Episode 325
“A new skill category for combos?”
Zeke examined the newly created skill category with curiosity.
A message appeared before him.
[Please name the newly combined skill.]
[Simply naming the skill will allow you to execute it.]
“A skill name, huh.”
Zeke decided to call his electrifying skill combination “Thunder Hell.”
[The combo skill ‘Thunder Hell’ has been created.]
[Skills applied to the combo will not appear in the active skill window.]
[You can view the details of the combined skills by selecting the combo skill.]
Zeke tapped on the newly created Thunder Hell skill to see its components.
Thunder Hell: Water Bomb [C-rank (Beginner)] + Confusion [C-rank (Beginner)] + Friction Reduction [C-rank (Beginner)] + Thunder [A-rank (Beginner)]
Through the status window, Zeke could see which skills were combined to form Thunder Hell.
“The more proficient the component skills, the stronger the combo skill becomes.”
Curious about its power, Zeke headed to the training grounds to test Thunder Hell.
“Thunder Hell.”
Crackle!
In an instant, four spells unfolded simultaneously, much like the dragon magic Zeroth had demonstrated in Nirvana. The result was a skill with a wider range and greater power than a standard thunder spell.
Zeke wanted to compare this new skill’s power to his previous thunder magic.
He called over Felix, Liam, Aster, and Diego.
“Why did you summon us, my lord?”
Zeke lined them up in front of him.
“You’ve heard about the blessing from the Fairy King, right?”
“Yes, we know.”
Zeke’s reputation as the savior of the western region, who had been attacked by monsters, was growing. Rumors spread among the people about a hero who rode a flying horse and wielded a divine sword to vanquish evil monsters.
After these stories circulated, Zeke decided to publicly attribute his newfound powers and gifts of weapons and armor to the Fairy King’s blessing, just as he had told the people.
In the central continent, Zeke was hailed as the reincarnation of the Holy King Gio Luvern, who had once received the Fairy King’s blessing. His title had changed from the Knight of the Sea to the Knight of Salvation.
This allowed Zeke to attribute all the powers he gained from the system to the Fairy King’s blessing.
And those who heard the tales simply accepted that all of Zeke’s extraordinary abilities were thanks to this blessing.
“I’ve awakened a new power. Let’s test it out.”
Felix and Diego’s eyes sparkled at the mention of a new ability.
“My lord, what kind of power have you awakened?”
“Let me show you. Stand ready.”
Zeke positioned the knights in the training grounds.
“You can use your aura. Try to block it as best as you can.”
At Zeke’s command, the knights drew their swords and summoned their aura.
Zeke first unleashed a simple thunder attack on them.
Crackle!
The electric current, similar to a standard thunder spell, surged toward the knights. Though powerful, it wasn’t something the aura-wielding knights couldn’t dodge or block.
Seeing them easily handle the thunder skill, Zeke prepared to unleash Thunder Hell.
“Try to block this one too.”
The knights wore confident expressions at Zeke’s words.
Smiling inwardly, Zeke raised his hand and unleashed Thunder Hell.
In an instant, water bombs exploded, leaving the knights dazed. As they lost their footing on the slippery ground, the thunder enveloped their bodies.
“Aaaargh!”
The knights, unable to defend themselves with their aura, collapsed, foaming at the mouth. Only Liam, with his quick reflexes, managed to stay somewhat upright.
Zeke nodded, satisfied with the comparison between the thunder and Thunder Hell skills.
“Now I see why dragon magic is so powerful.”
Ordinary magic doesn’t easily affect aura-wielding knights. But a combo spell could be effective even against blue-ranked knights.
Nearby, some barbarians who had been watching with interest approached.
“Zeke, that looks fun.”
“We want to try too.”
With their strong resistance to magic, the barbarians made excellent test subjects.
Zeke nodded and lined up the barbarians, using the thunder skill on them.
As expected, their robust bodies withstood the thunder skill with little effect.
Zeke then activated Thunder Hell with a wide-area buff, targeting the barbarians.
In an instant, Thunder Hell spread to the barbarians and even to Felix and his group, who were resting nearby.
“Aaaargh!”
The barbarians and Felix’s group lay on the ground, twitching as steam rose from their bodies.
Though the barbarians’ magic resistance lessened the impact, the effect was far greater than using just the thunder skill.
“Impressive.”
Combining an A-rank thunder skill with C-rank skills produced an effect comparable to dragon magic.
Zeke now had an effective technique to conserve mana while attacking knights.
He went on to purchase a few more skills, creating several combo skills.
He ended up with four combo skills: Thunder Hell, Flame Hell, Glacier Hell, and Sand Hell.
Flame Hell was a wide-area attack skill similar to Thunder Hell.
Glacier Hell lowered the temperature in a certain area, slowing down the knights’ movements, while Sand Hell obscured their vision.
All were designed with knights in mind.
For dealing with mages, the mana-sealing technique he learned and developed from Luther was sufficient.
“Let’s see. I have 2,211 points left after buying the skills.”
Zeke decided to save the remaining points.
He might need to craft new potions or equipment, and once Bahamut’s heart fully regained its power, he planned to unlock the fifth level of dragon skills, so saving points was necessary.
While Zeke was training in the fortress, Helen came to see him.
Helen, along with Big Joe of the Crouching Flame, had arranged a meeting with Kali in Alencia, a neutral country, to discuss the Western Alliance.
