Chapter 227: The Strongest Shield and the Strongest Spear (3)

Distance and the first strike were an archer’s greatest weapons. Until an enemy closed to melee, the archer had an infinite number of first strikes. Two thousand meters was not an insignificant distance; it would take five minutes with a full sprint, and it would still take an entire minute even on horseback. Plus, this wasn’t an open plain but a thick forest with scattered boulders. One would have to walk cautiously to avoid falling, but...

Rumble!!

Thunder rolled each time Hyperion leaped, and he covered dozens of meters in an instant. His speed was so terrifying that even Keter’s arrows—arrows that had never missed when he meant them to—were helplessly evaded.

“Arrows. Such cute little weapons.”

However, Hyperion did not underestimate Keter’s archery.

Who would’ve thought anyone but my master could pierce my Divine Ironblood Physique?

Divine Ironblood Physique, in theory, hardened the body without limit, making it so durable that even orichalcum, the strongest mineral, would feel soft in comparison. It didn’t just harden flesh; it formed hair-thin layers both on the surface and beneath the skin, and these layers were as durable as orichalcum.

Though it was invisible to the naked eye, Hyperion was being protected by ninety-two layers. Yet the arrow that struck his forehead had shattered some of those layers and struck flesh.

My damned master could just thump me in the head and puncture it... But that was unnerving.

Keter’s arrow had flown thousands of meters in perfect silence. As Hyperion had sensed it too late, he couldn’t pass it without injury.

If that arrow had hit me a year ago, I would have died without a chance.

A year before, he only had fifty-two layers, so the arrow would have embedded halfway through his skull. No matter how monstrously strong, anyone with half an arrow in the head would die on the spot. This meant...

“You came too late, Keter.”

Realizing he couldn’t pin down and shoot the charging Hyperion mid-run, Keter changed tactics. He fired Milky Way ahead of Hyperion’s trajectory, hoping the explosions would stop the advance.

“Is that all? Do the same attack that left a bump on my forehead! Try it again!”

Milky Way was powerful. Its explosions alone could shatter several layers, but Divine Ironblood Physique was not called a divine art for nothing. Destroyed layers regenerated instantly, regardless of the number damaged. In short, unless one destroyed all ninety-two layers at once, the attack was meaningless. Keter knew this, but seeing it in action still made him laugh inwardly.

Ridiculous.

Hyperion basically had a near-invincible shield that self-restored. Keter honestly wondered who devised and perfected it.

But I didn’t just shoot for nothing.

“Hmm...?!”

Hyperion pushed through Milky Way’s explosion, then halted, scanning his surroundings.

“Running away? By yourself?”

Only Decameron remained where Keter had been.

“Ha! You abandoned pride and fled to survive? And you call yourself a man?”

His laugh rang through the woods, loud enough to carry to the neighboring country.

“Hmm, did you really run...?”

Hyperion could not read Keter’s presence. Soon, his gaze dropped to Decameron. His eyes were full of life, but had no emotion.

“Eh? Are you even human?

Descending from above, Hyperion stood before Decameron, who did not move to block him.

“Looking closer, you...”

Hyperion frowned and raised his fist, but then unexpectedly thrust his left arm back.

A white arrow—White Cloud—trembled in his hand.

“I knew you wouldn’t have run away.”

Hyperion was struck by White Cloud once, and he wasn’t about to be hit a second time. He thrust his palm rather than his fist toward the direction the arrow had come from.

Sudden Thunderpalm From The Blue.

The Fist Emperor’s techniques weren’t only fist techniques. Though palm techniques were less devastating than the fists, their range and reach were far greater. Tens of meters of forest were swept away bare. It was Hyperion’s attempt to flush out Keter, who was hiding somewhere.

Then...

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

“I expected you to aim where the arrow came from too.”

Keter’s voice came from somewhere else; it was directly behind Decameron.

“...!”

Hyperion’s eyes widened when he was caught from behind.

He was lying down behind that runt, hiding?!

