Chapter 189: Seventh‑Level Swiftness

Electric snakes danced wildly, several thick bolts of lightning shot through the wall opening and struck behind Lei En.

Pa pa pa pa…

The thorny electric armor materialized, but it couldn't block all the lightning; one bolt pierced through and hit the scale‑like skin formed by Dragon Power technique, then it dissipated.

"Luckily I was fast; I was only grazed by the Electric Blast Orb. If I'd been fully hit, I'd surely be seriously injured."

Lei En broke out in cold sweat.

His steel body has strong defense and considerable resistance to most spells, but against lightning spells the resistance is almost zero, even taking greater damage.

If it weren't for his lightning affinity boosting his resistance, future encounters with lightning spells would be a real headache.

The wall opening was three stories high; Lei En hovered in midair and saw Marquis Ji Liu land a step ahead.

As soon as he steadied himself, he swung the Troll Slayer toward Lei En.

This epic‑level great axe has two enchantments: the first boosts the wielder's strength by thirty percent, regardless of the wielder's base level.

The second causes a Tear effect on impact, just like the Tear Element, instantly ripping the wound open for greater damage.

The axe's Tear enchantment is at level five!

At level five, Tear can, if the defense isn't strong enough, turn a tiny cut into a full‑body rending, turning the target into a pile of flesh for instant death.

Even without lethal Tear, the axe suppresses regeneration, preventing wounds from healing.

Trolls are the earliest intelligent race of Ai Lun E Si, perhaps unrivaled; they survive thanks to immense vitality and self‑healing, and this great axe is the bane of all trolls worldwide.

It has slaughtered countless trolls, hence the name "Troll Slayer".

Facing an epic weapon, Lei En was still wary; instead of forcing a clash, he tapped the rune book at his waist and activated a Flash.

The great axe swung through the air, its blade flashing, struck the second‑floor wall, and half the wall instantly collapsed.

Lei En flashed to the nearby ground, turned back, and was startled.

"This Reverse Slash is insanely powerful!"

The Soul Eye observed that Marquis Ji Liu's Reverse Slash, after countless years of training, had reached level six!

It is his highest‑level Element aside from strength.

He also has Level‑4 Charge, Level‑4 Heavy Strike, Level‑3 Whirlwind Slash, Level‑2 Shockwave, Level‑3 Power Burst, Level‑3 Angry Strike, Level‑3 Enduring Stamina, Level‑3 Berserk, Level‑2 Giantization, Blood Frenzy, Ignore Pain, Heart‑breaking Roar…

Compared to a legend, Marquis Ji Liu Suo Na Si's Elements are few.

But none of his Elements are useless; all have been honed, and with the Troll Slayer in hand, he's like a ruthless killing machine.

"A legendary berserker truly isn't to be trifled with."

Lei En took a deep breath; he couldn't stay too far from Suo Na Si, or the storm priest in the sky would surely bomb him with spells again.

At that moment, Marquis Ji Liu withdrew his great axe and charged forward.

His massive 2.5‑meter frame surged like a high‑speed steam train, blasting aside air and every obstacle on the road, awe‑inspiring.

Lei En, unafraid, also launched a Charge.

Bang!

The great axe clashed with the war hammer; the high and low silhouettes collided instantly, then immediately separated.

Where they struck, the air burst like a bomb.

Marquis Ji Liu kept retreating, leaving several footprints; Lei En fell back even farther, his hands tingling, and when he looked up, the head of the Crushing Ice War Hammer bore a fingertip‑sized crack.

The frost power enchanted on the war hammer had almost no effect on Marquis Ji Liu.

In this head‑on clash, Lei En was at a disadvantage.

Even so, Marquis Ji Liu's face showed an incredulous expression.

Data gathered from Longshande revealed that Lei En is a battle Wizard, low‑level but with extremely strong melee ability; initially Lei En hadn't taken him seriously, but after this duel he realized Lei En's power is absurdly overwhelming!

Even as a legendary berserker in a frenzy, wielding the Troll Slayer with its thirty‑percent boost, he still didn't gain much advantage.

"What level is his strength?"

Marquis Ji Liu was shocked, then saw Lei En charge again.

He immediately met him.

His arm muscles tightened, skin reddened, veins on his neck and arms bulged, the blood within them visibly rushing.

This time, he activated Power Burst!

Although Power Burst is a common Element, it's a highly practical technique that can double one's strength in an instant, lasting only a brief moment; it requires precise timing and drains a lot of stamina, so it can't be used too often.

The Troll Slayer swung a terrifying gleam.

Lei En's eyes flickered; mid‑charge he abruptly changed direction, forcing a curved trajectory that dodged the head‑on clash.

Marquis Ji Liu was stunned, for he had overexerted and couldn't retract the Power Burst in time, wasting some stamina.

A rush of wind sounded behind him; he quickly turned and blocked the war hammer with his great axe.

When he tried to counterattack, Lei En had already retreated; his footwork was incredibly agile, his speed almost matching that of the hunter Gai Tan.

Hoo!

Marquis Ji Liu charged after, only to find his Charge speed couldn't keep up with Lei En's steps.

He watched helplessly as Lei En once again circled behind him, widened the gap, and released a rainbow‑light beam from his hand.

With a whoosh, a new wound appeared on Marquis Ji Liu, triggering a burning effect.

Purple Arcane fire spread over his upper body, turning him into a human torch.

Even with Ignore Pain, his resistance in Berserk mode was high, yet Marquis Ji Liu still smelled meat as his skin blackened from the burn.

Lei En muttered a sigh of regret.

It was only a Tier‑3 rainbow‑light beam; Tier‑4 casting is too slow to release, and Tier‑3 damage is insufficient.

Otherwise the opponent would have taken far more damage.

