Chapter 1023 – Third Stage

“Elise, we meet again.”

As Garuda looked at Elise, he couldn’t help but think back to the Continental Championship a few months ago and sighed inwardly.

Garuda recognized Elise’s talent. After all, despite not even entering the top four in the first Continental Championship, she had led her party into the top four during the second one. The rate of her improvement was much more impressive than that of the average chosen one.

Nonetheless, Garuda didn’t think his talent was worse than Elise’s. He had even reached the sixth-floor standard before she did.

But now, their statuses were worlds apart…

Garuda was unconvinced by this result. Now that his Guild had issued a commission to probe Elise’s standards, he could use this opportunity to prove that his talent wasn’t any worse than hers.

“Make your move,” Elise said indifferently.

“Okay! Let me see how much you’ve improved!” Garuda said, smiling. With his eyes burning with fighting spirit, he punched at Elise with all four of his fists.

Suddenly, the sky above the Twilight Fortress seemingly fell as a hundred phantom fists thousands of meters in size rained on Elise. The sight of these phantom fists sent shivers down the spines of the players in the fortress; some even despaired.

This was because the power of each phantom fist rivaled that of Pseudo-Tier 7 Profound Skills used by Divine Set users. Yet, Garuda had thrown a hundred of such punches. This was already comparable to the fierce attack of a Taboo Boss.

Just as the phantom fists were about to reach Elise, they merged, creating six phantom fists ten thousand meters in size. Naturally, the power each phantom fist carried became more devastating.

“Is Garuda insane? He’s getting serious right off the bat?” Tyrant Claw was surprised to see the six gigantic phantom fists.

As someone who had frequently clashed with Garuda, Tyrant Claw knew this move well.

The Sixfold Hundred Splitting Fists!

Hundred Splitting Fists was an original Advanced Gold Holy Art developed by Garuda. The threefold version of the technique already surpassed the average Peak Gold Holy Art in power, while the sixfold version was as strong as a fusion art that merged two Peak Gold Holy Arts.

“Incredible. The current Garuda is likely stronger than Ink Crystal when she fought in Everlasting City,” Daystar said, marveling at the speed of Garuda’s improvement.

However, unlike the Holy Race’s Absolute Chosen Ones, Elise, the recipient of Garuda’s Sixfold Hundred Splitting Fists, was unfazed. She simply opened the black book she held and began creating a series of magic arrays under her feet. Additionally, as soon as these magic arrays appeared, they quickly expanded to cover a radius of several thousand yards.

Threefold… Sixfold… Ninefold…

The magic arrays Elise created were for a Pseudo-Tier 7 Spell. With each additional magic array she created, the surprise of the magical class players in the Twilight Fortress grew.

Tier 6 players would be considered rare geniuses if they could speed-cast a Pseudo-Tier 7 Spell. As for speed-casting multiple instances of a Pseudo-Tier 7 Spell, even those capable of speed-casting just a twofold version would be marked as a chosen one. After all, multicasting a Spell was much more difficult than performing the Strength Combination of melee players.

Yet, Elise was speed-casting a ninefold Pseudo-Tier 7 Spell!

This was a feat much more complex than combining over a dozen attacks!

However, Elise still wasn’t done. Even after the appearance of the ninth magic array, more followed. It wasn’t until the twelfth magic array appeared that she was finally done. Meanwhile, the space within tens of thousands of yards started to crumble under the presence of the twelvefold magic array. At the same time, everyone—be they the various human powers’ experts or the Holy Race’s powerhouses—stared at the twelvefold magic array as if they had just seen a miracle.

“A twelvefold Pseudo-Tier 7 Spell! How is this possible?!” Hidden Soul couldn’t believe her eyes as she stared at the twelvefold magic array under Elise’s feet.

Most sixth-floor experts would find it challenging to even conjure a ninefold magic array for a Tier 6 Spell. The complexity of a Pseudo-Tier 7 Spell was much greater than that of a Tier 6 Spell. To be able to cast twelve instances of a Pseudo-Tier 7 Spell simultaneously was simply unbelievable. This was no longer a feat mere mortals should be capable of.

