021 Strongest Strike

021 Strongest Strike

What kind of skills would a Paladin lack? Movement skills. I had two or three that could boost my speed, but none of them would let me zip around like a sword cultivator or an assassin. Attacking fast wasn't the wisest move either, especially since Jiang Zhen seemed confident in his speed.

Jiang Zhen smirked. "What are you waiting for? The festival might be over before you even get your first strike in."

I ignored his taunting. Back inLost Legends Online, skills were divided into three categories based on restrictions:

Ultimate Skills likeDivine WordandJudgment Severancebelonged to the third category—with even harsher conditions. They consumed a unique resource called aSpell Slot. Raising a Spell Slot was brutally difficult. I only had three of them, meaning I could only use an Ultimate Skill three times in a single instance. Worse, Spell Slots took over 24 hours to regenerate, making them a massive pain to manage.

I had just usedJudgment Severance, and it had an innate eight-hour cooldown. The game devs were truly masochistic. If I had my way, I'd spamJudgment Severancethree times and beat this old man senseless, but clearly, I couldn't. This restriction had ingrained a habit in players—especially those who used Ultimate Skills—to hoard their best moves like a dragon guarding treasure.

Jiang Zhen yawned, stretching his arms as if waiting for me was the most boring thing in the world. The bastard was acting like I had taken ages, when in reality, it had only been a few seconds.

I exhaled, letting my mind slow down. My Level 275 Intelligence and Wisdom compressed time, giving me the ability to think through my approach with eerie clarity. And the funny thing? I wasn't nervous at all.

If anything, I wascurious.

This was as good a learning opportunity as any.

I drewSilver Steelfrom myItem Box.

Jiang Zhen had given me permission to strike him, so I decided to test my stronger skills. If I accidentally killed him, I'd just resurrect him. Lost Legends Onlinehaddozensof resurrection-type items. While I didn't have every single kind, I had plenty—enough to revive this guy three times over.

Of course, there was the issue ofcultivation. If I revived him, would he lose his realm? If my items didn't work, I could always use a resurrection skill. Ifthatdidn't work either? Well… then I'd just say it wasstupid bad luckand move on.

I crouched slightly, raising my sword with intent. No point in wasting this opportunity—I'd unleash the strongest non-Ultimate skill combo in my arsenal.

"Designate Holy Enemy."

A reversed red cross flickered into existence above Jiang Zhen's head. It was a debuff spell that marked the target as aHoly Enemy, treating them as impure, undead, fiendish, or simply of an evil alignment. Jiang Zhen's relaxed expression faded as he took on a more serious demeanor.

"Blessed Weapon."

A golden radiance engulfedSilver Steel, making it glow like a miniature sun.

"Divine Might."

I had a passive skill calledTriDivine—a three-state ability that granted different boosts depending on activation. The three states were:

Divine Might– Boosted Strength.

Divine Speed– Boosted Agility.

Divine Fortitude– Boosted Endurance.

For this fight, I choseDivine Might, instantly raising my Strength to match my second-strongest stat.

"Holy Wrath."

Golden and blue radiance manifested around me, forming feather-like wisps that floated upwards. Holy Wrathempowered my next attack anddoubledits effect if the target was aHoly Enemy. My mana dipped slightly—nothing major, but enough to remind me that I was layering buffs like crazy.

"Zealot's Stride."

A golden streak erupted beneath my feet as I surged forward, my entire body infused with speed. Ifeltmy Agility stat—every atom of movement fine-tuned to perfection. The world blurred as I closed the distance in an instant.

Inside range.

I swung my sword down with both hands, channeling everything into thehighest single-strike skill in my arsenal—the one with the most brutal crit multiplier.

"DIVINE SMITE!"

I didn't know for sure, but Ifeltlike space ruptured. Or maybe it was some weird interaction between my skill and Jiang Zhen's technique.

My sword passedthroughhim—like he wasn't even there.

The ground behind himwasn'tso lucky. The dirt exploded, scorched and torn apart, forming a deep trench that stretched several meters.

I smiled, nonchalantly hefting my sword. "How's that?"

Blood dripped from Jiang Zhen's lips.

The stubborn old goat, of course, refused to acknowledge anything. "I would have conceded if we had agreed on theimpress mepart, but alas, you never made me move."

He said it with charisma, but I somehow doubted him.

Indeed, I hadn't made him flinch or step back even once. But…man, this guy was atadtoo pale compared to a few seconds ago.

I pulled anExtremeHealthPotionfrom myItem Boxand held it out to him. "Drink."

