However, the most frightening thing about the pillar’s transformation was his presence. It was not that it was overwhelming, but rather it did not exist whatsoever!
‘I can’t sense a single drop of Ethos or any other energy coming from him, but… I doubt he purposely made himself weaker.’
If he was not standing before Izroth and Hakros for them to view with their own eyes, the two would have never known he was there!
“I no longer have the time nor patience to play with the two of you. Originally, I planned to capture you in one piece. But, since you are so eager to forfeit your lives and defy my will, you must be taught a suitable lesson.” Ourami said as he held his left hand outward.
He then continued, “Worry not. I will only crush your limbs. After all, you still have some use to me.”
“We still need to buy some time. Are you pre-” Izroth attempted to warn; however, he halted his words midway as a heavy pressure fell upon him.
Woosh! BANG! Crrrrack!
Izroth reacted swiftly as he kicked off his foot and evaded the blow at the last moment. But, even after successfully evading it, Izroth still received some damage from the shockwave that was released. Fortunately, the Veil of the Seventh Origin Flames from the Seventh Origin Flames Necklace still protected Izroth and absorbed the damage.
[-19,586]
‘Oh? I took almost 20,000 damage just from the shockwave of the attack?’
Izroth would not claim that his defensive capabilities were the best among all the players in RML; however, they were certainly above average compared to most others. Therefore, the fact he suffered that much damage showed just how dangerous that attack could have been if he were struck by it directly.
But, what Izroth did not anticipate was that the attack just now came from the last person he expected it to.
“Don’t tell me you’ve had a sudden change in heart, Hakros,” Izroth said calmly as he carefully analyzed Hakros.
Hakros stood with his fist drilled into the ground where Izroth had just stood less than a breath ago.
Surprisingly, the one who attacked him was not Ourami, but Hakros!
However, Izroth could not understand why the behemoth chose now of all times to betray him. It did not add up.
‘Is it related to his abilities?’
Izroth glanced over at Ourami.
The same time Ourami lifted his hand was exactly when Hakros attacked him. Naturally, Izroth did not believe it was merely a coincidence.
“What is this? I can’t control my arm.” Hakros said as the veins on his arm could be seen bulging, displaying the great deal of stress it was under.
“The outcome is not surprising. No matter how much raw strength, speed, or resilience you possess, it is impossible to oppose the Epithet of Force. Shall I demonstrate?” Ourami stated as he pointed one finger towards the sky.
Woosh!
All of a sudden, Hakros’ arm shot upward as though his arm had been repelled away from the earth.
“Bow,” Ourami uttered as he directed his finger to the ground.
BANG!
Hakros’ whole body jerked forward as his head slammed into the earth!
“You bastard…! Fight me head-on if you dare..!” Hakros growled as he tried to push himself up; however, whenever he exerted more strength, the pressure that bound him only seemed to grow increasingly stronger.
“I said… FIGHT ME HEAD-ON!” Hakros roared as the earth beneath him shattered and the bloodline of the ancient behemoth started to awaken.
“As I have already clarified, I no longer have time to waste with your vain struggles. Though I must admit, it was quite entertaining—even if only for a fleeting moment. Unfortunately, I have lost interest. That goes for both of you…” Ourami said coldly as he glared to his left side.
Swish!
Ourami’s tail darted out and blocked a blade of wind that targeted the pillar.
Bzzzt…!
Out of nowhere, numerous lightning bolts jumped around Ourami. And, in the blink of an eye, the lightning quickly linked together, forming a cage-like structure. Simultaneously, several bolts of lightning bounced within the cage and directly struck the pillar.
The instant the cage of lightning appeared, Hakros was freed from Ourami’s grip and pushed off the ground as he sprung to his feet.
“That won’t hold him for long,” Izroth said as he repositioned himself next to Hakros.
Just now, Izroth used the Tempest Strikes and Lightning Cage effects attached to his Sword of the Storm to momentarily seal Ourami’s movements. Fortunately, he accumulated the maximum number of stacks and all of it had yet to deteriorate despite technically being out of combat for a while.
Originally, Lightning Cage was supposed to paralyze the target for five seconds; however, Izroth understood that even a couple of seconds at this point would be a miracle.
If not for the recent upgrade to his Sword of the Storm, Izroth was unsure whether or not it would have affected Ourami at all.
Then, the next moment, Izroth did something unexpected. He willingly deactivated his arms of lightning. But, he knew there was no other choice.
‘It’s a bit regrettable, but they’ve become more a hindrance than an asset at this point.’
While it was useful when he was in his Full Mantle state and could use Compressed Lightning Movement, the same could not be said for his current condition. In the end, he could not afford to wait ten seconds in between attacks against Ourami without the speed to back it up. This was even more so now that the pillar had undergone a new transformation.
“We need a way to stall him for a little while longer. I have a plan, but it may be dangerous even with your physique.” Izroth cautioned.
Izroth could no longer get an accurate read on Ourami’s strength; however, he was certain the pillar’s overall strength had improved severalfold.
Although Hakros possessed an ancient bloodline, Izroth knew that it did not make him truly invincible. There had to be some limit or threshold to it—similar to how his Dragon’s Scale worked. When that threshold was reached, Izroth did not know if Hakros would be able to bear the full onslaught of Ourami’s strikes.
“I ain’t one for strategies, so just speak simply. What do ya need me to do?” Hakros asked without hesitation as his ferocious gaze landed on Ourami.
One could tell that the behemoth wanted nothing more than to charge forward and tear Ourami limb from limb. But, despite his seemingly headstrong nature, Hakros was not thoughtless.
They had been throwing everything at this guy and yet nothing appeared to be affecting him. In fact, he just became stronger right before their eyes!
Hakros was aware that if they continued to tread down this path, it would only lead to their miserable defeat. That’s why even though he was not the type to follow plans in the middle of a battle, Hakros was willing to give it a shot. This was solely due to Izroth having earned his respect.
Izroth gave a small nod and explained, “Then, I’ll keep it simple…”
Izroth truly did keep his explanation short and down to a few simple words. However, these few words alone were enough to ignite Hakros’ battle spirit.
“You crazy bastard—I like it! Then, we’ll try it your way!” Hakros stated as a large grin formed on his face.
