Chapter 286
Chapter 286
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 286
Chapter Title: On the Ground (5)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A grin spread across their faces.
Rokan and Karus faced each other, both smiling.
These two powerhouses, so strong that finding a worthy opponent was rare, welcomed the fight.
'Is that the divine weapon?'
Even as they smiled, their eyes sharply scanned each other. They looked vastly different from their first clash. Karus focused on the Lion King's armament, while Rokan zeroed in on the bow in his hands.
That was the troll's divine weapon?
It was the weapon that had forcibly elevated Karus, who was only level 398, to a whole new realm. Naturally, it became target number one.
"Shall we get started then?"
"You go first."
Rokan didn't hesitate to take the initiative against Karus, who was acting a bit cocky.
Why turn down an opening like that?
On top of that, the guy was a Grand Master. Sure, he'd been upgraded by his gear, but Rokan had beaten him once before.
"Gale Incarnation! Full Body Supreme! Martial Soul Awakening!"
Rokan's body became enveloped in golden radiance. But the red madness coursing through him revealed his true nature.
That wasn't all, though. The real trump card was still to come.
"Transcendent Awakening!"
The 10,000 souls sealed within the Soul Collector's authority flowed into Rokan, temporarily boosting his very being to a higher plane.
Karus's eyes changed in response.
They pierced Rokan like the gaze of a mortal enemy—or a rival.
"Full Body Charge!"
"Oh?"
Rokan charged without pause. He closed the distance in an instant and swung his battle axe in a short arc.
Karus was too agile to end it with one powerful blow.
Whoosh!
The strike tore through space, cleaving Karus—but his form scattered like an illusion. He'd moved so fast he left an afterimage.
Swoosh.
Then came a piercing sound aimed at Rokan's right arm.
Clang!
Rokan spun his shortened battle axe, dispersing the force with a heavy impact.
Shadowless Shot.
An invisible arrow, leaving no trace or form beyond the sound, collided with the battle axe and shattered.
"Nice block as always. How about this?"
Karus looked delighted at the sight.
Few could block even this after reaching Grand Master, so he seemed like a mischievous kid.
"......!"
Karus flicked his fingers as smoothly as plucking a harp string.
But this time, there was no sound at all.
A feint? No. This wasn't the type for cheap tricks.
Rokan heightened all his senses and twisted his battle axe to guard his heart and head.
Thud!
Agony followed.
An invisible arrow, silent as death, pierced his thigh.
"Insane."
It was the perfected Shadowless Shot.
An arrow that killed all form, shadow, and even sound—a soundless, formless projectile!
What assassin's technique could surpass this?
It felt like having his nose slit in broad daylight, but he couldn't stop here.
Even with his body damaged, he could still unleash power through Berserk. He closed in on Karus in a flash.
"Steps of Resolve!"
Boom!
Rokan dashed with explosive force, narrowing the gap once more.
Karus leaped back as if expecting it, firing another shot from his bow, but Rokan pressed on, accepting the hit.
"Unyielding Advance."
Spurt!
Protecting just his heart and head would keep him from instant death anyway.
With venomous eyes, Rokan activated Super Armor and barreled forward.
Crackle!
Something clamped onto his feet.
Traps that Karus had laid beforehand.
Super Armor ignored them, though. The overlapping traps added damage, but effects like immobilization were nullified.
"Overdrive!"
He boosted his speed even further.
Karus outclassed him in agility by far—without tricks like this, catching him would be impossible.
"Tch, where do you think you're going?"
But Karus slipped away with a movement skill again. He accelerated instantly, sliding back several meters.
"Aura Barrage!"
Rokan had anticipated that much. From the moment he charged, he'd prepared Aura Barrage, unleashing it at perfect timing to turn the area into a wasteland.
"Kai! Crimson Meteor!"
That wasn't the end. Someone like Karus wouldn't die or take a fatal blow from that.
As he fired Aura Barrage, Rokan swelled Kai's form and slammed him into the ground.
Kaboom!
A massive explosion!
A gigantic crater formed, like a meteor had struck.
No Grand Master could dodge an explosion of that scale and power.
Hiss. Yelp!
But from the massive smoke came not Karus's scream, but Kai's cry.
Kai, whose vitality rivaled anyone's, had his health bar drain in an instant.
The bastard had endured it.
"Kai, unsummon. Unicorn!"
Rokan didn't hesitate. Before the smoke cleared or Karus revealed himself, he recalled Kai and mounted Unicorn.
"Rider of Legends, Full Body Charge!"
He enlarged Unicorn and pierced the smoke.
"Kyaaak!"
Thud!
Pinpointing the direction was easy. His eyes that pierced all creation had locked onto the target's position.
But the moment Unicorn's horn impaled him, a circular barrier erupted around Karus.
Instead of piercing, Unicorn bounced off like a soccer ball.
"Damn it."
Rokan faltered, missing his attack timing, and pursued.
A defensive skill?
No. Wrapping Karus now was none other than a massive serpent.
'A summon!'
Right. Rokan hadn't seen Karus's summon in their last fight either.
Yet a hunter-class companion summon accounted for over 50% of their combat power.
Rokan bit his lip and prepared to charge again.
If it was bouncing attacks with defense and elasticity, he had ways to counter.
He spurred Unicorn's side and lunged once more.
