NOVGO.NET Chapter 1721: Instant Regret
Chapter 1721: Instant Regret
Lucen gritted his teeth.
“Arrogant fool!”
Swoosh!
Sensing that the time was right for him to make his move, Lucen activated his Spiritual Veins and drew upon his life energy. His power burst from within, washing the domination of crimson that belonged to Rex and replacing it with a cool, greenish gale that whistled directly into the eardrums.
Behind him, four wings began to manifest—Lucen’s real Soul Artifact.
Sky Wings.
But the transformation didn’t stop there.
His body glowed brilliantly from within as he activated his Paladin Echo.
Around him, sharp wind began to swirl—a manipulation of the Tornado Echo.
However, the most glaring part that piqued Rex’s attention the most was the armor that manifested across his entire body. From the life energy within them, the steel-plated armor wasn’t actual armor, but it was an extension of Lucen’s body.
Upon reaching the Eternal Spirit rank, the Echo would become a part of the Spirit.
And naturally, it also sparked a physical evolution.
In Lucen’s case, the armor, along with his hair that grew longer, was his evolution from his Echo.
From the looks of it, the changes were caused by the Paladin Echo, which should be his main Echo.
“Do you understand now…?” Lucen threw Rex’s words back at him—with a scornful smirk. “I’m a lot stronger than my sister. I can tell from your aura that you’ve recently broken through, so you won’t be a match against me, who is an established Eternal Spirit. And with a battered body like that, I’m quite sure even you can already see how this will end.”
“I might spare you still as long as you apologize to my sister,” He added.
“Brother Lucen, stop!” Lady Ravyn stepped between them. “I don’t want this! I want this to stop!”
Lucen tilted his head and grasped Lady Ravyn with life energy.
He then threw her away so that she wouldn’t disturb them again.
Once he did that, he turned to Rex again and found him remaining silent.
“What’s wrong?” He asked, smirking in confidence. “Are you about to call your precious fiancé? I don’t mind, but know that if you do, you’ll be known as a coward who hides behind a woman’s back. I’m sure the princess would hate that stain in her reputation.”
Rex chuckled a little.
From hearing Lucen talk, it seemed he came prepared with all kinds of provocation.
It was easy to see that he wanted to force Rex to attack him.
And he commended Lucen for preparing these insults in such a short amount of time, but there’s one thing that Rex was curious about. “All of you associated me with this Cardoc Mirza, whose reputation reached far as this dangerous entity, and yet, you viewed me as easy? I don’t get that logic.”
Considering that Cardoc Mirza was feared, people who came after Rex should be organized.
All of them should come with a flawless plan to take him out and escape unharmed.
But Lucen—he came here out of impulse and opportunity.
Someone of Lucen’s caliber should be wary of Rex the most, but he seemed confident.
“If I am the same as Cardoc Mirza, don’t you think confronting me alone is a mistake?”
“I’m sure Cardoc Mirza is an outlier, so don’t bother to intimidate me. You’re not on the same level.”
“Ah… So that’s the case.”
“Enough talking!” Lucen’s body burst with power, and he stabbed the sword into the ground to anchor the shield, ready for Rex’s attack. “As the host, I’ll be courteous enough to let you land the first attack, so come. Come while I still have my patience.”
“Are you sure about this?”
“Don’t act like you can do anything in that condition. If you can push me back, I’ll grovel at your feet!”
“And what if I broke your precious weapon?”
“Broke my weapon?” Lucen laughed, fed up by how high and mighty Rex was acting—when he’s not even close to 50% of his strength. “My weapon is layered with a fragment of a Voidal Prince’s armored skin; it’s indestructible! I’ll tell you what, if you can even as much as crack my weapon, I’ll kindly offer you my head!”
“Oh… You’re sorely going to regret saying that,” Rex lowered his stance and charged his hand.
His Red Dawn of Kaiser was already pulsating with power.
Lucen sneered inside.
’Not even using his Echo Genesis or even Spirit Genesis? He’s overestimating himself too much,’ He thought, finding Rex to be a fool who doesn’t know better since he was under Princess Davina’s umbrella. ’My weapon itself has high durability—and to top it off, I can channel my SS-grade Soul Artifact to empower it. Not even a strong Eternal Spirit could break it, much less a new, wounded Eternal Spirit like him.’
Even before Rex made a move, Lucen was already picturing what he expected to see.
Rex’s Soul Artifact and hand breaking upon punching his weapon.
’Here he comes…’
Swoosh!
Immediately, when he saw Rex making his move, Lucen tensed his body.
“Spirit Genesis: Rotating Eye of Wind!”
As soon as he used his Spirit Genesis, a swirl of wind emerged before the shield.
It was akin to a small vortex coating the shield, and its rotating motion would absorb the impact from any attack that struck it head-on. Lucen grinned as Rex’s bare punch would not only backfire, but his entire arm would be broken.
’Blame yourself for coming here to our rea—hhrghk?!’
CLANG!!
Lucen’s eyes bulged when the force struck him like a mountain being thrown at him.
Blood burst immediately from his mouth as he was hurled backward violently, his body tumbling down the staircase like a runaway boulder. Crimson streaks marked his violent descent, and when he finally crashed at the bottom, he lay motionless—staring up at the night sky in stunned disbelief.
“Eh…?” His eyes widened. “What happened?”
Slowly, Lucen turned to his right hand, only to be greeted by something beyond his comprehension.
His shield that was supposed to be unbreakable was shattered at the center—the steel curved inward as if it was buckling under the force of the attack. And alongside that, his right arm was broken; the bone stuck out of his skin grotesquely.
Impossible.
That was the only word that skimmed through Lucen’s mind at this moment.
