“Did that guy have a high-ranking defensive magic treasure or talisman on him? No, that shouldn’t be the case. It’s impossible that a magic treasure or talisman was activated without causing the slightest bit of mana fluctuation. Then… did he actually manage to react to Agromin’s attack?” Zouren internalized as his expression darkened.
Zouren did not expect Izroth to evade Agromin’s surprise attack. Though what truly caught him by surprise was the fact that Izroth not only emerged unscathed, he even launched a counterattack!
“Gaaah!!!” Agromin cried out as his face turned pale and the azure lightning that encompassed his body started to waver.
An ugly expression appeared on Agromin’s face as he grit his teeth and immediately accelerated away at great speeds!
“That bastard Zouren! How dare he deceive me! Didn’t he say that guy was just a weakling who got lucky and barely survived the selection?! Damn it…! Damn it!” Agromin’s mind raced as he burned with fury.
Unfortunately for Agromin, who kept his distance to catch Izroth by surprise with his accelerated ambush, failed to hear Zouren’s remarks.
In other words, Agromin had no idea that the “lucky survivor” he just attacked actually placed first in the selection and held the Golden Lustrum Imperial Token!
At the moment, Agromin wanted nothing more than to tear apart Izroth for injuring him and Zouren for deceiving him; however, he understood that keeping his life was the main priority.
In the end, Agromin was someone who specialized in quick and powerful attacks while retreating before his enemies even knew what happened. With this kind of fighting style, Agromin’s defensive capabilities were virtually nonexistent. As a result, he ended up losing one of his arms!
Agromin glanced back as he fled and quickly discovered that Izroth was not following after him. This caused him to secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
If Izroth had chosen to chase after him in his present state, he may have needed to sacrifice more than one arm to escape.
He believed that perhaps Izroth was not confident in catching up to him or that he was more concerned about Zouren’s presence. Whatever the case, it only served to benefit him.
“Those two probably have some bad blood between them. He should be more focused on Zouren than someone like me. I need to find a place to recuperate and then leave this place as soon as possible! As for those two—I’ll make sure to settle all grievances at a later date!” Agromin thought to himself as killing intent filled his eyes.
At the same time, Izroth peeked over at the fleeing Agromin before setting his sights on Zouren.
The Sword of the Storm he recently returned to its sheath had been drawn once more.
Of course, Izroth did not simply have the habit of randomly drawing and sheathing his sword.
From the beginning, Izroth was well aware of Agromin’s plan to ambush him thanks to his Soul Sense and Energy Vision Sense. But, instead of taking the initiative to strike, Izroth made preparations in advance.
Izroth understood that the moment he sheathed his sword, Agromin would make his move. However, what Agromin did not know was that in doing so, he had already ensured his own defeat.
The instant Agromin appeared behind him, Izroth used two skills—First Sword Form: Converging Paths and his Seventh Sword Form: Motionless Killing Stroke.
Izroth’s first sword form made it so that his seventh sword form not only had a 100% chance to critically hit but also made the sword strike instantaneous.
Although the attack speed from his seventh sword form was fast, in the end, it required Izroth’s sword to be sheathed. And, since Izroth was unaware of Agromin’s true speed, in order to completely seal off his opportunity to evade the strike, using the first sword form was a necessity.
As for the purple lightning that was unleashed, it was one of the new effects from Izroth’s upgraded Sword of the Storm, Destructive Aftermath.
Destructive Aftermath activated right as Izroth’s seventh sword form empowered by his first sword form struck Agromin. This caused all three effects to overlap with one another and immediately overpowered Agromin’s azure lightning, shredding through what little defense he possessed.
Though Agromin turned out to be more skilled than Izroth thought.
‘It should have been his head that was sent flying, but at the last moment, he adjusted his position mid-attack and sacrificed his arm to retreat. To make such a decisive decision without hesitation—he has some potential. But, it’s a shame. His appetite is bigger than what he can afford to stomach.’
As for why Izroth chose not to chase after Agromin and finish him off—there was no need. Whether he did anything or not, Agromin’s fate had already been sealed.
Suddenly, a carefree smile formed on Izroth’s face.
Seeing that carefree look on his face, Zouren felt that Izroth was not putting him in his sights. Was it the fact that he made Agromin run away with his tail tucked between his legs that gave him such confidence? If so, he was too naive!
“Hmph, do you think you’ve already won after cutting off one arm? Don’t place me on the same level as that trash.” Zouren stated coldly.
He then continued, “I tried to grant you a swift death multiple times, but you continue to refuse my kindness. If you’re really that eager to suffer to death, so be it. You wanted to see my domain, right? Then, I’ll show you—just how foolish even the mere thought of you defeating me is.”
“Oh? So you’ve already resolved yourself to crawl on the ground like a dog for the rest of your life? I underestimated your courage.” Izroth said calmly.
It was not that long ago that Zouren boldly declared that if he used his domain, he would spend the rest of his life on the ground like a dog.
“Do you think I’ll fall for your provocation again? As long as I kill you, such a thing—it was never mentioned.” Zouren smirked.
All of a sudden, the earth beneath Zouren started to form ripples and bubbles as if a stone had been dropped into boiling water.
“I see. I suppose that’s true. But, it seems your memory has failed you. Have you forgotten what I said earlier?” Izroth commented.
Out of nowhere, a towering shadow that blocked the sky’s light abruptly loomed over Zouren.
“You may not get another chance.” Izroth reminded.
“?!” Zouren sensed a terrifying killing intent coming from behind him; however, he had no time to think and reacted without a second thought.
The mysterious energy that encompassed Zouren’s arms rapidly spread until it covered his entire body. At the same time, he lifted his arms above his head as an overwhelming force crashed into him!
BANG! Crrrrrack! Rmmmmmble!
The impact shattered the earth within tens of meters, creating a small crater and a strong quake followed by a series of miniature tremors.
The blow was powerful enough to not only alter the surrounding terrain but Zouren, who had defended against it at the last possible moment, was drilled deep into the ground!
The sound of rattling chains could be heard as the dust cloud cleared up and a large figure emerged.
The figure stopped before Izroth and stared at him with a fierce pair of piercing red eyes. This person was the same individual who had been suppressed and bound by chains near the edge of the black lake. The Unstoppable Behemoth, Hakros!
“Was it you who liberated me?” Hakros asked as he looked directly into Izroth’s eyes.
“That’s right,” Izroth replied nonchalantly as he met Hakros’ gaze without backing down in the slightest.
Back when Zouren first pushed Izroth away, he used Behemoth’s Quake empowered by his essence to immediately gain Storm Surge Charges for his Sword of the Storm.
He then activated Tempest Strikes and sent out eight blades of winds, seven of which were a part of setting up the activation of Destructive Aftermath while simultaneously distracting Zouren.
But, the eighth blade of wind was different. Zouren thought Izroth merely had poor aim. However, what he did not know was that the eighth blade of wind Izroth sent out carried with it a compressed version of his Ninth Sword Form: World Quelling Ripple empowered by his essence. And, he targeted none other than Hakros!
To be more precise, Izroth targeted the chains that bound Hakros and interrupted the flow of mana.
As for injuring Hakros, Izroth was not worried. If what Sychia said earlier was true, then he should be more than capable of surviving that strike with his special physique. Which, from the looks of things, seemed to be precisely the case.
Having Sychia isolate Luxia, taunting Zouren, crippling Agromin, freeing Hakros—Zouren did not realize that Izroth was not just one step ahead of him. From the very beginning, Izroth was on an entirely different plane of existence! He was in total control of the whole battlefield!
