021 Strongest Strike

What kind of skills would a Paladin lack? Movement skills. I had two or three that could boost my speed, but none of them would let me zip around like a sword cultivator or an assassin. Attacking fast wasn’t the wisest move either, especially since Jiang Zhen seemed confident in his speed.

Jiang Zhen smirked. "What are you waiting for? The festival might be over before you even get your first strike in."

I ignored his taunting. Back in Lost Legends Online, skills were divided into three categories based on restrictions:

1. Cooldown Restricted– Skills that were limited only by time before they could be used again.

2. Resource Restricted– Skills that depended on mana, stamina, or other expendable resources.

3. Both + Extra– Skills that had both cooldowns and resource costs, plus additional limitations.

Ultimate Skills like Divine Word and Judgment Severance belonged to the third category—with even harsher conditions. They consumed a unique resource called a Spell Slot. Raising a Spell Slot was brutally difficult. I only had three of them, meaning I could only use an Ultimate Skill three times in a single instance. Worse, Spell Slots took over 24 hours to regenerate, making them a massive pain to manage.

I had just used Judgment Severance, and it had an innate eight-hour cooldown. The game devs were truly masochistic. If I had my way, I’d spam Judgment Severance three times and beat this old man senseless, but clearly, I couldn’t. This restriction had ingrained a habit in players—especially those who used Ultimate Skills—to hoard their best moves like a dragon guarding treasure.

Jiang Zhen yawned, stretching his arms as if waiting for me was the most boring thing in the world. The bastard was acting like I had taken ages, when in reality, it had only been a few seconds.

I exhaled, letting my mind slow down. My Level 275 Intelligence and Wisdom compressed time, giving me the ability to think through my approach with eerie clarity. And the funny thing? I wasn’t nervous at all.

If anything, I was curious.

This was as good a learning opportunity as any.

I drew Silver Steel from my Item Box.

Jiang Zhen had given me permission to strike him, so I decided to test my stronger skills. If I accidentally killed him, I’d just resurrect him. Lost Legends Online had dozens of resurrection-type items. While I didn’t have every single kind, I had plenty—enough to revive this guy three times over.

Of course, there was the issue of cultivation. If I revived him, would he lose his realm? If my items didn’t work, I could always use a resurrection skill. If that didn’t work either? Well… then I’d just say it was stupid bad luck and move on.

I crouched slightly, raising my sword with intent. No point in wasting this opportunity—I’d unleash the strongest non-Ultimate skill combo in my arsenal.

"Designate Holy Enemy."

A reversed red cross flickered into existence above Jiang Zhen’s head. It was a debuff spell that marked the target as a Holy Enemy, treating them as impure, undead, fiendish, or simply of an evil alignment. Jiang Zhen’s relaxed expression faded as he took on a more serious demeanor.

"Blessed Weapon."

A golden radiance engulfed Silver Steel, making it glow like a miniature sun.

"Divine Might."

I had a passive skill called TriDivine—a three-state ability that granted different boosts depending on activation. The three states were:

Divine Might – Boosted Strength.

Divine Speed – Boosted Agility.

Divine Fortitude – Boosted Endurance.

For this fight, I chose Divine Might, instantly raising my Strength to match my second-strongest stat.

"Holy Wrath."

Golden and blue radiance manifested around me, forming feather-like wisps that floated upwards. Holy Wrath empowered my next attack and doubled its effect if the target was a Holy Enemy. My mana dipped slightly—nothing major, but enough to remind me that I was layering buffs like crazy.

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"Zealot’s Stride."

A golden streak erupted beneath my feet as I surged forward, my entire body infused with speed. I felt my Agility stat—every atom of movement fine-tuned to perfection. The world blurred as I closed the distance in an instant.

Inside range.

I swung my sword down with both hands, channeling everything into the highest single-strike skill in my arsenal—the one with the most brutal crit multiplier.

"DIVINE SMITE!"

I didn’t know for sure, but I felt like space ruptured. Or maybe it was some weird interaction between my skill and Jiang Zhen’s technique.

My sword passed through him—like he wasn’t even there.

The ground behind him wasn’t so lucky. The dirt exploded, scorched and torn apart, forming a deep trench that stretched several meters.

I smiled, nonchalantly hefting my sword. “How’s that?”

Blood dripped from Jiang Zhen’s lips.

The stubborn old goat, of course, refused to acknowledge anything. “I would have conceded if we had agreed on the impress me part, but alas, you never made me move.”

He said it with charisma, but I somehow doubted him.

Indeed, I hadn’t made him flinch or step back even once. But… man, this guy was a tad too pale compared to a few seconds ago.

