Chapter 720: Chapter 362: The Second Grandmaster-Level Skill, [Instinct Grip]!
When the [Ascetic Body Refinement] is completely perfected, the ancient rune power derived from the [Pure Body] under the blessing of Ronan’s [Sixfold Spiral Palace] is perfectly controlled.
Ronan frequently glimpsed scenes of this silent Dead Sea.
This seems to be a secret buried within the [Ancient Power], allowing him to peek into some ancient truth.
Every time Ronan swung the long-handled battle axe in his hand, ripples appeared on the surface of that Dead Sea.
The sound of the water being stirred was made by him, and beneath the dead and murky black surface, a deeper dark red than fresh blood seemed to be slowly flowing.
"Ka-cha—"
The long-handled battle axe cut a crescent-shaped black light wheel in the void, enveloped in a forbidden-like vision, with black arcs of lightning densely intertwined on the light wheel, striking at the rider and horse. The rider’s spear was shattered, and in the collision of two terrifying forces, he retreated somewhat embarrassedly.
"Ka-ka—"
The Knight steadied himself on the back of the Black Nightmare Warhorse, switching his grip on the spear from one hand to both, as a series of bone-cracking sounds emanated from his body.
He looked at Ronan, and beneath the bronze face mask, his eyes seemed to smile, showing a hint of interest.
"@@￥!..."
He softly uttered ancient syllables, and the vast spiritual field of a Level 5 Late Stage spread outward, drawing in nearly endless energy particles.
Soon, clusters of ghostly blue flames ignited around him, forming a shadow of a black Netherworld Elephant, tens of meters high, with long hair and sharp fangs... Finally, it all compressed, enveloping him.
After the great Netherworld Elephant’s shadow descended, the runes on the Knight’s bronze armor lit up one after another, as if rust marks fell off, instantly becoming somewhat magnificent.
And his aura rapidly grew, quickly reaching several times its previous strength, forming an invisible, eerie storm of ghostly blue around him.
"Again."
The Knight spoke with a smile, tugging the reins, and both man and horse turned into black smoke, merging into the ghostly blue storm and silently surging towards Ronan.
Waves of sinister, chilling forbidden energy invaded Ronan’s force field with the storm, and Ronan squinted, feeling an unprecedented heavy pressure.
The [Pure Body] achieved perfection, and with the breakthrough during the battle forming the [Sixfold Spiral Palace], his "Ancient Mara’s Body" leaped to a level that could confront a Level 5 Late Stage Wizard head-on.
However, the person in front of him was clearly not an ordinary Level 5 Late Stage Wizard; he was also a "monster," even surpassing those in the Minotaur Maze.
Moreover, he was in peak condition, and Ronan no longer had the "immune to invincibility" effect granted by the "Defense Holy Shrine."
"The true strength of a Level 5 Late Stage elite fighter.."
Ronan closed his eyes, and the bizarre illusion of the Dead Sea slowly faded away.
Upon reopening them, a fierce battle intent had already ignited in his eyes.
"That’s just right.."
Ronan gripped the long-handled battle axe in one hand, some of the black aura within him shattered under the influence of the incomplete "Storm Bloodline," forming black smoke that steamed out from the gaps in the titanium-made golden armor.
The long black hair on his back rose like a waterfall, and at this moment, he seemed to intertwine both divinity and demonic nature.
"Help me break through this last barrier to Master Level!"
Back when the [Ascetic Body Refinement] reached perfect from the Expert Proficiency, advancing to Master Level was only achieved when his body and mind were nearly broken.
Ronan wasn’t sure if reaching Grandmaster after perfecting Master Level Proficiency required repeating that process.
But actively seeking more and greater pressure, and finding opportunities to break through in the battle of life and death... it was never wrong!
Ronan took a deep breath, driven by the vast Life Force Field brought by the Ancient Mara’s Body, as he rushed forward like a black meteor towards the ghostly blue storm, which frequently emitted elephant trumpets.
"Boom!"
The black and ghostly blue single beams of lightning interwove, and Ronan directly broke open a huge gap in the ghostly blue storm.
The Black Nightmare Knight on horseback emerged halfway from the storm, gazing coldly as he thrust his spear straight at Ronan.
Ronan calmly gripped the battle axe with both hands, raising the axe blade to counter the tip of the spear.
The overwhelming pressure and forbidden energy of the Undead Magic infused through the tip poured in, quickly repelling his battle axe and piercing through his left shoulder.
In that instant, Ronan seemed to hear the wails of thousands of souls in his ears, along with the roars of the ancient Netherworld Elephant, as if his left shoulder was trampled by the elephant, shattering the Titan Helmet instantly, sending him flying.
The stellar, massive force field squeezed layers of twisted folds in the void, while the sixteen pairs of golden eagle wings on Ronan’s back fully expanded, vibrating non-stop and continuously offsetting the overbearing, chilling magic energy.
Combining the skills of a Knight with the magical power of a Wizard formed a unique combat style, and Ronan had encountered such opponents before.
Not to mention Monger in the maze, but further back, there was Adam of the "Spiritual Power Dawn" from the South.
Of course, the person in front of him surpassed Adam in both strength and the usage of magical techniques by an unknown margin; he was a terrifying opponent, arguably the strongest Ronan had faced at the Level 5 stage.
Ronan resisted the power of that spear, and at the injured position on his left shoulder, a piece of blood and flesh appeared dead gray-black, with a finger-wide penetrating wound that also existed on his soul.
He couldn’t help but frown slightly; in the state of the Sixfold Spiral Palace, the Ancient Mara’s Body’s defensive capability against spells and physical attacks had reached an incredible height, and Ronan even had the strong premonition that he wouldn’t be injured by enduring a fifth-rank spell.
