Thousands of energy blades surged into the sky toward Taranis, while from the heavens themselves, a pillar of lightning descended, distorting the air around it.
The energy blades gathered into a dense cluster, forming a massive disc that blocked the path of the incoming pillar.
The mont the two forces collided, cataclysmic thunder erupted, audible from thousands of kiloters away. Webs of lightning spread in all directions from the point of impact, their force uprooting trees from the ground and hurling them outward.
Blood burst from Rhaegar's ears due to the deafening roars of thunder, and his control over the energy blades faltered.
As he witnessed the descending lightning, mories of how he had lost his arm and suffered severe burns across half his body resurfaced in his mind, causing his control to waver even further.
Several cracks appeared across the energy blades, and in the next mont, they shattered into countless fragnts. The pillar of lightning then descended straight down upon Rhaegar.
After a few seconds, the lightning vanished, and the abyssal clouds scattered, revealing sunlight once more.
More than half of the forest had been destroyed, reduced to a wasteland of broken trees and split earth.
"F forgive ... Your Majesty... the sword of the Empire... has broken," Rhaegar murmured, leaning against the shattered trunk of a tree.
His hair had been completely burned away, and his scorched, molten skin flickered with residual lightning. His face was unrecognizable from the injuries, and both his legs were completely broken.
Through his blurred vision, he saw Taranis approaching in a staggered stride. His eyes and hair had returned to normal, and the amused expression he had worn during the battle had vanished, replaced by a cold, unreadable gaze.
The blade in his hand had also returned to its silver hue.
As Taranis drew closer, Rhaegar slowly raised his arm. His broken sword lifted into the air and pointed toward Taranis.
"I... I at least need to kill him... before I die," Rhaegar muttered, launching the sword forward.
Taranis did not dodge, or perhaps he could not due to his exhaustion. The half-broken sword pierced his flesh and sank into his abdon. Blood spilled both from the wound and from his mouth.
His steps faltered, yet he continued moving forward.
When he reached Rhaegar, he raised his blade, his golden eyes staring down at him with a cold expression.
"Haha... you really are a monste—"
Slash!
Rhaegar's head rolled to the ground before he could finish his words.
Taranis's grip on his sword loosened, and he collapsed onto his back, utterly exhausted.
If Rhaegar had both of his arms and had not been permanently injured by Heaven's Wrath eighteen years ago, the outco of the battle might have been different.
These thoughts clouded Taranis's mind as he lay there, breathing heavily.
However, Rhaegar was not the only one at a disadvantage. Taranis had also been fighting with only one arm, not to ntion he had been outnumbered.
In the end, it was not realm alone that determined the outco of the battle. Skill, battle IQ, and experience were equally important, and in those aspects, Taranis far surpassed Rhaegar.
Although Rhaegar had lived more than four tis as long as Taranis, the only war he had fought was against the demons. anwhile, Taranis, apart from the First Ultimate War, had battled thousands of beasts in the Forest of Gumiho, hordes of monsters in the B-Ranked Gate, an army of cultivators in the Abandoned Lands, and even now, he had been fighting at a disadvantage in both numbers and realm.
All of these battles had greatly enhanced his experience and sharpened his skills, which was one of the major reasons he had erged victorious in this seemingly one-sided and handicapped battle.
Taranis's Soulforce began to rise. The air around him shifted, and his body glowed with a golden hue.
The broken sword lodged in his abdon was pulled out, his wounds healed, and he felt his strength increasing.
A surge of energy burst outward from his body, and the golden glow faded.
Ding...
"Congratulations! The Host has successfully broken through! The Host's level has increased.
Level Three Transcendent Realm → Level Four Transcendent Realm.
All stats 50."
tAraNISDontreSTYoUMUstkIllmoREkIll
geTUpanDKIll!
KIll!
KIlllllllllllll!
"Shut up, my head hurts," Taranis muttered, his eyes fixed on the window hovering before him.
"Main Quest: Save Nyria's life.
Deadline: 21 days, 17 hours, 11 minutes."
"Why do you keep showing this window?" Taranis muttered as he rose to his feet.
As he began walking, his head throbbed with unbearable pain, and the ominous voice continued to scream within his mind.
He ignored it. His focus was fixed on sothing far more unsettling that was happening to him.
He raised his hand toward his face. A flicker of golden lightning appeared, spreading in all directions in unstable arcs.
"I'm losing control over Sovereign class lightning," Taranis murmured.
He had first realized it when he slaughtered the Empire soldiers in the Valley of Heavenly Pillars. The more people he killed, the more his control over the Sovereign Lightning weakened.
When he tortured Adam, the rate at which he lost control increased drastically
The reason was clear. It was a warning from the heavens. They were displeased with the bloodstained path Taranis had chosen to walk. If he continued like this, he would completely lose the favor of the heavens, along with his control over the golden lightning, a gift which was bestowed by heavens upon him.
It was only then that Taranis noticed a small notification at the top corner of the window hovering before him, where a " 2" was displayed.
He tapped the icon, and two detailed ssages erged before his eyes.
"The Host has accumulated negative Karma.
The Host's control over Sovereign class lightning has been reduced by 30%.
Note:
1. Accumulate positive Karma to regain control over the golden lightning.
2. If the Host continues to accumulate negative Karma, control over the golden lightning will be completely lost."
"The Host is affected by the Corruption of Death.
Current Progress: 67%.
Note: If the corruption reaches 100%, the Host will lose their sanity."
Taranis's gaze darkened as he read the ssages.
"So you are threatening to take away my powers if you do not approve of my thods," He muttered, waving his hand to dismiss the windows.
"No one can control my decisions."
User Comments
0 comments from readers