It wasn’t only because Keter’s had impressive stealth skills; Keter’s presence had been buried because of Decameron’s as well. On top of that, Hyperion could not imagine an archer attacking from such close range with an arrow, no less.

Gripping two Tusks, Keter plunged them into Hyperion’s neck. There was no acceleration, but Keter had activated Heavenly Strength: Level Five, trying to make up for any lack of raw speed.

Grrrr! Riiippp!

Two Tusks struck Hyperion’s thick neck. It was clearly a strike piercing the opponent’s weakness. Yet...

“Your massage skills are top-notch. My muscles were all sore, so thanks.”

The Tusk—the very one that had killed the Queen Rock Ant—didn’t work. It wasn’t imbued with White Cloud or Demon Arrow, but it was shocking to see that Hyperion had not even budged a slight bit.

Hyperion turned and swung an arm; Keter blocked with Amaranth but was pushed back.

“I didn’t think someone as strong as you would run. But I never imagined you would lie down and hide. Sacrificing pride to win—I respect that.”

Keter wiped blood from his mouth. Even blocking with Demon Bow Amaranth couldn’t fully negate the impact. Now, it was clear there was no chance of victory. He had even abandoned the archer’s best advantage—distance—and ambushed, but had still utterly failed.

Even Tusk, known for its piercing in Keter’s Limitless Archery, couldn’t breach Divine Ironblood Physique without White Cloud and the Demon Arrow. Hyperion wasn’t foolish enough to let himself be struck by that twice

However, Keter just grinned.

“I expected you to respect me,” he said teasingly.

Hyperion frowned slightly.

“Putting on an air of nonchalance? Fine. Let’s see if you can keep smiling when your limbs are torn off.”

* * *

Kai thought homunculi were made solely for battle and slaughter, but that wasn’t true. A homunculus was the closest thing to an artificial human lifeform: they thought and judged for themselves. Decameron was no different. Watching Keter fight Hyperion, he thought he should help, but he didn’t move. He simply watched the two fight, but it was not indifference.

If I interfere, I’ll only get in the way.

Keter was walking on the razor’s edge. He wasn’t merely flanked by death; he was carrying death on his back.

Kaboom! Rumble!!

Every time Hyperion thrust his fist, thunder rolled. These explosions were so loud they could burst eardrums, but it wasn’t the noise that terrified so much as the obscene force. Everything in his path shattered. It felt less like breaking objects and more like tearing up space itself.

Keter’s close-quarters archery was also exceptional. While Hyperion kept missing Keter by the slimmest margins, Keter’s hit rate was flawless. He deflected with his bow, struck with the shaft, stabbed and stabbed and slashed with arrows in hand. Aura arrows fanned out like wings at his sides, aiming for the most tender parts of the body: the eyes, ears, lips, and groin.

None of it penetrates. I cannot even measure his defense level.

Decameron didn’t know the Divine Ironblood Physique’s mechanics, but even he could see Hyperion’s defense was beyond normal bounds. There may be materials or techniques with comparable hardness, but none that were constantly activated and protected the entire body at all times.

A paradox: Hyperion is the man who wields both the strongest spear and the strongest shield.

Decameron coldly analyzed who would win this fight.

Mr. Keter’s chance of victory is one in eighty-one million four hundred fifty thousand.

It was not as if the chance were zero, but that percentage was closer to the likelihood of Hyperion self-destructing than to Keter actually winning.

“Stop staring at my private parts!”

Having already been kicked in the groin eight times by Keter, Hyperion snapped and pointed a finger. It was a finger technique. A laser shot from his fingertip struck Keter’s shoulder. It was swift and deliberate—a type of Hyperion had never shown before.

“Oh, can’t dodge this one?”

Keter narrowly avoided the fist and palm techniques by a hair. Of course, dodging didn’t erase the force, but the shockwave alone wasn’t enough to kill Keter.

