Chương 180

"Staff Technique Creation," Rudra muttered. A blue window popped up in his vision. [Please set the parameters: Targeting, Movement, Resource Consumed, Weight, Speed, and Special Effect.] [Please define the Targeting.]"It should be a single target." [Please define the Movement.]"An overhead smash straight down." [Please define the Resource Consumed.]"Resource Consumed should be Staff Energy." [Please define the Weight.]"Weight," Rudra dragged the slider all the way to the right.

"Maximum. It should include all the force and momentum that has been obtained prior to the use of the move." [Please define the Speed.]"Instant use." [Please define the Special Effects.]"The momentum shouldn't be canceled upon use," Rudra explained to the system.

"After the skill hits, it should still be possible to continue linking the next staff attack. And a shockwave should be generated, dealing damage to the surroundings on impact." He hit confirm. [Analyzing parameters...] [The foundation is physically sound. A new Staff Technique has been created!] [Please name the technique.]"Comet," Rudra confirmed. [Comet (Lv. 1)] [Rating: Legendary] [A technique that concentrates maximum weight and force into a single point. - Deals 900% physical damage and causes a massive, outward shockwave that blasts nearby enemies backward in a radius of 10 meters with damage equal to 50% of the damage dealt. - After landing this strike, the user can immediately link the next attack, perfectly maintaining all previously built momentum without resetting their stance. - Resource Consumption: 500 Staff Energy. - Skill Cooldown: 3 Minutes.] As soon as the window closed, a bright golden light flashed in front of his eyes.

[The effect of 'Endless Learning' has triggered twice!] [You have acquired two Legendary Knowledges.] [Passive Skill 'Endless Learning' has leveled up to Lv. 2!] [All Stats +30. Wisdom +20.] Rudra rolled his neck. The sudden stat bump felt like a fresh cold breeze after a heavy workout. It cleared his head completely. He stood up, grabbed his black lightning staff, Extortion, and kicked the heavy stone doors open. The cavern was incredibly dry.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. The air smelled like stale blood, hot ozone, and old ash. It stung the back of his throat. Rudra stepped inside, his boots crunching loudly against the loose gravel. In the very center of the dark room, Kurson, the 26th Great Demon, lay completely still on a massive bed of jagged black rocks. The demon was covered in a thick layer of grey dust. Crunch. Rudra took another step. The demon's eyes snapped open.

They glowed with a sickly, toxic green light. The dust blew off its dark, armored shoulders as Kurson slowly stood up. [The 26th Great Demon, Kurson (Sealed) has awakened!] Kurson was huge. He had pale, greyish skin and thick, bone-like armor plating covering his chest and arms. He looked around the cavern, shaking off centuries of sleep. Then, his green eyes locked onto Rudra.

"A mortal," Kurson rumbled. His voice sounded like grinding stones. Kurson took a deep breath. The demon's eyes narrowed.

"That aura," Kurson sneered, stepping off the jagged rocks.

"You carry the scent of a Saint. It reminds me of that wretched swordsman. Muller could have turned me to ash with a single swing, yet the coward chose to chain me in this miserable hole instead." Rudra stopped spinning his staff. He frowned. Wait, Rudra thought. She told me that Muller couldn't kill the demon, so the Witch Leader had to step in and help seal the demon. But Kurson is saying Muller easily could have killed him. Someone is lying.

"Sorry to break it to you," Rudra said, resting his staff on his shoulder.

"But I'm not here to chain you up. I'm on a schedule." The fight started instantly. Kurson stepped forward. He didn't rush. He moved with incredibly fast, deadly experience. He swung a massive, grey fist directly at Rudra's ribs. [Super Sensitivity detects a jab aimed at your ribs!] Rudra jerked his body back, bringing his staff up to block. CLANG! The impact rattled Rudra's teeth. His [Mana Heart] pulsed violently.

The artificial mana veins inside his muscles absorbed the massive shockwave, keeping his bones from snapping, but he still slid back a few inches. The system quickly updated him on the threat level. [Kurson - Lv. 400] [Health: 500, 000, 000 / 500, 000, 000] Five hundred million health. It was a staggering number. Kurson didn't press the attack immediately. He looked at his fist, then glared at Rudra's chest.

"That recoil..." Kurson sneered.

"I felt the mana weave through your muscles. A human using the artificial heart of the Titans? You carry the heart of the brave warrior who dared to confront the gods?" Rudra didn't answer. He tried to start his spinning loop. He swung Extortion, aiming for the demon's knee. But Kurson read the angle perfectly. Kurson stepped right into Rudra's guard, caught the thick shaft of the staff with his bare hand, and drove a heavy knee straight into Rudra's stomach.

[Super Sensitivity warns of a upward knee strike targeting your internal organs!]"Troll's Spite!" Rudra yelled. His black trench coat hardened instantly, absorbing the heavy blow. But even with the damage halved, the sheer force of a Great Demon sent him flying. [You have suffered 14, 200 damage!] Rudra coughed, sliding backward in the dirt. Thanks to [Blood Memory], his coat's defense ticked upward as he lost health.

"You swing like a brute," Kurson mocked. Rudra rushed back in. He triggered his first skill.

"[Typhoon]!" He spun the heavy staff, creating a massive vacuum to pull the demon in. But Kurson just dug his heavy boots into the stone. The demon pushed through the wind, reached out, and slammed his palm against the center of the spinning staff. The friction burned the demon's hand, but it forcefully stopped the spin. [Super Sensitivity detects a sweeping low kick targeting your ankles!] Kurson kicked. Rudra stepped into the air, triggering [Abyssal Step].

He created an invisible foothold above the demon's leg and jumped over it.

"[Avalanche]!" He brought the staff down from mid-air, trying to stack his heavy combo. Kurson deflected the strike with his bone-plated forearm, letting the staff slide harmlessly past his side. [You have dealt 4, 200 damage!] [You have suffered 12, 100 damage!] Rudra hit the ground hard. He rolled backward and hopped to his feet. Every single time he tried to build his momentum, Kurson read his body language and interrupted him. The demon actively smothered his swings. Rudra narrowed his eyes.

He activated [Legendary Sage's Eyes], trying to peer through the demon's defense and read his attack patterns more clearly. His pupils glowed with a faint, deep blue light. Kurson stopped walking. The demon sniffed the air and bared his teeth.

"That gaze," Kurson laughed, his voice dripping with open disdain.

"I smell the pathetic stench of the ocean god on you. Asterion? You sought blessings from that forgotten, weak god." Rudra wiped a streak of blood from his mouth. He was getting annoyed. He couldn't get his combo rolling against a guy who literally caught his weapon mid-swing. He needed to ruin the demon's focus entirely. Rudra had been planning this exact moment for a while.