Chapter 172
Chapter 172
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 172
Chapter Title: Racial Grand Alliance (4)
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"Go first!"
The moment their gazes locked, the orc and dwarf High Masters were the first to leap into action.
It wasn't just because they were melee specialists—they were that confident.
The dwarf High Master was just as assured in battle as the orc High Master, even if he hadn't taken the initiative. Like the orcs, dwarves were born warriors with innate advantages.
"Illusion Setup."
"Hyper Beam Rifle!"
But the gnome and troll struck first. They fired their ranged weapons while shifting positions.
Their fighting styles differed, yet they were eerily similar.
The gnomes built their skills around mechanical engineering, while the troll embodied the classic hunter archetype. Still, their skill compositions oddly mirrored each other.
"Come forth, Shabel!"
"Come forth, Dino!"
Before the High Masters could charge in, distracted by the opening salvo, the two summoned their allies simultaneously.
The troll High Master called a level 300-range monster, the Shabel Tiger. The gnome High Master unleashed a mechanical dinosaur, the pinnacle of mechanical engineering.
It even incorporated magic for superior AI, boasting combat prowess beyond level 300. It made for an ideal escort to complement their beam rifles.
The gnome High Master chose to fight alongside his mechanical dinosaur, while the troll High Master assigned his Shabel Tiger to another red guardsman—that was the only difference.
"Grow, vine after vine!"
"Illusory Heaven and Earth Technique!"
"Swamp of Death."
Next, the half-elf, goblin, and undead High Masters unleashed their powers. They bound the High Masters they'd targeted and dragged them into their domains.
"Rise, O Death Giant."
And one more. The Arch Lich activated his master skill, summoning the Death Giant, the Skeleton King.
The colossal figure, dozens of times larger than a regular skeleton, rose and charged toward Chrono.
'I should join in now.'
Rokan, who had watched the longest, finally leaped at the last remaining foe. If he didn't time it right and take one on, the fight wouldn't work.
Someone might try to handle two shares, but this one-on-one setup was exactly what Rokan wanted, so he gladly smashed into his opponent.
Clang!
The first clash favored his foe. But that was because Rokan hadn't used Storm Incarnation yet. He knew it wouldn't work, but he wanted to gauge the power gap.
'Not as bad as I thought.'
It wasn't utterly hopeless. His weapon and gear advantages were overwhelming.
Just activating berserker skills granted an 800% attack boost—why would a High Master cower?
Rokan even considered fighting without Storm Incarnation, but quickly realized it was impossible.
A perfect one-on-one might allow it, but the spillover from nearby battles was too intense.
His health was already trickling down. Absorbing shocks alone would be a struggle.
"Storm Incarnation!"
Rokan activated Storm Incarnation immediately.
He swallowed the golden and blood-red aura, transforming into a giant.
"Bloody Massacre!"
As the change completed, he unleashed his gambit. Substituting Force for aura and infusing master-level skills from other classes, the slash became faster and fiercer, sweeping over the red guardsman.
The last foe Rokan faced happened to be a defense-type High Master wielding a heater shield as tall as himself, but Rokan pressed on relentlessly, hammering the shield with devastating blows to shatter it.
"What a pain!"
Had it used a defensive combo skill? Despite every Bloody Massacre strike landing on the shield, it held firm. The foe's eyes gleamed as it closed in, shoving its ironclad shield to return the shock to Rokan.
"Urk!"
Shield bash. The massive shield and Rokan's enlarged form made dodging hard, but he'd dismissed it as a simple trick—yet his health plummeted.
A dizzying blow.
Did that small frame hide such power? No. In the impact's instant, Rokan intuited the cause.
'Damage reflection...!'
It had accumulated and reflected the damage from Rokan's Bloody Massacre on the shield.
Damage reflection on a defense build was monstrous, but unfortunately, his opponent was Rokan.
"Fine, let's see you handle this!"
During Storm Incarnation, Rokan's health was virtually infinite. The moment he realized it didn't fully nullify and reflect, he unleashed a frenzy of wild strikes, escalating his assault.
"How about this?"
Amid the barrage, Rokan pulled a new move.
Clink.
Chains wrapped around his left hand as he twisted his waist, compressing immense power.
"Strike of Ruin!"
Boom!
Space ruptured as a mighty punch shot forth!
It was Rokan's new creation skill: Strike of Ruin.
