Chapter 2343: A Contest Against the Heavenly Dominator

ROOOOAR!

After being subjected to a relentless barrage of attacks from the four peak god-level players surrounding it, the Heavenly Dominator released an enraged roar that shook the entire battlefield.

The resulting shockwave unleashed a tremendous force, shattering the nearby stone formations and sending countless fragments flying in every direction. It even forced the four experts to retreat, especially when they sensed the immense danger emanating from the Heavenly Dominator.

That was when they realized that they had unknowingly brought the Heavenly Dominator’s Health Bar down to 50%.

The Semi-World Boss was entering its next phase.

Shin wore a grim expression as he realized what was happening, particularly when he felt the pressure emanating from the Heavenly Dominator growing even stronger.

As he retreated, huge blocks of stone suddenly flew toward him, remnants of the shattered formations that had once made up the stone forest.

Shing! Shing! Shing!

Seeing the incoming debris, Shin swung [Permafrost] in his left hand, releasing its whip blade and creating multiple sword shadows that tore through the airborne stone blocks, reducing them to countless fragments.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

After destroying the incoming debris, Shin was greeted by the sight of the Heavenly Dominator undergoing yet another transformation.

This time, the earthen armor and elemental armor protecting its body appeared to have fused into a single layer while sharp stone spikes emerged from its knuckles and shoulders. Several more also grew along its back, tracing the length of its spine.

A halo of elemental mana also gathered above the Heavenly Dominator’s head before gradually transforming into a floating crown made of stone.

ROOOOAR!

A moment later, the Heavenly Dominator released another thunderous roar, unleashing a powerful wave of pressure that spread in every direction.

BOOOOOM!

Immediately afterward, enormous stone spikes erupted from the desert floor, further expanding the stone forest it had summoned earlier.

Seeing this, Shin swiftly reacted, swinging [Permafrost] once again to destroy the incoming barrage of stone spikes rushing toward him.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

However, he quickly realized that these new stone spikes were vastly different from the previous ones. Their toughness had increased to a terrifying degree, making them difficult even for him to destroy.

Swoosh!

Left with no other choice, Shin began dodging while continuing to swing [Permafrost] and [Yamato], fending off the stone spikes that kept emerging from the desert floor and attacking him from every direction.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Despite repeatedly destroying the incoming spikes, more continued to erupt from the ground, putting Shin under tremendous pressure. Eventually, he was forced to summon his Nephilim’s Wings once again and take flight just to escape the ever-expanding stone forest.

Whoosh!

In the air, Shin discovered that he wasn’t the only one facing such a predicament. Solfang, Caroline, and Emperor Dream were also caught within the new stone forest summoned by the Heavenly Dominator.

Despite their considerable speed and agility, Solfang and Caroline were still unable to escape the prison formed by the countless stone spikes.

Solfang’s Devouring Flames were also unable to consume the mana of the surrounding stone formations because of their incredibly high density.

Even Caroline’s special fire embers had become useless, as most of them had been extinguished by the earlier roar released by the Heavenly Dominator.

Emperor Dream, however, was faring relatively well. Before the stone spikes could trap him like the other two, he had already summoned a golden eagle made of mana and taken to the skies.

Shin had no time to observe the others, as the Heavenly Dominator had already made its next move.

ROAR!

Seeing that both Shin and Emperor Dream had escaped the entrapment of the stone forest, the Semi-World Boss seemed to grow even more enraged. It raised one enormous hand and pointed directly at the two of them.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Giant stone spears suddenly erupted from the desert floor before shooting toward their targets at tremendous speeds.

Shin’s pupils contracted as he saw how quickly the stone spears were approaching. They were moving at speeds close to that of sound, leaving almost no time to react.

Fortunately, his heightened senses and reflexes allowed him to respond in time, narrowly avoiding the incoming spears before they could crush his body.

WHOOSH!

However, the Heavenly Dominator wasn’t launching just one or two attacks. A relentless barrage of stone spears continued flying toward him, leaving him with little room to maneuver.

Sensing the incoming attacks, Shin swiftly adjusted his approach and raised both [Yamato] and [Permafrost] before him. The two swords were currently under the effects of Depths Devourer and Dimensional Cutter possession, respectively.

Their blades were then engulfed by two higher forms of mana: Primordial Waters and Void Powers.

Without wasting another moment, Shin swung both swords.

