Sanctuary Paradise

Chapter 892 First Victory [5.0k words]

Wow——! !

On the stone platform, Xin Lailai, who had once again dodged the gravedigger's attack in an extremely awkward manner, rolled over to avoid the gravedigger's stomp. She then pulled out a handful of gravel she had picked up on the road from her storage space and threw it at the gravedigger's face. She then took out her longbow and quickly drew it back while creating distance.

Whoosh!
With a sharp whooshing sound, an arrow, specially sharpened with a magical crystal, swept through the air and instantly struck the gravel keeper's head, whose vision was obstructed by the sand. This caused the gravel keeper's health to drop by about 3%, and he suddenly staggered.

Seeing this, Xin Lailai, who had already circled around to the left of the gravedigger, glanced at him and decisively lunged forward, gripping the sword hilt with both hands and slashing diagonally at the gravedigger's wrist.

Zheng——! !

The ear-piercing clang of the sword cut through the air, but in the next instant, the fire in the gravedigger's pupils suddenly burst forth. The body that had been staggering backward just a second ago suddenly turned around, took a heavy step, and with lightning speed opened his right hand and reached out to grab his head.

That stumble just now was merely a deliberate 'slow move' to mislead the opponent, all for the sake of this even faster... huh?!
Crash——!!

As the sound of her body rolling across the ground faded, almost simultaneously with the Gravekeeper's grabbing move, Xin Lailai's longsword, which had been in a combat stance, suddenly vanished. She also changed from charging forward to rolling, causing the Gravekeeper to miss completely and leaving him with an enormous opening.

The combat techniques in this world are like the active skills in Paradise. Because they are performed by relying on the memories within the weapon rather than by one's own strength, once used, the body will often spontaneously complete the entire set of actions.

Furthermore, since the prerequisite for using combat skills is to be able to fully experience the 'ancient memories' within the weapon without distraction, the user is basically unable to think about other things until the combat skill is used up.

Because they almost lost their lives due to this mechanism on their way here, Xin Lailai and Ling Yuzi successfully came up with a rather bizarre method: as long as another person removes the weapon that generates ancient memories during the use of combat skills, and then takes over the body's control by 'squeezing out', they can forcibly interrupt the release of combat skills and perform other actions in advance.

This is the sinister technique they developed by utilizing their own storage space and dual souls—combat skill cancellation!

Boom—!

The sword tip, carrying a slight arc of crystal magic, slashed through the sky. Xin Lailai, who had tricked the gravedigger into revealing a huge opening by canceling her combat technique, stepped forward, grabbed the old longsword that appeared out of thin air, and resumed her previous stance, delivering a powerful upward slash to the gravedigger's body.

Amidst the gravedigger's bewildered and turbulent gaze, a single sword strike forced him back several steps, causing him to kneel down on one knee with a thud. The stone halberd he had been holding, as if exhausted, crashed heavily to the ground.

Endurance exhausted.

On the way here, Xin Lailai had already tested it with the wandering souls. In addition to enhancing the power of the slash itself, the biggest feature of the 'ready stance' they used was that it had the same endurance breaking effect as 'precise parry'.

This is why they kept 'stealing' the gravedigger's knife by dancing with their swords from the start of the battle. Only in this way could they not give the opponent any chance to breathe and force him into a weakened state that only comes when his stamina is exhausted.

And as long as this is achieved—

puff! ! !
The sound of flesh being pierced rang out, and Xin Lailai walked forward unhurriedly. While taking the opportunity to quickly recover her almost depleted stamina, she aimed at the gap under the Gravekeeper's helmet and stabbed with all her might. Through the spray of black blood, she pierced the neck of the opponent. The Gravekeeper's health bar on the Blessing interface also plummeted from about 60% to only about 33-35%.

One sword strike took away almost a quarter of the opponent's health.

This is the consequence of being hit hard while in a weakened state.

Tick-tock, tick-tock—!

Black blood splattered as Xin Lailai, who had plunged a sword into her opponent's neck, pulled out the hilt. A cold glint flashed in her eyes, and she took a step forward, about to deliver another blow and finish her opponent off in one fell swoop, when a bone-chilling cold suddenly rose from behind her.

Danger! !! !!

A strong sense of crisis washed over her. Seeing this, Xin Lailai didn't hesitate at all. She decisively rolled diagonally backward towards the gravedigger, preparing to create distance between them. Just then, a flash of pitch black light suddenly appeared at the edge of her vision, and in the next instant—

"Roar--!!!"

An impact so violent it felt like it would crush his bones erupted. Almost as soon as Xin Lailai reacted, a large amount of viscous, black liquid gushed out from under the Gravekeeper's armor, transforming into a gaping maw, larger than the Gravekeeper himself, that resembled a dragon or a snake and slammed into Xin Lailai, who was behind him, at an unimaginable speed.

Damn it, is there a second phase?!

Xin Lailai, who was forcefully thrown into the air, gritted her teeth and maintained the posture of holding up her shield. At the same time, she plunged her sword into the eye of the black snake-like creature that was biting her waist, causing it to let out a painful scream. It then shook its head violently, throwing Xin Lailai more than ten meters into the air.

