Chapter 560: Clash of Sin

Meanwhile, on the other side of the chamber, the battle between Adam and Lento was becoming increasingly intense.

BOOM!

A massive fist slammed into the ground, sending fragments of stone flying in every direction.

Adam shifted his body to avoid the impact, but the shockwave still swept across his legs, forcing him to slide several meters backward.

Lento immediately followed.

"HAHAHA! WHAT’S WRONG?! IS THAT ALL YOU’VE GOT?!"

His crimson aura surged violently around his enormous frame. The Nemean Cestus covering his fists had grown even more menacing, with its jagged protrusions resembling the claws of a monstrous lion.

Adam narrowed his eyes.

’He’s getting stronger.’

He had already noticed the changes.

Every exchange made Lento’s physical strength increase. His movements were becoming faster, his punches heavier, and even the pressure released by his aura was gradually intensifying.

Lento suddenly lunged forward, swinging his right fist toward Adam’s head.

Adam tilted his upper body aside.

The massive fist passed within inches of his face, creating a powerful gust that swept his hair backward.

Before Lento could retract his arm, Adam stepped forward and struck his exposed ribs with his elbow.

THUD!

Lento’s body shifted slightly, but he barely seemed bothered.

Instead, he immediately swung his other fist.

Adam raised his forearm to block.

BOOM!

The impact sent him sliding backward again.

A few of his scales cracked beneath the tremendous force before rapidly regenerating.

Lento laughed.

"HAHA! YOU’RE GETTING SLOWER!"

Adam glanced at him.

"Are you sure about that?"

He casually shook his arm, checking the damage.

’His strength has increased considerably. But his fighting style...’

Adam’s eyes followed Lento’s movements.

There was no complicated swordsmanship, no elaborate combination of techniques, and certainly no attempt to conceal his intentions.

Lento fought like a wild beast.

He relied on overwhelming physical strength, aggressive charges, and powerful consecutive strikes. Whenever he found an opening, he would immediately attempt to crush his opponent with everything he had.

His movements were rough and sometimes excessive.

But that didn’t mean they were ineffective.

Quite the opposite.

With Endless Battle continuously increasing his physical attributes, even those reckless attacks had become increasingly dangerous.

However, Adam was beginning to recognize the patterns behind them.

’He favors his right hand when initiating an attack. When his opponent retreats, he tends to follow with his left. And whenever he misses, he relies on his momentum to force another attack rather than properly recovering his stance.’

Adam’s eyes narrowed slightly.

’His fighting style is crude, but his instincts are surprisingly good.’

Lento roared and charged again.

"DIE!"

His right fist came down like a falling boulder.

Adam stepped sideways, allowing the attack to crash against the floor.

Before Lento could pull his arm free, Adam struck his exposed shoulder with a sharp kick.

CRACK!

The impact forced Lento’s upper body to tilt.

Adam followed with another strike, this time targeting his knee.

But Lento twisted his body and swung his left fist toward Adam’s torso.

Adam immediately withdrew.

The punch missed, destroying a nearby pillar instead.

Stone fragments scattered across the chamber.

Lento straightened his body, his crimson aura growing even denser.

"STOP RUNNING AWAY AND FIGHT ME!"

Adam looked at the ruined pillar before returning his gaze to Lento.

"You’re quite impatient."

His expression gradually became more serious.

He had already tested Lento’s strength, observed his abilities, and experienced the effects of both Endless Battle and Lionfang.

Continuing to exchange ordinary physical attacks would only allow Lento to accumulate more power.

And he had no intention of letting his opponent dictate the pace of the battle.

Adam slowly raised one hand.

The white aura surrounding his body began to intensify.

Then, a dark distortion appeared beside him.

FWOOSH!

A deep, ominous presence emerged as a weapon materialized from the surrounding darkness.

A massive scythe with a long, dark shaft and an elegantly curved blade appeared in Adam’s grasp. Its surface seemed to absorb the light around it, while faint traces of purple energy shimmered along its edge.

Soul Reaper’s Scythe.

The moment the weapon appeared, the atmosphere around Adam changed.

Lento’s laughter gradually faded.

"...A scythe?"

Adam casually rotated the weapon once, allowing its blade to draw a faint arc through the air.

