The battle for the strongest potential Supreme Being on the 39th floor continued.
Eighteen-year-old Ares rested his hand on his sword, but he didn’t make a move.
Mike stood there, watching Ares.
One second, two seconds…
One minute, two minutes…
Yawn-
Mike finally couldn’t take it anymore and asked, “Brother, what are you doing?”
“Comprehending a new skill,” Ares replied, slightly distracted. “In this state, I can’t use my talent, so it takes a bit longer to grasp new techniques.”
Mike: …
With his talent active, Ares could comprehend skills in an instant, without needing more than a few moments!
After interacting with Ares so many times, Mike had started to piece together some clues. Ares’s talent was likely related to time.
When used on Professor Gregory, it had aged him into an 800-year-old man in an instant.
When applied to Ares himself, it could accelerate his skill comprehension, recovery, and even his attacks.
It was thanks to this talent that 18-year-old Ares could communicate with Mike across time.
And it was also because of this talent that 18-year-old Ares would forget everything after this battle.
Watching Ares as he focused on comprehending his skill, Mike yawned again, leaning on his shield as he made small talk.
“Brother, since you know I’m from the future, does that mean the future is predetermined?” “No,” Ares replied casually.
“My experiences are just one possibility in the flow of time. Time… is a complicated thing. I’m simply using my talent to interact with various possibilities.”
After a moment of thought, Ares added, “There’s no such thing as fate. What happened before you arrived is just the part of time that’s already been set. But your future is full of infinite possibilities.”
Hearing Ares’s words, Mike nodded slightly.
Their views on fate were aligned.
Or rather, this was the Supreme Spirit passed down from generation to generation.
Mike didn’t have to wait long. A few minutes later, Ares’s hand, which had been hovering over
the hilt of his sword, finally gripped it firmly. A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes.
Mike couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement.
“Done?!”
[Why are you excited? That’s the sword that’s going to slash you!]
The Eye of Truth might as well have shouted, Run, guy!
Mike raised his Thorn Shield and once again entered a state of unity with his shield, seamlessly transitioning into his defensive stance.
His aura steadily rose.
In front of Ares, it was as if a massive, thorn-covered mountain had appeared, making it impossible to find a weak point!
Feeling the pressure once again, Ares found himself getting excited too.
A worthy opponent, a formidable rival. freewebnvel.coɱ
Battles between potential Supreme Beings were rare.
In this state, Ares couldn’t use his talent.
But Ares was certain that Thor wasn’t using his talent either.
Otherwise, Ares would have already lost.
Ares had a deep understanding of the power of an SSS-grade talent.
“This move is called…” Ares began, slowly drawing his sword, unleashing a blinding sword
light.
“Breaking Thorns!”
As the sword light slashed forward, Ares was 50% confident he would win, and 30% confident The would kill his opponent outright!
After all, in the Tower of Truth, no one could truly die.
Ares went all out.
Boom-
The massive, thorn-covered mountain was split in two by the sword light, as if it had been effortlessly cleaved apart!
The ease of the strike exceeded Ares’s expectations!
It was as smooth as slicing through butter with a hot knife!
But something wasn’t right!
A flash of caution appeared in Ares’s eyes.
Just as the sword light was about to completely sever the mountain, the two halves of the mountain suddenly slammed back together!
What?!
Ares’s sword was caught between the two halves of the mountain!
Mike abandoned his shield and pulled out his Thunderclap Hammer, swinging it down with
full force.
“Star Pluck!”
“Star Pluck!”
Both of them used the same move at the same time-one with a hammer, the other with a
sword.
“Void Tremor!”
“Void Tremor!”
Hiss-
At the same moment, both made the same judgment!
However, Ares’s strike was faster, while Mike’s strength was greater!
Ares’s sword clashed with the Thunderclap Hammer, sending sparks flying.
Ares’s techniques were varied and intricate.
Each individual strike wasn’t necessarily overwhelming in power.
For example, Void Tremor wasn’t a fatal move on its own.
