Chapter 285
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 285
Chapter Title: The Puppet's Instant Death
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Hahaha, those are the conditions? How amusing.
Baal laughed heartily, clearly pleased.
In response, Hariel beamed and offered a polite bow.
I told you, didnt I? Even if Stage 1 is doable, Stage 2 is absolutely impossible to clear.
Excellent. With this, that human will fall into my hands.
Four special conditions.
To put it simply, they were conditions designed to prevent clearing.
Even a straight fight held no guarantees of victory, yet they had to battle while fulfilling these absurd stipulations?
Baal was certain that this time, Jeong Hoon would fall.
Of course! That human will come crawling to you, my lord.
Heh, but one thing piques my curiosity.
Please speak.
What if, by some miracle, he passes?
Passes you mean?
Yes. Theres always that one-in-a-million chance, isnt there?
Jeong Hoon had pulled off the impossible time and again.
It was only natural to consider even the remotest possibility.
Hariel grinned slyly.
That wont happen. The conditions alone make it impossible, and besides, the puppet inside is based on none other than Ferlis.
Oh? Ferlis?
Ferlis.
He was a Demon King-level Transcendent, but once, he had held the exact same rank of Sovereign as Baal.
Demoted to Demon King for some reason, his abilities still rivaled any Sovereigns without shame.
If the puppet was based on Ferlis, Jeong Hoons odds of victory were zero.
So rest assured. He will definitely fail.
Heh heh, good. If that human ends up contracting with me, Ill grant you a grand reward as well.
Oh, your words alone fill me with joy.
Hariels lips curled up nearly to his ears.
In his mind, he began happily pondering what he might extract from Baal.
Heavenly Demon Supremacy.
Skill (15)
Stepping into Heavenly Demon Supremacy reduced his available skills from five to four.
Jeong Hoon, now up close, gripped the Shadow Kings Dagger in his hand.
Wont use Heavenly Demon Fist Technique.
Only five skills could be used.
He had to be prudent.
Jeong Hoons dagger lunged for the puppets throat.
The puppet swiftly pulled back its right foot, twisting its body to evade the strike.
At the same time, it thrust out its left hand toward Jeong Hoons chest.
Jeong Hoon stepped back again with Heavenly Demon Supremacy.
Whoosh
Boom
The puppets left hand sliced through empty air, unleashing a shockwave that ravaged the surroundings.
Whoa What
No way, that destructive power without even using abilities?
Jeong Hoons lips twitched.
He knew the difficulty was maxed out, but he hadnt expected something this monstrous.
Not easy.
Time was ticking away.
To take it down within 30 minutes, he needed to find its weakness as quickly as possible.
Yet the puppet, slowly assuming a stance, showed not a single opening.
Who the hell was it based on?
As the question arose, the puppet charged at Jeong Hoon this time.
Even without footwork, its speed made its movements hard to track.
In an instant, it was upon him, sword in hand.
The puppet swung its blade in a massive diagonal arc from upper left to lower right.
Cant dodge this.
Even if he did, the next attack would chain seamlessly.
Better to meet it head-on.
Decision made, Jeong Hoon raised his dagger to block.
Clang!
Hits received: 1
Strikes landed: 1
Crack
Jeong Hoons wrist snapped in an instant.
The vast stat gap was to blame.
Gods Healing activates.
Skill (25)
He hurriedly used Gods Healing to mend his wrist.
Two skills down out of five, leaving three.
Good thing passives dont count.
If they did, the limit wouldve been breached ages ago, failing the conditions.
Still, three wasnt plentiful.
How to allocate them?
Boost stats first.
Jeong Hoon began activating his buff skills one by one.
Black Field activates.
All stats corrected by 1.8x.
All stats of monsters entering Black Fields domain reduced by 15.
Skill (35)
Black Field down, skills at three.
All stats 15.
Damage reduction: 20.
Duration: 1 hour.
The stat amplification ring wasnt a skill, so it didnt consume a slot.
Special ability of Rulers Grasp activates.
All stats 10.
Attack power and proficiency of all weapons 10.
Rulers Grasp.
Special ability of Spirit Beasts Soul Hair Ornament activates.
Attack and defense 40.
Same for the Spirit Beasts Soul Hair Ornament.
Celestial Aura used.
Skill (45)
A starry aura bloomed from Jeong Hoons body, enveloping him warmly.
Attack and defense 20.
Puppets attack and defense -10.
His title elevated his presence, and passive Transcendent skills amplified it further.
Combined, the puppet couldnt escape his debuffs.
Jeong Hoons lips curved upward.
Alright, lets do this for real.
His boosted stats now surpassed the puppets in a flash.
Absorbing shadow.
Jeong Hoon used the daggers shadow absorption on the puppet.
A startling change occurred.
