Not the Mythic, teasing Kyra from his tattoo, but the other King Kyra, the composite assassin ford from 72 lesser shadows, the one clad in the sleek, deadly Hellforged Shadow Set.
[Blood Shadow Summoned: Kyra (King Rank)!]
Kyra materialized in a flicker of shadow and crimson, twin daggers 'Night & Ember' already in her hands. She appeared directly between Lucian and the incoming storm of blades from the enraged Shadow Blade.
"[Flicker Step!] [Shadowfla Arts: Obsidian Guard!]"
Kyra's movent was a graceful, instantaneous repositioning. Plates of black, obsidian-like energy, wreathed in dark red flas, ford a defensive barrier around her just as the Shadow Blade's flurry struck.
CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-SHRIEEEEK!
A shower of sparks and fractured shadowfla erupted. Kyra's Hellforged Shadow daggers t the Shadow Blade's twin swords in a dizzying exchange. It was a duel of pure, unadulterated speed and skill. Kyra, empowered by her Legendary set and King-rank stats, was a match for the enraged, higher-level assassin.
[Kyra Damage Blocked!]
[Kyra Skill Activated: Predator's Mark (Target: Shadow Blade)!] [ Bonus Critical Damage, Armor Bypass activated against marked target!]
While Kyra expertly intercepted the Shadow Blade, Borin, seeing his opportunity, unleashed his attack.
"[Skill Activated: Borin - Mountain Shattering Fist!]"
It wasn't a palm this ti, but a focused punch, carrying even more concentrated destructive power than before. The air before his fist compressed, visibly distorting, as it shot towards Lucian's exposed back.
This was it. The hole in the stomach.
Lucian, gritting his teeth against the lingering pain and the drain of summoning Kyra, felt the terrifying pressure building behind him. He couldn't dodge. Kyra was fully engaged.
"Trading injury for injury it is, old man!"
He spun, not to evade, but to et the attack, pouring every last ounce of his remaining mana, his very life force, into Dragon Soul Devourer. He activated its ultimate skill, not the wide-area Dragon's Devastation, but its most focused, piercing single-target ability: the [Ultimate Dragon Strike], further augnted by his own unique ability.
"[BLOOD STRIKE!]"
[Dragon Soul Devourer Skill Activated: Ultimate Dragon Strike!]
[Lucian Skill Fusion: Blood Control Ultimate Dragon Strike → BLOOD-INFUSED ULTIMATE DRAGON STRIKE!]
[ 200% Piercing Damage!] [ 150% Attack Power from Blood Harvest & Emperor's Dominion!] [Bypasses 50% of Target's Defense!]
The spear tip didn't just glow; it ignited, transforming into a miniature, blood-red sun, a concentrated point of annihilating energy.
Borin's Mountain Shattering Fist slamd into Lucian's midsection.
KRA-THOOO00000000M!!!
[Damage Received: 18,900!] [Multiple Defensive Layers Mitigating...] [Final Damage to HP: 3,780!]
[Critical Internal Damage Sustained!] [Stomach Ruptured!] [Regeneration Overdrive Activated!]
[ 10 Physique!]
Pain, absolute and searing, ripped through Lucian. He felt his insides turn to liquid, his vision graying out. A massive, gaping hole, easily the size of Borin's fist, appeared in his stomach, his Legendary Wyrm Emperor's Aegis shattering at the point of impact.
But through the agony, through the encroaching darkness, Lucian's strike held
true.
The blood-red sun of his spear tip, unhindered by the catastrophic injury he'd just sustained, slamd into Borin's chest an instant later.
Borin, confident in his attack, hadn't expected such a suicidal, all-or-nothing counter. He saw the spear, felt the terrifying energy, and his eyes widened in genuine shock and a flicker of fear.
"[Treasure Activated: Aegis of the Last Elder!]"
Amulet-like object on Borin's neck shattered, and a translucent,
ancient-looking barrier, etched with complex runes, flared to life around him. It pulsed with a power that felt older than the mountains.
The Blood-Infused Ultimate Dragon Strike hit the barrier.
"KA-BOOOOO000000000OM!!!"
The sound was reality itself tearing. The Aegis of the Last Elder, a treasure capable of withstanding blows from true demigods, shrieked under the focused onslaught. Cracks, like black lightning, spread across its surface. For a breathtaking second, it held.
Then, with a sound like a dying star, it shattered.
The spear, its energy sowhat diminished but still terrifyingly potent, punched through. It didn't just pierce; it unmade. Borin's Epic-grade armor offered no more resistance than paper.
The blood-red beam of energy, thinner now but no less deadly, sliced diagonally upwards through Borin's torso, from his left hip to his right shoulder, exiting with a spray of vaporized blood and an unholy shriek.
Borin stared down at the massive, cauterized gash that had nearly bisected him, a look of utter disbelief on his face. He opened his mouth, perhaps to roar,
perhaps to curse, but only a wet, gurgling sound escaped.
Then, his ancient eyes, which had seen centuries, rolled back, and his massive form, the Elder of Sunflare City, the Level 103 powerhouse, began to topple. The acrid sll of burnt ozone and spilled blood hung heavy in the air, a grim perfu to Lucian's hard-won victory. The dinsional space, previously pristine, was now scarred by the ferocity of the battle. Broken earth, shattered energy constructs, and the fading outlines of the assassins lay scattered. Envoy Boris's more substantial remains were testant to the brutal power Lucian
had unleashed.
