King of Beasts

Chapter 115: Sword vs. Shield



“Heart of the Overlord?”

Lu Ran was quite surprised by the sudden death king’s two talent awakenings.

At this moment, he wanted to point fingers at the sudden death king…

You little guy…

Species talents are unique abilities generated by combining trait crystals with individual characteristics, so identical species talents are rare.

Thus, the sudden death king must have some hidden ambition and fantasized about becoming powerful and countering enemies, otherwise, it wouldn’t have awakened the Heart of the Overlord.

Of course, counterattacking still relies on defense first, so the sudden death king hasn’t forgotten its roots.

The thickness of its scales is what gives it peace of mind…

True to its name, the Scaled Dragon Lizard.

“Furrowing your brows one moment, smiling the next, then looking surprised鈥”so, what’s the result?”

Manager Ying and General Ha had been watching the entire time.

After seeing the commotion around the sudden death king subside, Manager Ying asked.

General Ha also cast a questioning glance.

It seems strong, doesn’t it?

That imposing phantom, along with its current size, indeed felt very intimidating.

No longer just a small lizard that would cry out at a sudden death.

“These two traits seem quite compatible with it; did it awaken some impressive species talents?” Manager Ying pressed on.

“Yes!” Lu Ran nodded, smiling. “Absolute Defense and Heart of the Overlord are both very suitable talents for it. Sudden death king, how do you feel?”

“Roar!!” The huge sudden death king nodded heavily, red eyes flashing with lightning.

So strong!

Its defense had multiplied countless times.

With these two talents, it felt incredibly secure.

“What do they do?” Manager Ying’s curiosity was piqued.

“Sudden death king, turn around and close your eyes.” Lu Ran planned to conduct a little experiment.

Hearing this, the sudden death king turned around and did as Lu Ran said.

Then, Lu Ran picked up a stone from the ground and hurled it at the back of the sudden death king’s head!

Boom!

Lu Ran’s strength was immense, and the stone whizzed through the air at high speed.

But just as it was about to hit the sudden death king, an invisible electric field seemed to erupt around it. Red arcs of electricity crackled all over its body, and with a “bang,” the stone was shattered into dust!

“Woof!” General Ha was stunned, feeling that it looked so cool!

From start to finish, the sudden death king had its back to the attack and its eyes closed.

It didn’t release any energy traces, and the red lightning seemed to appear out of nowhere.

“Ah?” Manager Ying showed an expression of realization.

“Absolute Defense is like giving it a telepathic sense to detect danger, allowing energy to automatically defend itself,” Lu Ran explained.

“In addition, if it encounters a lethal threat, its telepathic energy will stimulate its body to perform an absolute defense, similar to a game’s ‘life-saving’ mechanism. The telepathic energy will stimulate its vital signs, making it less likely to die easily.”

“That’s a pretty good talent!” Manager Ying exclaimed. “Although it’s not the top-level talent like the king of swords, it’s very suitable for it.”

Automatic defense, in Manager Ying’s view, wasn’t considered an impressive talent since powerful supernatural beings, after developing a mental domain, are quite sensitive to danger.

However, the life-saving function was quite beneficial for pet beasts with beastmasters.

If a wild supernatural being had this talent, it might be mediocre. Even if it managed to survive a deadly encounter using this talent, it wouldn’t last long in its condition.

But for a pet beast with an owner, combined with this talent, it could be recalled into a high-quality contract card for timely treatment, greatly enhancing its survival ability.

“You’re already a qualified tank!” Manager Ying praised the sudden death king.

“Woof!” General Ha also smiled slightly. Hearing it wasn’t as good as the king of swords, it felt quite pleased. This cat was worth being friends with!

“And the second talent effect?” Manager Ying asked.

“Take hits and unleash a big move.” Knowing Manager Ying was also a gamer, Lu Ran summarized it in the simplest terms:

“It can convert the attacks it receives into ‘aura’ for storage. When the accumulated damage reaches a certain threshold, it can use this stored energy to amplify its next attack.”

This talent is easier to understand. It’s like someone slaps you in real life, and you accumulate rage to make your counterattack even stronger.

“This talent is also…” Manager Ying initially thought it was quite standard.

But then, it furrowed its brow, as if something had just occurred to it.

