Too Stubborn to Die

Energy rippled, and wind funneled around Lord Rhino as he shot toward Talia at surprising speed, horn bent forward as he closed the distance between them in an instant.

Before he even reached her, she already knew she couldn’t run from such a Skill. The speed was incredible. And she was forced to stand her ground and face the ant where she hovered in the sky, wings flapping.

She had only one open option: her shield Skill. It activated, and black shields began to circle around her.

Lord Rhino’s attack was some kind of charge Skill that doubled as both a travel Skill and a combat Skill. And it was rather powerful. Both faster than Aaron’s Spectral Rush, not to mention lasting much longer, allowing Lord Rhino to travel over larger distances in a flash. And that was only the start of it. The Skill seemed to accumulate all of that momentum into the attack itself, creating a magnificent show of force as the rhino’s horn struck whatever it was aimed at.

Talia knew all of this because when the attack struck her shields, the drain on her energy was absolutely catastrophic, causing it to flicker and almost dispel, saved in just the last second as she cycled additional mana into it.

And while the rhino’s charge Skill lacked the incorporeal nature of Aaron’s travel Skill, which allowed him to pass through attacks, or the staying power of her wings that became a natural extension of her body, it more than made up for it. On its surface, she had to admit that this Skill was superior to either of theirs.

Perhaps it was simply because it was of higher rarity. Unlocking Skills at higher levels did provide you with a higher chance of unlocking higher rarities, after all. But she had a feeling there was more to it than that.

“Die, weakling!”

As he roared, Lord Rhino’s large, heavy-bladed polearm swung for Talia. The massive weapon came with a wind gust that pushed her back as she dodged the first attack, and almost sent her swirling toward the ground. With heavy flaps of her wings, she had just barely managed to catch herself from the tsunami of power.

Unfortunately for her, Lord Rhino just kept attacking, and she was forced to block with her shield as another attack struck at her, causing it to violently shimmer.

A pang of desperation struck her, and she swung back at the rhino with her avatar’s sword, and a wall of black flames separated the two, giving her a moment to catch her breath.

He’s so strong, even in the sky.

But even as that thought was making its way through her mind, she realized something. Lord Rhino wasn’t using a wind-based attack. The incredibly powerful wind gusts that shot out from his attacks were pure energy.

Such power, it’s insane. These attacks must be extremely energy expensive…

And yet despite the overwhelming display, Lord Rhino showed no sign of letting up, charging straight back into her with another overpowered attack.

Talia remembered what Aaron had said, but barely got a second to act on it as the royal guard attacked again.

It took Talia all of her power to survive, and she crossed her arms to bring her avatar’s blade into a defensive position. And still Lord Rhino’s charge smashed through her shield Skill, knocked the blade away, and sent her flying backward.

She had survived most of the damage, but was knocked off guard, and almost finished right then and there. But just before the ant’s follow up attacks could land, a barrage of silver beams intercepted to save her.

“Weakling pest!”

Zero zapped around, blasting Lord Rhino again as he became increasingly irate at the interruption.

And that was all the time Talia needed for her wings to catch her, and for her to find her metaphorical footing. And as she watched Zero buzz around the rhino, her brow bent with anger. She was sick to death of this arrogant ant and still dripping with revenge.

And she figured it was about time she taught him a lesson or two.

How long can you keep this up?

Swinging from side to side, Lord Rhino tried to follow Zero. If Talia had an advantage in the sky over the ant, then that was doubled for the annoyingly evasive wolf. But none of that seemed to bother the royal guard, and he recklessly began firing off powerful attacks.

The entire sky rippled and burst with power, but Zero had never gotten that close during the exchange, and with his speed advantage, even the massively powerful attacks of Lord Rhino didn’t get close to hitting him.

As Zero shot around the sky, blasting beams, silver lines were traced through the air, and Talia saw her chance, shooting back into range with a powerful flap of her translucent wings.

The arrogant Lord Rhino didn’t even notice her approach, too busy trying to fruitlessly hit Zero. And the moment she was in range, she unleashed a powerful attack from her sword that rained down dark power upon the ant. The attack struck true, and it was immediately followed up with her crushing nightmare strike that drowned out the light and shrouded them in darkness.

