The battle between two Legendary Transcendent had a tremendous impact on the external environment. The azure sea had long since turned crimson, and even the sky seemed to be stained with blood. In this world that resembled blood, only Lancelot's location stood out as an anomaly.
Due to its energy characteristics, the Power of Decay cannot be projected too far. Of course, with Lancelot's Energy Manipulation abilities, it's not impossible to use the Power of Decay for long-range attacks, but that would be a thankless task, and only someone with a screw loose would do that.
The most effective way to utilize this energy is still in melee combat.
Therefore, Lancelot simply transformed the Power of Decay into a miniature spherical domain, enveloping his body like a slowly burning brown flame, the flame flickering slightly, appearing soft yet concealing deadly intent.
Due to the fierce collision with Boros, Lancelot's current state can be described as miserable. His body is like a broken porcelain vase, with cracked skin, a large amount of broken flesh and blood tissue exposed, and in many places even bare white bones.
If that were all, it wouldn't be a big deal, since Lancelot's self-healing ability would allow him to quickly recover to his full strength.
The key is that the surface of these wounds, with its twisting, blood-red worm-like Blood Qi mixed with the power of laws, greatly inhibited Lancelot's recovery. If he didn't have such high control over his body, his combat power would have definitely dropped by at least half.
Even now, their combat strength is only 80% of what it was at its peak.
On the other hand, Boros, who was not far away, looked much more miserable than him overall, but his combat power was at its peak. This was due to the blessing of his unique talent, something that could only be envied.
"By all accounts, Director Boros should have used up his three main attacks. Although his Blood Qi energy is exceptionally powerful, its recovery speed is very slow. His previous frenzied attacks should have exhausted most of it by now..."
In short, according to Lancelot's calculations, Boros should be running out of mana soon.
Boros's class leans towards assassin, with a lot of proactive abilities, resulting in high damage and strong bursts. However, once his energy is depleted too much and cannot be recovered in a short time, it will create a skill vacuum period, significantly reducing his threat level.
Now is the time to strike back!
Of course, the premise is that you can withstand the opponent's first three attacks without falling down; otherwise, there's no point in talking about counterattacking.
However, it's clear that Lancelot pulled through.
So, looking at the almost inhuman projection of Boros in front of him, Lancelot slightly raised his eyes, a smile in them, as if to say, "It's my turn!"
Thump...!
The sea surface exploded, splashing bloody water like a shattered mirror. As he moved quickly, Lancelot's figure vanished instantly, a clear indication of his signature Combat Skills, Flash Step.
When one has mastered the Power of Decay, the power of lightning is suppressed inside the body, so the Thunder Dragon Flash cannot be used.
Reality is not a game. Mastering two types of energy does not mean that they can coexist harmoniously. In fact, simultaneously circulating lightning energy and Power of Decay within the body will most likely result in an energy-devouring reaction, harming not the enemy, but oneself first.
Therefore, in this situation, Lancelot quickly charged forward to approach his target, relying primarily on the combat techniques of a martial artist.
Brush!!
A dim, yellowish afterimage flashed by, quickly approaching Boros.
While Lancelot was acting, the latter, without dodging or avoiding, also charged forward.
Seeing this, Lancelot sighed inwardly. As expected of one of the most skilled warriors in the academy, even though it was just a projection, he still didn't lose his composure.
In the current situation, facing the attack, a hasty retreat by Boros Projection would only lead to a slow death, because he simply wouldn't have time to recover his internal energy.
The only chance to turn the tide is to use the little energy remaining in his body to kill Lancelot.
If Lancelot is killed, given his Legendary- level vitality, there's a high probability he can recover.
Two figures traversed hundreds of meters in an instant at an almost imperceptible speed, colliding with a deafening roar. One was blood-red and brutal, the other desolate and gloomy. Their auras collided, creating two distinct domains on the sea surface.
With the point of their collision as the origin, the surging shockwave spread outwards in layers, compressing the sea surface below into a hemispherical depression, with the seawater at the edge flowing wildly and expanding outwards.