After landing a visible strike with his finger technique, Hyperion began jabbing his fingers and rapidly unleashing laser-like beams. From an outside perspective, it looked almost ridiculous, but Keter, who was facing it, had no choice but to abandon dodging and rely on Amaranth and his arm to shield only his vital points.

Squelch! Drip...

Holes began to appear across Keter’s body, and blood sprayed everywhere. He swung his bloody arm at Hyperion, and a spray of blood struck Hyperion in the eye.

“What, you think me not being able to see anything is going to change anything?”

Transcendentals didn’t go blind simply because their eyes were blocked; other senses could compensate for it.

Hyperion didn’t bother moving and stood still for Keter. After taking Keter’s blows, he saw no reason to fear defeat. Calmly, he brought his thumb and index finger together.

“Kaleidoscope,” he called out.

Thirty-two panels with only acceleration and refraction effects left sprayed outward.

“You’ve got some tricks kids would like.”

Hyperion folded his arms as if daring him to attack, and Keter didn’t decline.

Woong...!

Wings of arrows sprouted at Keter’s sides. He had already failed once with Tusk; now he imbued Tusks on Amaranth as well.

Hyperion scoffed.

“That technique hurt the first time, sure, but it’s different now. The power in your arrow is diminished. With that half-measure, you can’t even ruffle a hair on me.”

“Then take them.”

“By all means.”

Hyperion beckoned Keter, taunting him.

Twaang!

Keter unleashed twenty-one full-power Tusks at Hyperion at once. It was similar to before, but different; the scattered Kaleidoscope Panels around Hyperion repeatedly accelerated and refracted the projectiles, increasing their speed.

“Hm?”

Buzz... Buzz buzz buzz!

The twenty-one Tusks spun in orbit so fast they formed vortices. Watching intently, Keter clenched his fist as the projectiles reached critical acceleration.

Kaaaang!!!

The Tusks, accelerated to their limit, struck Hyperion all over. The outer tips spun, battering against the walls of the Divine Ironblood Physique. When the spin slowed, the second acceleration followed, but...

“Certainly better than before, but is that the best you’ve got?”

Hyperion wiped the blood from his eye and showed he was completely unscathed. Talking gave Keter rest, yet Keter refused the respite and pressed on. This time it was not Tusks but Milky Way.

Boom boom boom!

“I told you, you can’t... Huh?”

However, Milky Way was not aimed at Hyperion but where he was standing.

“Trying to bury me? Have you given up?”

Hyperion leaped up from the collapsing ground. Above him was Keter; he had anticipated Hyperion’s jump and gone up first.

“Ha! What can you do up there? What will you do?”

Hyperion was beginning to relish the thought of hearing Keter scream, and this was the perfect opportunity. Movement was restricted mid-air, so if Hyperion struck at that moment, even Keter wouldn’t be able to avoid it.

Hyperion readied Sudden Thunderpalm From The Blue; though this was weaker than the fist technique, it would be more precise.

Thud!!

The blow landed on Keter’s chest. It wasn’t a direct hit to the heart, but given the power of the Thunderpalm, it could have blown off his entire torso.

It’s been a while since I’ve met someone that interesting. His food was good, too.

Despite landing that strike, Hyperion felt a twinge of regret. However, if someone was meant to die in this fight, it wasn’t going to be him.

“Well, short but fun. Farewell, Keter.”

As Hyperion began to prematurely deliver Keter’s eulogy...

“I expected you to use the palm technique.”

“...?!”

Keter grabbed Hyperion’s wrist with his left hand and thrust his right hand forward. He was holding White Cloud imbued with Tusk, but not with the Demon Arrow. Seeing this, Hyperion scoffed.

Even that first strike couldn’t fully pierce my Divine Ironblood Physique. What can that do?

He imagined Keter’s death. But then...

Whoosh!

Keter thrust White Cloud. It was an unexpected strike, but ambushes didn’t work on Divine Ironblood Physique anyway. Yet this time, something felt different.

“Gah?!”

The sound Hyperion made was different from before.