Zap!

"!!!" Ezekiel widened his eyes. He managed to sense it at the last moment, but he thought it was too late to react. So, he managed to only shift his body slightly, resulting in the arrow hitting his right shoulder.

The power of the bow was actually strong enough to pierce through his armor. It was more amazing than he originally thought, especially since he was the man known for his defense.

Surprisingly, Ezekiel laughed as if he were enjoying the battle.

"I hit him!" Angelia smirked. She felt a boost of confidence. If she worked with this team, there was a high chance she could really bypass that step.

However, hitting Ezekiel was probably the smallest thing she could do. It was even worse than grazing someone else’s cheek.

After all, Ezekiel simply pulled the arrow out as though he felt nothing.

The blood remained, but the wound was closing at a high speed.

"Don’t be overjoyed!" Clovis warned her right after and hurriedly struck Ezekiel.

However, Ezekiel had recovered and swung his shield at Clovis, blasting him away. He then smashed the ground with the shield to create a powerful shock wave that pushed everyone back.

Clovis clicked his tongue. As expected, fighting this person wouldn’t be so easy. If they had Aileen and Rin reaching Tier 8, they might have a better chance.

’Sir Ezekiel’s strength lies in his defense and regeneration. It’s the complete opposite of Mara’s strength. If we attack her with this strategy, she has probably killed us at least twice at this point.’

Angelia was startled. It should be fine to rejoice in having the first one to score a hit.

Christina actually added, "My grandfather might be known as the greatest guardian, but he’s also known by another name because of his special physique. Ragna has that physique as well."

Angelia raised her eyebrows, not knowing what was going on. "Another name?"

"Yes. People call him the Guardian, but those who have fought him will always call him by another name... Immortal!"

"!!!" Angelia widened her eyes in shock. She took another look at the wound she had inflicted, and it was already gone. "This..."

"Don’t forget that he is known for his defense, not offense. If we fight Mara Leverstrike like this, he will probably be dead in the first clash alone.

"A single swing from her can cut down a dozen high-rise buildings cleanly. Our members have seen it directly with their own eyes. Even though you are at such a distance, she can probably reach you with a single swing of her glaive."

Angelia felt a chill down her spine. Fighting Ezekiel was like fighting a punching bag. They could hit him a lot, but it might not matter. Mara was completely different.

Clovis asked for this match to prove something.

"Is this all you can do?" Ezekiel asked.

"Huuu..." Clovis kept striking him, but Ezekiel simply didn’t budge. ’I need to sink deeper than this. This won’t be enough.’

Using the Abyss State felt like he was sinking into a bottomless ocean. It was why Mara called it Abyss in the first place.

The deeper he sank, the stronger the abyss became. And when he sank deep enough, his existence would become the abyss itself.

Clovis’ killing intent soared even further as he swung his long sword and his short sword in succession.

These two swings produced even more power, forcing Ezekiel to plant his shield on the ground to get a more solid form to block this attack.

Yet, his feet slid on the ground for a meter.

"!!!" Everyone could see what happened. Clovis actually pushed Ezekiel back by himself.

All this time, Ezekiel had yet to move from his position.

Even Ezekiel felt a bit surprised by that power, but he soon smiled. This was what he should expect from them.

"Well, I guess you won’t mind an old man like you giving some advice." Ezekiel smiled. "Clovis, you have been pursuing the correct path. I don’t have to tell you anything else.

"However, the vice captain needs even stronger strength. What you pursue is absolute strength, so it’s time for you to drop whoever you’re currently pursuing and start chasing after Mara Leverstrike, the pinnacle of that said strength.

"Mara Leverstrike might be at the bottom of the list, but that’s simply because she has never really challenged other people. She just goes everywhere she pleases, and no one really wants to have a conflict with her.

"If she is pursuing the ranking, she may very well be equal to the likes of Michael Hacfield or Carrick Melesviet.

"Assassin girl, your ability is quite troublesome. You’re perfect to be an assassin, but in a head-on battle like this, you can’t unleash your full ability. There are two ways for you to improve. The first is trickery to confuse your opponent, and the second is pure strength to tear apart your target’s last layer of defense.

"Boy, Ragna, I gave you advice back then, but you surely need to speed up your progress. If you work together with the vice captain in that pursuit of absolute strength, you can probably get closer to my level. Right now, your body has fully matured, and it’s time for you to start reaping what you’ve sown.

"My lovely princess, you are lacking an offensive power, just like me, but even right now, my offensive power can be said to be ten times stronger than yours even though you have finally reached Tier 8. If you only have the means to block, your opponent will entirely ignore you. That’s how I can nullify your Provoke. In the back of my head, I simply judge that you can’t do anything to me.

"Unique abilities can be considered cheat codes, but all the people who have reached Tier 9 can fully utilize these cheat codes. Right now, you’re like inserting a random key and hoping it fits. You should focus on polishing the key and matching the hole. Increase your offensive ability and become someone threatening enough to your opponent. At that time, your Provoke will become much harder to ignore.

"The operator girl is already good and I have nothing much to say. You may not actively participate in the battle, but your presence is still necessary. Even if it’s just to annoy your opponent or distract them, make your presence a bit more known so that they can be restricted even by your presence.

"As for the three beasts, I really can’t say anything about you guys. I don’t know anything about beasts, but I bet your master knows it, so ask him instead.

"The sniper girl has a powerful weapon, but remember that you are the lifeline of this team. Because you have a sharper sense, you should utilize this sharper sense to stop your opponent, just like when people feel chills once they think they’re being watched.

"The doctor might have fulfilled her role, but why don’t you throw some biohazards at me? Even if it’s not, just making your opponent think they’ve been poisoned is already good. You have even eaten something in front of me already, so it’s already a ground for suspicion.

"The chef girl is too ordinary. Get better, will you? The spider guy can’t work in this environment, but you also need to get better. Even Clovis’ mother can wrap a building and shatter it into pieces with her threads. Improve your grip strength further.

"The arrow girl is quite a troublesome opponent, but you need to use your emotions more. I’m not talking about removing your emotions to make yourself invisible. Use your emotions to do other things.

"And lastly, to all of you, why are you stopping to hear my advice? I might have given you advice simply because I want to buy time, believing that the food you eat might have a time limit!

"Come, you little cuties."