The soldiers were horrified by Zenos' ruthlessness.

'He didn't hesitate to use his comrade as a meatshield. This...'

Suddenly, they started having second thoughts, but they soon realized it was too late now. Their talent was below mediocre, but their boss was different. If their boss could become a star warrior, they wouldn't have any misgivings about being his lackeys as they would have great backing. They didn't have much of a choice. At least being Zenos' underling was much better than being filthy officials' disposable lapdogs.

Zenos started chasing after Lorian. His every move was aggressive and deadly. Lorian continuously used force step to make some distance. He realized his power level wasn't enough and the artifact sword could barely make up for it, but it was still lacking. However, Zenos was already middle-aged and had honed his skills. His sword mastery was already great, which further increased his deadliness.

- What's that mask for? Did you escape the party of nobles? Heh, how about joining the underworld party of corpses?

Zenos taunted as he waved his sword with terrifying momentum, enough to split tree trunk.

Lorian could only use the run and weaken tactics. He would freeze the ground to get him stuck, but Zenos' stomps shattered his newly-made ice effortlessly. Lorian's control wasn't that great as his ice making was basically a borrowed power. It was not his mastery, but the effect of holy water. He couldn't make ground smooth to make Zenos slip or something alike. He could only coat his body or objects he touched into a layer of ice in a primitive way.

Also, every movement was at the cost of feeling the immense piercing pain. His condition was truly terrifying. If not for the pain-numbing effect of ice and his willpower, he would have entered a coma.

*Bang

The mud flew in the air as Zenos' longsword landed on the place, where Lorian was previously at. But this time he didn't dodge by jumping back, but rolled to the side and grabbed Zenos' knee to freeze it.

Zenos was a veteran. His reaction was fast and realized Lorian's trick. He sneered as he kicked away Lorian like a beaten dog, causing his chest to invert and vomit mouthful of blood. However, as Lorian was kicked, Zenos also felt pull on his knee and staggered forward.

*Crackle, crackle~

Zenos' eyes widened as he realized the rope had been wrapped around his knee and its other end was in Lorian's hands. Moreover, ice was spreading around the rope. Cold sweat poured down his head as he remembered the sword, that Lorian exploded, killing and injuring the soldiers in the process. He quickly lifted his sword to break the ice. In fact, he was overestimating Lorian. He had the ability to self-destruct his ice, but its effects would be minimal if he did it on the rope. As for the sword, it was made out of metal and could be tampered, corroded by ice, then broken if the metal was of low quality. The resulting explosion would be deadly, but Lorian had no ability to make it work on a rope. It was a mere distraction.

Zenos' reaction gave him a split second of advantage. Lorian pounced at him with force step, his figure resembling an injured beast.

Lorian grabbed his wrists and started freezing them.

- Scram!

He was once again kicked away, but the deed was done.

Zenos' expression was ugly as his hands trembled.

*Clank

His sword dropped to the ground.

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- Fucking morons, come and kill this bastard!

Zenos shouted to still dumbfounded soldiers. Only 3 of them were in a condition to fight. The soldiers finally came out of the stupor of their comrade's death by their boss' hands and unsheathed their swords, surrounding Lorian.

Lorian grinned as he said in a low tone

- Boom

- Aaaaah~

Zenos screamed as the ice on his hands exploded. His wrists were dyed red. Unexpectedly, he gritted his teeth and didn't scream a second longer. His pale face radiated wrath. The frozen rope also exploded on him, but it didn't injure him as his knee wasn't exposed. However, it was bound to become numb and slower as a result.

*Bzzztt~

Suddenly, everyone started feeling dizzy.

'That monster again!'

- Kreeeee~

The Oculus thrashed around and screamed in its weird voice. However, it was useless. Its injuries made sure it wouldn't fly up anytime soon and its power was also weakened. Its attacks weren't suitable for direct confrontation, but it was still a 1-star monster and an intelligent one at that. It realized that these people possessed a threat to its life and used its last bits of strength.

Soon, 3 bewitched monsters appeared and madly rushed at Lorian, Zenos, and others.

- Boss, help me!

The previously injured soldiers yelled, but Zenos didn't dare as he was afraid Lorian would steal his kill.

- Go help them, I don't need hands to beat this cripple bastard.

Zenos spat with ashen expression.

So Zenos and Lorian were left facing each other, once again.

- You're good, but not good enough.

Zenos rushed at Lorian. Even as his hands were badly injured, Lorian didn't dare belittle him. An example was his own self. The more he was cornered and beaten, the harder he struggled to survive.

And he was right. Damn, he was right. This guy was much better at kicks than with swords.

Straight kicks, feint kicks, roundhouse kicks. Zenos chased Lorian with impressive foot technique.

- Fuck, are you monkey, bastard?

Lorian couldn't help but curse.

His body was overstained from overusing force steps in his condition and at least he required a breather between previous and next force steps. Unfortunately, Zenos chased him like crazy.

Finally, he was swept in his pace and got hit in the chest when he was using force step to back off.

*Bang

Terrible hitting sound was issued.

His chest indented as he flew up in mid-air. Zenos backflipped in the air and kicked down on his spine.

Lorian pitifully crashed on the ground, devastated. Then his right leg, the broken one was grabbed by Zenos' bloodied hands.

'His hands are still working?'

Lorian was horrified, on the verge of a physical and mental breakdown.

Grabbing his right leg, Zenos swept Lorian's body in the air and crashed him down to his opposite side.

*Crack, rattle

- Snotty lad, you want to steal from this daddy? Go ahead.

It had to be said that Zenos was very vicious. Even if Lorian was in top condition, these sets of attacks would have left him devastated.

- Fuck you!

Lorian hugged his leg like a leech and started freezing it in maddened rage.

- Get off me you crazy, Aaah, son of a...

Lorian bit down on Zenos' thigh and started freezing it. He refused to let go no matter how he was beaten down. He was confident in taking a barehanded beating as Zenos had dropped his sword and wouldn't be able to use it again, but he underestimated the veteran soldier.

Suddenly, he felt alarmed, as if death was coming. He moved his head to the side, only to see dagger dropping viciously where his head was previously at. Lorian almost pissed his pants from the scare, then rage overcame him.

He bit on his palm, causing Zenos to let go of the dagger.

*Crunch

- Pui!

Lorian ate away a chunk of flesh and bone from his palm and spat it out, causing Zenos to scream like a bitch.

Zenos was cursing Lorian's 9 generations, crying in his mind.

'How can someone be this vicious?'

- I'll get you later.

Lorian issued a threat as he jumped away.

- Aaaah~

Zenos could no longer hear him. His hand was bleeding and his leg was frozen in ice, stuck to the ground.

Lorian approached the seemingly motionless Oculus, but when he was 2 meters away, the tentacles awakened to strangle him to death.

Soon, Lorian found himself breathless as countless tentacles wrapped around his body, not letting even a millimeter of flesh to be seen from the outside. They started suffocating him, crushing him.

Though the Oculus wasn't close combat oriented monster, it was still a 1-star monster and had considerable strength. It was a rare type of monster, which was a very valuable kill for ascendants.

But Lorian only cared about Exp.

Lorian didn't panic even in this situation. Having consumed the last couple of mouthfuls of holy water, he started freezing wriggling tentacles around him, that looked like sinister, big worms.

*Boom

The frozen tentacles exploded. Lorian wasn't injured much, because he covered his whole body in a thin 2-centimeter thick layer of ice, before exploding frozen tentacles around him

*Ksshh~

- Kreeeee~

The ice crumbled and freed Lorian pounced at Oculus like a vicious beast.

The victory was at hand.