"Initialising Host's request..."

"Analyzing Host's opponent...

Opponent is in a higher realm than the Host!"

"Activating Blessing of Jambavan..."

The crimson bear spirit emerged from my forehead, radiating an overwhelming pressure that even forced Theon to rush at me.

"Stop him!!!"

Somehow he knew that if I fully manifest the technique I was about to unleash, the slim chances of victory they had would be shattered.

Several attackers, along with Theon, leapt at me in a desperate attempt to obstruct the skill midway.

"I won't let you!" he shouted, swinging the massive scythe at my head.

"Blink."

The hundreds of attacks that were shot at me struck the empty ground as I vanished from the group of sheep and reached the top of the dirt wall that Jambavan had created.

Without a whisper of wind, my hair defied gravity, unfurling skyward in a wild, ethereal banner. My eyes bled with intense crimson, and a monumental power unleashed within my body.

"Blessing of Jambavan activated!"

"Alert!! Too much Soulforce is being consumed due to using Eyes of the Fallen and Blessing of Jambavan simultaneously.

Turning off one skill is advised."

"Hahahahahaha!"

My deep, deafening laugh echoed through the battlefield, pouring sweat down the opponents' faces.

"Incredible... incredible... incredible..." I roared. "This power is incredible."

"Vivi baby, deactivate the Eyes of the Fallen."

"Initialising Host's request..."

"Eyes of the Fallen is deactivated!"

"Oy, weaklings," I called to the agitated fighters beneath me with an uncontrollable smile laced on my face. "Don't give up hope. To make this battle challenging, I won't use my sword. So come at me with everything you've got."

I jumped off the wall, landing straight in the middle of the enemies' group.

"H-how dare you underestimate us!" Theon barked. "Kill him!!"

The countless attacks that I was previously blocking with my sword now had to be dodged, or they would land on my bare body.

Although the offensive attacks of Spirit Warriors barely had any effect on my body, there could be exceptions in thousands of these attacks, so it was better to be safe than sorry.

With every second I spent dodging the enemy's assault, my awareness sharpened. Time seemed to stretch and slow; the incoming attacks tracked across my vision with languid, readable precision, and in the next instant—

Ding...

"Congratulations! You have learned a new skill: Divine Sense. More information is not shown as the Host is currently amidst a battle."

I knew what the skill was just by its name. The attacks that previously required total focus to dodge were now slipping past me effortlessly. My body was reacting on pure instinct, moving without a single conscious thought.

Bam-bam... pow-pow... clash-clash...

With just a single physical strike of my fist or leg, most of the fighters were falling unconscious one after another.

Five minutes after Ume left, I felt something within me rising violently.

My body, already heated due to Jambavan's blessing, began burning with intense heat. In the next moment, I felt a sudden increase in my strength and—

Ding...

"Congratulations! The Host has successfully broken through! The Host's realm has increased.

Early-Stage Essence Realm → Mid-Stage Essence Realm

All stats +30"

"Wh-why the hell is he getting stronger instead of weakening?"

"I was right. This Lucifer isn't human. He is an immortal!"

"I'm not fighting a losing battle!"

"I'm also leaving!"

Some of the awakeners tried to run away, but the moment they left the battlefield, their Soulforce erupted, blood splattered, and they fell to the ground.

"Hmph! This is what happens when you break the Soul Oath!" Theon scoffed, moving towards the fallen awakeners. "If anyone else wants to run away, this will be their fate."

He swung his scythe and beheaded the dozens of awakeners that were suffering on the ground.

"Tch, we will die if we run away and we will also die if we fight that monster, so why not die fighting?"

The fighters clicked their tongues and reluctantly swung their weapons at me.

Bam!

Tang!

Smash!

.

.

.

Another ten minutes passed, and another hundred fighters fell. Before me, only five people remained standing: Theon, Vyrion, Feralin, Gajendra, and Armin.

"I don't have any grudge against you; however, I can't go against El Dorado's order," Vyrion said, drawing his sword.

"Hahaha! I don't give a damn about your circumstances!" I mocked, cracking my knuckles. "Come at me."

The first one to lunge at me was Gajendra with his massive shield, which already had a huge dent at the center from my punch.

