Fierce Battle

Hecarim was confused.

He didn't care about the life or death of the undead. When an undead was killed, its body would turn to ash and disappear, but a trace of its soul's origin would always return to the Shadow Isles, where it would eventually be reborn somewhere on the Shadow Isles.

This was also the reason why Bilgewater had repelled the attacks of Soul Harvest Night multiple times over the past thousand years, yet the number of undead never decreased.

The undead attacked Bilgewater along with the Black Mist, merely to unleash their most primal desire for slaughter.

However, this time, something unexpected had happened.

A portion of the souls returning to the Shadow Isles was missing.

Hecarim had been affected by the Ruinous Curse, merging with his warhorse.

But relying on his powerful personal strength in life and his unwillingness to accept defeat, he had preserved a considerable amount of his sanity even after transforming into his current state.

At first, he thought this was just a "routine" Soul Harvest Night, an opportunity for the long-dormant undead souls to finally unleash themselves.

But as the "entertainment" was nearing its end, he discovered that not all the undead had returned.

This was a fundamental blow to the Shadow Isles!

Hecarim personally entered the fray.

Using his senses to track the missing undead, he locked onto a seemingly unremarkable sailboat on the sea surface.

"I will crush you beneath my feet!"

Hecarim and the cavalry he summoned charged at Ato.

"Face death!"

Hecarim moved with incredible speed, crossing from the bow of the Siren to Ato's front in the blink of an eye.

He thrust his halberd forward, seven azure flames burning fiercely, his aura magnificent. This battle had already surpassed mortal comprehension!

"Ah!" Sarah, in the captain's cabin behind, covered her mouth with her hands. Hecarim's flames were very conspicuous in the Black Mist, and she could clearly see the battle on the deck in the distance.

Was this the true face of Soul Harvest Night? Could Mr. Ato really defeat this monster?

"Please, survive..." Sarah prayed for Ato.

Hecarim loomed larger and larger in Ato's vision.

Ato did not dodge or evade. He chose to hold the Demonic Sword of the Dark horizontally in front of him, bracing to take the charge of the cavalry squad head-on!

"Let me test your strength with this first move!" Ato even seemed to be looking forward to it.

"Swish!"

The two collided, but the cavalry didn't stop. Instead, they passed directly through the demonic sword and through Ato's body.

In that instant, Ato heard the neighing of warhorses and the wails of countless vengeful spirits, finally feeling a stinging pain from the depths of his soul!

"Ugh... Ah!"

Caught off guard, Ato felt immense pain from the depths of his soul. He used the demonic sword to support his body, preventing himself from falling.

Hecarim stopped not far behind him, his flame-formed eyes seeming a little surprised.

But his tone remained icy: "Your soul begs for release. Prepare to face despair!"

"You idiot!"

Aatrox didn't respond to Hecarim, instead expressing his displeasure to Ato.

"You couldn't dodge a charge of this level? You had to take it head-on with your body?"

"Heh heh," Ato wasn't ashamed, but rather proud.

"This is the confidence high fault tolerance gives me. Now it seems Hecarim is the normal character, and Aatrox is the stat monster!"

He didn't tell Aatrox that behind him was Sarah's Captain's Cabin!

If he didn't take this hit, he couldn't guarantee when Hecarim would stop. What if he charged towards Sarah?

She would definitely be annihilated under Hecarim's iron hooves.

But now, even if Hecarim charged again, there would be the boundless sea behind him, posing no threat to the lives of others on the ship.

"So his name is Hecarim." Aatrox automatically ignored Ato's rambling, only listening to the useful information.

As soon as he spoke, faint blue light appeared on the demonic sword, surrounding Ato. He felt the stinging pain in his soul lessen.

"The charm of stats! It can absorb not only the flesh and blood of the living, but even the origin of souls!"

The souls of the undead previously killed by Ato had also been absorbed by the Demonic Sword of the Dark, unable to return to the Shadow Isles.

Now they could heal the damage to Ato's soul.

Seeing this, Hecarim raised his halberd above his head with both hands and continued his charge.

This time, he didn't choose a spiritual attack. He dispersed the ghost soldiers around him, intending to crush his opponent with his formidable physique.

Due to the Black Mist's modification, his height was nearly three meters, making him like a giant compared to a normal human like Ato.

Halberd met greatsword in close combat. Ato's small body didn't retreat in the face of the tall and strong Hecarim.

Hecarim looked down from above, gripping the halberd with both hands and pressing down forcefully, while Ato blocked his attack with just one hand holding his sword.

It seems weaker than the Angel Sisters. My previous judgment of his strength was mistaken... or is the Old Man too powerful?

With various thoughts flashing through his mind, Ato mimicked Aatrox's tone and taunted, "Is that all the strength you have? Did you not sleep well last night?"

As he became serious, he realized he was becoming more proficient in using Aatrox's power.

"I never rest..."

Hecarim changed his hacking to smashing, as if he wasn't holding a Halberd but a brick, smashing down on Ato again and again. The Deck beneath his feet even showed signs of cracking!

Under this stormy offensive, Ato, however, became unhurried.

Opponents of Hecarim's level were not common. The longer he fought him, the faster Aatrox's combat experience would be digested.

After all, it was thousands of years of accumulation. Where else would he find such a good sparring partner in the future?

"They're actually evenly matched..."

Sarah had been watching the battle closely. Ato's pained expression earlier had tightened her heart. If even Ato couldn't withstand this Centaur Monster, who else in Bilgewater could contend with him?

Moreover, all the Factions were currently preoccupied with their own affairs. If Ato fell, the Siren would be at risk of complete annihilation.

"No, Mr. Ato isn't using his full strength yet!"

It looked like the Centaur Monster was constantly attacking, and Ato was merely blocking. In reality, he hadn't moved an inch, and all the Centaur Monster's attacks had been seen through!

"Let's fight somewhere else."

Ato glanced at the Deck beneath him. If they didn't move, they would break through the Deck and into the ship's cabin.

At that point, anyone caught in the battle would lose their life.

Ato's arm trembled, and Hecarim felt a powerful force push him. His Halberd was directly knocked out of his hand!

Hecarim's defenses were wide open. He saw the greatsword coming and instinctively tried to dodge, but it was too late.

The greatsword struck Hecarim's body fiercely, sending him and his horse flying, crashing into a Mast on the Deck.

The Mast, reinforced with iron plates, couldn't withstand such an Impact and slowly broke, falling into the sea.

Ato didn't give him a chance to breathe. As Hecarim was sent flying, Ato decided to press his advantage and leaped into the air, descending with gravity.

"Let's test the power of Q3!"

Just as Ato was about to land, he suddenly sensed danger from the side and decisively abandoned the opportunity, turning nimbly in mid-air.

The next moment, a cold glint flashed. It was Hecarim's Halberd, which had been knocked away. Under his control, it returned to his hand, thwarting Ato's pursuit.