Chapter 88: Shaping the Soul, Your Own Voice
Su Hao, covered in silver armor full of scars, revealed only his two vibrant eyes.
The King of Human wore golden armor, inscribed with runes under Su Hao’s “Rune Radiance,” now tattered and stained with blood, his aged face showing no anger.
Su Hao’s short sword dimmed briefly and then shone with a dusty light, activating the runes still operational on his armor.
The King of Human also raised his broken sword, pointing it at Su Hao.
At this moment, the King of Human’s blood power was still much greater than Su Hao’s, about ten times more. Su Hao couldn’t match him head-on, but he could compensate with the use of runes. The outcome was uncertain.
Su Hao made the first move, charging toward the King of Human and stomping the ground.
“Earth Spike!”
“Plop, plop, plop!”
Suddenly, a large number of earth spikes erupted in the area where the King of Human stood, and he leaped into the air to avoid them.
That was what Su Hao wanted. He couldn’t match the King of Human’s speed on the ground, but in the air, they were evenly matched.
Su Hao erupted from the ground, his short sword emitting a dusty glow, aimed simply at the King of Human’s face.
A slight arc appeared at the corner of the King of Human’s mouth. It had been a while since someone dared to challenge him like this.
He lightly parried Su Hao’s attack with his broken sword and then aimed for a waist-level horizontal slash.
Su Hao retracted his short sword for defense.
“Clang!”
A tremendous force struck, sending Su Hao flying and creating a deep trench as he crashed to the ground.
“?!”. Su Hao somersaulted to his feet, landing steadily, prepared to defend himself. He couldn’t help but wonder: Was the strength difference that great?
However, with the protection of the “Barrier,” “Hardened,” and “Deflection” runes, he was relatively safe.
The King of Human landed and immediately burst into action, charging straight at Su Hao with a powerful slash.
Su Hao rolled to avoid it, planning to counterattack, but he was met with the King of Human’s huge foot.
“Thud!”
Su Hao was kicked heavily, crashing into the ground and leaving a deep furrow, eventually falling into a cloud of dust. The King of Human immediately followed.
“Splash!”
In an instant, as Su Hao climbed out of the rubble, he suddenly appeared behind the King of Human.
The King of Human seemed to have noticed Su Hao’s presence long ago but didn’t turn around. Instead, he swung his broken sword backward.
“Shadow Glide!”
Su Hao suddenly flashed to the other side of the King of Human.
“Tricky Stab!”
The short sword aimed at a gap in the armor and thrust.
“Clang!”
The King of Human used his gauntlet to deflect the attack, but his fist still carried a powerful force, sending Su Hao flying once again.
As Su Hao landed, he immediately launched another attack against the King of Human.
After several rounds of fighting like this, the King of Human watched as Su Hao climbed out of the rubble once more and said with a faint smile, “If this is your strength, then it ends here.”
Su Hao licked the blood from his lips and replied, “It’s not over yet! Come at me with all you’ve got.”
The King of Human’s eyes narrowed in anger as he charged towards Su Hao.
“Blade of Rupture!”
Su Hao also rushed at the King of Human.
“Erosion Liquid!”
A large, semi-liquid green substance jetted towards the King of Human.
The King of Human changed the orientation of his blade and swept away all the green substances, then slashed at Su Hao.
Su Hao blocked the attack with his sword and activated a prepared rune.
“High Voltage Current!”
“Crackle!”
A surge of electricity flowed from the short sword onto the King of Human’s broken sword and spread through his armor.
The King of Human’s eyes widened, his body stiffened, and he lost control.
Su Hao closed in, his short sword flashing with various enhanced effects, aiming for the King of Human’s eyes.
“Tricky Stab!”
“My body is out of control!” The King of Human watched the approaching blade with desperation.
He flexed the muscles in his neck, allowing him to slightly tilt his head, avoiding a critical strike to his eyes.
Su Hao’s short sword pierced above the King of Human’s eye socket.
“Clang!”
However, after piercing the skin and bone, it became stuck, unable to penetrate further.
The King of Human’s face was now covered in a dense golden pattern.
He swung his longsword, striking at Su Hao.
Su Hao immediately let go of his sword and rolled back.