She had to admit, she had been a little apprehensive when picking her D-grade Class evolution. It had said in the description that it would convert her armor avatar Skill set from Serene Light to Consuming Darkness. She had spent some time thinking about that, going back and forth. In the end, given in as the boons sounded too good to refuse. But she had remained unsure of her choice for some time after. But she had to admit, it was growing on her.

In seconds, their surroundings had turned completely dark, with a huge cloud spreading out from Talia that kept all light out and enveloped them completely.

It was complete darkness, and if not for it being her Skill, she wouldn’t have been able to see a single thing.

This was her latest Skill, and the first in a series of utility Skills she planned to add to her arsenal. Not only did she have more Skill slots since reaching D grade, but she had also finally completed her set, compressing seven Skills into two, so she had plenty of free slots to fill. And so far, this one seemed like a winner.

The darkness that surrounded her blade cut straight into Lord Rhino, opening a wound that gushed out, and darkness filled.

“Parasite! Remove this darkness! I will kill you!”

The ant roared, but every time it cried out in anger louder and louder, it sounded a little more desperate.

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Lord Rhino seemed to have no answer to this, and all he could do was to continue blasting his incredibly powerful attacks in quick succession, despite not having a target. That said, they were powerful. And soon, rip away at the darkness, and the cloud actually started to dissipate a little, letting in rays of light.

Talia was worried for a moment. Had the royal guard defeated her new Skill so easily? But then she realized something. It was Lord Rhino’s energy, and it was deadly thin.

Oh, you overdid it, didn’t you? You don’t have the juice to keep this up.

She almost felt like laughing. He could keep blasting away if he wanted to. He could even destroy the cloud. None of that really mattered, not when he was draining himself so thoroughly.

And soon, his attacks started to peter out. And all that was left was darkness. Darkness that gave her the clear advantage, and soon she was opening wounds all across Lord Rhino, beating him down bit by bit.

The ant roared in anger, trying its best to counter and send more powerful attacks out, but it only got weaker and weaker with each passing second, and she realized just how outmatched it really was in the sky.

“Zero, go help Aaron!”

There was no need for Zero’s help anymore. She had her enemy cornered, and the wolf couldn’t see in the darkness anyway.

***Aaron***

Closing the distance between himself and Thousand Grand, Aaron unleashed a torrent of attacks, blending combinations into one another.

The first time he struck the centipede, a sea of bladed limbs met him, and he was forced to try and fight through them as they filled every inch of the space before him.

The centipede clearly wasn’t broken, even if it were wounded. But he couldn’t let up for even a second. This was right where he wanted it, and this was not an opportunity he could afford to waste.

So, with his second combination, he pulsed the full power of his true core into his attacks, and his [ Soul Shattering Strike ] tore away the aura surrounding Thousand Grand, while his haymaker’s crushed and blew apart its many legs as they rose to clash against his pummeling fists.

As the exchange continued, he coughed. There was no doubt this feeling was the strain of his core slightly getting to him as he continued to pummel forward. But it would be worse if he let the centipede back to the sky where it wanted to fight.

That said, he didn’t want to completely exhaust himself. Continuing his attack, Aaron pulled back on his core usage. If he could do so, he would try to win without crippling himself.

But the moment he did, Thousand Grand tried to make its escape with a burst of blood that crystallised into spears and shot toward Aaron. However, the moment it tried to wiggle its way toward the sky, a blast of silver energy struck it.

Aaron didn’t wait, using the confusion to grab its tail and swing it back into the ground, crushing it against the earth, and then leaping atop it as he released a furious wave of ground and pound.

The centipede had simply too many legs, and despite the damage it had taken, it still had weapons in its arsenal, and those struck out at Aaron.

But he had seen this coming. It was written in his fate. But what was a little death to Aaron Dober?

After all, he had energy to spare. The fight hadn’t gone too long, and the other options available to him were costly. More true core power would exhaust his soul, while letting the centipede reach the sky and fighting it in the blood mist might just turn the tables against him.

And so, he let those bladed legs strike him, and as they did, he just smiled.

“Madness! True madness!” Thousand Grand gasped as Aaron just kept punching through several deaths in a row.

