“Your Majesty, th-this… how is this possible?!
I just used seventy percent of my strength!”
Seventy percent of the power of a Level 16 warrior, against that, even a Level 14 warrior would likely have been finished on the spot.
He knew exactly how strong a Mage Shield was. In all his years of combat, not a single mage’s shield had ever withstood a second strike from his greatsword.
He had even held back slightly for fear of hurting Li De, but now the whole thing felt like a joke. Since when could a Level 14 mage’s shield become something he couldn’t break?
It was simply unbelievable.
Emi and Harrison were also stunned. This defied logic.
Then, as they realized what had just happened, their eyes lit up, staring at the shield surrounding Li De with burning excitement.
This… this was the spell His Majesty had improved?
Thinking back to how Small Fireball and Mage Hand had been transformed after Li De’s modifications, the two couldn’t help feeling thrilled.
“Again, Grote. This time with everything you’ve got.”
Li De’s eyes sparkled with growing excitement. The Dragonscale Shield (Extreme Enhancement) hadn’t let him down, Grote’s last strike could have shattered ten normal Mage Shields, and still might not have been stopped.
But this one had endured.
He wanted to see just how far this extreme-enhancement spell could go.
Battle intent flared in Grote’s eyes. This time, he didn’t hold back. Power that had been dormant within his body surged forth. His muscles tensed, compressing like coiled springs, and then exploded.
His speed multiplied several times over, instantly producing twelve afterimages as he burst from thirty Blades away to Li De’s front in less than a second. The greatsword struck once again.
The howling of the blade tearing through the air was like a demon’s shriek. This content belongs to novelꞁire.net
Li De’s Dragonscale Shield was already pushed to its limit. The small shields had combined into a larger one, and mana was being consumed at the staggering rate of 50 points per second.
The sword met the shield.
The sharpest spear clashed against the hardest shield.
Grote felt a powerful recoil, but didn’t hesitate. His body burst with even greater strength.
The blade tore through the shield. It shattered like glass, the Dragonscale Shield finally collapsed under the assault of this Level 16 warrior’s full-power strike.
But just as Grote was about to withdraw his sword, Li De’s body vanished.
Then reappeared fifty Blades away, with a new Dragonscale Shield forming over him once again.
Grote’s eyes narrowed. Without a moment’s hesitation, he turned and charged again. His terrifying speed created a massive shockwave in the air, whipping fallen leaves and undisturbed dust on the bluestone plaza over ten Blades high.
But this time, Li De wasn’t just standing there waiting to be hit. He pulled something from his robe and hurled it toward Grote.
Before everyone’s eyes, the object, resembling a hidden weapon, expanded as it met the wind.
And under Grote’s startled gaze, Castro descended upon the world, clad in Transcendent heavy armor, jaws open in a menacing snarl, directly blocking Grote’s charge.
The dark armor was laced with mysterious, elegant silver lines. Coupled with his massive body, Castro looked incomparably majestic.
Grote was already at his peak speed, there was no time to dodge. His greatsword swung straight for Castro’s armored abdomen.
Fear had never existed in his blood. Not even the mightiest foe could halt a northern warrior’s charge!
The greatsword, three palms wide and one palm thick, slammed into Castro’s thick armor like it had struck a mountain. It left only a faint white mark on the armor, while the greatsword itself was completely shattered.
Grote crashed violently into Castro, who had actively stepped forward. It felt like slamming into a mountain. The immense backlash sent his body flying backward at even greater speed.
He flew back a full twenty Blades before slamming into the ground, skidding another seven or eight Blades before coming to a halt. The bluestone ground beneath him cracked like a spiderweb. His armor shattered, and blood gushed forth.
Just the armor Castro wore weighed four tons. As the King of the Dawn Bats, his own body weighed five tons. Combined with the monstrous physique that allowed him to brawl with the bronze cyclops Kosso for hours without losing ground.
Grote, who weighed barely three hundred pounds, had been crushed in the most brutal way by this titanic beast.
This was the very definition of an egg smashing into a stone.
Grote had countless ways he could have fought Castro, but caught off guard, all he could do was experience firsthand the overwhelming dominance of this steel giant.
Castro didn’t pursue. Behind the protection of his armor, his eyes were full of laughter, clearly, he found Grote’s reaction quite amusing.
Lying on the ground, Grote took a moment before standing up. The wounds on his body began to heal at a pace visible to the naked eye in the darkness.
After becoming a vampire, this northern warrior’s already formidable regenerative ability had grown even stronger.
A textbook example of a thick-skinned, pain-resistant tank boss.
These wounds were nothing more than superficial injuries to him.
He didn’t even bother activating his Fearless Bloodline.
At that moment, Li De stepped out from behind Castro.
His expression was full of satisfaction.
For the Dragonscale Shield to only be broken under a full-power strike from a Level 16 northern warrior, this improvement was undoubtedly a massive success.
If it had been a normal Mage Shield, there wouldn’t even be a discussion about whether it could hold, it would have been cleaved straight through, shield and mage alike.
But as long as he could endure the first round of enemy attacks, he could then use Shadow Step to retreat, while Castro, his personal bodyguard, blocked the enemy’s advance.
This combat method was practically unbeatable.
As for not being able to defeat Level 16 Grote in a direct fight, Li De didn’t care in the slightest. All of his subordinates were essentially an extension of his own strength. Competing with his own subordinates in raw power was pointless.
When did an emperor ever need to arm wrestle his general?
“Your Majesty, is that the spell you improved? This shield is too powerful!!
It’s unimaginable that it could withstand a strike from a Level 16 northern warrior!!”
Emi stepped forward with undisguised amazement, showering praise without hesitation.
“By the Goddess above… this is simply astonishing.”
Grote approached Li De’s side as well, his armor still streaked with dirt. He hadn’t discarded his broken sword, and though he looked somewhat battered, his fighting spirit remained blazing. There wasn’t a hint of frustration from being intercepted by Castro.
Because Li De’s earlier words had given him a tremendous boost.
Li De’s expression shifted slightly as he looked at Grote, he could sense something off about the warrior’s aura.