The SSS Ranked Villain's Return-Chapter 152: Aura
[New Skill Unlocked!]
[Aura {E}]
[Skill Description: Imbue your chosen weapon with aura, enhancing its sharpness, durability, and impact force. Effect scales with [Swordsmanship {E}] proficiency and [Eclipsed Abyss {SSS}] mastery.]
A passive skill...? Wait a moment... Is this the skill you mentioned last time? Neraxis asked, shocked.
[Yes... I thought it would take you until C-ranked swordsmanship to get it... but you got it much faster.] Evangeline replied, equally shocked.
However, they could not ponder for long, as the red sword was enveloped in a black aura, with only a tinge of white due to the frost.
At the same time, the Black Knight seemed to take notice of this change.
"Aura? A lowly human such as yourself is using aura?" it scoffed and suddenly jumped off its armored horse.
Now, it stood before Neraxis, and height-wise, they were equal.
Reach seemed the same as well, with the only difference being their strength.
One was C+, while the other was A+.
Still, Neraxis focused on something else. This is a bit tiring. The mana drain is much less than last time, but still, two minutes and I’m done for.
[Use it sparingly, or just simply end the fight in that time,] Evangeline suggested.
He nodded in response before locking eyes with the Black Knight again. I will.
"You seem to be struggling, human," the Black Knight stated. "Do you expect to beat my master’s creations with your puny level or strength?"
"Yes," Neraxis replied plainly, and without even giving the Black Knight another moment to speak, he used {Simple Stab}.
Immediately, he could feel the pressure expand throughout his entire body before heading into the sword and finally outward.
This time, instead of a compact thrust, a massive explosion erupted, sending black fire everywhere. Upon contact, the ground began to deteriorate.
At the same time, the air was visibly growing colder, as small black snowflakes began falling from the sky, which also seemed to have the decaying property of his affinity.
Holy shit. Neraxis looked on in wonder, and the same was the case for the Black Knight, who had to sacrifice his horse in order to survive the attack.
But he merely slashed again and produced a similar result—just slightly weaker due to him not using the skill. Find more to read on novelbuddy
This time around, the Black Knight managed to block it with its sword, albeit barely, since it was heavily shaking.
While their swords were clashing against one another, Neraxis decided to try stretching out his aura into the Black Knight’s sword, and surprisingly, it worked.
The part of the sword where they were clashing soon weakened, and with that, Neraxis merely pushed forward, shattering the sword into two.
As that happened, he managed to slice the Black Knight’s helmet, revealing the one behind it.
But instead of satisfaction, he was left shocked instead.
"You are not a skeleton." Neraxis remarked, glancing at the scarred face of the red-eyed man ahead.
"And you are not normal. You’re a monster. How did you even end up in this world?" the man asked.
"That’s no concern of yours." Neraxis brought his aura-enveloped sword closer to the man’s neck. "Any last words?"
The man merely chuckled, when, all of a sudden, Neraxis felt a gust of wind approaching him from behind, which he immediately dodged.
However, it seemed like it was not aiming for Neraxis, as the gust of wind—which appeared to be some kind of massive arrow—headed for the Black Knight’s head and made it explode upon impact.
[1x (A+ Ranked Elite Human) Rigurd the Forsaken Slain! (Assist) Reward: Stigmata 14.59% → 22.09%]
"I’m afraid this is where we draw the line." A deep voice rang out from behind, and the moment Neraxis turned around, he was met with a giant being donning a cape made out of bones.
Coupled with that, there was also a crown of bones atop the being’s head, which meant this could only be a certain someone.
[04:02:05]
[04:02:04]
"You’re here a bit early, Skeleton King," Neraxis remarked and turned off the aura to preserve the mana he had left.
"I couldn’t keep someone like you waiting for long, now could I?" the Skeleton King replied with a scoff before equipping the massive bow it had on its back.
It slowly pulled out an arrow alongside it and soon drew the bowstring before saying, "Time is one of the factors you need, correct, human? I shall give you an hour of ceasefire if you manage to dodge my arrow."
Raising his brow, Neraxis agreed. "I accept."
I don’t want to be overly reliant on my eyes, which tell apart lies... but it’s somehow telling the truth, he pondered inwardly, and soon, the Skeleton King began counting down.
"I will shoot in exactly ten seconds, human. I will start now." It drew the bowstring even further, and Neraxis could even hear the bow creak.
The count was going down slowly. All the while, Neraxis had a single task—survive while being shot at with a bow.
[I wouldn’t underestimate it if I were you,] Evangeline commented, and he merely nodded.
I know. I’m not.
Nonetheless, Neraxis prepared himself, since he had just the perfect strategy to dodge.
Therefore, Neraxis steadied himself and waited until eventually, the count reached zero.
And as it did and he saw the Skeleton King let go of the bowstring, Neraxis immediately used {Sword Dash} on a faraway skeleton.
For a moment, he thought he had done it—until he saw the massive arrow still flying toward him.
It is a fucking homing arrow... just great. Neraxis thought with slight panic before slashing his sword sideways, performing the {Simple Horizontal Slash}.
The aura boosted the slash’s strength by leaps and bounds; however, it did not manage to offset or even destroy the incoming arrow.
In a desperate attempt, Neraxis used {Vampiric Dominion: Blood Rend}, which was one of the stronger skills he had, but since his health wasn’t that low, it did not do much either.
{Crimson Sovereignty: Shadow Mantle} was still on cooldown for the next couple of minutes, and in the meantime, he only had two options, one of which he decided to exhaust immediately.
Using {Stellar Dominion: Cosmic Cascade}, a bright aurora enveloped the arrow, finally slightly torching it.
But of course, it still stayed strong.
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Maybe {Aura of the Abyss} could stop it... Fuck... Neraxis finally gave in and stared at the skill he did not want to use in the first place.
{Aegis of Eternity {C}}
It was a skill that made it so he could block any attack, despite its power, once every 12 weeks.
And while he wanted to save it for the Sovereigns, it seemed like he had to use it now, or else he’d die.
Taking a deep breath, he activated the skill.
Immediately, a clock appeared before him and began spinning clockwise.
Despite his confusion, he did not wonder for long, as the arrow finally approached and collided with his body.
He felt a bit of pain, which made Neraxis widen his eyes; however, in the very next moment, it all disappeared.
The clock began spinning counterclockwise, and the arrow soon began dispersing from his body, disappearing into the air, leaving only a surprised Skeleton King watching from a distance.
{Aegis of Eternity {C} - Cooldown: 12 Weeks}
"A deal is a deal..." the Skeleton King grumbled before waving in the air.
As it did, the skeletons—which had once again begun swarming the city—halted and began making their way back slowly.
The same applied to the armored skeleton legion and, of course, the few Black Knights scattered all around.
"I will be seeing you soon, human," the Skeleton King stated and slowly began walking away.
[03:59:22]
[03:59:21]
Neraxis let out an exhausted sigh and jogged back to the city before scaling its wall.
Running atop the rooftops, he eventually arrived back at the bell tower, and as he did, he noticed Jane swinging her legs on the ledge, looking bored.
Sneaking up from behind, Neraxis placed his cold hands on her neck. She jolted upright, a frightened look on her face.
But the moment she saw him, Jane eased up.
"...Stop sneaking up on me."
"My bad." Neraxis chuckled before putting on a serious expression. "I bought us an hour and came up with a plan."
She tilted her head. "Hm? What is it?"
"You won’t like it," he stated and let out a sigh.
"I want you to..."