Upon seeing this, Xin Lailai showed no joy whatsoever. Instead, as she gazed at the ground receding into the distance, her expression subtly changed.

Too high!
If they were to fall directly from this height, given their current physical condition, they would undoubtedly die, let alone with only 30% health remaining, even if they were at full health.

Crystal magic... No, their current spell manipulation skills are too poor; they simply don't have enough time to form a crystal platform and protective layer!

'I have no choice but to take a gamble! Zero points left!' 'Hmm!!!'

In an instant, a strong sense of weightlessness and falling came from all parts of her body. Xin Lailai, who had been thrown away, stared intently at the ground, frantically mobilizing the magic power and cellular energy in her body, while aiming the small round shield in her hand at the ground below amidst the howling wind.

Precise parry!

Boom——! !

A fleeting pale golden light bloomed, and the black-haired youth, flung high into the air, crashed heavily onto the stone platform, stirring up a cloud of dust.

Meanwhile, the second-stage gravedigger, whose upper body was completely occupied by the black serpentine creature, did not react much to the sudden noise behind him, as if he was absolutely certain that the black-haired youth could not have survived the free fall from this height.

However, the next second——

Tap, tap, tap...!

The steady, calm footsteps sounded, causing the enormous serpentine creature that had devoured the tomb keeper's upper body and whose eyes glowed with a terrifying red light to suddenly raise its head. As if in disbelief, it turned around abruptly, the red light in its eyes flickering violently.

……

[Black Sword]

Level: LV.1
Oath: (None)

Soul Points: 860
Health: 3/50 (6.0%)

Mana: 7/50 (14.0%)

……

"It seems that luck is on our side this time?"

As the words, carrying an invisible sense of oppression, fell, Xin Lailai emerged from the smoke and dust, raised her head, and calmly looked at the gravedigger before her, who could no longer be described as either a monster or a human. This caused the gravedigger to subconsciously take a half step back, as if he was intimidated by the aura emanating from Xin Lailai.

survived.

Thanks to the precise defensive judgment of that instant parry and the cushioning effect of the flexible mana crystals on their bodies, although they couldn't completely eliminate the impact of the fall, they at least survived what should have been a certain death.

As for the cost...

……

【The Decaying Small Round Shield (8.7%)】

Strength: F-
Stamina: F+
Combat Skill: Precision Parry

Description: A very ordinary small round shield. Due to the corrosion caused by the passage of time, its performance has declined significantly, and its resistance to physical attacks and fire damage has decreased.

……

To mitigate the damage from the fall, which had consumed nearly 30% of their shield durability and 12 mana, coupled with their remaining 3 health points, their condition was in dire straits.

"Roar……!"

A murky growl sounded, and the serpentine black creature coiled around the tomb guardian seemed to realize this as well. The ferocity in its eyes surged again, and it let out a low growl, controlling the tomb guardian's body to pick up the stone halberd that had fallen to the side. Its huge body leaned forward slightly, and several legs that looked like withered branches sprang out from its black upper body, which resembled a snake's neck, assuming a stance like a ferocious beast gathering its strength.

Boom——! !

The next second, a heavy stomping sound fell, and the tomb keeper, whose upper body was occupied by a black serpentine creature, rushed out on all fours. He opened his blood-red maw and swung his stone halberd, leaping up in a powerful and oppressive manner, roaring as he attacked Xin Lailai.

As Xin Lailai stared at the massive shadow hurtling towards her, her pupils remained completely still. She simply raised her left hand with perfect composure and casually blocked it. A precise block!

Boom—!

Golden light burst forth, colliding with the second-stage gravedigger that was attacking from above. It precisely seized the opening the moment it landed and violently knocked it back, causing it to stagger back several steps amidst the intensely flashing red light in its eyes.

"You don't think we're the ones in dire straits right now, do you?"

As the indifferent voice fell, the black-haired youth, who was clearly a head shorter than the other party but exuded an aura of looking down from above, stepped forward and stared at the dark serpentine creature in front of him at close range before speaking.

They did indeed have only 3 health points left, and only enough mana to activate Preparatory Stance once more. Even their shields had less than 10% durability remaining.

but--

"Roar--!!"

A hoarse roar, as if defying all superstition, rang out. The enormous serpentine creature, which had been precisely parried and repelled, manipulated the gravedigger's body to take another step forward, opening its blood-red maw and snapping down at Xin Lailai with lightning speed. Then...

Precise parry!

Bang——! !

The shield, shimmering with golden light, swept through the air once more, striking the black serpentine creature's jaws with a premonition, causing its head to tilt uncontrollably backward, bending from a "∧" shape into a "C" shape.

—For them, this 8.7% shield durability is more than enough.

After all, as long as you can perfectly neutralize all the damage and render the opponent's attack useless, a precise parry itself... will not consume any shield durability!

"Roar…!"

Under the gray sky, a hoarse roar tinged with fear rang out. Just seconds before, the pitch-black serpentine creature, which had been glaring menacingly at Xin Lailai, seemed stunned by Xin Lailai's two parries. It now cautiously shrank its head, not daring to take another step forward. Instead, it retreated under Xin Lailai's relentless pressure.