But…
If you were hit by Void Tremor a thousand times, even a waterfall would be severed…
In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged dozens of blows.
Ares knocked Thor’s shield aside with a single sword strike, then followed up with a punch to
Thor’s face.
Mike retaliated with a Thunderclap Strike, forcing Ares to use Fate’s Reversal.
But Mike didn’t have time to celebrate.
Ares found an opening and stabbed Mike, forcing him to use Fate’s Reversal as well.
Both entered the locked state of Fate’s Reversal, and with nothing left to lose, they fought
without restraint!
“All Things Grow!”
Thor’s Sea descended, the seasons cycled, and Chaotic Lightning rained down, bringing
annihilation to all things!
In the sea of lightning, Thor stood like a Titan God, wielding the power to destroy the heavens
and the earth with every move.
Feeling the immense pressure, Ares, pushed to his limits, also reached his breaking point and
created a new move on the spot.
“Ragnarök!”
Boom-
In the Thor’s Sea, the phantom of spring shattered.
The once smooth operation of All Things Grow began to collapse.
Ares didn’t stop there. He followed up with three more sword strikes!
The three sword strikes shattered summer, autumn, and winter, and destroyed two bolts of
Chaotic Lightning!
But…
One bolt of Chaotic Lightning broke through Ares’s defenses and struck him.
In the sea of lightning, Ares charged forward, slashing Thor with his sword!
Once again, they exchanged blows, both taking damage!
A few seconds later, both fighters stopped simultaneously. Ares, still dressed in black, remained as elegant as ever, looking quite dashing.
Mostly because, after being struck by lightning, he was already charred, so you couldn’t tell
the difference.
If you got close, you’d catch a whiff of something burnt.
Thor, on the other hand, looked a bit worse for wear-panting heavily, bruised and battered…
Both had held back, worried that if they weren’t careful, they might actually kill each other. And that would make the Supreme Demon God very happy.
Mike glanced at the faint phantom of Ares, knowing they had about a minute left to talk.
They had fought, but there was no clear winner-it was a draw.
Mike knew it was time for the familiar “mutual praise” phase.
He pulled out the lines he had prepared in advance and said earnestly, “That was a truly evenly matched duel. I haven’t had this much fun in a long time!”
Ares thought for a moment and replied, “Your lightning is just as impressive as my
swordsmanship!”
…
The duel was over, and the mutual praise had been exchanged.
It was like the final moments of a game, where the outcome was already decided, and the
players were just chatting.
Ares, curious, asked, “Is Shadow Nine still alive?”
Mike thought for a moment and replied, “Yes, he’s still alive.”
“That’s good,” Ares nodded. “Is Shadow Nine still protecting potential Supreme Beings?”
Mike wasn’t sure how to answer that.
In the end, he gave a vague response. “He’s… on a business trip.”
Ares didn’t press the issue and instead asked,
“Who’s in charge of the Guardian Shadow now?”
Mike, without any shame, proudly declared, “Me!” Ares: …
What’s with this awkward silence?
Say something!
But Mike didn’t get a response, because Ares’s phantom had already disappeared.
Mike knew that even if he accessed the permissions again and watched the recording, he
wouldn’t be able to see Ares.
This experience had been a one-time event, made possible by Ares’s talent.
After Ares left, Mike took stock of the battle’s aftermath.
Aside from Dracula being sealed inside the Thorn Shield, Mike hadn’t really lost anything.
After spending half an hour recovering, Mike realized he had gained a lot from the fight.
Of all the opponents Mike had faced, Ares was undoubtedly the strongest!
When he fought Joseph, Mike felt no pressure.
When he fought Calderon three times, Mike had been in control the whole time.
Even though he had developed a shield-based fighting style, Calderon’s attacks, while filled
with killing intent, weren’t as powerful as Ares’s!
Calderon hadn’t been able to push Mike to his limits!
Only Ares had managed to do that.
Mike thought back.