"Since you’re so fond of fighting with your fists, I suppose I’ll use something different."

Lento narrowed his eyes.

"Don’t think some fancy weapon will save you!"

Adam rested the scythe against his shoulder.

"Who said I needed saving?"

His lips curled into a faint smile.

"Come on. Let’s see how long you can keep getting stronger."

Lento’s crimson aura erupted once more.

"YOU DAMNED BASTARD!"

He charged.

But this time, Adam didn’t immediately retreat.

He lowered his stance and tightened his grip around the scythe.

His eyes followed Lento’s approaching figure, carefully observing every shift in his shoulders and every movement of his fists.

’Let’s see if I can put that wild fighting style to good use.’

The moment Lento charged, Adam moved to meet him.

CLANG!

The curved blade of the Soul Reaper’s Scythe collided with Lento’s Nemean Cestus, sending a shower of sparks across the chamber.

Adam twisted his wrists, redirecting the force of Lento’s punch before swinging the scythe toward his exposed side.

Lento immediately pulled his body backward.

The blade passed dangerously close to his chest, cutting through a portion of his clothing.

"Tch!"

Lento retaliated with a powerful left hook.

Adam ducked beneath it, pivoted around his opponent, and brought the scythe down toward his back.

BOOM!

Lento turned at the last moment and raised his gauntlet to block.

The impact forced him to take several steps forward.

Adam didn’t give him a chance to recover.

He followed with another slash, then another, each attack aimed at a different part of Lento’s body. His movements were fluid and controlled, allowing him to maintain pressure without exposing himself to unnecessary counterattacks.

Unlike their earlier exchanges, Adam was no longer relying primarily on dodging and barehanded counters.

The scythe gave him a considerable advantage in reach.

Whenever Lento attempted to close the distance, Adam used its curved blade to intercept his movements. Whenever Lento tried to retreat, Adam followed with sweeping attacks that forced him back into an unfavorable position.

CLANG! CLANG!

Lento blocked another slash with both gauntlets.

His expression gradually twisted with frustration.

"Damn it! Stop moving around!"

Adam tilted his head.

"Why? You’re the one who keeps coming at me."

"SHUT UP!"

Lento suddenly opened his mouth.

A spectral lion’s head materialized around his upper body, its enormous jaws stretching toward Adam.

[Lionfang.]

The phantom beast lunged forward, attempting to devour the scythe along with the energy surrounding it.

However, Adam had already anticipated the movement.

He immediately withdrew his weapon and shifted his body sideways.

The spectral jaws snapped shut against empty air.

CHOMP!

Lento turned his head, attempting to follow Adam’s movement, but the latter had already moved outside their range.

Adam retaliated with a diagonal slash.

Lento raised his gauntlet to block, but the blade still managed to cut through the armor’s outer surface.

A thin trail of blood appeared along his forearm.

"GRAAAH!"

Lento swung his other fist.

Adam leaned backward, allowing the punch to pass in front of his face, before stepping forward and striking Lento’s abdomen with the blunt side of his scythe.

THUD!

The beastkin staggered.

Adam followed with a kick to his chest, sending him sliding backward.

He didn’t allow Lento to recover.

Every time the spectral lion attempted to devour his attacks, Adam simply changed the trajectory or withdrew the weapon before the jaws could close.

He understood that feeding Lionfang with energy-based attacks would only make the situation more troublesome.

Therefore, he focused on physical strikes.

There was no reason to give his opponent free ammunition.

’This is much more manageable.’

Adam spun the scythe around his body before bringing its blade toward Lento’s shoulder.

Lento barely managed to block.

But the impact still forced him to lower one knee.

His breathing became heavier.

His wounds were accumulating, and blood had begun running down his torso.

Yet rather than becoming weaker, his aura continued to grow.

[Endless Battle — Power Accumulation Increased.]

[Physical Attributes Temporarily Enhanced.]

[Greed Authority — Intensifying.]

Adam’s eyes narrowed.

’He’s still getting stronger despite taking all that damage.’

Lento suddenly raised his head.

His eyes were bloodshot, and a savage grin spread across his face.

"HAHAHAHA! YOU THINK THAT’S ENOUGH?!"

