Realm of Myths and Legends (WN)

Izroth set his sights on the deep hole that extended into pure darkness.

'To think he could exert this kind of strength against someone at the peak of the legendary realm. The ancient bloodlines of this world cannot be underestimated.'

After attacking Ourami not too long ago, Izroth knew firsthand the hardness of that metallic-like tail.

Despite the multiple boosts to his physical strength and using a fusion skill, his arm was still knocked away when his sword collided with Ourami's tail.

The fact that Hakros was not blown away and succeeded in striking Ourami deep into the ground revealed the terrifying nature of his physical strength.

However, Izroth noticed that whatever gave Hakros that massive boost of power appeared to have already ended. Nevertheless, Izroth could see how he managed to earn the nickname of Unstoppable Behemoth.

No matter how many times Hakros got knocked down, he got back up twice as strong and with even more vigor.

That's why Izroth was surprised that he did not see someone of Hakros' caliber participate in the second team's selection.

Based on the performance Izroth witnessed thus far, he believed Hakros would have had no problem placing in the top ten of the second team's selection. So, as he searched for Ourami's presence with his Energy Vision Sense, Izroth asked Hakros about the second team's selection.

"Huh? Selection? I heard that neck scribble guy talkin' about some selection thing pretty often. If you're talkin' about that, I wasn't invited." Hakros stated.

'Not invited? Come to think of it, the method of my invitation seemed rather unorthodox.'

The only reason Izroth was invited was due to the mysterious man he met for the first time near the end of the second team's selection. However, Izroth did not know that man's identity or purpose. Just that, for some reason, he had been observing him back since the time he spent in Opal Town.

Still, Izroth could not help but inwardly shake his head at the fact that someone like Hakros was not invited to participate in the selection. It was no wonder the Mortal Realm's second team placed consistently in the bottom five of the Lustrum Imperial Bout the last couple of decades.

Without a doubt, the decisions surrounding the Lustrum Imperial Bout, something that directly affected the Mortal Realm's standing, involved all the top powers of the Mortal Realm.

Add to that the limited number of spots available and numerous advantages one could gain from participating, it was bound to create a power struggle for spots.

However, this kind of invitation system and strict management of the selection process caused those like Hakros to be overlooked or outright ignored altogether.

'With Zouren gone, we are short one participant for the Lustrum Imperial Bout. I'm not sure how much authority I have as the team's captain. But, if it's possible, then...'

Due to the agreement he had with the God of Craft Mazi, Izroth could not ignore the well-being of the Mortal Realm. Naturally, this included how others perceived the Mortal Realm at the Lustrum Imperial Bout.

Of course, it was unreasonable to request that Izroth ensure all the teams of the Mortal Realm were placed within the top ten of the selection. But, at the very least, he needed to make sure that the second team surpassed their previous performances over the past two decades.

Needless to say, having one person missing was detrimental to that goal. That's why, if possible, Izroth wanted to fill Zouren's spot with Hakros. While he was unsure how those behind the scenes would react to someone who did not even receive an invitation claiming a spot, in truth, Izroth was not concerned. In the end, he would follow the path he believed led to the greatest chances of success--that's all.

Izroth organized his thoughts as he shifted his attention to a more pressing matter at hand.

'Strange, there are no signs of his Ethos. Where did he disappear to?'

Izroth utilized his Energy Vision Sense in order to find out Ourami's whereabouts; however, there were no traces of the pillar.

Even if Hakros' attack was powerful, it should not have been enough to bury the pillar more than one thousand meters underground.

In addition, with the amount of Ethos Ourami possessed, it would not be hard to pinpoint his position.

Izroth was reminded of the moment his sword strike bounced off Ourami and he sensed the pillar's Ethos disappearing.

At the time, Izroth figured it was Ourami preparing a powerful attack. But, there was no build-up of Ethos anywhere nearby that confirmed his speculation.

Izroth deactivated his Energy Vision Sense and concentrated on circulating his Source Chant.

'I have less than 200 points of essence remaining. If I'm too careless, I may end up experiencing Soul Weakness.'

Even though his Earthly Golden Bones and Might made it so that he was able to recuperate from negative effects faster, Izroth was still recovering from the backlash of using his Compressed Lightning Movement. If he were to add Soul Weakness on top of that, the rate of his recovery would slow significantly.

Rmmmmble...!

Out of nowhere, the earth began to shake.

At first, the shakes were light and barely noticeable. However, not even a few seconds passed before it turned violent and chaotic.

The moment it turned chaotic, the ground split open several meters in front of Izroth and Hakros as a metallic spiral appeared.

The spiral matched Ourami's tail that he used to protect himself, but there was something different about this one.

It was a much cleaner silver with numerous cerulean ancient markings carved on its surface.

They were markings Izroth had never come across before in RML; however, he could feel an untamed power pulsating from every symbol etched onto the metallic surface.

"Tch... There's not even a scratch. It's been a while since I've hit something so sturdy. What the hell is that thing made out of?" Hakros commented with a low growl.

Izroth silently observed the spiral. If even his fusion skill First Baneful Sword: Destruction Point followed by Hakros' attack was unable to penetrate it, then he knew that attacking Ourami while they were in that state was a fruitless endeavor.

A few seconds later, the markings on the spiral stopped pulsing before slowly sinking into Ourami's tail.

The next moment, the spiral unraveled as the tail began to retract back to its original length. And, as it did so, Ourami finally revealed himself once more. However, he had undergone a drastic transformation.

Izroth narrowed his eyes as his Soul Sense went off like never before, warning him of the impending danger that stood in front of him.

Ourami was covered from head to toe in the same metallic alloy of his tail that resembled silver scales. His hair had grown somewhat wild and almost looked like the mane of a beast.

The pillar's legs had also transformed. He stood with his toes to the ground and the rest of his foot raised off the earth, matching that of a digitigrade beast.

Ourami's face was concealed by the silver "scales" as a single curved white metallic horn shaped like a lightning bolt mid-strike protruded from his forehead. And, his eyes were hidden behind a thin layer of cerulean energy that mirrored the one that was on his tail not too long ago.