As Arkanos commanded the system to max out his skill comprehension, a prompt appeared in his thoughts.
[Which skill would you like to maximize comprehension for?]
'All of them.'
The system processed his command before responding.
[Notice! Maxing out comprehension for all skills will cost you 100 upgrade points. Are you sure you—]
'Proceed,' Arkanos interrupted, not allowing the system to finish.
Suddenly, a sharp sting coursed through his head, causing him to wince slightly. His vision blurred for a moment as an overwhelming surge of information flooded his mind—his understanding of each skill expanding exponentially.
He gritted his teeth, feeling the immense pressure but refusing to let it slow him down. As the sting subsided, the power settled within him, and his breathing steadied once again.
Arkanos clenched his fists, feeling his sudden mastery of all his skills settle within him. There was no turning back now.
Arkanos's green eyes shone slightly as he said to himself. "Alright, time to get this over with."
Suddenly, panicked screams echoed through the battlefield.
"Help! We can't—"
"Move faster, hurry!"
"No! It's coming straight for us!"
Several mages, falling behind the retreating forces, were nearly trampled by their own comrades as they scrambled to avoid Nythralis' tail. The massive serpent coiled and lunged, preparing to unleash another powerful strike upon the helpless group.
The mages stumbled over the uneven ground, their faces filled with fear as they realized they wouldn't escape in time. The monstrous creature's tail, wreathed in shadow, hurtled toward them with terrifying speed.
Arkanos, catching sight of the danger, acted swiftly. His voice rang out as he began to chant.
"By the spirits of ancient oaks,
By the roots deep in the earth,
By the breath of life in all things,
Come forth and shield the worthy.
Protect those who cannot flee,
Guard them, for their lives to end now is not within their destiny!"
"I call upon thee. Druidic Ward!"
At his command, a shimmering barrier of green light surged around the mages, enhanced with a soft golden glow of holy power. The air thickened, and the spirits of the earth responded to his call, encircling the group. Nythralis' tail, as it descended with a burst of speed, collided with the barrier.
BOOM!
The impact echoed, sending shockwaves outward, shattering the earth around, but the ward remained in one piece. The mages screamed again, their fear only amplified by the close call, but they quickly realized they were unharmed.
The tail strike, though powerful, had been prevented by the magic barrier, saving them from certain death.
They stared wide-eyed at the radiant barrier that encased them, then turned their gaze to Arkanos. His hand was outstretched with a green magic circle before it, his body now also glowing faintly with his green mana, the protective magic slowly dissipating as the danger passed.
"Thank the gods…" one mage whispered, still trembling.
Another mage, panting, looked back at Arkanos with a look of awe on her face. "The emperor... he saved us."
As the green barrier finally faded into the air, the mages were left standing, still shaken by their close brush with death. Arkanos, his hand lowering, slowly walked past them as he spoke with a calm tone.
"Retreat," he commanded.
"Get to the rear lines now."
The mages, still stunned, exchanged glances. Despite the emperor's terrifying reputation, in that moment, all they saw was a powerful figure who had saved their lives.
Without waiting further, they quickly nodded and rushed back to join the retreating forces, leaving the emperor to face the monster alone.
As the sound of their footsteps faded into the distance, Arkanos stood alone on the battlefield. His green eyes narrowed as he gazed ahead at the colossal figure of Nythralis.
The serpent's dark, scaled body stood towering before him, casting a long shadow over the charred and blood-stained ground.
Nythralis' massive body began to shift, its tail curling beneath it as the monster leaned forward, its glowing blue eyes locking onto Arkanos.
It then spoke.
"You dare stand before me?"
'It speaks?' Arkanos's eyes widened slightly.
It growled, its forked tongue flicking out. The ground trembled beneath its weight as it slightly slithered closer.
Arkanos's thoughts raced as he lifted his head to lock his gaze with it, 'I nearly forgot it's a mythical-class monster. It should be capable of that much.'
"Was it you?" the serpent's massive head dipped lower, bringing its eyes level with Arkanos.
"Did you lead these pitiful mortals here to disturb my slumber?"
"Why would a chosen Holy child go about disturbing the natural order?"
"No... You are unclean... yet you radiate holy power? What is the meaning of this?"
"A sinner bearing the mark of purity? Have the gods gone mad—"
"I need not explain myself to a creature of darkness about to meet its end," Arkanos interrupted.
"What!?" Nythralis recoiled, momentarily taken by surprise by his audacity.
"You filth! I may have fallen from grace, but I shall not take such slander from a mere mortal!"
"I shall crush you where you stand!"
Nythralis' massive tail whipped forward, aiming straight for Arkanos with a sudden burst of speed. The ground shook under its force, and the knights, standing in the distance, stared in shock as they noticed the emperor wasn't moving out of the way.
"Has he gone mad?"
"Why isn't he moving?"
"Does he intend to get crushed?"
"Does he plan to sacrifice himself?"
"G-good riddance! If he dies then..."
Seraphine's eyes widened in panic. She called out, "My liege! Move! Get out of the way!" Her voice echoed with fear, and in a moment of impulse, she tried to rush forward to save him.
But the High Priestess instantly grabbed hold of her by the waist, tightening her grip.
"Seraphine, don't! Trust him!"
"Let go of me, Isolde!" Seraphine shouted, her frustration and fear mixing together.
"Unhand me this instant!"
Isolde, the High Priestess, didn't let go.
"You mustn't disobey the emperor! Maybe he has a plan. He wouldn't sacrifice himself; you know he isn't that kind of person!"
Seraphine hesitated, her chest heaving as the urgency of the situation weighed on her. But at Isolde's words, she forced herself to calm down, though worry could still be seen on her face.
Time seemed to slow down as the shadow of Nythralis' tail loomed over Arkanos, swiftly approaching.
In his mind, Arkanos called out to the system. 'System, I want to purchase a holy sword. One that I can wield within my level requirement.'
[Notice: One weapon available. Name: Radiance of the Sacred Dawn.]
Arkanos listened, but before he could acknowledge it, the system added a catch.
[However, you do not meet the qualifications of 'Hero,' 'Summoned Hero,' 'Chosen Hero,' or 'Holy Swordsman'; neither do you possess a 'Pure Heart.']
Arkanos fixed his gaze on the approaching tail, looking at it calmly as if it was not a threat.
'I will pay for the 'Holy Swordsman' requirement,' he replied firmly.
[System Notification: Purchasing the necessary qualifications, plus the Radiance of the Sacred Dawn, will cost 350 upgrade points. Do you wish to—]
'Proceed.'
A brilliant sword materialized in Arkanos's hand, its blade glowing with holy light as he simply narrowed his gaze, watching the tail approach.
Nythralis' massive tail came crashing down with a thunderous BOOM, sending a shockwave through the ground. Dust billowed into the air, momentarily obscuring the battlefield.
The knight captain, witnessing the scene, fell to her knees, her eyes widening in devastation.
"No... it can't be true…"
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