Jiang Zhen uncorked it, sniffed the contents, then gave me an amused look. "Hoh~! You are surely arrogant!" Just by smell alone, he deduced what the effects of the potion was.

"Then don't drink it."

Before I could snatch it back, hechuggedit.

After downing every last drop, he wiped his mouth and smirked. "As your senior in life, I have a responsibility to keep. Gifts are important, after all—and not accepting them would berude."

Thissillyold fool.

I chugged anExtreme Mana Potionwithout a second thought.

Jiang Zhen looked like he wanted to complain, but ultimately held back—probably remembering that he had just guzzled anExtreme Health Potionhimself.

I had twoSpell Slotsleft.

Players hoardedUltimate Skillsfor two reasons: greater versatility or sheer paranoia about getting caught with their best moves still on cooldown. LLOhad abrutalPVP culture, so resource conservation had become anobsessionfor many.

I took a few steps back, hefting my sword over my shoulder, considering whichUltimate Skillto test first.

Jiang Zhen was still marked as aHoly Enemy, and my weapon was still blessed. No reason towastethose buffs.

I exhaled and activated another amplifier."Holy Wrath."

Brilliant gold and blue feathers floated upwards around me, the divine energy gathering in an ethereal glow.

I smirked. "I will show you mystrongestattack… You can still say no."

Jiang Zhen folded his arms. "BRING IT!"

I pointed my sword at him. "Hea-"

Dark cloudsinstantlygathered above us, crackling with ominous thunder.

Jiang Zhen's expressiontwitched.

"-ven-ly-"

A golden radiance formed around my blade as I aimed it at him.

Jiang Zhenvisiblytensed.

"-Pu-nish-"

That was when heran.

"YOU WIN, FUCKING SMURF!"

I finished the chant.

"-ment."

~HEAVENLY PUNISHMENT~

Amassivedivine sword materialized in the sky, descending like the wrath of a vengeful god. It homed in on Jiang Zhen, crashing down with a blinding pillar of golden light.

It wasHeavenly Punishment—my strongestUltimate Skill.

Cooldown: 72 hours.

I arrived at the site whereHeavenly Punishmenthad struck. A massive scorch mark stretched across the earth, the ground still sizzling with divine embers.

My eyes scanned the wreckage.

No corpse.

No trace of Jiang Zhen.

No way he gotdisintegrated, right?

That… wasn't something I wasusedto.

Back inLLO, player characters, NPCs, and even monster spawns didn't justvanish. Their bodies always remained, whether to be looted, revived, or mocked in victory.

"…Ah, shit."

I frowned, cupping my hands. "Old man? Changcheng? Where are you? How am I going to resurrect you if you don't have a corpse?"

A muffled groan answered me.

Jiang Zhen crawled out from beneath the dirt, limping.

"It'sJiang Zhen, damn it! Not Changcheng!" he spat, shaking off soil like an enraged mole.

I blinked. It was impressive that he survived.

If I had to guess, hiskarma valuemust not have beenthathigh.

Jiang Zhen wheezed, glaring at me like I'd just kicked his favorite pet. "Were you trying to kill me?! I never thought I'd have to use thatstupid earth-burying techniquejust tosave myself!"

I tilted my head. "Well, you saidBRING ITwith so much emotion. Would've felt bad if I held back, you know?"

"FUCK YOU!"

I waved a hand dismissively. "Aren't you supposed to be, like, asage-likefigure? Apowerful hidden expertor something? Are you sure this is fine?"

Jiang Zhen gritted his teeth, still struggling to stand.

I smirked. "You know what? Let's justvoidthat attempt anddo it again. Of course, it'd be thethirdtry by then—"

"MOTHERFUCKER, YOU WANT TO KILL ME!"

"Whoa, whoa, hold your horses!" I said, raising my hands innocently. "Let'sdo it againand count it as thethirdtry. Maybe you'llsucceedthis time! After all, Ididexpend alotof energy on that attack, you know? Come on, it'll befun!"

Jiang Zhentrembledwith rage. "FUN? FUN?! WAS IT SO FUN TO BULLY AN OLD MAN?!"

"Don't besoharsh on yourself," I said with a grin. "You look like someone in hismiddle age, you know?"

Jiang Zhensnapped.

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS! I THOUGHT YOU WERE JUSTSOME CHUMP!" He pointed a trembling finger at me. "FINE! YOU'LL HAVE YOUR MEETING WITH THEISOLATION PATH SECTAS REQUESTED!"

I returned my sword to the Item Box, satisfied.

"Well, why didn't you say so sooner?"