The spherical area grew larger and larger, with the seawater colliding and crashing against each other, creating a deafening roar. Waves hundreds of meters high crashed into the distance, carrying fragments of marine life. Fortunately, there were no islands nearby, otherwise, the area would have suffered an undeserved disaster and been completely submerged.
In battles between powerful individuals, the situation is often judged by changes in their aura.
On the sea, the two auras initially dominated, with the Blood Red Slaughter faction overwhelming the other, suppressing them to the point of having no chance to fight back, displaying its arrogance and domineering nature.
But as time went by, no matter how oppressive the blood-red aura of Slaughter was, the desolate and gloomy aura always held on, just like a small tree in the ancient wilderness, which, despite being exposed to wind and sun and battered by rain, remained verdant and upright, with a proud posture.
And the more it grew, the stronger and taller the sapling became, until its canopy of green leaves rustled and shattered all suffering.
Boom!!
The blood-red Slaughter intent shattered like glass, and a figure flew backward, carving a groove more than ten meters wide in the sea. Behind this figure, Lancelot, with a cold expression, quickly gave chase, followed by towering waves, like a sea monarch riding the sea. From afar, it was a magnificent sight.
Having exhausted his last bit of energy, the Boros projection, which had been sent flying by a single blow, was quickly caught up by Lancelot, who then delivered a powerful Iron Fist without a word.
The result was similar to the previous match; Boros exploded into countless pieces of flesh and blood, which scattered across the turbulent sea like a crimson snowfall.
Footsteps landed on the sea, ripples spreading from the toes, the seawater was forcibly smoothed out, turning back into a mirror of azure blue. In this sea and sky blending into one, only a bare-chested figure, with a cold yet aloof expression, remained.
This is the scene that was left for the Alliance's viewers.
After a brief silence, countless netizens watching the live stream erupted, unleashing their enthusiasm. It was only because the Holy Sword Academy's official website server was excellent that it was overwhelmed with traffic.
Remember to bring your things.
Inside the room, Director Iron Tiger made a smug, irritating face, while Boros on the opposite projection snorted and hung up the call.
Before long, the "Metal Life Soul" was delivered, carried by a little elf, the adorable creature being Vice Dean Louis's pet.
"Give this to Boros, and remember to tell him it's not a free gift; he owes me a favor." Director Iron Tiger casually tossed the "Annihilation Blood Stone" to the elf, speaking in a nonchalant tone.
The little sprite flapped its adorable, translucent wings, nodded its little head vigorously, and then, carrying the Annihilation Blood Stone, which was half the size of its body, left Director Iron Tiger's residence.
Watching the little elf leave, Director Iron Tiger smiled slightly and went into the room.
On the other side, Vice Dean Louis took the Annihilation Blood Stone from the elf, weighed it a few times, and clicked his tongue, "Two proud fellows, clearly collected this resource specifically for each other, yet they insist on making a bet. Sigh, after all these years, they're still the same, so childish!"
Leaving aside Director Boros's reaction upon receiving the Annihilation Blood Stone, after traversing the 999 steps of the Holy Sword Stairway, Lancelot rested briefly before beginning his final battle.
1000 steps!
This time, the scene conjured by the Holy Sword Spirit is set in the Starry Sky.
Lancelot's figure suddenly appeared on the surface of a pitted meteorite.
Standing atop the high, protruding peak, all I could see was darkness.
But soon, in this dark and silent environment, a ray of light appeared, like a small sun.
Enveloped in this light was a bald, muscular man standing four meters tall. He wore crimson-gold gauntlets, was shirtless, and wore camouflage pants. His physique was as broad as a giant continent, and his eyes and brows were filled with a solemn and majestic aura, like a god descending to earth.
This person is none other than Maxwell the Moon Breaker!
Once, on level 409, Lancelot was eliminated.
He is now the pillar of the Crimson Alliance, a truly great figure.
"Phew, once again, I've encountered Moon Breaker. This is truly... lucky!" Lancelot's eyes gradually brightened, like two stars embedded in their sockets. That wild and dazzling brilliance, combined with his undeniably handsome face, captivated countless young men and women watching the live stream.