The last time he had been pushed to the brink… it had also been because of Ares?
Breaking Thorns, Broke…
It seemed that any move with “Broke” in the name was incredibly powerful!
Aside from gaining a deeper understanding of his shield-based fighting style, Mike also made
a note in his little notebook:
“Breaking Thorns is a powerful move. Must learn!”
Once he got out, Mike would find a way to contact Maxen.
He was even willing to pay to learn this move!
Its power was undeniable!
The key was that this skill was highly specialized.
It had been created specifically to counter Mike’s extreme defense.
Mike needed to master Breaking Thorns in order to counter it, thereby enhancing his own
survival skills!
During the battle, Mike had also gained some insights into the Thorn Shield and the phantom
of the thorn-covered mountain he had conjured.
However, the Thorn Shield was nearly shattered, and without a replacement, Mike couldn’t
experiment with his new ideas.
After organizing his thoughts, Mike summoned the Truth Core Crystal, placed his hand on it,
and began the conquest evaluation.
A few seconds later, a familiar notification echoed in the ears of every human in the Tower of
Truth:
“Congratulations to participant Thor for successfully reclaiming the 39th floor of the Tower
of Truth!”
“Congratulations to participant Thor for achieving an SSSS-grade rating in the conquest of
the 39th floor!”
…
In the First Abyss,
Ares and Cedric were still wandering around.
“How strange,” Ares muttered, frowning.
“I keep thinking about the Breaking Thorns technique today.”
For something to catch the attention of Supreme Being Ares…
Could it be that the Seventeenth Demon God, whom Ares had slain with that technique, was
preparing to attack the human race?
Cedric picked up on the topic and asked, “How long did it take Maxen to learn that technique?”
“Three months,” Ares replied, recalling the past with a smile.
“At the time, I thought his talent was too dull. It took him three months to learn such a simple
technique. I almost didn’t acknowledge him as my godson…”
Cedric naturally followed up, “And then?”
“Then I realized that my godson’s talent was top-tier. It wasn’t that Maxen was lacking…”
Ares said, full of emotion, praising himself.
“It was that Breaking Thorns was just too powerful.”
Hearing Ares’s recollection, Cedric nodded in agreement. He also recognized the value of
Breaking Thorns.
Cedric speculated,
“So, when you created Breaking Thorns, your opponent must have been incredibly strong.
They must have been a master of defense, putting immense pressure on you. You must have created the technique in a moment of desperation.” Cedric’s analysis was logical and to argue with.
Only a powerful enough opponent could inspire such a powerful technique!
Ares nodded.
“That’s probably the case.”
Although he couldn’t remember the exact process of how he had created the skill, Ares could
deduce most of it.
As for who this mysterious opponent was, Ares didn’t know.
And he probably never would.
If he ever got the chance, Ares wouldn’t mind fighting that opponent again.
As they talked, Ares’s communicator buzzed. It was a message from his Supreme Son.
When Ares read the message, his expression turned strange.
Noticing the change, Cedric asked,
“What now?”
Ares, his face dark, replied,
“My godson just sent me a message. He says Thor wants to learn Breaking Thorns.”
Cedric: …
Breaking Thorns was a trump card that Ares had only used once. That one time, he had slain the Seventeenth Demon God, with no witnesses.
The only people who knew about the technique were Ares, Cedric, Maxen, and Shadow Nine.
Shadow Nine was in the Supreme Abyssal, and Maxen was in the Second Abyss. Neither of
them would have mentioned the technique to Thor. Ares and Cedric certainly hadn’t said anything.
So, how did Thor know about the technique?
It seemed… there was only one possibility left.
A possibility that Ares and Cedric were reluctant to accept.
Hovering outside the First Abyss, the Fifth Demon God had been eavesdropping on the entire
conversation.
He figured it was time for him to step in and stir the pot.
“Isn’t it possible,” the Fifth Demon God cleared his throat and said calmly, “That the powerful opponent you faced when you created Breaking Thorns… was Thor?”