Realm of Myths and Legends

'Oh? It's a lot better than last time. Even the hp loss penalty from Full Mantle has been reduced.'

Despite having Flickering Steps active and using Compressed Lightning Movement at the same time, Izroth did not feel a massive strain on his body.

There was still a lot of stress produced by the intense burst of movement speed; however, it was not to the point where he risked being left in a weakened state after its use.

Of course, this was due mostly in part to his Earthly Golden Bones and Might stat enhancing his overall physical capabilities.

'I still have to be considerate when using it continuously over long distances, but this feeling... There's no doubt about it. Even if someone at the peak stage of the legendary realm wants to catch me, unless they specialize in movement skills, it will not be easy.'

When he first used Compressed Lightning Movement, Izroth could only travel in short bursts up to five times or perform a single long-distance burst. However, after the improvement of his Call of the Thunder God to a Unique-SS ranked skill, Izroth could utilize up to eight short bursts!

Not only that, but the total distance he could travel in a single long-distance burst with his Flickering Steps active was almost 3.5 kilometers!

Needless to say, even with the recent progress in his physical abilities, performing that kind of long-distance movement burst would undoubtedly place his body under an unbelievable amount of stress. And the consequences of doing so would not be light.

However, just the mere fact that it was a genuine option in Izroth's arsenal was an incredible feat.

Rmmmble! Snap!

Aloysius emerged from underneath a pile of trees and snapped the trunks in half as he rose to his feet. Several parts of his armor had been cracked or shattered from receiving the barrage of Izroth's attacks.

But Aloysius did not even have time to gather his thoughts as he once again found himself being blown away by an indescribable force.

This time, however, Aloysius managed to stay on his feet as he was knocked back through sheer will.

The Centurion's eyes widened in disbelief as he felt blood trickling down the side of his mouth.

Unfortunately, before he could even raise his battle axe to strike, Aloysius again found himself at the mercy of his assailant.

Forget counterattacking; even doing something as simple as defending became an impossible task for the Centurion.

In a blink of an eye, the fight had turned completely one-sided in Izroth's favor. He did not give Aloysius time to breathe and continued to rain down a storm of attacks as the shockwaves from his motions with Compressed Lightning Movement released strong waves of the lightning element that could be felt throughout the battlefield.

When the members of the 9th Division witnessed Izroth's transformation and how he sent Aloysius flying, they were left momentarily stunned. But, when the fight turned into a one-sided slaughter, a strange feeling slowly crept into their hearts.

Most of those in the 9th Division did not understand the feeling; however, they were experiencing a mixture of fear and awe. Though buried beneath both of those feelings, unknown to the players looking upon Izroth, they felt something else—a sense of hopelessness.

In the face of such overwhelming strength that could single-handedly treat a high-level epic NPC like a plaything, almost every member of the 9th Division had the same thought cross their minds. Was there even a purpose of them being here? If it was this person, then perhaps it was possible to complete the task alone.

When Niflheim saw the facial expressions of the 9th Division members, he could only inwardly sigh. He knew exactly what they were thinking because he himself experienced something similar back when he and Izroth did the quest Resseki & Kiren's Challenge: Sword & Shield.

During their fight against the golden puppets, Niflheim was pushed well beyond his limits—both physically and mentally. However, after the thirty hours of nonstop fighting, Izroth still had that calm and carefree expression on his face, as if it were just another day. There was no struggle, no desperation.

Niflheim found that while looking at a mountain, Izroth's gaze was turned to a place much greater. What Niflheim viewed as a mountain, to Izroth, was not even considered a stepping stone.

It was at that point Niflheim truly realized that Izroth was not like the core players from top guilds. From the very beginning, he was never competing with other players. Instead, his goal was something much higher than the average player could ever possibly imagine!

Of course, Niflheim had long since come to terms with those unexpected thoughts. Now, he had a different set of goals.

Meanwhile, the members of the 9th Division discovered that they were completely unable to follow Izroth's movements!

If not for the flickering silhouettes caused by Izroth's Flickering Steps, they may not have even caught a glimpse of his transformation—and this was after all of them had consumed a Five Cycles Pill.

However, the members of the 9th Division were not the only ones in a state of shock. The remaining elite troops of Tempest had an expression of dread.

Many of the elite troops had been with the 10th Tempest Legion and Aloysius for many years; however, this was the first time they saw him blown away and suppressed after unleashing his true strength!

No, that was not entirely accurate. There was only one other person they witnessed suppress Aloysius to this extent, and that was the current leader of the 10th Tempest Legion, Glacia!

After having their numbers cut by more than half, losing a Guard Commander, and seeing Aloysius struggling on his end, those that remained of the Tempest elite troops were greatly shaken. Naturally, this also lowered their fighting spirit as the person who was like a steady pillar in their eyes had begun to crumble.

"Centurion Aloysius!" Fulgencio roared in a state of rage as he charged in the direction Aloysius had been knocked away.

"As I've already said, your opponents are us!" Astral Knight yelled as he moved to intercept Fulgencio's path.

"Out of the way!" Fulgencio scowled as his eyes turned red with bloodlust and the explosive aura around him surged to new heights as he clashed with Astral Knight.

But, even with rage fueling the Guard Commander's strength, Astral Knight did not back down and was able to successfully stop Fulgencio in his tracks.

At the same time, Ranazera's gaze turned cold as she glanced over at the end of the path of destruction left in the wake of Izroth and Aloysius' battle.

For the first time during this encounter, Ranazera became uneasy.

Although her overall strength was above that of Aloysius, the gap between the two of them was not that wide. One thing was for sure, Ranazera knew that she would not be able to knock the Centurion around as effortlessly as his assailant.

The group's target seemed to be the mages within the carriage; however, she had just revealed her identity as a princess of Tempest!

Now that her identity had been exposed, would that person let her go?

At the moment, Ranazera regretted not following the restrictions set by Glacia. All she wanted to do was teach a lesson to those who dared to look down on a member of the Tempest royal family.

"I have to escape while they're still fighting." Ranazera thought to herself her hands were placed discreetly behind her back.

The mages were an invaluable asset to the Tempest kingdom; however, to Ranazera, her life was infinitely more important.

Not to mention, the blame would ultimately fall onto Centurion Aloysius for his incompetence.

From what Ranazera witnessed thus far, the only real threat among the group of enemies was the person fighting against Aloysius. Therefore, as long as she escaped now, there would be no one capable of stopping her.

Woosh!

"What are all of you doing?! Do not let her escape!" Niflheim shouted abruptly.

As Niflheim's voice sounded, the members of the 9th Division quickly snapped out of it. They were temporarily distracted by the unbelievable seen unfolding before their eyes and had briefly dropped their guard.

"Huh...? What just..." Bladed Conscious uttered to himself.

"Why do I suddenly feel a bit dizzy...?" Love Mist said as she lightly shook her head to try and regain her senses.

But those two were not the only ones who found themselves in a strange state and attempting to gather their thoughts. Though this happening was not entirely their fault.

A few moments ago, Ranazera sneakily utilized a high-grade Dazing Talisman.

The Dazing Talisman was not flashy and did not directly inflict damage to those affected. Instead, it caused all those within its range of influence to become lost in thought and placed into a dazed-like state.

This made it perfect for slipping away in chaotic situations like what often occurred on battlefields. Or, in this particular case, when everyone's attention was temporarily preoccupied.