Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player
chapter-188

Dusvim laughed darkly as he emerged from the wall Kieran's attack blew him into. "Where did all that rage go? You're doomed to fail if you don't have that perverse power."

"My rage?" Kieran felt entertained by Dusvim's comment.

Did he genuinely believe all his rage vanished into thin air as if it never once existed? Incorrect. To believe Kieran's furry merely disappeared was a fallacy.

On the contrary, he found a better place to invest it.

Crimson Ashrune seemed to roar and cry as Kieran held it.

Not only had its size doubled without using Seethe Burst, but the Vampiric Blood Encrustation thickened, and its edge sharpened, producing a sinister yet contained feeling.

"Bastion, control him," Kieran ordered.

At the same time, part of Crimson Ashrune's exterior coating liquified. Bloody droplets dripped off the blade and seeped into the ground, painting the beige sand a beautiful ruby color.

"With pleasure! Just know that you are never alone, Aatrox. We'll help you in any way, shape, or form," Bastion said. He looked at Kieran with apparent determination.

Despite the Mana Manifestation wrathed around Dusvim's body, Bastion rushed forward with Guardian's Embrace activated. His Damage Reduction and Defense bolstered as a profound aura enveloped his body.

Bang!

Bastion rammed into Rahasa's head but remained stable despite suffering some damage. 'This little damage is nothing compared to the pain I felt inside Aatrox's wail. He's not in this alone, he has people he can rely upon, and I will show him that.'

All of a sudden, Bastion felt a presence near his rear.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Nemean's shield landed a swift combo, which caused Dusvim's attention to split between the two. "Where you go, I go, old friend. Now, let's take this old man down!"

Bastion didn't answer verbally, but he smirked with a meaningful look inside of his eyes.

A tacit understanding passed between these two as they relived their earlier training. The training increased their synergy and awareness of one another's unique combat patterns.

Bastion retreated when Nemean advanced and vice versa.

While these two joined forces to handle Dusvim's Mana Manifestation, several arrows slipped through the openings in their movements and punctured Rasaha.

Although Lux wanted to target Dusvim, it was impossible because half of Rasaha's body remained coiled around Dusvim.

"I will break through his defenses," Kieran claimed as he took one step forward. He bent his elbow, but it was like a surge of carnage permeated the room, dousing everything in a fear-inducing presence.

〈System: Your actions have triggered «Manifestation: Macabre Animosity»!〉

Although Kieran was partly unfamiliar with this new ability due to its vague overview, he was familiar with its origins. The ability stemmed from his Vengeful Soul after experiencing a primary Strengthening and Release.

Amidst his pain and suffering, Kieran opened up a new outlet to funnel his emotions and maintain the superiority of a True Berserker.

Bang!

Kieran's body flashed after Surge Stepping to close the distance in the blink of an eye.

All of a sudden, the crimson energy filling the room converged above Kieran's palm in the shape of an orb with a hollow, almost white inside. Kieran whispered something incoherent into the orb, prompting its silent pulsation.

Although soundless, the aftermath was not ineffectual. An abnormal pulse spread throughout the room, mainly focusing on Dusvim.

"Agch!" Dusvim clutched his head as tears of blood seeped from his eye sockets. From how reddened his eyes became, Dusvim unmistakably suffered some bizarre damage.

As for what Kieran's actions were? It was one of his new skills known as Blood Pulse.

「 Blood Pulse (Lv.2)

Skill Rank: A

Skill Type: Active

Mastery (00.00%)

Description: By stimulating the dark side of the True Berserker's power, the user can send out an invasive pulse of blood filled with odious energy. The pulse triggers a state of «Hysteria» that lasts for 20 seconds. Damage inflicted by this attack ignores Physical Defense if the «Hysteria» successfully applies. Damage is equal to 666% of the user's Attack Power.

Consumption: 5% Health & 100 Mana

Prerequisites: «Blood Mania»

Cooldown: 60 seconds 」

Hysteria was a unique state that affected the user's accuracy. It was likely that ranged classes that suffered from Hysteria would miss several attacks aimed at a distant opponent. This similarly applied to close-range classes that relied upon precise actions.

In other words, Kieran gained a debuff that could also deal moderate damage.

However, it was only moderate concerning his other skills. 666% damage existed amongst the greatest raw damage of many current skills.

Considering that his timer on Deranged Spirit and Abhorrent Paroxysm was running out, this wasn't a battle that could be dragged out. If it wasn't concluded within one minute, there was a risk of failure.

Fortunately, Kieran's manic episode didn't take too long to resolve. So while Deranged Spirit had ample time remaining, Abhorrent Paroxysm's limited duration dipped under 30 seconds.

After hitting Dusvim with the Blood Pulse, Kieran unleashed a frightening whirlwind of slashes, each one building on the momentum of the prior slash.

No matter how fast Rasaha moved to protect Dusvim, Kieran's lightning-quick strokes chipped away at Rasaha's sand scales.