The moment I stopped his shield, Feralin leapt from his shoulder behind the shield, coming straight for my neck.

I tilted my head, grabbed her by the tail, and threw her toward Gajendra.

"Tch-tch, same strategy again. Hahaha, you don't learn from your mistakes."

"Th-those moves!" Feralin gasped, holding her tail.

"A-are you that—"

Before Vyrion could ask, a fist landed in his gut, and he fell with a thud.

In the next instant, I swept through the remaining squad, striking the backs of their heads and knocking them unconscious.

It was only then that Theon decided to make his move.

The moment I stopped, his scythe struck my shoulder, leaving a shallow mark.

"Were you waiting for me to exhaust my Soulforce and strike at the perfect moment?" I asked, taking a step back.

"Hehehe… if you'd gone for me first, you might've actually won," he chuckled, dragging his scythe across the ground and sketching a pattern with my blood.

I hadn't noticed it before, but the entire battlefield was marked by a vast circular pattern… and at its center, the symbol was drawn with my blood.

The pattern he drew on the ground began glowing, and I felt my Soulforce being shackled within me.

"Alert! The opponent has used the skill Blood Binding.

50% of Host's remaining Soulforce has been sealed.

The Host has only 10% usable Soulforce remaining."

Theon immediately retreated several feet back and began an eerie dance with his scythe as though performing a ritual.

The Soulforce pressure around him increased severalfold, and a demon-shaped figure with sharp fangs materialized around the blade of his weapon.

"Vivi, deactivate Jambavan's blessing."

"Blessing of Jambavan deactivated!"

Without waiting for him to unleash his attack, I drew Vajra from my inventory, closed the distance with Blink, and the moment I swung my sword, the demon on his scythe roared toward me, shoving me back with sheer pressure.

"Hahaha, you can't stop this attack with the pitiful amount of Soulforce you have left," Theon laughed, dancing intensely. "Do you know about the slave marks that burn those slaves who try to run away? I was the genius who manipulated the pattern on the gates and drew them. Do you think a nobody like you could defeat me?"

"So it was him who altered the ancient sigils," I murmured. "Then I can't underestimate him at all."

Taking a deep breath, I raised the hand holding Vajra.

The winds stopped moving, the birds in the forest stopped chirping, and everything turned silent as if Vyoman itself was holding its breath.

My feet slowly left the ground, and cataclysmic black clouds roaring with golden thunder gathered in the clear night sky, hiding the two moons behind them.

Seeing the cloud of destruction above him, Theon's limbs trembled, and he hastily launched his attack.

With a swing of his sword, a four-legged demonic beast with sharp, domineering eyes and terrifying fangs hurtled toward me.

"Asura Strike!"

"Hahaha! Die!!!!" Theon laughed, breathing heavily.

My lips parted as I looked down on the incoming demon like it was a mere ant and whispered while descending my blade:

L

I

G

H

T

N

I

N

G

⚡

D

E

C

R

E

E

The lightning from the black clouds gathered at the center and, following the movement of my blade, descended on the demon like a heavenly tribulation.

While unleashing this skill, there was one thing I was forgetting: the last time I used this skill, my power had been nothing compared to what it was now.

The moment the lightning struck the demon, a deafening thunder—loud enough to shake the entire Abandoned Land—roared.

The demonic figure launched by Theon couldn't even last a second against my Decree.

The lightning tore through the demon figure like paper and struck the real demon wearing the skin of a human on the ground.

Not even a scream could escape Theon's mouth, and not even a bone of his remained when the lightning vanished, leaving nothing but scorched earth where he once stood.

Ding...

"The opponent's skill Blood Binding has been undone. The seal on the Host's Soulforce has been lifted."

Ding...

"Congratulations! The Host has successfully broken through! The Host's realm has increased.

Mid-Stage Essence Realm → Late-Stage Essence Realm

All stats +30"

Ding...

"Congratulations! The Host has completed the quest: The Goddess' Expectations

The Goddess' Expectation: The Goddess of all beasts—Gumiho—has very high expectations from the Host. Defeat all the enemies and kill their commander within half an hour.

Status: Completed.

[Claim the Reward]"

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