Chapter 371: Yarvokh Summons the Wrath of an Orc Ancestor!

Yarvokh let out a furious shout, and the red tattoo across his body suddenly flared with crimson light as a surge of energy erupted from him, gathering above his head before taking the shape of a fifty-foot-tall Orc phantom.

The entire phantom was formed from red energy, resembling an Orc warrior, except that two horns protruded from either side of its head, giving it a rather intimidating appearance.

"Feel the wrath of the Orc ancestor!" Yarvokh declared, and under Luke’s curious gaze, his body slowly floated upward before merging directly into the chest of the towering phantom.

"A summoning skill?" Luke muttered with interest, observing the transformation as Yarvokh’s aura continued rising until it reached the peak of Early B-Rank.

’It seems almost everyone at higher ranks possesses some kind of technique that can temporarily increase their strength beyond their actual realm.’

"Whatever," Luke murmured without showing much concern, although his nonchalant attitude only angered Yarvokh further, causing both his eyes and those of the ancestral phantom to glow a deeper shade of red.

"Insolent!"

A heavy voice suddenly thundered from the phantom’s mouth, although Luke couldn’t quite distinguish whether it belonged to Yarvokh or the ancestral figure, since their presences now seemed almost completely merged.

Before Luke could examine this strange connection any further, Yarvokh suddenly threw a punch toward him, and the fifty-foot-tall phantom immediately followed the exact same movement without the slightest delay, sending its giant fist straight toward Luke.

FWOOOOSH!

Seeing the incoming attack, Luke calmly raised his own fist and punched forward, meeting the phantom’s much larger fist head-on.

BOOOOOOM!

The collision produced a powerful shockwave that swept across the surrounding clearing, scattering loose stones and dust while shaking the nearby trees, and under the force of the impact, both Luke and the Orc phantom were pushed several steps backward.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

"How is this possible?!" Yarvokh exclaimed in disbelief, unable to understand why he still couldn’t overpower a mere D-Rank opponent even after invoking the power of his Orc ancestor.

Meanwhile, Luke casually shook his hand a few times, acknowledging that the previous punch had carried considerable force, before a thought suddenly entered his mind.

’Should I use the inner Cosmic System as well?’

He considered the idea for a moment, since he was currently relying only on his Cosmic Heart Titan form and the buffs provided by his Titan body and armor, without activating any fusion.

Although Titan Fusion could increase his strength considerably, Luke didn’t want to become overly dependent on it, especially since enemies who became familiar with his fighting methods might eventually discover weaknesses they could exploit.

That was also why he had been deliberately practicing with his individual Titan forms, attempting to improve their combat effectiveness without constantly relying on fusion.

"Let’s do it."

Having made his decision, Luke began constructing a Cosmic System within his body while simultaneously withdrawing the one he had manifested outside, causing the celestial bodies that had been floating above the battlefield to gradually disappear.

Yarvokh immediately noticed the change, and after looking upward and finding that the strange celestial bodies were gone, a confused expression appeared on his face.

"Are you giving up already, Hero of Light?" he asked, wondering why Luke would suddenly withdraw something that had seemingly been supporting his strength.

Hearing those words, Luke simply smiled before answering in his usual carefree manner.

"Nah, I’m just making it more fun."

With that, he suddenly kicked the ground beneath his feet, releasing enough force to split the earth apart as fractures rapidly spread outward, tearing through the surrounding soil and stone until the cracks extended across a hundred meters.

RRRRRUUUUMBLE!!!

Because of the sudden fracture spreading beneath them, Yarvokh’s footing shifted for the briefest instant, and that tiny imbalance was all Luke needed, because the moment the Orc phantom’s weight dipped to one side, he shot forward like a released arrow.

FWOOOSH!

His figure blurred across the torn ground, and before Yarvokh could fully steady the giant phantom, Luke had already arrived in front of it and drove a straight punch into its abdomen, while the inner cosmic system within his body rotated in perfect coordination, causing a surge of force to flow through his arm, shoulder, spine, and legs all at once.

BOOOOM!

The red phantom’s entire torso bent inward from the impact, and the shockwave that followed blasted outward in a rough circle, uprooting trees and sending broken bark, dust, and loose stones flying across the battlefield, while the cracked earth within a hundred meters caved further under the pressure.

"GRAAAH!"

Yarvokh roared and retaliated at once, as the phantom’s oversized elbow came crashing down toward Luke’s back, yet Luke twisted his body with calm precision, slid half a step to the side, and let the strike smash into the ground instead.

KRAAAAAK!

The earth burst apart, and a jagged trench spread outward as rock fragments shot into the air, but Luke had already turned with the motion and drove his knee into the phantom’s ribs, following it with a left hook that snapped its head to the side before the first impact had even settled.

BAAAM! BOOOM!

The two consecutive blows made the red energy body ripple violently, and even the horns atop its head trembled as the force traveled through it.

At the rear, the surrounding C-Rank Orcs stared with tightening expressions, because none of them had expected Yarvokh, after invoking the ancestor phantom, to be driven back like this by a D-Rank giant relying purely on physical combat.

"How is he still matching Lord Yarvokh?"

"That giant strength rose again..."

"It is not just strength, his movements also changed."

Their unease spread quickly, especially when they saw Luke take the next counterattack head-on.

With a furious bellow, Yarvokh swung both arms together, and the phantom copied him perfectly, bringing down a two-fisted hammer strike that carried enough force to flatten boulders, yet Luke planted his feet, tightened his stance, and raised both arms upward, while the celestial bodies within his inner cosmic system shifted once more and reinforced his stability so thoroughly that his body seemed rooted into the land itself.

BOOOOOOM!

The collision made the surrounding forest shudder, and the ground beneath Luke’s feet sank several inches, but his body did not bend, his knees did not collapse, and after receiving the full weight of the strike, he simply exhaled through clenched teeth and pushed upward.

"HAAAH!"

The red phantom’s arms were forced back, and Luke stepped forward through the lingering shockwave before slamming a shoulder bash into its chest, then followed with a short-range punch into its jaw that lifted the giant head slightly upward.

THUD! BAAAM!

Yarvokh’s expression twisted within the phantom’s chest, because he could now feel the difference more clearly than anyone else, as Luke’s raw power had not merely become heavier, but more complete, with each movement carrying sharper control, stronger footing, tighter force transmission, and far less waste than before.

Not far away, Nyx watched with visible interest, his eyes fixed on Luke’s posture and sequence of strikes. "He is learning quickly," he said, as his gaze followed the way Luke shifted force through his frame. "At first he was simply strong, but now he is starting to use that strength properly."

Caelith gave a slow nod, her attention remaining on Luke’s shoulders, hips, and legs as he fought. "The inner system is helping him redistribute power through the body," she said. "His punches are not only harder, they are cleaner, and even his grip and balance have improved."

Sevaroth floated nearby and observed the red phantom with an unreadable look, though his interest soon returned to Luke. "He is also becoming more comfortable fighting without relying on fusion," he murmured. "That is better for him in the long run."

Myrkhal, as usual, said nothing, and simply watched in silence.