Chapter 41: The Power of Hundredfold Waves
The mist swirled around them. Linley, the undead archmage 'Sessler', Rebecca and her siblings, Bebe, and Heiru all stared with a mix of shock and excitement at the Saint-level undead warrior before them.
His powerful, muscular arms and thighs…
Just looking at the Saint-level undead warrior made one feel an aura of strength and ferocity rushing toward them. Especially the white rock-like armor covering his body, making Barker look like a war machine. Even Gates and the other three, who were over two meters tall, seemed like immature youths compared to their big brother 'Barker'. They only reached up to his chest.
"A Saint domain! Big brother, what does it feel like?" the third brother, 'Black Shark', asked with eyes gleaming.
The Saint-level undead warrior, hovering in midair, let out a deep voice that echoed within his chest cavity: "It feels… very strong. Unprecedentedly strong. And I can fly easily now, as if it were instinct."
For ordinary Saint-level experts, they needed to comprehend some level of insight.
But not the Four Ultimate Warriors. As long as they had enough energy, the miraculous bloodlines of the Four Ultimate Warriors allowed them to fly instinctively.
It was like some Saint-level magical beasts—once they reached adulthood, they could naturally fly.
That was talent!
"Haha, second brother, third brother, fourth brother, fifth brother, don't rush. You've all already reached the peak of the eighth rank. Just one more step, and you'll be at the ninth rank. Then your transformation will be the same as mine," Barker's deep voice echoed, but even that deep tone couldn't hide his excitement.
Linley watched this scene and felt happy for these five brothers, who were also Ultimate Warriors.
The five Barker brothers had been training much longer than Linley. When they were being escorted by Steller last time, they were all over thirty years old. By then, they were already eighth-rank warriors.
With their eighth-rank warrior bodies, they had never trained in the *Undying Codex*.
Once they started, their progress was naturally astonishingly fast, since their bodies determined the capacity for battle qi. With such powerful bodies… all five brothers reached the peak of the eighth rank. And today, Barker had broken through that threshold and stepped into the ninth rank.
A ninth-rank undead warrior's transformation was equivalent to the Saint-level initial stage.
"Going from the peak of the eighth rank to the ninth rank—it's easy to break through, but also hard. It might take us a few more years," the fifth brother, 'Gates', said with a pout.
The threshold for breakthroughs was hard to predict.
For example, Linley was now also close to the peak of the eighth rank. He might break through tomorrow, or it might take three or four more years.
Barker suddenly looked at Linley with excitement and anticipation: "Lord Linley, try attacking me with your Earth Arcane Art again, will you?"
"You want to try?" Linley gave a helpless smile.
The reason these five brothers willingly called him 'Lord' and acknowledged him as their leader was that Linley had completely subdued them through force. Over the past few years, after learning the *Undying Codex* and being able to transform into undead warriors, they had sparred with Linley several times.
Undead warriors were indeed extremely tough in defense.
But the 'Earth Arcane Art' attack was too bizarre. That vibration penetrated through the undead warrior's armor and surface muscles, only being partially weakened. When the 'vibration wave' hit the internal organs…
At that time, Linley had only used the weakest 'Triple Wave', and even then with reduced power, and it had still caused them some minor injuries.
"The Earth Arcane Art is very dangerous. Barker, if you really want to spar, we have to do it like before. Let me increase the power step by step, from low to high. I wouldn't dare use my strongest attack right away," Linley said sincerely.
The Earth Arcane Art's Hundredfold Wave.
Its power was dozens of times that of the Triple Wave. In Linley's calculations, this attack should be enough to kill a Saint-level initial stage.
"Don't worry, Lord. Take it step by step. I won't overdo it," Barker's deep voice sounded.
"Alright then." Linley nodded. "Since you're now at the Saint domain, I'll transform into a Dragonblood Warrior directly." Linley took off his shirt, and black dragon scales immediately covered his entire body, with spikes sprouting out next.
In the blink of an eye, Linley had become a Dragonblood Warrior.
"Lord's eyes—every time I see them, they send a chill down my spine," the fifth brother, 'Gates', muttered softly, and the other three nodded in agreement.
Those dark golden pupils, inherited from the Spiked Backed Dragon, were cold and devoid of any emotion.
"Barker, I'll start by using the Earth Arcane Art with my fists. If you can withstand all of it, I'll use the Black Heavy Sword," Linley said in a low voice.
Through his fists, he could fully unleash the Earth Arcane Art.
But its power was only about half of what it would be with the Black Heavy Sword.
"Alright, come on. Don't hold back," Barker said, filled with excitement. His blue eyes now had a hint of gold in them.
Linley stomped the ground, turning into a blur as he charged toward Barker in midair.
"Tenfold Wave!" Linley shouted softly.
His right fist shot through the air like thunder, slamming directly into the white armor on Barker's chest. Barker felt the fist, carrying immense force, hit him with almost no sensation.
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"…
The bizarre attack penetrated through his armor, his tough muscles, and the undead battle qi inside his body, hammering like heavy mallets against his heart, lungs, and other internal organs.
His internal organs all shook violently.
But the undead battle qi inside Barker's body had permeated and wrapped around his organs.
"Haha, no problem. Again!" Barker's eyes lit up. Linley's Tenfold Wave attack with his fists couldn't harm him at all—he only felt his organs tremble.
Linley nodded.
