Ark Undead

The throne suddenly shattered; the force used to stomp on the ground became the final wound that caused its collapse.

In the blink of an eye, his figure arrived in front of Melantha.

The flames illuminated his greyish-white armor, and his scarlet eyes, like the flicking tongue of a venomous snake, were fixed on Melantha's neck.

Melantha also held a knife in both hands and slashed heavily in front of her.

When the two weapons clashed, the shockwave pushed aside the rubble at Melantha's feet.

"Not bad in terms of strength, but that's all!"

She thought she had stopped Theresis's attack. But the sudden force exerted by the opponent's greatsword caused Melantha's straight sword to be forced back and pressed against her chest.

Melantha herself immediately retreated, using her backward movement to absorb the immense force of Theresis.

Then, Melantha charged out again without hesitation, raising her katana from her waist and slashing horizontally, striking the dark figure in front of her.

The two figures were crushed and torn apart by the wind like pieces of paper, and then they flashed to a certain location in the palace.

The next instant, another sound of clashing weapons rang out from the air, echoing throughout the palace.

Melantha gritted her teeth; she had already realized the gap between herself and Theresis.

Yes, just as Theresis said.

He was able to become king not just because of his cowardly heart. How could someone chosen by the gods of the abyss be just an empty vessel?

Even disregarding the power contained within his physical body, the fact that he could withstand Melantha's tricky slashes alone demonstrates that Theresis must also be a victor who has survived countless battlefields.

His cunning and treachery only served to enhance his career.

With the blessing of the Abyss Gods, Theresis's power was enough to suppress "Sui," a behemoth. Even if Sui and Ling were to appear before Theresis, they would not be able to gain any advantage from his attacks.

However, Melanie was not acting alone.

After dozens of exchanges with Theresis, she had gradually become accustomed to Theresis's sudden increase in power.

Her eyes became increasingly empty and clear, as if she had lost all expression.

With each collision between the two, Theresis felt, somewhat incredulously, the force slowly increasing on the tip of Melantha's blade.

It was Theresis who launched a suppressive attack on Melantha, yet Melantha managed to muster a bit of strength. While dealing with Theresis's attack, she searched for Theresis's weakness.

In the instant of yet another collision, Theresis's gaze finally caught the girl's eyes.

Those lifeless eyes reflected Therese's slightly furrowed brows.

After the two separated, Therese was about to make another quick move to suppress him, but the moment her feet touched the ground, she was shocked to find that another figure had suddenly appeared beside her.

"Varied?!"

Melantha had actually managed to predict Theresis's retreat route during their confrontation. She even managed to completely block Theresis's massive slashing force with her own body.

And then he caught up with Theresis at an even faster speed, right next to him, and swayed down.

He instinctively swung his sword to the side, but just as the sharp blade drawn from the abyss was about to touch the girl's hair...

A flash of bright silver light, almost freeing itself from the flames in an instant, emerged from the sheathed blade and struck the weakest point of the greatsword.

Ding!

The force of Theresis's greatsword suddenly deviated from its original trajectory.

The greatsword with its intricate patterns was also suspended in mid-air, and Sarkaz's body seemed to lose its support in an instant, leaning backward.

For a moment, Therese's eyes even held a hint of confusion.

Combat Techniques (Iaijutsu)

Combat techniques originating from the undead.

Originally, within Melantha's training scope, Iaijutsu was simply a faster sword-drawing and slashing technique.

However, after Minos's battle with the Heroic Spirits of the Age of Fire, this parrying technique, which originated from Iaijutsu and uses skill to defeat enemies, was officially included in Melantha's training list.

In essence, it involves deciphering the enemy's attack route and then striking the enemy's attack route with the same immense force.

After deviating from the enemy's force path, the enemy's body loses its balance due to the irreversible force exerted.

Melantha was caught off guard by Therese's sudden increase in power.

But within just a few dozen exchanges of blows, Melantha had already gotten used to Theresis's offensive tactics.

This keen sense of smell and insight, characteristic of warriors, is a gift bestowed upon her by heaven.

Now, it has become a powerful weapon for her to break the stalemate in her confrontation with Therese.

With her defenses wide open and unable to wield her weapon freely, Theresis officially became a lamb to the slaughter in Melantha's eyes.

