Child of Destiny

Chapter 2317: Sacred Neanderthal versus Desert Barbarian (Part 2)

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BOOOOOOM!

The clash between Owen and Heartless Dream erupted into a tremendous explosion, sending violent ripples of energy in every direction.

For several seconds, neither side moved.

Both remained locked in place, their respective attacks grinding against one another as the surrounding battlefield continued to tremble beneath the tremendous force.

However, the rebound from the collision eventually became too strong to withstand.

Boom!

Owen was the first to be forced backward.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

He took several heavy steps back, leaving deep footprints in the ground with every movement.

Crack! Crack!

The earth beneath his feet fractured as he continued retreating, deliberately allowing his body to move with the residual force while dispersing the momentum throughout his entire frame.

At the same time, Heartless Dream was also pushed backward.

The enormous Legendary Hammer in his hands violently rebounded from the collision, nearly wrenching itself out of his grasp.

However, instead of trying to forcefully stop the weapon, Heartless Dream did the opposite.

He allowed the hammer to pull his body along with it.

Swoosh!

He tightened his grip with both hands while borrowing the momentum generated by the collision. His body suddenly began spinning multiple times.

Each rotation accumulated more momentum, causing the massive hammer to sweep around him like a pendulum gathering increasingly destructive force.

Heartless Dream’s eyes narrowed as he controlled every rotation with frightening precision.

He wasn’t merely recovering from the previous clash. He was turning the recoil itself into his next attack.

Bang!

With one final stomp, Heartless Dream suddenly forced his spinning body to stop.

His lower body twisted sharply while his torso contorted into an unusual angle, allowing the momentum accumulated from the previous rotations to flow directly into the Legendary Hammer.

BOOM!

He unleashed everything in a single motion. And the tremendous shockwave erupted from the hammer and shot straight toward Owen.

’Golden Hammer Art: Pounding Technique – Hundred-Pound Explosion’

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The air before Heartless Dream repeatedly exploded as the strike advanced.

One shockwave overlapped with another, forming a relentless sequence of invisible impacts that surged forward like an enormous battering ram.

The ground beneath the attack was torn apart as it advanced, sending chunks of rock and sand flying into the air.

Seeing the incoming force, Owen immediately adjusted his stance.

Bang! Bang!

He spread his feet apart and lowered his hips, firmly anchoring himself to the ground.

Both tower shields were raised above his head. Then, with a sudden downward motion, he slammed them into the earth.

BOOM!

The ground beneath him collapsed under the tremendous impact.

At the same time, a towering wall of earth suddenly erupted from the ground before him.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Golden mana poured from Owen’s body and seeped into the massive earthen wall, reinforcing it with a dense layer of energy.

The wall continued rising until it completely sealed the width of the canyon, becoming a gigantic fortress-like barrier standing directly between Owen and the incoming attack.

’Ancient Protector Skill (Tier 3): Bulwark of the Guardian King’

BOOOOOOM!

The Hundred-Pound Explosion slammed into the massive wall.

The entire barrier shook violently.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

One impact after another battered the earthen fortress, producing successive explosions that echoed throughout the canyon.

Cracks rapidly spread across the surface.

The golden mana reinforcing the wall flickered violently with every collision, while fragments of earth continued breaking apart under the relentless assault.

The moment the final wave struck—

BOOM!

—the massive earthen wall finally collapsed, sending countless chunks of shattered earth exploding outward.

Heartless Dream had already been moving.

Swoosh!

He emerged from behind the collapsing wall, dragging the Legendary Hammer along the ground as he charged directly toward Owen.

The moment he reached striking distance, he suddenly swung the massive weapon upward before bringing it crashing down.

WHOOSH!

At that instant, the phantom of an enormous beast suddenly manifested behind Heartless Dream.

It possessed a gigantic frame covered in dense crimson energy, while its savage head resembled that of an ancient demonic beast.

ROAR!

The beast let out a deafening roar from above before its enormous form suddenly collapsed into the Legendary Hammer.

The hammerhead immediately erupted with an even more terrifying aura.

’Golden Hammer Art: Crushing Technique – Annihilation’

BOOM!

From Owen’s perspective, a colossal hammer descended from the sky.

Its enormous head seemed to carry the face of the demonic beast that had manifested behind Heartless Dream moments earlier, its open maw seemingly preparing to swallow everything beneath it.

