Chapter 192: Dangerous Battle, Dead?
Black trails, along with aura, slowly emerged from the 2nd level cave entrance as everyone finally saw the appearance of the monster that made people in the huge cavern.
It was a floating black energy robe with no legs or arms visible out of it. Instead, it was filled with a limbless humanoid black aura with a faint dark blue hue coming from it. Two red eyes were visible under the hood, but there was no face.
The powerful aura it exuded indicated that it was…a Royal-order being.
[Remnant of Shadow Antsa]
_Rank: Royal-order.
_Remnant Core: 100%/100%.
_Stats:
—> Strength: 0
—> Agility: 2000
—> Stamina: 2000
—> Health: 2000
—> Magic: 2350 / Prana: 10,000/10,000
"So it's a remnant," Lilith commented and smiled as she turned to Erix and the gang.
Erix grinned and said, "I want to challenge it solo."
"Good," Lilith snapped her finger and trapped the monster into a fifty-square-meter faint, almost transparent dark crimson barrier.
The monster conjured ten black orbs around it with a scream to attack, but its attack had no impact on Lilith's barrier.
"Go. You'll pass through the barrier," Lilith said.
"You can do it," Rin smiled and kissed Erix, activating Ignis Ed Intimacy as both of their auras increased, their overall stats boosted by 30%!
"What was that?" Reinala was startled.
Klelia was also shocked. 'A kiss and their power increased so much?'
"Special skill," Erix laughed and turned around as he walked towards the barrier while his body shone and transformed into a metallic humanoid body that was just a meter tall. He shrank himself in elemental form.
His arms, torso, legs, and head and all parts had different metallic properties, while his eyes became faint dark gold.
'Brawler Pathways Formation,' Erix focused as the internals of this metallic body started changing.
As he stood before the barrier, wisps of black aura also oozed out of him slightly as he formed ten Death Wisps around him to use in combat by consuming 1000 Mana. He could infuse a Death Wisp and give any of his attack Death-attribute.
*Scree!*
The Remnant of shadow Antsa turned to Erix and screamed as it started attacking, but Lilith's barrier still stood between them.
Rin and Lily felt a bit worried, even Lilith, but it was natural. After all, Erix was going to fight something way stronger than him.
The other adventurers in the cave already understood what was going to happen.
"Young man, I think you are overestimating yourself, haha. I bet you will be saved by that lady within ten seconds."
Lilith glanced at the Royal order powerhouse who had just spoken and was about to cut off his arm with her skill just because she didn't like his comment, but before that, Erix spoke and made her cancel her intention.
"If that happens, I'll become your servant by contract. However, what if I lasted more than ten seconds?"
"You want to bet, eh?" the middle-aged man laughed. "I am Balanor, and if you last more than thirty seconds against it, you can ask for anything from me, but If you fail to last thirty seconds, then you'll become my servant by contract."
"Thirty? Haha, alright," Erix laughed before he turned to face the barrier.
His Plazma Star Revolver floated beside him and charged up six bullets at the cost of 1200 Mana, each costing 200 Mana, while his fists were infused with two Death Wisps.
"Lilith, can you expand the barrier to its double size? I am ready."
"Alright."
The barrier suddenly expanded, which automatically made Erix enter inside.
*Scree!*
The Remnant instantly created a crescent black slash that shot toward Erix, who narrowly dodged it while his Plazma Star Revolver released a bullet.
*BOOM!*
-6.7%
*Hraaaaa!*
The entire barrier was suddenly covered in black miasma after the bullet hit the Remnant, but Erix's eyes flashed faint silver as the space around him wobbled slightly, and he teleported ten meters to his left while increasing the distance between him and his enemy to fifteen meters.
He conjured ten wormholes and positioned five of them around the Remnant before his arms blurred to execute two powerful punches.
Instantly, two punch projectiles shot into wormholes around him while he moved away to dodge the Remnant's projectile black orbs.
*BOOM!*
His punch projectiles, one with a black whirlpool whirling around the punch and one shining dark gold with sharp and condensed form, both hit the Remnant squarely, shaving away 18.7% of its HP/Remnant Core.
Whirling Punch dealt a bit less damage, but its impact forced the Remnant to shoot backward as it crashed into the barrier.
The sight caused everyone watching to turn wide-eyed.
"Just how much power he masterfully condensed and formed into those punch skills?!"
"Enviable skills. Those who use pure fists as their main force of attacks are rare."
*Scree!*
Erix quickly recovered his mana by converting some of his stamina with Mana Revera passive skill.
His other four passive skills were also at work as they contributed to increasing his damage, especially the Kinetic Power Force (Tier-3 passive skill): +20 Strength. Increase your skill's attack up to 200% based on its speed before impact. 2000 meter per second speed for max increase.
Erix was taking full advantage of this passive skill by releasing fully accelerated punches at the cost of higher exertion of his physical body and stamina, so his attacks were boosted to 200% right after he executed them.
