Azimuth: The Elden Throne (New Version)

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/BOOOM!/

With a thundering eruption, a mushroom cloud rose into the skies as dust and dirt were flung in all directions.

/Tremble!/

"What?!"

From afar, a flash of light covered the Fields, and the Southern portion of Resko trembled slightly, and now, debris started to fall from the sky…

/Chatter!/

The people pointed fingers, whispering to each other as they tried to figure out what had just happened.

But they could not approach, as an invisible barrier prevented them from doing so.

/Clang!/

/Clang!/

/Cling!/

/Fwoosh!/

/BAM!/

However, this wasn't the end as within the cloud of dust, the sounds of metal clashing echoed rhythmically as impact waves shook the fields.

/FWOOSH!/

Suddenly, a green shadow flew out of the cloud, landing in the grassy fields like a bullet!

/ROAR!/

The Karkavan warrior proficiently rolled on the ground, using his Cleaver to reduce his speed as he slid across the ground, creating another long gash on the grassy plains.

He screamed as he did so, unwilling to fall, his will was like metal as he plunged his foot into the ground to stabilize himself. 

"!"

/BAM!/

But right after the green flash, a blue bolt of light pierced the dust cloud, moving at a speed way faster than the ordinary eye could perceive!

It was a knight clad in heavy armor, holding a spear with a red tip.

He ran with his spear, pointing it forward, 5 blue strings of light revolving around it like the moons orbiting around a planet.

Seeing this, the warrior's eyes narrowed.

"Grr…"

/Crummm…/

His Cleaver started to vibrate, and dark red mist condensed around its edges.

Muddan grasped his cleaver with his two hands, raising it towards the sky.

"MALAKA!"

/Crackle!/

/Shudder!/

A bolt of dark lightning fell from the skies onto the blade, lingering within it…

(Image?)

".."

Seeing this, Dale did not step back, choosing to follow up with his own technique, the one he had been preparing ever since he threw Muddan away.

'I've won in terms of strength, but that was after a lot of powerups from my items.'

'I could keep pressing him like this and I'm likely to win over time, even with his superior combat experience...'

'If I were to add the Skills from my items...'

'But I don't want such a cheap victory!'

He clenched his teeth and grasped his nameless failure of a spear.

It faintly pulsated with a red glint…

'My own technique, that I learned with my own efforts!'

The 5 wisps of blue light around the tip of the spear started to revolve faster, akin to a small tornado, creating a cone that completely covered the spear.

"^%&$!!"

Muddan also seemed to scream something in his own language, albeit it was more akin to roaring sounds than actual words.

/FWOOSH!/

In the blink of an eye, Dale arrived within 6 steps of the Karkavan warrior, faint mist covering the edges of his armor as he entered a stance.

So with conviction, he pierced with his spear…

While in the meantime, the Karkavan warrior cleaved down with his sword!

"Hupp!"

[Spear Technique: Helix Strike 3.5 Star]

"ROAR!"

The blue spear and the dark blade collide once more, stopping to a standstill as if they were equal in power.

/CLANG!/

For a small moment, no sounds apart from the metal clashing could be heard…

/BOOM!/

But that only lasted for a moment as an explosion of energy soon followed!

Dale wasn't given even a single moment to breathe, as the enemy in front of him moved his massive arms, swinging his hulking blade toward his head once more!

/CLANG CLANG CLANG!/

"ARG!"

Grunting as each impact felt like being hit by a truck, Dale persevered as the ground broke beneath his feet.

/BAM!/

"Wh...?"

"Grr..."

Dale took a small gap in his enemy's large swings to hit his chest, but Muddan only grunted in a low tone upon receiving his fully powered fist.

Even if he was hurt severely from it, Muddan's only expression was that of exhilaration as he continued to push himself even further.

He didn't seem to fear such injuries, on the contrary, he became fiercer!

'Shit!'

Dale quickly retreated, understanding that he had been baited!

/BAM!/

But it was a tad bit late as Muddan raised his leg, kicking him in the stomach!

Dale's armor proved its worth at this moment, greatly reducing the impact and preventing him from puking his entire breakfast out.

"Wuhahaha!"

Laughing uncontrollably, Muddan crushed the poor ground, running after Dale as lightning started to gather around his cleaver again.

/KII!/

Several of the large insects scattered around the fields were turned into charcoal by the dark lightning as Muddan bulldozed through the field, setting everything ablaze!

"HUFF!"

Breathing quickly, Dale spun in the air, kicking the ground and jumping to the skies.

/Fwoosh!/

From the dissipating smoke cloud, Caladgolg flew after Dale, allowing him to land on it and ride it in the air.

/Tremble.../

"My hands are a bit numb… Is this the difference in proficiency?" He asked himself as he shook his right arm

'My stats are clearly higher than his, even if we account for his own items.'

Dale clenched his hands.

'However, he is measuring up to me regardless, and he doesn't seem tired, on the contrary, he is having a damn blast!'

'I can't feel mana from him, at least not a meaningful amount, but he has quite the incredible Prime Force… He's using it so well that despite his inferior strength, he can still put up a fight.'

'That was how he blocked my fist without even flinching...'

'Albeit it still lacks in comparison to what I felt earlier…'

'If I were to rate it... While my Prime Force is 1 Star...'

'His would be over 6?'

'And whatever I felt in the forest... It's hard to say because that was merely a powerful wave of Vitality, there wasn't exactly any Skill I could derive from it.' 