However, Kieran wasn't alone in his actions. Luna, Altair, and Ezra appeared by his side and unleashed their skills interspersed with basic attacks.

Dusvim struggled to break free from the clutches of Kieran's inflicted Hysteria, but Bastion and Nemean effortlessly dodged Dusvim's attacks, including the many launched through Rasaha.

"That skill is amazing. To think an attack class possesses such a potent debuff skill," Ezra muttered as she noticed the remarkable drop in the battle's overall difficulty.

"It's a convenient ability to have," Altair voiced. He appreciated he could let loose without fear of being restricted by another sand binding. The sand tended to move far after Altair delivered his strike.

'Focus is important to all people. Without it, it is difficult and almost impossible to go against strong opponents, especially swift ones,' Kieran inwardly noted.

Although Dusvim's every movement influenced a tremendous amount of sand, it meant nothing if it was entirely off-target because of the hallucinations caused by Hysteria.

Nevertheless, it wasn't a permanent luxury because Dusvim broke free of Hysteria's constraints twenty seconds later.

"You dare make a fool of me?! You will grovel at my feet!" Dusvim howled.

"Manifestation Technique: Ancient Sand Jewel Armor!"

Rasaha emitted an ear-piercing screech following Dusvim's bellow. The Mana Manifestation coiled around Dusvim's body and tightened before descending from the sky as if it wanted to devour its controller.

A blinding beige light flashed in the underground lair, but it was fleeting, vanishing within one second. In place of this light, the entire party was taken aback by what they saw.

Dusvim and Rasaha had fused to form a set of archaic sand armor with jewels embedded in essential places like the forehead, sternum, back of the hands, and knees.

Dusvim's weapon similarly became a sharp, jeweled sword befitting of an emperor.

Despite this enormous change, Kieran remained unperturbed. Why? Because confidence was a True Berserker's birthright. Who could topple such an existence in battle?!

"I've told you once before. You deserve death. Make as many desperate straits as you please, but this won't change your fate," Kieran said.

He lifted his right hand and turned it over. An intense sucking sensation appeared in the palm of his hand, pulling Dusvim closer against his will. This wasn't a psychokinetic power. No.

It was Kieran's other newly learned skill.

「 Peril Implosion (Lv.2)

Skill Rank: A

Skill Type: Active

Mastery (00.00%)

Description: The True Berserker draws upon their penchant to consume vitality to pull enemies afflicted by «Bleed» to them. The higher the number of «Bleed» stacks inflicted upon the target(s), the stronger the attraction of this skill. The user can implode the «Bleed» stacks at any time to inflict heavy damage. Base Damage is equal to 1,500% of Attack Power and increases by 66% for every 3 Bleed stacks imploded.

Consumption: 5% Health & 100 Mana

Prerequisites: «Blood Mania»

Cooldown: 135 seconds 」

"Implode," Kieran commanded.

BOOOM!

A horrifying explosion sounded inside the lair as a sinister sensation impacted everyone.

The surge of energy resulting from Kieran's attack was like the aftermath of an exploding missile considering Kieran maxed out the Bleed stacks on Dusvim before unleashing this skill.

When the blast residue cleared, a stumbling Dusvim remained with pieces of his armor falling off.

"He's still standing?" Bastion muttered in disbelief. His jaw dropped after looking at the horrid state of Dusvim's Health bar.

"Noo!" Dusvim snarled.

〈Battle Alert: «Dusvim, the Sand Serpent» has gone Berserk.〉

While Dusvim wasn't a Boss who would go berserk after reaching a certain health threshold, the Mana he wielded could go haywire if he lost control while a Manifestation was active, which was what occurred now.

Boom!

Numerous sand spears rushed toward everyone, but Kieran slashed his greatsword.

Pssh! Bang!

A Crimson Current collided against Dusvim's attack, neutralizing it without fail.

"Pitiful," Kieran remarked.

Shnk!

"Blood Wave!"

Four Blood Waves landed in rapid succession, tossing Dusvim aside like a ragdoll as Kieran calmly approached without any intention of ending this battle quickly.

Dusvim's armor continued to break as he flailed his sword, attempting to force Kieran's back.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Kieran effortlessly deflected each attack before lifting his foot.

"Grand Stomp!"

BOOM!

Dusvim's body was buried inside a gigantic crater as his chest caved in from that impact. Despair filled his eyes as he looked inside Kieran's cold, rage-filled eyes that radiated ruthlessness.

Dusvim sputtered and coughed up blood as the sand armor covering his body faded.

"Don't…. Kill me," Dusvim pleaded.

Despite his hatred toward Kieran, Dusvim didn't wish to die. Otherwise, he wouldn't have spent decades mustering the forces of his Desertborn Brigands.

All Dusvim sought was power and opportunity.

While listening to Dusvim's pleas for leniency, Kieran lifted his blade as Sanguinem Tempest's violent augury appeared.

Dusvim's eyes widened once he felt the threat of death inches away. "Wait! Information! I have information!"

Ding!