Adam might have become better at finding specific connections through all the thousands of conduits he had taken over since rescuing the people from the Juungii, but this wasn't a case where that precision was needed. Instead, he pulled in the energy from all the connections he had, except the two in front of him.

Energy rushed through thousands of connections and into him. In turn, he sent that energy through the two connections in front of him. Still, he could tell it wasn't much. Most of those people were still at low levels, below their first class evolution. Only Hammond and Adam's friends had their classes enhanced by Adam, making him regret not spending more time building up the others.

The amount of energy he pushed into Andrea and Abbey wasn't even enough to halt their souls fading.

"I need more," growled Adam. "Where can I find available energy?"

He looked at the display showing the battlefield, watched the fighting as Leputi warriors were slashed by hidden enemies as they raced around and slower humans fell to unseen attacks. He also quickly noticed that all those with healing and support classes were on the ground, either dead or dying. That included Brandon and Ed.

There was no way that Adam would let that stand, but right now he had a more urgent matter. If only he could get blood, or a strong enough heal so he could fight too, then maybe he could catch the invaders and use their energy. But that wasn't possible with Adam still crippled from the stabs, explosion, and fall. Still, it would be better for Adam to know where the enemies were.

That led Adam to do something he would rather not do. He activated the pseudo-skill for [Soul Vision] and modified it to be used on his physical body. It always made him woozy, and with how bad his overwhelmed senses already were, this might be above what he could handle.

As the energy from the pseudo-skill hit his eyes, something unexpected happened. His view of the world became clear.

All the wobbling air, the fun house mirror like sight of everything turned viewable. Adam could see, and more than any other person had seen before.

There was energy all around Adam. That was why his vision, and other senses, had been so messed up. Somehow, collecting all the different types of classes had given him a greater ability to observe the energy all around him, which had interfered with his physical senses.

The energy wasn't quite the same type as the XP, or soul energy, that the [System] helped them collect after kills, but it was energy none the less. If there was one thing Adam had been doing a lot, it was manipulating energy. Whether the energy came from the Earth or had been planted by the [System] after it came here, or was magic that escaped when creatures leveled up, Adam was willing to use it.

Tendrils were formed. A lot! Dozens. Then hundreds.

Adam formed spikes with his soul and shot the tendrils out to make connects. These didn't target people. Instead, they reached out into the air and ground. He opened the connections up and pulled.

Energy flowed into him. It was more potent than he was used to, and he almost choked as he felt it. The thinness in his soul was quickly filled. Then it flowed into the soul bonds and filled the souls he was connected to. He felt them getting stronger, more nourished.

Surprisingly, there was too much energy. Adam had been too ambitious without realizing it. He felt his soul filled, a balloon that couldn't expand any more. He did what had been his original intent and pushed the extra into the connections with Andrea and Abbey.

He felt their souls filling out. Their markers on his soul map became solid. The energy was still escaping from them though, like trying to pump air into a tire without plugging the leaks. Even if he could currently use the energy to keep them from fading, it wouldn't be enough. They needed healing, but he wasn't sure how to get to a healer.

"Abbey," he pleaded, "I need you to cast a heal. Please!"

Nothing happened. Adam frowned. He wouldn't let his efforts fail.

"Abbey," he ordered in a voice that would broach no failure, "you need to get up. Come on. Get up. Abbey, I said to [GET UP!]"

As his voice spoke the name corresponding to one of Abbey's skills, there was a red flash that came from her. A wave of energy blasted across their surroundings, emanating from her. The name of the skill came out of his voice with unnatural volume, and it covered the entire battlefield, rising above the noises of battle.

Eyes looked his way from all over. Not just the eyes of those fighting either. Heads of bodies that were not quite dead turned towards Adam. Those blank eyes from the dying stared at Adam as they put their hands on the ground and rose. Over a hundred near corpses stood like an army of zombies. Andrea and Abbey also stood. They waited for the next command.

"[Circle of Life]!" ordered Adam, focusing on his connection to Abbey. Even though he spoke the skill name quietly, it reverberated around the now silent battlefield.

