Skystriker

*Epigraph Unknown.*

## Summary

Skystriker is a D-Grade skill Zac evolved from his class skill Earthstrider after returning from Perennial Vastness sometime during the early battles he fought in the Intersector War. Skystriker is both an unbounded movement skill and an attack skill as it works by compressing and cutting through space, including cutting things in the way. The skill also meshes with his Evolutionary Stance allowing him to remain in the stance despite using the skill.

## Upgrade

* The original design he'd prepared inside the Perennial Vastness barely incorporated the Dao of Conflict. His old movement skill only leaned on his Dao of Life, but it perfectly matched his requirements. Even a conservative upgrade would have given him a powerful skill that fit with his pathways well enough to work without issue. **Chapter 1,125**
* Conversely, trying to force a new Dao into the delicate balance that made up the Skill Fractal was extremely difficult—a risk that wouldn't add much, if any, utility. Nothing said a skill based on two Daos was stronger than a skill based on one. It all depended on what you could create with the insights and your understanding of energy and fractals. **Chapter 1,125**
* But pushing himself to fully realign the skill had provided far more than the few extra percent's utility from higher compatibility with his pathways. The difference didn't come from efficiency or speed. It came from harmony, for a lack of a better word. **[Skystriker]** had become more than just a movement skill; it was now an extension of his technique. **Chapter 1,125**

## Skill Location

**Soles of Both Feet**

* *Presumably the same as Earthstrider.*

## Early Proficiency

* ... it no longer depended on the ground to work—a fundamental requirement for combat-oriented D-grade movement skills. Furthermore, reshaping it based on his Evolutionary Path changed its method of movement. **Chapter 1,125**
* He no longer shifted between bursts of rapid movement and attacking his enemies. It was all one flow, where activating his movement skill didn't disrupt the momentum he built through the Evolutionary Stance. Beyond that, it had a surprising side-effect that proved very useful on the battlefield. **Chapter 1,125**
* Zac was like a vengeful ghost, passing through a clump of cultists with incredible speed. He didn't even swing his axe, yet streams of Kill Energy constantly entered his body. The cultists collapsed one after another, their bodies destroyed by invisible cuts. By that point, Zac was already hundreds of meters away, eviscerating another group. **Chapter 1,125**
* **[Skystriker]** had blurred the line between a movement skill and an attack, where Zac himself became the axe. **[Loamwalker]** and **[Earthstrider]** had enabled rapid bursts of movement by compressing space and forcing their way through it. **[Skystriker]** didn't just compress space; it also cut through it. **Chapter 1,125**
* Zac had quickly learned he could control this phenomenon to some degree. If he compressed his energy and Dao, he could increase the speed a bit further. Conversely, if he let it disperse as he moved, he'd create a trail of destruction filled with invisible axe cuts. The effect was mostly useless against skilled enemies, but it let him wreak havoc on weaker enemies who could barely follow his lightning-quick movements. **Chapter 1,125***.*