Star Forge Titan

Numbness filled the boy's mind until his hands were stained with blood for the first time, and then something unexpected changed.

A disgusting warm and slippery touch surged up his heart along his ten fingers like an electric current. It was the red liquid flowing from the body of his fellow gladiator apprentice. His companion, who had been whipped, trained, and subjected to all kinds of harsh treatment, fell into complete peace without any warning at that moment.

The expression on the young deceased's face became stiff, and his body, which had been trembling with pain, relaxed in an instant. The gleam of fear in his eyes was obscured by a layer of darkness like clouds.

So that's how it is. A realization came to the boy's mind. There is only one way to free life from pain, and that is death.

At this moment, the Shadow of Death was born.

Yes, this gladiator who was rumored to have gone completely crazy was not a bloodthirsty person. He even hated to inflict pain on others.

There is only one real reason why the Shadow of Death has been fighting in the arena day after day for ten years.

That is kindness...

Mercy that grants a thoroughly painful death to the afflicted.

No one knows this, nor does anyone need to know this. The Shadow of Death just silently follows his own path.

Until today, the fist of mercy killing that offered liberation through death had actually been blocked. Following this, there was a rage that had not been felt in a long time!

How dare you! How dare you stand in the way of death, the only thing that can bring eternal peace to life!

The violent attack suddenly stopped, and on the cracked arena, the two sides who had accidentally started a fight suddenly distanced themselves from each other.

A strong sense of crisis flashed through his brows like an electric current. It was no surprise that Ivan understood that the other party had no intention of stopping the fight. At the same time, he also confirmed one thing.

The legendary gladiator named Shadow of Death truly possesses soul power of his own, an ability that can only be used by a truly superior transcendent who has reached the third level. It is a mysterious force that is more powerful than natural magic.

But just as weapons of the same quality can produce completely different performances when given to different people, the power of the soul is also a powerful force that requires sufficient talent and wisdom for superior transcendents to use freely.

Even if mediocre people are lucky enough to awaken the power of their souls, they are unable to use it freely. It is not uncommon for nine out of ten points of their strength to be wasted.

For those talented extraordinary people, no matter how strong or weak the specific effect of their own soul power is, its essential difference from magic power allows them to use this power to produce unexpected and amazing effects in battle.

Unlike those small scum that Alvin had encountered before who had barely advanced through unorthodox means, the Shadow of Death in front of him was obviously a strong man who truly mastered the power of his own soul.

Even if he had not reached the fourth level, by completely liberating his soul power as a crowned one, the soul power that a third-level upper-level extraordinary person could mobilize also allowed him to show a combat power far exceeding that of most extraordinary people.

It was a significant threat that required Alvin's full attention and concentration.

Click! The Shadow of Death pressed hard on the chain mail on his chest with his right hand, and the metal rings connected to each other were tightly clasped by his five fingers.

"Uh-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" A tragic roar came from the mouth of the legendary gladiator.

Just like a mad beast, roars continuously came out of his mouth. The sound became more and more inhuman, more and more angry, and more and more like a death knell!

Dark black energy that resembled both flames and smoke wrapped around the surface of the Shadow of Death. That was the soul power that he, as a third-level upper-level transcendent, could mobilize.

With the horrifying sound of flesh being torn, the iron rings and long nails connected to the chain mail were pulled out one by one.

You know, these things were originally deeply embedded in the flesh and even nailed into the bones!

But as if he didn't feel any pain, the heavy chain mail that was connected to his flesh and blood was torn off by the Shadow of Death's hands, and blood instantly spread all over his muscular body.

The savage roar also stopped at this moment.

Then a deep and hoarse voice sounded, as if it had not spoken in more than ten years.

"Death is liberation!"

The legendary gladiator took a strange and twisted posture, and Alvin immediately realized that it should be some unique boxing configuration.

Immediately afterwards, Death Shadow's eyes, which were shielded by the brass helmet, suddenly shone with a deep light, and the dark soul power immediately transformed into a halo that rapidly spread in all directions.

Without any warning, all the shadows created by the sunlight within a radius of thirty meters began to creak and twist as if alive.

The next moment, more than three hundred black thorns, all formed by shadows and covered with barbs, rushed out at the same time.

They turned into a black forest of spears, and then... pierced towards Alvin with all their strength!

Chapter 60 Diamond Star

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, and the shadows cast by the sunlight also change accordingly.

At this moment, a red sun was hanging obliquely in the west, casting a wide shadow from west to east on the stands of the arena, and people's shadows also showed the same projection angle.

But just when the Shadow of Death was unleashing the secret configuration of the Shadow of Death Fist with all his strength, the originally quiet shadows collectively transformed into a raging storm, roaring and rolling, and suddenly entwined to form a total of more than three hundred shadow thorn spears with barbs all over their bodies.

This surging sea of ​​guns and blades rolled from west to east. The shadows that should have been invisible and intangible were now rubbing against each other, making a loud and powerful sound like the collision of metal.