Dale swallowed some dry air...

'If I can't face this guy, then defeating the Greater Devil is just a joke!'

/BOOM!/

"GUOOAAA!"

Despite Dale only resting for a few seconds, Muddan had already become fed up with his target being so far away for so long.

So in a surprising turn of events, he grabbed his cleaver and… Threw it like a boomerang!

"!"

This greatly surprised Dale, who quickly blocked the strike with Caladgold, but that was everything Muddan wanted.

"Son of a…"

"WUHAHAHA!"

Laughing heartily, Muddan flew into the sky as he grabbed his cleaver and slashed at Dale!

It was a perfectly calculated move that was both precise and immeasurably reckless at the same time, a single mistake would've made him extremely vulnerable in the sky…

A new lesson for Dale, next time, this wouldn't work.

/CLANG!/

/CRASH!/

Dale was sent crashing down onto the ground as Mudda held his chest and threw him down, his head getting dizzy as his vision became turbid.

Just because his body was sturdy, that didn't mean his brain and internal organs would be okay after being thrown from the sky at 500Km an hour.

That was considerably faster than even the fastest bird on Earth!

(Fastest bird -> 83 M per second while diving; Dale falling -> 139 M per second)

"Ugh… I wanna throw up…" He mumbled to himself as his vision refocused

His body screamed in pain and discomfort...

But he quickly raised his head, immediately sobering up.

This wasn't the time to be stunned!

"$*&$#!!"

Because right above him, a screaming giant fell like a meteor!

/BOOOM!/

Dale shamefully rolled on the ground, evading the downward strike from the mad barbarian!

The earth broke apart, creating a 20M wide crater, Dale couldn't tell if his helmet would've been strong enough to block that…

Had he been there...

[Stable Emotions 3-Star has been activated]

[Fighting Spirit 4-Star has been activated]

Even in the face of death, Dale kept his ground, not letting  himself lose his pace…

His Skills activated, and his mind went back to normal.

"HA!"

Screaming just like the tribal warrior, Dale took the opportunity of his opponent's weird stance and slashed Caladgolg while he activated his Armor exclusive Skill.

He said he wouldn't use the overpowering Skills from his weapon, the rest were open for discussion!

[Twin Keiser 4-Star]

/FWOOSH!/

In a split second, Dale swung Caladgolg twice within the same time it previously took him to strike once, grabbing Muddan off guard!

"!"

/Clang!/

Yet, as he saw the blade's edge approach, Muddan's eyes grew incredibly stale and focused.

Using his extensive combat knowledge, Muddan evaded the first swing by bending his back, getting grazed on the shoulder while blocking the second swing using the centrifugal force of his cleaver!

A display of combat understanding that could only be acquired with many battles and years of experience!

Not only that, Muddan clenched his right fist, uppercutting Dale's chin!

"UGH!"

/CRACK!/

/BAM!/

Dale flinched backward, but like Muddan, he used his own Prime Force to regulate his own body, preventing him from getting knocked up!

But with this, he had created an opportunity!

[Impact Shield 4-Star]

/SMACK!/

"!"

/Crack…/

Dale went beyond Muddan's expectations by headbutting his chest, the impact was so severe that Muddan was sent flying back, his chest in severe pain due to one of his ribs cracking.

Dale was unsure if this would work, yet one thing was for certain...

/Thud…/

"Arg… Shit… This will end up in a severe headache later…" Dale complained as he clutched onto his head

'Looks like I don't need a shield to use this Skill... But next time, I'll use my hands.'

"At least the helmet seems okay." 

'I have a long way to go aye…'

Smiling, he got up from the ground.

'But I always knew that.'

/THUNDER!/

On the spot Muddan fell, a dark pillar of light rose into the skies!

It wasn't a unique ability or anything of the sort, it was simply his overwhelming Primal force, being let out into the world!

/ROAR!/

Seeing this, Dale smiled slightly.

"Are you getting serious now?"

/Grasp…/

/Dig…/

Dale pierced the ground with Caladgold, letting it rest there as he assumed a throwing position with his nameless spear.

"Fine then, I'll crush your expectations."

His arms started to glow blue…

Not his arms… But his entire body, his green veins glowed, creating a rather bizarre and sickly sight, albeit something none could see as his body was covered from head to toe.

Dale was pouring all of his current Mana onto that strike… It was much more than he could handle, but he lasted through the pain.

His heart was beating fast, and the energy within him was on the verge of going berserk!

To set off the rampaging energy in his veins, Dale pushed it all to his two rings, activating their inherit Skills.

[Ding]

[Eclipsing Ashes darken the skies]

[Still Ocean hides the land]

All around him, dark ash and white mist started to form, freezing and burning the ground at the same time...

/Szzz…/

The tip of the nameless spear glowed faintly, resonating with the beating of his heart.

He clearly noticed this phenomenon, but he wasn't in a position to analyze it.

"What a weird material…"

"If I had a name for this I would blurt it out now, but I have none, so I'll just…"

With even more Mana, Dale activated two more Skills:

[Frozen Clouds]

[Eruption]

His two rings burst with red and blue light as the hidden powers within them were brought forward, covering the tip of his spear with chaotic energies that laid haste all around him.

"..."

He held his breath, flexing his body as his feet dug deep onto the ground, his waist twisted, his arms bent, and he released it…

/BOOM!/

"FLY!"

Dale's scream was silenced by the sonic boom created as the spear pierced the air, its target, Muddan's heart!

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Notes