Of course, true Transcendent are more concerned with Lancelot's opponents.
"I didn't expect the final challenge to be Moon Breaker. Although I have high hopes for Lancelot, can he really win?"
"That's Moon Breaker, you're kidding, how do you think you can win?"
"Don't be so pessimistic. After all, it's just a projection, and only at the initial stage of becoming Legendary. It's not like it can't fight, right?"
"Speaking of which, if I remember correctly, when you first entered the Moon Breaker Legendary, you already had the prototype of the ' Immortal Body, ' right? That's an SS-level Innovation Skill. Although it's not in its complete form, it should still be very powerful, right?"
"Immortal Body, known as Unbreakable Barrier, growing stronger with each battle. Even in its incomplete form, it's enough to give Lancelot a run for his money!"
After seeing Maxwell's projection appear, viewers online who had previously had confidence in Lancelot lost their nerve.
Regardless of their lack of confidence, after all, that was Maxwell, one of the strongest in the Alliance. After hundreds of years of relentless promotion, his strength and invincibility had long been deeply ingrained in people's minds.
Therefore, even with projections, not many people are optimistic about Lancelot.
"Damn it, is that old man deliberately targeting us? Even Lord Maxwell has come out, why doesn't he step in himself?" In the living room, Zyra's eyebrows furrowed, her teeth clenched, her full breasts trembling violently, her anger overflowing.
Seeing this, Mona comforted her gently, "Alright, don't be angry. The dean must have his own considerations. The more he favors someone, the more pressure he will put on them. You've forgotten, you went through the same thing back then."
"Tch, I almost forgot! That old man is a real troublemaker. He gave me a hard time before, and now he's messing with Lancelot! He just wait, once I become Demigod, I'll give him a good beating and rip all his beard off!" Zyra, raising her fist.
Mona sighed helplessly and said no more. She was always very tactful. Zyra could criticize Urta because he was her mentor, like a grandfather, and they had an exceptionally close relationship.
However, her relationship with Urta was just ordinary. In fact, Mona had seen chilling murderous intent in the eyes of this seemingly kind old man more than once.
That was no illusion; the other party really intended to kill her.
The reason is simple: to sabotage the Second Blood Ancestor's ascension.
Later, perhaps because of Zyra's pleas, or for other reasons, Urta gave up the idea; otherwise, even if Mona had many lives, she wouldn't have been able to save herself in front of the infamous Black Hole.
In this situation, it's highly unlikely that Mona would speak ill of Dean Urta, given her fear of him. Unless her second personality, Mo Li, appears, with her confrontational nature, she might join Zyra in criticizing Urta.
As the light faded, the figure of the Moon Breaker became increasingly clear.
As Lancelot mobilized his fighting spirit, he began to recall the ability system of this Pillar of the Nation.
"At this stage, Moon Breaker certainly hasn't mastered the ' Vortex Tyrant Body,' and as for the ' Immortal Body,' he's probably only mastered its rudimentary form. In that case, it's not like he's without a chance."
"The main characteristic of the Immortal Body lies in its defensive capabilities. After being attacked, it increases its physical defense and resistance to multiple elements, becoming increasingly durable the longer it is attacked. Therefore, the battle must be ended quickly; it cannot be dragged out!"
Lancelot himself is a tank, and he knows how disgusting this kind of Transcendent is. The best way to deal with this kind of Transcendent is to deal Destruction blow in a short time with absolute output!
These ideas were considered in a very short time. After the tactics were confirmed, Lancelot no longer hesitated. He still covered his whole body with the Power of Decay, and his whole form looked like a mummy without white bandages. His skin was also very similar to the bark of a dead tree. It was only because he was so passionate when he fought that he was also good-looking that he would have so many fans.
Almost at the same moment Lancelot made his move, on the other side, the Moon Breaker also sank his feet, boundless power bursting from his muscles, the mountain beneath his feet suddenly collapsed, and his figure disappeared.
Both of them chose close combat!
Boom!
Approaching each other as if teleported, the two fists, one large and one small, collided violently.
