Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player
chapter-72

Zelliolx's expression changed rapidly as he noticed the changes in Kieran's posture and the way his body was positioned. This position indicated the wake of a relatively dangerous attack. However, rather than retreat in fear, the excitement present in Zelliolx's eyes blazed like raging flames.

Large bursts of a wild aura comparable to feral animals found in the forest in large bursts radiated from Zelliolx as he stepped forth, which abruptly turned into a rampant rush. Zelliolx held not a single care for the already damaged platform. Each step burrowed a deep footprint on its surface.

Bang!

The two attacks met, causing another fierce shockwave. The wild winds that arose from this collision caused many lacerations on Zelliolx's bare green chest while minuscule damage values simultaneously appeared before Keiran's vision, alerting him about the gradual decline in the Imperfect Blood Armor's durability.

Fortunately, it wasn't to an extent capable of warranting his concern.

"Not bad. This is more like it. Show me more of this power that you have hidden. Give me an amazing show," Zelliolx exclaimed with a mirthful grin. Although he was elated, his gruesome expression made it hard for the face to be associated with happiness.

"Sadly, I'm not here to provide your amusement or enjoyment. I have a task, and you are impeding its progress. Therefore, you are something that needs to disappear," Kieran retorted.

Immediately after, Kieran slipped away from their stalemate collision and slashed his sword upward. Usually, Savage Break would be executed with a downward stroke so gravity could assist in its unbridled power, but Kieran couldn't be bothered with the combat minutiae.

As long as Kieran's Strength was high enough, it would suffice to regularly perform his skills without following their precise directives. Not even a second later, the Scarlet Steel Greatsword's anterior edge gained an increasingly savage aura as Kieran's eyes adopted a menacing bloody glint.

Though it appeared that this small change originated from the Ancient Crimson Aegis, that wasn't the case. Instead, the culprit of Kieran's negatively impacted emotions was the fuel the Aegis consumed. The byproduct was something that Kieran had yet to stumble across. Thus, he had no method of utilizing, discharging, or neutralizing it.

Luckily enough, it seemed to only cloud his mind when using skills centered around savagery.

BOOM!

Kieran's Savage Break connected with Zelliolx's shoddily prepared counterattack. This extensive impact forced Zelliolx roughly 2 meters into the air before Kieran jumped and delivered a sudden Heavy Slash.

Bang!

Zelliolx's heavy body collided with the platform, creating even more alarming cracks that spread at a frightening rate. Once that happened, Kieran moved back and positioned himself so that his back was against a large rock protrusion.

While Kieran dealt upwards of 19,000 damage with his combination of Force Slash, Savage Break, and Heavy Slash, he wasn't contented. For one, Zelliolx was Boss, so he possessed the ability to recover by default.

Secondly, aside from Tempest Strikes, those three skills were the only ones in his arsenal that could determine the tide of this battle. Kieran was in for a genuinely intense struggle if they only dealt less than 10% of Zelliolx's Health when strung together!

To make matters worse, Kieran estimated that Zelliolx recovered twice that of typical Rare Bosses, given his identity as a Variant. In other words, Kieran was convinced that Zelliolx recovered 1% of his Health every minute.

Despite its seemingly insignificant amount, it would effectively neutralize one-tenth of Kieran's leading damage rotation. Given his current circumstances, like the limited skill duration, Kieran understood that it wouldn't be in his favor to allow Zelliolx to recover.

Therefore, he tightened his grasp around the Scarlet Steel Greatsword before brandishing it rapidly. The dust was cut apart by his sharp and rapid slashes, revealing Zelliolx standing in a large crater with a delighted smile.

"Great!"

Bang!

Zelliolx exploded with a frightening force strong enough to propel him right before Kieran in the blink of an eye. A sense of danger washed over Kieran's left side, prompting him to dodge with a quick roll.

Zelliolx's large serrated chain blade ripped halfway through the dense rock before pausing. He squinted with a tinge of annoyance present in his eyes. "Troublesome pest."

Afterward, Zelliolx added even more pressure on his chain blade's grip, tearing the rock apart with relative ease. However, this ordeal made Kieran notice something important.

'Although he is stronger than the Goblin Chieftain I'm familiar with, the rocks still hinder its attack pattern. I was right to test out my deductions,' Kieran thought with an imperceptible nod.

He couldn't let this battle carry on for too long because he was beginning to feel an indescribable ache that didn't come from his in-game character. 'Is this having an effect on me in general? What type of class would have the ability to do that?' Kieran wondered.

Sadly, he didn't have the answers because Hidden Classes were of minimal quality. Aside from the legacies of the Mythical Heroes, there were a few classes that were rumored to have inconquerable abilities. Whether or not these rumors were true was unknown to Kieran.

Even though the game had almost 10 years of history, a large portion of the world was left unexplored—that's how massive Zenith Online was. Just a simple kingdom rivaled the size of a continent on Earth!

After setting aside his pending questions, Kieran moved according to Zelliolx, mirroring his actions in such a way that enabled him to lead him to the area with the highest concentration of large rock protrusions.

By comparison, these protrusions seemed to shimmer with a dull, almost metallic luster, giving the impression that it was much sturdier than the other present spires.

Of course, it wasn't smooth sailing throughout the process of leading Zelliolx over. Kieran was forced to tide against Zelliolx's hellish attack speed. It was like a violent whirlwind or a frenzied warrior fighting to the death against their mortal enemy when he struck.