The countless sharp spears were like an unstoppable tsunami, instantly flooding the place where Ivan was with spikes and spears.

When did the Shadow Stream become able to do something like this!?!

In the stands, Brad stood up in shock, his eyes fixed on what was happening before him. Although he had full confidence in his junior apprentice, the unexpected scene still made him secretly wipe away a sweat.

As an excellent boxer, Brad naturally knows the advantages and disadvantages of boxing.

Although this unique and extraordinary boxing skill that has been passed down in the silent desert has a very bright future, this skill has only been around for more than a hundred years and cannot be compared with those ancient traditions that have lasted for thousands of years.

Simply put, although boxing has potential that cannot be underestimated, there are still many technical bottlenecks waiting to be resolved at this stage.

It is precisely for this reason that, under normal circumstances, the power of boxing configuration cannot directly have a significant impact on the external environment. Most boxing schools need to influence the boxer himself, and then use the boxer's fists and feet to indirectly cause substantial changes to the outside world.

Even a powerful esoteric martial art like the Arashi Falcon Fist that Brad mastered often required the aid of media such as wind, fire, or sand to produce an effect.

This is the case with the Shadow Fist technique practiced by the Shadow of Death, except that the medium they choose is the more rare shadow.

Therefore, when Brad saw that the configuration power released by the Shadow of Death could cover most of the arena, this battlefield-seasoned fighter was greatly shocked.

In reality, Death Shadow didn't just utilize the Shadow Fist style. He also unleashed his own soul power to its fullest potential, a dangerous amplification of power born from pain, which could continuously increase by approaching death.

The mysterious configuration of the Shadow of Death flow, which incorporates the soul power of the Shadow of Death, is the real power that created this dark forest of guns!

Subconsciously spreading out the five fingers of both hands, Brad made a gesture resembling the sharp claws of an eagle. Without bothering to think about the possible follow-up effects, he had already planned to intervene in the battle.

But at this moment, Brad's keen perception as a boxer made him suddenly realize that an extremely strong "qi" was rising in the venue.

What boxers call "qi" is actually the magical power possessed by all creatures in the world of Palladia. And the "qi" that Brad sensed, rising rapidly like a flame, came from Ivan, who had just been overwhelmed by the surging attack.

"Your boxing skills are not bad."

From deep within the pitch-black forest of shadow thorn spears, a voice rang out, calm yet appreciative.

"But what is even more commendable is your use of soul power."

Before he finished speaking, without any warning, the Shadow Thorn Spear, which was as hard as steel, suddenly cracked into a thin but inconspicuous crack.

But like the dominoes that fell after the first stand was pushed over, the initially fine and inconspicuous cracks quickly spread outward at a speed visible to the naked eye. Accompanied by a series of crisp sounds like shattering glass, hundreds of sharp and thick shadow thorn spears turned into fragments in an instant, and then further dissipated into a smoke-like substance, until they turned back into shadows crawling on the ground.

And in the chaotic smoke, Ivan's figure was like a towering and immovable mountain, standing firmly in place.

When the smoke and dust completely dissipated, the figure of the young man revealed was completely different from before.

The half of his body and face that was exposed to the barrage of bullets were now covered with a layer of translucent diamond crystals.

These gem crystals are pitch black in color and have a translucent, crystalline texture, with faint cross-shaped white star rays visible through them.

Its surface is not smooth, and crystals of different layers overlap closely with each other, like the immortal dragon scales covering the body of a real dragon. The part of the crystals covering half of the boy's face looks like a ferocious and majestic beast-like dragon head.

It all looked like an incomplete but peculiarly shaped set of gem armor, which could perfectly defend against all attacks from the shadow thorn spear.

"Also, I need to say thank you." The young man's voice was as steady as ever, and he didn't sound like a target that had just been covered by enemy fire.

"It turns out that it's not just the technique that limits boxing; one's own thoughts are also very important."

In the previous moment, Alvin had many ways to deal with the seemingly saturation attack that had no blind spots.

In terms of defense, not to mention the strengthening of the body itself by the secret ritual transformation, the Ash Armor in the form of Light Forged Armor combined with the Sun Disc Shield, plus the Virtual Scale Steel Armor produced by the invisible scales fused with the Immortal Body and Extreme Steel, should be able to fully block this attack.

In terms of speed, although the massive shadow thorn spears summoned by the secret of the Shadow Flow were overwhelming, he could still avoid most of the power of the first wave of attacks in phase form by activating the talent brought by the agility attribute of the perfect field with his own speed.

But Shadow of Death's use of the power of boxing configuration made Alvin suddenly realize something.

Boxing is free!

Why should we let the original configuration of boxing restrict our thinking?

Originally, the core structure of the Flowing Stone Fist - solid rock can only cover the user's arms, turning this part of the flesh and blood body into solid stone.

But is this absolute?

Thinking of this, Alvin changed his boxing configuration at the critical moment. All kinds of boxing-related knowledge flashed through his mind quickly, allowing his arms to naturally take a new posture that was different from the original hard rock configuration but similar to it.