Owen stared intently at the incoming attack before finally making his move.

He raised both tower shields before him, pressing them tightly against one another until they resembled a pair of massive metal gates standing before him.

Bang!

The two shields locked together, completely sealing the space in front of Owen.

Swoosh!

Immediately afterward, the golden mana surrounding his body surged upward and condensed into a massive manifestation that closely resembled the pair of shields attached to his arms.

From the perspective of everyone watching, it looked like the enormous gates of heaven had descended onto the battlefield, standing between Owen and everything that sought to break through them.

’Ancient Protector Skill (Tier 3): Heavenly Gates of Divine Throne’

The moment the divine gates fully manifested, the colossal hammer finally descended.

BOOM!

The enormous weapon slammed directly into the center of the gates, causing a devastating explosion.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Successive shockwaves spread throughout the canyon, violently shaking the surrounding walls.

Cracks rapidly spread across the rocky surfaces as countless fragments were blasted loose from the impact, pushing the already damaged canyon walls toward collapse.

Amid the deafening explosions and the thick cloud of dust that followed, a figure suddenly flew out from the center of the battlefield.

Swoosh!

The figure traveled several meters before finally stabilizing in midair.

As the dust gradually receded, everyone watching immediately recognized him.

Heartless Dream!

Despite being forced backward by the collision, he casually rested the Legendary Hammer across his shoulder as though nothing had happened.

However, before anyone could fully process the scene—

Crackle! Crackle!

A streak of golden lightning suddenly tore through the receding cloud of dust.

Swoosh!

The lightning condensed into a humanoid figure directly before Heartless Dream.

Swoosh!

Owen had already switched his weapons. The pair of tower shields disappeared, replaced by a round shield in his left hand and a heavy mace in his right.

He swung the mace downward the instant he appeared before Heartless Dream.

Crackle! Crackle!

Golden lightning erupted from the weapon as Owen immediately followed with multiple strikes.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

His mace moved so quickly that it left behind countless afterimages, each strike coming from a different angle as he continuously assaulted his opponent.

Heartless Dream’s expression immediately turned serious.

He retreated while repeatedly swinging and rotating the Legendary Hammer in his hands, using the enormous weapon to intercept the incoming attacks.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Loud collisions rang throughout the battlefield as the mace and Legendary Hammer repeatedly clashed.

Every impact produced another burst of lightning and crimson energy, sending violent shockwaves through the surrounding canyon.

Heartless Dream had originally intended to overwhelm Owen with the destructive power of his attacks.

After all, his Legendary Hammer was perfectly suited for unleashing tremendous bursts of force.

However, Owen was far more difficult to suppress than he had anticipated.

Not only could he endure Heartless Dream’s attacks, but he could also find openings between them and immediately turn those opportunities into counterattacks.

And now, Owen had seized control of the battle’s tempo.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Owen continuously pressed forward, refusing to give Heartless Dream enough room to unleash another overwhelming attack.

The Thunderbird Divine Tattoo was playing a crucial role in this.

The Sacred Neanderthal’s unique Ascended Ability did far more than simply strengthen Owen’s physical Stats.

It also compensated for one of the greatest weaknesses inherent to Knight-related Classes.

Heavy armor provided tremendous defense, but it naturally restricted movement. It was because of this that knights were generally slower and less agile than other classes, especially the ones that specialized in speed and mobility.

Owen, however, had never allowed that limitation to define his fighting style.

With the Thunderbird Divine Tattoo constantly reinforcing his body with lightning, his movements became frighteningly fast despite the weight of his armor and equipment.

Every burst of lightning allowed him to accelerate, and every change in direction became sharper.

Every step could also become the beginning of another charge.

Under Virtual Simulation, Owen could utilize that enhancement with even greater efficiency.

Instead of simply moving quickly, he could calculate exactly where he needed to be and when he needed to arrive there.

A highly mobile Knight was already troublesome.

But a highly mobile Knight capable of constantly adjusting his movements according to the flow of battle was something far more terrifying.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Owen’s relentless attacks continued to drive Heartless Dream backward, leaving the latter with less and less room to maneuver.

For the first time since the battle began, Heartless Dream found himself struggling to create enough distance to unleash the full power of his Legendary Hammer.

And Owen had no intention of giving him that opportunity.

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