Yarra's Adventure Notes-Chapter 1173 - 285: The Weakness of the Moribund

"Idiotic, without making thorough preparations, how could we possibly let you in?" Seeing Pannis’s futile attack, the female moribund’s shrill voice burst out in gleeful laughter. From the beginning of this encounter, this female moribund harbored a profound hatred for Pannis—a hatred that even far surpassed that of her male counterpart. As for the reason, Pannis had no interest in finding out; he could probably guess it was somehow related to the deceased Herr. But none of that was important now. The moment Pannis stepped into Between the Rituals, it was destined that the confrontation would end only when one side was thoroughly defeated. The only difference was which side that would be.

"How strange, it seems their role in the ritual has really ended." Pannis, opposite two moribunds, narrowed his eyes with curiosity and assessed the four Legendary Rank Undead Mages. "There’s no need for them to be here. Instead of having them here, it might be more effective to join the combat in the Great Ceremony Hall. Even with your desiccated brains, you should be able to figure that out, yet you still keep them here. This clearly suggests one thing—they are useful to you here. Let me guess, let me guess, since their role is not in the ritual, then it must be related to you personally. Their presence must enhance your combat abilities. Don’t look at me like that; anyone with a bit of brain should be able to guess."

"Hmph." The male moribund snorted coldly and suddenly raised his right hand; a hand axe, powered by the immense strength of a Triclops, appeared at Pannis’s neck at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye. Pannis’s skin on his neck already felt the chilling blade before the screech of the axe tearing through the air reached his ears. The hand axe cut across Pannis’s neck, passing through as if it encountered no resistance, as if through a shadow; indeed, what it passed through was just a shadow, for Pannis had entered his domain just before the axe could touch him, leaving only an afterimage behind. A second later, Pannis appeared behind the male moribund. Immediately upon reappearing, he swung his sword to block two daggers that awaited him and with his other free hand, he punched towards the male moribund’s back. But just as his fist was about to strike the enemy’s back, a dagger thin as a piece of paper extended from between his fingers, cunningly touching the enemy’s back first.

However, the paper-thin dagger’s strike was unsuccessful. As Pannis threw his punch, the enemy in front of him kicked backward. Pannis knew that if he insisted on stabbing the enemy, the full force of his opponent’s kick would be unleashed upon him. He had no doubt about the power behind that kick—if he took it head-on, it would penetrate his shield and cause serious damage, and under attack from two enemies, it would be tantamount to a certain death. Trading a minor injury to the enemy for his own death was not worth it, so Pannis skillfully withdrew his hand and lightly twisted to the side, decisively breaking away from the pinch between the two moribunds. The dagger that should have pierced into the enemy’s back only managed to tear a gash in their black robe, causing no real harm to the enemy.

"I’ve noticed a problem." Pannis touched his own back. Like the male moribund, although he had fended off the female moribund’s dagger strike, his clothing had also been cut open. The exchange was a draw, with neither side gaining an advantage. Despite this, Pannis still had a lazy smile on his face as he mockingly said, "It’s been over a hundred years, and both your strength and speed have improved considerably. Only your combat awareness remains as bad as ever, truly painful to witness. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Has the experience of being beaten until you fled back then not caught your attention? At least a little training in combat awareness would have been better than this."

"We..." The male moribund opened his mouth to respond to Pannis’s taunt, but after uttering a single syllable, he closed it again. In the moment when he was distracted and spoke, Pannis had already closed in on him once more. Without even drawing his sword, Pannis launched a series of physical attacks—fists, feet, knees, elbows—each one infused with powerful Aggression. Now back at his peak strength, Pannis’s casual hit could shatter a boulder. The male moribund, too cautious to take the hits directly, could only wave his arms in a feeble defense. Pannis’s assault was too swift to adapt to, and in a single breath, they had exchanged a total of eleven blows until the female moribund finally arrived behind Pannis. However, Pannis had already sidestepped before she could attack, moved to the other side of the altar, and stood opposite both, separated by the altar.

