Episode 353 – The Master of Aintrier (3)!!!
The mont Arthur awakened as a Divine Hunter, a powerful energy surged through his entire body.
[Arthur Clayton – Divine Hunter (Order) – Target: Azonne Vistas]
[Third ntal Barrier]
[Siren’s Hymn]
[Heart of the Immortal—Retonicalus (Assimilation Rate 75%)]
[Guide of the Alliance]
[Ring of Desire (Survival)]
[Leader of Hunt (4)]
[Benefactor of the Witch]
[Reto’s Spiritual Arts]
[Blessing of the World Tree]
[Blessing of Enchant (Sacred Power, Penetration, Steel)]
All the combat attributes included in the divine list were maximized upon awakening.
Thump, thump, thump—
Retonicalus’ heart pounded violently. With every fierce beat, a chilling aura unique to a hunter emanated from his body.
“What... what is this?!”
Azonne’s eyes widened as he looked at Arthur.
The atmosphere, montum, energy—everything had changed in an instant.
What he saw now far surpassed anything he had calculated.
Azonne’s unshakable poker face shattered completely.
Flash—
As his eyes t Arthur’s, Azonne clenched his fists tightly, grinding his teeth.
His body stiffened under the oppressive gaze.
“...Am I feeling fear?”
Twisting his face in disbelief, Azonne glared at Arthur as though he would kill him.
He couldn’t accept it.
“This changes nothing!”
“We’ll see. Just sit there and wait.”
As if Azonne were no longer worth his attention, Arthur slowly turned away.
He had repeatedly beaten on the golden shield—not only to test its durability but to attract attention.
The three Cleaners.
They were slowly twirling their chains through the air.
Preparing to unleash the Chains of Penance.
Arthur had anticipated that those chains would be used in this fight.
They were artifacts optimized for hunting the bearers of divine powers.
By pressuring Azonne, Arthur ensured he would beco the target.
He crouched low and quickly scanned the area.
Kakakakang!
Boom! Bam!
“Guh!”
The office had already beco a battlefield ravaged by chaos.
A battlefield of monsters.
Lochter vs. Special Agent Richard.
Karl vs. Azolett.
Lily vs. Rengua.
Just as Arthur had instructed beforehand.
30%...
That was the predicted chance of victory based on the environnt, compatibility, and abilities—And that was without accounting for the Cleaners.
The chances of losing far outweighed those of winning, but what lay before him was the best-case scenario Arthur had calculated.
It didn’t matter.
“Odds can be overturned.”
The power of the Divine Hunter.
[Hurry. The longer this drags on, the lower your chances.]
“I believe in it.”
[If the abilities you’ve listed are all true, then I can trust it.]
Arthur nodded, recalling Reto’s simulation.
He thrust his hand skyward like a lightning bolt.
A burst of light, and a pale white Divine Bow ford in his grip.
Ring of Blood—
The bow imdiately drank his blood greedily, turning crimson and forming a string.
He pulled back the string and summoned an arrow.
[Blessing of Enchant (Sacred Power, Penetration, Steel)]
Was it because he had awakened as a Divine Hunter?
Vuuung!
Just by thinking of the attributes, they naturally imbued the arrow.
The arrow on the string rapidly shifted colors—Red, blue, deep gray.
Whoosh—
Arthur exhaled, his eyes gleaming.
As he pulled the string tight, the arrow grew dramatically in size.
An explosive surge of potential—Retonicalus’ combat style.
Burst Strike.
The mont it triggered, his bones creaked.
Clenching his teeth, Arthur continued firing arrow after arrow with the Burst Strike switch on.
Boom—Boom—Boom!
The arrows thundered like bombs.
Three large arrows, each the size of a spear, imbued with Steel, shot in a fan formation at the Cleaners.
“Ready for the hunt?!”
“Deploy it!”
“Taah!”
The Cleaners threw the Chains of Penance at the sa ti.
Arthur kicked off the floor and dodged, but the chains twisted like snakes and pursued him relentlessly.
As the arrows closed in, the Cleaners smirked and raised their arms.
Their bracers glead—Defensive gear blessed with divine protection.
They struck the incoming arrows with their arms, confident in deflecting them.
Arthur smirked.
They were so sure they could deflect them.
“What a joke.”
KWA-A-AANG!
The instant they struck the arrows, the shock sent their arms flying skyward.
The force of the Burst Strike—The brutal weight of Steel.
Their glowing bracers cracked and shattered. All three were flung back, slamming into the wall.
KWAJIK!!!!!
The impact should have destroyed the wall—But it held firm, absorbing the blow.
Arthur clicked his tongue.
“So the Nest was already complete?”
Spider Queen Azolett’s Nest.
He had suspected it from the mont she appeared.
Upon confirmation, he realized the office had already been turned into a Nest.
Which ant... “They” would be arriving soon.
Arthur turned toward the chains still chasing him. The Chains of Penance would not stop once they locked onto a target.
But Arthur knew how to deal with them.
“Just strike the wielder with a strong shock.”
He had already done just that. And the result appeared imdiately.
Clatter...
As the Cleaners slamd into the wall, the chains slackened and fell to the ground.
The Cleaners had tried to block the arrows instead of dodging, and Arthur had capitalized on that.
[Is the Nest ready?]
“Looks like it.”
[Then move now!]
No need to be told.
Thuthuthuthung—!
Arthur unleashed a rapid barrage of arrows at the Cleaners.
Dozens of arrows spread out in three directions, forcing them on the defensive.
“Damn it!”
Having already been hit once, they didn’t try to push through.
He had bought ti.
