Chapter 19: The Weight of Defeat

“Supergravity Charge!”

Zhang Luan felt his vision suddenly dim as Yanate’s massive, armored body thundered forward with a deafening roar. His speed was astonishing, utterly belying the thousands of pounds of equipment he wore.

His towering form crashed towards Zhang Luan like a colossal wall.

It was truly sudden.

Zhang Luan had no choice but to roll to the side, narrowly evading the attack. However, Yanate’s combat experience was formidable. Seeing his charge dodged, he forcefully halted his momentum, raised his battle-axe high, and slammed it into the ground.

“Supergravity Shockwave!”

With a resounding thud, a ripple of force surged directly towards Zhang Luan.

Zhang Luan’s eyes sharpened. He summoned the Shadowhorn Bow and violently smashed it against the ground, using the recoil to launch himself into the air, thus dodging the attack. He then placed the Azure Righteous Sword upon the Shadowhorn Bow, immediately unleashing a [Spiral Arrow].

Yanate’s brow furrowed. He brought his tower shield up to guard his face as the Azure Righteous Sword spun rapidly, leaving trails of sparks across its surface. With an enraged roar, he deflected the Azure Righteous Sword. A single swing of his battle-axe immediately transformed his immense supergravity force into a wave, attacking Zhang Luan.

Zhang Luan mentally recalled the Azure Righteous Sword, then flashed to the right, dodging the incoming waves. Next, he conjured a ball of All-Star Flames and hurled it skyward, where it expanded into a colossal fireball.

The young people watching were struck with terror at the sight of the flame, scrambling back into their homes, desperate to avoid being caught in its destructive radius.

The All-Star Fireball slowly descended, arcing towards Yanate. He frowned, sensing the extreme heat contained within it. If Lin Jiu or others were touched by this flame, death would be instantaneous. It seemed the Saint Child was still holding back.

With this thought, Yanate gripped his tower shield even tighter, imbuing it with his formidable force, and allowed the fireball to strike him.

With a deafening boom, a thick cloud of dust enveloped the entire courtyard, obscuring everything from view.

Zhang Luan did not hesitate. Gripping the Azure Righteous Sword in a reverse grip, he used the Power of Genesis to flash directly into Yanate’s previous position.

*Clang!* As the smoke dissipated, Zhang Luan was seen pressing down on Yanate’s back, the Azure Righteous Sword slashing repeatedly, drawing sprays of blood.

Yanate gritted his teeth and rolled, forcing Zhang Luan off him. He then swung his battle-axe, activating a skill that forcibly pushed Zhang Luan away.

His eyes were filled with horror. After enduring the fireball, a potent disruptive force had left him disoriented, unable to pinpoint Zhang Luan’s location. This allowed Zhang Luan to find an opening and stab him in the back. Moreover, the ability Zhang Luan used was clearly spatial—a power that had never before appeared in Akamana City.

With a loud shout, Yanate continuously activated his Supergravity Field. Zhang Luan felt his body grow heavier, but he paid it no mind; this level of gravity was nothing to him.

Spatial ripples enveloped the Azure Righteous Sword, allowing Zhang Luan to flash behind Yanate and thrust. Yanate spun his battle-axe, batting the Azure Righteous Sword away once more, but this action exposed a momentary weakness.

Zhang Luan, holding the Shadowhorn Bow, flashed directly in front of Yanate and slammed it against his hardened armor. *Clang!* The gem on Yanate’s chest flickered subtly, returning a painful jolt to Zhang Luan’s wrist.

Yanate stomped his feet, embedding them into the ground, then twisted his waist with immense force, hurling his battle-axe. He then tore up a stone slab and followed the axe, throwing it as well.

Zhang Luan glanced at Yanate’s status bar, then flashed behind him, maneuvering the Azure Righteous Sword to strike at his face.

Simultaneously, he used the Shadowhorn Bow to hammer at the armor around Yanate’s waist.

To be honest, if he hadn’t run out of arrows, his ten years of archery experience in his previous life would have allowed him to torment this pure heavy armored warrior to death, given that Yanate’s speed, even with his innate talent, wasn’t particularly fast.

*Bang!* Another sharp pain. Zhang Luan ignored it, continuously flashing around Yanate, his internal energy steadily depleting.

Yanate frowned, defending meticulously. He felt as if something was amiss, yet he couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was.

The Saint Child was clearly intelligent. He knew that the longbow wouldn’t harm Yanate but would injure himself, yet he persisted. It was impossible for there to be no trick involved.

Just as Yanate suspected, when the Shadowhorn Bow’s durability had decreased by approximately two-thirds, Zhang Luan ceased his assault. He flashed to a distant spot, simultaneously recalling the Azure Righteous Sword.

Yanate, sensing something was wrong, leaped forward with his tower shield raised, crashing towards Zhang Luan.

However, a burst of All-Star Flames erupted from the ground, colliding directly with him. In that precise moment, the Azure Righteous Sword was nocked onto the Shadowhorn Bow, aimed directly at Yanate’s head.

[Waning Cloud Sword] activated, its 1% chance easily triggered, with All-Star Flames adhering to it. As the sword shot forth, Yanate’s pupils contracted sharply. Still airborne, he desperately brought his tower shield in front of him, but it was useless. The Waning Cloud Sword’s 50% armor penetration rendered the shield and armor as ineffective as paper.

As the Azure Righteous Sword pierced his armor, poised to penetrate his chest, the gem on Yanate’s chest flashed violently. A powerful, thick protective barrier instantly filled the gap in his armor, forcibly reducing the Waning Cloud Sword’s momentum.

Even so, the Azure Righteous Sword *gouged* into his chest before slowly withdrawing, causing blood to gush out. Yanate gritted his teeth, manipulating his supergravity net to slowly close the wound, staunching the flow of blood. His health bar stabilized at one-third.

He had been defeated, brought low by a lack of information and his own carelessness.

If only he had known about Zhang Luan’s flames and their disruptive capabilities, if only he had known his sword could pierce his proud defenses, if only…

There were no ‘if onlys.’ He had simply lost.

Zhang Luan retrieved the Azure Righteous Sword and drank a high-grade mana recovery potion. The mana cost of Waning Cloud Sword was far greater than he had anticipated. He currently possessed over 20,000 mana, and before using Waning Cloud Sword, he had only expended a little over 2,000. Yet, activating Waning Cloud Sword had directly consumed more than 17,000 mana, leaving his reserves critically low.

After all, the skill panel didn’t display mana costs; one had to gauge it themselves. If mana ran out mid-skill, one could only blame their own insufficient power.

But it was all worth it. Seeing his experience bar surge significantly, Zhang Luan was filled with excitement, for his experience had reached its maximum, bringing him to the crucial milestone of Level 15.

Moreover, defeating Yanate yielded generous rewards.

[Defeated Guardian Instructor Yanate]

Obtained: 1,730,000 Experience Points

High-Grade Skill Book: [Supergravity Field]

Skill Book: [Supergravity Shockwave]

Item: Supergravity Arrow × 100

Cross-Level Defeat Reward (Defeated a Level 19 opponent): Lucky Wheel × 1

[Level up to Level 15. First stage advancement quest triggered. Do you accept?]

A long string of notifications flooded Zhang Luan’s mind, making his heart race. He hadn’t reached Level 15 after defeating Elder Demonblast, but this time, his wish had finally come true.

He had also acquired a skill book, and it was Yanate’s most useful one: [Supergravity Field]. While it seemed ineffective against Zhang Luan, it would undoubtedly prove remarkably potent against heavy-armored classes.