BUILDING MY OWN EMPIRE - My Journey from Nothing to Overwhelming Power-Chapter 68 – Roaring Waves

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A Fourth-Rank Lord... and his entourage...

Two Second-Rank Lords... I might have been able to face them, but—

I had a truly bad feeling about that blond Fourth-Rank.

My thoughts were tangled and chaotic... yet my eyes remained locked on the Second-Rank Lord in the yellow robe.

He was wearing a yellow mask as well.

"He really is elegant with that mask," I whispered... then once more... I focused on my approaching opponent...

Suddenly—

He began to close the distance faster—

And faster—

"What is this?" I muttered in confusion...

Then—

The Second-Rank Lord was far faster than he had appeared to be.

"Damn..." I snorted as I moved to the side—

There wasn’t enough time—

BOOOOOOM—

"AAH!" I screamed.

All I felt was my head spinning in multiple directions—

I was hurled violently dozens of meters away—

I leaned on my wrist—

I stood up... spat out the blood that had filled my mouth—

"Damn it... how did that happen?" I muttered angrily.

I was certain I had assessed his speed perfectly... even the counter-movement had already formed clearly in my mind...

He gets close, I dodge with a flashy acrobatic sidestep... let him pass beside me... glance at him from the corner of my eye, then—BOOM—

A right hook slams him into the ground unconscious—

But—

Instead of all that... he dropped from above with flawless timing and sent me flying dozens of meters, coughing blood—

And on top of that... he stood there in that flashy mask, silent and imposing—

That bastard stole my moment—

"Impressive defense for a mere subordinate," the Second-Rank Lord finally said.

As he moved again... charging toward me once more... his fists were bare, and he arrived in an instant.

Step after step... I advanced toward him.

I didn’t retreat... how could I?

"If a Second-Rank forces me to step back... how will I ever face the Fourth?"

I growled with a grin... my movements were slower than usual... naturally so.

I raised my right hand... filled it with twenty units of Flame Energy—

Suddenly... the Lord’s movement accelerated—

He evaded my strike—

I raised my left arm to block—

BOOOOOM—

I lifted my head—

Once again I found myself leaning on the ground far away—

Another swift, fleeting strike—

Sent me flying—

"Again," the Second-Rank Lord whispered. "That powerful defense."

I stood.

My defense was formidable using the Art of Flame... but how long would it hold if I didn’t find a solution to that attack?

An opponent with no constant speed... no time to study his movements... and those blue meshes... they looked truly dangerous—

Fine... no other choice... it seemed I had to move to a plan instead of improvisational fighting—

I narrowed my eyes in concentration... opened my hand... then—

Drew out a short sword, pitch black—

"A customized blade," I whispered. "Accumulation Cutter."

"A wise move," said the Second-Rank Lord. "For a Lord to grant his subordinates customized weapons."

"Do you consider customized weapons something significant?" I murmured... hiding my mocking smile within.

The opponent was about to move... I moved first.

"Time to attack instead of defend!" I shouted.

Step after step—

The Lord extended his right arm to the side—

Around his hand, a shield began forming—

It was neither circular nor square nor any defined shape—

Rather... it resembled three long spears fused together like a mesh—

He drew his right hand back and placed it against his chest—

The three spears adhered over his torso—

I raised my left—

Then struck—

"If those spears protect your chest," I whispered... my hand moving closer—

"Let’s see how you block this!" I shouted.

My strike was aimed at the shoulder—

Better many accumulated small strikes than one failed concentrated blow—

That thought filled my mind when my vision caught a shift—

One of the spears suddenly moved... as though it extended—

BOOOOM—

It blocked my strike—

BOOOOM—

From the side—

A left-handed punch—

All I felt was my ribs being brutally punished—

My movement froze for a moment—

"Aah—"

I cried out, then quickly struck again—

Another spear moved and blocked—

Then... another punch to my ribs—

I absorbed the blow—

Struck again—

The spear returned to block—

I continued delivering strikes—

The spears continued intercepting—

And my Flame-covered body continued absorbing the counterblows one after another—

After a while—

I began to gain control—

The Second-Rank Lord kept retreating—

Until he leapt away—

"Did you run? Hahaha!" I shouted after him—

He didn’t take the bait—he stood at a distance—

I couldn’t see behind his mask... but he seemed angry—

How did I know?

