Chapter 434 - 414: Mortal Combat

Chapter 434: Chapter 414: Mortal Combat

The Force Field Net twisted and warped violently. After holding on for just a brief moment, it was brutally torn apart like a piece of silk, a massive hole ripped through its center by the blood-colored Sword Qi.

The remaining Sword Qi continued onward with unstoppable momentum, hurtling into the distance. It sliced several surviving giant trees in half, the cuts as smooth as mirrors, and they came crashing down.

As for the most lethal ray from the Dissociation Technique, it was left completely exposed. With the other attacks instantly destroyed and cleared away by the blood-colored Sword Qi, it had lost all its cover and support.

Facing this solitary ray, Roland didn’t even need to make any drastic evasive maneuvers.

He simply tilted his head slightly. The grayish-green ray, powerful enough to bring Annihilation, grazed past his ear and vanished into the Darkness behind him.

Without bothering to see how Corellon reacted to his earth-shattering strike, Roland fought through the tearing pain and numbness in his right arm from the overexertion and thrust it high into the air.

Within his cold, amber, vertical pupils, an even more blinding light erupted—an intertwining of silver-blue and blood-red electricity.

Dragon’s Breath!

This was different from the first time, when he had unleashed it unknowingly in a desperate situation, an act that had nearly drained all his Power and Life Energy.

Although his body was far from fully recovered from the terrifying burden of the last Dragon’s Breath—meaning the amount of Thunder Power he could now muster was far less than before and its might was greatly reduced—the experience of that soul-tearing release had seared the path of that power into his very bloodline. Guiding and condensing the Energy had become exceptionally smooth and swift.

BZZZT!

A piercing crackle of electricity replaced the silent gathering of Energy.

Countless fine, silver-blue arcs of lightning, like summoned frenzied serpents, burst forth from the gaps between the Dark Gold Dragon Scales all over his body, converging madly on his raised right arm.

The Blood-colored Fighting Spirit had not dissipated. Instead, it intertwined and coiled with this newborn Thunder Power, dyeing the arcs of electricity dancing around the blade with an ominous, blood-red halo.

The thick smell of ozone filled the air as a gale spontaneously whipped up around Roland, whipping at his tattered robes and blood-stained hair.

In the small area of sky above his head, light began to distort and dim, as if a miniature thundercloud was rapidly forming before his very eyes.

The entire process was completed almost in the instant he raised his sword, unbelievably fast. It completely lacked the sluggishness of the first time, which had required a long charge-up period and had nearly given his enemy a chance to interrupt.

Although this hastily gathered Dragon’s Breath lacked power, its strength lay in its surprise and its lightning speed.

At this moment, the tip of the Moonlight Longsword seemed to have transformed into a lightning rod.

A sphere of ball lightning had already formed—a highly compressed, intertwining mass of silver-blue and blood-red, writhing with violent internal energy reactions. It emitted a scalp-numbing hum and an aura of Destruction, ready to be unleashed!

When that highly compressed sphere of ball lightning, interwoven with silver-blue and blood-red, formed at the tip of Roland’s sword and radiated a pure, berserk aura of Destruction...

...for the first time, a clear fluctuation of "emotion" appeared in the star-filled eyes of Corellon, who had maintained a transcendent and aloof posture until now.

A faint trace of surprise and...

’Recognition?’

"Thunder Power from an ancient Dragon Descendant bloodline... Not a bad Power."

His voice was still steady, as if he were appraising a work of art.

However, upon closer inspection, one could see an extremely subtle pause in the smooth flow of Divine Power around him, and his flawless figure had tensed imperceptibly.

Clearly, this Dragon’s Breath—gathered with unexpected speed and possessing an exceptionally high-tier nature—made it impossible for him to dismiss it as he had before.

Roland turned a deaf ear to Corellon’s assessment.

At this moment, he poured all his Spirit, will, and remaining Power into this single strike.

"HRAAAGH!"

With a roar that sounded like it would tear his throat apart, he flung his raised right arm forward.

The ball lightning broke free from the tip of his sword.

It did not fly in a straight line. Instead, like a living storm core, it trailed countless dancing arcs of electricity and shot toward Corellon with a shriek that promised Annihilation.

After throwing this strike, which contained all his current power, the boiling Blood-colored Fighting Spirit and Dragonification features around Roland receded like a fast-ebbing tide.

An intense wave of exhaustion swept over him instantly, making him so unsteady he could barely stand. He had to use the Moonlight Longsword to prop himself up.

His chest heaved violently as he gasped for breath, finding it incredibly difficult to even lift his arm.

Facing this roaring Thunderbolt, Corellon finally stopped relying solely on combinations of Magic and interference with his Authority.

He pressed his hands forward in the air, and layers of barriers made of Divine Power, each imbued with the meaning of a different Rule, were instantly constructed.

A verdant Guardian of life, a silvery-white bulwark of Order, a dark curtain of Shadow...

Layer upon layer, they formed the strongest of Shields.

BOOM!

The ball lightning slammed viciously into this composite Divine Power barrier!

There was no instantaneous explosion. Instead, it ground to a suffocating stalemate.

It was as if sound itself had ceased to function in that moment.

The berserk, silver-blue and blood-red lightning was like countless frenzied pythons, madly tearing at and corroding the layers of barriers, unleashing a deafening, continuous series of explosions.

The Divine Power barriers, in turn, fluctuated violently, twisting and flickering in and out of existence.

Tiny Rule Fragments were constantly being torn apart and vaporized by the lightning, but new Divine Power surged swiftly from Corellon’s body to repair the defenses.

For a moment, lightning and divine radiance clashed. The shockwaves from the turbulent Energy spread outward in rings, carving several more feet off the ground.

Corellon’s hovering figure drifted back slightly under the impact of the lightning.

Although the Divine Power barrier before him was not directly breached, it rippled ceaselessly like a lake with a Giant Stone thrown into it. He was clearly not having an easy time.

Just as the collision of Energy reached its peak intensity, with both sides’ powers grinding against each other and falling into a delicate balance...

WHOOSH!

A supremely sharp sound of something slicing through the air suddenly rang out.

It was an Arrow.

Its entire body was a vibrant, incomparably pure green, brimming with vigorous life, as if condensed from the purest Natural Energy.

As if teleporting, it ignored all the turbulent Energy in its path and shot with unerring precision toward the most intense, most unstable node of Corellon’s Divine Power barrier—the very point where it was struggling against the impact of the Dragon’s Breath!

The timing of this Arrow was perfect down to the smallest fraction of a second, its angle unbelievably cunning!

CRACK!

An extremely faint, yet crystal-clear cracking sound echoed on the level of the soul.

The balance was broken!

The next moment, freed from the barrier’s restraint, the terrifying energy accumulated within the ball lightning finally erupted completely!

BOOOOM!

An unprecedented, massive roar swallowed all other sounds.

A blinding flash of lightning, like an exploding supernova, instantly engulfed Corellon’s figure.

Endless arcs of electricity shot out wildly in all directions, turning that patch of sky into a pure Purgatory of lightning.

It was as if space itself was twisting and shattering amidst the ultimate light and Energy.