121 Is That All the Strength You Have?

"You are truly bold. It seems that crushing three squads has made you arrogant. To dare appear near a combat base—how incredibly foolish..."

The base supervisor, dressed in a black uniform, narrowed his eyes and gently pressed a button on his collar. Instantly, dozens of fully armed members of the Ancient Society rushed out from the warehouse, all with weapons drawn and loaded.

"Are you the one who killed my brother?!! I will tear you apart, inch by inch!" An alluring woman in a skintight suit drew a long blade from somewhere, its edge crackling with blue lightning.

*Crackle, snap.* The power seemed immense.

The other Ancient Society members unleashed their full aura, but only Dean felt a flicker of doubt. It seemed the Pale Knight before them was even taller and more imposing than before, his presence far more terrifying and heavy. Dean felt an inexplicably ominous sensation in his heart. Even though they held the numerical advantage—with seven Second-Ring Secret Ring Masters present, along with numerous combatants—he still felt deeply uneasy.

*Snort.* The phantom warhorse exhaled through its nostrils.

Thick black flames began to burn and drift from its mane, forming tiny sparks in the air. As the flames fell to the ground, they snaked along the floor like living serpents, despite there being nothing to ignite.

"Heh... are you talking about that piece of trash who couldn't even take three of my punches? If that’s the one, then yes, I killed him," a hoarse voice replied.

"You!"

"I’m going to kill you!"

The woman’s eyes turned blood-red, and thick Ring energy surged through her body. Her long brown hair burst free from its tie, whipping wildly despite the lack of wind.

"Sister, wait..." Dean began, but the woman had already roared and charged forward.

She swung her long blade obliquely, a faint arc of blue light dancing along the edge with a crackling sound. *Clang!* The meter-long blade sliced through the air, carrying a massive amount of Ring energy as it struck the Pale Knight.

*Ding!*

The sound of clashing metal rang out sharply. A massive hand covered in heavy armor formed a fist, colliding violently with the lightning-etched blade. The sharp edge skidded across the surface of the armor, sparking a series of golden-red flashes. The blue electrical arcs embedded in the blade struck the ancient armor, only to be completely repelled. Strange red circuits on the surface of the palm pulsed with light, seemingly absorbing the power of the lightning.

"Die! Hundred-Blade Flow of Thunder!!!"

The woman yanked her blade back and spun her body, the sword flying out like an arc of light. In an instant, a dense web of blade shadows filled the space around them. One after another, blue flashes of light cut through the darkness, briefly illuminating the alleyway.

*Ding-ding-ding-ding...*

The blade shadows struck the Pale Knight’s heavy armor continuously, blooming like golden flowers. Xiu Nan retreated rapidly, and the woman pursued him, with the other members of the Ancient Society trailing just behind.

At a street corner, the woman’s blade suddenly doubled in size during a swing, reaching nearly three meters in length. The solid-looking blade light descended like a thunderbolt. This strike was heavy with hatred, anger, and pride. In the woman’s reddened eyes, it landed exactly where she intended: the "weak point" of the Pale Knight—the neck.

*Ding!*

The violent collision sent the surrounding air surging backward. The woman’s expression suddenly changed drastically. Because her blade... had shattered!!!

[Ability: Heavy Armor +++: A powerful, thrice-evolved ability with high defensive properties. It is most effective against slashing attacks from sharp weapons, followed by blunt impacts, and finally elemental damage.]

It wasn't that Xiu Nan was afraid of death, but the second evolution of his strongest ability, the Scarlet Knight, required too many evolution points. Aside from the Scarlet Knight, the most cost-effective ability was Heavy Armor. Xiu Nan liked to push his power to the limit before major battles. Thus, he had upgraded the Heavy Armor ability three times in a row. Both the thickness and texture of the armor, as well as the defensive circuits inscribed upon it, had been greatly improved. Without a truly world-shaking attack, it was impossible to break his defense. Against sharp weapons, the Pale Knight's armor rendered such attackers helpless.

"Not bad strength, though a bit lacking."

The Pale Knight touched his neck, where a white mark on the armor was already rapidly fading. "Your swordsmanship is quite good; I’ve seen enough."

"Now, let me show you my swordsmanship..."

The eyes beneath the Pale Knight’s helmet burned like fire.