If I were him, I would be—

To block an enemy’s attacks and land your own clean hits, yet see no result—

Of course he would be angry—

But unlike him—

I knew his blows were powerful and decisive. Without my heavy Flame consumption, I wouldn’t be standing here mocking him—

My accumulation was still high... but my Flame Energy had lost thirty percent—

If I were him... I’d attack again—

"Haa!" I muttered quickly—

He... had already attacked—

Meanwhile, the Fourth-Rank Lord remained high in the sky, sharp-eyed—

Hundreds of meters away... the other Lord was heading toward the village—

His dash was fast... only slightly hindered by wind—

In a moment—

He halted—

Looked upward—

A massive shadow descended toward him—

Two vast wings and feathers like iron—

The giant bird dove from the heavens toward its target—

A colossal eagle, its beak like a projectile, pierced through the air toward its prey—the Second-Rank Lord—

The Lord clasped his hands together and his robe began expanding and thickening—

Dozens of strips of cloth formed and interwove—

A ten-meter-wide silk wall stood before the eagle’s charge—

Then the collision happened—

It lasted less than a heartbeat—

Before a cracking roar echoed loudly in everyone’s ears—

The silk defense was utterly useless—

In an instant—an explosion—

The Second-Rank Lord was struck—and died where he stood—

His body—crushed and launched like a massive artillery shell—

It fell near the other Second-Rank Lord—

The sight of the twisted corpse was horrifying—

I barely looked before turning away and vomiting—

I screamed—

"Damn you... the Catastrophe Beast has awakened!"

Seven hundred meters above—

The giant eagle prepared to strike again—

This time... toward me—

It surged forward—

I began running—

My steps were disordered... anxious... I stumbled repeatedly and rose like a madman—

The beast’s launch was incredibly fast—

Closer—closer—

Until the thunder of its wings roared in my ears—

"It’s here!" I screamed in terror. "Death is coming!"

...

"You’re clever," Louise muttered... as her gloves began appearing.

The Second-Rank Lord narrowed his eyes and noticed the change. He understood that a weapon was coming... but he did not know—

That it was an ancient weapon of immense potential—

A yellow beam lit his eyes again—

"Is that some kind of trait?" Louise asked, noticing the glow—

"No... more like an inspection function. But it seems you’ve hidden everything as well."

"Of course I would," Louise laughed. "Do you think I’m foolish enough to reveal my strength before an enemy? In fact, my greatest strength is that you know nothing about me."

The Lord curved his lips into a smile... then nodded. "That is true... it is power... but—" he raised his arms, "it applies to you as well."

Between his palms, droplets of water began rising... then falling—

The droplets became a stream—

The stream became a pool—

Then—

Louise leapt backward—

A three-meter tsunami wave—

Rose before the Lord—

He moved his hand—

The wave surged violently toward Louise—

"Three meters," she whispered... a smile forming at the edge of her lips—

She leapt upward and avoided the wave—

The Lord smiled—

The wave rose to five meters... and came at her again—

Suddenly—

Another wave surged toward her—

Louise leapt quickly, avoiding the first—

Then the second arrived rapidly—

She jumped—

A third wave came—

She evaded them skillfully—

Until eventually she faced ten waves—

Each one ten meters tall—

Her lips snarled in anger—

She dodged the waves in succession—

She struck the waves several times—

The waves burst from the force... but water remains water—

It reformed again into another wave—

The waves continued surging toward her—

Yet she kept evading them with flexibility—

Amid all that roaring—she smiled—

"If I cannot confront the water," she whispered, "then I can confront you."

She pulled her right and left arms back—

Then—

The gloves began disappearing—

Her hands emerged bare, soft like a princess’s—

Purple energy enveloped her hands—forming two spherical orbs—

She launched them violently like a powerful cannon—

The Second-Rank Lord’s eyes widened—

The directed energy struck—

Scattering dozens of meters into the air—

Rain fell swiftly—

The waves were destroyed—one after another—

Before they could reform—

Louise was near the Lord—her hand filled with energy—

And she struck—

"So that’s how it is," she whispered... as the Lord’s body rippled like water and moved away—

The powerful blow had no effect on him—

"What a strike," the Lord murmured... his smile widened as he began forming another attack—

The water droplets became large water circles—like bubbles—

Then he launched them toward Louise—

At that moment—Louise approached—several bubbles stood before her—

She struck—

Then—

Her eyes narrowed in surprise—

The bubble surrounded her without bursting—

Then—

She was trapped inside—

And it began filling with water.