Chapter 484: Infinite Rage

Ma Erke's 'Rage Warhammer' was already known to Lei En.

It is one of Kangjiatuo's most famous weapons, and also its most powerful—perhaps unrivaled. It is a treasure bestowed by the power god Ge Luo Shi upon the Lao Bo Di Er family, passed down through generations of Duke Lao Bo Di Er, and has a history of over two thousand years, making it the quintessential Legend Grade weapon.

Ai Lun E Si's hammer weapons are roughly divided into three categories.

First are one‑handed hammers, the lightest, with an overall length under half a meter; most cultivators can wield them with a single hand, commonly seen on priests and dual‑wielding berserkers. Second are war hammers, originally dwarven, gradually spreading to human realms; the handle is about a meter, usable one‑handed or two‑handed, and they are the most widely used hammers. The third type is the two‑handed heavy hammer, the rarest and generally the heaviest.

The Rage Warhammer is a two‑handed heavy hammer.

Its handle is two meters long; with the head attached, it stands taller than Ma Erke himself, and is said to weigh four thousand pounds. Such a heavy weapon, let alone an ordinary cultivator, can only be lifted by most power‑type legendary cultivators, and cannot be used in combat.

The Rage Warhammer is entirely jet‑black, its metal composition unknown.

The handle is as thick as an adult's arm; the half‑segment near the head widens further, studded with sharp steel spikes, and the irregularly shaped hammerhead bears a row of massive steel spikes—one end as large as a millstone, the other as small as a pointed beak—resembling a wild boar's skull at a glance, utterly unaesthetic and unworthy of a Legend Grade weapon's reputation.

Nevertheless, Lei En does not dare to underestimate it at all.

This two‑handed heavy hammer bears a typical orcish style, forged by Ge Luo Shi, and its unsightly appearance does not diminish its terrifying potency in the slightest.

The Rage Warhammer's enchantment has only one effect: 'Infinite Rage', which is also the source of its name.

Infinite Rage, a legendary Element!

The 'Rage' Element advances to the Supreme Element 'Blood Frenzy', and a further upgrade becomes 'Infinite Rage', the ultimate state of Rage.

Infinite Rage's initial effect mirrors Level 5 Blood Frenzy: strength surges fivefold, and as combat continues the boost climbs to sixfold, sevenfold… even tenfold! As long as the fight persists, the Rage state does not end, though it drains more stamina.

The higher the boost, the exponentially greater the stamina consumption.

In theory, with sufficient stamina, Infinite Rage's strength amplification has no ceiling, but beyond sevenfold almost no legend can sustain it!

Even scarier, after Infinite Rage ends there is no weakened state; one can immediately Rage again.

Lei En is extremely cautious at heart.

Infinite Rage and Ge Luo Shi's battle roar, two legendary Elements, can let Ma Erke's power easily surpass Level 11, perhaps even reach Level 12!

He speculates that Level 12 power might advance to a legendary Element, though he is not certain.

Thus Ma Erke's power would far exceed his own, and with no other weaknesses, a direct clash to defeat him becomes exceedingly difficult.

"No wonder he's so confident,"

Lei En observes Ma Erke's bearing; he differs from ordinary giant‑deer warriors, lacking a rotund, overweight build. At roughly 2.2 meters tall, he shows no clumsiness; though his muscle definition is subtle, he is immensely strong yet proportionate, maintaining a delicate balance between power and speed.

He hoists the over‑four‑thousand‑pound Rage Warhammer onto his shoulder with no effort at all.

His towering figure is as steady as a mountain, possessing the aesthetic of a berserker's power, yet also a lithe agility seen only on shadow warriors or wind‑type spellcasters.

Lei En knows this is the ultimate state for melee practitioners.

Because he himself is the same.

Ma Erke steps a few strides across the snow, hooks a finger toward Lei En on the dragon's back, lifts his head, a faint chill on his face, and says, "Come on, let me see the strength of an Empire hero, how many blows you can endure under my hand."

"I'm about to learn,"

Bo Erqi lowers the dragon's head, letting Lei En step onto the dragon scales, lets out a low growl, and a beam of holy light descends from Lei En's crown, granting him the 'Light of Power', then he takes off, soaring hundreds of meters away, not returning to the draconic troops.

Ma Erke raises an eyebrow, offering no objection to Bo Erqi's holy light blessing.