Feeling the terrifying force, like a mountain collapsing, coming from his arm, Lancelot's expression changed slightly. In their first clash of power, he was clearly at a disadvantage!
Keep in mind that Lancelot is currently in a state of Cell Liberation, possessing terrifying yet extremely refined power. He is confident that this punch could send even the Earth Bear, the most powerful being, flying.
But the little giant opposite him remained motionless, his arm muscles undulating like mountains, accompanied by rhythmic tremors, dissipating most of the force.
A master of martial arts!
Lancelot's heart sank.
Although this projection is far inferior to his Epic Combat Skills Combat Skills compared to his combat techniques.
However, the opponent's superior physical attributes somewhat compensated for this.
Moreover, those Moon Breaker are not afraid of being attacked, which is the most unsolvable problem.
The more you hit him, the happier he becomes.
Fortunately, at this stage, the Immortal Body has not yet mastered the "Power of Spiral," just as the "Tree of Life" only masters the "Power of Decay" when it reaches its complete form.
Its attack power is incredibly strong, known as the "Power of Spiral" that can crush everything. Only those with Immortal Body who have reached the complete stage can master it perfectly.
The current situation is...
Lancelot's physical defense is at a disadvantage, but his health regeneration, Combat Skills, and attack power are at an advantage.
But this is only the situation at the beginning of the battle.
The further you progress, the stronger the Moon Breaker's physical defense becomes, and their physical attributes will also increase, along with their attack power.
In the later stages of the game, it's quite possible that Lancelot's punches will feel like mere scraping, while the opponent's retaliatory punches will be devastating.
Once you get to that point, the probability of defeat is very high.
Therefore, a swift and decisive victory is essential!
Thinking of this, Lancelot's expression hardened, and he directly converted all his Power of Life into Power of Decay.
You have to understand that he must have reserved at least half of his Power of Life for healing beforehand, otherwise he would have been instantly killed by Boros in the last match.
Now that Lancelot has converted all his Power of Life, it can be said that he has left himself no way out.
Without the Power of Life, the originally formidable recovery ability is greatly reduced, and it can only rely on the body's own self-healing, which is at least dozens of times less efficient.
He's no longer the invincible Lancelot he used to be!
Of course, at the same time, Lancelot's attack power was also maxed out.
A dense, hazy gray-brown energy enveloped Lancelot, obscuring his features and limbs, making him appear as a humanoid energy form composed of haze.
Moreover, Lancelot unleashed all his explosive skills, including "Cell Liberation," "Willpower Burst," and "Power of Acuity."
In an instant, his melee attack power, ranged attack power, movement speed, energy penetration, controllability, energy release speed, etc., all increased significantly.
All of this was accomplished in the blink of an eye.
A terrifying aura, as if Hell itself had descended, surged forth. Hundreds of withered vines covered in barbs emerged from his back, and mist spread, covering the meteorite with a thick layer of dark clouds.
Snap!!
The withered vines lashed out, creating a tranquil atmosphere without any explosive sounds in the vacuum, yet the danger was no less.
The projection of the Moon Breaker remained expressionless. It stomped the ground violently, using its strength to throw countless pebbles into the air. Then, using these as stepping stones, it frantically dodged the attacks of the withered vines.
Although it can fly, this is still faster for short-distance rapid movement.
The reason why the Moon Breaker did not withstand the attack of the withered vines to enhance the defensive power of its Immortal Body is that its current Immortal Body is still unable to withstand the attack of the Power of Decay composed of pure energy.
The Power of Decay can fundamentally destroy the structure of life, and now that Lancelot has maximized and concentrated it, its destructive power has increased exponentially.
In such circumstances, although the Immortal Body can still stack physical defense after being whipped by the withered vines, the strong corrosive properties of the Power of Decay will also destroy the physical structure of the Moon Breaker at the same time.
The two cancel each other out, resulting in more harm than good. In fact, if one is whipped too much, even Immortal Body may not be able to maintain itself.
After all, these withered vines were the result of Lancelot's all-out effort, and their attack power was absolutely off the charts.
