The next two 9th-level spells could only be selected from the Sorcerer spell list. There were eight in total, and Anser had already mastered four of them.
The remaining options were Power Word Kill, Mass Polymorph, Psychic Scream, and Blade of Disaster.
After some consideration, he chose Power Word Kill and Blade of Disaster.
He had already mastered plenty of area-of-effect spells. What he lacked were powerful single-target spells.
...
Power Word Kill: 9th-level Enchantment
You utter a word of power that compels a creature to die.
If the target has hit points equal to or less than [100 + spellcasting ability modifier × 10], it dies instantly. Otherwise, it takes 12d12 (12–144) psychic damage.
...
'Not bad.'
The effect was better than he had expected.
Power Word Kill was an instant-death spell that directly invaded and overwhelmed the target's mind, ultimately causing death.
Even if the target managed to withstand it, they would still suffer devastating psychic damage.
Based on Anser's attributes, he could instantly kill any creature with fewer than 200 hit points simply by speaking a word of power!
And that threshold applied to the target's current hit points. In other words, he could first land a devastating blow, severely injuring his opponent, then raise a finger and command them to drop dead on the spot!
'Now that's... downright elegant.'
This spell was particularly effective against professionals with frail bodies.
...
Blade of Disaster: 9th-level Conjuration
Casting Time: Instantaneous
Duration: Concentration, 1 minute
You create a sword-shaped planar rift approximately 3 feet (0.9 meters) long within the spell's range.
You can control the blade to make two melee spell attacks. On a hit, each attack deals 4d12 (4–48) force damage.
Each attack has a chance to score a critical hit, dealing an additional 8d12 (8–96) force damage.
The blade can pass harmlessly through any barrier, including a Wall of Force.
...
Blade of Disaster was essentially an upgraded version of Mordenkainen's Sword. It moved quickly, dealt tremendous damage, and could attack twice.
It could travel more than ten meters in an instant. Even if it didn't quite reach the speed of sound, it couldn't be far off, making its attacks difficult for ordinary professionals to dodge.
Anser had already figured out how he wanted to use it: trap an enemy inside a completely enclosed Forcecage, then finish them off with Blade of Disaster.
Previously, whenever he cast Forcecage, he had been forced to use the barred version, leaving gaps between the bars. Otherwise, he couldn't attack the enemy inside.
That approach had serious drawbacks. Enemies could escape through the gaps using abilities such as shapeshifting, or even attack him through them.
With Blade of Disaster, his strategy of trapping and killing enemies would have virtually no weaknesses left.
Having selected his spells, he moved on to two Epic Boon feats, one of which came from his Epic Boon trait.
'I'm practically spoiled for choice,' he marveled.
Epic feats were extraordinary legendary abilities that were almost impossible to acquire through training alone.
That Duergar commander might have possessed the Boon of Fortitude. The sight of him struggling back from the brink of death had certainly been impressive. It was practically an extra life.
But Anser could already undergo Rebirth Through Fire, so he had no need for that feat.
After a moment's thought, he chose Boon of Fate and Boon of Dimensional Travel.
...
[Boon of Fate]: Epic Boon Feat. You gain the following benefits:
Ability Score Increase: Increase your Intelligence by 1, to a maximum of 30.
Fortune's Favor: You gain a glimpse of the power of fate, allowing you to briefly twist your own fortune or that of another creature. Whether it brings good luck or bad luck is yours to decide.
[Boon of Dimensional Travel]: Epic Boon Feat. You gain the following benefits:
Ability Score Increase: Increase your Wisdom by 1, to a maximum of 30.
Escape Master: You can instantly free yourself from your current state of captivity and escape your surroundings.
Swift as the Wind: Your speed increases dramatically.
...
Both Epic Boon feats were excellent choices and suited Anser's circumstances rather well.
"Twisting fate" sounded absurdly powerful, but its duration was actually very short, and its effectiveness depended heavily on luck.
For example, when an enemy resisted one of his control spells, he could twist their fate to interfere. The interference was guaranteed to have an effect, but that didn't necessarily mean the enemy would fall under his control.
Similarly, he could give himself a little good luck while gambling. It might merely help him lose less money, or it might allow him to win a fortune.
The influence of "fate" was guaranteed to take effect, and no resistance could prevent it. However, the good or bad luck it brought wouldn't necessarily change the final outcome.
'It might save my life at a critical moment.' Anser was quite satisfied.
Halflings were supposedly blessed by fate from birth. Otherwise, those little scatterbrains might have gone extinct long ago.
Boon of Dimensional Travel was more straightforward. It significantly improved a professional's mobility, including movement, swimming, climbing, flying, and other forms of travel.
In combat, whoever possessed superior mobility held an overwhelming advantage.
If that Duergar commander had been able to fly fast enough, perhaps he could have... died with a little more dignity.
Arcane Bloodline allowed him to manifest two innate spells as supernatural abilities, but none of his newly selected spells met the requirements.
Anser didn't want to leave the opportunity unused, so he chose to strengthen his existing supernatural abilities instead.
'Truesight and Transcendent Form, then. I use those two fairly often.'
The range of his Truesight was considerably shorter than his normal vision. When he was on the Ethereal Plane, this made it difficult to perceive the overall situation in the Material Plane.
Finally, Magic Mastery advanced to the tenth circle, allowing him to wield 10th-level spells with ease.
But Anser knew that the tenth circle was not the ultimate limit of arcane magic.
This time, Metamagic Master hadn't activated. It seemed its potential had finally been exhausted.
[Intelligence: +4; Spells: Maddening Darkness, Ravenous Void, Power Word Kill, Blade of Disaster; Signature Spell: Invulnerability; Feats: Boon of Fate (Intelligence +1), Boon of Dimensional Travel (Wisdom +1); Arcane Bloodline: Truesight II, Transcendent Form III. Confirm?]
"Confirm!"
The next instant, Anser instinctively spread his dragon wings. His bloodline surged and boiled, while endless elemental radiance and Phoenix Flames swirled around his body.
This was an elevation of life at its most fundamental level.
Anser felt no discomfort. He focused entirely on the vast torrent of inherited memories, not daring to let his attention wander.
Only when the sky over Holrewen began to brighten, and faint natural light filtered through the black stone to illuminate the room, did his consciousness gradually return to his body.
'That took a while this time.' He glanced at the sky outside.
But the changes had also been substantial.
With a single teleport, he appeared outside, then beat his dragon wings and shot high into the sky.
His flying speed was astonishing. Even in level flight, he could reach at least 150 kilometers per hour, and his initial acceleration was powerful enough to support abrupt stops and explosive starts over short distances.
He brought up his Character Sheet to examine the changes to his attributes.
His Truesight now extended to more than 140 meters. Within that range, not even the slightest fluctuation of energy could escape his notice.
The duration of Transcendent Form III had increased to two hours, his Armor Class had risen by 1, and his flying speed had improved. His attacks had also become Multiattack, allowing him to deliver three rapid strikes.
Quantitative improvements had finally produced a qualitative transformation. This advancement was considerable, and he would no longer be at a disadvantage even against the most formidable martial professionals.
After Invulnerability became his Signature Spell, the only change, apart from its compatibility with every Metamagic effect, was that it no longer required Concentration.
And that was precisely the effect Anser needed most.
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---