Aftereffects

Ripples flashed through the surrounding space.

Before his eyes, a woman like a ghost let out a scream, her voice carrying a strange power that struck deep into the soul.

Arthur felt a buzzing in his ears, his head as if struck by something, his consciousness falling into a state of chaos.

Even though his consciousness was blurred, his combat instincts, honed through long training, remained. Sensing danger, his longsword instinctively thrust forward, a sharp sword light dancing before him, attempting to repel the enemy.

The two figures soon collided. Accompanied by a sharp sword wind, Arthur's longsword pierced directly into the opponent's body without any resistance.

"What?"

Arthur's face showed surprise at the scene before him.

His sword had pierced straight into the opponent's body, but it hadn't touched anything solid, as if it had passed through air.

The next moment, immense pain surged, accompanied by an extreme chill.

"Unknown force field detected, please retreat immediately!" a mechanical voice from the chip in his mind sounded again.

Arthur's feet moved, covering several meters in an instant, distancing himself from his original position.

He gasped for breath, looking back at the terrifying ghost with lingering fear, still feeling the effects of what had just happened.

"That feeling... if I hadn't reacted just then, I really would have died!"

This thought flashed through his mind as he recalled the sensation, his gaze growing more serious.

Just moments ago, Arthur's entire body had been enveloped by the ghost's power. He had felt a chilling pain strike him all at once, and then his consciousness had begun to blur, leaving him standing there, defenseless.

If not for the chip's alert that had momentarily cleared his head, he would have remained in that state until the ghost finished him off.

Recalling the scene, a cold glint flashed in his eyes: "Physical attacks are ineffective... it's not solid?"

A strong pain emanated from deep within his body, not originating from his physical form but seeming to stem from his mind.

Howling sounds filled the air, accompanied by the woman's sharp shrieks, causing involuntary tremors.

If an ordinary person were here, they wouldn't need the ghost to attack; the sound alone would be enough to shatter their mind, leaving them a vegetable.

Compared to ordinary people, Arthur had much higher resistance to such sounds, but he still found it unbearable.

He forced himself to move, dodging a claw that swept towards him.

A faint green light began to emanate from his black longsword as he instantly channeled Life Energy, slashing fiercely to the side.

"Ah!!!"

A terrifying scream erupted, and a faint wound appeared on the horrifying ghost. Black energy gradually dispersed from it, like blood flowing out.

"It's effective!"

Arthur, enduring the intense roar in his ears, quickly dodged to the side.

After being struck, the terrifying ghost seemed to go berserk, frantically chasing Arthur's evasive movements.

They chased each other, two afterimages rapidly moving around, covering an unknown distance in a short time.

CRASH!

The building behind them suddenly rumbled, and amidst the ghost's roar, it collapsed.

Arthur swung his sword backward, creating a gust of wind that swept aside the falling debris heading towards him.

This action caused his movements to momentarily falter, and the ghost seized the opportunity, lunging at him.

The familiar sensation returned as the ghost rapidly approached, his entire body enveloped in a chilling cold. Arthur felt his mind growing increasingly fatigued, his consciousness blurring, on the verge of returning to that stiffened state.

Suddenly, a roaring sound erupted from his position.

With a deafening scream, the terrifying ghost was sent flying backward, a massive gash appearing across its chest.

Arthur's aura surged, and the Life Seed within him erupted, all his Life Energy being squeezed out to stimulate his body's power.

"Ding! Life Seed has erupted! Host body's load has increased!" the chip's mechanical voice sounded in his mind.

In the state of the erupted Life Seed, Arthur's intense discomfort was forcibly suppressed. The mental pain and fatigue transformed into a mild exhilaration.

However, in this state, his Life Energy would be rapidly consumed. If the battle wasn't concluded within a certain time, it would have terrifying consequences for his body.

With this in mind, Arthur bent forward and leaped, vast Life Energy blooming in mid-air before transforming into a heavy blow.

Heavy Slash!!!

A terrifying sword energy materialized beneath Arthur's sword, charging forward with immense force, stirring up a sharp sword wind.

This was a Knight Secret Skill, and in the state of his erupted Life Seed, its power was even more terrifying, reaching inhuman levels.

"Aaaahhh!!!" The woman's sharp screams reached their peak.

A gash appeared on her chest. Compared to the small opening before, this time it was as if her entire body had been split open, revealing a dark void within.

Specks of black gas slowly leaked from the rift, merging into the surrounding space.

Despite suffering such a blow, the ghost did not perish; instead, it became even more ferocious.

