Chapter 183
Chapter 183
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 183
Chapter Title: Putting a Bell on the Cat's Neck (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Crescent Sword Qi.”
Sword qi like fingernails rapidly surged forward. Not just one, but several.
A barrage of sword qi shot out in overlapping layers like a net, rushing to shred Rokan and Kai to pieces.
Kweeek!
But Kai was no pushover either.
With Rokan's control added on, Kai's speed and movements had already transcended their limits—it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say so. He boldly slipped through the tiny gaps between the sword qi and charged straight at the Ancient Emperor.
“Sword Wave.”
In response, the Ancient Emperor unleashed a wave this time, resonating his sword qi with the surrounding mana to strike Kai with a force like crashing waves.
Kiyuuut!
[(Temporary) Great Peng, Kai has comprehended Elemental Barrier. Will you acquire it?]
[You cannot forfeit skill acquisition.]
[Kai has acquired the Elemental Barrier skill.]
What to do? In that brief moment of hesitation, Kai struck first. Using the elemental power within his body derived from consuming the Elemental Worm, he had comprehended a new technique.
Elemental Barrier.
He ignited and circulated the elemental power, expelling a sturdy defensive force from his body.
Crack! Craaaack!
But the Ancient Emperor was a Grand Master.
The Elemental Barrier clashed with the wave of sword qi and immediately faltered, cracks forming in an instant, but it barely succeeded in protecting its user.
Kai endured the residual shockwaves with his body and accelerated once more.
“Haste!”
On top of that, Rokan added the power of Haste. Surpassing the speed the Ancient Emperor had anticipated, he dove into the enemy's embrace.
Thud!
He didn't stop at diving in—he slammed a powerful beak strike into the enemy's chest.
The Ancient Emperor's body, forged with countless enhancements, seemed to stagger for a moment before a roar erupted.
Even if he had let his guard down, the shock of taking a hit from a mere beast that wasn't even a High Master or Master was overwhelming.
“You filthy beast!”
“Dismiss!”
The moment an enraged strike aimed for Kai's neck, Rokan exercised his wits and reverse-summoned Kai.
At this point, Kai could probably withstand it, but there was no reason to make him endure pain now that the goal had been achieved.
“Gale Incarnation!”
Instead, he swelled his own body, spreading his arms wide to embrace the Ancient Emperor rather than striking him.
“What is this!? How dare a lowly body...!”
The Ancient Emperor swung his arms to push away, but it was futile. Purely in terms of strength, Rokan wasn't an opponent he could easily shake off—and above all, it was thanks to the effective use of the chains.
Clank.
At Rokan's will, the chains wrapped around the two, binding them tightly as if they were one body, making separation impossible.
The legendary-grade iron chains that had once sealed destruction couldn't be broken by the Ancient Emperor, Grand Master or not.
“How dare you...!”
But the Ancient Emperor was no slouch either. In that brief moment as their bodies entangled, he channeled his energy to move his hand.
The target was none other than the heart of the enlarged Rokan.
“You dirty madman!”
Boom!
The Ancient Emperor unleashed his energy, targeting Rokan's heart.
Knowing he was a berserker, he aimed to burst the heart and kill him.
However, what Rokan wore was none other than the Lion King's Sealed Breastplate. Even a Grand Master couldn't pierce it in one breath.
Thud thud thud thud.
Thus, the Ancient Emperor unleashed his power repeatedly.
It wasn't his main weapon, the sword, but it possessed strength that transcended weapons, so each clash shook Rokan's body violently. Blood sprayed from his mouth like a fountain, drenching the Ancient Emperor's head and body.
“Hold still, you bastard!”
Smack!
Finally, Rokan counterattacked. He swung the Purifying Orb he had pulled from thin air, smashing it into the back of the Ancient Emperor's head.
Clang!
The Purifying Orb shattered, and the profuse purifying power it released settled into his body. It dispersed the green madness blazing in his eyes, spreading through his head, body, and entire form.
“Graaaah!”
Thud thud thud thud!
It wasn't massive damage, but the Ancient Emperor thrashed with all his might. As the power of corruption was neutralized, the restraints humans had imposed began to run rampant.
“Guh!”
From the repeated blows, a gaping hole now pierced Rokan's chest. His heart had burst, and he could see straight through to the other side, strength draining from his body.
Clank.
Accordingly, the chains binding them lost power and unraveled.
Distance formed between the two.
“Clone Summon!”
At that moment, a bloody smile bloomed on Rokan's lips. He created a clone identical to himself and began unleashing the full force of his power from both sides simultaneously.
“Mad Slaughter!”
Boom boom boom boom boom!
In just one breath, over twenty consecutive slashes embedded into the Ancient Emperor's body.
Even so, it was power comparable to a High Master at best. But for the Ancient Emperor, who had fallen to High Master level after losing his original energy, it was more than enough to inflict effective damage.
“I'll kill you all!”
“Now!”
As the final strike landed and the Ancient Emperor began his counterattack, Rokan's shout, laced with mad roars, filled the battlefield.
He hadn't expected it to debuff the Ancient Emperor. Rather, it was to offset even a little of the debuff on himself.
