Chapter 410 Creating A Combat Technique (2)

The City of Contingency on earth had turned into a wasteland. No life could blossom in the once hustling and bustling region. The sky had long forgotten its actual colour. Even the sun could barely penetrate the thick foliage of black clouds.

Half of the Lycanian empire slowly became the feeding grounds of brainless undead. Well, it was wrong for someone to say the kingdom even existed anymore.

With the rise of the undead came the fall of the Kingdom of Lycania. The nobles who once worked under the king's leadership declared statehood. Which meant they were no longer a part of the kingdom, but instead, they were an independent state.

However, their premature reaction only did more harm than good. They were not prepared for the hordes of undead that came rushing towards their region in search of 'food'.

Countless states fell once the undead launched an attack on them. The nobles realised their Mistakes. But it was already too late. No one could help them now, even if they desired to.

If someone did dare to step foot into the region, they encountered creatures that only a sick twisted mind could imagine. However, that did not stop a few brave souls from venturing into the Unknown, and it was their desperate attempt to deal with a situation beyond their control.

While the rest of the regions were desperately trying to hold off the undead, Livan was the only sanctuary on the continent. They were flourishing even in the crisis.

Thanks to their partnership with Alucard, the vampires and the Giholos, they had enough strength to stop the undead from entering their region and push them back without incurring losses.

The technological advancements that the Giholos shared with Avalina were a blessing. The fire was the worst enemy of the undead, and since the Giholos had many laser weapons available, fighting the undead was a piece of cake.

But why were the Giholos helping the mutants? The answer was simple. Seraph was their god, and since Ashton, who possessed Seraph's crystal, lived in Livan, it was a sacred ground for the aliens. Therefore, they stopped at nothing to make sure Ashton's territory was unharmed in his absence.

While the vampires were responsible for protecting Livan, the werewolves and the Giholos headed out into the areas now referred to as 'Blight zones'.

Blight zones were the regions where the undead reigned supreme and had little to no other life present. The undead in these regions had morphed and evolved. Anyone who wasn't level 25 or above wasn't even allowed to enter within a 10 km radius.

"Anything new?" Sheera asked Virgil, who shook his head.

"We couldn't find any aberrant undead in the region. Just a couple of roaming hordes."

"Alright, the expedition ends here. Tell the recruits to prepare for departure."

Virgil nodded and left. As much the former king's guard hated to admit it, they could not depend on Giholos forever. It was their battle, not some alien species. But for that, they needed stronger warriors.

Unfortunately, ever since Contingency fell, there weren't a lot of ways for them to level up. That's why they had to enter the blight zones to train the recruits. Although it might not seem like the safest option, it was the only option they had.

"Still wondering about our beloved ruler?" Virgil asked with a smile, "If he was here, maybe we would have already won this battle."

"Maybe? He wouldn't stop until he did." A smile formed on Sheera's face as she was reminded of Ashton, "As to answer your question, yes, I was thinking about what he was up to these days. It's been a while since he left us."

"Bet he is kicking some alien ass right about now." Virgil laughed, "Come on, we must get out of here before sunset."

***

"Achoo!" Ashton sneezed loudly, "Who the fuck is thinking about me now?"

"Is running the only thing you're capable of now?" Atlas taunted.

Ashton did not bother replying since he was preoccupied while balancing himself midair. Unlike while fighting on the ground, Ashton didn't have a solid foothold to do anything. At least, that's what he made Atlas believe.

If he wanted to, he could use wind manipulation to make strong footholds whenever and wherever he pleased. But for now, he tried to fight Atlas strictly using physical abilities only.

'If I wanted to, I would have gotten rid of him easily using abilities. But what good would it do to me?' Ashton thought, 'The entire point of this duel is the reformation of my physical capabilities, nothing more.'

[Stop making excuses. You knew what you were getting into before flying around like a deformed bat.]

'Bitch, shut the fuck up before I hurt your ego beyond repair!'

[Silencing me won't stop the truth from spreading.]

'Like your ex's legs?'

[Oi, Atlas! Spank his deplorable ass red!]

'Yeah, yeah, I'll like to see him try. That said, I need to end it fast. The moron can go berserk anytime now.'

There was one thing that Ashton admired about Atlas, his endurance. Not only did he have strong offensive and defensive abilities, but the longer he fought, the stronger he got. It was the 'blessing' he received upon being resurrected by Ashton.

Just like before, Atlas was the first to attack. His roar was fiercer than before, hinting that he was going all out this time. Ashton couldn't catch up to Atlas when it came to strength; the countless bouts they shared till now were sufficient for him to know his limits.

'Intellect works where strength doesn't.'

Ashton thought and smiled before raising Balmond as if he was going to parry the strike as he had been till now. Only for Balmond to disappear a second before the two weapons could collide.

While it was too late for Atlas to redirect his attack, it gave Ashton the opening he had been looking for since the duel commenced. By donning [Blood Armour], Ashton pretty much nullified the damage from the hammer before punching a hole through Atlas' stomach.

[Skill: Wolf's mark has dealt additional damage to the enemy.]

[Skill: Revenge has reflected the accumulated damage to the enemy.]

[Skill: Blood Poison has poisoned the enemy.]

"Looks like I've still got it!" Ashton breathlessly mumbled, "Now, whose ass did you want to turn red?"