King wanted to use his Sage Arts; unfortunately, Ray didn't give him any chance.
In close combat, Ray still had more advantage than King.
Whenever King punched, Ray would counterattack almost immediately.
Although King's strength was almost equal to Ray's, the same could not be said about their speed.
Ray's speed in the short term is comparable to an average aeroplane.
Every time his fist landed on King's body, at least one of King's bones would fracture, and a sense of numbness would spread.
For a time, Ray really played King like a fiddle.
"What's wrong, King?"
"What's wrong, King?" Ray sneered, his voice dripping with disdain as he deftly swatted away King's attempts to strike and then launched a precise hand strike to his neck.
King was overtaken by a jolt of numbness before he could even process the hit. Ray, moved with swiftness, ducked low and delivered a crushing kick to King's shin.
Ahhh!
A piercing cry escaped King's lips as his eyes went bloodshot. He staggered, but Ray didn't relent; without a moment's hesitation, Ray kicked King's shin again, the impact brutal.
In a normal human body, the shin is a vulnerable area of the leg, packed with a network of sensitive nerves and with little flesh to absorb the force.
Even if a toddler kicks you there, the pain would be enough to make a grown man go numb.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each kick from Ray seemed to crack and shatter King's legs, causing him to fall with a roar of anguish. His body crumbled to the ground, writhing in agony.
His eyes grew progressively more bloodshot, and grotesque veins throbbed violently on his forehead as he felt the pain.
"Ho."
Ray's breathing was completely stable; his stamina stats were no joke. He backed away just in time to dodge a sword that was thrown at him.
"Huh?" He looked at the sword with a frown. Even though it appeared to be an ordinary long sword, there was a faint sense of danger emanating from the blade.
"Boss, how are you?" Argo slashed with the sword, destroying the ice that had nearly frozen his hand.
He then hurriedly protected King, supporting him by the shoulders.
"Leave me."
King spoke in a hoarse voice, his bloodshot eyes filled with murderous intent.
"Alright."
Ray glanced at Seraphine. All the other awakeners were attacking her. Although it wasn't difficult for her to defeat them, it would take time.
"Seraphine, you are useless," Ray called out from a distance with a straight face, before turning his attention back to Argo and King.
Seraphine heard Ray's words and her face revealed a deep coldness. In a fit of anger, she continued to freeze and hack away at an unfortunate opponent, her actions fueled by resentment.
"This bastard…" she muttered inwardly, but dared not voice her frustration.
"Hahaha," Ray chuckled. "Are you guys ready to die?"
Argo did not respond; he merely slashed his sword at Ray.
"Lightning Arts: Lightning Field."
As Argo approached, countless electric arcs shot towards him from all directions.
Argo was hit. The speed of the electric current was simply terrifying, basically dodging was never an option.
Argo's body crackled with electricity almost turning into charcoal and was thrown into the air, propelled backward faster than he had advanced.
Ray shot forward toward King with murderous intent in his eyes; it was too dangerous to leave King alone. Who knew what this S-class Sage Arts skill could unleash?
Ray had never underestimated an S-class skill in his heart.
As he charged, King suddenly opened his mouth and uttered a few words very softly.
"Sage Arts: Sage Form."
Ray's eyes narrowed as time seemed to freeze for a moment.
He felt a strange energy in nature being slowly drawn toward King.
The moment passed quickly, and everything resumed to normal, but the alarm bells in Ray's mind were ringing loudly.
Without even glancing back at King, Ray attempted to retreat.
Unfortunately, he couldn't avoid a massive stone that was hurled toward his previous position.
As the rock crashed into the ground, Ray was thrown by the shockwave, which grazed his back and immediately charred it.
The tearing pain made Ray grimace.
Ray glanced back and shuddered at the scene before him. It was as if a small meteorite had struck, turning everything behind him into scorched wasteland.
"I must kill you, Ray."
King's voice came from the sky, and Ray looked up to see King's tall figure floating like a deity. His eyes were glowing with a blue light, and numerous ancient tattoos appeared on his hands.
"Oh?" Ray sneered. "Why are you acting high and mighty like a god?"
"You really don't know how to seek death, Ray," King said in his usual hoarse voice. "This is my third Awakening of Sage Arts. No matter what tricks you have, in the face of true strength, they are nothing."
"Oh, really?" Ray leaped from the ground, soaring up to King's level.
With a powerful momentum generated by his right leg, he smashed down on King in an instant.
"Hmph."
King snorted with disdain. His hand made a clawing motion, and Ray felt a momentary freeze. However, it was only for an instant before Ray's leg struck King's face with full force.
Boom!
King was blasted from the sky, crashing into the ground with a thunderous impact. Dust erupted from the point of impact, enveloping the surrounding area.
Gravity took its toll on Ray as he descended, smashing into the ground with an earth-shaking force.
"You still can't beat me, even with an S-class skill," Ray sneered.
From within the dust, King slowly rose, his gaze fixed on Ray with pure, unrestrained fury.
"Can you take another Meteor Smash?" King, still in his Sage Mode, lightly waved his hand.
"This again…" Ray looked up and saw the colossal meteor descending from the sky.
"Damn it."
He gritted his teeth and quickly scrambled to escape the area, narrowly avoiding the attack's range. The previous meteor had grazed him, leaving his back scorched and nearly charred black.
Though the meteor itself was relatively small, its impact generated a shockwave powerful enough to affect the entire city.