While the general public was waiting for the new year to celebrate another year they thrived in this new world, the adventurers among them also had other things to look forward to—the result of the Territory Event and the beginning of the Battlefield of the Mightiest at the same time!
It was past eleven o’clock at night, and the 31st of December was about to be over.
The super rookies were gathered in the courtyard wearing their new pristine legendary gear sets, waiting for whatever opened up first, battlefield or sanctuary area.
“Is Almond not done yet?”
“He will be soon.”
“Just two minutes left, guys.”
“Fuck, I can’t wait.”
“Same, I want to use these damn skills against Gold rankers from other worlds!”
“You might also die, mofo.”
“You’ll die before me then.”
While the party was hyped for the clock to hit midnight, a certain figure loomed nearby, bypassing all the surveillance.
‘So this is the place where the little bastards are gathered,’ Lerkeion’s eyes glinted coldly as a nasty smile played on his lips. ‘I only said I would fight you all when you reach Epic rank. I didn’t say I wasn’t going to kill others.’
Lerkeion infiltrated here alone, his aim only one—becoming a menace for this world as ordered.
And his next plan in doing that was to kill these young generation super rookies who made a name for themselves, mainly their leader.
‘What was his name?’ Lerkaion frowned. ‘I swear I fucking read it.’
‘Whatever, he is but an insect.’
From a violet fissure under the sea, Lerkeion emerged with a blue cube in his hand as the cloak covering him vanished.
Meanwhile, Almond opened his eyes they sparkled with golden motes. In the next second, a sparkling stream of golden sands whirled around him.
‘Awesome!’
The sands condensed into swords before Almond infused lightning as they crackled with sparks before turning glassy with Almond controlling the elemental reaction between lightning and sand.
‘Once I vibrate them and-‘
Almond was suddenly interrupted as he sensed a flux of energy. His eyes captured a giant barrier suddenly covering a 2-kilometer radius of the area.
At the same time, a dreadful presence burst out, causing all super rookies to feel like puking as they panicked.
‘Who is it?’ Almond’s eyes glinted as he used Espada Ad Grimveil and vanished, appearing right in front of the presence 200 meters away from the courtyard at the beach.
‘This guy…’ Almond’s pupils shrank. ‘Lerkeion.’
Lerkeion was surprised as Almond appeared before him, “So you are him. Oh, I remember your name now, Almond Crowshade.”
Almond’s eyes flickered as he saw others approaching and quickly used Magic Whisper, telling them to stay there while commanding his spirit wraiths to protect them.
“Don’t worry, insect,” Lerkeion cracked his knuckles and neck, “Nobody can breach this barrier easily, so I have plenty of time to kill all of you.”
“Go on, get ready and prepare all you want for ten seconds,” Lerkeion grinned as he crossed his bulky arms and floated five meters across Almond. “I’ll let you make the first move.”
A Spirit Syringe manifested and pierced Almond as he boosted his stats by 20% while his golden legendary sword appeared in his hand.
Roken had his new Legendary Gear set so he would have to make do with this legendary sword.
Almond’s expression was focused yet his eyes flickered with a hint of savageness as he floated with a simple stance holding his sword forward in his right hand while his left hand’s palm whirled with mana for quick execution of other things as required.
All-Seeing Eyes!
‘His stats are all at 400, plus the bonuses I am seeing…’ Almond’s eyes flickered, and without hesitation, he swung his sword.
“Let’s dance, alien,” Almond grinned.
Four slashes hazily crackling with golden lightning drifted through space and struck Lerkeion without any warning.
Spatial Craft: Severance Blade!
Lerkeion’s pupils shrank drastically, ‘What?!’
Before he could react to that attack, his body was sliced into four pieces cleanly.
Almond’s eyes pupils sparkled again as he doubled down, conjuring 100 small and thin Severance Blades to slice and dice Lerkeion.
‘Found it!’ Almond’s eyes finally detected the tiny core that was hidden and his Severance Blade aimed there.
But before that could happen, it gushed out with power, destroying his blade while all flesh and blood gathered instantly as Lerkeion transformed into his true form, unleashing his Bloodline power.
“You…” Lerkeion’s expression was somber as he immediately waved his hand, causing a giant claw to sweep at Almond. “You must die.”
Almond’s eyes flickered as a whirling barrier formed around him, enchanted with golden sand and crackling lightning within a 2-meter radius around him.
The claws struck and suddenly entered into a clash as sparks of energy flew while his claws ever so slowly neared.
However, Almond’s expression was calm, and his eyes thrilled.
‘It worked!’
“You…” Lerkeion’s heart was beating wildly at the moment as the patterns on his body pulsed, his aura bursting. Looking at the barrier, and sensing how it was blocking his attack, waves of shock were coursing through him.
Your journey continues with empire
‘How is this possible?! The command he has over space is strange! He is not using space matter, but the space matter of this plane is in his control.’
His claws were nearing Almond, and he could feel them! But it was like there was an infinite amount of distance being ‘replaced’ constantly while that charged stream of golden sands whirled at once loop and slowed down his attack further while shaving it away!
“You need to die,” Lerkeion spoke with utter somberness as pointed his finger at Almond.
A sudden, despair-inducing black beam shot at Almond from his finger, and two long curved horns, created a thick triangle beam with absolute destructiveness.
Almond’s arm blurred as he slashed, his eyes serenely cold, gleaming golden-silver.
Absolute Severance.
The beam split into two before entering two portals beside Almond that emerged right behind Lerkeion.
Lerkeion dodged as his figure blurred and appeared a meter above, two menacing eldritch thick blades appearing in his hands, with demonic eyes on their handles.
“Swords? Nice,” Almond grinned as his figure vanished, teleporting right above Lerkeion with his downward slash in motion.
Lerkeion quickly put both swords upward before he felt a force as if the entire world impacted him, nullifying his resistance as he smashed down into the ocean.
Sword of Imperishable Zenith!
*Splash!*
An arrow shot out from the ocean right at Almond, who cleanly split that arrow into two by swinging his sword, while also applying his newly created —Infinite Space Layer technique on it.
However, the arrow was far more powerful than the claw as his space-layering speed couldn’t keep up and got pierced through, but he knew that could happen based on the power he perceived with his eyes, so his legendary sword was also aimed precisely as it sliced the arrow into two after its power was shaved away by Infinite Space Layer.
Lerkeion immediately felt palpitation when his prized arrow actually got nullified.
Emerging from the sea, the bow transformed into two thick swords again before slashing them at Almond and executing an X-shaped slash projectile before quickly chugging Mana’s potion.
However, his hands clearly trembled as Almond destroyed his attack again with a slash of his own.