"Why is there no one here?"
Augusta and Iuno hurried along, crossing Murmurstown, and finally arrived at the location of the Earthrend Wedge from the camp.
Looking out across the vast plateau, everything seemed peaceful as if time stood still. The tall Earthrend Wedge in the distance stood like a metal tower, firmly suppressing all the Dark Tide beneath it.
When Ovathrax retreated, Noah had switched to Jinhsi and rewound everything here, including repairing the Earthrend Wedge, which had caused a slight delay.
"I'll try to find him."
Iuno released a bit of her own anchoring Resonance power and indeed sensed a power of the same origin as hers:
"I found him. He's in Murmurstown! Oh no, we just passed through there earlier. I didn't expect to miss him."
Without hesitation, Augusta decisively turned back with Iuno toward Murmurstown.
"...Augusta, I heard that Murmurstown was once your hometown?"
"Mm." Augusta nodded, gazing into the distance at the city that had long been corroded and weathered by the Dark Tide. Distant memories surfaced:
"Once, my hometown was the foremost line of resistance against the Dark Tide. Back then, I was still just an ordinary little girl. When that city was submerged by the Dark Tide, the old men in the Senate were still sound asleep in their beds."
The destruction of her hometown was inseparable from the hedonistic indulgence of those lofty noble lords.
"Back then, I didn't care much about power. But in Septimont City, only by grasping power could one break the shackles of one's birth and tame the arrogance built upon wealth and prestige."
That was why she later came to Septimont City, apprenticed herself to learn martial arts, endured being treated like merchandise in underground arenas for gladiatorial qualifications, and underwent all kinds of harsh trials...
She had walked a path filled with countless difficulties before finally ascending to the position of Ephor.
Coming back to her senses, Augusta quickened her steps:
"Let's hurry. Don't make Noah wait too long."
...
Murmurstown.
"Furious tides, split the heavens!"
Sword light connecting heaven and earth suddenly appeared. Ovathrax was caught off guard and could only slant backward half a step before its left arm was severed into black tides.
"Your reaction is quite fast. How did you find me?"
Before it could finish speaking, it smiled indifferently. It could be certain that after condensing such a massive amount of Resonance power for that anchoring arrow earlier, Noah definitely could not produce a second one.
Even if he could produce a second one, it was already on guard and would definitely be able to dodge it.
"It's already too late for you to find me now. That anchoring power has already dissipated. You've missed your only chance to kill me."
"I don't think so."
Noah appeared before Ovathrax with a smile at the corner of his mouth. The Terminal loop domain expanded, enveloping half of Murmurstown.
"Look, didn't the anchoring just now force you out of the range of the Dark Tide?"
"What do you mean?"
Ovathrax was puzzled, but its gaze shifted to its left arm and it suddenly understood.
Just like before, after turning into Dark Tide, it had immediately reformed. However, the power within it was now a few degrees weaker than earlier.
It was the Separation authority!
A portion of the frequencies the god-king had absorbed earlier had been separated. The lost frequencies could no longer be fused back, and there wasn't enough Dark Tide here to replenish them.
Under this give-and-take, failure was only a matter of time.
Realizing this, Ovathrax's expression immediately turned ugly. However, Noah on the opposite side would not give it any chance to relax.
Character switch: Augusta!
His figure flashed like lightning. The Authority of the Crown's Thunder in his hand flickered with crimson electric light, so fast that it was completely impossible to catch with the naked eye.
Ovathrax hurriedly raised its bone blade to block, only to discover that the crimson long blade covered in cracks had shattered into hundreds and thousands of small pieces. Each piece carried extreme sharpness as it sliced its body into Dark Tide.
The price of an all-attack-no-defense weapon was that the enemy also could not defend—could not defend at all!
It was no longer as composed as before and flew into a rage: "Disgusting weapon!"
Noah sneered coldly: "Thanks to you!"
Switch: Cartethyia.
The Separation authority seized the gap when the god-king was slashed into Dark Tide and continuously stripped away its frequencies.
Sensing the god-king's shell weakening, Ovathrax hastily tried to reform its body, but it was met with another all-attack-no-defense slash.
The god-king's shell was once again slashed into Dark Tide.
"Outrageous."
Having learned its lesson, Ovathrax hastily retreated the instant it reformed its body. However, Noah's offensive clung to it like a maggot on bone.
It could only dodge and maneuver, only to be slashed into pieces again and again. The god-king's shell continued to weaken.
After losing its home-field advantage and exposing its weakness, it was now being overwhelmingly suppressed by Noah.
Even the shield it had managed to release again was easily pierced and shattered by that all-attack-no-defense weapon.
"Dodge! Dodge again! Keep dodging! Is this all you've got?!"
Its own words had been thrown back at it unchanged. Ovathrax was furious beyond measure:
"Do you dare stop using this piece of junk to fight me?"
"Sure!"
Unexpectedly, Noah actually agreed to this rude request.
He twisted his waist and hips. His palm clenched into a fist. Before the Dark Tide could reform into the god-king's body, he charged up and threw a punch carrying air waves, once again scattering it into Dark Tide:
"You've become weaker, old thing!"
"What!"
Ovathrax finally discovered in shock that without the Dark Tide to replenish it, the god-king's shell strength had been continuously weakened by the Separation authority.
