Realm of Myths and Legends

Izroth had no time to read over the upgraded Heavenly Golden Body; however, he could feel the extreme changes his body underwent as well as the effects they brought about.

For one, Izroth felt that the bones in his body had become increasingly durable. He noticed that the instant he stepped through into the next stage of the Heavenly Golden Body, the strain caused by his Compressed Lightning Movement was sharply reduced.

In addition, the previous build-up of stress on Izroth's body that was generated by his earlier three movements had practically vanished altogether.

But, there was another change that directly affected Izroth's body in an extreme fashion.

The Earthly Golden Bones not only boosted his overall strength capabilities but also increased his body mass to fives times its original amount!

The additional mass did not alter his physical appearance; however, even more unusual, the abrupt shift in mass had no effect on Izroth's mobility. Somehow, it felt as if it were simultaneously present and nonexistent.

The rattling of chains echoed around Izroth in every direction.

In a flash, Ourami's chains sealed off the area around Izroth as they rapidly began to collapse in on themselves while several of the chains shot out in an attempt to restrain Izroth.

It was obvious that Ourami did not care whether or not Izroth was severely injured; however, it was clear that the pillar wanted to capture him alive.

Izroth was not naive. Just because his Heavenly Golden Body was upgraded and he had Full Mantle as well as the World of Annihilation buff from his Third Baneful Sword still active, did not mean that his chances of obtaining victory had skyrocketed. At most, it only jumped by a couple of percent if even that.

Ourami had not used anything close to a domain or Source, yet he was already able to display a great deal of power. And, while Izroth was uncertain whether or not the residents of this Secret Realm were even capable of learning a domain or Source, the fact did not change that Ourami had yet to demonstrate his true ability.

Izroth remembered that Astratis mentioned Ourami's title as Heaven's Strength was not just for show. And, in terms of physical strength, within the Secret Realm, he had no equal.

If someone like Astratis spoke that way, then it was not a simple matter of overexaggerating the pillar's ability. Without a doubt, Ourami's true strength lay in his abnormal physical body. This was something caught a glimpse of after attacking him not too long ago.

The protective aura that encompassed Ourami when he attacked was not generated from a magic item like his Seventh Origin Flames Necklace or some hidden artifact. Instead, the protective aura around Ourami came from the core of the pillar's physique.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Suddenly, a rain of chains fell down upon Izroth in a seemingly endless barrage.

Every time one of the chains struck the earth, it trembled from the impact and left deep scars in its wake.

At the same time, Izroth slowly felt his consciousness slipping away as he became somewhat drowsy.

'This is...'

Izroth closed his eyes. In the beginning, the rattling of the chains seemed like nothing more than jumbled noise. But, upon listening closely, the sound of a unique melody flowed was created amidst the chaos. This sound was discernable under typical circumstances; however, Izroth could "see" the strange points with his Energy Vision Sense.

The unique melody was hypnotic and drew one in. By the time they realized what was going on, it would be too late.

Zeeeeut!

Thirty meters away from the sphere of chains, Izroth appeared out of thin air as he opened his eyes and briefly observed the chains in the distance.

If he was a bit slower, he may have ended up in the same state he could Hakros back at the black lake!

'Those chains... They're similar to the mystery chains that represent the will of the world.'

When Izroth first formed his Soul Avatar Empyrean, a bundle of mysterious chains appeared out of nowhere and attempted to seal off his efforts. These mysterious chains were peaceful as long as you did not obstruct their path. But, the moment you showed any hostility towards them, they became ruthless and relentless in their pursuit to accomplish the will of the world.

However, while Ourami's chains worked on a similar principle, Izroth was positive that they did not contain the will of the world like those mysterious chains. That being said, they were able to completely seal off the surrounding space in the area he was recently located in.

If not for his Primed Ability: Space Defying Tread, Izroth may have had to burn through several lifesaving items just to escape in one piece!