I pulled an Extreme Health Potion from my Item Box and held it out to him. “Drink.”

Jiang Zhen uncorked it, sniffed the contents, then gave me an amused look. “Hoh~! You are surely arrogant!” Just by smell alone, he deduced what the effects of the potion was.

“Then don’t drink it.”

Before I could snatch it back, he chugged it.

After downing every last drop, he wiped his mouth and smirked. “As your senior in life, I have a responsibility to keep. Gifts are important, after all—and not accepting them would be rude.”

This silly old fool.

I chugged an Extreme Mana Potion without a second thought.

Jiang Zhen looked like he wanted to complain, but ultimately held back—probably remembering that he had just guzzled an Extreme Health Potion himself.

I had two Spell Slots left.

Players hoarded Ultimate Skills for two reasons: greater versatility or sheer paranoia about getting caught with their best moves still on cooldown. LLO had a brutal PVP culture, so resource conservation had become an obsession for many.

I took a few steps back, hefting my sword over my shoulder, considering which Ultimate Skill to test first.

Jiang Zhen was still marked as a Holy Enemy, and my weapon was still blessed. No reason to waste those buffs.

I exhaled and activated another amplifier. “Holy Wrath.”

Brilliant gold and blue feathers floated upwards around me, the divine energy gathering in an ethereal glow.

I smirked. “I will show you my strongest attack… You can still say no.”

Jiang Zhen folded his arms. “BRING IT!”

I pointed my sword at him. “Hea-”

Dark clouds instantly gathered above us, crackling with ominous thunder.

Jiang Zhen’s expression twitched.

“-ven-ly-”

A golden radiance formed around my blade as I aimed it at him.

Jiang Zhen visibly tensed.

“-Pu-nish-”

That was when he ran.

“YOU WIN, FUCKING SMURF!”

I finished the chant.

“-ment.”

~HEAVENLY PUNISHMENT~

A massive divine sword materialized in the sky, descending like the wrath of a vengeful god. It homed in on Jiang Zhen, crashing down with a blinding pillar of golden light.

It was Heavenly Punishment—my strongest Ultimate Skill.

Cooldown: 72 hours.

I arrived at the site where Heavenly Punishment had struck. A massive scorch mark stretched across the earth, the ground still sizzling with divine embers.

My eyes scanned the wreckage.

No corpse.

No trace of Jiang Zhen.

No way he got disintegrated, right?

That… wasn’t something I was used to.

Back in LLO, player characters, NPCs, and even monster spawns didn’t just vanish. Their bodies always remained, whether to be looted, revived, or mocked in victory.

“…Ah, shit.”

I frowned, cupping my hands. “Old man? Changcheng? Where are you? How am I going to resurrect you if you don’t have a corpse?”

A muffled groan answered me.

Jiang Zhen crawled out from beneath the dirt, limping.

“It’s Jiang Zhen, damn it! Not Changcheng!” he spat, shaking off soil like an enraged mole.

I blinked. It was impressive that he survived.

If I had to guess, his karma value must not have been that high.

Jiang Zhen wheezed, glaring at me like I’d just kicked his favorite pet. “Were you trying to kill me?! I never thought I’d have to use that stupid earth-burying technique just to save myself!”

I tilted my head. “Well, you said BRING IT with so much emotion. Would’ve felt bad if I held back, you know?”

“FUCK YOU!”

I waved a hand dismissively. “Aren’t you supposed to be, like, a sage-like figure? A powerful hidden expert or something? Are you sure this is fine?”

Jiang Zhen gritted his teeth, still struggling to stand.

I smirked. “You know what? Let’s just void that attempt and do it again. Of course, it’d be the third try by then—”

“MOTHERFUCKER, YOU WANT TO KILL ME!”

“Whoa, whoa, hold your horses!” I said, raising my hands innocently. “Let’s do it again and count it as the third try. Maybe you’ll succeed this time! After all, I did expend a lot of energy on that attack, you know? Come on, it’ll be fun!”

Jiang Zhen trembled with rage. “FUN? FUN?! WAS IT SO FUN TO BULLY AN OLD MAN?!”

“Don’t be so harsh on yourself,” I said with a grin. “You look like someone in his middle age, you know?”

Jiang Zhen snapped.

“I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS! I THOUGHT YOU WERE JUST SOME CHUMP!” He pointed a trembling finger at me. “FINE! YOU’LL HAVE YOUR MEETING WITH THE ISOLATION PATH SECT AS REQUESTED!”

I returned my sword to the Item Box, satisfied.

“Well, why didn’t you say so sooner?”