Return of the Mythic Bloodline-Chapter 418: Taranis vs Elite Knights

"Sir Rhaegar!" the other knights shouted, rushing at Taranis from every direction.

"Sword of Thunderbane: Chapter Four: Xuanwu Thunder Bastion!"

The combined attacks of the True Sage Knights were instantly blocked as a turtle shell of golden lightning materialized around Taranis, protecting him from every direction.

The fourth chapter of Thunderbane Swordsmanship was a unique defensive sword skill that could guard against most lethal attacks. It was thanks to this very technique that Taranis had only lost an arm to the cannon blast of Astrid.

However, absolute defense was not the only thing it provided.

"Sword of Thunderbane: Chapter Three: Qilin's Judgement!"

The lightning Qilin bolted out of the turtle shell without any resistance, striking the knights and erupting in a thunderous explosion.

The fourth technique also allowed the user to unleash attacks from within.

The turtle shell slowly vanished. Although powerful, it could only sustain itself for a few seconds. Outside, dust blanketed the area due to the explosion. Several pine trees had been obliterated, leaving a vast open clearing within the forest.

"You must be returning from the Valleys of Heavenly Pillars," Rhaegar's voice echoed.

As the dust settled, his figure was revealed, standing at the front with a wide energy shield. He had endured the Qilin's attack and managed to protect his knights.

"Where is Prince Adam?" he demanded.

His question fell on deaf ears. Taranis responded by swinging his sword again towards the knights in the opposite direction from where Rhaegar stood.

"Lightning Slash: Version Cross Impact!"

"No!" Rhaegar shouted, bolting toward the knights who had no chance of defending against Taranis's attack.

However, it was already too late. The lightning cross pierced through the knights, tearing their body into multiple pieces right before Rhaegar's eyes.

He tightened his grip around the sword in frustration and roared, turning to Taranis.

"You bastard! How dare you—"

Before he could finish his words, Taranis used Blink and sprinted toward the knight whom Rhaegar had left unguarded.

"Divine Lightning: Lightning Slash!"

In a blinding movement, a wide horizontal arc of golden lightning materialized and split the bodies of ten elite knights in two. The soldiers screamed in agony as their guts spilled from their torsos, turning the ground beneath crimson.

"You are taking it too far!" Rhaegar roared, throwing his sword at Taranis in a stabbing motion.

Taranis easily dodged the sword and was about to begin his onslaught on the nearby knights again when his Divine Sense suddenly rang. He instantly moved his sword behind his back, and a loud clash of metal echoed.

The sword that Rhaegar had thrown changed its trajectory mid-air and struck Taranis again from behind.

At the same time, the elite knights positioned at the sides unleashed a barrage of attacks at Taranis from the front.

Taranis jerked his arm, hurling Rhaegar's blade upward, and swung his own blade at a terrifying speed, blocking the incoming attacks.

Some of them slipped past his defense. The combined assaults of over eighty True Sages overwhelmed Taranis, whose left side was weakened due to his missing arm.

Still, Taranis avoided fatal wounds, allowing the unavoidable attacks to graze his skin and leaving only minor cuts and bruises.

The assaults had just ended when Rhaegar's blade had already reached a hair's breadth from Taranis's head.

He snapped his head sideways, letting the blade stab into his shoulder.

Blood splattered outward as the longsword dug deep, piercing all the way into his body until its hilt struck his shoulder.

No scream or groan escaped Taranis's mouth. Even his expression did not change, as if he felt nothing while the sword tore through his insides.

"You dare declare the Second Ultimate War with this level of power you possess," Rhaegar muttered, a faint smirk curling on his face, certain of victory. "With your death, I will put an end to this wa—"

His words stopped mid-sentence as he witnessed something bizarre unfolding right before his eyes.

"Alert! Host is in critical condition...

Blessing of Ruru activated."

A translucent deer spirit slowly emerged from the mark on Taranis's forehead, expelling the sword from his shoulder. His wounds began to heal. The hole in his right shoulder left by the ballista closed, while his internal organs, damaged by Rhaegar's attack, regenerated to their original state.

The knights witnessing the spectacle stood frozen, their eyes widened and lips trembling in absolute shock.

"Th-the rumors are true. He is really immortal."

"H-he just completely healed from a wound that should have killed him."

"Is there even any point in fighting when we cannot even kill him?"

The knights murmured, shivering, losing the last shred of hope they had to defeat the legendary Lightning God they had only heard of in stories and tales.

Not all of the Empire's soldiers had participated in the First Ultimate War against the Demons, so they had never witnessed Taranis's wrath firsthand.

While the knights trembled uncontrollably in fear and shock, Rhaegar analyzed the situation calmly. The moment Taranis was healed, the Soulforce pressure he had been unconsciously radiating dropped by more than half.

There was no doubt. Although he had recovered, the skill had clearly consumed a large amount of Soulforce.

If he landed one more critical injury, he would be able to finish him off.

"Focus on the battle!" Rhaegar commanded, his voice booming. "The monster has become weaker. He will not be able to revive again. Surround him in a circular formation!"

The guards, though skeptical of Rhaegar's words, followed his orders nonetheless.

While the knights moved to surround Taranis once more, he murmured in a low voice,

"Vivi, activate Jambavan's blessing."

"Analyzing Host's opponent…"

"Opponent is in a higher realm than the Host!"

"Activating Blessing of Jambavan…"

A crimson beast spirit emerged from Taranis's head and spread across his body, coating his skin in a crimson mist.

The mist seeped into his flesh. His long black hair fluttered violently as its color shifted to deep crimson. The golden hue of his dual pupils turned bloodshot, and the pressure he emanated surged severalfold, far greater than at the beginning of the battle.

"Blessing of Jambavan activated."

Taranis's crimson eyes swept across the ranks of soldiers surrounding him, and slowly, the corner of his lips began to rise.