Her rotten face expanded, sharp teeth grew in her mouth, and the wounds on her body bled black energy like ink, merging into the air and making her look even more terrifying.

As the ghost descended into a frenzy, Arthur felt an even greater pressure.

He dared not touch the other party's body, because that chilling sensation remained, becoming even more ferocious as the other party fell into a frenzy. Even the explosion of his Life Seed couldn't completely resist it.

However, with the explosion of his Life Seed, stimulated by Life Energy, Arthur's entire body strength had greatly improved. Even facing the terrifying phantom that had fallen into a frenzy before him, he wasn't without a fighting chance.

The sword in his hand swung through the air, and with the sword wind, Life Energy continuously surged outward. It intermittently inflicted fine wounds on the phantom's ethereal body.

During this process, Arthur was inevitably grazed by the opponent's attacks, and mental injuries also accumulated, threatening to erupt at any moment.

Both sides had entered a kind of war of attrition. Whoever couldn't hold on first would be eliminated from this battle, devoured by the other until not even dregs remained.

"Main body load has reached critical, recommend immediately exiting burst state!" In his mind, the Chip's mechanical voice sounded again.

Arthur had no mood to pay attention to this voice anymore.

At this moment, his condition was very bad.

The battle had been going on for a long time. With the explosion of his Life Seed, the Life Energy within his body was rapidly consumed, and by now, it was nearing depletion.

In the state of Life Seed explosion, all fatigue and pain were temporarily suppressed. But through the Chip's constant monitoring, Arthur could clearly know that his body's condition at this moment had reached a terrible state.

However, before his eyes, the terrifying phantom was also not doing well.

After a long period of fierce fighting, her body was already riddled with holes, her entire form shattered, and wisps of dark energy continuously spread out from the wounds.

Although her power was anomalous, her combat awareness was not as strong as Arthur's. When their speeds were similar, her attacks were often dodged by Arthur.

"Two steps to the left, then a right thrust!" The Chip's prompt sounded in his mind.

Listening to this voice, Arthur didn't hesitate at all. He directly leaped to the left, dodging a pale claw extended by the phantom, and then fiercely swung his long sword to the right.

Pale green Life Energy slowly spread, leaving a new wound on the other party's body.

With a successful strike, Arthur immediately moved away from his position, slowly circling his opponent.

With the Chip's assistance, coupled with Arthur's own superb combat awareness, his fighting was extremely precise, with almost no mistakes.

Boom!!!

After an unknown amount of time, with a crisp shattering sound, the phantom before him suddenly froze, and then let out a deafening scream.

Within that sound, mixed with despair, sorrow, hatred, and other negative emotions, it slowly subsided.

As if the accumulated damage had finally reached its limit, the phantom before him could no longer maintain its form. Its entire body turned into a sky full of dark energy and dissipated into the surrounding space, merging into the night.

Quietly watching this scene, Arthur breathed a sigh of relief and finally withdrew from the Life Seed explosion state.

A strong sense of dizziness and fatigue washed over him. The dual damage to his body and mind, no longer suppressed, erupted all at once, violently impacting Arthur's mind, making him wish he could faint immediately.

"Chip, check body status, analyze the results of this Life Seed explosion!"

Arthur endured the pain and fatigue, his will forcing his body to stay alert, and then gritted his teeth, ordering the Chip in his mind.

After two or three seconds, the Chip in his mind finally gave an answer.

"Life Energy burst ended. Main body's organs are depleted, cellular activity is beginning to decline! Estimated lifespan reduction of 10 to 15 years."

Hearing this answer, Arthur's mouth twitched. "At least ten years of lifespan. No wonder Knights, though powerful, often don't live long. With these repeated bursts, who can afford it."

In fact, a normal life burst, if ended before the Life Energy within the body was exhausted, would also cause great damage, but it was far less severe than Arthur's.

The reason Arthur suffered such severe after-effects was entirely due to the excessive damage.

Life Energy originated from the body itself and was closely linked to life itself.

In the state of Life Seed explosion, Life Energy would stimulate the body, causing a comprehensive enhancement in a short period. But if the burst state was maintained after the Life Energy was depleted, the body would be forcibly squeezed, ultimately leading to severe consequences, even permanent damage to the body.

"Cough..."

Standing in place, Arthur couldn't help but cough, spitting out a mouthful of blood onto the ground.

He stood still for a while. After his body stabilized, he looked forward and walked towards the place where the terrifying phantom had collapsed.

Since the battle was over, it was time to collect the spoils.

Fixed update time~ Will be updated at 6 AM every day from now on~