Chapter 298: Summons Sealed? Then I’ll Kill It Myself[2]

Rumble!

A violent surge of black blue energy suddenly erupted beneath the Guardian’s feet, blasting the solid ground apart in an instant. Countless fragments of stone shot outward with the raging shockwave as the terrifying impact swept across nearly the entire battlefield.

The sudden explosion failed to directly destroy the Guardian’s heavy black armor, but the tremendous force still ripped its massive body off the ground. Thrown completely off balance, it flew sideways and slammed heavily into the already ruined black stone pillar.

Bang!

The instant the Guardian crashed into the pillar, before it could even regain its footing, Zich detonated the first Spirit Bomb he had planted beforehand among the rubble on the opposite side.

Boom!

A second burst of black blue energy erupted from the exact opposite direction.

With the two shockwaves striking from both sides, the already cracked pillar was caught between the Guardian’s armored body and the explosion. At last, it exceeded the limit of what it could withstand.

Crack!

A piercing fracture echoed across the battlefield as the upper half of the stone pillar broke apart and came crashing down with a heavy whistle through the air.

The Guardian had only just regained its footing when the massive broken section slammed directly onto its shoulder. The terrifying weight forced its knees to buckle, driving half its body toward the ground.

By then, Zich was already upon it.

Frostgrave Scythe swept upward from below in a cold arc, once again striking precisely the same spot on the Guardian’s waist.

Clang!

That section of black armor had already endured several strikes from Frostgrave and concentrated attacks from Blood Arc. It finally reached its limit.

Dense cracks rapidly spread across the surface before the armor shattered completely.

"ROAR!"

A deep, agonized roar escaped the Guardian.

One hand braced against the enormous stone pillar pressing down on its shoulder, and tremendous strength erupted from its body as it actually began forcing the entire broken pillar upward inch by inch. Large chunks of rubble rolled down its back while the ground beneath its feet continued to fracture under the immense pressure.

But Zich had never expected the pillar to kill it.

The trap had only ever served one purpose: to temporarily restrict the Guardian’s movements and buy him enough time to get close.

And now, the real killing move he had prepared had finally reached the perfect position.

The final Spirit Bomb appeared in Zich’s left hand.

Without the slightest hesitation, he rushed directly into the Guardian’s attack range. Taking advantage of the fact that its other hand was still not completely free, he violently shoved the sphere of surging black blue energy into the opening he had carved through the armor at its waist!

Sizzle!

The Spirit Bomb scraped against the broken metal edges.

Zich exerted even more force through his arm, driving it deeper until the entire Spirit Bomb was firmly lodged inside the armor.

The Guardian quickly released the pillar and raised its fist to smash him. But Zich kicked off the ground and shot backward.

The moment that heavy black armored fist began to descend, he detonated the Spirit Bomb.

BOOM!

The Guardian’s raised fist suddenly froze in midair.

In the next instant, violent black blue energy erupted directly from inside its armor, completely engulfing its massive body.

A terrifying shockwave swept across the entire circular battlefield. Countless fragments of stone were hurled into the air, and even after Zich landed, the residual force pushed him backward several steps. Only after violently driving the end of his scythe into the ground did he finally stabilize himself.

Thick clouds of dust rapidly spread across the battlefield, obscuring visibility.

As the dust gradually settled, the black armor covering the Guardian’s waist, chest, and abdomen had been completely destroyed by the Spirit Bomb that had exploded from within.

Its body swayed slightly beneath the broken pillar, seemingly still trying to remain standing.

But in the next moment, the last remnants of strength within its body finally disappeared.

Boom!

The Guardian’s enormous body crashed heavily to the ground.

Pale cracks appeared across the surface of its black armor and rapidly spread over its entire body. Then, its massive form completely disintegrated, transforming into countless tiny motes of light that slowly rose into the air before disappearing from the battlefield.

However, even after the Guardian had completely vanished, the restriction on contracted summoning that enveloped the entire trial space remained in effect.

[Twentieth Floor Trial Completed.]

[Trial Evaluation: SSS.]

Only when the trial evaluation appeared did the space ahead begin to slowly distort.

A brilliant teleportation portal gradually took shape.

Zich pulled Frostgrave Scythe from the ground and casually rested it across his shoulder. There wasn’t the slightest trace of frustration in his eyes over being unable to use his summons.

If anything, this battle had allowed him to confirm through genuine combat something Razeil had once taught him during training.

A Spirit Summoner could never forget that they were also part of their own combat system.

His survivability, combat judgment, positioning, and ability to create opportunities were all essential parts of keeping that entire system functioning smoothly.

Even if every one of his contracted summons was prevented from entering the battlefield, the resources stored within the Graveyard, the skills he had already mastered, and the experience he had accumulated through countless battles still belonged to him.

"Looks like I’ll have to reserve some resources for strengthening myself."

Having made his decision, Zich did not linger any longer.

With Frostgrave Scythe resting across his shoulder, he walked straight into the teleportation portal leading to the Twenty First Floor.

....

Outside the Heaven Reaching Trial Tower.

The dark gold words on the black monument remained unchanged.

[First Place: Zich Grave, Twentieth Floor.]

The plaza was still crowded, but the atmosphere had gradually grown tense.

Zich’s recent progression had been so fast that many observers had barely finished reacting to one change before the monument displayed another. This time, however, the light did not immediately rise again.

Conversations grew quieter as more people noticed it.

Some stared at the Twentieth Floor ranking with renewed hope that Zich’s rapid advance had finally reached its limit. Others watched with growing tension, unwilling to look away in case the monument changed while they were distracted.

Arthur stood at the front of the plaza, his gaze fixed on Zich’s name, a small light shining in his eyes.

"Did he finally hit a bottleneck?"

Another couple of minutes passed just like that, and the crowd became increasingly restless.

At the same time, the other competitors were slowly advancing as well, gradually closing the distance between themselves and the top spot.

Then suddenly, there was a change in the rankings, but it was not just any change.

What happened next left everyone speechless.