Lei En is a dragon knight, so involving his dragon companion in the duel is reasonable, and he also shared multiple Elements from Ling Feng Mu Lu.

Bo Erqi's strength is clearly higher than Ling Feng Mu Lu's; they both hold back, surely to Lei En's detriment.

But Lei En doesn't bother to calculate those.

He draws the Thunderbolt Hammer, lifts the war hammer in his hand, his blood‑colored cloak billowing in the cold wind, and faces Ma Erke from a hundred paces away.

Ma Erke glances at Lei En's war hammer, a hint of interest in his eyes, and suddenly says, "Your war hammer is a replica of the rumored Thunder God's Hammer, right?"

"Yes," Lei En nods.

Any cultivator wielding hammers would be interested in the Thunder God's Hammer; even Ma Erke, being in Kangjiatuo, would naturally have heard the legend.

"Unfortunately it's only a replica," Ma Erke laments, raising his Rage Warhammer, "If it were the true Thunder God's Hammer, we could truly test each other."

Lei En's mouth twitches, his expression a bit odd.

"You have thirty seconds to prepare," Ma Erke says, his demeanor firm, flinging a talisman stone onto the ground between them; a straight red beam shoots from the stone, visible from miles away, flashing once per second.

It's a timing talisman used in Kangjiatuo duels; once the beam extinguishes, they may act.

Lei En raises his hand to cast a spell on himself.

A thunderclap flashes, lightning‑formed wings extend from his back, greatly increasing his speed; a phantom dragon head from the Dragon Power Technique descends, boosting his strength; simultaneously he lets out a low growl, activating Blood Frenzy, his body swelling two layers to two meters tall, entering the Rage state.

Finally, an uplifting piece of music emanates, surrounding the area.

Lei En rarely activates battle music.

It consumes too much soul power, usually only used for a few seconds at critical moments, but against this terrifying opponent he cannot be careless.

He anticipates a fierce, grueling battle that won't end quickly; the battle music may enter a second, even third, loop, allowing his strength boost to reach a higher ceiling.

Meanwhile, Ma Erke also casts on himself.

Lei En's Soul Eye remains fixed on the opponent, seeing Elements light up within Ma Erke's soul: Six-ring Acceleration Technique, Deflection Aura, Wind Armor Technique—three wind‑type spells. A dark‑yellow glow appears on Ma Erke's neck, quickly merging into his skin, granting him extremely high resistance.

Then, Ma Erke activates the enchantment on his armor.

It turns out to be a Five-ring Giant Strength Technique.

Ma Erke's power rises another notch; that's not all—he also triggers Blood Frenzy. Ma Erke's Blood Frenzy reaches Level 5, amplifying his strength fivefold, bringing his power Element close to Level 11, just a hair away from breaking through.

Finally, Ma Erke swings the Rage Warhammer, directly pushing Blood Frenzy up to the Infinite Rage tier.

A crimson energy streams from the handle into his body, reddening his eyes, his gaze filled with endless rage and bloodlust, as if boundless power surges; his already towering frame inflates like a balloon under the double‑Rage state, exceeding 2.5 meters, already taller than an Extreme Warrior.

The Soul Eye sees Ma Erke's current power Element effortlessly surpass Level 11!

Lei En's eyelids twitch wildly as he watches.

"What the—..."

He can't help but mutter a profanity in his mind; it's been ages since anyone has shocked him this much. This is while Ma Erke hasn't yet used a Divine Technique—once he does, his power would rise a level, likely crushing Lei En easily.

Amid the uplifting music, time ticks by second by second.

The tens‑thousands‑strong dragon‑born army and the guards on the city wall, everyone's gaze was fixed on the red pillar of light, watching it flash again and again.

Thirty seconds, twenty seconds, ten seconds…

The red pillar grew brighter, and in the final second, a dazzling pillar dozens of meters tall burst like fireworks, and the duel began.

Lei En and Ma Erke vanished from their spots simultaneously.

Boom!

Boom!

Two massive booms sounded almost at the same time; the spectators saw the two exchange positions in an instant, yet both missed. A cluster of hundreds of lightning explosions swept around Lei En, at the spot where he had just stood, Ma Erke hammered the ground, blasting the air within a ten‑meter radius, creating visible sky‑filled wind blades and a shockwave.

The ground collapsed, countless wind blades sliced wildly, like a hurricane sweeping across.

