Chapter 518: Burden Inscriptions.

Having found a solution to Burden Collector’s immortal-like flesh, Levi switched to Judgement’s Chainstaff and extended the crimson chained crowns.

Then... he manifested two concentrated, pitch-dark blades on the crowns and held the central staff segment.

Without hesitation, Levi unleashed Sun Jets in small bursts as he flew toward Burden Collector, who was still releasing clones nonstop into the arena!

He knew that projectiles were useless, and if he were to win this, he needed to get close and intimate before Burden Collector filled the entire arena with his clones.

Slice! Slice! Slice...

Levi began weaving through the swarm, using brief changes of direction to make the copies obstruct one another while he sliced them apart with the Void blades.

Despite his use of Void blades, some of the severed clones managed to multiply from their wounds after their flesh absorbed the dark energy.

This made Levi understand that his Void attacks weren’t a perfect counter, as they needed to be potent enough to finish the job before the clones’ flesh could absorb the dark energy and use it to multiply again.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, Burden Collector’s pores widened as dozens of small creatures squeezed out of his side, throwing themselves straight into Levi’s path!

However, Levi had already noticed them coming.

He tilted his body and slipped through the first swarm, then twisted his chainstaff behind his back and sliced through a few copies attempting to grab his shoulder.

Before they could surround him, he released a short burst from his Sun Jets and pierced through the remaining gap!

The creatures swiftly turned around, only to find that Levi had already reached their creator.

’Die!’

Levi swung the two long Void blades from both sides, bringing them together at Burden Collector’s waist and cutting through his sponge-like flesh in one swift motion!

Slice!

Levi emerged from the other side, gliding across the ground... not bothering to turn his head as Burden Collector’s upper body slid off his lower half.

The Void blades appeared to have done the trick, as Burden Collector hadn’t managed to absorb the potent dark energy and increase his size.

Thud!

The moment his separated body landed on the ground, a loud cheer erupted from Levi’s fans... alas, it didn’t last for even a second.

’Worldbearing Arts: Burden Free Zone.’

Rumble!

Abruptly, Burden Collector’s body inflated and then released a field of gray spiritual spores that spread across hundreds of meters in an instant, before the spectators could finish cheering!

Levi tried to get out of the spiritual field, but he could never be faster than a spiritual attack... Immediately, he felt something trying to slip through his subconscious barrier.

’Trying to get inside?’

He swiftly poured more spiritual energy into the barrier, adding extra protection before any foreign influence could reach his soul.

Meanwhile, Burden Collector’s separated halves stretched toward each other and reconnected without a single care for the clinging dark energy.

As for pain? His species was incapable of feeling any emotions or sensations related to their own experiences... they could only sense what they had collected from others and feed on it!

Levi kept his attention on both the giant and the field, knowing that the Collector wouldn’t stop after one failed attempt.

As expected, before Levi could take off into the sky, Burden Collector clenched his fist and uttered,

"Weight of Existence."

BOOOM!

Levi slammed into the arena on his knees, shattering the surrounding area into pieces... his facial features were pulled downward beneath the mask, twisting his face like that of a fighter jet pilot experiencing over 10 Gs!

Even his chainstaff struck the arena’s floor with such force that half of it disappeared into the stone!

’Gravity?! No such Aspect was listed on the network!’

Levi planted his palm on the ground and tried to push himself up... but he swiftly halted his attempt, realizing that the more he resisted, the greater the gravity’s intensity became... it had reached the point where he couldn’t even lift his head.

Realizing that he couldn’t remain like this for long, Levi gritted his teeth and activated his Combustion Sun Jets to the limit, blasting the rubble around his legs into the air!

The viewers were left stunned to see Celestial barely rise a meter off the ground, even when he was going all out!

Crack! Crack!

As the ground kept shattering and the rubble melted under the sunflame jets, Gamemaster Gamble shouted passionately, "Celestial is in a grave pickle! Burden Collector must have unlocked the Gravity Aspect between games!"