The meeting concluded successfully, and the Ghetto region was declared the territory of the Western Alliance for the beastmen’s freedom struggle, under Kali Draker’s guarantee.
Despite the successful outcome, Helen’s expression was grim as she entered the fortress.
“Sister? What’s wrong?”
Helen looked at Zeke and said, “Let’s talk inside.”
The two went inside the fortress.
Before even sitting down, Helen spoke to Zeke.
“The Empire has launched an expedition against the Holy Kingdom.”
Zeke was taken aback. “What do you mean? Are you saying the Empire has declared war?”
Helen shook her head and pulled out a recording device.
“This was delivered yesterday.”
When she activated the device, it showed the Holy Kingdom’s paladins defending a fortress being overrun by an unknown army.
Zeke was shocked by the footage.
“Those are… orcs.”
The orc’s Iron Legion was attacking the Holy Kingdom, advancing toward the capital.
Zeke turned to Helen. “Is the Empire sending troops to stop them?”
“The issue isn’t just sending troops.”
Helen’s expression was grave as she continued.
“The Emperor himself is leading the army into a holy war.”
“Aaah…”
Wounded monks and clerics wept as they watched the burning fortress from the forest.
The Pamesis Temple, renowned across the continent for its beauty since the days of the Holy Empire, was in flames.
The Pamesis Temple, the largest and most beautiful temple dedicated to the Sun God, was one of the Holy Kingdom’s precious cultural heritages.
Now, this beautiful heritage was being trampled by a barbaric army clad in heavy armor and wielding massive axes.
The city’s citizens were either killed or captured as slaves, and the buildings were reduced to ashes.
The paladins and priests fighting the Iron Legion had no choice but to abandon the temple and flee.
Staying would only mean becoming their next victims.
At that moment, a boy emerged from the basket carried by a monk, gazing at the burning Pamesis Temple.
“The temple…”
The boy wept at the sight of the burning temple.
The priests quickly approached, grabbing the boy’s shoulders to push him back into the basket.
“Lord Rovan, it’s dangerous to show your face. You must hide. Do not come out until we reach Bardoca.”
With the portal unusable, it would take about a week to reach Bardoca, where the papal seat was located. The problem was the savage barbarian army scattered everywhere.
The priests and monks tasked with safely escorting the boy to Bardoca wore grim expressions.
Their mission was crucial because the boy was the Pope’s successor.
To become the Pope of the Holy Kingdom, which worshipped the Sun God, one had to bear the mark of the sun.
This boy, Rovan, was the young cleric who bore the mark that had been sought for decades.
The monk carrying Rovan in the basket and the priests guarding him left the burning temple behind, taking a secluded mountain path.
Their plan was to cross the mountains, avoid the legion, reach the highway, and find horses to travel to Bardoca.
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
Suddenly, the sound of the Iron Legion approaching filled the air.
The priests, trembling with fear at the sound, turned to Monk and spoke.
“We’ll create a distraction. Brother, you must escape and lead Rovan to the Holy Kingdom.”
Monk clenched his jaw at the words of the elder priest and nodded firmly.
The priests raised their scriptures and shouted.
“O flames that consume my body! This is not a fire of destruction, but a glory that leads me to eternal life!”
As their cries ended, flames erupted from the priests’ bodies in unison.
They hurled fireballs at the approaching steel-clad soldiers.
Boom!
The soldiers raised their shields, deflecting the priests’ fiery assault.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
With their sturdy shields, the soldiers slowly advanced, blocking the priests’ fireballs.
Then, one of the warriors at the back hurled a massive axe.
Whoosh!
The sharp blade embedded itself in the body of a priest, igniting the flames.
“Gah!”
That was the beginning. Dozens of axes flew toward the priests.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The priests were overwhelmed by the onslaught of axes from the steel-clad soldiers.
Rumble—
After dispatching the priests, the leader of the steel-clad unit removed his helmet.
An orc’s face emerged from beneath the helmet.
Pulling the axe from the priest’s body, he spoke to his subordinates.
“Humans all look the same to me. Hey, see if there’s a young human among them like they said.”
Another orc nearby tilted his head and replied.
“Uh, doesn’t seem like it. This one’s an old human, not a young one.”
The leader put his helmet back on.
“Damn it. Why are they making such a fuss about finding some young human? Hey, check again. There must be some who went this way.”
The orcs picked up their axes and resumed their pursuit.
Monk, hiding in a tree with a basket, tried to calm his trembling body as he watched.
‘Monsters? No, monsters don’t act like that. What on earth are they? Has the divine truly abandoned us?’
Monk gritted his teeth and steeled his resolve once more.
Despite the dire situation, Monk’s faith, nurtured over decades, was unwavering.
With renewed determination, he clutched the basket and moved swiftly between the trees with remarkable agility.
Fortunately, Monk managed to escape into the forest, out of the orcs’ sight.
‘If I climb the mountain all night, I might reach the road in two days.’
The problem was Rovan, who was in the basket.
Monk, with his trained body, could endure two days without sleep or food, but young Rovan could not.
‘I need to find water first.’
Monk darted toward the scent of water with nimble movements.
Before long, he found a stream, set the basket down on a nearby rock, and went to drink.
‘Clean water. I can take this with me.’
As he pulled a leather canteen from his belt to fill it, an arrow whizzed by, knocking the canteen from his hand.
‘Pursuers.’
Monk quickly grabbed the basket and dashed into the forest.
Behind him, figures in black silently followed.