'This guy's battle lust is insane!' Kieran inwardly commented.

By now, his Imperfect Blood Armor had fallen to less than 50% durability. Given that it was ten times Kieran's Health value, it left a sour taste in his mouth.

Without the skill, he would have died five times already! What's more, the Imperfect Blood Armor's unusual activation properties didn't allow Kieran to activate Hardened Skin. Initially, Kieran thought this restriction only applied to healing consumables, but it seemed skills that operated under a defensive premise couldn't be used in conjunction with the current Ancient Crimson Aegis practice.

Although it was powerful, Kieran felt this skill had many flaws that needed addressing.

Finally, after many painstaking attempts and roughly thirty seconds later, Kieran achieved the perfect positioning. When Zelliolx lifted his arms, his range was blocked by the encirclement of large rock spires.

"Eh?" Zelliolx grunted while shoving his arm about. Alas, it wasn't a restriction he could deal with in little time.

"Being too large has its drawbacks. You may be capable of untold devastation, but it doesn't mean much when you don't have the space to make the required movements," Kieran snickered.

Suddenly, violent winds surfaced around Kieran as he drew his blade back with an unusual stance. His right hand reached towards the tip of his blade while he lowered his center of gravity as much as possible.

The winds intensified because of his actions, growing into a ferocious tempest. They soon condensed into three blade-like squalls that seemed oddly similar to wind spears conjured from wind magic.

However, there was no magic present whatsoever, only the manipulation of forces. As Kieran felt his force accumulation reach a peak, he stabbed forward, unleashing his newly learned skill—Tempest Strikes.

The three piercing wind strokes reflected in Zelliolx's eyes as they narrowed with a dangerous glint.

Splich!

Gruesome puncture noises echoed in the hollow stadium while tremendous damage values appeared above Zelliolx's head.

-18,446

-17,782

-19,055

〈Alert: Enemy Zelliolx has been afflicted with «Deep Wounds». They will suffer from the «Bleed» status and lose 500 Health every second until recovery. [Estimated Recovery: 59 seconds.]〉

'Oh? This skill has that effect?' Kieran noted.

Although the description implied that it'd pierce the enemy and cause residual damage as the tempest's remnants persisted, Kieran wasn't under the impression that it could also trigger other Abnormal Statuses present in Zenith Online.

Although none of the attacks was a Critical Hit, over 30% of Zelliolx's Health disappeared. Sadly, Kieran wouldn't be able to unleash this skill again during this fight. Its cooldown was too monstrous for Kieran to prolong the battle until then.

'I won't become completely helpless, but having zero Defense against an enemy like Zelliolx is undesirable.' Kieran thought. Without any defense, even one of Zelliolx's attacks would suffice to kill Kieran.

With the effects of Bleed and the remaining lacerations, Zelliolx's Health was reduced by an additional 20% in a matter of two seconds. Thus, Zelliolx's Health fell under 50%.

Once that happened, Zelliolx emitted a bestial roar only to be cut short by a prompt Force Slash.

"Stop being so noisy. If you're going to come, then come," Kieran taunted.

Zelliolx glared at Kieran before welcoming his downfall. Zelliolx suddenly lashed his arm outward. This caused the chain at the bottom of the sword's hilt to whip toward Kieran's at a speed that caused a crackling sound.

Kieran dodged continuously as the chain left deep yet concise holes in the ground. A single hit would undoubtedly cause some severe damage.

However, Zelliolx's reckless attack also had a flaw—the many rock pieces flying around due to his careless attacks. Kieran swatted any pieces that came close and redirected them toward Zelliolx, causing minor yet convenient damage as they widened the three holes in his torso.

"Urgh," Zelliolx groaned painfully. Even though he was put in a challenging situation, Zelliolx's excitement didn't recede one bit. He felt he had finally found a worthy opponent.

Every time Force Slash came off cooldown, Kieran unleashed it at an angle that returned countless broken shards. As a result, Zelliolx's Health plummeted to less than 10% over the next 60 seconds.

Suddenly, while dodging, Kieran stumbled, struggling to gain ahold of himself. The timer on skill had reached its final 15 seconds, causing it to grow increasingly unstable.

Desperation hit Kieran as he no longer focused on dodging and instead rushed forward. Zelliolx's movement suffered from the natural deterioration introduced by being wounded. This allowed Kieran to find a prominent rhythm to avoid Zelloilx's perilous attacks.

"You were definitely a worthy adversary," Kieran remarked. Right then, Charge, Savage Break, and Force Slash came off cooldown. Initiating with Savage Break, Kieran slash tore open Zelliolx's already mutilated torso.

Afterward, Kieran used Charge on the sluggish Zelliolx and concluded his attack with a full force Force Slash.

-21,044! [Critical Hit!]

The life in Zelliolx's eyes gradually dulled while he fell to his knees. But, at that time, he muttered something. "I may not have succeeded in returning to the Orc Tribes, but I have experienced the most worthwhile battle of my life."

Upon hearing his comment, Kieran's eyebrows rose. 'Does he have some relation to the Orc? But… which ones specifically?'

A few items dropped in place of Zelliolx's body as if responding to his question. Of those items, there was a note and vial. But, what caught Kieran's eyes was how the chain blade shimmered with an unusual tint.

"Oh?!" Kieran grinned with excitement.