Yet even so, he was pierced by one thrust from the Black Nightmare Knight, testifying to the terrifying power of that spear.
Even the Vital Light Ball, exacerbated to an exuberant state under the remaining Evolution Holy Shrine power, struggled to heal.
But fortunately....
Ronan turned and retrieved a square black stone box, drawing a few strands of green energy light from it and injecting them into his body, quickly healing the injury.
——The Healing Shrine power obtained earlier in the Ancient Waterway.
The ghostly blue storm still loomed ahead, with the figures of the Black Nightmare Knight and his horse appearing and disappearing within, as if the ghost rider ruling the death whirlwind.
Ronan slowly propped himself up.
"All things are the children of fire and gold...."
He calmly recited the Fire Gold Song, and a part of the Titan Armor on him naturally disintegrated into broken notes, then formed into blades of gold and fire.
"Crack-crack—"
He slightly tightened his grip on the long-handled battleaxe. The axe blade melted like black mercury, then condensed into the form of an eight-bladed weapon, each blade appearing like a long axe blade, merging together as if a peculiar long spear.
The ancient complex patterns still existed, and amid its original heaviness and dominance, there was now a sense of sharpness and agility.
Compared to the slightly cumbersome long-handled battleaxe, Ronan still found the long spear to be more handy.
"Buzz—"
The eight-blade spear in his hand trembled slightly, emitting a buzzing sound.
Ronan squinted his eyes, and in a blur, he suddenly charged forward like a vague phantom.
Under the ghostly blue storm, the shadow of an ancient Netherworld Elephant flickered, and the Black Nightmare Knight emerged, casually thrusting a spear at Ronan.
A light of magic energy condensed to the extreme twisted and shot out from the spear tip, piercing through Ronan’s body in an instant, as Ronan exploded from the state of a blazing and powerful black meteor, momentarily splitting into dozens of nearly identical figures holding spears.
The blades of gold and fire circled and danced like singing birds in the void, under the intense fluctuations of space magic, the atmosphere of several forbidden magic domains surged simultaneously.
In each Ronan’s eyes, there sparkled the silver light of mysterious space; from all directions, like slightly smaller yet mighty meteors, they held their spears, plummeting towards the center of the battle, targeting the Black Nightmare Knight.
Under his bronze face mask, he blinked, with a strange color emerging.
[Mirror Flower Water Moon] for the first time in Ronan’s hands wasn’t used for escape, but executed in frontal combat, showing a flair belonging to the Minotaur’s space magic heritage.
Ronan naturally entered the state of [Empty Spirit Extreme Thought], with his aura rising continuously, completely dominated by battle spirit yet with a mind as calm as an ice lake.
The Black Nightmare Knight’s combat style inspired him immensely, and he began to attempt building a close-combat magic system unique to himself in this battle.
He feared no harm, as the strong opponent before him was the best teacher.
Master Level [Basic Swordsmanship] gave him unparalleled control over the eight-blade spear, and the black Dead Sea brought by Perfect Level control of [Ancient Power] once again emerged before his eyes, with his blood surging inside, resonating with his bones and flesh, and the sounds of tides hitting the shore, the wailing of conch shells echoed.
Ronan entered an indescribable wondrous state,
The powers of Space-related, Metal Attribute, and Ancient Demon Body, like three gears of different attributes, continuously meshed in his hands, from clumsy to smooth, from hesitation to harmony... a brand new combat system framework was slowly built by Ronan.
"Screech—"
Ronan swept his spear across, the eight-blade spear tearing through the void, bringing with it countless streaks of black lightning and arcs.
In the unseen realms, it seemed to pull at some existence, the power carried on the spear blade exploded in an instant, multiplying several times over!
"Boom!"
This spear descended like a thunderclap, directly tearing open the ghostly blue storm, forcing the Black Nightmare Knight out of his semi-phantom state.
He also thrust a spear, and the two figures brushed past each other rapidly... the next moment, the head of the nightmare steed beneath the Black Nightmare Knight exploded!
The ghostly blue storm slowly disintegrated, the Black Nightmare Knight looked at the wailing headless horse beneath him, extending a hand, slowly wiping the gap of armor around his neck.
Looking at his palm again, a few threads of bright red were distinctly visible.
Under the bronze face mask, for the first time, those eyes showed a trace of surprise and shock.
Behind him, wearing golden armor, with blades of gold and fire accompanying him, Ronan stood, holding a spear in one hand, black hair gently dancing, eyes closed tightly.
When he opened his eyes again, an unsurpassable brilliance surged in his pupils.
—Grandmaster Level!
He had another skill breakthrough to Grandmaster Level!
This time, it was [Basic Swordsmanship].
He had captured the spirit light of [Basic Swordsmanship] breakthrough several times, and finally achieved a true breakthrough this time.
On the character panel, the [Basic Swordsmanship] that reached Grandmaster Level had its name changed, becoming more fitting to this skill, now called...
"[Instinct Grip]!"
Ronan softly uttered these four words, attempting to wave the eight-blade spear in his hand.
In an instant, his arm seemed to pull at numerous invisible threads existing in the void.
That was the texture of nature, the veins of heaven and earth!
In the depths of his consciousness, a surge of primal, wild power erupted.
"Hoo—"
Ronan soared like a wisp of smoke, a swirling mist, stretching the ancient demon body, the eight-blade spear humming gently.
His gaze locked firmly on the distant Black Nightmare Knight, before him, that unshakable black Dead Sea illusion appeared once more.
And this time.
When Ronan wielded the spear, the black Dead Sea before him.....
Suddenly surged with layers of waves!