Chapter 89: Atlas Burden
Leon dashed at Arthur again, ignoring the sharp, stinging pain on his torso where blood continued to spill. He locked his focus entirely on his target, refusing to let the agonizing wound slow his momentum down as he charged across the illuminated void.
With Radiant Ascension active, his speed was twice as fast as before, turning his movement into a blur of pure golden light.
The vast distance between them dissolved in a fraction of a second, the overwhelming acceleration kicking up invisible shockwaves beneath his feet.
Leon closed in on Arthur in an instant, swinging his burning blade with maximum force directly at the king’s head.
The strike cut through the air with a deafening roar of holy fire and crackling lightning, aiming to slice straight through Arthur’s divine crown.
Arthur scoffed at the incoming swing, his posture relaxed as he raised his own weapon with effortless precision, saying, "Haven’t you learnt your lesson already?"
He prepared to parry the predictable strike just as he had done with every attack before it.
Leon ignored him entirely, abruptly altering his trajectory mid-swing and thrusting his blade at Arthur’s torso once again.
Arthur moved his blade downward to block the sudden thrust, positioning Excalibur to catch the tip of Leon’s incoming weapon.
Just then, Leon changed his attack entirely, cancelling the thrust to deliver a heavy, lightning-infused kick straight towards Arthur’s face instead.
Arthur was caught off guard by the dirty, unpredictable kick, his eyes widening slightly as the boot sped towards his jaw.
However, his godlike reflexes kicked in immediately, allowing him to lean his upper body back just in time and dodge the surprise attack by a hair’s breadth.
He immediately swung his blade in return while pulling back, aiming the glowing golden edge precisely at the same open cut still bleeding profusely on Leon’s torso.
He executed the retaliatory counterstrike with deadly speed, intending to punish the young hunter’s aggressive trickery.
The blade struck Leon’s shoulder hard, tearing through his torn clothing and biting into his skin.
However, despite there being a deep, unhealed cut there already, the golden sword failed to penetrate deep into Leon’s skin this time, stopping abruptly against his dense, reinforced muscles as if hitting solid steel.
Leon gnashed his teeth against the heavy impact, his eyes flashing with golden energy as he thought ’Atlas Burden!’
[Skill: Atlas Burden]
[Rank: SS]
[Description: Calls upon the strength once used to bear the heavens. Greatly increases Strength, Vitality, and Endurance, while allowing the user to withstand overwhelming pressure, ignore knockback effects, and lift objects far beyond their normal limits.]
The skill activated instantly throughout his entire body, causing his muscles to bulge and harden as the weight of the heavens fortified him.
The massive boost to his Vitality and Endurance turned his body into an impenetrable fortress, allowing him to tank the king’s counterattack.
Arthur’s eyes widened, not expecting the blade to actually fail to penetrate Leon.
Leon did not waste that split moment of confusion, knowing it was the best time for him to strike.
He channeled all the power in his body, planting a heavy punch directly on the king’s chest.
The sheer force behind the punch completely broke Arthur’s defensive stance. The king was lifted clean off his feet and blasted backward into the air like a ragdoll.
He spun around several times in mid-air, completely losing control of his movement as all the air was forcefully knocked out of his lungs.
Even while spinning wildly through the air, Arthur’s elite instincts kicked in. He forced his body to twist around, pointed his legs toward the floor, and slammed his feet back onto the ground.
He hit the floor hard, sliding backward across the surface and kicking up bright sparks beneath his boots.
Even though Arthur managed to stay on his feet, he could not stop his body from staggering. He took a few clumsy steps backward, struggling hard to keep his balance as his legs shook under his own weight.
A deep, burning pain spread through his entire ribcage. It felt as if he had just been struck head-on by a massive, heavy train moving at top speed.
His body throbbed from the impact, and he had to fight just to draw a single breath.
While the king was still staggering and trying to catch his breath, Leon made another move.