Indeed, if the Saint-level undead warrior, known for the strongest defense, couldn't even withstand his bare-handed Tenfold Wave, then it wouldn't deserve to be called the ultimate warrior of defense.
"Alright, I'll gradually increase the power now," Linley said without further ado, launching his attacks.
Barker felt very confident inside.
The undead warrior's biggest weakness was speed. If he actually sparred with Linley, Linley's speed would allow him to land punches one after another anyway, which wasn't much different from standing still and letting Linley hit him.
The number of vibration waves increased gradually.
From tenfold, to twentyfold, thirtyfold…
"His defense is truly impressive—he even withstood the ninetyfold wave," Linley thought, his eyes brightening. He then said loudly, "Barker, take my strongest bare-handed strike!"
Barker waited solemnly in the air.
He had to admit that the ninetyfold attack had already injured him, but the undead battle qi's recovery ability was extraordinary. Those minor injuries had almost healed.
"Hundredfold Wave!"
Linley spun through the air like a whirlwind, and his fist grew larger in Barker's vision before finally smashing into his chest.
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"…
Barker felt as if he had been struck by a giant meteor. His internal organs experienced unprecedented vibrations—violent, rapid, a hundred times in the blink of an eye.
Barker felt a surge of heat inside him, and blood rushed straight to his throat.
He tried to suppress it, but another wave of blood surged up from within. Unable to hold it back, Barker spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Big brother!" Gates and the other three immediately ran over in shock.
"Barker!" Linley was also startled.
"It's nothing." Barker spat out the blood and felt relieved. "Not too badly hurt. That minor injury, my undead battle qi should heal it within three days."
Then Barker looked at Linley with admiration: "Lord, your level of insight is far above ours. My physical energy is now stronger than yours, but I still can't beat you."
If it were Linley from four years ago, he wouldn't have been a match for Barker now.
But over four years, Linley's understanding of the Earth Arcane Art had progressed from the Triple Wave to the Hundredfold Wave, increasing his power dozens of times.
"If I use the Black Heavy Sword, the power of the Hundredfold Wave can double," Linley thought to himself. The Earth Arcane Art was most powerful when unleashed with a heavy sword.
"If I go all out, the Hundredfold Wave with the Black Heavy Sword could probably severely injure or even kill a Saint-level initial stage undead warrior," Linley estimated.
Undead warriors were famous for their defense.
If even a Saint-level initial stage undead warrior couldn't withstand it, how could an ordinary Saint-level initial stage warrior?
"With the Hundredfold Wave attack, any Saint-level initial stage would likely die for sure," Linley thought confidently.
Physical power and insight complemented each other.
Linley's physical energy hadn't increased much compared to four years ago. But the amplification from his insight had increased dozens of times. An ordinary peak ninth-rank to Saint-level initial stage usually only increased their strength by about ten times.
"Barker," Sessler said with a smile. "The five of you are no weaker than Linley in physical energy, and Barker is even stronger now. But your level of insight is too low. Linley has told you before—his insight is divided into four levels: the basic technique level, the second level of 'lifting heavy as light,' the third level of 'momentum,' and the fourth level of the Earth Arcane Art. But the five of you are still stuck at the first level, relying on brute force. The gap in insight is too great."
Barker also canceled his transformation, returning to his normal form.
"Over these four years, Lord Linley has taught us a lot. But we five brothers really are… hopeless with this stuff," Barker said with an awkward smile.
"Old man, you think we're geniuses? Lord is only twenty-five this year, and his insight is probably already at the Saint-level peak," the fifth brother, 'Gates,' said without any respect for Sessler.
Sessler shot Gates an annoyed look.
"You all have great strength and use heavy weapons, so you should find it easier to comprehend 'lifting heavy as light.' But don't rush. If you train with a calm mind, you might understand it tomorrow," Linley encouraged.
In truth, Linley had an advantage.
His elemental affinity was super-grade. As a mage, he was naturally attuned to nature. By combining that with his swordsmanship, his insight improved quickly.
"Yes, Lord," the five brothers nodded.
The five Barker brothers all knew that Linley was now at the peak of the eighth rank. Once he broke through, his transformation would make him a Saint-level initial stage. With his high level of insight, the gap between them would only grow.
"We can't become a burden." The competitive five brothers were all determined to train seriously.
…
Another year passed.
The autumn wind was still bleak.
Linley looked into the distance, watching the five Barker brothers train, and couldn't help but smile. These five brothers had even greater physical strength than Linley. Their weapons were custom-made by the Dawson Chamber of Commerce at Linley's expense.
Five long-handled battle axes.
Each axe was two meters tall, with an impressive thickness and a large blade surface. Made from extremely precious materials, each axe weighed a staggering five thousand three hundred jin.
"The fifth brother, 'Gates,' has the highest comprehension. He was the first to understand 'lifting heavy as light.' The other four still haven't grasped it."
Although a year had passed, aside from Barker, the other four were still stuck at the peak of the eighth rank without breaking through. The only pleasant surprise was that Gates had comprehended 'lifting heavy as light.'
As for Sessler, he had been training hard all year. This old man, over eight hundred years old, was feeling a bit ashamed by the rapid progress of Linley and Barker's group, so he had also been putting in effort.
Linley watched the falling withered leaves, and his mood suddenly grew heavy.
"Five years. Five years have passed. It's time for me to fulfill that five-year promise." Linley gazed toward the northwest, where Ershire City lay in that direction.