Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player

Although Bastion's body no longer emanated any hints of his Pure Indomitable Will, his mere presence instead had become the embodiment of indomitability. 

Due to the synergy of Last Stand, the skill book he obtained from the Epic Treasure Chest, which was also somewhat related to a skill that belonged to the Ancient Defender Class regardless, Last Stand underwent a truly remarkable evolution.

While it couldn't compare to the Ancient Crimson Aegis that Kieran refrained from using at all times, the effects of Bastion's new skill were phenomenal. Beyond that, however, the enhanced skill wasn't merely regarded as an S Rank Skill… it was an SS Rank Skill.

Counting Kieran's current Blood Mania skill, it was possible that the number of SS Rank Skills circulating throughout the player base numbered less than 10, perhaps even 5!

The stipulations surrounding such a skill were severe.

Blood Mania, for example, possessed many frightening facets. Simply the fact it could heal Kieran a number of times and almost triple his Phys. Atk was enough to label it a ridiculous advantage.

But most of all, what truly made Blood Mania a perverse skill was its lack of a cooldown. 

As an innate ability, it couldn't be given a cooldown, which was similar to how Bastion's Pure Indomitable Will had no cooldown.

Following his transformation, Bastion, who levitated a few centimeters off the ground, planted his feet firmly, looking at Bundal with a dignified expression. 

All signs of playfulness on his face vanished, replaced by a poised demeanor.

If one looked closely, or rather felt Bastion's presence properly, they'd recognize some similarities with Galvan's appearance from before Bastion was introduced to his Class Change Trial.

The only difference was that while Bastion's form-fitting yet majestic-looking armor was a construct of his Will, Galvan's attire was a special set of armor designed to augment the effects of said Will.

"Holy crap!" Nemean stammered, becoming slack-jawed. He could only blink at Bastion's appearance wordlessly, following his exclamation. 

Since Bastion had decidedly chosen not to reveal the presence of this skill, not even Nemean, his close brother, was aware of this skill's effects.

Meanwhile, Kieran looked at Bastion's current form, his eyes shimmering with the effects of the True Unveiling Gaze. 'This skill… it's forcibly burning through all of his Will at once. At the end of its duration… he'll undoubtedly enter an unprecedented state of weakness. This is just like my skill. It's a Release skill!'

In Zenith Online, Release-type skills referred to skills that possessed no inherent attack abilities but could augment one's current arsenal to new heights. 

However, this augmentation was temporary and the depth depended on the rank of the skill. Unfortunately, the depth and drawbacks were directly proportional. 

The stronger the provided increase of power, the more damning the drawbacks of the release-type skill were. This was why, in Kieran's previous timeline, release-type skills with substantial consequences were used sparingly during times of great peril.

Though it wasn't a moment of "great peril", Kieran understood why Bastion activated such a technique. 

Firstly, Bundal was an opponent of monstrous proportions. Without attributes to offset the upset in their battle, emerging victorious without great losses would be impossible.

Aside from this, Kieran also heard Bastion's words. 'Like Altair, he's willing to shoulder my burden to keep me from falling into that deranged state once more. Even if it means he could potentially experience an ungodly amount of pain…'

Subconsciously, while looking at Bastion's current state, Kieran tightened his grasp on the Tensile Blood Swath. The ribbon vibrated subtly as a blackened crimson light began to bleed from Kieran's eyes.

In the meantime, Bastion took a step forward and raised his hand. Thanks to the effects of Ancient Enhancement, Bastion's current Health, DEF, END, VIT, and Damage Reduction had all been significantly increased at the cost of his Will.

Although the skill didn't have a definite duration because it relied upon his Will, once his Will was depleted, Bastion's skill would similarly come to an end.

  "I have a duty to my team as their defender. This extends beyond a simple dungeon. I must become a presence capable of holding the torch in the absence of our leader," Bastion stated in a clear voice.

He paused and looked past Bundal, looking directly at Kieran. "Aatrox, please forgive my ineptitude and cowardice on all our journeys thus far. I meant what I said at the beginning of this run. I intend to become one of your pillars—the unshakeable one," Bastion voiced, his tone steady and calm yet carrying deep-seated emotion.

"Ineptitude?" Kieran parroted, his tone questioning and doubtful. "We walk a path of development. I do not care about your past. I only care about how illustrious you can make your future. Mistakes are permitted. Times of weakness are allowed. But quitting is not."

As he listened to Kieran's words, Bastion slowly closed his eyes with a faint smile. 'That's our leader, alright. Steadfast, encouraging, and somewhat detached, yet not emotionless. On the contrary, he's quite in tune with them.'

