Chapter 156: Undead Knight & Sheer Power

Solar Manifestation was a skill Aurelius had synthesized while still at Rank 1.

Even so, during his journey as an Awakener, this skill had continuously evolved. It had become one of his main abilities.

Combined with the triggering of Divine Intervention, this skill now carried extraordinary power.

When Aurelius’ own strength and terrifying Base Stats were taken into account, an attack performed through Solar Manifestation and assisted by Weapon Infusion was enough to make even Rank 3 Awakeners flinch.

The Undead Knight was only a Level 42 being.

It stood at the threshold of Rank 3 and should have been significantly weaker than the Goblin Warlock.

Yet that assessment was soon proved untrue.

The moment the silver blade drew closer to it, threatening to cut its skeletal body in two, the Undead Knight calmly raised its right hand.

It put its palm in front of the blade’s trajectory and then tightly clenched it into a fist.

Crack! Crack!

A creaking sound resounded, as though something had broken.

However, Aurelius, who had just stepped out of the black mist and launched a sneak attack, was not in the mood to celebrate.

His expression darkened.

Right in front of him, the skeleton’s hand grasped his blade tightly, keeping it in place and preventing it from moving any further.

Even as the Sacred Flames surged, trying to spread through the bones, an invisible power emerged, restraining them.

Aurelius knew he had underestimated his enemy.

One had to know that the Sacred Flames were particularly effective against evil creatures like undead. To be able to face their attack head-on, the skeleton ought to be much stronger than the Goblin Warlock.

The fact that it didn’t even suffer a single injury made the situation even more grave.

That realization made Aurelius apprehensive. At the same time, though, it made him somewhat expectant.

How long had it been since he last faced an equal opponent?

It had been a while. Since the battle with the Goblin Warlock, he had faced few opponents, and those he faced were all significantly weaker than him.

For a moment, Aurelius felt a strange trace of enthusiasm being born inside of him.

"Such intense battle intent..."

The Undead Knight seemed to have understood Aurelius’ state.

"It deserves to be a young genius. That’s how Awakeners should be. Only by fighting can one become stronger."

"It’s such a pity..."

"Unfortunately, you happen to meet me!"

The moment the last word came out of its mouth, Aurelius felt the cage imprisoning his sword disappear. The blade could move again.

Yet that was far from enough to make him happy.

The cage had not disappeared alone. The skeleton had vanished as well!

Aurelius felt a chill run down his back.

When he turned around in a hurry, he saw a fist made solely from bones attacking him.

He didn’t have much time to react.

Solar Manifestation was activated once again, forming a thick layer of defense around his torso.

At the same time, Aurelius pressed his foot against the floor.

The stone slabs below him shattered into countless fragments that flew into the air and transformed into a thick shield made of stone.

Earth Shield! One of the skills he had gained through Arcane Insight.

No matter the world, the elements carried the same properties.

Fire represented destruction; water, vitality and rebirth, while wind signified sharpness and speed.

Earth represented weight and, more importantly, toughness!

A shield formed from Earth was even more difficult to break than the Solar Armor!

Unfortunately...

"A mere trifle! It doesn’t matter how many skills you have learned. In front of real strength, such tricks are meaningless!"

Before the Undead Knight had even finished speaking, its fist had already collided with the Earth Shield.

The stone, gathered together and empowered by Spirit, was instantly shattered into pieces as though it was a piece of paper.

The fist did not even pause for half a second. It continued unabated toward Aurelius, its momentum the same.

Boom!

The Solar Armor also burst apart, the flames erupting in a cry during its final moments.

The bones drew closer to Aurelius.

In such a situation, all defenses were proven meaningless.

The only thing Aurelius could do was dodge!

Fortunately, the two layers of defense had given him enough time. With a movement of the Solar Wings, his speed increased, and he moved backwards, creating some distance between him and the opponent.

... Or at the very least, that was how things should have gone.

Aurelius, though, realized something strange.

No matter how far back he moved, he and the Undead Knight remained the same distance apart.

It was as though someone was manipulating space, constantly transferring closer to the other.

Of course, Aurelius knew that was an illusion.

He had already made a guess regarding what was happening. And that made him curse inwardly.

’Damn it! What Level 42?!’ he couldn’t help but complain, greeting the Player Panel’s ancestors.

’Is this a Level 42 monster?!’

From their confrontation, Aurelius could be certain that the skeleton’s apparent Rank was indeed Rank 3.

However, this being seemed to have retained the physical body it possessed before its resurrection.

As such, although it was only Level 42 on the surface, its physical strength was far beyond that level.

Rank 4? Rank 5? Perhaps even Rank 6?

Although it was likely unable to contend with such opponents due to its lack of skills and Talents, such a level of sheer power was more than enough to deal with an ordinary Awakener like him.

Aurelius nearly burst into tears. The Player Panel had misled him!

"Have you already understood? Quite smart..."

"Unfortunately, it’s already too late!" the skeleton’s hoarse voice echoed in his ears.

The next moment, the fist struck Aurelius’ chest.

The skeleton originally expected to hear the sound of flesh being torn and see blood scattering in every direction.

Yet neither happened.

The skeleton sensed something wrong. It hurriedly withdrew its hand and stared at the scene in front of it.

Although it didn’t have any eyes, surprise could be seen in the flames occupying its eye sockets.

"Hmm...?"