Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player
chapter-68

Ezgal's bloodcurdling roar resounded within the stadium as Kwozma's head rolled past his feet. A sensation of failure washed over Ezgal as he dropped to his knees before Kwozma and cradled his body.

"Kwozma, brother… no!" Ezgal exclaimed in a trembling voice. Because it was his duty to be their defender, Ezgal was incredibly distraught about Kwozma's supposed death. His reaction wasn't too dissimilar from how new soldiers helplessly watched as their brother in arms perished.

After a short while, Ezgal rose to his feet with reddened eyes and roared to the sky. "Jol, fix!"

Suddenly, an unusual magic circle expanded, with Jol serving as the focal point. The bodies of nearby goblin minions withered rapidly as some unknown energy escaped from their bodies.

This energy then acted as a catalyst required for Jol's ritual. Upon noticing what Jol intended to do, Kieran's eyes narrowed.

'A damned ritual resurrection?' Kieran inwardly remarked. This so-called ritual resurrection was a skill derived from the holy magic employed by advanced Priests. Whereas the priest's version utilized sacred and light energy to create a revitalizing force, this goblin performed a ritual outright.

The difference between a spell and a ritual was the presence of sacrifices. Typically, the latter was much more potent since it borrowed upon outside forces while also adding in the user's abilities. On the other hand, spells only required one bodily resource unless stated otherwise.

With that being said, Priests could only learn the Resurrection spell from a Skill Book. While there were skills similar to it, none truly compared for the simple fact that Ressurection could ignore the Death Penalty once. Its cooldown was horrendous because of this property, chiefly when used in a dungeon setting.

Kieran quickly rushed forward, intent on interrupting the ritual before the collected lifeforce could be gathered and funneled into Kwozma's lifeless body. However, Ezgal was in no mood to fail again.

Despite how large he was, Ezgal appeared before Kieran at swiftness that rivaled Kwozma when buffed by his skills. His large tower shield pressed forward with crushing might as Kieran sidestepped the blow.

Although he successfully dodged the attack, Ezgal turned around and snapped onto Kieran like a predator hunting its prey. Ezgal's reactions mystified Kieran because it was better than some players he had come across. In fact, if either Despot or Horizon Break attempted to bypass Ezgal, they'd die while trying to accomplish that task!

'Not bad… maybe only a Ranker could handle Ezgal in this state,' Kieran thought while praising Ezgal. Sadly, Ezgal was an enemy, so while he warranted the praise, Kieran couldn't commend him for much longer.

Whoosh!

A robust soundwave rippled from Kieran's body as he activated Spirit of the Bear King. Ezgal's large physique stalled momentarily, only for the Dazed effects to be shaken off a second later. After experiencing the Dazed state, Ezgal realized this ability was responsible for Kwozma's defeat.

"No defeat!" Ezgal bellowed with an expression contorted by rage.

Bang!

Ezgal smashed his shield into the platform, and unlike before, large cracks formed on the ground and expanded quickly. The platform seemed to want to break and sink into the unknown waters below.

Naturally, if Kieran were to fall off the platform, it'd result in instant death, and he'd be forced to revive in Gena Village since it was the closest location bearing a Temple Shrine. Though there were other places, Kieran couldn't be sent to those areas because he had yet to visit them.

Meanwhile, Jol's ritual reached the final stages as Kwozma's severed head and body floated towards the magic circle's center. At the same time, a gaseous cloud with faint purple and grey specks floated above Jol as he raised his arms to the skies.

Kieran's expression grew ugly as he watched this. If Kwozma were to be revived, Kieran was confident it wouldn't deliver any Experience. In other words, he'd be forced to do work for no profit.

Just thinking about this drove Kieran insane since the thing he loathed more than the Golden Brigade was performing pointless actions. The perfectionist in him wouldn't allow it.

Bang!

Kieran stomped his foot on the platform and sped forth as his mind churned faster. The blood vessels in his eyes expanded as both his heart rate and other matters related to his motor systems significantly improved.

His body secreted a chemical similar to adrenaline, except it was much more profound. This chemical was the culprit for his neural degeneration in the past. As the chemical deluged Kieran's mind, it was as if a thunderstorm was taking place in Kieran's brain!

Kieran ran away from Ezgal but did so with purpose.

Just as Ezgal pushed his shield forward, Kieran jumped and flipped backward.

Boom!

Ezgal was destabilized because Kieran led him into one of the narrower rock junctions. As a result, Ezgal's enormous body was wedged between the two rocks, which would take some time to break. But, to ensure it didn't happen quickly, Kieran slid forward and executed a heavy circular slash on the back of Ezgal's knees. It was guarded by armor, but the Heavy Slash helped break it away, exposing the fleshy joints underneath.