The daggers glowing?
The dagger began to shine black.
All stats of dagger increased.
So thats the option.
Hed imagined something grand from shadow absorption, but it simply boosted the weapons stats.
And not just that.
It could even create a clone based on the puppet.
Activating the daggers shadow option, a shadow of the puppet materialized beside Jeong Hoon.
Alright, lets begin.
Heavenly Demon Supremacy took him right in front of it.
He swung the dagger wide; the puppet spun its sword to parry.
Hits received: 1
Clashing weapons counted as a hit received.
Undeterred, Jeong Hoon swung repeatedly to press the attack.
Then, a sharp wind shaped like a blade whipped over his head toward him.
Puppet uses Phantom Sword.
Phantom Sword.
Invisible, yet undeniably real.
Jeong Hoon swung his dagger on instinct.
Clang! Clang!
Sharp metallic rings echoed.
Hits received: 1
Strikes landed: 1
Hits received: 1
Strikes landed: 1
Hits received spiked rapidly.
The heavy impact through his hands registered as damage.
Still, Jeong Hoon pressed on without pause.
Then, with his left hand, he smashed the puppets side.
His superior stats let him maintain the clash with one hand, exploiting the gap to strike with the other.
Strikes landed: 1
The puppets torso buckled sideways from the blow.
Seizing the opening, Jeong Hoon reversed his grip on the dagger and plunged it into the throat.
Stab
It hit true.
Yet the puppet casually swung its sword at him.
What?
Jeong Hoon frowned.
The wounded spot glowed red.
Meaning damage was dealt.
So it mustve used an ability.
Puppet uses Indomitable.
As expected.
Jeong Hoon stabbed the side again and used Heavenly Demon Supremacy to create distance.
Strikes landed: 1
That seemed to be its invulnerability.
Jeong Hoon deliberately kept distance, minimizing hits and strikes.
When it closed in, Heavenly Demon Supremacy pulled him away; cornered, he rolled to reverse and widen the gap.
After a bit, the red spot returned to normal.
Its over.
Indomitables duration ended.
From evasion to confrontation, his momentum shifted as they clashed anew.
Clang!
Hits received: 1
Strikes landed: 1
Jeong Hoons dagger met the puppets sword.
The puppets wrist trembled, its blade wavering.
The stat gap, plus the daggers shadow-enhanced power.
Ill end this quick.
Jeong Hoons free left hand slapped the puppets face.
Strikes landed: 1
Its head snapped, balance crumbling briefly.
Jeong Hoon pivoted on his left foot, driving a right knee into its gut.
Strikes landed: 1
The puppets torso folded, body lifting off the ground.
Jeong Hoon swung his fist, then stabbed the heart with the dagger.
Strikes landed: 1
This time, major damageit staggered.
Got it.
Jeong Hoon repeated Vital Strikes with the dagger.
Strikes landed: 1
Strikes landed: 1
Strikes piled up fast, but he ignored it.
Crush it before it uses more abilities.
Additional option from shadow absorption activates.
Shadow absorption wasnt just enhancement.
It had extras, like skill seal.
A low-probability trigger, but repeated hits procced it.
Puppet uses Nullification.
But it didnt go down easy.
Nullification purged its debuffs instantly.
And more.
Puppet uses Hardening.
Chaining abilities, Jeong Hoons body stiffened rigid.
Slash
Phantom Sword exploited the gap, slashing from chest to legs.
No dismemberment, but the pain was indescribable.
Graaah! Master!
Mukho screamed.
Urgh
Jeong Hoon grimaced, activating Gods Healing.
Puppet uses Target Seal.
Target: Gods Healing.
Cannot use Gods Healing.
But a new ability sealed it.
Tch, so many tricks.
His body wouldnt move.
But he had a way.
His pre-summoned shadow clone slashed at the puppets throat.
Clang!
The puppet, mid-swing at Jeong Hoon, blocked with its sword.
The hardening broke; Jeong Hoon thrust his dagger through its throat.
Unyielding Will triggered.
Martial Artist exclusive skill, Unyielding Will activates.
Acquire skill, Death Blade (Legendary).
Jeong Hoons lips curved.
A dagger skill hed favored pre-regression.
Death Blade acquired.
It could instantly kill foes with similar stats at 0.1 chance.
Cast time: 15 seconds; failure dealt 200 damage.
Enough.
Jeong Hoons eyes gleamed.
Death Blade.
With the dagger embedded, he activated and twisted.
Skill (55)
Additional option from shadow absorption activates.
The skill seal-like extra procced again.
Boosting attack skill effects by 10x.
Death Blade temporarily changes to Shadow Blade.
Upgraded to Shadow Blade, the puppet shuddered violently.
Instant Death activates!
Luck favored himthe 1 proc hit right away.