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nKieran’s eyes widened at the sight of losing over 50,000 Health from one attack.

nAfter experiencing the empowerment of the Crimson Juggernaut Mantle, Kieran’s Health soared to just over 510,000.

nWhile it paled in comparison to the likes of the monster he faced currently, when coupled with his current Defense and protection, it should be challenging to inflict that much damage.

nBased on his current situation, he could only withstand ten of those attacks before falling into a hopeless situation. However, Kieran doubted it would take 10 minutes for this phantom to attack ten times. In fact, after suffering one of its attacks, Kieran wouldn’t be shocked if it could unleash thousands of attacks within those 10 minutes.

n“Puny bug! Are you trying to go against me?” Zirgirak’s Phantom glowered, looking at Kieran with its ruthless red eyes. It was a particular type of gaze meant to invoke fear in those unfortunate enough to suffer its presence. However, rather than be unsettled by the fear-inducing gaze, Kieran simply returned a frown for another reason.

n‘Puny bug, huh?’ Kieran thought to himself.

nThese words seemed to stroke his pride the wrong way for some reason. As someone who was praised for their skill and commended for their work ethic during his training in the past, Kieran felt this comment was an affront to what he accomplished even if it wasn’t in this timeline.

nWhile he understood that someone in his virtually powerless predicament could afford to have an inflated pride, he couldn’t accept direct insults to his potential.

nTherefore, with cold eyes, Kieran put all of his strength into his legs and arms as he pressed the silvery blade into the palm of this large demonic phantom. No matter how insignificant his power was currently, Kieran’s heart and resolve were not something to be trampled upon.

nStill, the weight of the attack Kieran suffered wasn’t something he could shrug off no matter how much he wished to do so. Experiencing the weight of Zirgirak’s attack caused his body to sink through the floor until his knees could no longer be seen.

n“Hahaha,” Zirgirak’s Phantom laughed mirthfully. It seemed to enjoy watching Kieran struggle to deflect its attack. “What is this futile resistance? Why don’t you head for an eternal sleep already?”

nBang!

nZirgirak’s Phantom suddenly lifted its hand and smashed down with both hands clasped together. The impact made the ground tremble intensely. However, the phantom’s eyes filled with discontent as it slowly moved its hand from the moderately-sized crater formed by its fist.

nThere was no lifeless figure inside the crater because Kieran had dodged at the last second! At the same time, a notification appeared before Kieran’s eyes.

n〈System: Your nascent Vengeful Soul has melded with some of the Crimson Juggernaut Mantle’s undisclosed effects.〉

n〈System: Strength, Agility, and Control with inversely increase according to your current Health.〉

n‘Yes… this was one of the reasons that man was famed in the past,’ Kieran thought with a pleased grin. He moved the notification aside and stood up tall, gazing Zirgirak’s Phantom straight in the eyes.

n“I don’t like that look, pissant,” Zirgirak’s phantom grunted with scorn.

nAfterward, Agrianos opened his eyes for a moment and glanced in the direction of the battle. ‘Oh? An Archdemon’s phantom made it through this time? 2 sets of horns? Hah, absolute piece of ** in my eyes but for him….’

n“Oi, twerp. Don’t listen to a single idiotic remark this thing has to say. It’s a meager Archdemon, not even one of the leaders of its race. Furthermore, it doesn’t even have the right amount of horns. It’s a facade. Put your mind to it and repel that stinking thing, y’ere me?” Agrianos exclaimed in a mocking tone.

nZirgirak’s Phantom immediately turned towards Agrianos, but unlike how it displayed disdain toward Kieran, a shred of dread rose within its eyes as it laid eyes upon Agrianos. Granted, it soon disappeared as the phantom noticed something.

nThe phantom began to laugh hysterically, causing the chasm’s walls to shake. “Oh? Do you fancy the young boy? Then, what happens if I kill him? Haha, the future of you vile humans will become bleak once more!”

n“You talk too much. Are these the mannerisms of all demons? If so, then I understand why the master is so unconcerned about you all—there’s nothing special about you at all, nor is there anything to be fearful of,” Kieran commented off to the side.

nHis deep black eyes peered at the phantom emotionlessly as he suddenly turned into a crimson blur.

nWhoosh! Bang!

nCompared to his Charge Skill, the Fury Rush was countless times stronger. The movement speed buff alone was enough to put it in an entirely different skill echelon. What’s more, Kieran coupled this skill with Wild Crash since his Control was high enough to warrant fluid usage of the two skills.

nAs a result, Zirgirak’s Phantom was forced back many steps, creating ample space between these two and the Nether Severing Hex-Seal.

