TIIINK—!!!

After being cornered, Verc used [Black Scales] to cover his whole body and he reinforced it with mana—and using that skill; he blocked all the centaur warriors’ weapons that were aiming to rip him to pieces!

The overlapping iron tips and sharp edges of the heavy spears, halberds, and broad axes slammed simultaneously against his frame from every single angle. Sparks flew outward in a massive, blinding ring as the heavy weapons made impact, but the dark, hardened skin underneath his coat didn’t let a single blade pierce through.

His body didn’t even budge, and all the centaurs’ weapons came to halt like they hit an unbreakable boulder instead of a living creature!

"!!!"

The centaurs around were surprised, and before they could even respond—

"[Void Summon]"

Verc muttered that.

SWOOOSH~!!!

In an instant—a huge dome of darkness was summoned with Verc in the middle!

The dense, pitch-black energy erupted outward from his position like an expanding tidal wave, swallowing the surroundings in an instant.

The dome swallowed half of the centaur tribe’s village!

It was afternoon at this time, and the sun was high up; the light was blinding.

But as soon as Verc used that skill—everything went dark! Darker than night!

The thick, unnatural void completely choked out the afternoon sun, replacing the bright open field with an absolute, heavy absence of light that didn’t even allow the natural ambient glow of the forest to penetrate its borders.

And now that he was shielded from the sky...

The direct solar radiation that naturally suppressed his vampiric capabilities was entirely blocked by the massive dome of conjured shadow, allowing his blood channels to expand and operate at full capacity.

"This skill consume a lot of mana, I should finish this as fast as possible."

Verc’s full strength was back!

He could feel the immense, heavy reserves of his core surging through his limbs, his physical velocity and raw power multiplying instantly now that the restriction of the daylight had been neutralized.

"W—What happened?!"

"I can’t see anything!"

"FIND THE INTRUDER! HE MUST BE THE SOURCE OF THIS SORCERY!"

On the other hand, the centaurs were sent into panic.

The proud warriors began to rear back on their hind legs, their front hooves flailing blindly in the dark environment as they completely lost their sense of direction. The rigid discipline that had made their battle formation so terrifying on the open plains instantly dissolved into a chaotic mess of shouting and stomping.

They can almost see nothing, and with their visibility hindered—their formation faltered for a second, and in that moment—The tight coordination of their defensive circle broke apart as individuals tried to widen their spacing to avoid colliding with their own kin in the dark.

Verc activated [Vital Mapping], and with swift movements—SLASH!

"GURGH?!!"

He started cutting the legs of centaurs one by one!

He targeted the lower joints of their forward limbs, his blade slicing through the dense muscle tissue and tendons with the effortless ease of a hot knife through butter.

SLASH!

The cold edge of the [Moon Blade] moved in a continuous, low arc, striking the next target before the first centaur could even hit the ground.

"KEUK!"

He was subduing them.

THUD!

The injured fighters collapsed heavily into the dirt, their massive upper bodies writhing in pain as their lower limbs failed to support their immense weight.

Verc was doing this for two reasons.

One is because he doesn’t want to kill so much centaurs with their already low numbers, especially because he’s planning to take them under him as well.

He remembered the demographic details Skul had provided regarding their incredibly slow birth rates and long pregnancy cycles, recognizing that a mass slaughter would completely ruin the long-term military value of the tribe once they submitted to his rule.

And the second is that by leaving them alive and only rendering them unable to move; they will be baggage to the others.

The healthy warriors who were still standing would be forced to split their attention between searching for the invisible intruder and protecting their fallen comrades from being trampled in the blind panic, severely limiting their offensive options.

SLASH! BOOM!

Another horizontal sweep cut cleanly through the hind tendons of an elite lancer, sending the large man crashing into a nearby wooden fence.

"GURGH! HE’S AIMING FOR OUR LEGS!"

That lancer--the centaur warrior that had been acting as the leader shouted that as his both hind legs were cut.

He fell face-first into the mud, but he ignored the sharp, burning agony in his lower body to roar a warning out into the darkness, attempting to re-establish some semblance of order among his panicking subordinates.

He didn’t panic and let the others know what Verc was doing—which was what made him a good leader.

His tactical instincts were sharp, realizing that if his men remained stationary in their standard combat stances, they would simply be picked apart one by one by the unseen attacker.

Although—

Verc had already shifted his position by several meters before the echo of the leader’s command could even bounce off the wooden walls.

’Knowing what I’m doing is useless if you can’t see me anyway.’

As Verc thought, it didn’t help the centaur warriors much.

The raw tactical advice offered no practical solution to the absolute lack of light, leaving the standing fighters with no way to predict where the next low strike would originate from.

SWISH—!

Verc moved swiftly in the darkness, he can see just fine without a problem; and the centaurs—with their eyes still unable to adjust at the sudden lost of visibility—they can’t move and swing their weapons recklessly.

