because he was casting Time Reverse while empowered by mana awakening and the Runestone of the Devil King, he sensed he could exert even greater control in this state.
As he contemplated this, time rolled back to the moment before Master used Extreme Teleportation. At this point, Master was still relatively close to Jack. Jack intended to keep rewinding until the moment before Red Death was killed, but something stopped him.
He noticed Master was staring directly at him. Jack remembered then—Master possessed the Chrono Guard. While Master couldn't stop the reversal of time, he remained conscious of it. Like Jack, he could witness the rewind, unlike previous encounters where he had been oblivious to the change.
As their gazes locked, Jack felt a mental strike. It wasn't a physical blow, but a psychic assault that slammed into his consciousness. The agony in his head was sharp and debilitating. When his vision cleared, he realized he had been hit by the Ethereal race skill, Mind Blast.
Master’s Mind Blast didn't just stun him; it caused the Time Reverse to fail prematurely. The spell dissipated before reaching the point where Red Death could be saved. Master immediately unleashed Waves of Hellfire before retreating again. The wall of flames blocked Jack’s path, allowing Master to put more distance between them. He glanced toward Will’s location; Will was alive again due to the partial rewind. However, Master's Extreme Teleportation remained on cooldown even though he hadn't technically cast it in this new timeline. The Chrono Guard protected his status from time manipulation, meaning the spell was considered spent.
He pulled out the Necronomicon to reset the cooldown of Extreme Teleportation but refrained from using it immediately. Instead, he moved toward a closer target.
He set his sights on Leavemealone, who was still locked in combat with the summoned daemon. The daemon’s health was low, and it was no match for Leavemealone, though it was being aided by a horde of demons and zombies.
"Behind you!" Suzaki’s voice echoed a warning in Leavemealone’s mind.
Leavemealone spun around just as Master finished a dual casting. The first spell was Greater Dispel, which Master had refreshed with the Necronomicon while on the move. Leavemealone, currently in his White Tiger Emperor form, was forced back into his human state. Furthermore, the divine flames of Suzaki covering his body were extinguished. The God Mode-enhanced Greater Dispel was potent enough to sever the spiritual link between Leavemealone and Suzaki, causing the spirit to cry out in pain. Master’s second spell was the Gravity Weight Hammer. The magical pressure was suffocating. Stripped of his buffs, Leavemealone couldn't fight the weight; he was paralyzed as the dark hammer crushed him.
Leavemealone was driven into the dirt. Master followed up with Lurking Spears, causing jagged spikes to erupt from the earth and impale Leavemealone while he was pinned. Both spells were infused with the multi-color aura, and Leavemealone stood no chance. His HP hit zero.
Master blurred away again, mentally ordering the daemon and his subordinates to intercept the pursuing Jack.
*
Nearby, a colossal whirlwind was tearing through the battlefield. Within the storm, a shadow moved with lightning speed, striking down zombies and demons while leaving the members of the Council of Elpo unharmed. This was Four Winds using his Tornado Cross. Just outside the vortex, Purple Mist was busy casting heals to keep her comrades standing, protected by a summoned angelic host. Suddenly, her summons vanished into thin air. Before she could process the shock, she felt a massive surge of mana right beside her. She tried to dodge, but a multi-color Chaos Black Hole manifested instantly, pulling her in.
"Purple...!" Four Winds screamed as he witnessed the event. Master stood right behind her, having already begun his next incantation.
Four Winds tried to charge to her rescue, but several rings of energy intercepted him. These multi-color rings were incredibly swift and agile, expanding to track Four Winds' movements before snapping shut around him. In a heartbeat, Four Winds was trapped by Master’s Repeating Magic Bind.
Master used the binds to drag Four Winds toward the center of the Chaos Black Hole where Purple Mist was trapped. He then triggered the black hole’s collapse. The resulting implosion activated the instant death effect, killing both Four Winds and Purple Mist instantly.
*
"Damn that a*shole...! He’s running from me on purpose," Jack spat.
The daemon and the rest of Master’s minions couldn't truly stop Jack, but they were successful in slowing him down. Master was also incredibly mobile; in God Mode, the speed provided by his demonic wings was immense.
The players with pinnacle classes were the pillars of Jack's army. As these pillars fell, the momentum of the battle began to shift in favor of the legion. Jack couldn't stop to help every sector; he had to prioritize stopping Master from murdering the rest of his comrades. Master moved like a reaper, picking off low-health players with lethal efficiency. He only paused when he targeted Giant Steve. Jack sent a quick message to warn Steve as Master approached under mana concealment. Steve managed to activate Eternal Wall just as Master’s spell connected.
The Eternal Wall provided ten seconds of invulnerability, forcing Master to use Greater Dispel again, a process that cost him several vital seconds. By the time Master finished killing Giant Steve, Jack had finally closed the gap.
Jack attacked the moment he arrived, unleashing a Void-tearing Slash. He manipulated the resulting rift, causing the void to expand until it swallowed Master. Master remained unfazed by the instant death property of the void, as God Mode granted him immunity to such effects. However, the intense gravitational pull of the void anchored him in place.
With Master trapped, Jack lunged forward.
"We’re finishing this right now, villain!" Jack shouted.
