Chapter 329: Dragon Hunter Sequence, Ascension Ceremony, Star-Stealing Festival

[Heroic Spirit Specialization: Proof of Nine Heads]

[Effect: When Galeos suffers a fatal blow, he will not truly die. The Hydra Abyssal Blood within him will instantly and forcefully replenish his physical Life Force to full.]

With a rumble of shifting boulders.

Galeos’s tall figure emerged, one step at a time.

Although the [Eroded Scale Bronze Full Armor] he wore showed signs of damage, he was still alive.

Not only was he alive…

The wound on his jawbone—the one that should have been shattered by Lance’s Rising Dragon Fist—was now completely healed!

Galeos raised his right hand, clad in its Bronze Hand Armor, and casually brushed the stone dust from his shoulder.

“Balthazar.”

The Tyrant, fresh from a near-death experience, no longer sounded furious. Instead, his tone dripped with contempt.

“You truly managed to surprise me.”

“You’re just as you’ve always been, always doing the unexpected. To think that a mere Level 4 Professional could actually manage to cost me a life.”

Galeos said, his eyes scrutinizing Lance.

“I remember very clearly.”

“Back when the Star-Stealing Festival began, all legacies of the Dragon Hunter Sequence were supposed to have been burned to ashes by the united kings.”

“I never expected you’d dare to secretly hide away the Dragon Hunting Breathing Technique.”

“A grave crime, condemned by all the kings.”

Galeos suddenly chuckled.

His laughter was tinged with self-mockery and a wistful remembrance of the past.

The war among the kings that had once swept the continent… Outsiders knew it only as a war for territory and Royal Authority.

But in truth, it was an Ascension Ceremony.

But in the end, the kings failed.

It wasn’t until he entered the Heroic Spirit Hall and had time to reflect that he realized how bewildering the entire war among kings truly was.

He had been the first piece knocked off the board; he knew the least of anyone about the true nature of the game.

Back then, the kings had chosen the “Dragon” as their core concept. They held the Star-Stealing Festival, attempting to gather the various concepts of the Dragon God and use them to achieve godhood.

The moment the ceremony began, the kings, as if by unspoken agreement, completely forbade all Star Tracks related to the [Hunter·Dragon Hunter Sequence]!

The reason was very simple.

If someone were to ascend to godhood through this Sequence, then at the very end—even if one of the kings won the Star-Stealing Festival and claimed the divine throne—they could still be hunted and killed by the “Hunt God” who ascended through this path!

Galeos thought as he looked at Lance.

‘I never would have thought.’

‘Balthazar actually managed to secretly preserve the Sequence.’

‘Even though the kings failed, the Star-Stealing Festival never truly ended…’

In the face of Galeos’s words, Lance, standing before the ruins, remained silent.

‘What Dragon Hunter Sequence?’

‘All he knew was that to advance to the Excellence Tier, it seemed he really did need to access something called a “Sequence.”‘

‘But that was something to consider only after he reached the Level 5 cap. First, he’d have to use his Main Profession’s Trait to contact the Star Realm, then he could pick his own Star Orbit Diagram and build his Star Track.’

But none of that stopped him from testing his opponent.

Lance wasted no words.

He raised his right hand, and a searing fireball instantly formed in his palm before he hurled it straight at Galeos.

In the face of this sudden attack, Galeos didn’t even blink. He stood his ground, showing no intention of dodging.

“BOOM!”

The fireball exploded against Galeos’s cheek.

However, when the fiery light faded, Galeos stood unscathed. Not even a single strand of his hair was singed.

The fireball’s damage hadn’t even been enough to overcome the innate damage reduction of his [Bronze King Body].

‘As I thought,’ Lance assessed inwardly.

‘His defensive mechanism is freakishly strong. My attacks can’t break through it at all.’

‘Looks like after I get out of here, I’ll have to find a way to learn some high-burst Fire Element Shaping Magic.’

‘Only by increasing my Spell damage and combining it with [Heartless Furnace Mode] can I truly unleash the suppressive firepower of this build.’

Galeos paid no mind to Lance’s probing attack, which felt like little more than a scratch.