The glowing red maps of their vital organs remained perfectly clear in his eyes, allowing him to easily step around the long, clumsy sweeps of their iron halberds. The centaur fighters were completely paralyzed by the fear of hitting their own comrades, their massive weapons held tightly against their chests as they hesitated to execute any wide movements.

The chances of them hitting one another was high—and so, in unison—BAAAM!!!

They all dispersed.

The heavy sound of dozens of hooves slamming against the earth echoed through the dome as the remaining active units pushed backward in every direction, desperate to open up the space between themselves and the rest of the pack.

Abandoning the battle position they were doing to trap Verc.

After all, even if they kept at it; they just know they can’t contain Verc any longer in such simple formation.

The realization had settled deep into their instincts that their traditional infantry-containment tactics were completely useless against an opponent who could completely ignore their physical bulk and strike from the shadows.

In this way, they can move much freely and attack.

By spreading out across the wider sections of the courtyard, they hoped to create enough clearance to swing their large axes and spears without the constant risk of accidentally decapitating their fellow guards.

But then again, even though they already spread out and can swing their weapons in peace—

The cold reality of the void remained completely unchanged, the heavy black dome continuing to hang over their heads like a physical weight.

"...!"

They can still see nothing but darkness.

They stood in wide, isolated stances, their long ears twitching frantically as they tried to catch any minor vibration or rustle of fabric in the immediate area.

They don’t even know where their opponent are.

The space around them felt completely empty, as if the pale individual who had dropped from the sky had suddenly vanished into thin air after crippling a third of their frontline vanguard.

It’s not like they have weak and low senses—

Their natural predator instincts were highly refined, capable of tracking the subtle movement of a field mouse through the tall wild grass from hundreds of yards away under normal conditions.

It’s just that Verc was barely making a sound!

His boots didn’t kick up a single loose stone, and his dark coat didn’t rustle as he glided smoothly between the scattered groups of beastmen.

They can’t feel his presence as well!

The natural killing intent and heavy pressure that usually emanated from a high-tier enemy had been completely supressed, leaving absolutely zero spiritual or physical trace for their senses to latch onto.

(This is Verc’s Skill; [False Stillness].)

The unique ability allowed him to blend entirely into the background noise of the environment, transforming his physical form into a complete non-entity that bypassed the natural awareness of his targets.

Verc was just standing in the middle of the spread out centaur warriors, he was watching them, unmoving...

"..."

He had stopped his low sweeps for a moment, his blade held loosely at his side as he calmly analyzed the frantic, blind postures of the surviving elite forces around him.

Some of them swung their weapons at his direction unknowingly—but he just avoided all of them with ease.

He was looking at them with straight, calm face.

The complete lack of difficulty made the entire engagement feel incredibly small, his crimson eyes showing none of the previous excitement as the centaurs continued to struggle blindly against the shadow.

FWISH~

He lightly swung his sword to his side, flinging the blood away from his blade from cutting the centaurs’ legs.

Verc was about to take another step to attack the centaurs while they were still in a mess.

’Fuuhhh... this is easier that I thought.’

But as he was just about to do that—

S L A S H----!!!

The sound was entirely different from the clumsy, blind swings of the panicking centaurs, carrying a sharp, concentrated density of mana that cut through the air with a terrifying volume.

He heard a heavy weapon being swung, and at the next second—TSSSSSK!!!

A massive cut on his void dome opened up!

The thick, unyielding wall of darkness was violently sliced apart by a single, vertical stroke of concentrated energy, allowing the bright, golden afternoon sunlight to pour back into the center of the camp like a physical pillar.

"...!"

Verc’s eyes widened slightly, he stopped and looked toward where a bright light was coming from.

The sudden brightness forced his pupils to contract instantly, his [Vital Mapping] skill turning off as the natural daylight flooded the immediate assembly square once more.

And there—he saw a centaur, double the size of the ones he was currently fighting.

TAK!

The figure stood at the highest point of the wooden steps leading down from the central pavilion, looking down at the crippled vanguard with an expression of absolute, ancient authority.

That centaur was holding a huge war axe with a very long, and thick handle.

The weapon’s head was made of a dark, heavy iron that seemed to absorb the newly restored sunlight, the edge of the blade polished to a mirror-like finish that still vibrated from the force of the single strike.

His body was muscular, each of his muscles were bulging.

Verc can feel a thick mana on the war axe the centaur used to cut his skill, also—the presence he was emitting were no joke at all.

The spiritual pressure rolling off the massive newcomer was heavy enough to cause the surrounding grass to flatten against the dirt, a clear indication that this individual had surpassed the limits of a regular tribal warrior long ago.

Verc didn’t need to guess or think hard who just showed up.

The absolute deference shown by the surviving guards, who immediately lowered their heads despite their severe leg injuries, made the identity of the giant completely obvious.

He smiled, then turning around to face that centaur, ignoring everyone else—

’The leader finally showed up. For a race that boasted their speed—he sure took a while coming here.’

Verc said that in his head.

The brief wave of boredom that had settled over him during the easy fight completely vanished, replaced once again by the sharp, electric pull of a genuine high-tier enemy appearing before him.