Chapter 1287 - 580: Entering Phase Two

Chapter 1287: Chapter 580: Entering Phase Two

Although he is nominally a Paladin, always... Night is his true domain.

"Let me give you a little reminder."

Herbert’s voice became cold and focused, he slowly lowered his center of gravity, casually reaching into the shadows beside him with his right hand, and pulled out a heavy sword of silver-gray, shrouded in a faint lunar glow.

The heavy sword seemed to be condensed from the night itself, grasped directly in his hand.

"This is when the real battle finally begins."

And at the moment Herbert took his stance, the Legion Commander’s heart, which had long stopped beating, suddenly twitched!

The starting posture, the angle of the heavy sword pointing obliquely, the refined aura emanating from him...

The Legion Commander couldn’t be mistaken.

What the opponent displayed was clearly the unique combat skills style he’d honed for thousands of years, imprinted deep within his soul!

Even at some subtle flaws he hadn’t noticed, formed from long-standing habits, the opponent made more perfect and fitting adjustments.

This feeling was like looking into a distorted mirror, reflecting another self.

!!?

A chill originating from deep within the soul instantly swept through the Legion Commander’s will.

"Impossible!"

He growled, suppressing the terror within his heart, said no more, and with a raise of his giant sword, launched another ferocious attack!

"This is impossible!"

The same tempered, infinitely complex murderous swordsmanship.

However, this time, Herbert’s response was entirely different!

"Nothing is impossible."

He no longer engaged in circles using Paladin’s techniques to dodge, nor did he use fists and legs to collide, but chose direct retaliation.

Herbert chuckled lightly, countered with the same sword stance.

"Your swordsmanship is excellent, but now... it’s mine."

An eye for an eye, sword versus sword!

Clang!

The silver-gray heavy sword and the dark giant sword collided wildly in the night, the booming sound never ceasing.

Bang!

The sparks were no longer dazzling gold but intertwined silver white and dark red death fire flying.

Just as the Legion Commander expected, the balance of the battle tipped after sunset — but he guessed the wrong direction.

Unlike the probing mutual harrying of the day, now the battle was entirely Herbert pressing the Legion Commander.

His sword strikes faster, combat skills more refined, power even greater!

Aside from slightly prevailing in terms of realm, the Legion Commander was entirely retreating, with little room for counterattack.

"This cannot be..."

More suffocating than having his years of magic power combat skills replicated and taken was the opponent’s combat awareness.

Herbert seemed to be a different person altogether, not only were his actions seasoned, but he could always anticipate the Legion Commander’s next move.

Every feint of his was seen through, every killing attack precisely intercepted at the least forceful node, every burst of power crashing into what felt like an indestructible wall.

Herbert’s usage clearly was analyzed and optimized using the "Knowledge Snake Eye", the combat style belonging to the Legion Commander himself.

And this was not mere imitation, but incorporated with his own combat style and rhythm!

This was no longer learning; it was dissecting, surpassing.

Using the Legion Commander’s proudest skills against him.

"Struggle as best you can."

In a straightforward power clash, Herbert’s icy voice reached the Legion Commander’s ears.

Immediately, an overwhelming force far exceeding the combined explosiveness of the Powers of the Sun and the mysterious lunar power surged forth from the gray heavy sword like a flood breaking its banks!

Pow!

The Legion Commander’s massive figure was like being hit by a launched shell, uncontrollably knocked flying, crashing through three dilapidated fortress walls before barely stopping amidst the swirling dust.

The Spirit Body brought waves of phantom pain, a sign that the Soul Core had been shaken.

He kneeled on one knee, using the giant sword to support himself, looking incredulously at the figure slowly emerging from the dust, bathed in moonlight.

Herbert rested the heavy sword behind him, walked leisurely, the Silver Moon Holy Mark shining on his brow, watching the Heroic Spirit in the ruins from afar with indifference.