He couldn’t even be bothered to taunt him.

“Balthazar, I never imagined you could use pure Power to bypass my Bronze King Body and actually kill one of my Nine Heads.”

“You should be proud of that.”

Galeos slowly took a step forward.

“But.”

“Do you know how many lives I have left?”

“Eight left.”

Lance cut through his posturing without the slightest hesitation.

Galeos’s words caught in his throat.

According to the legend of the Hydra, he did indeed have eight more lives.

The feeling of having his posturing cut short made his expression instantly darken.

But he was, after all, a king who had once ruled. He quickly composed himself and regained his regal bearing.

It was as if he wasn’t the one who had just been sent reeling by a Rising Dragon Fist, the one who’d just lost a life.

“Since you’re well aware.”

“Then what’s the point of this futile struggle?”

“You’re a spent force. I can crush you whenever I wish.”

He extended a finger, pointing at Lance from a distance.

“However, I have always been magnanimous.”

“If you kneel and swear fealty to me now.”

“Then, I can find it in my heart to be merciful and pardon you for your recent disrespect. Furthermore…”

Galeos’s gaze slowly moved to the Crown of the King mark on the back of Lance’s hand.

“I might even undo the seal and allow you to leave this Underground City alive.”

This was, of course, a lie.

Galeos was currently incapable of controlling the Crown of the King, let alone undoing the seal.

He made such an offer for one reason and one reason only: he desperately wanted to experience the thrill of making the notoriously arrogant “Mad King” kneel before him in submission.

That was something not even Clovis could accomplish back in the day!

The “Mad King” had once chosen to burn down his own palace and die in the flames rather than bow his head to anyone.

The very thought made Galeos’s blood boil; forcing such a man to his knees would be ten thousand times more satisfying than simply killing him!

However, reality quickly delivered a resounding slap to his face.

In response to his offer of surrender, Lance didn’t even deign to waste a single word.

He gave his answer with his actions.

With a mad surge of Ether Energy, Lance charged at Galeos once more, his posture one of grim resolve!

‘Eight lives, is it…?’ Lance calculated quickly.

He knew that in his current condition, even with Desperate Breathless Death Struggle activated, killing his opponent eight consecutive times was a pipe dream.

But.

That didn’t mean he was without a chance.

‘If I can just find a way to strip him of his armor.’

‘Then, if I find the right moment to activate Desperate Breathless Death Struggle again, I can definitely burn through several more of his lives at once!’

The two collided violently once again within the ruined Bronze Hall.

Lance lunged forward.

His hands clamped down like iron vises on the [Covered Scale Bronze Hand Armor] on Galeos’s right arm.

[Azure Dragon Extreme Intent Style: Unloading the Keel]

‘This Hand Armor is a fine piece of equipment.’

‘Not only does it grant a massive Power boost, but it also provides a +10% base defense bonus.’

‘If I can rip it off him, I can weaken his Defense Power!’

But.

Galeos’s Power was simply terrifying.

He simply reversed his grip, clamping down on Lance’s left arm with even more astonishing brute force.

“You court death.”

Galeos’s fingers, like steel bars, directly crushed the bones in Lance’s forearm.

With a sickening CRACK, shards of pale bone pierced through the skin, exposing them to the open air.

But thanks to Combat Continuation, an injury like this was nothing.

A ruthless glint flashed in Lance’s eyes.

‘Royal Armory, activate!’

[Dispossession check initiated… Current holder check threshold: 6. Target item Resistance Threshold: 11.]

Seeing the massive gap between the thresholds, Lance didn’t hesitate.

He immediately drew upon the reputation he had painstakingly accumulated.

‘Burn! 5,000 points of Pan-Conceptual Reputation!’

[Large injection of Pan-Conceptual Reputation detected…]

[Check threshold forcibly raised!]

[Check successful! Dispossession successful!]

The moment the dispossession succeeded, Lance immediately issued a command.

‘Soldier Resolution!’

The [Covered Scale Bronze Hand Armor] fitted tightly on Galeos’s hand suddenly seemed to react like a block of wax exposed to extreme heat.

It instantly melted into a river of Dark Gold liquid metal that streamed down his arm.