Chapter 281 - 279: Slaying the Black Bear

Chapter 281: Chapter 279: Slaying the Black Bear

Duane’s action startled everyone.

They hadn’t expected their Lord to be so valiant, charging into the horde of Demon Beasts all by himself.

But the scene that followed left them even more astounded.

All they saw was Duane condensing his Fighting Qi into a suit of Armor. The Long Spear in his hand became a divine weapon of slaughter; with a seemingly gentle thrust, it pierced straight through a Demon Beast’s skull, sending the creature flying.

"ROAR!"

The giant bear roared, its massive maw gaping open. The sheer power behind the sound was terrifying. At the same time, a jet-black beam of light shot toward Duane as fast as lightning.

"Bring it on!"

Far from being panicked, Duane was actually excited. ’Let’s see which is stronger—your attack, or my Rainbow Piercing!’

High-Pressure Fighting Qi gathered at the tip of his spear. As he thrust the Long Spear forward, a thunderous beam of light erupted from it.

The Rainbow Piercing Strike tore through the dim world, ripped through the giant bear’s attack, and slammed viciously into its body.

The giant bear’s massive body had a tough hide and thick flesh, giving it extremely strong defenses. The aftershock of the Rainbow Piercing merely tore off a layer of its skin.

It staggered back several steps, making the ground tremble.

Fear flickered in the giant bear’s eyes. But with nowhere to retreat, it could only slap the ground, commanding the other Demon Beasts to charge into the fray.

The fastest among them was the Long-armed Ape.

Perhaps because of their two previous encounters, the Long-armed Ape immediately tried to soften the ground beneath Duane’s feet to summon a swamp.

’If I let you pull that off again, it’ll be my failure!’

The Warhorse whinnied and leaped, crossing dozens of meters in an instant.

"Earth Shaking!"

Duane slammed his Long Spear downward, using it to execute a Celestial Tier Staff Combat Technique.

A torrent of power poured down from the sky, crashing onto the Long-armed Ape. In that instant, the ground beneath its feet ruptured, and a massive shockwave radiated outward, sending all the nearby Demon Beasts flying.

The Long-armed Ape had no time to resist before more than half of its body was driven into the ground.

And at that moment, a Long Spear plunged straight down from above, piercing through its head.

The Level 6 Demon Beast that had twice escaped from Duane’s grasp died instantly.

This whole sequence of events, though slow to describe, took place in just a few seconds.

By the time Lune and the others could react, the Level 6 Demon Beast they had been worried about containing was already dead.

It was only then that Lune, who had watched the entire tournament, finally understood. This was Duane’s true power.

If he had used these techniques in the tournament, forget Tara or Orisien—anyone who faced him would have been killed.

"So strong... He’s just so strong!"

If Lune had previously followed Duane out of consideration for his grandfather and father, he was now filled with nothing but reverence for the young Lord.

Respect for strength was a sentiment shared by all Warriors.

"Charge!"

"Let’s show the Lord what we’re made of!"

Lune raised his Longsword, his Fighting Qi surging.

The three squads split off in three directions, plunging into the tide of beasts and beginning the most frenzied slaughter of their lives.

"PFFT!"

Gaius lopped off a long snake’s head. He was a newcomer compared to Raymond, but an old-timer compared to Lune.

Though he usually preferred to follow orders passively, he didn’t want to be outshone now—least of all by these other Advanced Warriors.

His mindset had changed considerably by now.

While he still lacked foresight and initiative in some matters, he comforted himself with one thought: following a Lord like Duane and properly carrying out his orders was the right path.

"Theodore, don’t stray too far from Gaius. Lord Manny, stay closer to me. Don’t get separated from the group."

Unlike Gaius, Raymond took the initiative to make his own arrangements within the framework of the mission Duane had assigned.

It was a skill he had developed from his recent experience leading the squad.

As for Simone, being reunited with his family filled him with fighting spirit.

However, after Duane’s reminder, he had reined in his recklessness, keeping an eye on his squad members even as he fought.

Lune’s gaze swept over the three squads, and he felt reassured.

’As expected of men who have followed the Lord for so long! They’re all quite strong, with even more combat experience than us.’