“Hardened! The King of Human’s core beast pattern is hardened! That’s why he survived on the edge of the ‘Eight Hundred Explosions’!” Su Hao was shaken. This almost guaranteed strike had been blocked.
The combination of “Penetration” and “Sharpness” along with the “Oscillation” effect had managed to penetrate the skin but was stopped by the bone. Although it had shattered the bone slightly, it couldn’t kill him, making it futile.
The King of Human gradually regained control of his body. Blood flowed from his forehead, but his eyes remained unblinking.
The King of Human laughed heartily and praised, “These runes are quite interesting. I almost died, hahaha!”
Then he stared at Su Hao and said, “Since you missed your chance, you won’t have another one!”
Su Hao smiled, “Not necessarily. If I could create one opportunity, I can create a second one!”
Su Hao’s short sword remained embedded in the King of Human’s head, but the King of Human didn’t seem to care. He raised his broken sword, preparing to attack and said slowly, “Passerby, I’m starting to appreciate you more and more. However, you no longer have a sword. How will you fight me? It ends here!”
“Boom!”
The ground under the King of Human’s feet exploded, and he disappeared from view.
Although the King of Human disappeared from Su Hao’s sight, his massive blood power still registered on Su Hao’s radar.
The King of Human had reappeared behind him!
“Too fast, I can’t block in time!” Su Hao was greatly shocked and immediately activated the “Barrier,” “Hardened,” “Deflection,” “Oscillation,” and “Intense Light.”
“Clang, snap!”
“Thud!”
Su Hao was once again sent flying by a powerful blow, and the armor on the back of his neck was almost cut open.
Su Hao flipped and jumped to his feet, swallowing the blood he had almost spat out. He stared at the King of Human, still trembling, and said, “You’re quite impressive too. I almost died!”
The King of Human chuckled heartily, using his aged voice, “Hahaha…”
For him, this was a very interesting experience. It had been years since anyone had dared to challenge him like this. At his age, he had seen through many things, and he didn’t feel angry about it. He felt like he was witnessing the youthful vigor he once had in Su Hao.
Seizing this opportunity, Su Hao used healing runes to temporarily suppress his injuries and pondered how to defeat his formidable opponent. This was the strongest adversary he had encountered so far.
When the King of Human got serious, it seemed that Su Hao had no resistance at all. One small mistake, and he would be killed on the spot.
“What to do? I’m running low on blood!” Su Hao’s brain raced, and he glimpsed a strategy as he noticed the short sword on the King of Human’s forehead.
“It has to be the high-voltage current again, but this time with maximum output! The King of Human won’t break my defense in a short while. I’ll keep him engaged!”
“Here we go again!” Su Hao shouted and swung his fists, activating his runes, charging at the King of Human.
“Intense Light!”
Using the moment of intense light to his advantage, Su Hao launched a fierce attack against the King of Human.
“Clang, clang, clang!”
“Thud~”
“Boom~”
However, in the dozens of exchanges between Su Hao and the King of Human, it was mostly Su Hao being ruthlessly overwhelmed, sent flying with a single strike or a powerful kick. The area around them was filled with flying debris. Su Hao found it increasingly difficult to get close to the King of Human.
The reason Su Hao could keep standing after each blow was his impressive defensive runes. Even when the King of Human struck with all his might, he couldn’t break through the “Barrier,” “Hardened,” “Deflection,” and “Oscillation” effects on Su Hao’s armor.
“Whew, whew…”
Su Hao hunched in a defensive stance, and heavy breathing echoed from beneath his helmet.
The King of Human showed no sign of concern on his face, somewhat smug as he said to Su Hao, “Passerby, give up struggling. You’re no match for me.”
Breathing heavily, Su Hao replied, “I acknowledge your strength, but the final result is still uncertain.”
The King of Human snorted coldly, “Still hoping for a chance? That’s wishful thinking.”
As Su Hao’s breathing gradually stabilized, he used another healing rune on himself and slowly said, “King of Human, the power of runes has unlimited possibilities.”
The King of Human’s face turned sour, and he said coldly, “Hmph! Show me where your unlimited possibilities are.”
As he finished speaking, the King of Human suddenly appeared in front of Su Hao with his broken sword. Su Hao could only manage to block with his sword, but he was sent flying by the King of Human’s strike.
“Boom~”
He created a long trench in the ground before coming to a stop.
