Chapter 23: Chapter 22:Andras
"How dare a stray god like you speak to me this way?!" Andras said angrily, his purple eyes glowing and the Mana around him intensifying.
Jack's crow-like eyes narrowed. Even though Andras was known as a weak god, he was still stronger than Jack for now.
Moreover, instead of possessing an Avatar, Andras had taken over the body of a devout believer. This made him even weaker than an Avatar. Yet Jack wanted to stall until his Mana regenerated.
"Are you stupid? You're talking to a crow." Jack's question made Andras look at him like an idiot. "I can understand what you're saying, crow."
Jack's eyes widened. "Wait, are you serious?!"
Andras furrowed his brow. "What kind of god are you? Haven't you heard of telepathy?"
Despite his wounded pride, Jack played dumb. "Sorry, you know, I'm new to this god business..."
"You are stupid!"
"Hey, I'm right here, you know that, right?!"
"A stray god like you isn't even worthy of looking at me," Andras said with a disgusted expression. A smirk appeared on Jack's face.
"Stray god, huh?" Jack said mockingly. He looked into Andras's purple eyes. "Do I really look like a stray to you?"
Andras's eyes narrowed, angered by Jack's disrespectful tone. "You're just a crow without even true divinity, don't talk so much!"
Jack chuckled. "At least I'm not shunned by other gods..."
As Andras's veins bulged with anger, Jack continued mockingly, "After all, even though I'm a crow, I don't look like a freak."
"You—you are nothing but a weak worm compared to my magnificent existence!"
"What happened? Are you going to cry?" Jack controlled his Mana, his mocking gaze further enraging Andras. "Sorry, but you look really stupid."
"Weren't you the god of war once, or was it the god of tears?" Jack said as he slowly retreated. Despite his anger, Andras managed to smile.
"You're trying to stall me, aren't you?" Andras grinned as he saw Jack tense up, and Rufus's body began to change. His teeth elongated like a vampire's, and his eyes gradually turned red.
Andras's hands transformed into claws, and with a swift leap, he caught Jack off guard. Jack used a Barrier spell to block the claws, barely escaping the attack as the Barrier shattered in just two seconds.
Jack quickly flew upward, while Andras grinned savagely. "What's the matter? Are you scared? Don't worry, I won't hurt you too much!"
Seeing Jack fly into the forest, Andras chased him with a terrifying smile. Using the trees, Andras jumped high.
"Ignis!"
The purple flames that shot from Andras's hands singed Jack's feathers, but he managed to escape thanks to his quick reflexes.
"Damn it! I almost got burned!" Jack felt relieved that he was okay. But before he could celebrate, another fireball came at him.
With a sudden maneuver to the right, Jack dodged the fireballs, which lit up the night one after another. As Jack fled, Andras laughed angrily. "Come here, worm! I'm going to cook you!"
Jack paled at the word "cook" and flapped his wings harder, but Andras was closing in on him with every moment.
Seeing his Mana climb to 500, Jack quickly enveloped his body with it, nearly doubling his speed. "Damn it! Faster!"
Andras's eyes gleamed as the crow sped up. He pursued the crow relentlessly.
Meanwhile, after putting about 500 meters between himself and Andras, Jack hid himself in a bush. He blended into the shadows, using his Dark Form.
Sensing Andras approaching, Jack hid carefully.
"Hiding like a mouse, are you?" Andras's mocking tone earned Jack's curse. While Jack hid anxiously, Andras wore a satisfied, merciless grin. "Fine then, I'll burn you down to ashes!"
Placing his hands on the ground, Andras laughed maniacally. "Pyra Exaltus!"
When Jack heard the name of the spell, he paled. As he was about to flee, pillars of flame suddenly erupted from the ground, turning the forest into ruins and devastation.
At the last moment, Jack covered himself with a Barrier Spell, but he screamed in agony. The pain forced his Dark Form to cancel, and Andras's clawed hand grabbed Jack's small body harshly.
As the pillars of flame continued to burn and destroy everything, Andras licked his lips. "I'll be very satisfied while devouring you..."
Jack desperately tried to escape, but Andras's clawed hand had left wounds on his small body, making it impossible for him even to move his wings.
Andras seemed to take pleasure in Jack's pain, chuckling as saliva dripped from his sharp teeth. "Any last words, rat?"
Despite the pain, Jack managed to smile, and his crow-like eyes narrowed with amusement. "Send my regards to your mother..."
"Tsk, you're a mouthy god..."
"That's rude..." Seeing Jack smile, Andras raised an eyebrow in surprise and curiosity. "Aren't you afraid of death? I'm about to kill you."
Jack laughed, and the Leth spell that came from his mouth struck Andras's arm. Quickly freeing himself, Jack passed through the now-dwindling pillars of flame.
As Andras's eyes widened with rage, he glared at the crow flying in the air. "You wretched thing! Do you think a spell like Leth could work on someone like me?!"