After gathering his thoughts, Bastion opened his eyes, a blaze of cerulean energy swirling within. "Then as I am the shield. Aatrox, please become the sword."

"With pleasure," Kieran said. 

Though, his gaze shifted to Nemean for a moment. "However, you are only one of my twin shields. Without your counterpart, you are incomplete. There is an incongruity between you for the time being, but I promise that it won't be the case in the future."

Alice, Nemean, and Sera's expressions all changed after hearing this. 

Did Kieran just promise that he would find a class that would at least put Nemean on the same level in terms of ranking? This could be extrapolated from Kieran's words, although he didn't directly mention it. 

However, outside of the Mythic Class—the Goliath—finding a class on par with Bastion's was incredibly hard. 

Nevertheless, Kieran felt up to the challenge.

Bundal was admittedly sickened by the conversation because he immediately snapped his neck toward Bastion and scowled. "Why are you not dead? My Imperfect Transmutations should have crushed you!"

"Evidently, you didn't hit me hard enough," Bastion retorted.

As if feeling challenged by Bastion's words, Bundal leapt toward him, rushing through the air at breakneck speeds.

After arriving in the blink of an eye, Bundal unleashed an alarming swing, backed by an amount of force one would only employ when seeking to utterly demolish their opponent.

Yet, despite the impending circumstances and the possibility of his arm shattering, Bastion kept his arm extended. 

In the next moment, a somewhat metaphysical version of Bastion's Will Armament manifested in the air between him and Bundal. 

Based on its appearance, it was clear that this creation was sturdier than ever.

…BANG!

An absurd shockwave spread throughout the cavern, creating a tremendous web-like crack along the ground for tens of meters. 

The odd part of this collision, however, was that the immediate area surrounding Bastion remained untouched by the force of the impact.

The other might not have realized what took place before the exchange, but Kieran did. Bastion's body shifted minutely, perhaps less than two centimeters. But because of that, his relative instantaneous motion created a shocking counterforce.

Of course, this wasn't the only reason for the current predicament. Bastion's manifested Will Armament also remained intact and seemingly undamaged by the exchange.

'It was only for an instant and it's probably not Bastion's doing. No… in fact, I'm 1000% sure it wasn't his doing. The enhancement he's under is merely so strong that it created an orb of absurd fortitude,' Kieran thought.

At this moment, even he began to wonder what would happen if he went up against Bastion with this Ancient Enhancement active.

"Preposterous! What foolishness have you committed?" Bundal screamed in exasperation.

He lifted his arm and swung it several times, each impact resulting in a thunderous explosion that resounded within the eardrums of everyone.

Once Bundal realized Bastion's sturdy defense continued to persist against his relentless bombardment, Bundal decided it was time to change his tactics. 

The strange transmutation magic circle appeared beneath his feet once more. But this time, it was the pebbles and ground that reacted.

Several small stones began levitating before transforming into thin, razor-sharp, metallic needless. 

Whoosh!

After completing their transmutation, Bundal launched them at Bastion while simultaneously altering his arm once more, taking on the shape of a sharp and round cleaver. 

"Resilient to blunt force? My calculating mind hasn't diminished at all. One simply needs to condense their target to deal with you."

As if he had heard the most amusing joke, Bastion chuckled softly. "Is that so?"

While the incoming needles sped through Bastion, he clapped his hands together and held them in the closed position. 

In response, the area within a few meters caved in as the Will Armament expanded, followed by an unusual presence embracing it.

Before the impact, Bastion's Will Armament gained a liquid-like texture that absorbed and deflected the needles. Roughly a second later, Bundal's cleave was similarly stopped by an adaptive and absorptive defense.

"This skill is ridiculous," Nemean screamed out gleefully, happy for Bastion's current situation.

However, Kieran's words were the proverbial water that doused Nemean's embers of hope and glory. 

"No, it isn't. While it's definitely strong, Bastion's current fortification is already beginning to break down," Kieran revealed. Unlike the others, Kieran discerned a subtle crack in the odd armor of Will that Bastion currently wore.

It was almost imperceptible at the moment, but it would only worsen further, given the fact that Bastion's current Will was finite and was being exhausted rapidly. 

Due to the circumstances, Kieran snapped his fingers. "We begin our assault now. Before Bastion's technique runs out, we must subdue Bundal. Otherwise…"

Kieran's expression grew grim as he paused and yanked on the Tensile Blood Swath, extracting Crimson Ashrune from the ground far away. While in flight, Kieran continued on with his sentence.

"There will be no proper tank for the remainder of this run."

The sentence was simple, but everyone felt the gravity of it.