Moreover, his entire metal elemental body was modified with his self-created pathways to channel the highest amount of power for his punches! And this was only possible with Metal and such type of elemental body.
Unlike flame, water, lighting, and such elemental bodies, he was Metal! A solidified structure, and he took full advantage of it to empower his skill executions!
Lilith and other Royal-order powerhouse were more impressed.
'You went a step ahead, darling,' Lilith smiled.
"Kill it!" Rin cheered with shining eyes. "You can do it, babe."
Erix grinned and continued as he dodged two wide scyth projectiles from the monster while his Plazma Star Revolve released two bullets into wormholes.
He didn't want to risk getting his attacks dodged, so he made use of sending his attacks through the wormhole for sure-hits.
Right after that, both of his fists also glowed as he executed his newly created skill-technique that required both of his fists.
Quickly putting both of his fists against each other, the metal gauntlets and his internals vibrated intensely as a loud drilling-like sound at ultra-sonic speed started echoing in the barrier.
*Hroooooo!!*
Naturally, his opponent wasn't going to stop, but Erix hadn't reduced his focus on it and once again narrowly dodged the attack since he was already on the move before his enemy's attack formed. Erix was observing it through his Spiritual Mystic Eye, so whenever the Remnant's aura and energy circulated, he was ready to move or teleport.
Although this Remnant wasn't that intelligent and acted like a monster, one could clearly discern its frustration at not being able to hit Erix.
The Plaza Star Revolver that floated fifteen meters away from him released two more bullets and created a plasma field with purple tendrils of solidified heat on lightning around the monster, shaving away its HP and annoying it.
Meanwhile, Erix separated his fists as they were wrapped into a strange flowing dark gold energy with a death aura as Erix infused the rest of Death Wisps in them.
Strangely and interestingly, both fists had the same type of aura, and both of them also acted and flowed exactly the same.
After preparing his fists that cost him 2000 Mana and 2000 Spirit for the boost, Erix teleported to the corner of the barrier and stood in a simple horse stance while he separated his fists as they rested at the sides of his waist.
In the same second, his body shone, and vein patterns manifested all over his body as he channeled 500 Mana for the execution and final touch.
'Symphony Echo Punch.'
Erix released his right fist first as it released a dark gold punch projectile with a circulating aura around it, and immediately after that, Erix released his left fist as its projectile shot right behind his first punch.
But instead of crashing against each other, the second fist projectile entirely merged into the first one right before it entered the wormhole.
His first punch and second punch both had the exact same level of frequencies in execution structure and waves, which allowed them to merge together, producing a way more devastating punch than if both of them hit separately!
The brightly shining dark gold punch with strange waves oozing came out of the wormhole behind the Remnant and squarely struck its back.
*BOOOOM!*
With a deafening sound, the punch revoltingly distorted the Remnant's body, dealing devastating damage, making this Erix's latest, strongest attack.
-43%!
Every single person watching was dumbfounded at how much HP he shaved away with that punch. Of course, he also paid sufficient Mana and Stamina for this skill-technique, utilizing both to the maximum potential possible by his body.
This was his peak Punch skill-technique! Unironically, this skill's creation had a concept of simple modern physics: the same frequency of sound waves could create a significantly more powerful wave.
But Erix used this concept at a supernatural level using magic with his own bits into the fray to boost his punch, and since such a powerful punch got boosted by 50% due to the Punch concept and other factors, it resulted in devastating damage to this Royal-order opponent.
However, it was not dead.
Immediately after Erix's punch put it at the death's door, the Remnant's red eyes glowed brightly, and it issued a sharp scream before black miasma with faint dark blue exploding outwardly from its body.
Erix had just controlled his weapon to shoot the last two bullets, but both bullets dissipated in the maelstrom of miasma around the Remnant.
'What the fuck is going on?' Erix frowned.
'Be careful,' Lilith sent her thought to Erix.
If even a single attack hit Erix, he would be forced to sit at Death's door or even outright die, so his priority was dodging all the attacks.
However, the maelstrom of miasma suddenly burst forth towards Erix in a large area. Moreover, the Remnant actually dispersed into this attack, indicating that it was the final attack.
Rin and Lily opened their mouths, their eyes wide.
Lilith's index finger glowed, her expression somber. 'Erix!'
However, Erix, the closest to the attack, felt dread. If that hit him, he would 100% die unless some miracle happened, but he didn't even have time to think of anything except to act for his survival.
The maelstrom closed in while Erix's eyes burst out with a silver gleam. He had already instinctively put his arms into X form while creating a metal wall before him, but it was of no use.
The maelstrom entirely devoured him, even putting a slight crack in Lilith's barrier after coursing through Erix.
Everyone was shocked!
However, when the maelstrom dispersed and Lilith removed her barrier, everyone saw a strange scene.