"What? You know how to..."

*Whoosh!!!*

A black arc of light splashed across the sky like spilled ink. The three-meter-long black light traced an arc in the air, and a violent explosion echoed through the alley. The Pale Knight retracted his light-blade and turned his horse.

Behind him, the graceful figure of the woman stood frozen like a statue, before suddenly splitting apart from top to bottom. Not far away, a wall groaned and tilted, a smooth, clean cut running through it.

***

"My strength has surpassed my own imagination..."

Through the recent series of battles, Xiu Nan had come to understand the true meaning of biological rune fusion. He and the Pale Knight rune had become one; as long as he only manifested the Pale Knight rune, he consumed no Ring energy! In a war of attrition, no one was his opponent. This allowed him to reserve all his Ring energy for other runes or extraordinary items.

Furthermore, the moment Xiu Nan’s physical body transformed into the Pale Knight, his "Meditation Time" improved by leaps and bounds. One of the most important factors affecting Meditation Time was the user’s physical constitution—and Xiu Nan’s original human body was like mud compared to the Pale Knight. The improvement was immense. During the previous battle in the mist, Xiu Nan had used Meditation Time four times in a row without feeling a thing. He felt effortless, unable to summon even a sliver of fatigue. It was that battle that made him realize his true power, which was why he had been confident enough to face the Ancient Society’s base head-on.

...

"Sister!" Dean, who had been a step behind, rushed up. His first sight was of his sister’s gruesome death. His face contorted, his eyes blood-red. With a low roar from his throat, he charged forward with the others.

*Hum!*

A beam of black light appeared in the tall knight's hand. With a lightning-fast dash and a sweep of his blade, five or six heads flew into the air, blood erupting like a fountain. The blood splattered onto the ground with a wet thud. The bodies that had been rushing forward continued by momentum for a dozen meters before collapsing heavily.

"!!!"

The members of the Ancient Society were stunned by this slaughter; the knight was reaping lives like grass. The Secret Ring Masters, their bodies covered in membranes of Ring energy, were as fragile as tofu, sliced in two by the light-blade. For a moment, the scene fell into an eerie silence.

Dean quietly took a dozen steps back.

"Attack together! He cannot maintain such terrifying attack power forever! Don't be cowed by the facade of strength he’s putting on! If we retreat, we will be picked off one by one!" the supervisor roared, taking the lead as he charged forward.

Xiu Nan stood still. The supervisor was right; he could not maintain the combat state of the light-blade indefinitely. All his Ring energy combined was only enough to swing it with full power seven times. But he had more than just that. The Scarlet Knight ability was also his trump card.

[Ability: Scarlet Knight: The Pale Knight gains increased activity upon contact with blood; at a certain level, he enters a Bloodthirsty Berserk state. All abilities are boosted, and physical attributes are significantly enhanced for a short period.]

Moreover, after one evolution point upgrade, the Scarlet Knight no longer required a threshold. He didn't need to reach a certain level of blood contact to trigger the state; it was instantaneous. And once transformed, every enemy killed and every drop of blood absorbed extended the duration of the berserk state. This ability was practically born for one-versus-many scenarios. As long as one person was killed, the Scarlet Knight could maintain his state like a snowball effect.

"Take him down! We have the numbers! Don't be afraid!" The Ancient Society members roared and charged.

Dozens of figures, agile as leopards, rushed forward, howling as they descended upon the pale shadow.

*Boom!*

Four men were swatted away by a pale-red arm! Their bodies flew like broken sacks, spraying blood in the air before crashing into the ground or walls.

*Roar!* Xiu Nan let out a thunderous cry. The grim Pale Knight instantly shifted into a deep blood-red, becoming even more monstrous and savage, radiating a terrifying scent of blood. He slapped the horse’s back, and the phantom warhorse executed a rapid maneuver within the Meditation Time, then galloped forward like a heavy tank!

Xiu Nan flicked his right hand, and the light-blade erupted with a four-meter-long blade of pure energy, terrifying arcs of light dancing along it. He sprinted, arm swinging wide!

A dozen bodies were instantly cleaved in two, blood exploding into a massive mist. Five or six more who tried to block the warhorse were sent flying, their bodies burning as they spun into the walls, struggling in agonizing screams.

