Level-Up Apocalypse: Surviving With The Assimilation System

Standing so close to the chainmail-clad hero, it was clear to him just how different a "HERO" was from a normal person. It was as if Ilya was born out of a children's book, both physically and in personality.

"If you wish to stand beside me, then do not fall behind!" Ilya shouted, raising his sword with readiness.

"Yeah, I know that, mate," Jasper agreed, readying himself.

An increase in temperature, carried by a wave of heat made the approaching presence unmistakable. There was no mistaking that burning glow—a blinding radiance far too bright to look at directly.

"You're still alive? It seems some humans are built with some degree of sturdiness, after all," The Sun's voice boomed as the bright figure stepped through the walls.

With nothing but the raw heat emanating from his form, the steel walls melted directly around the Sun. Hotter than ever, the air rippled around the elemental tyrant as though the wind itself was being abused.
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"I shall slay this foul villain for the glory of the motherland!" Ilya declared, raising his sword before setting forth.

Jasper didn't have the chance to interject with even the slightest bit of strategy before the hero erupted forward with a burst of speed.

"Hey—dammit!" Jasper caved, following along as he kicked forward, matching the speed.

["Purity"]

Feeling his lengthy hair blowing behind him as he approached the harsh, hot winds, he squeezed the handle of his sword.

Being outside of the city walls, there was a small sense of relief within him. Bringing the force of destruction away from anybody else was a victory in itself for Jasper—even if it left him in its fiery path.

Up ahead, he watched the clash begin between the [HERO] and the Sun.

"Let's see how you burn!" The blazing force shouted, unleashing a volley of fireballs.

Ilya used his sword to cut through the flaming projectiles, each one exploring as it was deflected, "I don't burn easily, fiend!"

Many of the fireballs made it past Ilya, intercepting Jasper's own path as he came to join the fray—

["Victory March"]

"Hfff—!"

He sucked in a breath, becoming clad in a glistening layer that moved over his bare body. The dazzling force attributed a boost of agility, allowing him to dodge and bounce the blazing spheres off of his own sword.

'Hot!—' Jasper thought.

The burst of fireballs was followed up by the Sun, who waved his hands towards the two combatants. A tidal wave of heat flourished through the plains outside the city limits, sweeping forth rapidly.

Jasper was forced to keep moving, quickly jumping up as one of the blazing waves pulsed beneath his boots.

["Victory March": a special skill unique to the [Knight] class. It inspired a battle rhythm within the user, synchronizing their movements to the tune of their enemy's attacks.

While performing the march, the longer the stride, the more the user evades the assault, the more powerful their blade becomes."]

The ground itself became unstable; chunks rose up, being tossed by the shock waves of pure heat.

"Woah—woah—woah!" Jasper let out, constantly having to move and hop as the field shifted beneath his feet.

He found himself met by Ilya amidst his own dash, who was blown back.

"Keep strong, comrade! The enemy is in front of us!" Ilya shouted, pushing forward while slashing his sword, sending forth blades of air.

"I'm trying here!—" Jasper retorted, swinging his sword as well, casting slashes of light.

Every breath he took was a fight in itself as sweat poured from his body. The field became the center of a firestorm, bringing nothing but embers to breathe into his lungs as he moved himself ever closer to the core of the heat.

'I need to keep this guy…away from the others! Something like this…I'm glad it's focused over here,' Jasper thought, quickly raising his sword in front of his body.

The air itself had became infused with fire, pushing against him like a roaring gale. Every bit of the logical parts of his brain urged him to flee the other way, though he ignored it as he pushed himself to approach the blazing figure.

'I have to…get close!' Jasper resolved.

Against the endless waves of fiery wind, he felt his body's strength waning as he marched. His weakened steps were met harshly as he found a massive ball of fire soaring straight for him.

Just raising his sword was a difficult challenge, nowhere near fast enough to defend himself—

"Hold strong, comrade!" Ilya shouted.

Before the fireball could collide with his body, he found the massive stature of the [HERO] intercepting it. What stood out more to him than Ilya's impossible build or strength was how he the man managed to move as if unaffected by the heat.

'…Gotta keep moving. I can't let up—can't let it get to them,' Jasper resolved.

All he could see was the fire that swirled in the area, turning what was once a thriving field into a charred landscape. The Sun boomed with joyful laughter, waving his hands as massive releases of solar energy were released.

"Comrade!" Ilya shouted, grabbing him as he ducked, forcing him to do the same.

"Shit!—" Jasper yelled, glancing up.

Right above them, multiple beams large enough to have cut through skyscrapers slashed across the sky. It was like a night of dazzling fireworks, flashing and zooming across the star-ridden atmosphere.

"—Hot…!" Jasper gritted.

"The only warmth you must welcome is your body's excitement! Forward, comrade!" Ilya shouted, delivering a slap to the knight's back.

Jasper was forced to sprint alongside the towering warrior after such a gesture, "Dammit!"

Rejecting every survival instinct engraved into his body, like keeping your hand above a burning flame, he moved.

Ahead through the haze of crimson, he could make out the blazing silhouette making a gesture—

["Axis Crystal"]

Jasper pushed his hand in front of his body, manifesting the only counter he had for the intense heat. It took the form of a large crystal, spinning and emitting waves of frost, clashing right against the storm of fire.

A bit of relief was provided for the moment, though it didn't last long–CRACK.

The cold-bearing crystal shattered within seconds, leaving him back to enduring the full wrath of the heat as he continued his sprint.

"Keep up, comrade!" Ilya shouted, staying ahead.

"It's easy for you to say–! You're barely even human!" Jasper retorted through heavy breaths.

Right beside the mountain of a man, he ducked and slipped past the erratic beams and releases of solar energy. It took everything he could manage to get within distance of the Sun, feeling his skin become more afflicted with every step.

If even a single one of those burning beams hit him, it would be the end; he knew that well and clear.

"Come! Come! Survive me! Challenge me! Ignite my existence! Give it meaning!" The Sun boomed with a burning grin, moving his hands as if guiding an orchestral performance.

Amidst the parade of fire being cast over the fields, it was Ilya that reached the Sun first, leaping in blade-first.

"Silence, fiend!" Ilya roared, crashing down with a monumental impact.

There was nothing standard about the [HERO], an anomaly in every factor. Ilya slammed down to the ground, slashing at the Sun's blazing form with a strike that split the charred field.

Jasper came to a swift stop, having to firmly press his foot down as he swerved to the side as the soil split beside him. It was nothing but the raw strength behind Ilya's arm, like that of an earthquake violently trembling the land.

'Shit…It's a clash of titans! How am I supposed to get in close as well?!' Jasper questioned.