'It's a good thing I saved the charges back then.'

Back when he was being chased by the Keeper of the Third Gate Tigryli, Izroth used up the last of his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement charges.

However, even though Izroth's Enhanced Instantaneous Movement and Primed Ability: Space Defying Tread came from the same skill, they had separate charges. Just now, Izroth utilized one of these charges to escape from the confined space.

One of the effects of his Primed Ability: Space Defying Tread was that the skill could not be disrupted nor disabled. Also, unlike Enhanced Instantaneous Movement, he could travel directly through solid objects and magic barriers.

Of course, the downside was that the primed ability had a charge limit of two. Furthermore, the recharge for an additional charge was 30 minutes—a far cry from the 45 seconds it took for Izroth to gain an Enhanced Instantaneous Movement charge.

'I have five bursts remaining before I can no longer use Compressed Lightning Movement. When that happens, I won't be able to outrun those chains for long.'

As the sphere of chains unraveled and prepared to resume their pursuit of Izroth, he cleared his mind and gathered his thoughts.

〈System Alert: You have entered the «Mind of Craft».〉

〈System Alert: Your crafting speed and senses have been temporarily increased by 300%!〉

'That's right. I had nearly forgotten...'

In a moment, Izroth's perception soared to new heights as the world around him seemed to slow down.

〈System Alert: The skill «Deep Insight» has been activated.〉

〈System Alert: The passive skill «Gifted Expertise of An Artisan» has taken effect.〉

'These chains are nothing more than a man-made creation. If that's the case, then... I'll just have to find its weakest link.'

Izroth understood that relying on brute force and his speed to overwhelm Ourami was not possible. Those chains were also tough enough that they could withstand being cut in half by his Sword of The Storm—a weapon that had been enhanced by the Enati.

But, just because something seemed indestructible on the surface, did not mean that was truly the case.

〈System Alert: [1] Flaw has been discovered in «Melodic Chains of Kleides»!〉

Although it was hidden by his current form, a carefree smile formed on Izroth's face as he received feedback from his Deep Insight.

At the same time, Izroth's Gifted Expertise of An Artisan amplified as a result of his Deep Insight.

'As long as it's man-made, there is no way it will fail to see through it. After all, this skill once belonged to the number one craftsman in the Mortal Realm.'

〈System Alert: Analyzing complete!〉

〈System Alert: You have located [15] Flaws in «Melodic Chains of Kleides»!〉

〈System Alert: Would you like to begin the correction process?〉

"Start it," Izroth said without hesitation.

Using Deep Insight, Izroth saw through the most glaring weak point that existed within the chains. And, by immediately following it up with his Gifted Expertise of An Artisan, Izroth was able to undercover a wide array of flaws within the chains.

Of course, even though the system asked if Izroth wanted to begin the correction process and he agreed, naturally, he had no plans on truly repairing the chains!

The next moment, a spear materialized in Izroth's other hand. It was the Scorched Inferno's Fang.

〈System Alert: You have equipped «Scorched Inferno's Fang».〉

〈System Alert: Attack Damage for the item «Scorched Inferno's Fang» has been reduced by 975 points due to the effect of «Dual Wielding»!〉

〈System Alert: Agility for the item «Scorched Inferno's Fang» has been reduced by 152 points due to the effect of «Dual Wielding»!〉

When Izroth equipped the Scorched Inferno's Fang, it erupted in purple flames as sparks of lightning could be seen flowing throughout the spear.

Izroth kicked off his back foot as the space around him warped.

In the blink of an eye, he placed himself right at the center of the storm of chains!

"Hm? Does he plan on embracing his death?" Ourami inwardly frowned as he witnessed Izroth's actions.

Ourami did not expect Izroth to escape from the encirclement of chains he created earlier. However, despite escaping, they were now placing themselves in a similar situation once again of their own free will.

"It seems he has gone mad." Ourami scoffed.