"It seems I have been enjoying myself a little too much playing around in this place." Vincent stated, his voice now sounding colder than before. His eyes glared fiercely at the three Rank S adventurers standing before him. "I am going to deliver a crucial warning to everyone about what happens when the Emperor issues an absolute command to an Imperial General."
Hearing the confident declaration roll off the spear-wielding man's tongue, Idai flashed a wide smirk. He hoisted his axe, pointing it straight at the General in a gesture of pure mockery.
"What exactly can you do without your armor, General?" Idai jeered mockingly. "There's no need to bluff. You were completely overwhelmed when you faced our combination attack just now!"
"Is that so?" Vincent retorted calmly, completely unprovoked by the emotion. His eyes locked sharply onto the axe-wielding man. "And yet, the three of you attacked together, and I was entirely alone, but you still couldn't kill me. Doesn't that mean each of you is incredibly weak compared to me?"
That counter-provocation, dripping with arrogance and disdain, successfully made the three adventurers' blood boil. The veins on Arman's forehead bulged, while York's grip on his shield tightened.
However, none of them could offer a retort. The General had just stated a fact that struck a heavy blow to their pride. They had unleashed their ultimate combination attack, yet their opponent remained standing tall.
"Shut your mouth! We'll make certain you die to our next combination attack!" Idai threatened furiously, the crimson aura around his body erupting uncontrollably once again.
"The ones who will die today are the three of you! I will never allow barbaric human traffickers like you to continue living in this world!"
"Prove that nonsense if you really can defeat us, General!" Idai shouted, dropping into his combat stance.
Hearing the challenge from the axe-wielding man, Vincent lowered his body. His legs spread firmly apart on the cracked earthen floor.
"If that is what you desire, then I shall grant it. I only hope you can last a little longer against my opening strike."
Right after those words were spoken, the aura surrounding Vincent erupted instantaneously. A killing intent so massive and dense flooded every corner of the Earth Cage, making the air feel incredibly difficult to breathe.
Vincent began to twirl his spear. Initially, the movement appeared casual, but within seconds, the spear's rotation accelerated far beyond the limits of normal speed. The spearhead spun with such ferocity that it generated extreme friction between the metal and the air inside the room, accompanied by a sharp, droning hum.
That constant friction dramatically altered the temperature around Vincent, increasingly heating the surrounding air molecules. The General's hair fluttered slightly from the static vortex.
And when the rotation of his spear reached the absolute peak of thermal conduction and static electricity...
"Flash-Lightning Gatling!"
Vincent abruptly halted the rotation. With both hands, he swung and slashed the air forward in rapid succession. Every spear slash he executed created a deadly anomaly, hundreds of flashes of lightning manifested from thin air, birthed by the friction of his spearhead.
The blue flashes of lightning shot forward relentlessly like a barrage of light-speed projectiles, cleaving through the air at a terrifying velocity, aimed straight at his three targets.
"Protect!"
Reacting to the attack coming at the speed of light, York did not stay still. He utilized the skill of his [Protective Shield] blessing and instantly shifted positions in the blink of an eye.
York took his stance right at the frontline, positioning his shield to halt the assault.
"Perfect Protection!"
Bzzt... Clang! Clang! Clang!
The barrage of lightning flashes, akin to a volley of spear strikes, slammed violently against York's shield. However, thanks to his 'Perfect Protection' skill, the lethal barrage of attacks was successfully blocked head-on without a single one breaching his defense.
Nevertheless, Vincent, realizing his attack was blocked by the shield-wielding man, did not remain idle.
Moving at an incredibly high speed, the General dashed in a quarter-circle arc. In an instant, he had maneuvered to the left side of the three adventurers, continuing to swing his spear and unleash the barrage of lightning flashes from a new angle.
Realizing a lethal threat was approaching from their exposed left flank, Arman stepped forward to cover the opening.
"Iron Will!"
Instantly, Arman hardened every muscle, membrane, and bone structure in his entire body. His skin turned into a gleaming metallic gray, becoming as hard as pure steel to withstand the lightning assault coming from the left side of their formation.
Bzztt... Clang! Clang! Clang!
For the second time, the barrage of lightning flashes was perfectly blocked. This time, the blue electrical sparks ricocheted and died out upon striking Arman's body, which had been modified by his [Iron Man] blessing.
Yet, Vincent still did not stop. He dashed again with lightning speed, moving toward the rear of the three adventurers' formation. He relentlessly unleashed an even denser and more continuous barrage of blue lightning flashes.
This time, it was Idai's turn to react. The axe-wielding man swiftly spun his body around and immediately adopted a defensive stance.
"Vanguard Burst!"
Idai swung his axe, maneuvering it at an extraordinary speed to form an endless figure-eight pattern. The sweeping axe blade continuously parried the barrage of attacks flying toward him with absolute precision.
Clank-boom! Clank-boom!
The sound of clashing metal and a rapid series of small explosions rang out every millisecond, right at the exact moment the man's axe blade collided with and deflected the incoming barrage of blue lightning strikes.
Damn it! Idai cursed inwardly. Cold sweat began to pour down, drenching his heat-flushed face. The muscles in his arms felt as though they would tear from withstanding the recoil of the lightning strikes. This man is not human! He really is attacking us from every direction without a single moment's pause! If his attacks continue like this, we will definitely run out of mana and won't be able to hold out any longer!
Idai's anxiety was instantly proven right. Just as he predicted that worst-case scenario in his head, Vincent dashed once more, unleashing a volley of lightning strikes from their right flank.
Panic immediately seized all three of them. The right side of their formation was completely wide open. Not a single person was standing there to fill the gap in their defense. Meanwhile, the lethal barrage of lightning flashes was already hurtling through the air, ready to tear their bodies to shreds.
"Quickly, form a triangle formation!" Idai commanded, his voice trembling with panic, as he continued swinging his axe to fend off the remaining attacks from the rear.
Hearing the emergency order, York stepped backward extremely fast, closing in on Idai's position without lowering his shield even a fraction. Arman did the same, quickly drawing his steps back and pressing close to Idai while continuing to endure the lightning bombardment with his steel body.
The three stood back-to-back, forming an absolute triangle formation to cover all gaps against attacks coming from every direction.
Clank-clank! Boom! Bzzt!
The ranged battle devolved into a one-sided slaughter. Vincent truly attacked with ferocity and without mercy. He continuously darted around the triangle formation with lightning speed, swinging his spear from every possible angle, creating a wall of lightning projectiles that relentlessly caged the three of them. He gave the three adventurers not even the slightest opening to launch a counterattack.
"This is the end for you, you parasitic imperial bastards!"
The General's voice could no longer be heard from the front, the sides, or the rear. The voice came from above their heads.
In that exact second, within the blink of an eye, Vincent was already hovering in the air, positioned directly above the triangle formation of the three adventurers who were frantically searching for him.
Vincent swung his spear vertically.
"Supernova Flash: Extinction Spear!"