He cocked his right arm back and suddenly threw his sword straight at Arthur. He completely let go of his main weapon, tossing the burning blade through the air like a deadly spear.
The sword moved through the air far faster than a speeding bullet fired from a gun.
In less than a fraction of a second, the tip of the blade appeared right in front of Arthur’s face.
Under normal circumstances, an attack like this would have been easy for Arthur to deal with.
His reflexes were far too fast, and his speed was well above normal limits. He would usually have no problem dodging or blocking a flying sword with minimal effort.
However, Arthur simply had not expected Leon to suddenly throw his sword at him. No skilled fighter would ever toss their weapon away like that in the middle of a intense fight. Because he never saw such a reckless move coming, Arthur was caught completely off guard.
With no time to bring his sword up to block, Arthur was forced to react at the absolute last moment.
He yanked his head back violently, leaning his upper body to the side as fast as he could.
The spinning blade zoomed right past his jaw, missing his face by a hair’s breadth.
The very moment Arthur dodged the blade, Leon attacked him again.
Before Arthur could even fully bring his head back up, Leon was already right in front of him, launching a heavy fist straight toward his face.
Arthur gnashed his teeth in pure frustration.
He saw the heavy fist coming right for him, but his body was still out of balance from dodging the flying sword. He tried to shift his weight to get out of the way, but he simply could not move fast enough to dodge in time.
Leon’s power-packed punch slammed directly into Arthur’s face with a heavy, sickening smack.
The full force of the strike landed square on the king’s jaw, shaking the air around them. But strangely enough, Arthur’s head did not snap back from the blow.
Even after taking such a devastating punch directly to his face, the king stood completely still, remaining rooted to the spot without moving an inch.
Leon did not stop there, though.
He launched into a rapid flurry of violent punches directly toward the king’s torso. His arms became a fast blur as he threw strike after strike, pouring all his energy into a relentless onslaught aimed squarely at Arthur’s chest and stomach.
With every single hit that connected, the strikes grew noticeably stronger than the last.
[Skill: Hydra Breaker]
[Rank: S]
[Description: Each consecutive strike on the same target permanently builds momentum during combat, increasing damage and reducing the target’s regenerative abilities. The effect ends once the target is defeated or combat concludes.]
That explosive growth in strength was the direct effect of another skill equipped to his weapon, called Hydra Breaker.
As long as he did not break the chain of physical strikes against the same target, the gauntlet would keep stacking power, making each hit far more dangerous than the one that came before it.
Leon drew his fist back and landed another heavy punch directly onto Arthur’s abdomen.
The accumulated force behind all the previous punches exploded outward all at once, striking the king and sending him flying once again.
Arthur swiftly spun his body though, landing gracefully on his feet.
Leon’s brows furrowed as he stared at Arthur, staring to get confused.
He knew just how much power had gone into that combination. He had landed a long flurry of power-packed punches on Arthur, with every single hit getting stronger and stronger due to the gauntlet’s skill.
Yet, as Leon looked at the king, he realized there was still no visible sign of danger or weakness on him.
Arthur did not look hurt at all. There was no blood on his face or armor, his breathing was completely steady, and his body showed zero signs of pain or fatigue.
It was as if all those heavy, power-boosted punches had done nothing to truly endanger his life or break his defenses.
However, Leon refused to let hesitation take over his mind in the middle of a fight.
Instead of standing still, he stretched his right hand straight out into the air, calling for his weapon.
Excalibur answered his call instantly.
The golden sword flew from where it had landed far behind Arthur, cutting back through the empty air with incredible speed.
In less than a second, the heavy hilt flew right into Leon’s open palm, coming back into Leon’s fist with a firm, familiar grip.
With his weapon securely back in his hand, Leon charged forward at Arthur again.
However, as Leon zoomed toward him, Arthur did not raise his blade or prepare a counterattack.
The king simply clicked his tongue in irritation. "Enough," Arthur said.