As soon as they were exposed, Kieran kicked Ezgal's back and jumped into the air, unleashing a Force Slash that created two sharp, closely intertwined gusts. The crude armor seemingly forged by other goblins was lacerated by the attack.

Immediately after, Ezgal's knees hit the ground, unable to move. Rather than focus on finishing off Ezgal, Kieran sprinted towards Jol just as the final stages of Kwozma's head reattachment were underway.

Boom!

Since Kwozma's body wasn't too far off the ground, Kieran jumped and smashed Kwozma's body into the ground while simultaneously thrusting his Scarlet Steel Greatsword forward. It was a marvelous display of skill, but the outcome he desired didn't happen.

The magical barrier surrounding Jol absorbed Kieran's attack with minimal signs of cracking. Although Kieran currently stood upon Kwowma's body, the completion bar continued to climb, and tendrils of reconnective flesh surfaced!

Like a maddened individual, Kieran began hacking away at the barrier while also using Flaming Circle to assist in destroying it faster. Just 5 seconds later, the bar reached 90% when Kieran unleashed a fierce Force Slash.

Aside from his weapon making contact with the barrier, the strong gales accompanying the Force Slash rampantly bombarded it as well. As a result, a large hole appeared in the front of the barrier.

Jol's hood was also blown down, revealing a mortified expression. The crimson luster of the Scarlet Steel Greatsword grew apparent in Jol's eyes as it muttered words in stupefaction. "No understand. How so monster? Are you not normal human?"

Bang!

Jol was swatted aside like an annoying fly whose pesky ways contributed to their demise.

Since it was only a normal attack, it only claimed 700 Health, but it was enough to disrupt Jol's ritual progress. However, Kieran wasn't in the clear just yet. While he succeeded in disrupting the ritual, its accumulated completion didn't dissipate. The progression was simply frozen.

This meant that if Jol somehow managed to restart the ritual, it'd resume from 90%!

Because Jol was a major threat, Kieran focused on defeating Jol while sparing attention towards Ezgal's unlikely but possible recovery. Since there were so many anomalies, to begin with, Kieran felt it wouldn't be unusual to find more!

Since his stunning skills were on cooldown and his title effect proved ineffective against these Champion monsters, Kieran resorted to simple hit-and-run tactics to hack away at Jol's lackluster Health. Although his Health was lacking, his magic power was astronomical, as was his casting speed.

Like most Mages who could pull off the Mana Missle, Jol fired them haphazardly. However, his fire rate and gathering speed revealed why Jol was classified as a Champion monster.

The effects of Jol's attacks weren't too far off from Alice's Mana Torrent skill! In fact, it wouldn't be wrong to say Jol's mastery of the Mana Missle was a level above, especially when it came to firepower.

The residual mana fluctuations alone caused damage that made Kieran's hairs stand on edge. Because of his constant combat, Kieran's supply of Beginner Mana and Health Potions dwindled to less than five apiece! Even though he tried his best to conserve his potions, it was difficult not to use them when pinned against countless enemies.

Besides, he wasn't a machine. He was currently imperfect, so even if he was highly familiar with combat, he was bound to make mistakes due to some incongruities that were outside of his power for the time being.

Finally, after battling with Jol for upwards of 10 minutes due to his barrier's quick regeneration rate and odd magic attacks that thwarted Kieran's more important skills, Jol fell.

With his demise went the possibility of Kwozma being resurrected!

〈System: You have gained 19,404 Experience!〉

Finally, Kieran let go a breath of relief while turning towards Ezgal, who looked at him both hatefully and powerlessly. "Our leader shall avenge us. No know where from you, but you will die soon!"

"We'll see if that is true. Otherwise, it would seem I was the true champion here," Kieran chuckled before using all his power to sever Ezgal's head from his body.

〈System: You have gained 19,404 Experience!〉

After killing Ezgal, Kieran fell to his knees and breathed heavily in an established pattern. This breathing pattern was meant to deescalate his hyperactive body, specifically his heart rate. It was beating so fast that it felt like it was dangerously close to exploding.

Because of it, Kieran didn't notice when the system delivered a crucial message. The only thing in his view currently were the countless vials scattered across the damaged platform. Many came from the Elites who barged through the doors earlier, but the most important ones came from Jol, Ezgal, and Kwozma.

Finally, once Kieran regained reasonable control over his breathing, he glanced up slightly towards one of the most recent notifications.

〈System: The title «Goblin Hunter III» has evolved into «Goblin Slayer»!〉