Chapter 3805: Earthly Vault (Part 2) Finding Detemer had been an act of vengeance, but finding it unoccupied had been a stroke of luck. The lost cities constantly battled for the possession of such a wonderland and the abandoned fortress had changed owners many times since Vladion had been forced to seek asylum in Garlen. Ruugat had come to Detemer to spit on the legacy of his old enemy, but when he found it empty, he seized the fortress without thinking twice. Detemer itself provided Ruugat with the sturdiest granite for thousands of miles. Its underground mines replaced the lesser metals and crystals that Ruugat had found during his travels, and filled the many gaps in his structure. The assimilation and integration of so many resources took time, but when the other lost city had returned from his hunt, Ruugat had already become strong enough to give him a run for his money. The mana geyser that now carried his imprint and rejecting its old master’s had been the decisive factor of the fight. Ruugat had won by the skin of his teeth, but when months later another, more powerful lost city reached Detemer, victory had come easy to Ruugat. While other lost cities needed to tap into multiple mana geysers, cajole powerful hosts, or satisfy whatever condition they required to boost their powers, Ruugat of the Earth only needed time and resources. While the other lost cities were forced to roam around and consume their strength, he became stronger by sitting in the right place. The more powerful Ruugat became, the more resources his enemies needed to move him, which in turn bought him more time to further refine his body in an endless cycle that drove his body closer and closer to perfection. ’Mogar has a twisted sense of irony.’ Ruugat laughed at the thought, even though it was the umpteenth time he formulated it. ’That Vladion maggot took everything away from me, and now he’s paying me back with interest. ’He spent millennia to build this place, yet it’s only thanks to his efforts and care in nurturing this place that I’ll soon become invincible. If we ever meet again, I must thank Vladion before I kill him.’ ["Good gods! That’s the biggest tar pit I’ve ever seen."] An unknown silvery feminine voice would have piqued Ruugat’s curiosity, but he recognized this one, and it filled him with unbridled fury. [AN: the words between square brackets are in a dead and buried Jieran language. ] ["You!"] Ruugat rose from his slumber, the vast puddle flooding the fortress of Detemer quickly shapeshifting into a 100 meters (330’) tall humanoid comprised of black stones, silvery metal, and shiny crystals. ["How dare you show your disgusting face here, you traitor?" "You are a cursed object like me. We are siblings. I could have understood if you defeated me for your own goals, but for a human-sized leech? [You betrayed your own kind for an insect of flesh and blood, and a dead one at that!"] The sun had risen on the horizon enough to peep over the nearby mountains and make Horseman and steed shine like a small white star. ["Ruugat, is that you?"] Dawn asked in mock surprise. [You look terrible. I mistook you for a tar pit. This place has done terrible things to your face. You’d better leave and never come back.] ["I see."] Ruugat scoured his surroundings with his detection arrays, but found nothing and no one. ["The leech must have sent you to do his dirty work for him again. Tell Vladion-"] ["You talk too much, old man!"] Dawn conjured her Tower Tier Light Mastery spell, Lightpillar from each of her hands. ["Think fast!"] Two burning rays of light over 50 meters (166’) long and 30 (100’) across bolted at the lost city’s left shoulder and right hip. Artifacts like him had no vitals. There was no point in attacking the head or chest. Yet a Golem still needed working joints to move. Without an arm and a leg, Ruugat’s fighting capabilities would be crippled. He rolled to a side, his movements producing a small localized quake and a noise that reverberated for kilometers. ’That was way louder and more devastating than I expected.’ He thought. ’How powerful have I become?’ ["Missed!"] He actually said with a laugh. ["What’s the point of pouring so much mana into a spell just to waste it like that?"] ["Good question!"] A flick of the Horseman’s medium and index fingers brought Ruugat to his knees. Something big and heavy had just rammed into his exposed back while he was still getting back to his feet. ["Do you like my answer?"] Dawn’s laughter echoed through the mountain valleys, blinding Ruugat’s mind with rage. He turned around just in time to see the two pillars of solid light that had knocked him down a second ago bolt at him again. ’Those weren’t heat rays, but hard-light constructs overloaded with energy to fool my mana sense! Dawn’s spell made all that noise, not me.’ The lost city channeled the world energy through his pseudo cores to activate his unique enchantment, Earthly Vault. The black stone of his body turned orange as the earth element filled every nook and cranny of Ruugat. It formed an ethereal armor capable of blocking physical and magical attacks that also increased Ruugat’s strength by several folds. He grabbed the two Lightpillar spells and crushed them between his massive fists as if they were flies. ["Nice try, traitor."] A mere clap of Ruugat’s hands caused a shockwave that shattered the rest of the constructs and pushed Dawn back dozens of meters. ["How am I a traitor?"] A snap of the Horseman’s fingers reassembled the Lightpillar spells. ["I’m the daughter of Baba Yaga. My loyalty goes to her and then to the rest of her children. I owe you nothing."] ["You-"] The lost city was about to object when Dawn traced a straight line in the air with her sword, Twilight. Sunlight sparkled on the Davross’ wake and stayed there, conjuring the tier four Light Mastery spell, Sunshine. A barrage of laser-like rays, each one as thick as a tree and as hot as a furnace, rained upon Ruugat from every side. Each laser bolt alone was irrelevant to a creature of his size, but there was no end to them. To make matters worse, the Lightpillar spells rammed into his back and legs, pushing him off balance. ["Nice trick, traitor."] Ruugat adjusted his stance and spread his arms, taking the hits like they were gentle spring rain. ["Too bad that I’m much stronger than the last time we faced. [I don’t need to defend myself. Your vaunted Light Mastery can’t hurt me anymore."] ["I wouldn’t say that."] Dawn tapped at the base of her helm. ["My spells have just revealed to me that you’ve taken great care in reinforcing your joints, but there are several areas where your defense is lacking. Here, for example."] The lost city lowered his gaze and noticed in horror that indeed he was unscathed, but there were several large patches of his body where the orange light of Earthly Vault dimmed much faster under Dawn’s relentless onslaught. The Bright Day further emphasized the concept by focusing the power of Sunshine on her blade and amplifying it several times.