His gaze locked onto a Long-armed Ape. It seemed to be a Level 5 Demon Beast, and Clint and Ross were struggling to handle it.

Without hesitation, Lune charged forward to help.

Meanwhile, Duane had already forced the Black Bear to the edge of the large crater.

Under Duane’s fierce onslaught, the ten-meter-tall behemoth was gradually losing its ability to fight back.

’And here I thought it was something special. Turns out it’s just a Level 7 Demon Beast.’

Duane cast the Rapid Speed spell on himself. Combined with his Swift Step, his movements left a trail of afterimages.

The bear’s massive paws swiped left and right, hitting nothing but air. Its attacks tore up the ground but left Duane completely unscathed.

The Black Bear seemed to know it couldn’t drag the fight out any longer. It resorted to its old trick, trying to trap Duane in the Illusion Realm created by the Ancient God’s Whisper.

That way, it might be able to negotiate a truce and buy itself some time to recover.

To its horror, the technique had no effect on Duane whatsoever. Instead, as it was casting the spell, Duane seized the opportunity. His spear tore open its hide, exposing raw flesh and sending blood spraying into the air.

"Die!"

Duane became a phantom, appearing behind his opponent and preparing to run it through the head with Rainbow Piercing.

But just at that moment, an earthy-yellow halo of light appeared, radiating thirty meters out from the Black Bear.

VMMMMM~

Immense gravity suddenly pressed down on Duane, causing him to stagger and nearly fall. The attack he had been building came to an abrupt halt.

The few Demon Beasts near the Black Bear were flattened against the ground. Several were even crushed to death, their bones shattered and organs ruptured by the immense pressure.

"So this is the so-called Gravity Technique? I didn’t expect you to have a trick like this up your sleeve!"

As the giant bear swung a paw back at him, Duane used the Spatial Compression Power of his Pupil of Collapse to partially counteract the effects of the Gravity Technique.

Seizing that brief opening, he used Bursting Impact to leap out of the Gravity Technique’s area of effect.

Seeing Duane escape the range of the Gravity Technique, a hint of despair appeared in the Black Bear’s eyes.

It had cast that spell by forcibly overdrawing its Spirit. Regardless of its effectiveness, the bear’s condition would plummet as a result.

And now, with the human unharmed, it had no hope of winning the ensuing fight.

’Run!’

It was the only thought in its mind.

It was loath to abandon this place of recovery, but there was no other choice.

Survival was all that mattered now.

THUD, THUD, THUD...

The earth trembled with every step the Black Bear took, and the tremendous commotion was a huge morale boost for the Warriors.

They knew their Lord had won his battle; the great beast was fleeing.

A victorious smile appeared on Duane’s face. "You’re fast, but not as fast as my Warhorse."

He resummoned his Warhorse and gave chase. In less than half a minute, he was riding neck and neck with the beast.

"A Demon Core with a Gravity Technique Spell Model is incredibly precious. It’s mine!"

The cornered giant bear thrashed about, charging left and right. The energy roiling around it was wild, and its attacks had lost all form.

But Duane remained perfectly steady, refusing to advance rashly. He continued to make the creature bleed, inflicting one wound after another, making the great beast weaker and weaker.

Finally...

Carrying immense force, the Long Spear plunged into the Black Bear’s massive eye, shot out from the back of its head, and pierced straight through its brain, ending its life.

As if it had fulfilled its purpose, the Long Spear snapped in two upon hitting the ground.

[Congratulations. You have slain a Level 7 Ancient God Incarnation. Attribute points +5]

Hmm?

Duane froze.

Last time, in the Illusion Realm, the Ancient God’s Whisper had tried to make him submit.

He had thought the Black Bear was communicating with some kind of "soul" native to this world.

Now, it seemed it was the Black Bear’s own ability.

’Ancient God Incarnation?’

Duane’s brow furrowed. ’Could it be that the will of this Secret Realm attaches itself to the creatures it affects, possessing the strongest individuals?’

He speculated, vaguely sensing that there was something extraordinary about this harmful Secret Realm. Perhaps an even greater crisis lay hidden within.

He glanced back at the battlefield. His side clearly had the advantage.

’I can’t worry about that right now. At least for the moment, the crisis in this Secret Realm is almost over.’