Chapter 482: I can handle it myself
Chapter 482: I can handle it myself
Facing the angel challenging him, Mike introduced himself, "Human, Thor, level 499."
The eight-winged light angel spoke, "Angel race, Gabriel, level 989."
[Warm reminder from SSS-grade talent: Gabriel will enter his strongest combat state only after all eight light wings have fallen.]
[Is it possible that he has secretly restored his twelve-winged black angel strength, or even surpassed it?]
Hearing the name, Mike couldn't help but ask, "Where's your shop?"
"What?" Gabriel was puzzled, shaking his head, "You must have mistaken me for someone else."
Mike nodded, dropping the topic. As Gabriel observed him, Mike was also sizing up his opponent. If Mike wasn't mistaken, this angel had suffered severe injuries. And...
Mike squinted, examining more closely. The scars on Gabriel's back were from a single sword strike. This angel once had twelve light wings, all severed by one sword!
Only Ares could have done that, with his steady hand and surgical precision.
Gabriel's wings were cut off, leaving him gravely injured but alive. Honestly, that was harder than killing Gabriel outright!
Remarkably, after such a devastating blow, Gabriel had returned to level 989 in less than two hundred years, regaining eight wings. Even the weakest light wings were not to be underestimated!
Mike's expression grew serious; this opponent exceeded his expectations. "I didn't expect the angel race to have someone as powerful as you."
Gabriel smiled at Thor's words, "Every race has its strong ones."
Gabriel was indeed a powerhouse of the angel race.
Hearing this, Vladimir, not far away, nodded vigorously. "Thor was the powerhouse of the human race."
As the prompt faded, Mike gained a rough understanding of Gabriel's strength. The Eye of Truth was indeed useful in such situations.
Gabriel focused intently, waiting for Thor's attack.
A level 989 against a level 499, bullying the weak, was already shameless enough. But considering the opponent was a potential Supreme Being of the human race, it seemed reasonable.
Gabriel wanted to see Thor's weapon first. Seeing through his thoughts, Mike 'summoned' the Thunderclap Hammer from his private space.
[Note: This hammer has absorbed a large amount of sword energy, its power greatly increased!]
The Thunderclap Hammer felt like a sponge soaked with water. In Mike's hand, it was a hundred times heavier than before!
Fortunately, Mike was a mage with exceptionally high strength attributes. No problem! "This move, Void Tremor!" Mike said, casually striking forward.
Void Tremor was the first skill he learned from Ares. After using this skill, Gabriel didn't dodge or evade, taking the blow enhanced by Ares' sword energy head-on!
Boom-
Countless light feathers danced, and Gabriel's light wings shattered like porcelain upon contact!
With a casual strike, Mike shattered two light wings! The injured Gabriel still didn't attack, signaling Thor to continue.
"This move, Star Pluck!" Mike swung the Thunderclap Hammer forward again, and Gabriel was once more heavily damaged! Of the eight light wings, only two and a half remained!
Gabriel looked at Thor, his gaze falling on the hammer, filled with awe. He spoke again, "Since you've gained this weapon's recognition, have you created any skills (moves) of your own?"
The previous two moves, Gabriel had seen in Ares' hands. And so far, both sides were merely probing.
Hearing Gabriel's question, Mike nodded, "I've indeed created a few skills."
In the next instant, Mike's shadow darted forward.
"Mirror Shadow-Kill!"
The shadow wielded a staff, while Mike held the hammer, attacking Gabriel from front and back.
Splat-
Gabriel offered no defense, allowing the Thunderclap Hammer to strike him heavily, black blood spraying forth.
After launching this attack, Mike immediately retreated! The Eye of Truth had long warned him of the opponent's hidden trump card!
Severely wounded by the recent attack, Gabriel's light wings all fell away!
Black blood dripped onto his wounds, and Gabriel tilted his head back slightly, taking a deep breath, no longer suppressing his inner power. Countless black lights surged from the scars on his back, transforming into wings!
After meeting Ares, Gabriel embarked on a new path! Reforging... his own twelve black wings! The arrival of the black mist disrupted Gabriel's plans but also gave him an opportunity: a chance to face a potential Supreme Being of the human race once more!
Twelve black light wings merged into a pair of massive wings, making Gabriel incredibly powerful, even stronger than two hundred years ago!
The real battle was just beginning!
With a slight flap of his wings, Gabriel hovered in the air, looking at Thor with a serious expression. "You have one more chance to strike."
As an opponent, he respected Thor immensely. In return, Mike showed the same respect.
"This move is different; watch closely." Mike raised the Thunderclap Hammer high, swinging
it forward with force, shouting, "Thunderclap Fate!"
Gabriel's pupils contracted slightly; he felt an urge to flee!
After so many years, facing a potential Supreme Being of the human race again, he seemed to recall the fear of being dominated by Ares!
No! Today, he was here to shatter the darkness and break the fear!
Overcoming his inner fear, wings flapping wildly, Gabriel charged toward the lightning!
Watching from the sidelines, Vladimir put down his chicken wing, giving a thumbs-up, exclaiming, "What a brave angel!"
Boom-
The hammer, surrounded by lightning, struck Gabriel heavily, yet caused him no harm! Just as Gabriel was puzzled, he felt as if he were in an Astral Projection, suspended in mid-air! Before Gabriel, a phantom light screen appeared.
"What is this?!" Gabriel's eyes were filled with shock, plunging into endless astonishment! He saw himself from one hundred seventy-two years ago!
When Thunderclap Fate activated, it recreated the scene where the target resisted fate most fiercely. For Gabriel, the most intense battle against fate in his life was undoubtedly his fight with Ares! He never expected to relive the scene!