The dragon‑born army watching from afar, as well as the guards on the wall, felt the ground tremble as if an earthquake had occurred. Most cultivators were only at the early stage; seeing such a terrifying attack with their own eyes made them shiver and stare in amazement.

They dared not imagine what a dreadful fate would be if they faced such an enemy themselves.

Before they could react, the silhouettes of the two duelists flashed and vanished from sight again. Ma Erke merged directly into the wind, activating "Spirit Wind Fold‑Leap", while Lei En transformed into lightning, tracing a winding path in midair in the blink of an eye.

In the next second, people saw a golden bolt of lightning strike an invisible breeze.

Clack!

A red one and a black one materialized—Lei En and Ma Erke—standing within arm's reach, swinging their thunder hammers and raging war hammers, colliding without pretense.

The blinding flash exploded, causing the spectators to involuntarily close their eyes; some weaker individuals could not endure and even shed tears.

When they opened their eyes again, a terrifying mass of energy spread outward in midair.

On one side lightning, on the other a storm.

It wasn't until two seconds later that the explosion from their clash reached the ears, stabbing the eardrums. A figure clad in a blood‑red cloak was hurled by the blast, as if struck hard, landing straight onto the snowfield a hundred meters away, carving a trench dozens of meters long.

"That's Lei En!"

Anyone with sharp eyes recognized him; Lei En's blood‑colored cloak made him easy to spot. Clearly, in this bout Lei En was at a disadvantage, his power far below that of his opponent.

In a pit two meters deep, Lei En hadn't yet risen when a gentle breeze brushed by.

Ma Erke's silhouette appeared in the wind, both hands raising the raging war hammer overhead, from top to bottom; his arm muscles bulged in blocks, visible power coursed into the hammer, and it came down with a strike.

Boom!

Within several miles, everyone felt the tremor; wind blades formed by the storm strike lifted dust into the sky, obscuring people's view.

The spectators' faces turned pale with horror, each thinking only one thought: could Lei En withstand this?

Among the dragon‑born army, Ai Mi Li Si unconsciously clenched her fists.

Her worry hadn't subsided when she saw Lei En appear not far behind Ma Erke; a terrible wound on his chest—left from their first clash—was healing at a visible speed. Yet Ma Erke reacted even faster, not even turning, and pointed back toward Lei En.

Qi Explosion Technique!

The air around Lei En first contracted violently, then exploded fiercely.

Even though he retreated at top speed, he could not avoid being swept by the Qi Explosion Technique's shockwave; his figure staggered, his speed halved.

Ma Erke, like a phantom, reached his side and swung the hammer in a horizontal sweep.

Roar!

Lei En opened his mouth to unleash a dragon's roar, gathering all draconic might in one direction. Even though Ma Erke was in an infinite berserk state, fearless and unshaken by the draconic aura, the roar also carried a tangible sonic shock.

These powerful impacts struck Ma Erke's face; part was deflected by a shifted aura, yet interference still occurred.

While Lei En released the dragon roar, he instantly triggered a Light Burst Technique, its area perfectly overlapping the roar, with no warning.

Ma Erke barely withstood the dragon's roar, but still fell victim to the Light Burst Technique's blinding effect.

His movement inevitably stalled for a moment.

Bang!

The thunder‑hammer struck Ma Erke's head solidly, triggering a fifth‑grade "Destruction Critical", with no lightning, the force concentrated into a single explosive point.

The shifted aura was shattered, and the Wind Armor Technique was also smashed.

A layer of dim yellow light emerged, coalescing into a seemingly solid amber crystal that blocked the hammer once, yet was pierced. The hammer struck Ma Erke's cheek; the terrifying force dented the entire face, though no blood flowed.

Ma Erke's body was blasted upward; before landing, it turned into a breeze and vanished.

This halted Lei En's pursuit; his Soul Eye locked onto Ma Erke, then in a flash, he appeared a hundred meters away, feet suspended in mid‑air, at a speed comparable to a blink.

The dents on Ma Erke's face were traversed by lines of breeze, rapidly healing, as if he had never been wounded.

"Endless Spring Breeze!"

Lei En clicked his tongue; this superlative Element was indeed powerful.

But Ma Erke's own defense was also strong enough; taking his full‑force hammer head‑on didn't even cause a skull burst, otherwise "Endless Spring Breeze" couldn't have repaired the exploded head.

Ma Erke touched his face, his gaze flickering slightly, a wave of dread arising in his heart.

(End of Chapter)