"Gah!"
That single hit made the red guardsman, who'd endured so stoically, scream. It spat mana-blood and crashed harshly to the ground.
All thanks to the two skills embedded in Strike of Ruin.
One pierced defenses; the other scaled destruction with his own defense.
How much defense did the ruin-sealing chains provide? Even equipped on a weapon, wrapping his fist should yield fitting effects—Rokan's hunch proved spot-on.
"Huh... this is insane."
A hole punctured the shield that had blocked Bloody Massacre, cracks spiderwebbing across it. Cumulative shock played a part, but it starkly showed Strike of Ruin's potency.
Rokan was so stunned he just watched as the foe scrambled up.
The wind-up was a bit large, but with this power, it could serve as another finisher.
With a faint smile, Rokan surged with fighting spirit again.
"Red Knight's Sword!"
Granting it a brief respite, the red guardsman countered.
The master skill of many master-level Red Crusaders: Red Knight's Sword. The blade glowed red, concentrating vast mana—just like theirs, but its power dwarfed theirs. Backed by overwhelming magic, it swung to cleave Rokan.
"Storm Slash!"
At that moment, Rokan countered. With Bloody Massacre blocked, he unleashed Storm Slash—one of his strongest available attacks.
Each individual strike was weaker than Red Knight's Sword, but Storm Slash shredded the area dozens of times in an instant with formless energy.
After dozens of clashes, he extinguished the red energy and neutralized it.
"How...!"
High Masters recognized each other's realms. Shock etched the foe's face. No matter how potent the master skill, this opponent shouldn't even be a High Master.
Stunned as his master skill was blocked, the skilled warrior expertly raised his shield.
A holed shield, but lowering his stance and pulling it close, he prepared for Rokan's counter—avoiding vitals.
But Rokan had the perfect skill.
"Bone Crusher."
Boom!
It struck the shield, but internals rattled. Piercing damage shook his organs.
If not a metal doll, it might have vomited on the spot—an immense shock.
Crack.
The shield's cracks widened further. Rokan's skill had ravaged its durability.
"Cleaving Strike!"
Boom!
Exploiting the hesitation, the battle axe slammed down again. Triple-amplified attack power focused to snap the shield arm.
"Armor Break...!"
"Groan... Lion's Flame Wave!"
As the third blow descended, it crouched deeper, then exploded compressed power.
A lion-shaped aura burst from the shield, jaws wide to devour Rokan.
"Knew it. Repel!"
As if anticipating, Rokan whipped his left arm savagely. Using his new creation skill Repel, his chain-protected arm smacked the shield's side.
It couldn't fully kill the master skill's momentum but deflected its path handily.
[Flame Resistance greatly reduces fire damage.]
Even so, the launched crimson blaze was unavoidable. Instead of dodging the charge, Rokan took most of it head-on.
Roar!
Flesh-melting, bone-liquefying heat for others—but Rokan's flame resistance was tops among elements.
Health dropped fast, but he endured the inferno like a sauna sweat, dispersing the flames and lion form.
'No joke.'
He'd dissipated the power and shattered the master skill, but cold sweat beaded inside. Mere exposure to Lion's Flame Wave had cut health below a third.
The prior reflection hit, sure—but in under five minutes.
Storm Incarnation's health boost, yet only a third left. High Masters' terror sank in viscerally.
"Chariot Charge!"
"Jump!"
Distracted briefly, the foe charged from afar, shield foremost.
Rokan barely evaded with his creation skill Jump. Blocking head-on was an option, but as a combo, the charging force was brutal.
"Red Meteor!"
But bullfighting dodges didn't suit Rokan.
Lower than his double-jump clinging to Kai, but he leaped instantly, converting height to destructive energy.
A massive projectile fused with reinforcement and charge plummeted onto the foe.
"Wheel Wind! Rapid Acceleration!"
No, not over. Not horizontal, but vertical. A spinning slash focused on one point stabbed down—accelerated!
Boom rumble rumble boom!
Rokan's battle axe battered it. Again and again.
Cleverly adjusting length to strike with the axe body, not chains—then at close range, he canceled the skill, yanking the axe like a snap.
Twisting to regain balance, he harnessed fall momentum and full-body torque for the ultimate slash.
"Bloody Massacre!"
Imprinting his true power into every crevice of the foe's body.