# Chapter 18: The Limit of Humanity
The Joshua of the past was merely an ordinary Silver Knight.
He possessed no special bloodline, nor any powerful talent. He was, and could only be, a common frontline commander, leading his subordinates to kill enemies on the battlefield.
After the soul fusion and obtaining the system, this fact had not actually changed much. Although Joshua now possessed the techniques of his past life's martial artists and could rely on the system to enhance his strength, in essence, he was still just an ordinary person without any powerful bloodline or talent.
In other words, a perfectly normal human.
But all of this changed after he obtained the Azure Orb and received the inheritance of the Chaos Warden.
[Warden's Inheritance Power: All attributes permanently +20. For each Chaos Monster killed, all attributes +0.01 (Designated bloodline inheritance upon death; inheritance magnitude depends on individual quality)]
[——Passed down through generations, unbroken and endless.]
[Flame of Evil-Burning: When killing enemies of the Chaos faction, receive an additional 30% experience points. If killing these monsters originally granted rewards, then this reward is doubled.]
[——Blood of Chaos, Source of Ignition.]
These traits were originally unremarkable, the most useless of abilities. One must understand that even Chaos Wardens who made their living hunting Chaos Monsters could barely kill more than a thousand in their entire lifetime. Even doubled, that was less than twenty attribute points. In fact, according to the Radcliffe Family history records, the head of the family who killed the most monsters in his short life had only slain three thousand five hundred Wild Gods. These additional attributes could not change much.
But the decisive difference between Joshua and others lay precisely here.
That was quantity.
In the Moldavia Territory, he had killed tens of thousands of corrupted magical beasts, nearly sweeping away the entire Black Tide. In the Carlis World, he had killed tens of thousands of Wild Gods, even killing an Ultimate-rank Child of Desolation beyond his level. The warrior slaughtered magic dragons, hunted frenzied beasts, not to mention in the Ilgena World, under the blessing of the True God Father of Nature and even the support of all his divine power, he had wiped out nearly all the Stone Demons in that entire world.
Although the vast majority of that Chaos power was not absorbed by him and converted into attributes, but instead became fuel for the Soulflame King state, even the small remaining portion was enough to elevate Joshua's attributes to a level far exceeding ordinary demons and dragons.
Quantity produced qualitative change. A mere mortal, relying on hundreds and thousands of additional attributes, could also reach realms unimaginable to ordinary people, accomplishing feats that would leave even the most gifted staring in astonishment.
Just like now.
A colossal power far exceeding ordinary Ultimate-rank, even comparable to some low-level Legendary-rank, was explosively spreading outward from Joshua's heart as the center, then converging at the tip of the sword-lance he held. This was 'Battle Qi' enhanced tens or hundreds of thousands of times by the life energy brought by the Azure Orb.
The Battle Qi breathing technique practiced by warriors could be called utterly ordinary. Before he created his own Purgatory Breath, it had no special abilities or effects, only the most basic high temperature and impact force. Yet even this ordinary and common energy, no different from that of ordinary combat professionals, could return to simplicity in Joshua's hands, becoming a spiral capable of destroying everything!
Far exceeding the surface temperature of the sun, merely existing was enough to ionize the air and melt the earth with its blazing heat, along with unmatched impact force capable of shattering everything, even destroying the most basic structure of matter. The two fused at the tip of Joshua's lance, forming a perfect spiral cycle—
Energy shattered matter, releasing more energy for further shattering, layer upon layer stacking, and then, a full-power thrust!
On the southwestern wasteland, at the entrance of a concealed underground cave, several survivors were carefully watching the distance. Both Adair, Crete, and Larriel were among them. These young men and women who had received Joshua's inheritance had followed their 'master's' instructions, gathering all survivors together, hiding in this safe corner, waiting for the battle to end.
They naturally had complete faith in the warrior's strength, but the awe-inspiring majesty of the War God's phantom that stirred the heavens and earth was equally terrifying. Listening to the violent explosions and sonic boom roars coming from the distance, the young people all felt somewhat uneasy.
"Do you think Lord Joshua, he..."
Crete muttered to himself, but before he could finish, a slightly rough female voice interrupted him: "Shut up, Crete!"
A glare stopped Crete's urge to retort. Larriel's eyes narrowed slightly. She said this not out of blind worship. This blonde girl seemed to be recalling something, speaking in a low voice: "I still remember the Guardian's aura when he was alive... Even at his peak, it couldn't compare to the power Lord Joshua unconsciously reveals. This means Lord has the strength of Heaven Realm peak, or even beyond Heaven Realm..."
Just then, in the distance, a red sun rapidly expanded, then rapidly collapsed. Amidst the panicked shouts of the young people, a gale surpassing level fourteen, worthy of being called a natural disaster, swept in from afar, forcing them to push a large stone to seal the cave entrance.