Or rather, it wasn't that it dared not attack, but rather that Xin Lailai was giving it a terrifying sense of oppression, as if no matter what it did, it would only face death.

"Afraid to make a move? If that's the case..."

Zheng——! !

The clang of the blade rang out. Xin Lailai, who had forced the second-stage Gravekeeper to the Gray Mist Gate, calmly gripped the hilt of her sword with both hands and slashed forward with deadly force. The serpentine creature's eyes flashed with a ferocious crimson light, and in the next instant—

Precise parry!

Boom——! !

A golden light burst forth, replacing the area where the longsword should have been, and collided heavily with the gravedigger's left arm, causing his body to stiffen abruptly. With a loud thud, he crashed into the fog gate behind him, while the pitch-black serpentine creature that had replaced his upper body also trembled suddenly and collapsed heavily to the ground, the red light in its pupils becoming unusually weak.

puff!
The next second, the longsword, bearing some rust and cracks, fell heavily into the pupil of the dark, serpentine creature, causing its body to tremble violently, like a wild beast struggling before its blood runs dry, but unable to muster any strength.

However, before it could actually put up any resistance, a white arc of light completely engulfed its vision.

puff! ! !
A sword strike, even faster and more precise than before, pierced through the Gravekeeper's body, which had only 6.5% health remaining, causing him to freeze in place. His entire body then rapidly disintegrated from the point where the sword struck.

"Thank you...you...for...liberation."

Soul Points +3000

Having passed the "Tribute of the Gravekeeper," you can now freely enter and exit the current area.

Om-! !

Countless points of soul light poured in, and golden-red text messages fell down. Xin Lailai, who had been maintaining her shield-raising posture and retreating to a distance, watched this scene and gradually felt relieved.

"It seems... there won't be a third phase."

Xin Lailai murmured to herself, glanced at the gravedigger's corpse that had crumbled into ashes in front of her, remained silent for a moment, then collapsed to the ground with a thud, letting out a long, weak sigh.

It's finally over...

"At times like these, I find myself missing the park's detection capabilities all the more."

Xin Lailai lay on her back on the ground, her eyes showing intense exhaustion.

Exhausted.

This is their biggest takeaway from this battle.

To be honest, in terms of strength alone, the Gravekeepers are not particularly outstanding. Let alone their prime, even if they were from the Demon Slayer era, they could probably easily defeat them.

The problem is... they are simply too weak right now.

Weakness means a low margin for error, which means that they must anticipate the situation of the next few steps and prepare corresponding action plans in advance for each step they take.

How to control stamina, how to allocate magical power, how to ensure the durability of shields and weapons, how to dodge all of the opponent's attacks, how to lure the opponent into revealing weaknesses... it can be said that this battle with the gravedigger is purely a battle of wits, rather than a contest of skills.

Even after achieving this, they almost lost their lives because the opponent could seamlessly enter the second stage while weakened. Although their greed for kills at the time played a part, upon closer examination, the biggest problem actually lay in the lack of intelligence.

Unlike the notarized system, which at least detects a difference in attributes, under the rules of the Blessing system, let alone the opponent's skills, they cannot even accurately determine the exact numerical difference between themselves and the enemy.

Can we actually hit them? Can we dodge them? Can we withstand their attacks?

What is the ultimate skill like? How many stages does it have? Are there any hidden mechanics?

Only by experiencing it firsthand can one truly understand the immense impact that the information mentioned above can have on a battle.

From this perspective, the fact that the Blessing system's 'Blessing Interface' displays the enemy's health bar is perhaps the greatest comfort it can offer.

If there is no external difference between 1 point of health and full health, and if you can't even see the health bar, the psychological pressure and difficulty of judgment in battle will be much greater than just a little bit.

"Speaking of which, Lai Lai, what's that shiny thing?"

"Hmm? It looks like something left behind by the gravedigger after his death. Let me see..."

After lying down to rest for a while, Lingyuzi looked at the light at the edge of her vision and reminded her. Upon hearing this, Xinlailai noticed that there seemed to be something in the ashes of the gravedigger. She immediately picked up her longsword and poked it out:

……

The Soul of an Ancient Hero

Category: Rare Items

Durability: 1/1
Synopsis: The soul of the "Ancient Hero" Gudaral, originally a being of the Ashes, fell on the path to seeking the Lordfire due to the corruption of the Abyss's power. The last Lord of Cinder pierced his body with a fragment of a Lordweapon, appointing him as the "Judge of the Ashes" for this land, to test whether those "Ashes" who awaken from the graveyard are worthy to embark on the journey to seek the Lordfire.

……

[Fragments of the King's Weapon]

Category: Legendary Item

Durability: (None)

Synopsis: A fragment of a Lordship artifact that carries the power of the First Flame. The last Lord of Cinder embarked on a journey to trace the footsteps of the oldest and most radiant First Lord, but found nothing. He then left behind this fragment, which houses the power of the Lordship Flame, and distributed it to the "Ashen Ones" in various places, ordering them to select the 'Ash of the Lordship' who are qualified to inherit the power of the Lordship Flame.

……

(End of this chapter)