Chapter 307
Chapter 307
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 307
Chapter Title: Qualifications of the Transcendent (1)
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A head-on clash. Yet Rokan’s side remained at a disadvantage.
Endless guerrilla tactics and buried bombs had whittled Gromtan’s army down to under 60,000, but even so, Rokan’s forces numbered only about 40,000—and they were outnumbered in powerhouses above level 400.
Even so, Rokan pressed forward without hesitation. He had a way to offset the disadvantage, at least somewhat.
“Control Weather!”
Swinging his battle axe with one hand, Rokan drew a scroll with the other and tore it open with his teeth.
A surge of potent mana shot into the sky, altering the weather.
Black storm clouds blanketed the world, nullifying the vampires’ daytime debuff.
“Kirito!”
“Red Moon!”
Rising beneath those clouds was a blood-red moon.
Not quite as potent as the real thing, but its powerful enhancement rippled through the werewolves all the same.
Layered atop that was the Emperor’s Aura radiating from Rokan, giving the werewolves alone the strength to stand against the enemy.
“Sharak!”
And one more. Sharak unleashed the creation skill he’d been holding in reserve.
Rokan had only heard tales of it, never witnessed it firsthand—but as the power activated, a pitch-black shadow fell over the enemy vanguard.
“Vampire’s High Castle.”
Boom!
“Grahhh!”
“N-No, stay back!”
“W-We have to flee...!”
Demonic beasts wailed as they were crushed beneath the colossal fortress that materialized in midair.
Some unleashed skills desperately at the structure to damage it, but the powerful barrier protecting it proved too much to shatter in one go.
[The Vampire’s High Castle effect dramatically boosts all vampires’ abilities.]
But the High Castle’s true power lay beyond mere physical might.
Squashing the desperately fleeing demonic beasts was merely a bonus. A massive buff washed over the vampires.
Master-class leaped to High Master. High Masters teetered on the edge of Grand Master.
Their forces’ quality was no longer inferior.
“Heh heh heh, let’s go!”
As the demonic beasts reeled from the sudden power shift, Rokan and Kirito—who’d been forewarned—rampaged through the enemy ranks.
They tore through every obstacle in their path, charging relentlessly toward Gromtan, who had regained his composure.
“Tear off his limbs and drag him before me!”
Slash!
Gromtan’s whip cracked against the ground like a signal, and his minions sprang into action. Those guarding him closely, along with the level 400 powerhouses scattered across the cardinal directions, unleashed their pent-up might to rip Rokan limb from limb and force him to grovel before Gromtan.
“Storm Incarnation, Perfect Body Unmatched, Martial Soul Awakening!”
Five pet demonic beasts nearing level 400. Seven mid-tier demons at level 400.
Even after Rokan’s guerrilla efforts had culled their numbers, it was a staggering force.
This level of power—no, half of it—could conquer the surface world with ease. These elites turned their full might on Rokan.
‘Not easy.’
Rokan felt the weight of it.
He’d slain plenty of Grand Master-class foes before, but most through exploiting lapses in judgment—and always one-on-one. This was a different beast.
‘Reduce their numbers fast.’
From the outset, Rokan committed everything.
He’d bypass the overwhelmingly powerful pet demonic beasts for now.
Most were melee bruisers, but he targeted the two casters first.
[Life Dominator Kaliman][Lv 404]
‘First punch the priest.’
Shaman and healer. Not a true priest, but a mid-tier demon capable of siphoning and transferring life force—Rokan marked it priority one.
“Giant Butterfly Summon! Sleep Powder!”
“......!”
Boom, thud, thud.
A vast cloud of dust billowed out in an instant.
The sleep powder that could fell even titans dropped the charging foes where they stood, sending them into slumber.
“Unicorn Summon, Rider of Legends, Full Body Charge. Blink!”
Rokan vaulted over the drowsy level 400 mid-tier demon stumbling before him.
He drove the unicorn’s horn straight into the heart of the pompous Life Dominator, Kaliman.
“Super Extreme!”
Kaboom!
All-in from the jump.
He triggered the master skill that reset every cooldown, pulverizing the shuddering demon’s skull.
A clean heart strike would’ve sufficed with Light Slaughter, but the thing twisted at the last second, living up to its level.
Certain death.
Rokan confirmed it, reverse-summoned the unicorn and Giant Butterfly, then hunkered down.
He braced for the onslaught from nearby demonic beasts jolted awake by the big move’s backlash and the mid-tier demons wheeling back around.
‘Endure.’
Even a pierced heart meant nothing if the head held.
As long as that held true, the skill’s immortality effect kicked in. His life force plummeted, but Rokan weathered the barrage.
And it was all part of his plan.
[Title Unyielding Will effect: All stats increase by 100%.]