Marquis Ji Liu's complexion turned terrifying, his skin about to bleed through.

He pressed through the flames, recklessly charging at Lei En; midway, seizing the moment when Lei En had just finished a spell and hadn't dodged in time, he suddenly opened his mouth and let out a roar.

"Ha!"

The sound wave spread out like lightning, bearing a terrifying Willpower.

This was the Berserker's "Heart‑Rending Roar", which has an effect similar to Fear Technique; Marquis Ji Liu hadn't used it earlier because he feared Lei En's hearing, still impaired by the Thunderclap Technique, so he waited until now.

But Lei En was completely unaffected and still used his speed to escape.

"Is his hearing still not recovered?"

Marquis Ji Liu was very doubtful; a few seconds later he tried the Heart‑Rending Roar again and finally discovered that Lei En was entirely immune to Fear.

Lei En never faced him head‑on in a strength contest; sometimes he circled behind for a surprise attack and withdrew at the first touch, other times he cast spells that added wounds to him.

Marquis Ji Liu instantly sensed trouble; a Berserker's greatest weakness is that the berserk state cannot last long, and once it ends, he falls into weakness.

Even legendary Berserkers are the same.

The wounds inflicted by the rainbow‑light beam multiplied, blood kept flowing, and Marquis Ji Liu, frantic with anger, was on the brink of losing his mind.

Lei En, however, was patient, merely sparring with his opponent, letting a wave pass before waiting for the berserk state to end.

He didn't want to be struck by the Epic Great Axe.

Even the strongest steel body cannot guarantee safety; a Level‑5 Tear cannot be taken lightly.

At the same time, Lei En didn't forget there were other foes; as soon as he lifted his head, he heard a dragon's roar.

"Ha‑da!"

The Storm Priest soaring in the sky went rigid and instantly fell.

Astan leapt out of the building and rushed straight at the falling Storm Priest.

His body was charred, half of his clothes turned to ash, and blood streamed from many wounds; clearly the Electric Blast Orb he had just been hit by had injured him badly.

In an instant the Storm Priest hit the ground, and Astan, sword in hand, slashed forward.

The sword's aura enveloped her entire body.

With a crack, at the moment the long sword neared, the Storm Priest erupted with a flash of electricity; her silhouette turned into a bolt of lightning, carrying her massive frame to a platform over thirty meters away.

Lei En saw this and finally understood why the Storm Priest could return so quickly.

"Electric Flash Teleport!"

It is a teleportation spell extremely similar to Flash.

However, Lei En did not see this Element in the Storm Priest's soul; his gaze fell on three orbs beside her.

Each orb contained a demon soul.

They were crafted into magical items, like rune books, linked to the Storm Priest's soul, allowing the use of the Arcane Elements within the demon souls for casting.

Because they were farther away, Lei En could not immediately identify the demon souls in the three orbs, but roughly discerned that they were elemental beings.

One water, one wind, and one thunder‑electric.

In that thunder‑electric demon soul, there were exactly seven Elements, all thunder‑electric spells.

Among them were the Electric Blast Orb, Thunderclap Technique, and Electric Flash Teleport.

Lei En also saw a very familiar Element—Lightning Affinity!

His spirit trembled, "I must obtain this demon soul."

At that moment, killing a Demonkin hunter and absorbing the soul‑converted electricity pushed the over‑half‑level‑six Swiftness gauge to its limit, promoting it to Level 7!

On the World‑Tree of Souls, the leaves representing Swiftness glowed with golden light.

The runes on the leaves grew more intricate, as if containing some mystery.

"Level 7 Swiftness!"

Lei En was overjoyed; Swiftness had finally ascended to a Supreme Element, and aside from Truth Willpower, this was his third Supreme Element!

His speed suddenly surged, leaving a trail of afterimages behind him.

Marquis Ji Liu's vision went blank; he quickly turned to block, but the great axe only sliced air, and a peripheral flash of a figure startled him.

Meanwhile, a strange piece of music began to play.

The prelude was pleasant, tinkling like flowing springs, the rhythm graceful; though the instrument was unknown, to Marquis Ji Liu it sounded like a death‑song.

He instinctively launched a charge to flee forward, but he was still too slow.

Just two steps into the charge, his back was struck heavily.

Marquis Ji Liu, as if struck by lightning, spewed blood from his mouth and was involuntarily propelled forward; Lei En, like a flash, had already moved ahead, raising both hands with his war hammer to smash into his head.

At the critical moment, a crystal appeared in Marquis Ji Liu's hand, which he crushed with force.

Blue light blossomed, a cold energy enveloped him, instantly freezing him into a massive three‑meter‑tall ice block that protected him inside.

Lei En's war hammer struck the ice, only chipping off some shards; the block remained unmoved.

Inside the ice, Marquis Ji Liu resembled a bug trapped in amber, frozen in a falling pose, unable to move, even his eyes could not swivel.

But this also saved his life.

Lei En was rather helpless; this was the Six‑Ring "Ice Barrier", one of the strongest life‑preserving spells, incredibly hard, almost immune to all attacks, even spells above Seven‑Ring could not force through it, and no matter how severe the damage, it would not be fatal.

Its biggest drawback is that it cannot move, and those inside cannot cast spells.

When its duration ends and the barrier vanishes, death will come.

Even so, a gem that can instantly trigger an Ice Barrier without soul power must be astronomically valuable, and only a great noble like Marquis Ji Liu could carry it for rescue.

Lei En looked at Marquis Ji Liu within the Ice Barrier, his eyes filled with horror and worry.

The Ice Barrier can last at least three minutes.

During that time, no one could harm Marquis Ji Liu; his Epic Great Axe was frozen inside the ice, and Lei En, helpless, could only ignore him and rush toward the Storm Priest.

(End of Chapter)