Chapter 406: Luke Has Only Ten Seconds to Survive Heaven's Judgment!

"Sealed Celestial Citadel"

"Cosmic Construct + Fortress Wall + Seal of Suppression!"

This time, Luke immediately felt his energy being drained at an alarming rate, but fortunately, his two Cosmic Hearts continued supplying enough energy for Heaven Forge to complete the formation of the energy sphere and merge all three abilities into a single defensive technique.

The result was a fortified cosmic enclosure whose surface possessed Sevaroth's Suppression Authority, allowing it to interfere with the lightning's power whenever the attack attempted to penetrate the barrier or manifest its energy through the structure.

"Hmm, the starting energy is getting higher."

Luke couldn't help muttering those words as he examined his remaining energy, realizing that the consumption had increased considerably compared to his previous attempts.

If his total energy reserves were represented by ten units, then forging a defensive Art with two components would consume approximately two to three units at once, which wasn't particularly troublesome because his Cosmic Hearts could instantly replenish that amount.

However, the three-component Forged Art had consumed nearly six to seven units, making the difference rather obvious.

That also meant he couldn't afford to create a defensive Art using four components, since the initial consumption might reach fifteen units, exceeding his available reserves before his Cosmic Hearts could replenish them.

Moreover, even if he somehow managed to maintain the necessary energy supply, his current concentration wouldn't be sufficient to control such a complicated forging process.

Realizing that attempting anything beyond three components would be too risky, Luke abandoned the idea and focused on strengthening his existing defenses.

He first created another "Severance Shield", although this time he used Fortress Wall and Energy Severance instead of Physical Severance, giving the new barrier the ability to interfere directly with incoming energy-based attacks.

After completing that combination, he turned his attention toward one final defensive Art, hoping it would provide additional protection against the coming tribulation.

"Shadow Guardian Covenant"

"Shadow of Nyx + Null Veil + Cosmic Construct!"

As the three abilities entered Heaven Forge, the phantom hammer began striking the gathered energy, gradually merging their properties until a new shadow being emerged from the completed Forged Art.

Unlike an ordinary Shadow of Nyx clone, this creation didn't resemble Luke.

Instead, a hundred-foot-tall guardian appeared before him, its entire body enveloped in the Void Energy of Null Veil, concealing its outer appearance so completely that its physical features were practically unrecognizable.

Immediately afterward, solidified cosmic matter formed around the guardian and enclosed its body within a protective suit of armor, providing an additional layer of defense against incoming attacks.

"It can act as a decoy."

Luke examined the newly created guardian, intending to direct the lightning toward it first so that the attack would expend some of its power before reaching his actual body.

Meanwhile, Zephyrielle had been observing his preparations alongside her two granddaughters, and even she couldn't help feeling surprised by the number of defensive techniques Luke had managed to create.

After all, according to the words she had from her husband, Titans were beings who relied primarily on their extraordinary physical bodies to withstand attacks, yet Luke was behaving completely differently by continuously crafting defensive techniques with abilities she couldn't even recognize.

'All of this seems higher-rank techniques.'

The thought immediately appeared in Zephyrielle's mind, although she soon recalled that Luke was still only D-Rank, while the tribulation awaiting him possessed A-Rank power.

'Hmm, normally the titan could bear higher-level attack with their body alone.'

Considering the difference between those two ranks, Zephyrielle understood why Luke was preparing so many defensive methods instead of relying entirely on his physical strength.

With that realization, she stopped questioning his unusual approach and continued watching alongside Rhaenyra and Emberlyn as the thunderclouds above the valley began swirling.

Meanwhile, upon the highest cliff, Luke had finally completed his preparations and was ready to begin his breakthrough.

He immediately directed his will toward his EX-Rank cultivation technique, informing it that he was prepared to face the tribulation.

The moment his intention was received, the reconstruction progress that had remained stuck at 99.99999% finally changed.

[100%]

RUMMBLE!!!

A deafening thunderclap erupted across the sky, and an exceptionally thick bolt of golden lightning suddenly shot out from Valtharion's enormous eye, descending directly toward the Shadow Guardian standing before Luke.

Seeing the approaching attack, the hundred-foot-tall guardian immediately crossed both arms before its chest, preparing to withstand the incoming lightning with its cosmic armor.

However, the moment the golden bolt struck—

BOOOOOM!

A catastrophic explosion erupted as the lightning tore through the guardian without slowing down, instantly reducing its shadow body and cosmic defenses to smithereens.

Even after destroying the decoy, the lightning continued descending toward Luke, who remained seated upon the hill beneath his protective barriers, clearly demonstrating that neither the guardian nor his concealed defenses had diverted the attack from its intended target.

"Well, at least it consumed some energy."

Luke muttered those words without showing any disappointment, since he had never expected the Shadow Guardian to completely withstand such a powerful attack.

He immediately prepared to use everything he had during the next ten seconds, knowing that the approaching tribulation wasn't a continuous lightning channel but a single strike, meaning he wouldn't receive another opportunity to defend himself once it reached his body.

Rising from his seated position, Luke exhaled heavily.

"Hah!"

He then raised both hands toward the protective dome overhead, positioning himself as though he intended to support the entire structure with his own strength, before shouting loudly enough for everyone present to hear.

"ABSOLUTE STRENGTH!!!"

FWOOOSHHH!

The instant those words left his mouth, the muscles throughout Luke's seventy-foot Vorthar body expanded, causing his already powerful physique to grow even more imposing from head to toe.

The sudden increase in strength released a violent shockwave that erupted outward in every direction, sweeping across the surrounding air before colliding with the descending golden lightning.

Unfortunately, the lightning didn't even flinch upon meeting the shockwave, effortlessly tearing through it as it continued toward Luke.

Witnessing another sudden increase in his strength, both Rhaenyra and Emberlyn became shocked.

"How many methods does he have?"

The two Dragon Princesses could clearly sense the extraordinary physical aura radiating from Luke's body, and for a moment, the being standing upon the cliff no longer felt like an ordinary mortal.

His muscles now carried such concentrated strength that he seemed like an existence who had reached an extraordinary understanding of physical cultivation, causing his raw power to surge far beyond what either princess had expected.

"Hmm? Peak B rank?"

Zephyrielle muttered with considerable surprise, having already lost count of how many times her grandson-in-law had astonished her.

However, after examining him more carefully, another question immediately appeared in her mind.

"From where is he getting that much strength? And how can his D rank body be able to bear this?"

After all, even though Luke had transformed into a giant Titan, Zephyrielle could clearly sense that his life level still belonged to D-Rank, despite the extraordinary amount of energy circulating throughout his body and the increasingly refined condition of his muscles.

Every living being was born with certain restrictions that prevented its body from accumulating strength beyond what its existence could naturally withstand, since exceeding those boundaries would violate the laws governing cultivation.