Chapter 174
Chapter 174
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 174
Chapter Title: Racial Grand Alliance (6)
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‘Tsk.’
The moment Rokan spotted Chrono, who had returned to Ijja’s side, his first thought was escape. It was probably the same for everyone else there.
Run. We have to run.
The idea of a tactical retreat to wait out the Master Skill cooldown tickled the back of his mind.
But no one could voice it.
Not out of pride. Pride meant nothing in the face of death. They took pride in being High Masters, but that didn’t mean they were eager to die like dogs.
Their mouths and feet simply wouldn’t move.
The aura emanating from the Ancient Emperor Chrono was so overwhelming that none of them could even think to move.
“You idiots, run!”
BOOM!
A ferocious yet meticulously controlled burst of energy swept through the area.
It sliced through the positions of every racial High Master at once and shattered the terrain.
[Gale Incarnation duration has ended.]
[Re-incarnation is impossible for the next 1 hour.]
[All stats reduced by 20% due to Gale Incarnation backlash.]
“Damn it!”
Thanks to Rokan’s shout, no one fell victim to the surprise—not-surprise attack.
But Rokan’s expression darkened endlessly. The Gale Incarnation had ended right after that final dodge.
Even in Gale Incarnation state, survival would’ve been touch-and-go, but now with the backlash, he was little more than dead weight.
Exhaustion and self-loathing crashed over him.
“Run! As humiliating as it is, we can’t take him right now.”
“Agreed. Even if we could use our Master Skills again... we couldn’t be sure of victory.”
“No one here overestimates their own strength. Good.”
In that moment, the High Masters quickly exchanged opinions. Knowing they’d just be waiting for pointless deaths otherwise, they chose retreat and regrouping.
“Bunch of morons, talking shit.”
“......”
But there was one critical flaw in that plan. Suppressing his trembling body from the backlash, Rokan pointed it out coldly.
“You think we can escape from here unscathed?”
“......”
While they were dulled by fear, Chrono had already turned the surroundings into his domain.
Absolute Domain.
It was a skill Rokan knew well. It was the Ancient Emperor Chrono’s Master Skill, after all.
“This is...”
Realization dawned late on the High Masters, despair clouding their faces. The moment they expanded their senses, razor-sharp energies assaulted them like needles, bringing stabbing pain.
“How...”
Even standing still brought cold sweat, and the pressure made movement harder than before.
The sensation of being pierced or slashed the instant they moved made even breathing feel difficult.
Having reached the High Master realm, they felt that terror all the more acutely.
“There’s one way.”
“W-what is it?”
Rokan was the only one speaking relatively calmly to the cowering High Masters. Still just a Master, he was somewhat numb to it, but his title Unyielding Will was offsetting some of the pressure too.
“I’ll buy time. Run while I do.”
“You, who can’t even handle us...”
The Arch Lich snapped irritably at Rokan’s proposal. He too struggled to speak under the immense pressure, but Rokan’s idea was absurd.
Not even a High Master, weakened by Gale Incarnation backlash—what could he do? Even as a meat shield, he’d be shredded and scattered in seconds.
“Then you do it.”
“......”
But Rokan’s follow-up taunt left him speechless. Undead or not, charging Chrono would mean destruction beyond regeneration.
“Are you doing it or not? No time—decide!”
Silence hung for a moment before Rokan yelled urgently. He could feel Chrono gathering power again.
If he unleashed a big move now, negotiations or not, they’d all be minced.
“What’re the terms?”
“When this is over, give me one piece of gear you’re wearing. My choice, obviously.”
“Bullshit...”
“Fine. As long as it’s not a weapon, I accept.”
No one would sacrifice themselves for free. Knowing that, the Troll High Master judged coldly, ignoring the fuming Undead High Master and accepting the terms.
“Deal. If we can just survive...”
“One piece of gear is cheap.”
Soon, they all agreed. Unlike players, they had only one life.
Losing it here meant losing all their gear, so this was a bargain.
As long as they fulfilled the condition Rokan had set himself.
“Got it—now go...!”
In the end, even the Undead High Master consented.
And at that moment, Rokan was already charging toward Chrono. Even if one or two objected, he’d planned to do it anyway.
To scatter the Ancient Emperor’s spirit and reclaim the dominated space, he drew out his inner power.
He activated the other special ability of the Sealed Gale Chain Battle Axe.
“Berserk!”
Berserk without backlash! Not as potent as during Gale Incarnation, but an unprecedented energy enveloped Rokan. It spread through his body like spurting blood, empowering him.
“Whew! Rider of Legends!”
