Chapter 496 - 393: Breakthrough to Sky Knight
Chapter 496: Chapter 393: Breakthrough to Sky Knight
Sky Knight!
Raylo’s eyes snapped open, a sharp glint flashing within them for an instant before vanishing.
He slowly exhaled a long breath and glanced down at the Heart of the Giant Beast before him.
It had barely changed. The energy contained within the Heart of the Giant Beast was still as vast as an ocean.
Truly a supreme treasure capable of helping a Domain Level expert advance to the Catastrophe Level. Even after Raylo’s breakthrough to Sky Knight, its energy was barely depleted.
Raylo stood up and stretched his body, his joints letting out a series of loud cracks.
He could feel that his physical strength and Spiritual Power had both been tremendously enhanced by this breakthrough.
He held out his hand, and with a mere thought...
A drop of golden, liquid Fighting Spirit materialized in his palm, emitting astonishing energy fluctuations.
This was the Power of a Sky Knight.
...
Raylo lifted the tent flap and walked out.
"My Lord!"
Ed and Alex, who were standing guard outside the tent, immediately came forward to greet him.
He was the same person, with the same face, yet the aura he projected was entirely different.
"My Lord, you... succeeded?"
Ed asked.
Raylo nodded.
"Congratulations, My Lord!"
The two congratulated him in unison.
In the camp, however, the atmosphere was rather grim.
No one was in the mood to celebrate their victory. The Knights simply polished their Weapons in silence, fed their mounts, or gathered in small groups, conversing in low voices, their gazes drifting eastward involuntarily.
’What happened to the Duke?’
This question weighed on everyone’s heart like a giant boulder.
The thunderstorm had ceased, but the Duke had not returned.
Gaius stood at the very edge of the highlands like a statue, staring intently at the distant battlefield.
As the Commander-in-Chief of the Thunder Dragon Knight Order and the Duke’s most trusted brother, he was more anxious than anyone.
But he could not let it show.
He had to maintain the army’s stability.
Raylo wasn’t idle either. He handed over all defensive duties to Ed and Alex, using every available moment to familiarize himself with and stabilize the Power he had just attained.
The liquid Fighting Spirit was far more condensed and heavy than its gaseous form, and manipulating it required much finer control.
He circulated the ocean of golden Fighting Spirit through the channels in his body again and again, feeling the completely new way this Power flowed.
Each circulation gave him a deeper understanding of a Sky Knight’s Power.
He discovered that not only had his Power surged, but his Spiritual Power had also improved dramatically, making his senses sharper than ever before.
He could even clearly feel the vibrations of an ant crawling on the ground a hundred meters away.
This sense of control over his surroundings was intoxicating.
Time trickled by amidst the anxious wait.
「Dusk.」
The last rays of the setting sun bathed the land.
A black dot appeared on the distant horizon.
It was Astra.
It was flying slowly and low, even wobbling, as if it could fall from the sky at any moment.
"It’s the Duke! The Duke is back!"
A Knight shouted, his voice a mixture of surprise and joy.
The entire camp erupted in an instant!
Closer, and closer it came.
When the Thunder Dragon Astra flew over the camp, all cheering came to an abrupt halt.
In its place came the sound of sharp, collective gasps.
It was a wretched sight.
’Was that really the renowned, invincible Thunder Dragon Astra?’
Its tough Dragon Scales were now covered in a spiderweb of cracks. Large patches of scales had fallen off, revealing mangled flesh and blood underneath.
One wound stretched from its neck all the way to its abdomen, so deep the bone was visible, and it was still continuously oozing blood.
One of its wings was twisted at an unnatural angle, clearly broken.
Aiden Duke was in no better condition.
His magnificent King’s Armor was completely shattered and ruined.
His face was as pale as paper, his aura exceptionally weak. He lay limply on Astra’s back, and if not for his faint breathing, one would have thought he was already...
BOOM!
Astra could hold on no longer. Its colossal body crashed heavily into the open ground in the center of the camp, kicking up a huge cloud of dust and smoke.
"Quickly!"
"Herast!"
Gaius was the first to react. He roared, charging forward like a madman.
A group of Chief Court Mages, who had long been on standby, immediately swarmed forward. Beams of gentle, healing light from their Divine Techniques fell upon the Duke and Astra.
"Duke!"
"Lord Astra!"
The surrounding Lords and Knights also gathered around, faces etched with horror and worry.
Under the effects of several Healing Divine Techniques, Aiden Duke slowly opened his eyes. He weakly waved his hand.
"Not... not dead yet."
His voice was hoarse and dry.
Just as everyone was bustling around the Duke, the grievously wounded Thunder Dragon Astra suddenly lifted its massive head.
Its dim dragon eyes looked past the crowd, locking onto Raylo’s position.
’It’s the scent of the Heart of the Giant Beast!’
To the severely injured dragon, that immense Life Energy was still a fatal temptation!
"ROAR..."
Astra let out a low growl. Disregarding its severe injuries, it struggled to get up from the ground.
With every movement, its wounds split open, and golden blood flowed even more freely.
"Astra, calm down! Calm down!"
Gaius’s face fell. He rushed forward, trying to soothe it.
The other Knights also tried to help, but Astra sent them all flying back with a mere shake of its massive body.
At this moment, it was driven purely by its survival instincts.
Its golden dragon eyes were fixed on a single target.
It dragged its heavily injured body toward Raylo, step by difficult, yet incredibly determined, step.
Its colossal body left a long trail of blood on the ground.
Just then, Raylo stepped out from the crowd.
In his hand, he held the Heart of the Giant Beast, which was still glowing with a jade-like light.
"Lord Astra."
Raylo offered the Heart of the Giant Beast in his hand.
"This was prepared for you."
Astra’s steps halted.
It let out a low rumble, then slowly lowered its head and swallowed the Heart of the Giant Beast in one gulp.
As the Heart of the Giant Beast entered its stomach, a pained expression appeared on Astra’s face.
After a minute of waiting...
HUMMM!
A violent wave of energy suddenly erupted from within Astra’s body.
Immense and boundless Life Energy, like a soothing rain, swept through Astra’s entire body in an instant.
The ghastly wounds on its body began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Broken bones reconnected, torn flesh regenerated, and even the lost scales grew back, piece by piece, more brilliant and sturdier than before.
ROAR!
Astra threw its head back and let out a dragon’s roar filled with relief and Power, the sound waves rolling across the land.
This was no longer the wail of a dying beast, but the roar of rebirth!
"This is..."
"Heavens, its injuries are completely healed?"
The surrounding Lords and generals were all dumbfounded.
’The effects of the Heart of the Giant Beast are this miraculous?’
"No, this is only the beginning."
Aiden Duke, supported by several Knights, watched his old partner, a gratified smile appearing on his pale face.
He said to Gaius, who was beside him.
"This is Astra’s opportunity. It’s going to use this Power to break through to that legendary realm. We must stand guard for it."
"Break through to... the Catastrophe Level?"
Gaius knew that the ultimate goal of this battle was to help Astra seize the opportunity to advance to the Catastrophe Level, but seeing it actually happen still left him in shock.
As they spoke, the aura emanating from Astra began to climb steadily.
Its already immensely powerful Domain Level Peak pressure was surging wildly, soon surpassing its limits and reaching a new, terrifying height.