Chapter 140: The Negative Impact Shield – Surrender and Submission

Words : 1254 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

Lyle swung his massive magic greatsword with one hand in a powerful downward arc. A shimmering wave of mana burst from the blade, tearing through the air. It met a blazing fireball mid-flight—and cleaved it clean in two. BOOM! The split fireball exploded high above the battlefield, flames scattering like startled birds. But the mana slash kept going, slicing straight toward the snake-like creature in the distance: Ryraryus. From within the firestorm, that same energy slash emerged, hissing like a vengeful spirit. Ryraryus's eyes widened. With a sudden jerk, he yanked a fistful of fur on the bear beneath him. The beast growled and leapt aside—just in time. CRACK! The mana slash struck the ground where Ryraryus had just been, carving a deep, three-meter-long gash into the earth. "...That's not magic." Ryraryus stared at the wound in the ground, his pupils narrowing to slits. As a seasoned spellcaster, he could easily tell: this wasn't a magical spell. It was something else. A warrior with a spellcaster's presence? A hybrid? The thought slithered into his mind. The human before him wasn't just a mage, he had the range and force of a physical attacker too. That combination was far more dangerous than he expected. "I just wanted to say hello," Lyle called out from a pile of wooden stakes, resting his greatsword on his shoulder with casual arrogance. "Thought maybe we could cooperate, you know?" He tilted his head slightly, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You're smarter than that troll Guu, I'll give you that—but you've got a nastier superiority complex." In his past life, if memory served him right—Ryraryus had practically groveled before the Sorcerer King. The moment things got serious, the snaky bastard had flopped over like a fainting goat and begged for mercy. There was none of that here. No awe. No respect. Just arrogant posturing. Apparently, the whole "humans are weak" mindset was deeply embedded in the brains of every non-human race in this world. But not for long. Ryraryus was starting to realize something... off. This man—this calm, sword-wielding human, was not ordinary. Still. He was Ryraryus, one of the three sovereigns of the Great Forest of Tob. Retreating now, in front of a human no less, was unthinkable. And besides, Guu had already fallen under this man's control. If left unchecked, this human could become a serious problem. "Entangling Vines!" Ryraryus raised his skeletal arms. The grass around them suddenly writhed and grew, thick vines erupting from the earth and racing toward Lyle like hungry serpents. Faith magic, huh? Lyle didn't hesitate. He pulled out a green crystal, the enchanted artifact of Forest traversing and held it aloft. A pulse of energy shot forward. The approaching vines stopped dead, then abruptly slithered off in random directions, avoiding him entirely. BOOM! Lyle kicked off the ground, launching himself like a cannonball, greatsword at the ready. He grinned. "Let's hope your strength matches that arrogant tone. I'd hate to be disappointed." "YOU WRETCHED VERMIN! DIE!" Ryraryus howled in fury and slammed his tail into the ground. "Stone Shatter!" The cracked earth exploded beneath him. Shards of jagged stone blasted out like shrapnel, speeding straight at Lyle. CRACK! SMASH! BANG! Lyle's greatsword blurred through the air, batting the stones aside with precision and ease. He didn't slow down for a second. Realizing the brute force approach wasn't working, Ryraryus quickly leapt off his mount and barked out another incantation: "Beast Control!" ROOOOOOAR!! The bear's eyes burned red as it let out a deafening roar, then charged Lyle like a runaway siege engine. Its bulk now stood between Ryraryus and danger. "Cute trick," Lyle muttered. He shifted his grip on the greatsword, then struck upward with a rising slash. SPLURCH! The beast was cleaved clean in half. Fur, muscle, and shimmering magical skin all gave way as though paper before a blade. Two passives, Courageous Aura and Weapon Mastery: Extra Damage—had doubled his output. The attack had seemed normal, but its force was monstrous. [EXP Gained: 1,511] Lyle's eyes scanned the area. Ryraryus... was gone. "Black," Lyle called calmly. "Awooo!" The barghest had been watching intently. With a snarl, it lunged toward what looked like empty space. CLANK-CLANK-CLANK! Black chains erupted from the hound's body, whipping toward the unseen enemy. Ghost Chain Tempest! "CURSE YOU, DAMN HOUND!" Ryraryus reappeared mid-air, his cloak fluttering, face twisted in rage. "I should've dealt with you first!" He hadn't been hurt badly, but his pride was shredded. And then—Lyle came charging again. Ryraryus panicked. "Forest Fog!" "Invisibility!" WHOOSH— A thick, white mist burst out from his position, swallowing the entire battlefield. Combined with the invisibility spell, Ryraryus became completely untraceable. "Figures. Physical fighters are way easier to deal with," Lyle muttered, scowling. Now he could barely see two steps ahead. Suddenly—his body stiffened. Something had wrapped tightly around him. Ryraryus's massive snake-like tail had coiled around Lyle in silence, and now began to squeeze. The serpent's greasy, milky-white scales were slick, making the hold nearly impossible to break free from. "DIE, HUMAN!" Ryraryus roared, delighted. But— "Get off me." Lyle's eyes gleamed. "Negative Imact Shield!" BOOOOOM!! A sphere of black energy erupted from his body, blasting out in all directions. Ryraryus screamed as he was hurled backward. The entire fog was ripped away in an instant, clearing the battlefield in a single shockwave. [Skill: Negative Imact Shield] Uses per Day: 2 Effect: Releases a pulse of unholy energy centered on the user. Knocks back enemies and dispels magical effects in the area. This was one of the new abilities Lyle had gained after leveling Valkyrie to Level 3. After massacring beasts across the eastern region and mowing down over 200 ogres, he'd racked up more than 140,000 experience points. He had dumped nearly all of it into the Valkyrie class. Now it stood at Level 4. [EXP: 26,933 / 60,000] CRASH! Lyle teleported forward and caught up with Ryraryus mid-air. With one hand, he seized the creature's tail and began swinging it like a flail. THUD! CRACK! SMASH! Over and over again, Ryraryus slammed into the ground like a grotesque mop. "Not quite as tough as you claimed, are you?" Lyle remarked, half amused. "PLEASE! I YIELD!" "SPARE ME! I SUBMIT!" "I... I SURRENDER!" The words came between choked cries and pitiful screams. BOOM! One last slam left Ryraryus flattened, bloodied and broken. His limbs twisted at unnatural angles, and the ancient skin on his arms had begun to crack. "Good," Lyle said, releasing him. "You're smarter than the ogres after all." He stepped over the twitching snake, planted his greatsword in the dirt beside him, and summoned an iron longsword into his hand. Dark energy rippled across its surface—the curse clearly visible. Without ceremony, he stabbed it straight into Ryraryus's chest. "AAAAARGH!" The creature let out a bone-chilling shriek. He convulsed as blood fountained from the wound. "W-What is this...?" "It... hurts! It hurts!" The snake twisted and thrashed helplessly, his once pale face now ghastly white with terror. Death... true death... was brushing against him like a cold wind. "S-save me... I submit... I swear, human, I'll obey—don't kill me..." The mighty Ryraryus slithered to Lyle's feet, groveling, weeping, and begging for his life. This time, there were no schemes. No bravado. Just pure, honest fear.

Chapter 140: The Negative Impact Shield – Surrender and Submission

Comments (0)