Chapter 172: Chapter 172: Mad Man
Reaching out his arm, Ulric let out a slow breath as he felt all his formed blades coalescing into an abominable spectral one that oozed with menacing trails of energy.
But Ulric paid it little mind. Something bigger occupied his thoughts.
He could feel it, the overwhelming currents of power surging through his body, almost threatening to devour him whole.
A 10x jump in power had been monstrous. But this... this was something else entirely. And more importantly, his body couldn’t keep it up for long.
Previously, although the 10x jump had been monstrous, it had been manageable to a certain extent, only needing a little refinement.
But the energy rampaging through his body now was violent. He could feel his blood vessels bursting as his skin slowly cracked.
Keeping track of all these changes, Ulric nodded slightly as a single thought took root in the back of his mind.
He had to end this soon before deploying this power caused irremediable damage to his body.
At the side, Artorias blinked rapidly as the smile on his face froze. A few seconds passed this way until he couldn’t take it anymore and yelled inwardly.
What was the meaning of this? His eyes grew an ominous red as if they were about to bleed. At least that would have been better than this!
Beyond the youth’s mastery of elements being exceedingly excellent, he could increase his base strength to at least twenty times!
He growled, clenching his fists tightly. The first time the youth had pulled out this move, it had been beyond absurd. But to a certain extent, it could be chalked up to the youth’s monstrous genius.
But this was way beyond that! Just the trails of energy oozing from his frame were enough to send chills racing across Artorias’ body.
With this level of power, he had a feeling the youth would be exceedingly close to matching his strength, if he fought at his peak!
The thought was sheer madness! Almost too surreal to be true. But the sight before him was undeniable.
He could of course sense that the monstrous power the youth wielded was slowly tearing his body apart, meaning he couldn’t keep this state for long.
But that didn’t make the feat any less terrifying. It only heightened his feelings as a shard of panic flashed across his eyes.
This was even more terrifying! With a single glance, he could easily tell this wasn’t a forbidden art that ate at his life force. Just an advanced version of his earlier skill.
The only thing visibly hindering him was his body. Staring at him just felt... wrong. Power like that wasn’t supposed to be contained in such a body, yet here it was.
If the youth could find a way to strengthen his body to extreme levels, he had a feeling he could wield this power in the future with ease, just as he did the 10x upgrade.
If it were another time, he wouldn’t have been so concerned. Achieving that was extremely hard, especially considering the factors tied to his power.
If his base strength increased alongside his physical strength, it would create a perpetual loop trapping him in this state.
But knowing everything he did about the youth, he didn’t dare harbor such thoughts.
To the youth, it wouldn’t be if, but a matter of when.
With all these thoughts circling in the back of his mind, Artorias’ eyes narrowed dangerously on the youth.
The more the battle continued, the more afraid he became. Perhaps this was for the best.
Artorias mused, the expression on his face easing. Some levels of power were never meant to be wielded.
Seeing the conflicted expression on Artorias’ face, Ulric chuckled slightly as he cracked his neck, preparing for the incoming clash.
With the little knowledge he had of Arcadia, he had come to see clearly that people, especially powerhouses, didn’t like forces they couldn’t contain and control.
Even if he had agreed to go with Artorias, he had a feeling they would only impede his growth with their pointless fears. That was why Ulric had never truly considered the offer, not even for a split second.
But none of that mattered now. Tilting his head, his crimson gaze locked with Artorias’ for a split second.
And without a word, both figures charged forward simultaneously. Their figures blurring from sight as their bodies moved at untraceable speeds.
"Aaargh!" Artorias roared, letting out a battle cry as his arm shot forward in an overbearing palm strike coated with thick tendrils of blue mana energy.
Aimed straight at the charging dark-robed youth’s chest.
If he wanted, Ulric could easily have dodged and launched a counterstrike that would have dealt a great deal of damage. At least that was what every fiber in his body was pushing him to do. He had so much energy that he had to let some out, and this was the best way.
But Ulric stopped himself mid-motion. He didn’t need great damage, he needed fatal damage, and soon.