“Have you reached the third stage already?”

Garuda was also stunned by this scene, thinking that the Main God System was joking with him. Unfortunately, the Twelvefold World-Destroying Spear gradually emerging from the twelvefold magic array proved that he wasn’t hallucinating.

The sixth-floor standard’s third stage!

One of the main factors that differentiated sixth-floor experts from fifth-floor experts was their ability to perform Manifold Execution. However, even after reaching the sixth-floor standard, not everyone could perform Manifold Execution to the same level.

At first glance, the implementation of Manifold Execution might seem like it only required one person to carry out multiple tasks simultaneously. In reality, to perform Manifold Execution was akin to manipulating multiple individuals to move simultaneously.

To put things into perspective, suppose that each sixth-floor expert was in charge of a 100-man unit. Depending on the degree of mental control sixth-floor experts could exert, some sixth-floor experts could only get their subordinates to perform simple actions, some could get their subordinates to execute complex maneuvers, and some could get their subordinates to present a fluid synchronized dance, as if they were one body. This feat might appear simple to the casual eye, but to put it into practice was a completely different story.

This was especially so for Manifold Execution’s third stage—Hundred-as-One. Those capable of performing Manifold Execution to this stage could no longer be regarded as a mortal but a god. Garuda had never heard of anyone reaching this stage, even on the Hundred Race Battlefield.

However, Elise did not respond to Garuda’s question. Maintaining her indifferent expression, she launched the manifested World-Destroying Spear at him.

In the blink of an eye, the World-Destroying Spear dispersed the six phantom fists and tore through the fabric of space, creating a starry void that extended tens of thousands of yards into the sky.

In the starry void, Garuda, who had transformed into a Sacred Lightning Beast after using his Lightning Beast Set’s Tier 7 Profound Skill Lightning Transformation, suffered multiple fractures all over his 10,000-meter-tall body. Additionally, despite having gained the HP of a Tier 7 monster of the same level, he still lost of his 10% HP from Elise’s attack…

“Even though I’ve transformed into a Tier 7 Lifeform, you managed to damage me to such an extent. You truly are a monster,” Garuda said. When he saw the decrease in his HP bar, he couldn’t help but revise his opinion of Elise.

If he hadn’t reacted quickly and activated Lightning Transformation in time, Elise’s Twelvefold World-Destroying Spear would have obliterated both his body and soul.

“But since you’ve forced me to use my Tier 7 Profound Skill, this is the end of the line for you,” Garuda said, executing Hundred Splitting Fists at Elise once more.

With the boost from the Sacred Lightning Beast’s Tier 7 Life Rating, Garuda no longer limited himself to executing only a Sixfold Hundred Splitting Fists and executed a ninefold version instead.

Immediately, nine meteor-like phantom fists tens of thousands of meters in size rained down on Elise. The power each phantom fist carried was magnitudes greater than before. They were stronger than even Elise’s Twelvefold World-Destroying Spear.

“Is he trying to kill us as well?!” Morning Echo suspected Garuda had lost his mind when she saw the colossal phantom fists. Hurriedly, she readied herself to activate her Divine Set’s Tier 7 Profound Skill should Garuda’s attack threaten her safety.

As Morning Echo prepared for the worst, Elise suddenly turned a page of her black book and split into two perfect copies of herself.

Immediately afterward, two twelvefold magic arrays bloomed under the two Elises’ feet. However, the two twelvefold magic arrays created weren’t for the Pseudo-Tier 7 Spell World-Destroying Spear but rather the Pseudo-Tier 7 Spell Supernova Destruction.

Subsequently, two radiant beams shot out of the twelvefold magic arrays and converged on Garuda’s phantom fists.

The radiant beams erased all of Garuda’s phantom fists. It even pierced through Garuda’s body and obliterated one of his arms, causing him to lose over 10% HP…

…