If it had previously been close to strong Calamity-class, equivalent to Sentinel-class, then now it was only at mid-Calamity-class.
And as Noah applied the Separation authority to his fists, the god-king's shell frequencies were decaying even faster!
"Thump!"
Drums?
"Thump!"
Drums!
Where were these drums coming from?! Both Noah and Ovathrax, locked in fierce combat, turned their gazes toward the source of the sound at the same time.
The area covered by the Terminal loop domain was surrounded by a group of gladiators. One person beat the drums while more than a dozen blew horns. Leading them was Elder Falco, who was energetically organizing the remaining gladiators.
"Hero Noah is fighting a very powerful Tacet Discord. Let out Septimont's howls and pay tribute to Hero Noah!"
"Yes!"
The rhythmic beating of drums and dozens of horns sounded, followed by the unified shouts of over a hundred gladiators. The momentum shook the heavens.
"Thump thump thump!"
"Go!"
"Thump thump thump!"
"Go!"
Roaring tides rolled in from all directions. Looking out, the area was filled with enthusiastically waving hands and cheers. The originally silent Murmurstown fell into a boil.
"These nobles, always putting on these shows."
Noah cursed with a laugh, then turned to look at the god-king that had finally managed to reform. His fists clenched tightly:
"We've come this far. If you don't die, I won't be able to justify it!"
"Damn it—" Ovathrax looked at the group of cheering gladiators and its eyes burned with rage:
"Do you really think you can kill me? With my will reinforcing this body, even if this shell's frequency drops to Overlord-class, you still won't be able to anchor me!"
"We won't know until we try!"
Noah's killing intent was sharp. His moves were wide and grand. Every strike smashed the god-king's body.
"Damn it..."
Ovathrax secretly cursed.
It had thought that after its ten-thousand-year rival disappeared, it would easily be able to destroy all civilizations.
But it had never expected that after that Rover disappeared, another even more insidious powerhouse from humanity would take up the torch!
It was controlling the god-king's body as a substitute fighter, but wasn't Noah also taking over that person's duty as a substitute fighter?
Before The Lament, the weak human race always dared to fight again and again.
...
"Have we managed to contact Buling?"
In the Black Shores hall, a Bloom Bearer asked the Shorekeeper carefully. The latter frowned slightly:
"We have."
"What did she say?"
"She told us to watch the live stream."
...
Murmurstown.
"Thump thump thump!"
"Go!"
"Thump thump thump!"
"Go!"
Noah gripped the god-king's left arm with his right hand and tore fiercely. The god-king's left arm scattered into black tides:
"There is a difference even among substitute fighters!"
Noah grabbed the god-king's right arm with his left hand and tore fiercely. The god-king's right arm scattered into black tides:
"I said there is a difference even among substitute fighters. Are you deaf?!"
The god-king's shell strength had already fallen from Calamity-class to Overlord-class. Before Ovathrax could reform its body again, another heavy punch slammed into its face.
Intense pain instantly spread through its nerves, incredibly clear, leaving its mind blank for a moment.
Pain? How could it feel pain?
After taking another heavy punch, Ovathrax finally came to its senses.
Noah had not used arrows to anchor it. Instead, he had enchanted his fists with anchoring power, anchoring it while beating it!
Ovathrax had no choice but to admit that it was panicking now.
What it was panicking about was why that damn Leviathan had given its creations the sense of pain?
"Attack effective!"
Noah grinned and sped up his offensive once more. Every strike carried tremendous force, aggressive and unrelenting, giving Ovathrax no chance to counter.
Even when it had controlled a Calamity-class god-king earlier, it had still been slightly inferior to him. Now that it was controlling an Overlord-class god-king, it was even less of a match.
"Thump thump thump!"
"Go!"
"Bang!"
The strikes perfectly synchronized with the countless shouts and drumbeats. With every hit, the god-king's body became a little more anchored.
The spatial lock had been set early. There was nowhere for the Dark Tide to run.
Fists carried anchoring. The more he hit, the stronger he felt.
Moonbow in hand, the Threnodian's scalp went numb.
Full output stacked, The Lament kept crying!
" Cry for me—"
Noah's left hand gripped Ovathrax's head tightly. Surging anchoring power poured madly through that merciless iron hand as he shouted fiercely:
"Cry!"
Grab head, knee strike!
The god-king's face caved in. Ovathrax's steel teeth shattered as its face twisted ferociously.
"Cry!!"
Heavy punch to the heart!
The god-king's abdomen took the powerful right punch head-on. Its back instantly bulged into an exaggerated mountain-like arc. A roar escaped uncontrollably from its throat.
"Cry!!!"
Fierce tiger shooting the gate!
The leg kicking its crotch even surpassed the sound barrier, creating a sonic boom. The immense force caused the god-king's entire jointed skeleton to let out grating wails.
Unprecedented pain surged into Ovathrax's consciousness like a tidal wave, as if ten thousand steel needles were piercing it at once and burning flames were raging inside its body.
Pain!
It hurt too much!
It hurt so much it wanted to kneel!
Its lower body felt like it was about to tear apart completely. The pain caused its reason to collapse as its body trembled violently.
Two streams of black tidal tears overflowed uncontrollably from the god-king's eye sockets.
The big False Sovereign cried.
...