But before completely sealing the entrance, the boy named Adair took one last deep look outside.
"Please win... Lord."
At this moment, suspended in mid-air, Joshua stared solemnly at the War God's phantom before him, most of which had been shattered.
The collision between the Armor-Splitting Greatsword and the Spiral Lance had resulted in a complete defeat for the War God's phantom. Not only had the energy greatsword in its hand shattered into countless sparkling light fragments, but its tough dragon-scale armor had also been torn open with a fifty-meter-diameter gap, revealing the crushed ribs and spine within.
But the victorious warrior's expression was extremely serious.
Because the result did not match his expectations.
On the ground, countless undead soldiers who had been knocked down by the earlier shockwaves all stood up again. They shook their bodies, causing sand and stones to fall from the gaps in their armor and bones. The Spiral Lance's power was strong and concentrated; there should not have been any overflowing energy explosions. But due to the collision with the Armor-Splitting Greatsword, a storm had instantly erupted that swept across the entire wasteland.
Such impact force would require even ordinary Gold-rank experts to take seriously, or they would suffer severe injuries. But these undead soldiers, who were only close to Gold-rank, seemed to have suffered no damage at all. As the undead soldiers rose, the nearly shattered War God's phantom also began to gradually recover. With the condensation of gray-black resentment killing intent, the giant skeletal War God's body and armor healed completely within seconds. However, the greatsword did not seem so easy to restore, and its left hand remained empty.
He had essentially struck with almost full force, only to make the opponent heal for a few seconds, without even killing a single undead soldier. If this continued, the battle could not be fought.
"Their core... is you."
Looking at the Dragon Armor General standing behind the War God's phantom and countless undead soldiers, who showed no surprise at Joshua's powerful strength, the warrior said in a deep voice: "I understand now... These undead soldiers and the War God's phantom are all just parts of you. That's why, in my eyes, only you have an energy reaction. Killing them is meaningless. Only by killing you, the 'Lord of Ten Thousand Armies,' can I completely destroy these undead!"
This was not anything strange. A Lich's phylactery used a similar principle. The life essence of these undead soldiers should all be within Arman's body, forming a power source like a frozen ocean. The external condensation of this vast energy was the skeletal War God. Killing the latter two was a waste of energy. Only by damaging Arman would it have meaning!
I am the army, the army is me! This statement was not an exaggeration but a fact.
At this moment, Arman also slightly raised his head, appearing as if he were smiling.
After witnessing Joshua's stunning strike and inferring part of the truth behind his secret technique, this general commanding the undead army showed not a trace of worry. Instead, as if he had finally resolved some inner conflict and released some restraint, he laughed softly.
"Young man, you've seen through it."
He spoke calmly in a low voice: "That's right, I am the core of all this. Only by damaging me can you weaken my army and the War God. But even killing me would only consume a few undead soldiers' essence to revive me."
Then, this general actually spoke in a strange tone, as if somewhat expectant: "And you, how many times can you kill me?"
"Many times."
Joshua did not want to waste words. He gripped his lance tightly again: "Until you die."
The next moment, like a ferocious eagle-owl breaking the sound barrier, carrying a heat wave that blurred the atmosphere, he dove toward Arman, who stood behind the fully healed War God's phantom and the re-formed ranks of the undead army.
The undead soldiers raised their longswords, straight blades, even light and heavy crossbows, continuously attacking the rapidly charging warrior. But knowing that attacking them was meaningless, Joshua naturally would not waste energy. He casually swung his lance, the sharp front blade of the Dragon-Hunting Sword Lance bringing arcs of light and air blades, cutting large swaths of undead soldiers in two. The terrifying wind blast swept them aside, revealing a path straight to Arman.
But while he could sweep aside the undead soldiers, he could not avoid the War God's phantom. The giant skeletal War God silently swung its giant hammer. The grim icy resentment struck earlier than the unstoppable hammer blow. But the resentment invasion, enough to freeze the blood of the bravest warrior, could not even slow Joshua's speed by a hair. Instead, he saw a flaw and struck with his lance at the wrist bone holding the bone-crushing giant hammer. Instantly, the energy giant hammer fell to the ground, losing its ability to continue attacking the warrior.
How could mere undead soldiers or the War God's phantom stop Joshua at full power? He had only planned to first deal with the troublesome giant energy body, then sweep away the numerous skeleton soldiers, to avoid having to kill them one by one when they scattered everywhere after Arman was slain and lost their commander.
So, an instant later, the full-power warrior had already arrived before the Dragon Armor General, then cleanly thrust his lance straight forward.
But even this sword-lance, breaking ten times the speed of sound and capable of easily piercing a mountain, was casually blocked by the longsword in Arman's hand.