He looked at his opponent’s miserable state and slowly shook his head, his calm voice drifting across the battlefield.

"Have you not awakened yet?"

"Is it merely so-called [Destiny] that has sustained you until now?"

Under the night sky, bathed in moonlight, the Paladin whispered softly, trying to provoke the enemy’s spirit.

"Recall what truly matters, or else you absolutely have no right to continue facing me."

"If this is the real you... how disappointingly sad."

In the end, that sigh of regret without sarcasm, like the final deciphering incantation, harshly broke the Legion Commander’s last psychological defense.

He was pitied.

Moreover, this was mercy from an enemy.

The Legion Commander was furious; he wanted to roar in rage.

But all the roars were stuck in his throat.

At this moment, Herbert’s earlier question during the battle, "Is victory what you truly desire?" intertwined with the incomprehensible reality before him, stirring up a massive wave within his soul.

What made him persist until now... was it really just the prophecy of destiny?

The "destiny" that supported him was collapsing!

If, if the opponent was not even the Apostle of Calamity, then what was the meaning of his persistence, his sacrifice, and the "purification" he led the legion towards?!

The "basis" he relied on for revenge seemed so ridiculous!

"You... who exactly are you?!"

The Heroic Spirit painfully knelt on the ground, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

Herbert looked at the trembling soul with pity in his eyes, not answering directly, but continuing to wield the sword of words, cutting down his last pillar.

"Recall it."

He said:

"The regret in your heart when abandoned by others."

"That regret, not arising from deception by others, but from one’s own powerlessness and negligence, the most pure regret."

Herbert, dragging a heavy sword behind him, appeared like an immortal exiled to the mortal world under the illumination of the moonlight, devoid of any earthly aura.

He looked pityingly at the violently trembling Legion Commander, softly asking: "Have you not forgiven yourself yet?"

"Do you still resent the self that survived?"

"Look at yourself now, in this state, do you really have the right to continue resenting?"

Crack.

A light sound suddenly came from the battlefield, as if something had shattered.

"Shut up! Shut up!! Shut up!!!"

The Legion Commander, who was trembling in pain just a moment ago, suddenly let out a heart-wrenching soul roar, stood up abruptly, interrupting Herbert.

"Stop talking!"

He couldn’t listen; he didn’t dare to listen!

If even this regret was negated, then what was the point of the thousands of years??

"No, no, no... no!"

A dark red energy like flames out of control gushed from the gaps in the Legion Commander’s armor, quickly engulfing his entire body.

"I will not fall..."

His once icy blue Soul Fire transformed into a violent dark red, like the final struggle of a man at death’s door.

He had once helped Julia escape this state of being out of control, but now, he no longer resisted, allowing the madness to engulf him.

"Before getting an answer..."

"Ahhhh——"

The Legion Commander wasn’t transforming into this form for the first time, but revealing his true form.

As early as thousands of years ago, on that day of destruction, he had already turned into this hideous state.

Usually, he relied on willpower to forcefully seal and suppress the madness within his heart.

But now... all past efforts were in vain.

His aura soared at this moment, quickly exceeding several times the previous level, with raging flames of anger sweeping through the entire fortress ruins, engulfing the crumbling walls.

In the process, he became even more berserk, almost completely losing his sanity.

The remaining will only made him repeat one sentence amid chaos.

"I will not fall!"

The roar echoed through the heavens and earth, reverberating far and wide into the mist.

"I will not fall!!!"

Watching the Legion Commander erupt as if self-destructing, Herbert felt the increasingly powerful aura, yet not only was he not tense, he even revealed a satisfied smile.

The smile carried a hint of relief, a touch of appreciation, and an anticipation as if he had finally awaited this moment.

"Hehe."

Herbert watched the Legion Commander successfully forced into the "second phase", inhaled deeply with satisfaction, then slowly exhaled, gently sighed: "Yes, just like that."

"Let me see the real you..."

"If you’re worthy of my special attention."

.

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