"This time, it seems I have the upper hand." Pannis burst into loud laughter, not bothering to hide as he rubbed his left shoulder, which was clearly not moving smoothly. Still, he taunted, "This is the third time, your combat awareness is so lacking it’s astonishing. To be fooled by the same strategy three times over really makes me wonder if you’ve ever fought in your era. If you had, how could you possibly have survived until now?"

The male moribund clutched his right side where Pannis had hit him with his knee three times in the span of a breath. Although moribunds don’t feel pain, the impact of energy had left him looking slightly pale. Of course, neither would care about such minor injuries, but the ensuing humiliation was hard for the male moribund to bear. They were supposed to have the initiative, they were stronger by far, they held all the advantages; still, they were taunted and scoffed at by Pannis multiple times. This sense of shame—wanting to wash away the disgrace of previous defeats—filled both moribunds with rage.

"Just like that, a bit angrier, a bit more grumpy," whispered Pannis, squinting his eyes as he stared at the two enemies across the altar. These words hovered in his heart, but they obviously could not be spoken. In fact, he was not faring well. Although he had returned to his prime state, each enemy’s strength was no less than his. In one-on-one combat, he could rely on his experience to perhaps ensure a victory rate of over seventy percent, but now it was two against one. Even before his opponents had fully exerted their strength, he had already been forced to provoke their emotions through various means to make them show more flaws. If the enemies were to use their full strength, would he still have the chance to take it easy? He didn’t know the answer to that question, but the pressure upon him felt heavier by the moment.

"I understand," the gazes of the two moribunds met in mid-air, and the understanding formed by working together for tens or hundreds of thousands of years allowed them to see through each other’s thoughts without speaking. The male moribund nodded, "To deal with an enemy like you, we cannot give you even a moment’s respite. Only by pressing you relentlessly can we prevent your schemes from finding purchase."

"However, I’ve come to understand as well," Pannis’s gaze was equally sharp, unwavering as he stared at his enemies and said solemnly, "I’ve finally figured out the purpose of those four undead mages."

The faces of the two moribunds changed, as The Third Eye on their foreheads opened abruptly, and they each gripped their weapons tightly. Pannis said calmly, "You and the one who has already died are the same; originally just two dried corpses. Through the Divine Grace accumulated within you, which is the most pure Power of Death, you can temporarily restore your appearance and power to their peak, but this is time-limited. After a period of battle, you will revert to your original state, am I right? However, it seems you’ve found another solution, similar to how Danacus used to absorb the zeal of all his devotees to enhance his own power, you also use a similar method, absorbing the Power of Death from those four to sustain your expenditure and give yourselves more time to battle me. Heh, once I figured this out, it became easier to handle. All I have to do is to drag out the time until their Power of Death is also depleted, then your strength will probably decline significantly, won’t it? Declining to the same level as when we first met?" ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

"You’re smart to have discovered our weakness so quickly," the male moribund said darkly, "But it seems you’ve forgotten something. You’re not without weaknesses either. Do you really dare to delay? Have you guessed how many of the five people outside are still alive by now?"

"Heh, I admit, I’m also concerned about the situation outside," Pannis said with spread hands, speaking leisurely, "But unlike you, since I left my back to them to defend, it means I trust them to fulfill this mission. I understand them better than you do. As long as there are no demigods outside, they have the strength to hold all the enemies back, until the outcome here is decided, even if faced with ten times their number. Maybe, by the time I return to the Great Ceremony Hall, they will be sitting atop the bodies of all the enemies, waiting to greet me."

"Do you really think you have a chance of returning alive?" The male moribund sneered, and the energy fluctuations around him grew increasingly violent, "Very well, since you’ve discovered our weakness, we will no longer hold back. It’s better to finish you off quickly, so the ritual can be completed as soon as possible. If time drags on too long, my lord will grow impatient."

The next moment, a devastating burst of Light Techniques erupted, casting endless space aglow.