Arthur lowered his stance and set his sights on one of the three.
Ricardo the Brawler.
Among the Cleaners, he favored hand-to-hand combat, finding perverse enjoynt in beating opponents to death—especially won.
Arthur saw the way Ricardo stared at Lily and imdiately identified him.
KWA-A-AANG!
As soon as he locked onto him, Arthur fired off another Burst Strike.
He shot forward like a cannonball.
“What the?!”
Ricardo widened his eyes as Arthur closed the gap instantly.
He clenched his fists—
Vuuung!
A chilling light surrounded them. Regaining his composure, Ricardo sneered.
“Foolish bastard!”
Engaging him in close combat? Arthur was already in his face.
“Die!”
Ricardo’s glowing fists vanished into the air—
BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM!
Arthur’s body was rocked violently. His clothes tore, his flesh ripped, his bones twisted.
Ricardo smiled in anticipation of his enemy’s twisted expression—
But then Arthur’s bloodied face suddenly appeared right in front of him—grinning savagely.
His bones were broken, his skin crushed—But he didn’t care.
“GRAAAHHHHH!!”
“Y-You crazy son of—!”
KWA-A-A-AANG!
Like an enraged rhino, Arthur ramd Ricardo in the chest with his full body.
The wall didn’t break.
Instead, the recoil hit Arthur hard, making him wince.
His shoulder felt shattered. But Arthur stared at Ricardo and nodded.
“KUAAAHH!”
Ricardo, embedded in the wall, vomited blood with a gaping mouth.
Clutching his chest, he couldn’t rise.
As Arthur expected—The wall made of silk was durable and dense.
He’d been slamd into it with full force—it must’ve felt like his whole body was being crushed.
Despite taking the sa shock, Arthur stood firmly before Ricardo.
He clenched his fists.
Between his fingers glead a ring:
[Ring of Desire (Survival)]
The ring glowed, rapidly healing Arthur’s shattered body.
Just then, Ricardo’s dazed eyes flickered.
KWAANG!
A surprise punch shot toward Arthur’s jaw like lightning—
Only to be caught midair.
His desperate counterattack had failed.
Ricardo searched for help—But no one ca.
“What the hell are you all doing?!”
“Shut up.”
Arthur grabbed Ricardo’s hands and slamd his forehead into his face.
KWAANG!
A brutal headbutt.
Smack! Boom! Crack! Slam!
Blood flew in all directions.
Arthur didn’t stop—Not until Ricardo’s face caved in, not until the strength in his arms faded.
THUD!
“...Kuugh!”
As Ricardo’s eyes rolled back, Arthur shoved him against the wall—
Then braced himself in a Quanru stance.
Reto’s advice echoed in his mind:
[The destructive power of Quanru cos from rotation. Focus on speed and weight. With your body now, you can pull off a true Quanru.]
Burst Strike.
He’d already used it several tis.
Muscles tore audibly under strain, but Arthur didn’t stop.
Accelerated rotation—And a heavy, steel-gray fist.
When that fist, like a bolt of lightning, struck Ricardo’s heart—
PFFF—
A massive gush of blood erupted from his mouth.
A shockwave burst from behind him, shaking the entire wall.
Cracks ran deep, but the wall held.
And Ricardo—
THUD.
Collapsed with his eyes rolled back. A stopped heart, a cold corpse.
Instant death.
[Well done.]
Staggering, Arthur turned his body.
His condition was a ss after back-to-back Burst Strikes and brutal combat—But with one Cleaner down, the tide had begun to shift.
The Ring of Desire glowed brighter.
Through the healing light, the two remaining Cleaners charged in.
They’d drawn their own weapons instead of using chains.
Arthur nodded.
Cleaners operated as a team—
But with one dead, their formation collapsed—
And that change now favored Arthur.
“40% odds.”
He did the math and moved instantly.
“Reto.”
[Your body is deteriorating faster than you’re recovering. Space out your Burst Strikes.]
“How many more can I manage?”
[One. For now.]
“Damn it.”
He wanted to move faster, but his body was on the verge of collapse—he needed ti.
The two Cleaners closed in like shadows. Arthur turned to face them.
They looked furious, enraged by their comrade’s death.
“Greatsword, and shield.”
Arthur recalled their attributes and charged the one with the shield.
He stepped on the raised shield and leapt into the air.
His next target wasn’t these two.
“Lily!”
At that cry, the one with the greatsword reacted first.
He swung a massive blade like lightning.
Arthur crossed his arms, and the blade glead as it slashed at him.
Suddenly, a hazy liquid enveloped Arthur’s arms.
Reto’s Spiritual Arts.
THWACK!
The blade struck the barrier with a heavy sound, sending Arthur flying.
He looked at his arms—deep gashes down to the bone.
Still, not bad.
He unwrapped his arms and focused on his flight path.
Thankfully, he was flying in the direction he’d hoped for.
KWAJAJAJANG!
Blinding yellow light surged through the battlefield of puppets.
Arthur crossed the field and locked eyes with Rengua, who was tornting Lily.
His smug face stiffened at Arthur’s sudden appearance.
Arthur clenched his fist at him—And Rengua’s face twisted like crumpled paper.
He hurried to raise his staff.
Then, Arthur’s golden-lit fist began to glow even more intensely.
A mystical glyph appeared on the back of his hand.
[Siren’s Hymn]
FLASH!
A wave of blinding golden light filled the entire office. It was as if a beautiful lody rang faintly in the air.
As the golden tide swept over Rengua and his puppets, Arthur whispered:
“45% odds...”
The tide was about to turn.
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