"Go, Capaci!"
Then Karus made a tricky choice.
He sent his massive serpent summon to block Rokan and Unicorn while retreating himself.
He didn't forget to loose a soundless, formless Shadowless Shot either.
'Damn.'
Should he take out the summon first? Karus wouldn't just sit idle.
It'd be great if he could shred it in one go, but the summon looked no pushover.
It had specialized defensive power, and its sleek, flexible body seemed perfect for deflecting blows.
A sharp slash might sever it, but if Karus's Shadowless Shot pierced his head in the meantime, it was game over.
Rokan reluctantly left the summon to Unicorn and leaped up.
"Blink."
He pulled out his ace in the hole.
Flash!
Rokan's form vanished in a burst of light. The Blink skill let him teleport anywhere in sight—straight to Karus's side.
"No!"
Karus panicked for the first time, instinctively turning and bracing for the ambush.
"Light Massacre! Lion Frenzy!"
But Rokan didn't appear behind him.
Right in his face.
Crouched low and coiled, he exploded upward.
"Graaah!"
The battle axe, infused with golden lion flames, whipped around savagely. It shredded Karus's body, tearing through armor to expose bone and organs.
"Urk. Ancestral Regression, Super Regeneration!"
Karus didn't go down easy. Amid the agony of torn flesh and shattered bone, he activated the unique troll regeneration skill.
His mangled body healed in real time.
Awakening the regenerative power in troll blood, he endured Rokan's overwhelming assault with raw recovery.
"Insane!"
Even as he attacked, Rokan's face showed disbelief.
Karus used the opening to activate an escape skill. His gaping chest sealed shut, returning to pristine condition without a scar.
"Huff, huff."
Defeat flickered across Karus's face for the first time, but Rokan—who'd landed a perfect strike yet failed to finish him—was just as frustrated.
Glancing back, Unicorn and Capaci were still locked in battle.
Even Capaci couldn't ignore Unicorn's horn, flinching and dodging each thrust, while trying to coil his tail around him.
Unicorn pranced like a foal to avoid the tail wrap.
Neither side could rely on their summons.
"Descendant's Death!"
"No!"
Regaining his breath, Karus nocked an arrow.
A Master skill? Immense mana condensed into a single shot.
It warped space, streaking toward its target.
Spurt!
But he wasn't aiming at Rokan. Judging he couldn't kill him outright, he targeted Unicorn instead.
Rokan couldn't react to the sudden pivot, and Unicorn—mid-clash with Capaci—took the hit in the back.
Neigh!
Not instant death, fortunately. But the bleeding was severe. One more solid hit, and he'd be done.
'Got careless.'
Rokan's heart sank. With the summon joining in, things could go south.
Karus alone was far stronger than expected—beyond other Grand Masters.
'A sword?'
Then Karus acted strangely. Instead of nocking another arrow, he drew a dagger and charged Unicorn himself.
With the tide turning, Capaci alone could finish Unicorn—yet here he was.
"Full Body Charge, Blink!"
Flash.
Something was off, but Rokan couldn't just watch.
He triggered Full Body Charge instantly.
But this time, with Blink mixed in.
Maintaining the charge's momentum, he appeared right in Karus's face.
"Damn it!"
Even Karus hadn't seen that coming.
Too late to switch weapons. Resigned, he swung the dagger instead of his bow to block the battle axe.
Thud!
But a mere dagger couldn't stop Rokan's battle axe.
Proving it, Rokan flicked the dagger aside and buried the thick blade into Karus's shoulder.
A slight angle shift would've crushed his skull.
Regret aside, he seized the moment and unleashed power.
"Lion Flame Chain Slash!"
Crimson flames that burned all erupted.
Troll regeneration was useless. Super Regeneration's effects lingered, but the crimson flames slowed it, infusing massive damage instead.
The axe in his shoulder sank deeper—then sliced clean through empty air.
It had severed his left arm completely.
"Graaah!"
The severed arm twitched on the ground, but reattaching was impossible—Rokan stomped it and kicked Karus down.
'Why the hell?'
Rokan charged the now-bowless Karus, unease gnawing at him.
Why discard the divine weapon for a dagger?
No answer came, no matter how he thought.
"Urp!"
Cornered on the brink of death, Karus didn't give up.
He recalled his summon with spirit command and tore the bowstring with his teeth.
He began a desperate last stand.
"Hmph! Aura Barrage!"
Power against power! Even torn from his mouth, it was still Shadowless Shot—but Rokan countered with area coverage.
With Gale Incarnation active, mana was infinite—no need to conserve.
Force cancellation.
He wove lines into a net-like Aura Frenzy, erasing the Shadowless Shot in midair. Capaci even had to dive to block the residual aura.
"Strike of Ruin!"
As expected, Capaci could neutralize aura.
Untouched by the Aura Barrage, as it guarded Karus—Rokan's blow landed.
Smooth scales meant nothing. The chains around his fist forced friction.
Plus, an effect piercing defense.
Splat! Crash!
Capaci's body crumpled, soaring through the air before tumbling across the ground with his master, Karus.
"Urk, unsummon!"
Tangled with his own body, Karus had no choice. He canceled the summon and scrambled up.
"Checkmate."
Rokan's battle axe loomed before him.
Spurt!
The great star sustaining the troll fell.