Therefore, the Moon Breaker's projection's tactical intention is quite clear: it would be best to get close to Lancelot and destroy him in close combat. Without the Power of Life to recover, it would only take a few punches.
Of course, during this process, the Moon Breaker will also suffer energy erosion damage far exceeding that caused by the withered vines. After all, the closer you are to the energy center, the more dangerous it is—that's common sense.
In addition, the second strategy is to stall for time.
The projected combat instincts should not be underestimated; judging Lancelot's current state is not difficult.
Lancelot is squandering his Power of Decay so recklessly, expending it intensely every moment. If he can just stall for this period, victory is assured.
Of course, the Tree of Life's Innovation Skill are known for their abundant energy, and it would take Lancelot quite a while to deplete it.
It will be difficult for the Moon Breaker projection to survive this period, so getting close to Lancelot and defeating him in melee combat would be the best strategy.
The Moon Breaker projection understood this, and so did Lancelot!
To keep the massive lump of flesh away, Lancelot went to great lengths, perfectly utilizing his level 45 Epic Combat Skills to control extremely high energy. The withered vines seemed to grow out of his own body, which he manipulated with ease.
It should be noted that the Power of Decay is not suitable for mid- to long-range attacks. These decaying vines are so long, numbering in the hundreds. For Ordinary Legendary, let alone controlling them in battle, simply being able to materialize them would be a source of pride. How could Lancelot be able to use individual decaying vines to unleash martial arts secret techniques? It's simply astonishing.
It has to be said that the slap in the face came quickly. In the last match, Lancelot thought he must have lost his mind to use the Power of Decay for a mid-to-long-range attack, but now he's doing it.
But this is not surprising. The charm of combat lies in the ever-changing situation. No one knows what will happen next, so any bizarre combat maneuver is possible, and there are even quite a few who achieve victory through surprise.
After all, just like war, battles also require the use of both orthodox and unorthodox methods to achieve victory!
In the tranquil vacuum, without a sound, a visual feast unfolds.
On one side was a valiant and imposing little giant, exuding a powerful aura and displaying boldness in every gesture; on the other side was a demon seemingly emerging from the Abyss, wielding a bizarre power that withered and decayed all things, engaging in a frenzied battle with the former.
Time seemed to stand still here. After an unknown amount of time, the projection of the Moon Breaker finally arrived in front of Lancelot.
However, at this moment, his once towering body had become emaciated and covered in cracks. Only his eyes remained bright and dazzling, containing an inextinguishable fighting spirit. He threw a final punch at the misty figure in front of him, who was also in poor condition!
The fist was like a knife, slicing through everything.
Lancelot's crossed arms shattered instantly, turning into floating debris.
In contrast, the withered body, as if it had been burned to ashes in a furnace, began to disintegrate from the fists, spreading like a collapsing sand pile throughout the body, until it finally collapsed and dissipated completely. Even in death, the unwavering fighting spirit in his eyes never wavered.
"As expected of the Moon Breaker, it's no wonder he has achieved what he has!" Lancelot raised his head, a sincere respect appearing on his face. Warriors respect each other, and it felt good to have someone worth pursuing ahead of him.
[Congratulations, Lancelot Terra! You have successfully completed the Holy Sword Stairway in less than two years since you enrolled. This outstanding achievement ranks first since the school's founding!]
[This achievement has triggered the relevant regulations, and based on past cases, the award is being determined...]
[A total of 16 related tasks have been detected on the "Achievement Ranking," and you have completed them all, earning a total of 235,000 credits. These credits will be credited to your account; please check your inbox.]
[Judgment complete! Based on your ability system, the rewards are as follows: one free selection opportunity for an SSS-level Innovation Skill, along with all cultivation resources including bloodline potions; an additional 3 levels of academy privileges; one Holy Sword Token; one year of free trial access to the academy's cultivation secret realm; and 300,000 academic credits!]
Upon seeing the information that suddenly appeared in his mind, Lancelot's mental and physical exhaustion from the repeated battles he had fought with all his might vanished.
You must pay back!