Chapter 105: Soloing an army
At his command, thousands of undead rushed toward Ray, who looked not the least bit concerned.
"Weaklings, no matter how many they are, can’t overwhelm me," he said confidently, before an azure shockwave burst out from him, smashing into the army of undead closing in on him, shattering their forms and blasting them away.
Immediately after, pillars of high-temperature flames erupted—dozens in number—each carrying a terrifying heat that distorted the air and warped the very space around them.
One after another, the flame pillars fell upon the undead surrounding Ray like tidal waves. They were burned so badly their skeletal forms were reduced to fine bone powder and drifting ash.
In an instant, the army of undead summoned by the Great Ones was annihilated.
"There goes your minions," Ray said to the Great Ones. "Next, it’s your turn."
"Don’t be smug! If we weren’t so deeply weakened and trapped in the tower, the undead answering our call would have been a lot stronger!" the Great Ones shrieked like a wronged ghost. "A trash like you wouldn’t have survived a single glance from them, much less defeat them so effortlessly!"
"Womp. Womp. Do you want daddy to empathize with you? You landed in these circumstances because you deserved it, and I am going to take full advantage of it. Idiot!"Ray retorted so powerfully the Great Ones felt like they have been slapped left and right even though there had been no physical contact.
"You—"
Ray didn’t let them respond.
"Go and die!"
He immediately brought a pillar of flame down upon them. The Great Ones dodged out of its path with incredible speed. However, Ray was already expecting that.
He knew the Great Ones wouldn’t be as weak as the undead he had just dealt with, and he had suspected they would be fast enough to dodge his attack. In simpler words, he was mentally prepared for a situation like this.
With his suspicions confirmed, he used Lightning Steps to teleport beside the Great Ones, kicking them straight into the trajectory of his previous attack.
"No!!!"
The Great Ones weren’t expecting him to possess teleportation on top of everything else he had displayed. Completely caught off guard by his thunderous manuver, they were sent flying into the Flame Pillar.
Their cloak, flesh, and organs vaporized almost instantly, and their bones were reduced to powder as the high-temperature flames engulfed them completely.
"Now where is the exit?" Ray muttered as he looked around. He didn’t see one anywhere.
Worth noting, the place where he had come from was a dead end. Going back there to search for an exit would only be a waste of time.
’How do I get out of here? Brute-force my way through the structure?’
Deciding to test the idea, Ray lunged toward a wall and punched it with all his strength. His strike carried the full force he could muster—a perk of his Consecutive Lucky Shots trait. Yet the wall didn’t even crack, much less break like he expected.
Ray’s expression darkened. ’Brute-forcing my way out isn’t possible? Then how do I get out? There’s no exit anywhere.’
He considered several possibilities before settling on the most likely one.
’Maybe I have to solve a puzzle to get out of here.’
Just as he began his search for clues, something at the back of his mind tingled. Instinctively, he rolled to the side—an instant before a lengthy black lance with jagged, dragon-scale-like edges slammed into the wall where he had been standing a moment ago, piercing through it like its sturdiness meant nothing.
When Ray saw that, his heart skipped a beat.
After all, he hadn’t even managed to dent that wall, yet the lance had pierced through it like it was made of tofu. It was terrifyingly sharp.
’Who launched it?’ Ray frowned, scanning his surroundings.
His eyes widened the next moment as a figure materialized nearby out of thin air.
It was a massive humanoid creature clad in full-body armor of obsidian and crimson hues.
The armor plates were thick and broad, forged to resemble the ridged shell of a monstrous beetle.
A long scarlet plume made of flames rose from the crest of their helmet, falling down their back like a lion’s mane, dancing wildly even though there was no wind, making them appear wild and untamed. The heat radiating from them distorted the very air around their form.
They reached out.
Each movement made their armor creak and grind — a harsh, metallic groan that echoed through the vast hall like clashing iron.
The lance embedded in the wall dissolved into black mist that spiraled toward the giant knight, gathering in their hand and solidifying once more into a sleek, menacing weapon.
The giant knight brandished it toward Ray threateningly.
"Prepare for your doom."
A voice that was both male and female echoed from beneath the helm, confirming their identity. They were the Great Ones!
"I thought you had died. I guess I’ll just have to kill you again," Ray sneered. These villains never seemed to rest, always finding new ways to exceed his expectations. He continued unhurriedly, "But I’m really curious. How did you survive that?"
"We are not two souls inhabiting one body. We are a miracle born of intensive research and a grand ritual. When one body dies, another—newer, stronger—takes its place," the Great Ones replied haughtily.
"Miracle my ass!" Ray snapped. "If you were that great, you wouldn’t have ended up as part of a challenge on the first floor of the tower. Your powers must have restrictions and clear limitations. I bet if I kill you a few more times, you’ll truly end up dead."
"How did you...!" The Great Ones were taken aback.
"Looks like I hit the mark," Ray grinned. He’d met too many cheat-like existences not to realize that every ability with absurd advantages came with one or two drawbacks. Some drawbacks could be as absurd as their strength.
Take his Dragon Fire Magic as an example — against creatures like Mystical Fire Apes with absolute fire immunity, it was completely useless.