Chapter 782: A Worthy Opponent [Part 1]

Charles was both Alex and Renard’s friend.

In fact, Charles might even be the very first friend Renard had made since he started opening up to people.

This was why they were both very angry when their friend tried to kill his girlfriend without hesitation under the influence of the Synchronization Rate.

After all, they knew how much Charles loved Nessia and vice versa.

For the Synchronization Rate to do something so evil as using Charles to kill his own lover was unforgivable.

It went beyond their bottom line.

The first exchange was enough for Alex and Renard to understand that the current Charles was very strong.

So strong that the two of them combined wouldn’t be enough to beat him.

Fortunately, they were not the only ones fighting.

As both of them charged toward their opponent, Latifa, Evangeline, Vaan, and Fran also charged in different directions, encircling the dark knight at the center.

Then, Alex summoned countless magical shields, unleashing them like missiles toward his target.

Charles shattered them easily with his two swords, but all according to Alex’s plan.

Vaan was the very first to clash with Charles. He was riding on a chariot pulled by two flying horses.

The horses stomped on Charles, while Vaan thrusted his spear to break past the Dark Knight’s defenses.

Both horses were pierced by swords, but Vaan’s spear connected.

He had purposely sacrificed his mounts. Anyway, they weren’t really living beings. Instead, they were made up of energy, so he could simply manifest them again if needed.

The metallic ring it produced as it tried to pierce through Charles’ armor created sparks. Yet, all it did was push the Dark Knight back a few steps.

It was then that Fran finally appeared within striking range, unleashing a deadly kick on Charles’ calf.

The Dark Knight’s knees buckled because of it, losing his balance.

"This is for Nessia!" Evangeline was also enraged after seeing Charles attempt to kill her friend.

At the moment, the vampire lady was holding a crimson ball of light that was the size of an adult human’s head. She then smashed it directly onto Charles’ chest, which sent him flying in Latifa’s direction.

The fox lady had summoned dozens of purple fireballs around her.

These purple fireballs then merged into one as Latifa hurled it at the Dark Knight, who was unable to block her attack mid-air.

A thunderous explosion soon boomed across the battlefield as Latifa’s attack connected.

Charles tumbled several meters on the ground due to the impact of the Fire Blast that directly hit his body.

None of them had held back and were truly trying to hit him with their strongest attack.

The thought of Charles dying from their direct blows didn’t even cross their minds. It was clear in their mind that if they didn’t fight seriously, the ones who would suffer were them.

And they were right.

Alex and Renard, who had already prepared to unleash a shield bash and another full-powered punch at the fallen enemy respectively, suddenly canceled their attacks and immediately retreated.

A second later, a powerful shockwave erupted from Charles’ body, sending rocks and dirt flying in every direction.

Alex and Renard were caught in the aftermath, but they had backed away just in time.

The blast only pushed them back slightly, allowing both young men to regain their footing and land safely on the ground.

A crimson aura then flared around Charles’ body as the red glow on the eye sockets of his armor intensified.

"Be careful!" Alex warned his friends. "He’s entering his Phase 2!"

"Phase 2?" Vaan blinked. "What’s that?"

"J-Just think of him getting stronger all of a sudden!" Alex had forgotten that his friends didn’t know about these game terms, so he simply made up an excuse on the spot.

Suddenly, the Dark Knight locked his gaze in Alex’s direction.

In response, Alex immediately felt all the hairs on his body standing on end, raising his shield right in front of him.

"Shield Char—aarghh!"

Before his skill could fully activate, the young man felt an impact on his shield that blasted him away.

It was like getting hit by a speeding truck where the only thing you could do was brace the impact.

The reason why Alex used Shield Charge was that he wanted to counterattack his opponent, but it failed.

The reason was very simple.

Charles was stronger and faster than him!

Alex rolled on the ground several times until he slammed against a tree, stopping him in place.

His left arm felt numb, and he was unable to move it properly.

Just as he was about to force himself to stand up, he saw Renard only a few meters away from him.

Alex braced himself and caught his friend, who had been kicked away by Charles in his direction.

The young man successfully caught Renard. However, doing so caused him to be slammed against the tree behind him a second time.

"Oww..." Alex groaned while Renard slipped away from his fingers.

Blood seeped out of the corner of Renard’s lips. However, he simply wiped it away with the back of his hand.

Sure, his chest hurt, but he wasn’t someone who liked to complain to anyone about his suffering.

In the meantime, Fran, Evangeline, Latifa, and Vaan all worked together to keep Charles at bay, combining their fighting prowess.

But even that wasn’t enough to stop his advance.

"Alex, I’m going to try something," Renard said. "We can’t beat him using our own power, so I’ve decided to give it a try."

"What are you planning to do?" Alex asked.

Renard glanced at him before shifting his attention back to Charles. "I’m going to get some help."

Alex thought that Renard would ask the elven soldiers to lend them a hand. Though, it didn’t take long for him to realize what Renard was talking about.

The young man’s presence completely changed as the aura surrounding his body became sharper and denser.

"Oh... it has been a while since I’ve seen a worthy opponent."

Out of nowhere, Renard began speaking in a way far different from his usual self.

His tone now sounded like a dignified warrior who had traveled the world to fight stronger opponents.

"Renard?" Alex asked. "Is that you?"

The man before Alex gave him a sidelong glance before shifting his attention toward Charles.

"I do not know who this Renard is that you speak of," the man replied. "In any case, that is not my name."

The young man then removed the gauntlets on his hands and tossed them to the side like they were hindrances to his fighting style.

"I go by the name Antaeus," Antaeus said. "Remember it, and remember it well."

After introducing himself, Renard ran toward Charles, who managed to grab hold of Vaan’s spear and threw it away alongside its owner.

Because of that, Vaan crashed against several trees before coming to a complete stop.

It was then that the ground suddenly shook, forcing Charles to look in Renard’s direction.

Every step that Antaeus took made the land quake as if he were an earthquake personified.

Charles raised his fist to punch the newcomer, and Renard did the same.

The two sides collided, and soon, the ground underneath their feet gave way, forming a crater.

A second later, Charles was knocked off his feet, overpowered by Antaeus’ punch.

Alex, Fran, Evangeline, and Latifa could only look on in shock as the enemy that was beating them one-sidedly earlier was blown away by Renard, who had surrendered himself to the influence of the Synchronization Rate.