Then energy that flooded Adam was changed while passing through it. Though it was different than the usual energy he took in, Adam controlled it in the same way as when he reshaped his pseudo-skill activations. That energy turned into a form that matched Adam.

He felt the control as he guided it into Abbey and towards her classes, as if it was the carnival game where you spray water into different holes to inflate balloons. Depending on where he aimed the energy, that skill within Abbey would be saturated with the energy and released on his command.

With a red flash of Abbey's hands, large, green circles began to form around everyone who had stood. One even formed beneath Adam, who was still on the ground.

Adam noticed on his soul map that Andrea's energy almost winked out at once as it tried to support all the healing spells that went out. He pushed more energy from himself into her, even as he continued to draw it in from his surroundings.

At the same time, he felt a burden on his own soul. The cooldowns and limitations of the spell were trying to stop him, causing a backlash that reverberated within him. However, Adam's soul was connected with five others, giving it a cavernous amount of space where the reverberations spread out and faded. As long as he continued to push enough energy into the skill, he would be able to keep the healing coming.

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Healing energy soothed his body, and those of all the near dead soldiers. Several of the people who had been fighting and were injured also stepped into the area healing spells. Everyone's wounds knitted at a magical rate.

The energy cycled. From the air, into Adam, into Abbey, then into the spells, the injured, and finally back into the air.

Adam's legs had healed enough to allow him to stand, and he watched as his hand and arm regrew their meat, just as quickly as when he regenerated from blood.

A silver disruption in the air caught Adam's attention. He turned his gaze to it as it moved at superhuman speeds. It left a trail of multiple colors where it passed, but it was coming at Adam from the side.

Adam twisted, avoiding the silver streak. His hand reached out and grabbed right behind it. Then he squeezed.

"I see you," he said as he cast [Explosive Strike] on a single finger and poked the invisible Scyrric.

The explosion wasn't big, but it was strong. Adam didn't want to hurt the girls near him who were still healing. The Scyrric was blown off its feet but didn't move far since Adam was holding his forearm. The shining knife looked stronger than any Adam had seen before, and the runes on the Scyrric's armor had their power blown out like birthday cake candles.

The Scyrric's eyes had gone wide in surprise when Adam grabbed him, but now pain flashed across their face. A hole was made into their armor and body where Adam had poked with his pseudo-skill. Green blood spilled as their body was flipped upwards by the explosion and then fell down.

"How do…you still…live…aberration?" coughed the Scyrric after its legs hit the ground. "How did…you see…me?"

"You thought stabbing me would be the end?" asked Adam as he stood over his enemy.

"Stabbed…blown up…fell from a far height…bleeding out…" the invader choked out. "Yes…we thought that would be enough for any who aren't immortal."

"Good," said Adam. "Then others will underestimate me too."

"It does not matter," said the Scyrric more calmly as it returned to standing, even while Adam held his weapon hand. "This world will be destroyed soon, and you will no longer matter."

"I see," said Adam as his eyes narrowed. "Then the [System] tasked the Scyrric to build the bomb. That'll make it easier to find."

At Adam's words, the Scyrric's eyes opened wide in shock.

"What?!" it hissed. "How do you know about that device?"

Adam sighed and looked downward. Then in an instant he announced two more skilled.

"[Toughness]! [Balance]!" he called, as Lucas flashed red in the distance with the skill activations. Adam felt the rush inside himself of the skill energy approaching him through the conduit instead of releasing upon Lucas's body.

The skills triggered right as the Scyrric thrust forward with the claws on its free hand. The talons hit Adam's red skin and stopped, unable to penetrate his naked body.

Adam smiled. He smiled so predatorially that even the level 119 Scyrric shrank away from him, his eyes darting around for help. But no amount of struggling freed him from Adam's grip.

Then Adam's head snapped forward, and he bit the Scyrric's neck. He moved faster than anyone realized, but instead of drinking the Scyrric's blood, he sucked the energy out from the Scyrric.

More energy came into Adam. It wasn't as potent as what he had taken from the world, but this energy was more familiar to him. As the Scyrric was drained, Adam felt additional energy entering him from the Scyrric's [System Conduit]. Then suddenly, unexpectedly, the conduit broke.