First, the sudden death king primarily focuses on defense. With the integration of Red Lightning and future body forging with lightning, its defense will become increasingly strong.

Combined with the damage reduction from the Overlord Body, at the same level, unless an enemy specializes in energy compression or has a unique trait that can deal true damage ignoring defense, it will be very hard to break through its defense.

This means the sudden death king can endure a substantial amount of damage. Even a level 30 commander species creature might not be able to instantly kill the sudden death king, thanks to its Overlord Body and life-saving Heart of the Overlord.

Following this, if the sudden death king, having survived a lethal attack with its life-saving talent, counterattacks with the Heart of the Overlord, its instant attack power could be terrifying.

These two talents, taken individually, might not be top-level.

However, when combined, they seem to undergo a qualitative transformation!

Facing some extremely powerful enemies, Manager Ying instantly envisioned a brilliant scenario.

This is simply the best talent combo for a desperate counterattack!

In fact, if the enemy is too weak, they won’t even be able to force the sudden death king to unleash its full potential.

“This is good. Combining these two talents makes for a top-level talent,” Manager Ying, having figured it out, couldn’t help but look at the sudden death king with a newfound appreciation.

This lizard is on the right path.

However, perfectly combining these two talents won’t be easy.

After all, even if it survives a lethal hit, its condition will be extremely poor at the time. In such a state, whether the sudden death king will have the will and strength to counterattack remains a question.

But if it overcomes this drawback, its future is undoubtedly promising.

“Roar!!” The sudden death king’s tail kept hitting the ground in excitement.

But before it could celebrate for long, Lu Ran said, “Come on, have a friendly spar with General Ha.”

“Let me see your current strength.”

The sudden death king froze: “!!!”

“Woof!” General Ha also wanted to see how the once little lizard had fared after merging two traits.

Under Lu Ran’s strong insistence, the sudden death king could only comply.

However, compared to the beginning, it felt much more at ease now.

Both the Red Lightning and Overlord Body had given it immense confidence.

It was now a Dragon Lizard!

A Sub-dragon Species!

There was no need to be overly afraid of General Ha anymore.

But for safety’s sake, the sudden death king quickly layered some armor.

Lightning erupted around it, red thunder forming a thick thunder armor close to its body.

Additionally, it condensed a large Thunder Shield in front of its arms, positioning it protectively.

This set of Shield Armor had a complex structure and was something the sudden death king had developed specifically to counter wind attribute skills.

After a month of training, the sudden death king had not endured its beatings in vain. It had learned to shape different energy armors based on its opponent’s attributes.

Aside from a few rare attributes it hadn’t encountered, it now had extensive experience dealing with common attributes like wind, fire, water, and rock.

The red Thunder Armor wrapped around the black sudden death king, which stared at General Ha with a domineering gaze, signaling for the attack to commence.

“Here, take a sword,” Lu Ran said.

To level the playing field regarding level and traits, Lu Ran also retrieved the Ice Sky Greatsword and tossed it to General Ha.

“Woof!”

General Ha leaped up, caught the Ice Sky Greatsword in its mouth, and looked at the sudden death king.

Only defending wouldn’t make one strong!

Swish!

With a sharp gaze, it first swung out a basic sword qi!!

Fallen leaves around were swept up; the white sword qi arrived in an instant, striking directly onto the Thunder Shield.

In just a moment, the Thunder Shield sizzled and split in two, and the sudden death king was shocked, feeling that General Ha’s sword qi was far more powerful than the wind blades of those wind attribute pet beasts it had faced before!

An ordinary sword qi had instantly sliced through the Thunder Shield, cut through the Thunder Armor, and landed on the sudden death king.

“The king of swords excels in offense,” Lu Ran remarked.

Fortunately, when the sword qi finally struck the sudden death king, it only left a faint white mark on its scales, nearly scaring the sudden death king to death.

After the sword qi passed through the Thunder Shield and Thunder Armor, it finally struck the sudden death king, which had both the Overlord Body and strong defense. By then, the sword qi had lost most of its attacking power.

“Phew…” Seeing this, the sudden death king’s tense heart finally relaxed a bit. It quickly repaired its armor and shield, grinning at General Ha.

I can do this. I really can.