"You seem to think you have me figured out."
At this moment, the War God's phantom instantly dimmed, and the countless undead army also stopped moving. Completely different from his previous weakened state, the general, now displaying power sufficient to rival Joshua, spoke softly face to face with the warrior: "But you still don't understand... I am them, they are me, whether in life or in power."
"The strength of the army, all returns to me."
Chanting a spell like poetry, Arman swung his arm, pushing the warrior before him away. The two began to confront each other again.
This longsword was not an ordinary cross straight sword. The slightly ancient blade was somewhat curved, more suitable for slashing than thrusting. A dim but dangerous light flickered on its sword body, possessing a strange beauty. Even Joshua had to admit that this longsword could indeed be called an exquisite work of art.
But no matter how exquisite a work of art, when it came swinging toward one's head, it could no longer be called beautiful. Red light flickered in the gaps of Arman's helmet. This general took a large step forward, displaying astonishing martial skill. The ancient longsword was wielded into a mass of changing light and shadow. A vacuum was torn, and the shockwave swept toward Joshua like a hurricane, while the real attack was hidden within the light-shadow hurricane, waiting for the moment to tear the enemy's body apart.
This was a simple sword technique originating from battlefield killing formations, every move aimed at vital points, every strike never leaving the heart or neck.
But Joshua was not at a disadvantage. Holding the lance with one hand, the huge lance body rotated, forming an unbreakable barrier, precisely parrying Arman's lightning-like slashes. Meanwhile, his left hand closed like a blade, swinging empty air to produce sharp air blades, rapidly slashing toward Arman.
"Not bad. I originally thought you only had that initial level."
The warrior grinned: "Fortunately, it's not the case, or that would be too boring!"
The two weapons clashed head-on, erupting in large patches of sparks. The air was torn into vacuum cracks. The atmosphere that conducted light and sound was distorted by the shockwaves of their power, leaving those outside the battle center only able to see a mass of gray-red violent air currents.
Such close-quarters weapon combat was the most dangerous. In just a few fractions of a second, more than a dozen large wounds appeared on Joshua's neck and chest. The warrior's carotid artery had been severed. These wounds had no blood flowing due to Battle Qi obstruction. Meanwhile, Arman's body had gained more than ten large holes, the work of the Dragon-Hunting Sword Lance.
"The key point of the 'Lord of Ten Thousand Armies' secret technique is sharing life and power with the contracted army. When alive, I could at most reach the level of 'power interflow.' But after revival, due to the nature of a Heroic Spirit, I can reach the realm of 'life interflow.'"
Holding the sword with both hands, he blocked a lance tip sweep that tore apart the vacuum. The Dragon Armor General was pushed back dozens of meters by this tremendous force before barely stopping his momentum. But by then, the warrior had already arrived first, pressing forward and thrusting straight out. In this urgent combat rhythm, there was no time to activate skills like the anti-gravity charge exceeding fifty times the speed of sound or the Spiral Lance. The extremely thin War God's phantom and countless undead soldiers also could not swing giant hammers or shoot arrows to ambush the warrior.
But in the midst of this intense and dangerous combat, Arman still did not stop talking. He slightly turned his body, avoiding the direct lance thrust, then turned back and slashed out with his sword: "However, as long as we breach the Holy Tomb according to plan, we can be revived in the ceremony conducted by the High Commander, completely restoring our power from when we were alive. At that time, with a complete physical body and a higher realm, I should be even stronger than when I was alive."
The lance tip trembled, using tremendous force to knock aside the opponent's blade. The two exchanged more than a hundred rounds. During this time, Joshua fought while listening to Arman's intermittent words. But the more he listened, the more wrong he felt. From Arman's mouth, the warrior actually learned quite a few new important pieces of information—such as the plan to breach the Holy Tomb, the revival ceremony, the general identities of the seven undead High Commanders, and the possibility of restoring all their former strength.
Could it be that this was still not the opponent's full power?
Why was he revealing so many secrets?!
Too lazy to think too much, focused on combat and analysis, after prolonged entanglement, the warrior finally found an opportunity. He stretched out his left hand, using the palm bones as a shield to temporarily block Arman's longsword, then brought his lance out in a stream of light, directly piercing through Arman's helmet and skull, extinguishing the red soul flame burning in his eye sockets.
But this was of no use. Within a fraction of a second, as several undead soldiers in the nearby army turned to ash, the Dragon Armor General revived again, swinging his sword like thunder toward Joshua.
But the warrior seemed to have anticipated this, dodging away, then thrusting straight through the opponent's skull again.
Hundreds of rounds of back-and-forth combat had finally yielded results.
"I've seen through all your moves now, undead."
Withdrawing his lance, he said in a low voice: "If your skills stop here, then await your eternal slumber."