Chapter 96: Martial Prowess
Erix, Kenshin, and Sameira landed on top of a mountain facing the beginning of a volcanic region. The ground had cracks oozing out magma, and the entire area was filled with tens of thousands of monsters!
"You can't be serious, right?" Erix looked at Kenshin and Sameira, his expression dumbfounded as he listened to the mission description.
"We are maji serious," Kenshin grinned as he cracked his knuckles. "So you should also get serious and try not to die."
"Erix, we arrived here for you," Sameira said with a smile. "As a martial artist, you are talented, but you haven't reached the level Rin has reached, let alone us."
"How do you know?" Erix raised his eyebrows.
"Because we don't sense an intent aura in you," Kenshin answered before he punched in the sky while twisting his fist, creating a bellowing whirl of wind filled with powerful force!
"The moment this apocalypse descended, and we fought a bit, we awakened something called Concepts," Sameira said with a smile as she flicked her finger holding a tiny stone at the boulder.
*Smash! Boom!*
Erix's eyes turned wide. 'Is that why their attacks were so powerful?! No wonder I was losing badly and quickly.'
That tiny stone shattered the entire boulder, but Erix was sure Sameira didn't use any mana! It didn't make sense that such a weak tiny rock could break a boulder into pieces!
"How is that possible?" Erix asked, shocked.
"Shatter Concept," Sameira answered. "I've practiced in Flowing Shatter Style martial arts for years, so when fighting zombies and monsters, I naturally awakened this concept."
"The one I awakened is called Tempest Concept," Kenshin grinned, showing his white teeth. "Well, I was also called Raging Tempest because of my unique martial style involving quick and powerful moves such that they would create wind gusts."
Sameira chuckled, "Oh dear, the doctors were quite sad when you stopped breaking your opponents' bones."
Erix internally rolled his eyes. Kenshin was huge and still only had pure muscles on top of a martial artist's agility, so obviously, he could be called Raging Tempest if he created his own set of martial arts suitable for his constitution and talent.
"So, what does Tempest concept do?" Erix curiously asked. 'Tempest Concept sounds fucking powerful, and it was when he showed it.'
"My physical actions produce atmosphere pressure and winds according to my moves and thoughts, so my frontal attacks are more powerful."
'This concept thingy is reality-defying, and it only consumes thought power… is it like the power of refined thoughts attuned by one's constant mastery of singular actions?'
"I want a concept," Erix said, his expression solemn. "And I think I know what kind of concept I will get."
"Then let's go and complete the mission of killing those monsters before they turn into a monster tide," Sameira chuckled and flew up as if the wind had heeded her command and moved towards the volcanic area.
"Boy, we will not save you or aid you until you awaken your concept, so fight as if your life depends on it, or you will die," Kenshin said, his smile lacking any ounce of empathy. It was a smile filled with pure savagery and brutality.
"Just watch," Erix grinned back, not backing down as a maddening gleam lit up in his eyes.
'Metal Diabolicus: Maniac Brawler Form.'
A second later, he consumed 450 mana at once as his body was coated in a dark silver shining metallic armor!
The joints were perfectly designed, so he could move quickly and fluidly.
His fists and feet had a thin layered armor, so he could pump in more power when attacking by consuming mana or using skills through his fists and feet.
His entire body was covered in the slick, scaled-designed metallic frame that Erix designed in his recent session of Limitless Plane!
"Lad, that's one hell of a metal manipulation and design," Kenshin was surprised. "It should've taken you a lot of time to create this."
Erix laughed but didn't answer. 'Without that level of focus I have in Limitless Plane, it would be impossible to design such a detailed and powerful metal frame.'
"Let's see who kills more."
Erix dived down as he exerted his absolute control over metal, shooting straight towards a giant volcanic bear with dark brown cracky plates on its body. A level 77 monster!
*BOOM!*
His fist squarely landed on the monster who had just looked up, smashing its skull and then bursting its body with the powerful momentum he gathered by descending quickly, and his +50% punch damage increased passive skill!
But this was just the start as all surrounding monsters rushed towards Erix while some attacked from afar.
Kenshin also landed and smashed a monster into pieces.
Sameira was a kilometer away from them and had already killed three monsters in three seconds.
The three of them were like slaughters against thousands of monsters.
Dodge, attack, block, and attack. They only used skills when necessary and always moved and attacked efficiently.
The monsters couldn't match the precision and agility of the trio, so their expertise in movement due to practicing martial arts allowed them to dodge the attacks quickly.
The projectiles coming from monsters would also sometimes hit other monsters that were close to them as they would move like that to dodge.
Erix was still making small mistakes and was hit and grazed a few times, but Sameira and Kenshin were practically invincible as they were not even scratched even after fighting for half an hour!
But Erix was improving too!
Ever since the apocalypse started, he had fought less with martial arts and more with his skills and metal control, so his progress in mastering his body had halted.
However, his gears were moving again, and with so much higher stats than regular humans, he was incorporating and creating his unique set of combat styles involving punches!
He wanted his punch to have pure, unadulterated power containing his entire strength! Moreover, he wanted to do that with techniques that could be executed in his mind only because of the inhuman physical parameters!
A punch could be executed in a myriad of ways, and Erix wanted to explore that potential since he was in a realm outside of humans. He was no longer a mortal. He was a Supra-order being!
After all, the superior and inhuman martial art feats of Sameira and Kenshin were the main reason Erix would lose against them in duels.
If one looked from afar, one would see how Kenshin and Sameira were easily slaughtering monsters. After gaining such powerful physical parameters, they had created martial moves so astoundingly strong that each of their action contained their concepts! They were using martial techniques even more powerful than skills!