The Overlord Body was too strong; the energy armor and shield were secondary. The sword qi just now felt like a mere scrape against its body.

The sudden death king felt that it could easily withstand even ten times the sword qi!

General Ha, times have changed!

“Roar!!!” The sudden death king’s aura grew even stronger.

“Woof!!” General Ha, knowing the sudden death king’s combat style and that it wouldn’t attack actively, began to prepare a second assault.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

General Ha’s fur fluttered, the wind energy around it accelerated, and a massive wind force converged on the Ice Sky Greatsword. Under intense compression, a powerful storm slash ten times stronger than before was unleashed in an instant!

The storm slash, longer than the sudden death king, had an aura that completely overshadowed the previous sword qi. Seeing this, the sudden death king swallowed hard.

At that moment, the sudden death king was extremely tense. The storm slash, like a destructive force, once again shattered the Thunder Shield and Thunder Armor, striking directly onto its body.

“Roar!!!” Withstanding the storm slash, the sudden death king’s arms wrapped around the massive sword qi, its body involuntarily stepping back a few paces. Amidst the dissipating lightning arcs and wild winds, the wide-eyed sudden death king finally stopped, panting heavily.

By this time, the storm slash had faded. Compared to the previous white scratch, the sudden death king’s scales now bore a few tiny dents, but it still felt no pain!

It had defended again!

Seeing that it had successfully withstood General Ha’s ultimate move, the tenfold storm slash, the sudden death king’s excitement reached new heights.

“Wow ka!!!” It looked at General Ha with pride.

General Ha, show me your limits!!

The sudden death king waved its arms and laughed wildly.

Manager Ying and Lu Ran: …

This lizard, has it gone mad with joy?

Little did they know, the sudden death king was genuinely happy. Ever since it came to this home, it had always lived in General Ha’s shadow.

Now that General Ha couldn’t even break through its defense, was there anything more worth celebrating?

At this moment, General Ha was slightly stunned, not expecting the sudden death king to be so tough.

That last strike could have easily taken down any commander species boss in the novice secret realm, but it had only managed to dent the sudden death king’s scales?

Such minor dents didn’t even count as light injuries!

“Woof!” General Ha saw the sudden death king starting to swell with pride, even daring to taunt it. Silently, it nursed a grudge.

Too arrogant.

Did the sudden death king really believe it had seen General Ha’s limits?

General Ha thought it was time to bring the sudden death king’s arrogance down a notch.

Its gaze sharpened as it channeled energy into the Ice Sky Greatsword.

Buzz!!

In an instant, the Ice Sky Greatsword transformed into its greatsword form, with its blade expanding as energy surged through it, making it even more formidable!

“Roar?” The laughing sudden death king paused, startled.

Then, it saw an unfamiliar energy radiating from the Ice Sky Greatsword, continually bursting forth and causing the surrounding temperature to plummet.

The chilling wind made the sudden death king shiver, its eyes narrowing.

What’s going on?

Its heart tightened.

With the Blizzard Sword Intent enhancing General Ha’s tenfold storm slash, it became even more dazzling, causing small-scale weather changes.

At this moment, the sudden death king’s heartbeat accelerated wildly, with an internal alarm warning it of imminent danger. Rationality told it that enduring this strike, even if it survived, would be extremely painful.

“Roar!!!”

The sudden death king took a step back, signaling for General Ha to hold on.

But the atmosphere had already built up to this point; how could General Ha possibly stop? Just as the sudden death king expected General Ha to unleash a Blizzard Sword Qi, something unexpected happened!

General Ha merely opened its mouth, and the Ice Sky Greatsword floated up, adjusting its direction, swirling with a fierce blizzard, its tip pointing directly at the sudden death king!

Sudden death king: ???

Sword control!

Boom!

With the sudden death king’s panicked expression, the Ice Sky Greatsword turned into a streak of icy light, arriving in an instant.

Propelled and surrounded by the force of tenfold storm, the Ice Sky Greatsword was endowed with unparalleled penetration and destructive power.

In an instant, the Shield Armor shattered once again. The Ice Sky Greatsword’s tip pressed against the sudden death king’s scales, pushing it far away. Throughout the process, the sound of “crack, crack, crack” echoed as multiple scales continuously broke. The excruciating pain jolted the sudden death king awake.

