An Extra’s POV
chapter-480

The object that emerged wasn't the Divine Sword.

Adonis still couldn't afford to use that unless absolutely necessary. It wasn't out of selfishness, but out of consideration for the grander scheme of things that would come into play if they all managed to survive here.

However, the item that floated atop Adonis' palm was just as priceless.

'The Unknown Box…'

It had the power to bring forth the full potential of a Skill, without any drawbacks, for a limited amount of time.

Since the effects were only temporary—perhaps five to ten minutes—and could only be used by its user once a day, it wasn't an invincible treasure.

However, The Unknown Box also granted this full-potential Skill's usage without the cost of a single ounce of Mana.

That meant, within those five to ten minutes, whatever Skill the user chose would cost no Mana at all.

As such, while not invincible in itself, the box granted invincible power.

'Right now, I only have two major options here…'

He could either go with [Grand Light Magic] to improve his speed and overall destructive power, or [Absolute Defense] so that he could better protect himself and everyone around him.

'If I choose an offensive Skill, it'll render me more capable of finishing the battle more quickly. But, my allies will be at risk.'

But, he faced an equally problematic dilemma if he chose the defensive Skill.

He and his allies would be weaker, and there was no guarantee that they would be able to defeat the enemy within five to ten minutes.

Many would take time to contemplate on this issue, but that wasn't a luxury that Adonis and his friends had.

And so, it didn't even take a single second for Adonis to decide on his path.

"I choose Absolute Defense!"

In that instant, the cube pulsated with incredible power and shot a beam upward.

The air itself vibrated, and everyone around felt an immense pressure—almost like an invisible power that forced them on their knees and tempted them to worship it.

"T-THIS IS…?!" Even the Skeletal Dragon Lord felt the power's influence—albeit for merely a few seconds.

However, that moment of hesitation on its part was more than enough for Adonis and his comrades.

After all, by unleashing the full potential of [Absolute Defense], Adonis had now temporarily evolved his Skill into something else.

—[Divine Defense].

Using this, he was able to easily protect both sides with his pure and shimmering golden barrier. The walls of the barrier were phenomenally sturdier than before, and the safety they offered was beyond what words could describe.

It was simply divine.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?!"

Adonis merely smiled at the Dragon's question, watching as The Unknown Box vanished from his grasp.

"You don't need to know." He responded, an air of confidence surrounding him.

~WHOOSH!~

Powerful projectiles, too fast for the eyes to even process, instantly charged at Adonis and his allies from above.

But—

"H-HUH…?!"

—The ten, or rather eleven, remained unharmed.

Around each of them was a dome of bright and shimmering golden light. It radiated with such intensity that the Dragon Lord had to squint in response to its brilliance.

This was the automated effect of the [Divine Defense].

Plus, since Adonis was spending practically no Mana at all when it came to this Skill, he could spam as many as he liked.

In essence… for the duration of this period of grace, he and his friends were invincible.

"We only have three minutes for this, so let's go all-out, okay?"

The moment he said this, every single member of the team nodded and yelled, "YEAH!"

At that moment, the battle began in earnest.

~WHOOSH!~

While the Skeletal Dragon Lord was still recoiling from the brilliance of the golden defenses, close-quarter fighters charged towards it.

The long ranged ones—typically Mages like Alicia, Belle, and Eric—stayed back and began chanting their strongest Spells.

Snow stayed back to protect Alicia, but she would be defending the other Mages by extension.

As for the ones who charged forth—Billy, Clark, Trisha, and Rey—they were relative in speed as they rushed ahead, spacing themselves with considerable distance as they ran.

Justin was on his own, instantly cloaking himself as he leapt far from the start position. He was to act as a scout, and also a wild card for surprise attacks or diversions.

As for Adonis, the leader, he leaped upward, speeding past the rest so he could face his foe head-on.

There was something about Jet's resolve and actions that made the fire in Adonis' heart burn brighter and brighter.

That man, despite being faced with an opponent too strong for his means, did not give in to despair.

He did not wallow in the murky depths of despondency.

Instead, he rose above and charged ahead with a smile on his face… which was exactly what Adonis now imitated.

"YOU DARE SMILE… IN MY PRESENCE?"

Adonis ignored the words of the enemy and poured his bountiful Mana to his hand, concentrating everything well so he could create a powerful blade.

'Now that I no longer need to worry about Mana for defense, I'll pour everything into offense!'

For good measure, Adonis activated his [Indomitable Power], further boosting his Combat Ability. With all of these coming into play—his immense Mana and overflowing strength—

Adonis felt incredible.

"I can be as reckless as I want with my attacks, and I can be as wasteful with my Mana as it will allow."

The Skeletal Dragon Lord could not hurt him nor his friends given the time, and since the time limit was about five minutes, he had more than enough Mana to splurge.

"Let's do this… filthy Dragon!"

"YOU CALL ME FILTHY…?!" The intimidating creature yelled in pure fury, but none of it affected Adonis any longer.

He was no longer shackled by fear or despair.

Part of it was due to Jet's inspiration as well as his current invincible state, but there was also another fundamental reason.

'Compared to a true Dragon Lord… this one is too WEAK!'

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Thanks for reading!