To activate Unyielding Will.
HP dipped below 10%, and his stats doubled.
Already Grand Master-caliber, Rokan’s power surged to dominance.
“Krraaaah!”
He exploded from his crouch with a roar of madness.
The stat gulf froze the attacking demonic beasts in their tracks.
A brief, gaping opening.
“Kyawang!”
“Blood Nail!”
Kirito and Sharak slipped through.
Empowered by the red moon to shrug off potent mind control, Kirito lunged in beast form and berserked, clamping jaws on one foe’s scruff.
He wrenched his head savagely, snapping neck bones, then raked the body with massive claws.
Sharak’s blow, by contrast, was surgical. All his power funneled into his claws, he pierced vitals for a killing wound.
In a heartbeat, the balance tipped sharply.
The pesky pet demonic beasts lingered, but the level 400 mid-tier demons and beasts dwindled to four.
Crunch crunch.
Kirito and Sharak devoured the hearts right there, erasing their damage and claiming even greater strength.
“Kekeke! That’s the taste! Power’s surging!”
Blood dribbling from his maw, Kirito unleashed his frenzy.
Sharak, too, spewed crimson mana in all directions, flaunting his boosted might. Rokan seized the gap to close on the shaman.
“Backstab! Slaughter Strike!”
“Protection Spell!”
Crack!
The shaman flung up a hasty ward, but it buckled under Rokan’s raw destruction.
As the battle axe pierced the crumbling shield toward the body, a whip slithered in like a viper—stealthy, lightning-quick—and snagged Rokan’s arm.
Clang!
Rokan’s hyper-enhanced frame flew like a ragdoll.
Monstrous strength.
The whip’s master: Gromtan himself.
[Beast Tamer Gromtan][Lv450]
“Damn it.”
Level 450 the threshold to the next realm? And a beast tamer, not even a brawler—yet the power was unreal.
Rokan bit his lip, kneading his throbbing arm as he rose.
Small mercy he hadn’t jumped in from the start. But now he had.
He must sense the peril.
‘Figured a beast tamer for weak in direct fights...’
No room for complacency. Gromtan’s prowess exceeded all expectations.
“Mirror of the Heavenly Priest, activate!”
Rokan moved to seal the demon’s power.
The mirror that locked down much of a demon’s strength.
Shatter!
But it fell short. The light pouring from the mirror shattered on contact with Gromtan.
“Tch.”
He’d anticipated as much, but failing to weaken the foe left Rokan tense.
‘Just need a couple more...’
He spared a glance. Plenty of room left on the exp bar.
By his reckoning, snagging two more Grand Master-class directly might push him over the edge to level up.
Dying now? Exp loss beyond imagining.
Sharak and Kirito took real hits from the space-rending whip lashes. Rokan clenched his fist.
A touch premature, but time for the final card.
“Transcendent Awakening.”
The Soul Collector’s dominion stirred. Ten thousand souls flooded his body, elevating his very being one tier and unlocking level 400 Grand Master might and authority.
“You scum!”
Gromtan clocked the ascension and lashed out, but Rokan was ready.
Blink and Full Body Charge mowed down beasts on one flank, widening the gap. He unleashed his newfound power.
Creation skill.
The dilemma since learning of it—still fresh in mind.
What to forge.
A booster like Storm Incarnation? Or a one-shot like Light Slaughter or Super Extreme.
His path so far screamed for something to cover Storm Incarnation’s cooldown and hangover. But Rokan chose differently.
He could tangle with Grand Masters fine as is. His eyes were higher.
“Blood Awakening.”
Blood Awakening.
The reinforcement skill that roused every drop of power coursing through his veins.
No overlap with Storm Incarnation.
A separate cycle, granting colossal strength.
Blood absorbed via Blood Mark. Blood from Blood Slaughter that he’d bathed in to heal—all of it empowered him now.
And one more. The hearts he’d devoured, their absorbed essence detonated within.
Power from colossal demonic beasts. From titans.
[Storm Incarnation reacts to Titan’s blood.]
[Storm Incarnation’s effects are greatly enhanced.]
That wasn’t all.
Titan blood triggered Storm Incarnation.
The skill drew from gale-force titan might to begin with. Now real titan blood pumped through him, amplifying it.
‘Incredible.’
Even Rokan hadn’t foreseen this flood of overwhelming power. With it, he could face down Gromtan—or anyone. Even a Demon God.
Rokan swept his gaze over the foes, eyes calmer, more assured.
The ones hounding Sharak and Kirito gawked at him, dumbfounded.
Mind control had stripped their fear, yet the tremor in their eyes screamed it plain.
“Kraaaaaah!”
Rokan sealed it with a bellow of insanity.
The merciless King of Violence charged.