Su Hao quickly got back on his feet, and a large amount of blood gushed from under his mask, seeping into his armor and some even reached his chest plate.
Without giving Su Hao much time to adjust, the King of Human appeared before him again and delivered a powerful slash. Su Hao could only manage to block with his sword, but he was once again sent flying.
The next moment, the ground beneath the King of Human’s feet suddenly gave way, leaving him with nothing to push against as he fell downward. At the same time, large spikes emerged from the ground, blocking the hole.
However, the King of Human didn’t panic. He had a technique for aerial combat that allowed him to briefly change his trajectory.
But Su Hao had been waiting for this moment for a long time. How could he let this opportunity slip away?
As the King of Human broke through the spikes and reached the surface, Su Hao was already holding a massive rock, ready to strike.
“Thud!”
The King of Human was hit squarely on the head, letting out a painful cry as he plummeted downwards like a cannonball.
Su Hao immediately activated his second rune.
“Gigantic Earth Spike!”
A massive earth spike shot up from the bottom of the pit, precisely impaling the King of Human. However, the King of Human’s armor and his “Hardened” effect blocked the spike from penetrating fully.
But Su Hao didn’t intend to kill the King of Human with the earth spike. Instead, he used the tremendous impact of the spike to catapult the King of Human out.
“Thud!”
The King of Human suffered another heavy blow, sent flying upward by the spike. As he reached the surface, Su Hao was ready with his “High Voltage Current”!
This time, the electrical current was even more powerful, nearly draining Su Hao’s entire blood supply.
“Oh no, not this move again!” The King of Human’s pupils shrank, but it was too late to dodge.
“Crackle~”
A massive lightning strike hit the King of Human, rendering him paralyzed and unable to control his body!
During his desperate struggle, Su Hao saw himself crossing his hands into fists, jumping high into the air, and slamming down fiercely.
“Boom!”
Su Hao’s hands came crashing down, hitting the handle of the short sword on the King of Human’s forehead squarely.
“Crackle, crackle, splat!”
The tip of the sword pierced through the back of the King of Human’s head!
Before the King of Human could react, his consciousness plunged into darkness, and his body fell heavily into the pit.
Meanwhile, Su Hao landed at the edge of the pit, unsteady on his feet, and fell to the ground.
His body felt weak and powerless, but he still laughed heartily, saying, “Hahaha! I won!”
“Splat! Cough, cough.”
He laughed so violently that he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
Su Hao simply sat down, not planning to leave this place immediately.
Because around him, there were already warriors who had chased him out from the He’an Main City, and it seemed like he couldn’t escape!
His ears were ringing, and he couldn’t hear what those people were saying, but he knew they were excited, raising their long knives and aiming them at him.
“Hehe~ Hahaha!”
Su Hao chuckled lightly, then, regardless of the blood spewing from his mouth, he laughed to the sky.
He struggled to stand up, jumped down into the pit, pulled his own short sword from the King of Human’s head, and then tried to jump out of the pit…
However, he found himself exhausted and couldn’t muster the strength to jump out. So, he bit the short sword in his mouth and slowly climbed up!
Finally, he stood in front of a group of warriors, pointed his short sword forward, and shouted loudly, “King of Human, I killed him! Come on! Let’s fight!”
The warriors stared at him with bloodshot eyes and charged towards Su Hao.
“Hardened,” “Sharp”…
Su Hao reluctantly activated two runes and charged into the fray!
In the chaos, he didn’t know how many people he had killed. Perhaps none at all, perhaps many. He also didn’t know how many times he had been stabbed.
All he knew was that he continued to swing his short sword until all his strength was drained, and his consciousness fell into darkness!
…
It ended here…
But he was content!
He couldn’t choose his way of death before. But in this world, he had choices!
He wasn’t the weak and helpless person he used to be. He was beginning to have the right to make his own voice heard.
He had held back for far too long! He needed to vent his emotions, to vent them without restraint.
He had to prove the meaning of his existence. He had to prove that the knowledge he had desperately studied and explored was meaningful.
Otherwise, he didn’t know when, in the future, he would be lost in one reincarnation after another, ultimately becoming a soulless, willless, faithless walking corpse.
A shell with vast knowledge but no personal will!
“If only I had a few more years…”