He pretended that he wasn’t wary of Rex, yet deep down, he was. That was why he chose to activate his Spirit Genesis despite Rex’s condescending demeanor. A big part of him thought he was being overly cautious, but he couldn’t ignore the unease clawing at his instincts.
After all, the people who participated in the mission to handle the new Voidal Monarch had all shown their marvel at Rex’s strength. Most even voiced out that the mission can only go so smoothly because of him.
Even so, there’s no chance Rex could break his weapon alone, much less layered with his Spirit Genesis.
At most, Lucen was prepared to be pushed back a little from that punch.
It would be nothing short of shocking if that were true, for it would expose the vast gulf in strength between him and Rex. Lucen wouldn’t be a match for Rex if he were not wounded, but now, to think that his weapon and arm were shattered… Such an outcome should’ve been beyond the realm of possibility.
And this can only mean that Lucen was severely outclassed by Rex.
Had he not been wounded, there would’ve been no chance for Lucen to do anything to him.
“Raaaghk!!”
Lucen screamed, holding his broken arm as tears welled up in his eyes.
He was so distraught that he couldn’t even gather his life energy to maintain his Soul Artifact and power.
“Stop screaming,” Rex’s voice reverberated through the night air; he was descending down the staircase with deliberate slowness. “It’s only a broken arm, why are you being so dramatic? How many battles have you fought? A noble is a part of the elite forces, so this should be nothing for you.”
Snapping his head to where the voice was coming from, Lucen’s pupils trembled as he gritted his teeth.
Earlier, he was leaking with confidence that he could win.
But now, that confidence was nowhere to be seen—replaced by fear.
“Back in the Mortal Realm, unless you’re a Demon—or a Dragon, nobody dares to compete in strength with me,” Rex said raspingly as he stopped before Lucen; his massive form towered like a looming wall that can never be climbed. “I would never expect that one day, a pup like you would dare.”
Rex leaned forward; his form silhouetted by the moonlight, “I’m ridiculously strong, you see.”
…
<Rex Silverstar – Spirit Body (Wounded)>
Status: Mocking.
Race: Grand Royal Black Werewolf / Ghost Spirit
Power: Eternal Spirit 1 (3) (Third Circle) – Harbinger of the Nightfall
Soul Artifact: Red Dawn of Kaiser – SSS-grade (Attack), Mask of the Banished Eclipse – SSS-grade (Hybrid), Aegis of Moon Sentinel – SSS-grade (Defense).
Echo(s): Dark Auctoritas, Spellcaster, and Blood Moon.
Level: 67 (2%/100%)
Full Moon: 13 Days – Blood Moon
Berserk: 31%
Sanity: 66%
Spiritual Points: 1,310,000 → 12,250,100
Strength: 2,735,000 (+1,868,000) → 13,100,205 (+9,170,144)
Agility: 2,111,000 (+1,689,000) → 9,650,000 (6,755,000)
Endurance: 3,050,000 (+2,440,000) → 16,102,000 (+11,271,400)
Form Expiry Time: 13 Days
——
Abilities
Law(s): <Law of Inevitability> <Law of Misdirection> <Minor Law of Foresight>
Spirit Genesis: <Inevitable Death> <Perfect Beast>
Echo Genesis: <Blood Moon Genesis: Ravenous Maw of Magna>
Skill(s): <Voidal Moonflow Acceleration> <Weaver of Madness> <Parasitic Regeneration>
Passive Skill(s): <Gale Movement> <Silent Tread>
…
Upon reaching the Eternal Spirit rank, Rex has grown substantially.
His recent surge in power had tripled his base physical stats, and with the added strength—drawn from his Werewolf side, every aspect of him had reached staggering heights. Rex had grown several times stronger—so much so that even wounded, he could easily overpower his former self.
It was terrifying to think that his stats could reach this high.
Comparing his stats to Lucen’s stats, he realized that he was abnormally strong.
Lucen is at the Eternal Spirit 1 rank, and none of his stats exceeded the four-million mark.
Added with the gears he has on him—his stats barely reached the seven million-mark, with the highest being his endurance stat. It’s understandable for him to be confident about his durability, but comparing his endurance stat to Rex’s strength stat? It was no wonder he got beaten that easily.
Rex was simply too monstrous for a new Eternal Spirit rank.
And that’s excluding when he finally settled on his Eternal Spirit rank.
He was not sure how his current stats compared, but he estimated they were on par with those at the Eternal Spirit 2 or 3. Of course, beyond the overwhelming boost from his abnormal other side, his three SSS-grade Soul Artifacts also played a crucial role in elevating his strength.
From the looks of Lucen’s stats, the difference between SS-grade with SSS-grade is vast.
It was simply unfair for Lucen.
But then again, he was the one who came here with bad intentions.
“W-Wait a minute, I made a mistake!” Lucen raised his other arm in surrender, smiling sheepishly like a cornered prey that has nowhere to go. “Lord Rex, ple-please forgive me this once. I don’t know what got into me. Show mercy…”
“What are you talking about?” Rex straightened his back again. “I’m not going to kill you.”
“R-Really?” Lucen’s eyes sparkled, sensing hope once again. “Thank you, Lord Rex. Thank you!”
“I’m not going to kill you because you’re going to be killing yourself,” Rex said with a devilish smirk, tilting his head slightly as if he found amusement in watching the despair spreading across Lucen’s face. “Did you forget already? You promised if I managed to shatter your weapon, you’d offer me your own head yourself.”
Slowly, Rex’s gaze turned to the broken weapon.
Its sturdy material was scattered in pieces on the ground.
“I think I’ve managed to do more than that, so go ahead,” Rex looked down at him menacingly. “Cut your own head off and offer it to me. I don’t have all night, so you’d better do it quickly before my patience runs out.”