The crimson aura around him erupted.

The surrounding air trembled as an increasingly violent pressure spread throughout the chamber.

"YOU’RE FINALLY MAKING ME FEEL SOMETHING!"

His Nemean Cestus began changing.

The metallic surfaces twisted and expanded, while jagged protrusions emerged along his arms. The golden engravings became deep crimson, spreading like veins across the gauntlets.

Then, something happened to Lento’s body.

His muscles swelled dramatically.

Dark, armor-like growths spread across his shoulders and chest, while his fingers became elongated and developed sharp, beast-like claws. His facial features grew increasingly distorted, and two horn-like protrusions emerged from his head.

His entire body was gradually transforming into something resembling a demon.

The crimson aura condensed around him, forming an enormous silhouette resembling a monstrous lion-headed demon.

Adam watched the transformation without moving.

’So this is another stage of his artifact’s power.’

A notification appeared before his eyes.

[Greed Artifact — Nemean Cestus]

[Endless Battle — Stage Three Activated.]

[Greed Authority: Overwhelming.]

[Physical Attributes: Significantly Enhanced.]

Lento slowly straightened his body.

The transformation had made him considerably larger. His shoulders were broader, his arms thicker, and his entire appearance had become far more intimidating.

He clenched his fists.

The surrounding air compressed.

"HAHAHAHA! LOOK AT ME!"

His voice had become deeper and more distorted.

"This is the true power of the Nemean Cestus! The longer I fight, the more power I accumulate! And now, I’ve reached the third stage!"

He looked down at Adam.

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND?! YOU CAN’T DEFEAT ME!"

Adam sighed.

"That’s a lot of noise for someone who hasn’t won yet."

Lento’s grin disappeared.

"YOU—!"

He suddenly vanished.

Adam’s pupils contracted.

He immediately raised his scythe to defend himself.

But the attack came much faster than he expected.

BOOOOOOM!

A massive fist slammed into the weapon.

The impact produced an enormous shockwave that shook the entire chamber.

Adam’s body was launched backward.

He crashed through a stone pillar, sending chunks of debris flying before smashing into the wall behind it.

CRAAASH!

For a brief moment, dust covered the area.

Lento stood in the center of the chamber, his enormous fist still extended.

Then he burst into laughter.

"HAHAHAHA! WHAT HAPPENED?!"

He slowly lowered his arm.

"WHERE DID ALL THAT CONFIDENCE GO?!"

Adam emerged from the rubble several moments later.

His scythe was still in his hand, but his body had been pushed considerably farther than before. A few scales along his shoulder and forearm had cracked from the impact, though they were already regenerating.

He glanced at the wall behind him.

’That was considerably stronger than before.’

Lento spread his arms, enjoying the overwhelming power coursing through his body.

"COME ON! GET UP! SHOW ME SOMETHING MORE INTERESTING!"

He stomped his foot.

The floor cracked beneath him.

"YOU WERE ACTING SO CONFIDENT EARLIER! WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT ATTITUDE?!"

Adam remained silent for a moment.

Then his gaze shifted toward the scythe in his hand.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

’Well, that certainly hurt.’

However, there was something else he had been paying attention to throughout the battle.

The repeated collisions with Lento’s fists, the impacts he had absorbed while defending himself, and the physical force generated during their exchanges.

All of that energy had been accumulating.

Adam glanced at the system notification that had been quietly updating in his vision.

[Sovereign Impact]

[Kinetic Energy Absorbed.]

[Sovereign Impact: 5/5 Stacks]

[Maximum Stacks Reached]

Adam’s smile widened slightly.

He rolled his shoulder once before raising his scythe again.

Lento noticed the change in his expression.

"What’s so funny?!"

Adam looked directly at him.

"Nothing."

He adjusted his grip on the weapon.

"I was just wondering how much punishment that new body of yours can actually withstand."

Lento’s crimson aura surged again.

"THEN COME AND FIND OUT!"

Adam’s white aura began spreading around him.

This time, he wasn’t planning to simply exchange blows.

He had accumulated enough kinetic energy to deliver a considerably more powerful counterattack.

And with Sovereign Impact at its maximum stacks, Lento was about to discover that he wasn’t the only one who had grown stronger during their battle.