It was as if Adam had drawn energy directly from the [System] once the Scyrric was empty, and the [System] cut the connection to protect itself.

Adam dropped the withered, but still alive, invader. It trembled on the ground and looked at Adam with terror.

Then Adam grabbed Andrea and Abbey's bodies in a protective manner and immediately used [Arc Shockwave].

Six more previously invisible Scyrric were blown into the air and launched away from Adam. As they were, the runic formations on their equipment sputtered. Adam had a chance to look at them as they arched away from him and realized the formations resembled, at least in terms of energy flow, skills.

"Huh. So, you can layer runes to mimic skills," said Adam as he sensed the formation that was similar to the stealth skill he had constructed.

"Darling, what is happening?" asked Andrea, her voice weak and distant. The look in her eyes was cloudy and uncertain.

"You're alive?!" gasped Adam. Then he wrapped her in a huge hug and spun her around. "YOU'RE ALIVE!"

"So are you," she said while looking queasy. "I don't feel well. Please put me down!"

Adam complied. Then he turned to Abbey, who had her hand on her forehead. With a bit too much strength, Adam also squeezed her tightly.

"We were trying to get to you," said Abbey, trying to organize her memories. "Then we were attacked."

"It's alright now," soothed Adam as he wrapped them each tightly in an arm.

"You don't look alright," retorted Abbey, as she inspected his charred, naked, and regrown body. "You really need to wear clothes in public."

Adam began laughing. He laughed in relief. Tear came to his eyes as he laughed in relief and the memory of pain. His laughter and tears were powerful and carried energy and defiance of the [System] with them.

Those from the Sentinel Army, both those who had been saved from death and those who had still been fighting the Scyrric surrounded Adam. Most kept a distance. Those more familiar with him approached all the way.

Tom had his arm over Lucas's shoulder, being supported by him. Joseph and Randall were together, each punching the other as they kept almost falling over. Ed was supported by Alissa and Brandon by Brittney.

"What happened?" asked Nick. "That was crazy!"

"Quite," agreed Lamar.

"I can't believe you survived that," added Carlos. "Those bastards are tough."

"It doesn't matter anymore," said Adam. "Soon you'll all look at them as weak."

The six Scyrric had climbed to their feet and were eyeing Adam and the crowd of humans and Leputi. They looked like they were deciding whether to attack or retreat. But retreat wasn't becoming of a Scyrric. Instead, they each held their knives and launched themselves towards the crowds.

"[On Your Knees]!" ordered Adam.

Tom's mouth flashed red from Adam activating his skill. Then all the Scyrric fell forwards, their knees hitting the ground and knocking them into a bowed position.

"How long before the bomb is finished?" asked Adam.

None of the Scyrric responded, and even the humans surrounding them seemed surprised by the question.

Colonel Davian and General Carmichael pushed forward to address Adam. They both held weapons and looked like they had been sliced in multiple places.

"Did you figure something out?" asked Colonel Davian.

"I did," said Adam. "I think I understand what happened to me and what I am becoming. As well as what we need to do to save the Earth. But first…[Persuasive Aura], [Seek the Truth]."

Adam used more of Tom's skills, directed at the face down Scyrric.

"Answer me!" he ordered. All the Scyrric heads looked up at him resentfully, though their eyes were firmly on him. "Where is the bomb?"

They wanted to resist. Their mouths tried to clamp shut, but as Tom's skills became amplified by Adam's own inflated stats, their ability to fight it failed them.

"It is being constructed in the southernmost pole of this world," answered one of the Scyrric with a snarl.

"But you will not be able to stop it," said another in defiance.

"And why is that?" asked Adam. When no one answered, he reapplied [Seek the Truth].

"You might think you are strong, becoming able to defeat us, but the device is protected by those much stronger than us."

"Who is it?" asked Adam, genuinely curious.

"General Grthk is there, and he is far into the fifth tier. But even if you defeat him, there is one more."

"Who?"

The next Scyrric smirked and then showed off his teeth.

"The grand elder. He was brought here directly by the [System]. No matter how strong you are, you cannot defeat a Tier 6."

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