Chapter 694 - Challenge

There were probably a few ways Emery could think of to handle the Nephilim's offense and defense situation. In fact, there was no need for him to sustain so many wounds by charging head-on to the seemingly impregnable wall of [Soaring Shuttles].

However, there was something inside him that stirred him to do this suicidal-driven attack. 

It was as if his body screamed loudly, desperately begging him to unleash all of the bubbling strength hidden within, to let loose the culmination of the combined prowess of his muscles and spirit cores - all in order to warm up for what was coming.

Even though he had been employing countless [Blinks] and parrying a staggering number of attacks, coupled with the fact the muscles in his body had been strained to the limit by the numerous dodging maneuvers he did. Emery still felt as if his whole body brimmed with inexhaustible energy. Instinctively, he knew it needed to be unleashed.

Therefore, he didn't hesitate anymore and proceeded to activate his transformation.

[Fey Transformation]

This was the usual command he sent to his mind, so that his transformation ability would take effect, however, other than the usual increase in power and the excruciating pain of straining his muscles even further, Emery discovered the transformation did not happen.

This anomaly naturally caught him off guard a little bit, costing him a few more hits on the body courtesy of the [Soaring Shuttle]. The extra amount of stinging pain didn't affect him though, as Emery quickly recovered on his feet and continued on his reckless advance.

There wasn't the usual emergence of silvery fur, nor apparent changes on his facial, only the intrinsic tattoo appeared on his body, which was then followed by a notification that came to his mind.

[Unknown essence has spread throughout your body]

[Corruption has entered your blood]

The message contained within the notification did worry him, but Emery knew he was currently in a certain trance-like state where he could not stop.

As he advanced and the onslaught of the [Soaring Shuttles] continued, Emery could feel his body kept building up this mysterious power, allowing him to react faster and faster against the shuttles coming his way.

[Battle power is increasing]

"Argghh!" Emery roared, as he had never felt a sensation as strong as this, and it still did not stop. It continued to strengthen, becoming stronger as his body heated up like an active volcano ready to erupt.

CLANK!

An incomparably clear sound of metal clashing was heard in the air, as Emery once again parried one of the [Soaring Shuttles]. But this time, the swing of his sword had become so much stronger it not only parried the shuttle out of the way, but also forcibly sent it flying tens of meters away.

Armand, whose attention was completely on him, was shocked beyond belief when he saw this sudden change. What he saw next could only be described as his worst nightmare.

Clank! Clank! Clank!

The same sound resounded rapidly in the air, as Emery continued to swing his sword, sending the shuttles away one by one and creating a visible gap between the tight defense.

As Emery continued to move closer, Armand started flying backward in his attempt to maintain the 10 feet distance between them. Alas, the former's exponential increase in strength coupled with increased pace of his [Blink] spell started to crumble the 16 [Soaring Shuttle] formation and tear a wide hole in them.

A look of pure horror appeared on Armand's face. At this moment, he truly wished he could have an extra pair of wings, so he could fly even faster.

"What are you?!"

With the [Soaring Shuttles] out of the way and the extra speed he gained, Emery finally cleared an opening heading straight to Armand. Without any hesitation, he immediately jumped forward and darted at his prey with his weapon in hand.

Swish!

In that split of a second, Armand could clearly see the sharp glint of Emery's sword slowly approaching his neck. Terrified by the prospect of dying, he immediately made sure to use everything he got to move out of the way.

Splat!

Thanks to his strenuous effort, Armand managed to force his body into a short burst of speed, causing Emery's attack to only deal a scratch to his neck. However, he knew if the cut went even a centimeter deeper, he would definitely be drenched with blood by now.

"Argghh! He's trying to kill me!"

Armand screamed loudly like a girl. He was truly afraid for his dear life he quickly commanded all of his [Soaring Shuttles] to retreat and surround him, not letting Emery send another swing.

In the meantime, Emery returned to the ground and lifted his head towards Armand. The grip on his sword strengthened, as he glared at the latter. The intense gaze he gave off was enough to break the latter's courage completely.

"I surrender! I surrender!" Armand screamed hysterically, shouting those words as  loudly as he could for fear the referee would not hear him.

With his life literally put on the line, shame was the last thing that existed in Armand's mind.

After declaring surrender, he didn't even wait for the referee to announce the end of the match and immediately fled the arena. The senior staff was dumbfounded, as he watched all of this happening.

"Emery Ambrose wins!" the referee announced, breaking the atmosphere.

The final result was very disappointing and anticlimactic for everyone, especially Emery.

He was still standing there in the arena, unmoving even after he was announced the victor. His body was still burning. He knew that he needed more. He needed something else to push his body to its limit one more time.

[Your Privilege rank increased to 64]

[Rank 64 - Emery Ambrose (68)]

However by this point, Emery already passed his test ranking, which meant he wouldn't be able to fight anymore, as he was not allowed to challenge anyone ranked above him, unless those people were the one who challenged him.

There was a voice of reason in his mind, telling him to stop at this point and examine his unusual condition. But it was quickly swept away by the sudden temper present in him.

So, Emery stood in the center of the arena, his eyes looking around the audience seats. He swept his gaze at each and every privileged acolyte present and then shouted loudly.

"I am willing to fight anyone! Who here dares to fight me?!"

It was such an arrogant words that came out of nowhere, but Emery strangely didn't feel even a hint of regret. He really and desperately wanted to fight more.

Roran, who was standing to one side, tried his best to get Emery's attention. He wanted to tell him to stop, that it was enough. Annara and her group of friends, on the other hand, seemed to be amused when they heard Emery's words.

The beautiful girl looked at the messy golden-haired young man beside her and said with a mischievous smile, "There's your chance to take the Savage title, Diyoo. Are you going to take it?"

Diyoo, however, unexpectedly showed a disinterested expression.

"No! I'm not going to embarrass myself by fighting against someone who's already fought eleven matches in a row," Diyoo said with a nonchalant tone. "Why don't you do it?"

A thoughtful look appeared on Annara's face for a moment before she shook her head.

"I want to, but my master would not be happy if I accidentally kill him."

Diyoo let out a snort when he heard that. Ignoring his reaction, Annara turned to the other person beside her.

"How about you, YunXiao? You want to fight him?"

The quiet spearman was actually very interested in the offer. He had been wanting to fight Emery ever since their meeting in the Game, but his honor wanted him to fight the other party in prime condition and not in the state of exhaustion he was in now.

While he was hesitating, someone had already jumped from the audience seats into the arena accepting Emery's challenge. The sight of this acolyte accepting Emery's challenge left everyone present in surprise. Immediately after, murmurs spread throughout the audience seats.

Diyoo showed an amused expression when he saw who it was. "Hahaha! This will definitely be something good to watch!"

Someone nearby, who heard Diyoo's words couldn't help but comment, "Do you really think so? If you ask me, I'm sure that cocky guy down there will not last a minute against him. After all, the guy is as strong as a magus already!"

Unaware of the chatter going on in the audience seats, Emery glanced at the person walking into the arena, surprised himself.

His four limbs seemed to be made of solid metals, even part of his face resembled that of a machine. Emery wasn't even sure if the man was human.

As soon as the man stood across from him, Emery immediately looked up to see the screen, which would display information about his upcoming opponent.

[Rank 36 - Atlas III (30)]