This wasn’t Yendal’s style, but sometimes winning was more important. Besides, he hoped she was at least a little impressed that he had used his head to get this far.

His strikes just kept coming, turning into a blur of carnage as the centipede’s carapace broke and crumpled under his force. Its body was transforming into little bits of shell and blood, and whenever an opening appeared, silver beams shot down and into the exposed flesh.

It attempted a pitiful defense, but another haymaker just crushed straight through its face, and acidic green blood sprayed all over him like a fountain, but Aaron just laughed and kept punching and mutilating. Turning the centipede into an ant smoothie beneath his relentless fists.

You killed: Thousand Grand [ Level 153 ]

Bonus Experience rewarded for killing beasts of a higher level than yourself!

[ Empty-Handed Energy Monk ] has LEVELED UP!

88 → 94

Purchasable Skill Available!

Just as he was starting to get a real sweat going, he heard a reverberating thud and looked over to see a cloud of dust where Lord Rhino had slammed straight through the earth.

It was a devastating blow, but that was exactly where the royal guard wanted to be, and despite the damage caused by the attack, he actually gasped in delight as he climbed up and out of the rubble.

“Haha. Idiot human!” Lord Rhino spat and cracked its limbs. “My powers! They are returning to me! Hahahah. Now I will break you!”

Aaron got up and turned toward the royal guard, fists clenched and ready for another fight.

“STOP!” Talia screamed as she floated out from the dark cloud hanging in the sky. “I can handle him alone!”

Aaron paused. He wasn’t about to let Talia die over pride, but when he saw her, he didn’t see a wounded or broken fighter. She had certainly drained herself, but she looked in decent enough condition to fight.

“Then bring it, worm!” Lord Rhino taunted, but it was clear he was still recovering from grievous wounds.

“Oh, I will.”

The cloud of darkness swirled around Talia and then started to funnel into her avatar’s massive sword, and he could feel the unstable energy coalescing within the towering blade.

That thing is powerful.

And then, with a deadly glare, she swung the blade. It was the most power he had ever seen her use in a single strike, and while Lord Rhino was recovering incredibly fast, he was still far from fresh. Unfortunately for him, he was also still a complete idiot.

Instead of fleeing the incredible attack, pride and arrogance overcame the rhino ant, and he used his charge attack to shoot directly toward Talia as he descended upon him with her black blade, sucking in light.

As the blade fell upon him, tendrils of pure darkness ripped through the royal guard’s body, tearing it to shreds in an instant, shreds that burned to ash as the darkness enveloped them, insinuating that darkness was rather hot.

“That was… that was pretty fucking sick,” Aaron nodded, impressed. He knew Talia was strong, but that had to be the most impressive display of strength he had seen from her by a mile.

With a grunt, she touched down beside him, and her avatar dissipated.

“That was pretty impressive.”

“You think? Hmm, it could do with a little tidying up,” Talia shrugged as if not completely impressed with her Skill yet.

“Ha, nice to see you’re not aiming too low,” Aaron chuckled. “But how’d you get so much power into that attack? I know your specialty is strong, but that seemed much stronger than last time.”

“The cloud. It absorbs some of the power used within it. If I can get an enemy to attack me inside of it, I can soak up a bunch of their power quickly, then I can use it in my attack. Seems decent enough. Also, it helps that it’s pretty hard to hit me in total darkness. Especially when I can see perfectly in the dark myself.”

“Not bad.”

Aaron nodded. It was an impressive Skill, there was no denying that. But his thoughts were elsewhere. The daredevil in him kinda just wanted to have a friendly sparring session now. After all, it had been a while since he had tested his fighting senses without sight.

Although that would have to wait for them to finish exterminating ants.

He and Talia quickly rejoined the rest of the warriors of Dober in their battle with the drone, and it didn’t take long before the ants were routed. Their numbers had already been lessened by the previous battles, and without the Royal Guards to occupy Dober’s strongest warriors, they didn’t stand a chance. When it became clear that the ants were going to be wiped out, all of a sudden, the ants began to retreat.

Triumphant cheers rang out across the battlefield. Dober had won. And now, they would be able to build their first forward outpost.