The Primal Hunter

Chapter 1016: The Wall Minaga was working on some ideas for the labyrinth in the next era, trying to find a balance between familiar challenges and adding just enough of a difference that it wouldn’t be too similar. He definitely had a few new great inventions to test and a lot of additional safety measures he had to work on implementing after a certain someone had dominated the floors and Challenge Dungeon both.

However, recently, even someone like him who had quite a heads available to take his mind off things found himself distracted. Seeing as wasting a few months wasn’t a big deal. He’d paused most things as he watched with interest the happenings in the first universe, spending a lot of time with the Wyrmgod, who, while interested, clearly wasn’t as into it as Minaga.

Which, let’s be honest, was really weird as the Viper was his fellow Primordial, and they were clearly on friendly terms based on what happened when Jake did Nevermore. Alas, perhaps the Wyrmgod was just trying to play it cool... at least Minaga thought this until the Wyrmgod barely blinked when Yip of Yore unleashed the Void Sphere and sealed the two within their own separate Void Dimension for the final showdown.

Before that, all the other stuff with Jake that had gone down seemed to have interested the Wyrmgod far more, but now that the finale was there, he began to turn his gaze to other matters... at which point Minaga couldn’t help but question his long-term colleague and friend.

“Hey... shouldn’t you, you know, care a little?” Minaga asked. “Your old pal is fighting the top rising star to ever reach godhood, and stuff really isn’t looking good for the Malefic Viper right now... he’s strong, yes, but...”

The Wyrmgod seemed almost surprised at the question as he thought for a moment. “How well do you know Vilas?”

“Admittedly, not very well,” Minaga shrugged. “Tended to stay out of his way most of the time. Still, neither of us really knows Yip of Yore either. In fact, what we do know makes him a lot more dangerous than others believe he is. We saw Altius beat him back then until one day, they switched places on the Leaderboards with no one finding it weird or questioning it at all... that level of reality and perception manipulation is of a Transcendent nature, yet he doesn’t have the aura of a Transcendent. He has a lot of hidden cards is what I’m saying.”

“I acknowledge Yip of Yore’s powers and prowess,” the Wyrmgod nodded. “But I also know Vilas.”

Minaga remained skeptical as he sighed. “I’m just saying that things don’t always go according to plan, not even for the Viper.”

The Wyrmgod seemed in thought for a moment before he asked. “Do you believe you could beat Yip of Yore?”

“Me as in me, or me as in many mes?” Minaga asked.

“You, as in all of you,” the Wyrmgod clarified.

“Probably? It wouldn’t be easy to kill him, and if he is the one coming after me, it will definitely be annoying, but I also don’t see any realistic scenario where he is capable of defeating me. Well, alright, he can defeat me a lot of times, but not enough times for it to matter if you get my drift,” Minaga shrugged with a cheeky smile.

“Vilas is the same,” the Wyrmgod said in a tone of certainty. “I also see no realistic scenario where Yip of Yore defeats him, for no matter how long passes, he is still the Malefic Viper.”

Sylphie looked at Jake sitting within his big magic circle, clearly super nervous. Sylphie knew why he was nervous, as Big Snake Man was fighting a bad guy, and because Uncle was nervous, she felt nervous.

Suddenly, Sylphie got a super smart idea, as she closed her eyes on focused mega hard. Valhal – the Brawny Warrior Club – had done so they knew if anyone contacted gods in other places, but they didn’t outright block it, so Sylphie thought it was fine to reach out to Big Bird and ask stuff.

It was a little bit harder than usual, but soon enough, Big Bird responded. Sylphie was only really good enough at talking to Big Bird to ask a few small things, so with that in mind, she asked the most important part first:

“Ree?” she asked ifBig Snake Man would be okay or if Uncle would be sad

“Why you asking?”

she knew Big Snake Man – Stormild answered in a

at talking to Stormild without doing a super big ritual thing to

Sphere now, so no need to be all secretive, I guess,” Stormild answered, unconcerned. “Anyway, yeah, I’m sure he’s

as she pointed

But he’s fighting Vilas, and against him... yeah, nah, being strong just isn’t enough there. You need to be super strong! Because Vilas is

herself. If Big Snake Man was super strong, there was no need to be nervous. Though, looking at Uncle inside his ritual thing,

Primordials. While the top brass of the factions were carefully observing the

there were never any signs of nervousness after Yip of Yore sealed himself with the Malefic Viper using the Void Sphere. One would expect that the Primordials would watch carefully as, potentially, the

thing, but once asked, their answers as to why they seemed so assured things would go according to their expectations tended

He’s the Malefic Viper.

--

Viper bore down on him, and before he had time to react or properly comprehend what was happening, the empty husk below him began to change. He still had his hand inside it as it wrapped around his arm, the rest of the empty skin and scales

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as he stared toward the sky and saw

voice of the Malefic One echoed, every word vibrating Yip’s body as the skin from the molt began

who do manage to stand up to you? They are crushed, and a hundred years later, they become nothing more than forgotten memories or nostalgic moments of how

Yip knew he wasn’t truly looking at the Malefic Viper... merely a phenomenon born of his

wall. To a genius, it comes later, but no matter who you are, it’s inevitable,” the Malefic Viper

hit it hard,” the Viper continued. “You flew through the grades of mortality like none before you, especially after crushing Altius, the one person who could rival you. You reached S-grade, where many thought you would meet the same fate as other geniuses, falling short of godhood... but in no time, you ascended, breaking more and more records

body was paralyzed as the molt of the Viper slowly wrapped around his entire body, leaving only his head free. In his heart, he knew

of Godking and cementing yourself as an apex god. Yet once more, you proved why you were a genius, as not even that proved a true wall,

with whatever he had absorbed using his own Transcendent skill earlier, making a frightening thought enter

and more powerful, leaving more and more gods who once looked down on you in the dust. Perhaps you even thought this would go on forever. That you could endlessly ascend and constantly progress. But then... the

and appeared in front of Yip as he looked

more again in the future. But you... you grew desperate. You couldn’t meet a wall. You’re Yip of Yore! The

risks and prove you were right. That’s where I come in. The ultimate prey. A has-been Primordial, merely coasting along on his old legends... legends worthy of reaping and making your own. I was your ticket to breaking down the wall before you had to truly accept it was

in his

has led you to your current predicament. So tell me, oh hero of legends, was this all worth it to finally

silent for several moments as he stared into empty space before he finally spoke, not even fighting the molt that had pretty much fully merged with his body by now. “Since when... since when was

to answer... it’s bold of you to assume you ever fought anything else,” the Viper said

answer, the Viper did it for him. “It’s to replace the old with the new. To rid yourself of something that has served its purpose. My dragon

skin...” Yip of Yore muttered before he looked up, a

lessened the pressure around himself as he simply nodded, not even infusing his