"What! This power!" The base supervisor’s eyes widened in disbelief. Blood splattered onto his face. In a fit of rage, he turned, his fist encased in purple light, and slammed it toward Xiu Nan.

*Swish.* A black arc of light drifted toward him. Because of its extreme speed, to a normal person's eyes, it seemed to whip through the air. A light stroke, and the supervisor’s arm fell off. Before he could even scream in pain, a black flash severed his neck. His blood-spurting head flew into the sky.

The supervisor of the Ancient Society’s base in Nilodo, a Second-Ring Secret Ring Master, was dead.

What followed was a foregone slaughter. The Scarlet Knight possessed immense aggression and combat desire, while the thrice-evolved Heavy Armor defended against every counter-assault. He charged into the crowd as if walking through an empty field. Head after head flew, and amidst countless screams, the Ancient Society members fell one by one. The surrounding area was drenched in blood, with severed limbs scattered everywhere. In this hellish landscape, the Scarlet Knight, riding his flaming warhorse, was bathed in blood, looking like a monarch patrolling his domain. His scarlet pupils looked down at the dying humans.

***

At this moment, Xiu Nan’s presence climbed to its absolute peak. Having absorbed so much blood, the Scarlet Knight had reached his zenith. Blood-red mist leaked continuously from the gaps in his armor.

"Power that belongs entirely to me..."

He looked down and clenched his fist. Air hissed as it was squeezed between his fingers. Suddenly, Xiu Nan lifted his head and stared into the darkness. With his sensory perception at its peak, he had detected the danger even before Jessica’s pendant alerted him.

*Swish!*

A figure rushed from the distance like a meteor! It carried an intense sense of pressure and threat! With every step forward, the figure’s size increased, with thick black smoke forming a powerful body. The four-meter-tall smoke giant leaped into the air and slammed down like a falling meteorite!

*Clang!*

The Scarlet Knight swung his light-blade to meet the attack.

*Rumble! Rumble!*

The street cracked, spiderwebs of fissures spreading everywhere, and dust billowed into the sky. Two deep black tracks were carved into the ground, leading all the way to a collapsed wall. Even the distant houses were punched through! In a single exchange, Xiu Nan was sent flying.

"What a tough turtle shell!" The smoke giant looked at his palm. He could feel the hardness of the opponent's armor, but the force he had transmitted through it was also significant. Within five blows, he could turn the opponent into mush.

*Cough, cough, cough...*

From a pile of brick rubble in the distance, Xiu Nan climbed out. A massive palm print was deeply indented into the blood-red armor on his chest, with cracks spreading in all directions.

"A Third-Ring Sublimator?!"

"No, not quite yet. Still at the Second-Ring stage, but half a foot into the Third..." Xiu Nan touched his chest, his eyes flashing. If it wasn't a Third-Ring, then there was a chance!

[Evolution Points: 109]

"Evolution Points! Add them! Upgrade Heavy Armor to the max! I want a turtle shell that can't be cut or hammered!"

[Fourth Evolution: Total cost 42 points]
[Fifth Evolution: Total cost 51 points]

"Stop evolution. Heavy Armor ability is now as follows."

[Ability: Heavy Armor +++++: A terrifying-level ability evolved five times. It has extremely high resistance to sharp weapons, blunt impacts, and elemental forces. It generates a force-conduction property, where any attack on one part is distributed across the entire body.]

*Thud!*

Before Xiu Nan could finish reading, a figure suddenly appeared before him. A black fist print expanded in his vision, like a mountain pushing toward him.

*Swish!*

The Scarlet Knight’s heavy body was sent flying like a cannonball, smashing through three or four walls before coming to a stop in a gap over fifty meters away.

*Thud!* The smoke giant appeared as if teleporting. With a savage knee strike, the air exploded. The Scarlet Knight was sent flying again, collapsing a house. He was buried deep within the ruins.

*Rustle...*

A cloud of black smoke drifted over, reforming into a giant human shape on the ground.

"Dead?" Dan looked down.

*Click!*

A large hand suddenly reached out from the rubble, tightly gripping the giant’s ankle, the heavy armor stained a deep blood-red.

"Is that all the strength you have?"

"It’s not nearly enough!!!"