No one was surprised that Gravani Trueborns had bloodline connections to the Gravity Aspect, as it went hand in hand with their main Burden Aspect... however, Burden Collector had never used a gravity-based ability in his previous games, which led everyone to assume that he had indeed unlocked it during his break!

Being given fifteen days to prepare and study their opponents was one thing... being given fifteen minutes was another... but finding out about a hidden Aspect during a fight? It was a life-or-death situation!

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Sensing the swarm of mini-sponges getting dragged rapidly in his direction, as if his body had turned into a living magnet, Levi stopped feeding the jets and changed his approach.

Without hesitation, he spread dark energy around his body and activated dozens of Void Isolation layers... almost immediately, the crushing pull lessened immensely, as if his body had become isolated from its influence.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

A dozen small sponge-like creatures had already attached themselves to his passive aetheric barrier and instantly devoured its energy before Levi could do anything about it... Then, they made physical contact, making Levi’s expression turn grim.

’Shit!’

Without wasting a single moment, Levi pointed his staff toward the sky and pierced through the swarm before more creatures could pile onto him... he released dark energy spikes as he spun into the air, each spike killing dozens of creatures before he emerged from the swarm!

However, Burden Collector didn’t bother chasing him.

He simply raised his hand, calling the entire army back while the copies that had touched Levi dissolved into faint spiritual tattoo marks... each tattoo showed a symbol representing a different burden.

’Worldbearing Arts: Burden Inscription.’

Burden Collector folded his fingers, leaving only one extended.

"Exhaustion."

A symbol resembling a hunched figure lit up on Levi’s thigh, causing the fatigue accumulated throughout the battle to surge through his body!

His muscles tightened while his breathing grew heavier, making him feel as if he had been swinging his chainstaff for hours without taking a single break!

Levi immediately circulated his spiritual energy, but before he could suppress the effect, Burden Collector extended a second finger.

"Pain."

This time, wounds from Levi’s battle with the Borrower appeared on his body.

’Argh...!’

Levi gritted his teeth as every injury on his body began hurting far more than it should... even the shallow scratches left by the copies felt as if someone were slowly dragging their claws through them!

His grip loosened for an instant before he tightened it again, refusing to drop his weapon or show weakness.

He already knew how Burden Collector’s battle arts operated... establish contact, then introduce his opponent to their own burdens on an intimate level.

Each creature had searched for a burden he was already carrying, leaving behind an inscription that allowed its owner to amplify it!

"Grief."

A third finger rose, lighting up a teardrop-shaped tattoo over Levi’s chest.

His expression twisted under the mask as the familiar distress attached to his parents’ deaths swelled so abruptly that his breathing almost stopped.

He hadn’t forgotten where he was or who stood before him, but knowing that did little to ease the suffocating pressure spreading through his chest.

For a moment, all Levi wanted to do was find somewhere quiet and sit down... alas, Burden Collector had no intention of giving him that luxury.

"Responsibility."

The fourth tattoo resembled a pair of hands holding up a collapsing roof.

The moment it lit up across Levi’s back, his thoughts went straight to Arthur and the others... the people relying on him, the enemies waiting outside, and every problem he still needed to resolve.

Those concerns had always existed, but he could usually push them aside while dealing with his current problems.

Now, even deciding how to attack became difficult; his mind and body were consumed by destructive doubts.

What if I exhausted myself here? What if I suffered an injury that affected my next duel? What if...

’No!’

Levi bit the inside of his cheek, cutting off the chain of thoughts... yet even that small wound sent a wave of pain through his jaw, reminding him that the previous inscriptions were still active!

Across the arena, Burden Collector lowered his hand with a soft smile.

A tired body made pain harder to endure, while pain made it harder to concentrate... with grief and responsibility occupying what remained of Levi’s attention, the four burdens were already making each other worse.

It was a vicious circle of mental abuse that assaulted his mind from within; not even the subconscious barrier could negate it!

"Quite a lot to carry alone, isn’t it?" Burden Collector spoke, his regal, giant-like voice at odds with his appearance.

Levi slowly raised his chainstaff and pointed it at him... his mind was almost entirely consumed, leaving mere flickers of attention for him to work with.

"Allow me to hold it for you."