nFrom the way Agrianos described these beings, Kieran understood they were a crafty bunch. Hence, he couldn’t allow the being to be too close to the seal.

nThe divide in their natural attributes was immense, so cautiousness was vital in this situation.

nOnce the dust cleared, Zirgirak’s Phantom emitted a feral growl while looking at Kieran with evil eyes. Aside from dealing some mild damage, neither the Wild Crash nor the Fury Rush had any remarkable effect on the phantom.

nShhhnk!

nIts claws suddenly elongated and became more menacing as it rushed toward Kieran, unleashing a frantic stream of violent slashes.

nHad it not been for the fact the silvery blade was made from unknown materials, it would’ve undoubtedly shattered since Kieran used it as his primary source of defense.

nKieran gradually slid back as he endured the onslaught of this attack. These attacks steadily chipped away at his augmented health. But, the further his health dwindled, the more he was affected by both his Vengeful Soul and the Crimson Juggernaut Mantle.

nKieran’s previously black eyes now adopted a faint red glow that gave his eyes the appearance of aged blood. At the same time, Kieran could feel something beating inside him that picked up at a rapid pace. It didn’t emanate from his heart but from within his mind.

nFwoosh!

nSuddenly, just before Zirgirak’s Phantom could land a clean hit, Kieran rotated his body, avoiding a malicious stab. The phantom’s arm impaled the ground up to its elbow due to the excessive force it applied to the strike.

nBang!

nWhile the phantom was briefly stuck in a vulnerable position, Kieran spun and unleashed a Crimson Current. A forceful wave of bloody pressure bombarded the phantom’s chest, sending it flying backward as Kieran recovered a firm stance. His Health was currently less than 40%, yet it didn’t seem to worry him.

nThe rush of strength granted by his vengeful nature was too blissful for him to worry over these “little” things.

nOn the other hand, Agrianos’ eyes blazed with excitement. ‘Well, I’ll be damned. Have some faith in the kid, and he will deliver. He is surely getting it done. I suppose Scar did pick a fine lad indeed.’

nNaturally, Zirgirak’s Phantom immediately became enraged by the fact it was tossed aside by an existence it viewed as nothing more than an ant. Additionally, the fact this “ant” continued to grow stronger when he should, in fact, be growing feeble didn’t make sense to him.

n“You!” the phantom snarled while pointing at Agrianos. “Have you accepted this lowly mongrel as your follower already? He is insufferable!”

nRather than answer, Agrianos only gave an amused side smirk before ignoring the phantom altogether. Why should he answer? He wasn’t obligated to do so. Moreover, if he weren’t preoccupied with chanting the seal’s remaining few lines, he would have taken care of it himself.

nBut, because he transferred a considerable portion of his strength in the aegis and used the rest to operate the Orb of Diverging Boundaries in his possession, he was unable to interfere with the ongoing battle.

nIn contrast to the phantom’s seething anger, Kieran was elated by this phantom’s particularly talkative nature. It allowed Kieran to idle for a decent amount of time throughout their frequent exchanges.

nBy now, only 45 seconds remained on the timer.

nHowever, that 45-second mark symbolized a drastic change as Zirgirak’s Phantom instantly snapped its head and looked at Kieran and Agrianos with an expression of abhorrence. Sweltering flames far deadlier than the Netherflame Lion’s rose around its body like a blooming rose of death. Not only were these flames hot, but they also carried a scent of death that seared Kieran’s nose despite the mantle’s protection.

n‘How terrible… Is this truly one of the unimportant demons? How terrifying do the real ones get?’ Kieran wondered. Regrettably, he couldn’t ponder these questions for much longer because the phantom moved at an astonishing speed.

nBang! Bang! Bang! BOOM!

nKieran received a string of attacks and was thrown against the chasm wall.

nThe worst part was that the deathly purplish-black flames persisted, eating away at the Crimson Juggernaut Mantle. It didn’t happen quickly, but it was consistent! From what Kieran witnessed, it held a good chance of burning through this protection if he wasn’t careful in acquiring more of these persistent embers!

n‘No breaks at all… I can’t get a single break!’ Kieran cried out internally. His rage was brewing, and just when it reached its peak, the phantom summoned a giant orb primarily composed of the previous flame.

nKieran responded by giving Zirgirak’s Phantom a chilling look while the sword in his hand filled with ungodly amounts of bloody energy. A massive Blood Wave was in the midst of forming as Kieran chose not to back down. With his Health now below 10%, Kieran’s Strength had essentially doubled!

nIf not for the limitations applied to the skills, Kieran would have unmistakably dumped the greater portion of his Mana Pool into this attack.

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