Chapter 429: Riven’s Ultimate Internalization Technique

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RUMBLE!

TRUUUM!

FLUOOOSH!

Black holes opened everywhere as the entire conceptual plane attempted to eject them. Meanwhile, countless black shadows and nightmare monsters emerged, hissing at them.

The floating islands began to break apart around them, their pieces pulled into the black holes before they could fall. Riven felt something dragging him backward, trying to force him out along with Vladimir. Riven didn’t care.

He pushed against it and kept his eyes on his enemy. If he lost sight of him now, even for a moment, Vladimir could reach him before he could prepare another attack. He gathered his power and controlled the gravity around him, firing hundreds of enormous floating islands at Vladimir.

Some were already breaking apart, but he pulled their scattered pieces together and launched them anyway. He didn’t need them to survive the impact. He just needed to keep Vladimir from getting closer. More islands rose behind him as he sent the first ones forward, giving Vladimir no clear path through them.

Vladimir was shocked to see the same spell used against him again. Riven had perfectly replicated Zephyrus’s Meteor Spell and was bombarding him with explosions.

He recognized the attack, but that didn’t make it any easier to avoid. The first island struck him before he could move aside, and another came straight through the debris. Vladimir raised his arms and smashed through it, only to see more coming. Riven watched him disappear behind the explosions, still able to feel him moving through the rubble.

He wasn’t stopping. That was what bothered Riven. Even with all those islands crashing into him, Vladimir kept coming toward him instead of trying to escape. Riven pulled another island into his path and pushed more power into the spell.

"RAAAAHHHHH!"

Vladimir roared and charged through each massive boulder, leaping forward and reaching Riven. He slashed Riven’s chest open and bit his neck before Riven punched him in the face and sent him flying down.

Riven had seen him coming, but he hadn’t expected him to get through the last island so quickly. Pain shot through his neck, and he nearly lost control of the gravity holding him in place. He reached up to the bite as Vladimir fell away, angry at himself for letting him get that close. Another second, and he might not have been able to throw him off.

He lowered his hand and followed. There was no point staying there and checking his wounds while Vladimir recovered below him. He could still move, and he could still fight. For now, that was enough.

Vladimir crashed out of the Noosphere, and Riven chased him. The Noosphere monsters that came after Riven exploded instantly upon touching him, a white veil of Sword of Memories covering him completely. Their black cores fell into his inventory.

Several monsters reached for his tails as he passed, while others threw themselves directly into his path. Riven didn’t slow down to deal with them. He kept looking below, following Vladimir through the opening before it could close. Each monster that touched the veil burst apart, leaving another core behind as Riven continued his descent.

He’d discovered that consuming these cores could strengthen his psychic power, so he saved them for later.

After all, he was still not done.

Below him, Vladimir was already turning, trying to face him before he caught up. Riven spread his tails and began gathering power into each one. He wasn’t going to give him time to prepare another charge. The distance between them was shrinking, and this time, Riven intended to attack before Vladimir could reach him.

He descended toward Vladimir, his nine tails gleaming as nine spheres of elemental power formed and fell upon his enemy.

Vladimir maneuvered around the spheres, but they exploded against him, freezing him, burning him, slicing him with wind, then electrocuting him with lightning.

He swung his claws through the wind, trying to keep it away from his eyes. He could barely see Riven through the flames, but he knew where the next attack was coming from.

He turned his body to avoid it, and lightning struck his shoulder instead. His arm jerked, throwing him off balance as the remaining spheres closed in. He had to get out of their path before they trapped him again.

"TSK!"

He spotted a gap between the explosions and forced himself toward it, keeping his eyes on Riven. Riven brought his fist back when he saw him preparing to attack. There wasn’t enough distance left to send another sphere between them, and Vladimir wasn’t giving him any. Neither moved aside. Riven held his position as Vladimir pulled his arm back, both ready to strike as soon as the other came within reach.

The Weredragon roared and spun midair, stopping his fall before kicking off the air and reaching Riven. They clashed, their fists colliding and shattering the bones and flesh of their hands.

CRAAACK!

Both clenched their teeth and endured the pain, but Vladimir followed with a deadly punch from his new mechanical arm. It had been replaced while Riven wasn’t looking. The arm transformed into a giant yellow fist, releasing an explosion of lightning as it struck Riven’s head.

Riven tried to turn away from the punch, but their injured hands were still pressed together. He pulled his arm back a moment too late. The yellow fist filled his vision, and he barely had time to clench his teeth before it hit. His head snapped to the side, his feet leaving their position as the explosion threw him downward.

BOOOOMMMM!!!

Riven was sent flying down, crashing into the ground and rolling through a giant forest before smashing into a massive mountain. The mountainside erupted from the impact as Vladimir caught up to him. He descended in a spin, his claws sweeping down as his yellow arm transformed into a giant drill, releasing electricity and gravitational forces.

Broken trees and chunks of rock fell around Riven as he tried to get up. He planted a hand against the mountainside, then pulled it back when pain shot through his damaged fingers. Vladimir’s laughter reached him before he could look up. He was coming straight for him, and Riven could feel the drill pulling at the rubble around his feet. He forced himself to stand and face him.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! HAAAAAAHAHAHAHA! IS THAT ALL YOU’VE GOT?!"

Riven smiled back at him, still confident. "Hardly."

He stood back up, and hundreds of black and white swords appeared around him. Vladimir’s eyes widened as they united into a single sword that absorbed as much spirit energy as it needed.

Riven kept his eyes on Vladimir as the swords gathered, bringing them together before his enemy could reach him. He could still feel the pain in his hand, but he forced his fingers to move. The blades turned toward one another, their edges overlapping as more swords joined them. Vladimir watched the weapon grow, trying to figure out where Riven would aim it.

He had been ready to face another barrage, not this. There was only one sword now, and it was still gathering energy. Vladimir shifted his arm in front of him and kept moving. If Riven threw it, he would have to meet it head-on or move aside before it reached him. Neither choice looked particularly easy from this close.

Conceptual Sword of Memories + Divine Axe Art + Abyssal Assault Arts Internalization–

–Iridescent Heavenly Spirit Sword!

A beautiful sword that seemed to have been carved from the sky itself took shape, and then...

"HAH! YOU THINK YOU CAN SPLIT ME WITH IT?!"

"No."

Riven didn’t fire it like some crude, boring projectile. He raised his hand and touched it, absorbing the enormous sword into his own body.

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