The whip blade of [Permafrost] stretched outward, transforming into multiple icy flashes that swept across the air. Wherever they passed, the surrounding mana froze, while everything caught in their path was shattered into pieces.

’Four Symbol Scripture: Heavenly Black Tortoise – Serpent Rapture’

Shing! Shing! Shing!

Almost simultaneously, the [Yamato] unleashed its terrifying power, allowing its blade to cut through the very fabric of space as Shin repeatedly swung the sword.

’Jade Kirin Scripture: Sword Movement (Void) – Spatial Rapture’

This was a variation of the sword movements under the Jade Kirin Scripture, one that utilized a different form of mana in place of lightning.

SHING!

With every slash of [Yamato], the surrounding space was torn apart, creating spatial fissures that sliced through the incoming stone spears.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Combining the two techniques, Shin managed to fend off most of the incoming attacks, destroying numerous stone spears in the process.

Unfortunately, the projectiles were not only incredibly fast but also enormous, making them difficult to defend against completely.

Even though Shin managed to destroy most of them, the tremendous impact generated by each collision placed considerable strain on his body, particularly his arms, which trembled violently whenever his swords clashed with the incoming stone spears.

Realizing that continuing to block the attacks would only put him at a disadvantage, Shin decided to prioritize evasion while using both swords to intercept as many of the stone spears as possible.

However, just as he finally escaped the effective range of the flying projectiles, his surroundings suddenly darkened as an enormous shadow loomed over him.

WHOOSH!

Raising his head, Shin saw a gigantic stone pillar blocking out the sky, descending toward him with enough force to crush everything beneath it.

The Heavenly Dominator was gripping the enormous pillar with both hands, wielding it like a gigantic cudgel. It seemed to have turned the massive stone formation into its primary weapon.

BOOM!

The air exploded as the gigantic cudgel came crashing down, unleashing powerful shockwaves in every direction.

Shin could feel the terrifying force behind the strike. Judging by its sheer destructive power, the attack seemed capable of leveling the entire battlefield upon impact.

Realizing the danger, Shin didn’t dare face it head-on, especially given the sheer size of the gigantic stone cudgel.

Swoosh!

A spatial tear suddenly appeared behind him, and Shin stepped through it without the slightest hesitation.

’Elemental Skill (Void): Void Steps’

With his current mastery of elemental powers, the original five-meter range of Void Steps had increased considerably, allowing him to cover a much greater distance. This made escaping the effective range of the incoming strike considerably easier.

BOOOOM!

Nevertheless, a terrifying explosion erupted as the gigantic stone cudgel smashed into the desert floor, destroying a massive portion of the stone forest and blasting everything within its effective range to pieces.

The shockwave generated by the impact was so powerful that it sent everything in its path flying, including the countless fragments of shattered stone formations.

Even Solfang and Caroline, who had originally been trapped within the stone forest, were caught in the shockwave and sent flying.

Meanwhile, after reappearing at a different location, Shin couldn’t help but wear a grim expression as he witnessed the destruction caused by that single strike from the Heavenly Dominator.

However, before he could fully process the devastation before him, he saw the Heavenly Dominator raise its stone cudgel once again and begin swinging it toward him.

SWOOSH!

"Does it plan to swing that thing around this time?" Shin couldn’t help but suppress a twitch in his face as he realized what the Heavenly Dominator was planning.

Judging by its latest actions, Shin could tell that the boss’s attack patterns had changed once again. This time, it seemed to have decided to wield a weapon to deal with its opponents.

Realizing the predicament he was in, Shin knew that he had to change his approach as well.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Shin suddenly split into multiple phantoms, which scattered in every direction.

’Phantom Series: Movement Technique – Phantom Dance’

The phantoms didn’t simply scatter to evade the incoming stone cudgel. Instead, several of them also flew directly toward the Heavenly Dominator, seemingly preparing to launch a counterattack.

Each phantom moved independently, executing different techniques and sword movements as they approached the monster from multiple angles.

Meanwhile, Shin, having just evaded the stone cudgel, released the Elemental Spirit Possession and sword form of the weapon in his left hand, returning [Permafrost] to its original sheath form.

He then swiftly executed a series of sword movements, constantly switching places with his phantoms as they surrounded the Heavenly Dominator.

’Phantom Series: Attack Method – Phantom Execution’

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

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