Otherwise, even with his power, he was bound to lose if it wore off and he entered a state of weakness too soon.
Deploying Absolute Stillness, Artorias’ figure froze for a split second. To an ordinary person and most others, such a brief moment wouldn’t be noticed. But to Ulric, it was more than enough as countless thoughts were weighed.
Before he settled on a crazy one. A crazed smile formed across his face as if to match the idea.
He had formed simulations in his mind; thousands of attack styles, patterns, and variations.
Among all of them, only one could deal the required damage in a single blow.
At a cost. But one that Ulric was fully prepared to pay. He executed the move instantly.
At the side, Artorias scanned the terrain repeatedly, all while keeping his eyes cast on the youth before him.
With everything he had seen, he had no doubt the youth had countless tricks up his sleeve. He couldn’t afford to leave anything to chance. Especially at this moment.
But as time slowly passed, it seemed he had given the youth too much credit.
He had been a little concerned as he watched the youth charge at him haphazardly, leaving himself wide open.
It had to be a trap! he had thought. But as he closed in, that didn’t seem likely. There was nothing strange about him at all.
Just as he was starting to grow a little confused, a vile smile spread across his face as a realization flickered across his eyes.
The massive power surge had fried his body coordination. He had gained a lot of power, but he couldn’t wield it as smoothly as before.
A common challenge most powerhouses faced. That was why most entered seclusion to stabilize themselves after each breakthrough.
At the thought, the smile bloomed into a villainous chuckle. This power surge that was supposed to be his saving grace... had just turned out to be his doom. A little ironic.
Smacking his lips, the ominous glint in his eyes deepened. He couldn’t let this opportunity go to waste!
Poising himself at the perfect angle, he accelerated his charge, and sure enough, his attack struck true.
In that instant, a surge of exhilaration and satisfaction flooded his body. For once since the battle began, he truly held the upper hand.
But his satisfaction was short-lived. Barely a few moments later, his danger senses exploded.
Something was wrong. Just as the thought formed, his pupils constricted violently.
Now that he looked, he didn’t see the youth’s blade. He had charged forward while wielding it, yet somewhere in the middle it had vanished.
The whole exchange almost seemed as if the youth had brought himself to him. Making it a little... suspicious.
But that didn’t make any sense... why would he want to endure a critical injury in their exchange?
He didn’t have to wonder for long as the answer came soon enough.
Watching the arm sticking out of his chest, Ulric breathed heavily as a bloody smile stretched across his lips.
In the next instant, the abominable blade flickered back into his grasp as he slashed down on the figure before him.
Realizing what was happening, Artorias tried to retrieve his arm desperately so he could get away.
But Ulric gripped it tightly with one arm while slashing with the other.
Jerking back in a last desperate attempt, the blade narrowly missed his neck but sliced downward. Cleaving his whole arm clean off while slashing off a bit of his torso in a gory display as blood violently gushed out.
Painting the ground below an eerie red.
Groaning in pain, Artorias took a few steps back as he clutched the space where his arm used to be, now bits of flesh as blood flowed freely.
He could feel his strength draining from him with every passing second as he grew lightheaded.
If this continued, it wouldn’t end well for him. Quickly channeling the little bit of mana left, he formed a vacuum, sealing off the wound to stop any further bleeding.
But the damage was already done. The graver the injuries, the harder they were to heal. Now that he had lost his arm, unless he found a high-level healer, he was doomed to be one-handed for the rest of his life.
The thought alone caused rage to well up inside him. He had been outwitted!
He cursed inwardly as he raised his head to stare at the youth before him. When their gazes locked, his figure froze momentarily as he saw the crazy smile plastered across his face.
By reading through his intentions in a single glance, Ulric had shifted the battle from one of skill and power into a contest of physical attrition, a field where he held an overwhelming advantage.
Facing him in this state would lead to an easy defeat. Marveling at his calculation and cunning, he still couldn’t help but take in a sharp breath at the level of risk involved.
What if he had struck his heart instead? Wouldn’t that invalidate his plan?
Going over everything, his pupils trembled slightly as he spat out.
"Mad... man."
It was the only conclusion he could come to.