Instantly, the power confined within his arms surged forth like a torrent breaking through a dam, merging with the raging primal magic within the Titanborn like a mighty river flowing into the sea. The Embers Knight's light-forged armor then activated, transforming into tiny specks of materialized skyfire embedded within it, making the previously translucent black crystals shimmer like a night sky dotted with countless stars.

Then, the invisible scales on the surface of the skin naturally shook, and the configuration power that was integrated into the materialized light of heavenly fire quickly attached to it, ingeniously condensing into a layer of jewel armor in the shape of dragon scales!

The Fist of Flowing Stone changes at this moment!

A new mystery is born!

Chapter 61: Holy Fist Assault

The gratitude in Ivan's mouth was not false.

Because in that moment just now, he realized not only the new secret of boxing that broke through the old barriers.

After breaking away from the constraints of established thinking, not only did his understanding of the Fist of Flowing Stone improve, but his overall understanding of the fist technique itself also improved. Many of his previously unclear thoughts suddenly became clear, just like seeing the bright moon after clearing away the fog.

But what is more important is the way to sort out and integrate one's own abilities.

In the eyes of most extraordinary people who do not have high-level inheritance, the more professional abilities and extraordinary talents they have, the better.

But in reality, it is not the case. Having many talents and abilities may allow people to advance to the upper-level extraordinary people, but to truly become the strongest person in the material world of Palladia requires much more than that.

In the existing mystical theory, the human body and soul are the foundation of carrying extraordinary power, but before breaking through the limits of mortal things, the capacity of this foundation is not infinite.

Simply put, a truly intelligent transcendent needs to merge similar abilities. This allows them to fuse and strengthen similar abilities, increasing their strength while reducing the space they occupy in their own "memory," thus freeing up enough space to accommodate more advanced and powerful abilities.

Therefore, only the superior extraordinary people who have systematically sorted out their own skills can build a complete and complementary skill tree system while practicing the Fire Sword Path from the third to the fourth level to gradually awaken all the soul power, thus qualifying for promotion to the fifth level.

Just like a seamless and integrated foundation can support taller skyscrapers, if this is lacking, the third level will be the end point for most people.

In fact, all of the long-established transcendent factions in the world of Palladia were fully aware of this. Therefore, the different classes within their factions presented a clear hierarchy of high and low.

It is not only a preparation for advancement to the fourth level, but also a necessary ticket to become a perfect fifth level person.

Although getting an admission ticket does not necessarily guarantee success, those without an admission ticket cannot even step through the threshold.

Originally, it wasn't impossible to postpone the ability review until he reached the third level. Moreover, with the genetic genes of a higher-level creature, Ivan didn't need to worry too much about running out of "memory."

In his case, even if he stacks his abilities without any technical skills, he can still roughly complete the transformation from quantitative change to qualitative change.

Not to mention the great mystery from the Titan royal family - the foundation of the original world.

However, in combat, activating a composite ability versus activating multiple individual abilities requires different amounts of time and energy. Often, a single second can determine the outcome of a battle.

For example, someone who uses a "key macro" to unleash multiple abilities with a single click in a game is naturally much faster than someone who manually presses the keys. Of course, cheating is shameful, unless it's for the sheer pleasure of traveling to another world.

What Alvin did just now was to use the power of the boxing configuration that broke through the limit as a container, and tried to inject his various defensive abilities into it.

As for the results, although it did not achieve success in one go, it at least proved the feasibility of this path.

that's enough!

You know, that’s the ticket to the fifth level!

Of course, the integration of skills cannot remain unchanged.

Compared to the additional defense provided by the original extraordinary abilities such as Ash Armor and Invisible Scales, the new ultimate configuration will directly affect the user himself.

The feeling of the body tissues changing together was closer to the feeling of being covered in layers of armor than before—

——False O Knight transforms!

His thoughts raced, and when the Shadow of Death roared and attacked again, Alvin had already come to his senses and raised his hand to block the shadow sword that was more than six meters long.

The convergent shadows tightly wrapped around the Shadow of Death's raised hands, outlining an exaggerated sword with a blade six meters long. Its edge was thinner than paper, sharp enough to easily cut through steel!

Although the tall young man now looked slightly shorter than the Shadow of Death, his figure exuded an incomparable strong presence at this moment. The "qi" around him surged like a flame, and the violent pressure from the original magic power instantly swept the entire audience.

At the critical moment, Alvin raised his right hand and naturally clamped the sword blade with two fingers covered with crystal armor.

However, despite appearing so relaxed, his dark golden eyes revealed an extreme degree of caution and seriousness.

When fighting against a superior transcendent who truly masters soul power, because of the high priority of soul power, other factors have to take a back seat. Being able to accurately judge the specific capabilities of the opponent's soul power is the key factor in determining victory or defeat.

Some seemingly weak extraordinary people can rely on the special abilities of their own soul power to reverse the entire situation in one fell swoop.

Ivan has experienced this kind of thing many times in the virtual world of Palladia.

"You are not crazy."