At the same time, the Heavenly Bone Horse was summoned. Boosted by the combo skill, it transformed into the Red Hare.
“Let’s go, Red Hare! Rampage Chariot!”
It didn’t grow massive like before, but its power and speed remained. Smaller size meant even better evasion.
“New Moon Sword Qi.”
Splurt!
But it didn’t last. The Ancient Emperor’s power already rivaled a Grandmaster’s.
A casual swipe of claw-like sword qi slashed the Red Hare horizontally, severing its head and forcing it back.
[‘Red Hare’ has been forcibly unsummoned. Summoning impossible for the next 1 hour.]
“Red Meteor! Wheel Wind!”
Rokan didn’t get hit alongside it, though.
As if anticipating it, the moment the sword qi closed in, he used the generation skill Jump with his ki. He reactivated the combo that had once pushed back the Red Guard captain and forced him to his knees.
Meteor charge power plus Wheel Wind rotation delivered a devastating strike into Chrono.
“Half-Moon Sword Qi.”
Clang! Ripple!
But even that didn’t hold long. A crescent sword qi slammed heavily into Rokan’s battle axe.
Precise impact, overwhelming force.
A mocking slash, but Rokan wasn’t ordinary either. The moment his sure-kill blow was countered, he manipulated the chains to block the Half-Moon Sword Qi.
Not fully defended or dissipated, but the chains took the brunt, sparing a direct hit.
“Urk!”
Rokan’s body was flung away pathetically.
“Heh heh heh!”
“......”
But Rokan was smiling. He had one trick left.
“Wild Slaughter!”
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
Clone summon. While Jump distracted during ascent, he’d secretly summoned the clone.
And while Rokan took hits, the clone sneaked in and unleashed his strongest attack.
Chrono parried them all with pure swordsmanship.
“Annihilation Chains!”
Rokan added his power too.
To save the clone—currently being overpowered beyond counter—and smash the back of Chrono’s head, he unleashed another combo skill, striking and then wrapping the limbs to immobilize.
“To dare scheme before Us!”
Whish, thud!
The result was disastrous. The Legend-grade chains couldn’t be broken by force even by the Ancient Emperor, but he used raw strength to wield them like a flail against Rokan.
Slammed to the ground pathetically like threshing rice, an indirect blow fast and powerful enough to rattle his soul.
“Guh, release!”
Rokan had no choice but to retract the chains himself. Even his full strength was outmatched; otherwise, his head would’ve been crushed.
“Barrage!”
Instead, he gripped his dazed mind and hurled a hand axe. But the power within was on another level compared to before.
“Space Slash.”
Wrong opponent. The Ancient Emperor slashed space itself. Tearing it flung Rokan’s hand axe to who-knows-where, and he swung his sword to rend Rokan too.
“Strike of Ruin!”
Too late to dodge. With his mind shaken repeatedly, he couldn’t evade the sword qi devouring the surrounding space.
Collision it was!
He wrapped the pulled chains around his left arm in layers and struck the center of the oncoming sword qi.
Strength versus strength.
The chains would at least prevent severing—he focused his whole body’s power into one point and smashed the casually flung sword qi with full force.
“Argh!”
Rokan’s prediction was half-right.
His fist clashed without being cut, but the shock twisted his arm.
Even with pain sensitivity far below real life, the agony was so intense he could barely speak.
“Gahk!”
The pain didn’t end there. Before he could calm it, the approaching Ancient Emperor kicked up into Rokan’s gut.
The flip-inducing kick stopped his breath, making drawing air difficult.
Shing.
A chilling energy burrowed hotly into Rokan’s flesh.
“Seethe with rage and despair. Those who defy Us now shall crumble miserably too.”
The Ancient Emperor’s emotionless sword. As he said, only such rage and despair awaited his foes.
Embracing that fear, Rokan forced his mouth open.
“Keep dreaming, you bastard.”
“Best not soil Our ears further with that lowly mouth.”
Stab.
“Arrrgh!”
The Ancient Emperor’s sword churned deeper inside Rokan.
His abdomen pierced, organs visible, then sliced and shredded.
Severe organ damage beyond potions or life regen.
“Kehehahaha! Cough!”
Yet Rokan laughed.
Not from unbearable pain or despairing surrender.
No. One reason: mission accomplished.
“See you later, bastard. Cancel.”
The High Masters—his original goal—had all escaped.
Rokan himself wouldn’t avoid death, but he wasn’t a visitor anyway. No need to cling to one death.
So he canceled Berserk himself.
Red-and-black vision faded as he accepted death.
[You have died.]
[Respawn at designated base? Instant Respawn / Corpse Wait]