The ground ran with spiderweb like cracks for several dozen meters from the extreme strength exerted by the knight. Nevertheless, the hammer stayed in its place without budging even a little.

Veins bulged and his face turned crimson; in the end, Marcus was unable to lift the hammer. No, lifting would be an overstatement; he was unable to even move it a little.

Seeing him fail, everyone was surprised. They did not look down on the holy knight but instead stared at the hammer with surprise.

No wonder the commander told them to try to lift it every day. It was because it was extremely heavy, so much so that even Holy Knight Marcus was unable to lift it.

As they thought, it was yet another trial from him.

"What do you think?" Bob questioned the holy knight, who looked slightly frustrated.

"There has to be some kind of technique to it. I used all of my strength there without holding back".

"Hmm, let's see, I have an idea" Bob scratched his chin before stepping forward next.

RUMBLE… the moment his hand grabbed the handle, a torrent of mana exploded. It was so vast and dense that it quickly covered the training ground and more, surrounding a mile of land in an instant.

That was not all, the pressure from that berserk amount of mana could be felt in the air too, as the sky above the training ground changed. The clouds above parted, forming a swirl.

All of this was just the effect of Bob releasing his Pinnacle amount of mana in an instant. The result, however, was still disappointing. Just like Marcus, he too was unable to even shift the hammer from its place, much less lift it.

"Looks like using mana is not it either," he shrugged. The loss didn't bother him as much as Marcus.

Grey tried his luck after that. Since the answer was not Strength or even Mana, he thought of using Transcendent states and focused his mind. The next second, the aura around him changed, turning him into a battle sharpened knight who had just fought his way out of slaughtering thousands of demons.

[One with the Sword], [Heart of the Sword], [Transition] and finally [Limitless].

Although the Holy Knight had yet to completely grasp the concept of [Limitless], he nonetheless still managed to enter the state with this partial mastery.

Be that may, all that flair and show was for naught. The hammer as usual, did not move even the slightest inch.

"Even Transcendent states are a no go, huh?"

At that question from his fellow holy knights, Grey nodded his head, all chill.

"If it's not stats, mana, or talent, then…" The three holy knights glanced towards Zerina, who frowned and nodded.

"I'll try my best." With that, she jumped into the crater and grabbed the handle. From the way she gripped the weapon, for a second, it seemed like she was extremely used to holding something of a similar size in her hand.

"It really is heavy," the demi human woman closed her eyes. The next second when she opened them, her eyes turned into a dangerous, vertical slit.

At that very instant, the entire atmosphere around the training ground and at least half of the area of the snow point city changed. A primal, extremely feral aura exuded from Zerina like a tidal wave, followed by the roar of a panther.

At the same time, dense purple black markings with a complex design appeared on her body, changing her appearance.

Of course, all this change occurred in an instant, and before one could realize what it was, Zerina released her hand from the hammer, returning to her station.

"Was that…" The holy knights looked at each other.

Over on the knights' side, Silvia narrowed her eyes.

"So that is an Ultimate Skill, huh?" She muttered to herself.

Vangeance and the other near her might not have realised what it was, but she did not miss those split second indications where her own skills were inhibited. To make her feel like her skills were being suppressed, the only thing that could do that was… Ultimate Skill.

An Ultimate Skill is the absolute pinnacle of a knight's journey. The final, transcendent fusion of every technique, battles fought, experience, victory, defeat, instinct, and ounce of willpower.

It is the crystallization of everything the warrior has ever been, and the information carved in their soul to create a singular, powerful force that can reshape the world itself.

Silvia had seen an ultimate skill before and knew that when it is invoked, the air convulses around itself, and everyone nearby feels their own powers waning in an attempt to make everyone acknowledge that something greater has arrived.

A force so pure and complete that all lesser skills shrink in its presence.

The feeling earlier was precisely that, just in its embryonic stages of development. Having said that, even with an Ultimate Skill, it looked like it was impossible to budge that hammer.

After the holy knights, it was the turn for the other members of the order to try out their luck. One by one, they all tried to lift the hammer but failed.

"Haha, it looks like I finally get to show up my master today," Vangeance bragged, oozing with confidence.

"Oooh!! Senior Vangeance, go for it. You can do it". Kevin cheered, getting infected by the positivity of the knight.

"You think you can lift the hammer that not even Sir Marcus could lift?"

Silvia looked at the other party with exasperation. Where does his endless optimism come from?

"Haha, just watch. It is destiny telling me that it is my fate to lift that hammer". He folded his sleeves and went down to the crater, all worked up to lift the hammer.

A few seconds later, he climbed back up.

"That was fast? Did your destiny run out in just a few seconds?"

"Shut up! There is something seriously wrong with the hammer. How can it be so heavy?"

"Hmm, don't worry, Senior Vangeance. I will lift it for you". Kevin shouted, matching the other's optimism.

A few seconds later he too came back dejected.

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