Chapter 44: The Obscured Progress
As the energy flow of the two powerhouses above the ground gradually weakened, the raging storm slowly subsided, and freezing rain and snow fell quietly upon the Moldavia Territory in the dead of night.
At the center of the massive circular depression by the banks of the Maize River, Joshua pinned down He Er La Si, his own arm bone thrust into the chest of the cult's High Priest. The warrior's expression was calm and indifferent, without the slightest excitement of having overcome a powerful foe; instead, there was a hint of regret.
By now, the life energy of both had fully retracted into their bodies, no longer radiating terrifying power outward. The consequence was that the icy river water began to pour back into the depression, submerging the spot where they lay in freezing water. Yet neither He Er La Si nor Joshua paid it any mind. They remained locked in place within the deepening water, awaiting the final moment.
He Er La Si was, of course, not dead.
The vitality of the cult's High Priest was so robust that it surpassed even some Legendary-rank experts. Even after enduring the impact of Order Force, the erosion of Joshua's life energy, and the suppression of a trace of the warrior's Divinity, his life force continued to resist. Now, with He Er La Si's body as the battlefield, two distinct yet equally aggressive and devouring life energies were locked in combat. They transformed into countless microscopic armies, battling along blood vessels, muscles, and nerves.
But He Er La Si was at an absolute disadvantage.
Due to his greed, he had actively drawn Joshua's Order Force and meticulously prepared Life Energy into his body, creating a severe disadvantage in both initiative and follow-up. If his opponent had been an ordinary warrior, this disadvantage might have been recoverable. But his foe was Joshua. Their life energy levels were on par. Just as Joshua had been unable to resist He Er La Si's energy theft earlier, so now He Er La Si could not reverse his plight.
This was no longer a matter of vitality abundance. The warrior's life energy, like hyperactive cancer cells, frantically eroded and assimilated He Er La Si's vitality. Within mere minutes, the cult High Priest's face had aged as much as Joshua's, and even more so, appearing weaker. This was no disposable avatar but He Er La Si's true body in the Plague World. If this body were destroyed, it would mean the complete death of the entity known as 'He Er La Si'.
"You want to become a World Will."
At the bottom of the icy river, Joshua suddenly spoke. The layered sound waves pierced the water, reaching He Er La Si's ears. "The humanoid form walking on the Mycroft Continent is merely your mouthpart for devouring life energy. The Plague World is your body, and this true body of yours is their brain."
"This is your path to the Legendary Realm—transforming yourself into a small world, lurking on the outer edge of a world, slowly draining its life and mass, and finally becoming a true [Void Behemoth]. By forcing your true body out of your subspace, I created the only chance to kill you."
The warrior's words were so decisive, as if he had seen through all of He Er La Si's secrets. Upon hearing this, the cult High Priest was silent for a long time, then suddenly laughed.
He Er La Si's wrinkled face was like a porcelain vase covered in cracks, with fragments occasionally falling off. These were the remnants of the struggle between their two forces, filled with ownerless life energy. They drifted in the icy water, emitting a pale glow, drawing countless algae and microorganisms to compete for them. Within seconds, large patches of dark green algae appeared, so hardy that even temperatures below minus ten degrees could not kill them.
"You're right. Transforming into a beast that roams the realms—that is my path."
The cult High Priest did not cease his resistance. His life energy continued its brutal battle with the warrior's. Crimson sparks occasionally flew from the cracks in his body—expelled traces of Joshua's life energy. Yet despite this, his tone remained relaxed. "The Mycroft Continent is already dead. I can see its destruction... The Order's future cannot be entrusted to this doomed world. I must consider their future."
At this moment, He Er La Si indeed exuded the aura of a leader commanding a massive cult. He stared into Joshua's crimson eyes, which seemed to burn with flames, and asked with curiosity, "And you? Powerful warrior, what is your path? Has your battle with me shown you the direction to the Legendary Realm?"
Because of He Er La Si's words, Joshua fell silent for a moment.
The Legendary Realm.
The pinnacle of the Mycroft World, deities walking among mortals.
Beings who reached this stage were called gods in ancient times. They could easily summon wind and rain, move mountains and fill seas. Their battles could effortlessly alter terrain on a national scale. The fights of multiple Legendary experts could even shake the foundations of continents, enraging the seas and overturning all life.
Becoming a Legendary was no easy feat. The Black Iron rank's sensing and manipulation of energy, the Silver rank's strengthening of the soul and refinement of energy, the Gold rank's comprehension of one's own power and the first step toward Transcendence, and the Ultimate Essence's breakthrough of all limits—all of this was merely laying the foundation for advancing to Legendary. If the foundation was even slightly unstable, one would be forever stuck at the Ultimate Essence.
"Legendary is the complete transformation of life form, becoming a higher existence."
After a long pause, the warrior spoke slowly, his expression serious, as if deep in thought. "I have seen several Legendary experts. Their paths are astonishing—whether it's transforming into Holy Light, making will into reality, becoming one with nature, or your desire to become a self-contained world-beast. All of you seek to transcend the world's constraints on 'life' and become immortal 'existences'."
From life to existence—that is the dividing line between Ultimate Essence and Legendary. No matter how powerful an Ultimate Essence is, it is still life. But a Legendary is no longer mere life; they can be said to be a phenomenon, a master of a certain force.
"He Er La Si, your advancement path actually overlaps with mine in many ways. Your battle has taught me much. The condensation of Steel Force has taken a great step closer to success."