So the girl stepped forward, held a straight knife in her right hand, and thrust it into the heart of the man in front of her without hesitation!

And just as she had predicted.

The steel pierced through the originally tough armor and penetrated deep into the man's body.

The snow-white blade was stained crimson with blood, but then returned to its original form as the flames on the blade burned it back to its original shape.

The straight blade that pierced through Sarkaz also mercilessly burned his fragile body.

There was still some surprise in Theresis's eyes.

He never imagined that he would be so humiliatingly defeated by a little girl who had seen through his moves.

At that moment, Therese's eyes reflected a mix of emotions: regret, anger, and resentment.

Seeing the constantly changing expressions on Therese's face, Melantha firmly gripped the hilt of the straight knife and turned it ninety degrees without hesitation.

The blade scraped through the flesh of his chest, pulverizing the Sarkaz's heart.

Only when she felt the flesh and blood being torn apart in her hands did Melansha realize...

I won.

Her eyes gradually regained their sparkle, and as her consciousness returned, the aches and pains throughout her body surged towards her like a tidal wave.

To break through one's own limits, the body must pay a price.

The First Flame granted her superhuman strength, but it also caused her body to be constantly burned.

But looking at Theresis, who had been pierced by her own hand, and staring blankly at her chest, she was stunned.

Melanie felt it was all worth it.

She did it.

The girl blinked and turned her head away, somewhat dazed.

She looked at Amiya, who had been listening to her and standing by the door.

Melantha herself couldn't believe that she had actually defeated Theresis.

Seeing the same incredulous expression on Amiya's face, Melantha realized that this was not an illusion.

She truly did plunge the straight knife into Theresis's heart with her own hands, ending the torment that had plagued her for so long...

"careful!"

Amiya opened her mouth wide and shouted loudly, which reached Melantha's ears.

At that moment, the black mist that permeated the palace seemed to come alive.

Twisting and struggling, it swept towards the girl who had pierced the false king's heart.

Melantha turned her head quickly, only catching a fleeting, mocking smile at the corner of Therese's mouth.

Then, the body in front of me exploded completely, merging into the thick black mist.

From the bursting flesh, a crimson light suddenly shot out towards Melantha!

Melantha tried to raise her sword to block the crimson light, but little did she know that the light was not a physical object at all.

It passed through the blade of the straight knife in Melantha's hand and flashed straight toward her brow.

Melantha stared at the red light before her, a sense of crisis enveloping her. She realized that this was Theresis's true method.

But just as Melantha was about to slip away, she was horrified to find that her legs were bound by a deep black mist.

The dark aura, which was originally misty, transformed into a corpse-like hand that gripped Melantha tightly, determined not to let her move.

The crimson light still landed on Melantha's brow.

"Human, what a proud word."

Before anyone knew it, Therese's deep voice echoed through the hall once again.

"In order to demonstrate the nobility of its existence, the consciousness born from the individual proudly proclaims its name."

"But they never realized that they were nothing more than frogs at the bottom of a well, barely surviving amidst the churning waves."

"Before they even had a chance to understand the nature of the world, they attempted to ascend to the top of the world with their original sin of arrogance."

"But the gods high above merely look upon humanity with a mocking gaze and bestow upon them the fate they deserve."

Within the black mist, a faintly visible figure materialized once more.

It mocked Melantha mercilessly.

"The place where man should be is in the depths of the abyss."

"Even with the power of the First Flame, I cannot alter your predetermined fate."

"Those who attempt to defy the abyss will endure countless reincarnations in the tides that engulf all things, becoming food for the gods."

"Child, do you think you killed me?"

Therese's figure chuckled and stretched out his hand.

"You've just found yourself a perfect coffin."

Theresis is a false king, a standout among the gods of the abyss.

He was able to bide his time and, without anyone noticing, cultivate a group of assassins who had received the blessings of the abyss, thus winning the war between the two kings for him.

They could also endure the ridicule of the Victorian nobles, bow down under their strange gazes, and integrate into the rules of the game of these nobles, thus leaving Londinim with painful memories.

How could such a person be careless in the details?

How could he possibly underestimate Melantha, only to be outmaneuvered by her and killed in a humiliating manner?