Fierce Battle

Hecarim was puzzled.

He didn't care whether the undead lived or died. When slain, their bodies turned to ash and vanished, but a fragment of their soul essence always returned to the Shadow Isles. Sooner or later, they would be reborn somewhere on the islands.

That was why Bilgewater had repelled the Harrowing's attacks time and again over the past thousand years, yet the undead never dwindled in number.

The undead followed the Black Mist to attack Bilgewater simply to indulge their most primal urge to kill.

But this time, something unexpected had happened.

Fewer souls than usual had returned to the Shadow Isles.

Hecarim had been affected by the Ruinous Curse, fusing with his Warhorse.

But thanks to the immense strength he'd possessed in life and his unyielding will, he'd retained much of his reason, even in his current form.

At first, he'd thought this was just another "ordinary" Harrowing, a chance for the spirits that had lain dormant for years to finally let loose.

But just as the "festivities" were drawing to a close, he realized the undead hadn't all returned.

For the Shadow Isles, this was a blow to their very foundations!

Hecarim entered the fray himself.

Sensing the missing undead, he locked onto an unremarkable-looking sailboat out at sea.

"I'll grind you beneath my hooves!"

Hecarim and the cavalry he'd summoned charged at Ato.

"Face death!"

Hecarim moved with incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, he'd charged from the bow of the Siren to where Ato stood.

He thrust his halberd forward. Seven azure flames blazed fiercely, his imposing power beyond anything mere mortals could comprehend!

"Ah!" Sarah clapped both hands over her mouth in the captain's cabin. Hecarim's flames stood out sharply in the Black Mist, and she could make out the battle on the distant deck.

Was this what the Harrowing was really like? Could Mr. Ato actually defeat this monster?

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

Hecarim loomed larger and larger in Ato's eyes.

Ato didn't dodge. He held the Demonic Sword of the Dark across himself, bracing for the Cavalry Squad's charge!

"Let's see what you've got!" Ato was even looking forward to it.

"Whoosh!"

When they collided, the riders didn't stop. They passed straight through the Demon Sword, then through Ato's body.

In that instant, Ato heard the Warhorse's whinny and the wails of countless Vengeful Spirits. Then came a stabbing pain from deep within his soul!

"Urgh... Aah!"

Caught off guard, Ato was struck by agonizing pain deep in his soul. He braced himself on the Demon Sword to keep from falling.

Hecarim stopped a short distance behind him. His flame-forged eyes seemed to show surprise.

But his voice remained cold. "Your soul is begging for release. Prepare to embrace despair!"

"You fool!"

Aatrox didn't respond to Hecarim. Instead, he scolded Ato.

"Couldn't you dodge a charge like that? You had to take it head-on?"

"Heh." Ato wasn't ashamed in the least; he was proud of it.

"That's the confidence a high margin for error gives me. Now that I've seen him, Hecarim's just a normal character. Aatrox is the one with busted stats!"

He didn't tell Aatrox that Sarah's captain's cabin was right behind him!

If he hadn't taken the hit, he couldn't have been sure when Hecarim would stop. What if he charged all the way to Sarah?

She would've been crushed beneath Hecarim's iron hooves.

Now, even if Hecarim charged again, there was nothing behind Ato but the boundless sea. No one else aboard would be in danger.

"So his name is Hecarim." Aatrox ignored Ato's nonsense and listened only to the useful information.

As soon as he finished speaking, a pale blue glow appeared on the Demon Sword and wrapped around Ato. The pain in his soul began to ease.

"That's the beauty of busted stats! It doesn't just absorb the flesh and blood of the living; it can use soul essence too!"

The soul power of the undead Ato had slain earlier had also been absorbed by the Demonic Sword of the Dark, preventing it from returning to the Shadow Isles.

Now it could help heal the damage to Ato's soul.

Seeing this, Hecarim raised his halberd overhead and charged again.

This time, he didn't attack with his spirit form. He dismissed the Ghost Soldiers around him, intending to crush his opponent with sheer physical strength.

The Black Mist had transformed him until he stood nearly three meters tall. Beside an ordinary human like Ato, he looked like a giant.

Halberd and greatsword clashed at close quarters. Ato's small frame didn't yield an inch before the towering, powerful Hecarim.

Hecarim bore down on him, gripping the halberd with both hands and pressing hard. Ato could block his attack with just one hand on his sword.

He seemed weaker than the Angel Sisters. Had I misjudged his strength before... or was that old geezer just too strong?

As thoughts flashed through his mind, Ato mimicked Aatrox's tone and taunted him. "Is that all you've got? Didn't sleep well last night?"

Once he got serious, Ato found himself becoming more and more adept at wielding Aatrox's strength.

"I never rest..."

Hecarim shifted from slashing to smashing. He wielded his halberd like a brick, bringing it down on Ato again and again. The deck beneath them even began to crack!

Under the relentless onslaught, Ato grew calmer instead.

Opponents on Hecarim's level were rare. The longer Ato fought him, the faster he absorbed Aatrox's combat experience.

After all, it was the accumulated knowledge of thousands of years. Where else would he find such a good Sparring Partner?

"...They really are evenly matched."

Sarah had kept her eyes on the fight. Ato's pained expression earlier had made her heart clench. If even Ato couldn't stop this Centaur Monster, who in all of Bilgewater could stand against him?

Besides, every other faction had its own problems to deal with. If Ato fell, the Siren risked being wiped out.

"No, that's not it. Mr. Ato hasn't even used his full strength!"

The Centaur Monster seemed to be attacking nonstop while Ato did nothing but block. But Ato hadn't moved an inch, and he'd seen through every one of the monster's attacks!

"Let's take this somewhere else."

Ato glanced at the deck beneath his feet. If they didn't move, they'd soon smash through it and into the ship's hold.

Anyone caught up in the fight then would lose their life.

Ato gave his arm a sharp jerk. Hecarim felt a tremendous force, and the halberd was knocked from his hands!

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

The greatsword slammed into Hecarim, sending horse and rider flying into a mast on the deck.

Even the iron-plated mast couldn't withstand the impact. It slowly snapped and fell into the sea.

Ato gave him no chance to catch his breath. Even as he flew through the air, he decided to kick Hecarim while he was down. He leapt into the air and brought his sword down with the force of gravity.

"Let's see how powerful Q3 is!"

Just as Ato was about to land, he sensed danger from the side. He immediately abandoned the attack and deftly twisted in midair.

The next moment, a flash of cold light streaked past. It was Hecarim's halberd, knocked from his grasp moments earlier. Under his control, it had returned to his hand, thwarting Ato's follow-up attack.