Joshua's hand gripping the arm bone tightened again. Black-red patterns emerged, light flickered, drawing upon a trace of Divine power to suppress He Er La Si, who had stirred another wave of resistance. The warrior's face was obscured by crimson light, his expression unreadable. "You are indeed a worthy opponent."
But having said this, he shook his head, his tone full of regret.
"Yet your path is not my path. The direction of my Legendary advancement does not lie with you."
By now, the life energy of both had been pushed to its limit. He Er La Si's life force coalesced into a pale orb within his body, while Joshua's life energy condensed into a black flame. Now, the flame surrounded the orb, like a pack of greedy wolves, tearing off fragments bit by bit. Each lost fragment made the flame fiercer and the orb dimmer.
The reverse flow of life energy gradually smoothed the wrinkles on the warrior's face, restoring it to its original state, though his grayed hair did not recover. Joshua sensed He Er La Si growing weaker beneath him, but the latter's life energy was becoming more condensed. The black flame struggled to tear fragments from the orb, only burning futilely on its shell.
He Er La Si no longer had the strength to speak. His soul was huddled at the very center of his life energy core, surrounded by black flame. The warrior's power to strip souls constantly affected his spirit, forcing He Er La Si to remain vigilant.
"It's over, He Er La Si."
Reaching the final step, Joshua looked up at the surface of the icy water. He raised his left hand, and a gray light flew up from nowhere, piercing through the thick water and algae. The Dragon-Hunting Sword Lance answered its master's call, arriving in the warrior's hand.
"Die."
The next moment, Joshua gripped the sword lance and cleanly pierced He Er La Si's life core.
The cult High Priest originally had no life core. His body was the Plague World outside the world. Neither his true body as the brain nor his avatar as the mouthpart needed to condense a core. As long as his soul was immortal, he could not die. Even if temporarily destroyed, he could be reborn through the Plague World.
But now, to resist Joshua's ferocious, cancer-like erosion, He Er La Si had to condense his life core to fight back. This was only a temporary fix, and the result was this: his soul, along with the core, was shattered by the warrior's strike.
The pale orb instantly shattered into countless fragments, and He Er La Si's body disintegrated in an instant.
The High Priest of the Plague Evil God cult, who had roamed the Western Mountains for decades, died silently by the banks of the Maize River. Yet even before death, He Er La Si did not cease his resistance.
As he had said, life is like this—struggling, devouring each other, selfish as a plague, killing other lives to survive.
The immense life energy spread in all directions. From a high vantage point, it looked like a massive white ring rapidly expanding. Where the ring passed, the Moldavia Territory, which had been rendered lifeless by their battle, was revived. The river water became clean, the air fresh, and new sprouts emerged from the ashes of the forest destroyed by the aftermath.
This terrifying wave of life energy, almost beyond description, even caused strange changes in the surviving creatures nearby. Brown algae in the river, within mere seconds, seemed to leap across thousands of years of evolution, becoming immune to frost and cold, even able to absorb free energy from the environment. More complex life forms like insects, trees, and beasts, though not greatly altered under the life radiation, accumulated power within them, ensuring their offspring would be far stronger than their parents. The prototypes of several new magical beast species were born.
Of course, the vast majority of the life energy was absorbed by Joshua, who was closest. Although He Er La Si's life energy had been mostly consumed in the struggle, what Joshua gained more than doubled his own life energy reserves. The overwhelming life fluctuation could no longer be suppressed, spreading outward with the warrior's heartbeat.
So he closed his eyes, remaining at the bottom of the icy river, using his will to gradually dominate this newly acquired life energy.
[You have severely wounded the Plague Domain · Plague World]
[You have killed the Cult High Priest, Plague Demon, 'Withered One He Er La Si']
[You have obtained the title — Extermination Spreader]
[In this world, the hardest to eliminate are various microbes and viruses. The plagues they cause kill countless creatures every year, yet most intelligent life forms are helpless against them. You have killed the Plague Evil God's agent in this world, annihilating the hardest life to kill. No life can survive in your hands.]
[Your threat level to all life increases by 35%. Your damage to all life increases by 10%.]
Threat level refers to something like an aggro index. Classes like shield warriors and protection paladins have taunt skills that increase threat level, drawing monsters' attention. A 35% increase in threat level to all life means that if monsters near the holder aren't scared into fleeing, their gaze will instinctively lock onto him.
Generally, large, terrifying monsters have high threat levels—like dragons and demons. Most people focus on these powerful creatures. This would normally be a decent attribute, but for Joshua, it's useless. The warrior's strength, aura, and innate Despair Aura already max out his threat level. A 35% increase makes no difference.
Other attributes also shifted slightly.
[Name: Joshua van Radcliffe]
[Template: Hero]
[Title: Extermination Spreader]
[Race: Human · ???]
[Racial Skill: Divinity (?)]
[Level: lv71 · Ultimate Essence High-rank]
[Challenge Level: lv68 (Hero)]
[Attributes: ...]
[Charisma: -243]
But for some reason, the normally stable system began to flicker under Joshua's gaze, as if suffering from poor signal. Blurry snow obscured the latter half of the attribute list, hiding a long string of text that suddenly refreshed, making it unreadable.
Even with Joshua's perception, he could only barely make out a few scattered phrases within a few seconds.
[Steel... requirement... temporarily unable... observe new... achieve... advance]
[Current progress 4/5]
Only after that long string of text ended did the system's flickering stop. And the text that had refreshed earlier completely disappeared.