In the scene, Gabriel, the twelve-winged black angel, was in full glory, incredibly powerful. But his opponent was unusually blurry... Countless sword energies surged from the Thunderclap Hammer, and the man's projection finally became a bit clearer.
Mike felt a chill down his spine; had he gone too far this time? Because he could see clearly,
the moment Ares' projection became clear, it seemed to 'come alive'!Nôv(el)B\\jnn
In the next moment, the man stepped out of the projection, standing before Mike. He looked
at Thor, eagerly asking, "Tell me, who do you want me to slash?"
Hearing Ares' words, Mike's throat moved slightly, unable to utter a word. This was
unnecessary...
He never expected that Thunderclap Fate, instead of killing Gabriel, would summon Ares here. The nature of the situation had subtly changed!
Ares' figure was ethereal but could still be maintained. He glanced around, recognizing the place. "Is this the thirty-second floor of the Tower of Truth?"
"Yes," Mike nodded, regaining his composure, "I'm challenging the tower. Your projection coming here isn't a problem, is it?"
"No problem," Ares shook his head, speaking calmly, "I've been in the abyss for many years;
it's nice to have a chance to get out and stretch my legs."
Since the decisive battle with the Supreme Demon God, Ares hadn't left the abyss. Even
projecting out was a rare opportunity.
Ares' gaze passed over Gabriel, looking into the depths of the valley.
In his view, the presence of the black mist was glaringly obvious. Half angel, half ghost? Quite
rare.
Ares asked, "Want me to kill it for you?"
"No, really, no need!" Mike emphasized, "I can handle it myself."
"Understood," Ares nodded, speaking earnestly, "To become a supreme being, you must
constantly challenge and surpass yourself. Go ahead."
Ares' situation was different from Apollo's. As the current Supreme Being, Apollo's strength
was truly at its peak, with no restrictions on her actions. Ares, however, was a bit special. Mainly due to the aftereffects of the battle with the Supreme Demon God.
Mike remembered this and planned to visit the abyss when he had time. The issue was, he needed Ares to nod first before he could set off.
Due to the aftereffects, Ares should avoid taking action if possible. So even if Ares offered to help kill the black mist, Mike had to refuse.
After being refused, Ares wasn't surprised. Instead, he looked at Gabriel in the field, asking,
"Are you two going to continue fighting?"
Gabriel: ...
He could endure humiliation for one hundred seventy-two years, mock the black mist to its
face, and be the bravest angel in history.
But facing this swordsman, Gabriel couldn't muster any spirit. Defeated before the battle. Gabriel's black wings slowly retracted, and he shook his head, saying, "I lost."
With that, he sighed with a hint of emotion, "I never thought, after facing such a terrifying
existence, you... would still be alive."
That statement was loaded with meaning.
Ares shook his head, saying nothing more.
Back then, Ares defeated Gabriel with one sword but didn't kill him, which already said a lot.
In Ares' view, Gabriel was worthy of greater achievements, stronger power, and had the chance to challenge him again. In other words, Gabriel had wasted all these years!
A strong person should be unstoppable, invincible.
Hiding one's strength?
Nonsense!
Of course, as a hot-tempered bro, Ares disdained to tell Gabriel, his defeated opponent, these
pointers. The atmosphere suddenly grew silent. With no fight, Mike still had to wait for the dragon race to descend, leaving the three with nothing to do for the moment. "Please wait a moment while I make a deal with a friend." With that, Mike moved a few steps
away. He summoned the Core Crystal of Truth, lowering his voice, "Hey, you there? Need to borrow something."
A moment later, the Tower Spirit replied irritably, "No fire!" "Who's asking for fire? I don't smoke." Mike whispered, "Remember the debt you owe me?"
The Tower Spirit was flustered, "When did I owe you anything?! Ares, he's slandering me! Your human potential Supreme Being is slandering me!"
"Shut up!" Mike pressed down on the Core Crystal of Truth, preventing the Tower Spirit from shouting, "See, I knew you'd forget."
Mike waved his hand, indicating not to mind the details, "Back on the twenty-ninth floor, I
helped you deal with the aura escaping from the Supreme Demon God, and there was another
time before that. We're reasonable people, right? Just say if you acknowledge this debt!" Tower Spirit: ...
From a certain angle, Mike's words weren't wrong. The problem was, Mike had already used
this excuse to make Jeremy owe him many favors! Now, he was using this IOU to approach the Tower Spirit. Wasn't this double-dipping?!
Under normal circumstances, the Tower Spirit would definitely want to settle this account
with Thor. The problem was... The Core Crystal of Truth tilted slightly, confirming the swordsman's appearance as Ares.
"How is he here?!" This floor was under the control of the Supreme Demon God's subordinates, so much so that the Tower Spirit didn't know Ares' projection had arrived. It was only after Mike summoned the Core Crystal of Truth that it was discovered.
The Tower Spirit urged, "Speak quickly, what scheme are you up to now?" "It's like this..." Mike explained his idea. Ares had once challenged the Tower of Truth,
leaving many traces, and in a sense, many sword energies.
Mike wanted to borrow the Tower Spirit's hand to gather these sword energies. When Ares'
projection dissipated, he could take these sword energies away.
As for whether they were useful or how useful they were, Mike wasn't sure. In any case, he
would take as much profit as he could. Good things couldn't be too many! "Alright..." The Tower Spirit hesitated for a moment but agreed. However, the Tower Spirit
had one last request! "After this, our previous accounts are settled, and we owe each other
nothing!"
"Deal!" Mike said confidently, "I swear on the honor of Shadow Nine!"