Lucian himself was a wreck. His Crystalline Adamantine Body, though incredibly resilient, was cracked and chipped in nurous places, the underlying flesh bruised and torn. His breath ca in ragged gasps, each one sending a jolt of pain through battered ribs. Mana reserves were critically low, flickering like a dying candle.
He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stay upright. This was no ti to
collapse. Eyes, cold and calculating despite the pain, swept the area. He was being watched; he could feel it, a subtle pressure on his senses that had been present since he entered this particular trial. The Primordial Godslayer
University.
Ignoring the throbbing agony, Lucian moved. His first priority was recovery. He reached into his interstellar bag, his fingers fumbling slightly before closing around a small vial. It was an ordinary-looking potion, the liquid inside a dull, unremarkable blue - a standard [Minor Healing Potion] he'd acquired so ti ago. He almost never used such low-grade consumables.
He uncorked it and brought it to his lips.
As the cool liquid slid down his throat, sothing extraordinary happened.
[Minor Healing Potion Consud. Expected HP recovery: 50] But then, his [SSS Ungodly Regeneration] kicked in, seizing upon the minuscule influx of healing energy like a starving wolf on a scrap of at.
[Ungodly Regeneration (SSS ) Activated!]
[Regeneration speed increased by 200%!]
[Adamantine Fortitude (SS) Synergizing!]
[Celestial Might (S) Synergizing!]
The dull blue glow of the potion seed to ignite within him, transforming into
a blinding, pure white light that erupted from his body. Steam hissed from his wounds as flesh and bone began to knit together at a visibly accelerated rate. The cracks on his crystalline skin sealed themselves, the polished surface reforming as if sculpted by an invisible master. Bruises faded, torn muscles rewove, and shattered ribs snapped back into place with audible clicks.
[ 250 HP Regenerated!]
[ 500 HP Regenerated!]
[ 1000 HP Regenerated!]
His breathing evened out, the pain receding like a fading tide. Within seconds, what should have been a minor patch-up beca a near-complete restoration. The "ordinary" potion, amplified by his monstrous regenerative talent, had
perford a miracle.
[Vitality at 95%. Most injuries healed.]
[ 1 Physique (from enduring extre damage and regeneration)]
[ 1 Strength (from pushing limits)]
Lucian let out a slow breath, the tension easing from his shoulders. The speed
of his recovery was still astounding, even to him. He flexed his hands, feeling
the renewed power thrumming through his limbs.
His gaze then fell upon the loot. Several glimrs of light indicated items
dropped by the fallen assassins, and a more potent aura emanated from where Envoy Boris had t his end. He moved quickly, his [Crimson Shadow Step] leaving faint red trails even in his non-combat stance. He didn't pause to examine them. Each item was swiftly picked up and vanished into his
interstellar storage.
[Item Acquired: Shadow-Stitched Cloak]
[Item Acquired: Assassin's Silenced Dagger (Pair)]
[Item Acquired: Nightshade Poison Vial Set]
[Item Acquired: Spatial Disruptor Grenade] [Item Acquired: Starfall Academy Envoy's Badge]
[Item Acquired: Boris's Mana Core Staff]
[Item Acquired: Scroll of Lesser Teleportation]
[ 3,500 Relic Gold Coins]
[ 8,000 EXP]
He knew the university watchers would be scrutinizing his every move.
Rerolling items here, revealing the unique signature of his 10,000x Reroll System, was out of the question. It was too great a risk, too valuable a secret to expose so carelessly. That would have to wait until he was in a more secure, unobserved location. For now, gathering the spoils was enough.
He took one last look around the ravaged dinsional space, his expression
unreadable. The ambush had been dangerous, pushing him to his limits. But it had also been... enlightening. He was stronger than he'd realized, his talents more potent than he'd given them credit for. And he had survived. That, in
itself, was a victory.
Back in the grand, technologically advanced Surveillance Hall of Primordial Godslayer University, the atmosphere was thick with a mixture of shock and intense curiosity. Dozens of holographic screens floated in the air, most of them now replaying Lucian's brutal, efficient dispatching of the assassins and his final, devastating confrontation with Envoy Boris.
The Dean, an ancient being whose eyes seed to hold the wisdom of galaxies,
stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze fixed on the main screen displaying Lucian. The Subdean, a woman with sharp features and an equally sharp mind, stood beside him, a slight frown creasing her brow. Around them, instructors murmured amongst themselves, their professional composure visibly shaken.
One instructor, a younger man with fiery red hair, finally broke the relative
silence, turning to the Dean. "Sir," he began, his voice tinged with awe, "Envoy Boris... and three Shadow Syndicate assassins, all Level 100. Did you... did you anticipate Lucian was capable of this? Is that why you permitted the... ah... non-interference?" He chose his words carefully, aware of the political tightrope they were walking. The university had its protocols, but the raw
display of power they had just witnessed was unprecedented for a newly awakened individual.
The Dean remained silent, his expression unchanging. Another instructor, a seasoned woman with scars marking her face - a veteran
of countless dinsional battles chid in, her voice raspy. "To go toe-to-toe with an Envoy from Starfall Academy... even a junior one like Boris, is remarkable. Boris was a Level 100 Super Soldier, specialized in mana core amplification. And those assassins weren't low-tier grunts. They were seasoned killers. Lucian's combat instincts, his raw power, the sheer brutality of his techniques... it's beyond anything I've seen from a first-year, let alone soone
who just awakened."
"His control over that spear art is monstrous," a weapons master added,
stroking his beard.
The Subdean finally spoke, her voice cutting through the murmurs. "His talent, summoning those creatures makes him incredibly difficult to put down."
Reviews
All reviews (0)