“Charge! Rampaging Chariot! Time of Madness!”
The moment he confirmed Mad Slaughter had damaged the enemy, Rokan had no more lingering attachment.
Knowing that seven High Masters were each activating their Master skills to target the Ancient Emperor, he turned his body and used every mobility skill he had.
Focusing on escape, he broke out of the explosion radius.
Kaboom!
The next instant, the entire space where the Ancient Emperor had been exploded. The goblin shaman's ultimate annihilation spell had swallowed the space, reducing everything within to nothingness.
If Rokan hadn't hurriedly pulled back, he would have been caught in it, but he barely escaped, losing a massive chunk of his health.
“This guy's heart just won't stay intact.”
The grand temple would repair it if he paid up, but the weird feeling was unavoidable.
“Whew, shall we get started?”
Glancing back while continuing to move, the fierce clash between the Ancient Emperor and the High Masters had already begun.
Orcs, dwarves, saber tigers, and mechanical dinosaurs were tangled with him, while gnome, troll, and half-elf High Masters eyed gaps to snipe.
Behind them, the goblin High Master shaman buffed everyone, and the undead High Master cursed the Ancient Emperor.
Even so, the Ancient Emperor withstood them alone, occasionally creating perilous situations—his presence was chilling—but Rokan wasn't just standing around in admiration.
If he didn't keep something going here, the hard-earned 'first strike' advantage would vanish.
“Explode.”
Squeeze. Boom!
“Gah!”
“Damn it, what the hell!”
“Poison!”
Adjusting distance and position, Rokan pulled a button from his inventory and pressed it.
With that, the bomb he had stealthily attached to the Ancient Emperor's body detonated.
Not an ordinary bomb, but one designed to spread condensed poison.
The effect was minor, but enough to poison even High Masters, making everyone except the mechanical dinosaur grimace.
“You damned human!”
Those in the thick of exchanging blows with the Ancient Emperor spat curses at Rokan, but he couldn't care less.
They would become enemies again once the battle ended anyway, and it wasn't lethal poison. But the poison's duration was extremely long, perfect for maintaining Rokan's first strike advantage.
“Go on.”
Next, Rokan deployed other mechanical items. Commonly called suicide rats.
They approached their target and exploded, but he didn't expect real damage from them either. It was just a safe way to maintain the first strike from range.
Of course, Rokan had Bombardment, a powerful long-range attack, but it risked hitting the other High Masters set as allies.
He had inflicted significant damage, but the Ancient Emperor wasn't weak enough for them to turn on each other in assured victory.
“Alright, now then...”
With preparations complete, Rokan no longer looked at the Ancient Emperor. He scanned his surroundings meticulously, searching for something else.
Like a soldier on high alert, he sharpened his gaze to detect approaching presences.
'Here it comes.'
And soon enough, he spotted something.
Something brushed past the 'beacons' he had planted everywhere.
“Leaf Attack.”
Whoosh.
Rokan immediately launched into the air. Landing at the predicted spot, he unleashed another mad roar.
“Kraaaaaah!”
It sounded like an empty cry, but the effect was clear. Stealth could be maintained, but it couldn't avoid influence entirely.
“Chains of Annihilation!”
Taking advantage, Rokan whipped up a chain storm, sweeping the area including the predicted spot.
“Gaaah!”
A reaction came immediately. From what seemed like empty ground, figures collapsed spewing blood.
Corrupted Conspirators.
They had been approaching to use the Ancient Emperor once more.
“Bombardment!”
Kaboom!
Rokan showed them no mercy.
Interrogating them would be pointless, and giving them an opening risked the Ancient Emperor reawakening, which would be disastrous.
He hurled hand axes relentlessly with intent to kill, sending them scattering with screams.
“Evade! Somehow get to him... Guh!”
There were five of them. Two already lay on the ground, but the rest desperately rushed toward the Ancient Emperor.
Until just a few seconds ago.
“Good instincts.”
The troll, half-elf, and gnome High Masters fired shots as if waiting, punching holes in their heads.
The troll High Master in particular tossed out a line that could be admiration or wariness, then resumed checking the Ancient Emperor.
It was called checking, but if it connected wrong, it was fearsome power enough to end them in one shot like those guys.
While they were all focused on the Ancient Emperor, Rokan looted the corpses. He picked up possessions that didn't auto-collect into inventory.
[Acquired Essence of Corruption.]
[Acquired Compass of Corruption.]
'Bingo.'
And he found them. The Essence of Corruption, similar to the Orb of Corruption, and the Compass of Corruption, shaped like an ordinary compass.
Satisfied with the items as expected, he stowed them in his inventory and soon heard the system's pleasant alert.
[You have leveled up.]
[World Event: Revival of the Ancient Emperor has ended.]
The Ancient Emperor had finally met true eternal rest.
Along with that, the 'first strike' was recognized, and several items came to Rokan.
“Block it!”
But before he could check the acquired items, a cry of alarm rang out first.
The moment the Ancient Emperor's death was confirmed, as everyone let their guard down, someone appeared before them.
The ones Rokan had dealt with weren't all of them.
“Teleport!”
They seized the Ancient Emperor's corpse—no, remains—and vanished somewhere.