Hearing Andras shout at him with arrogance and rage, Jack looked mockingly at the Evil God. "Don't speak so confidently..."
Andras didn't understand why Jack said that, but when he realized he couldn't feel his left hand, his eyes widened with a hatred greater than before.
"Do you think this mortal body is good enough for a High-level spell like 'Pyra Exaltus'?" Hearing the crow's mocking voice, Andras cursed his stupidity and Rufus' body.
Yet, he still managed to smirk. "But my right claws are still enough to cut and shred you, worm!"
Pointing his right claws at Jack, who was hovering in the air, Andras laughed arrogantly. "Even if this body is worthless, it's still enough for someone like you!"
As Jack's eyes narrowed, he felt a bit relieved when he saw his Mana was at 700, but that relief quickly faded when he noticed the fireballs rushing toward him.
Quickly dodging again, Jack sighed as he saw the furious Andras chasing him. He only needed to stall for 5 more minutes. "In 5 minutes, Rufus' body will disintegrate."
That was the drawback of possessing a believer's body. The more powerful the God, the more impossible it became to be compatible with a mortal body.
Seeing that Jack was fleeing, Andras became more serious. He wanted to kill Jack completely.
"Don't run, get back here!"
"Catch me if you can, bastard!"
After nearly 3 minutes of flying, Jack saw his Mana reserves had reached 800, so he stopped running.
Andras's body looked nearly shattered. One of his eyes had lost its function, his speed had slowed down, and his Mana was nearly depleted.
Andras seemed to be aware of this as well, as his attacks became more serious. Some attacks nearly wounded Jack, but he managed to evade them.
Jack's eyes narrowed with revenge. Then, he began to cloak his body in shadows. As his body merged with the shadows, they expanded nearly tenfold in size.
"Let's try a sword!" Jack manipulated the shadows, and his Mana had already dropped to 750. Preparing himself, Jack poured all his Mana into shaping and sharpening the shadow.
In a short time, his Mana reserves dropped below 50, and the shadows took the form of a 20-meter-long sword. As Jack readied himself, Andras's eyes widened.
The dangerous aura emanating from Jack both surprised and excited him. After all, he was once a God of War. Andras spread his arms and shouted excitedly, "Raven! Give it your best shot!"
"I'll give you the best!"
As the 20-meter-long Dark Sword quickly accelerated downward, Andras drew all the Mana from the body and injected it into a single spell.
"Kurea Ignis!!!!"
With a deep, guttural, animalistic roar, a spear made of scorching flames appeared in Andras's hand. As the spear burned the ground with rage, Andras's body was on the verge of breaking apart.
Getting into position to throw the flame spear, Andras sneered and looked mockingly at the 20-meter-long Dark Sword coming toward him.
Then, he tensed and threw the spear. "Now, die! Rat!!!"
With Andras's roar, the spear sped toward the Dark Sword at incredible speed.
Jack held his breath and used the last of his Mana with deep determination.
The accelerating Dark Sword collided with the Flame Spear.
"Boom!"
The collision between the Flame Spear and the Dark Sword caused a powerful gust of wind to blow.
Sparks from the flames damaged Andras's eyes, which were already nearly blind. Yet he laughed and reveled in it. "It's over, I won!"
As the Flame Spear and the Dark Sword annihilated each other, suddenly shadowy spikes pierced Andras's brain, heart, and lungs.
"What!" Andras's body, groaning in pain, couldn't endure any longer and collapsed to the ground. The body had become completely non-functional.
"Don't underestimate me, bastard..." Jack's tired voice only fueled Andras's anger, but there was nothing he could do but helplessly endure it.
"I will remember you, rogue god! Wherever you are in the world! I will kill you!"
Before Rufus's body exploded, a final voice echoed in Jack's mind.
Feeling Andras's presence vanish, Jack suddenly felt extremely exhausted due to Mana loss, but his spirits lifted when a sudden notification appeared.
{Level Up}
{General level increased from 14 to 20}
{New skills acquired: 'Dark Sword', 'Telepathy', 'God Aura'}
{Shadow Manipulation leveled up from 7 to 10}
{Shield leveled up from 6 to 10}
{Avatar Creation leveled up from 7 to 10}
{Dark Transformation leveled up 10<15}
Despite being exhausted, Jack was pleased with the Level Up and lay down on the ground to rest a little. Thinking it was nearing 4 o'clock, Jack guessed that Morrigan was probably at her mansion by now.
Jack was uncertain about what he would say to deceive Morrigan. He sighed and looked up at the sun shining above. "This is such a troublesome situation..."
Reflecting on the events of the day, Jack's eyes narrowed as he remembered the last wish of the blonde girl.
"Finding this person named Urien will be difficult for me. Should I ask Morrigan for help?"
Jack dismissed the idea. "Morrigan doesn't have any personal influence. She can't do it..."
Time passed quickly for Jack as he contemplated what to do. After resting for half an hour and regaining his Mana, he stood up and set off toward the Capital.