It wanted to immediately use the “Heart of the Overlord” to convert the massive damage it absorbed into a powerful counterattack. However, the fierce Blizzard Sword Intent had already covered its entire body in frost, making it extremely difficult to channel energy.

After a moment of disorientation, the sudden death king realized it had been pushed dozens of meters away, crashing into several trees and lying in the ruins. Even if it could counterattack, without suitable attack methods, it couldn’t find a target in this situation.

Above, the Ice Sky Greatsword, which had just pierced through the sudden death king and pushed it away, now hung overhead like the Sword of Damocles. The blade was surrounded by an astonishing blizzard, poised to strike down at any moment.

Seeing this, the sudden death king’s eyes widened in fear. It immediately raised both arms in a gesture of surrender.

The sudden death king, which had just started to feel a bit arrogant, was instantly brought back to reality.

“General Ha, spare me!”

“What’s this…”

The rapid turn of events left Manager Ying, who had been watching with great interest, stunned.

Manager Ying had high expectations for the sudden death king’s performance. After all, in its view, the sudden death king’s two traits were a perfect combination. But now, seeing General Ha, who had only fused with one trait and was at a lower level, effortlessly crush the sudden death king, it was left speechless.

“Shaping artistic conception, energy release control, tenfold energy compression—this dog is too outrageous! Its level of energy control has reached such a degree? Many third-generation beastmasters’ pet beasts can’t reach this level!” Manager Ying muttered in surprise.

What kind of ridiculous combo technique is this!

The sudden death king didn’t even have a chance to catch its breath!

“Really?” Lu Ran laughed, saying, “General Ha was holding back. Its energy compression has also reached the second stage and can compress skills even further. However, the burden would be quite large, but it should be able to instantly bring the sudden death king to the brink of death!”

Moreover, just now, the Ice Sky Greatsword could have continued to pierce through, delivering a fatal blow to the sudden death king. However, General Ha halted at the critical moment, merely shattering a scale and drawing some blood before controlling the Ice Sky Greatsword to fly back into the sky, sparing the sudden death king.

With its hardest scale shattered, it wouldn’t be difficult for the greatsword to penetrate the sudden death king’s body next.

At this point, the sudden death king was almost in tears.

What kind of devilish act was this?

It felt like it had underestimated General Ha’s rate of improvement…

“Woof!” General Ha calmly used the wind to retrieve the Ice Sky Greatsword, planting it beside itself, and looked at the sudden death king with a smug expression.

With the addition of the Blizzard Sword Intent, General Ha’s combat intelligence was undoubtedly high. It knew not to give the sudden death king a chance to counterattack, directly using sword control to push it far away. This way, the clumsy sudden death king was left helpless.

“It seems that General Ha still has the upper hand for now… sudden death king, your combat techniques are too weak,” Lu Ran said with a slight smile.

If the sudden death king could also master energy flow, energy compression, and energy release proficiently, it might fight more flexibly.

Currently, it only knew how to defend, and facing a combat genius like General Ha, it was only being toyed with.

“So, Manager Ying, both General Ha and the sudden death king have quite good capabilities, right?” Lu Ran, watching their performance, felt as proud as a parent whose child had just won an award.

“Although not as good as General Ha, the sudden death king should have no problem making it onto the divine beast leaderboard.”

“Hmm?” Manager Ying glanced at Lu Ran as if he were a fool and said, “What nonsense are you talking about? Your Erha can stay on the supernatural divine beast leaderboard due to the special nature of its king of swords talent, but your Dragon Lizard should be a commander species by now, right? What leaderboard can it get on? The commander leaderboard? Do you think it can make it?”

“You want to compete with third-generation beastmasters for the leaderboard?”

Lu Ran: ?!

Damn, Lu Ran was startled. He had completely forgotten about this. Crap, his daily intelligence was becoming more like General Ha’s.

Indeed, the sudden death king was now a commander species. What leaderboard could it get on…? And in a few days, after General Ha fuses with the nature control trait, it would likely become a commander species too.

Wouldn’t that mean both would fall off the leaderboard?

Missing out on 200,000 crystal coins in a month, Lu Ran suddenly felt as if his heart was bleeding. Competing with third-generation beastmasters for the leaderboard? That would be way too difficult!


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