Finally , there were the very rare Golden Champions . If you saw one of those puppets , you were better off running for your life than fighting it . Even a coalition would have trouble taking down one of those things . By the descriptions , Zac wasn’t the least confident in his ability to tangle with them , even if he went all-out .
Let me deal with this one . I’ll show you how it’s done , - Kruta said with excitement written all over his face .
Kruta’s two swords hummed with the Dao of Conflict , and they started to absorb the ambient Dao in the air . The weapons looked like a mix of messer swords and butcher’s cleavers . They were barely a meter long and had a width of around two hands . They were single-edged , and a thick line of runes ran along the back of the blade .
As ambient Dao pored into the swords , the first rune by the handle lit up , prompting the swords’ auras to rise marginally . Kruta had large amounts of orcish blood pouring through his veins , but his gear was far more exquisite than what Zac saw from his brethren in the Big Axe Coliseum . The swords were a rare dual Spirit Tool of extreme quality , and Zac suspected they had an equivalent or even greater spirituality than Verun’s Bite] .
A spectral projection appeared behind Kruta’s back as he readied himself for battle . It was only a bit larger than Kruta and even looked similar except it was a pureblood orc . It was the ancestral soul whisp Kruta the Second had been born with—the original Kruta . He emitted a heart-palpitating aura that reminded Zac of the Hero Souls . Zac felt like he looked upon an old monster like Be’Zi , but the projection’s actual aura was only at Kruta’s level .
The barbarian shot forward , forgoing finesse as he crashed into the puppet . A shockwave turned the already scorched grass in the surrounding area to shreds . The ripple was followed by dangerous waves that would rip apart any F-grade cultivator . Even Zac was forced to take a few steps back to avoid getting cut . Kruta had become a violent hurricane as he launched an unceasing barrage of strikes on the Red Cap .
As he moved , so did the avatar on his back . It almost looked like Kruta had grown a second set of arms , and two translucent fists grabbed at the weapons in Kruta’s hands . The swords shuddered as they formed spectral projections , turning two swords into four . Zac wryly smiled , remembering thinking the barbarian’s style was full of odd holes when they first met .
Much of that could be explained by the fact that Kruta couldn’t rely on his signature technique in a martial duel . In the real world , Kruta never fought alone . He had his ancestor , Kruta the Great , to aid him . They were two halves of a whole ; one couldn’t exhibit his true strength without the other . It was like fighting with one arm behind his back for the barbarian .
The imperfections in Kruta’s blueprint were the real deal , though , an unavoidable side effect of the man being a bit of a fighting idiot . Then again , Zac’s accomplishments in that arena would have been even worse if he hadn’t stumbled onto a lake’s worth of liquified comprehension . However , those gaps were mostly fixed by now , largely thanks to monthly duels with Zac .
Cracks started to appear on the puppet’s ceramic armor from Kruta’s no-holds offensive , but it was no slouch . It seemed to possess almost a bestial instinct , and its sword was a blur as it fended off the constant swirl of attacks . It couldn’t be considered fighting at the level of the Integration Stage , but its movements were based on a powerful set technique without any clear weaknesses .
There were probably no more than ten people back home who could deal with the Red Cap in a martial duel , even if the puppet’s attributes were restricted to its opponent’s level . It was only at the peak of the Formation Stage , but it made no mistakes as far as Zac could see . Every attack , evasion , block , and dodge were incredibly efficient . Meanwhile , its incredible durability allowed it to fight aggressively , trading blows for blows and coming out on top .
Zac was perhaps even more impressed by this than Kruta’s dominant display . Just how skilled had the puppeteer been to create something like this? To create tens of thousands of them , even?
If Kruta had only fought with two arms , they would likely have been locked in a stalemate . However , those cracks appearing across the puppet after just seconds of fighting were telling . Meanwhile , Zac noticed matching runes had started lighting up on the spectral warrior and Kruta . They matched those on the swords and seemed to imbue him with further strength , and his swings grew increasingly ferocious .
The skills , the Dao , the combat style , and the weapons . They were all connected and in perfect harmony . The weapons were likely forged for Kruta specifically , taking into account his path and talents . That was one aspect where Zac couldn’t compare to established factions . Hopefully , he’d get there by the end of Hegemony .
A pang of danger warned Zac the Red Cap wouldn’t give up without a fight , and a huge blast of cutting blades erupted before Zac could warn his companion . The storm was similar to his Nature’s Edge] though far more condensed . Most Peak E-grade cultivators would be ripped to shreds if caught in such a domain , but Kruta only roared .
The scream was empowered by Cosmic Energy and Dao , though Zac wasn’t sure it was a skill . A pure wall of power crushed the cutting blades and allowed him to continue dismantling the puppet . However , a third party joined the fray just as Kruta cut off one of the Red Cap’s arms—four Hero Souls who had already drawn their weapons .
They’re feral! - Kruta swore , but Zac didn’t need the warning .
These new arrivals were different than the ones they’d encountered before . They carried intense amounts of resentment , making their armor appear mottled with blood . Rather than heroic warriors , they felt like vengeful ghosts .
You deal with the puppet , - Zac said as Verun’s Bite] appeared in his hand . - I wanted to test these guys in either case . -
Let’s compete for who finishes first , - Kruta grinned .
How is that fair? - Zac laughed as he moved between Kruta and the Hero Souls . - Your guy is halfway done already . -
The lingering effect of the lightning field was gone , and his muscles had long since stopped spasming . Four vines shot out from his back , forming wide arcs that targeted the Hero Souls from the side . He essentially created a funnel , herding them toward himself , making sure none targeted Kruta .
Remember to use our Dao of Conflict , - Kruta reminded from behind , just as the puppet began gathering energy again . - Ah , this bastard has another domain? -
The Hero Souls were only fifty meters away by that point , their swords turning into bloody arcs as they ripped apart Vivi’s vines without stopping . New vines grew to replace what was lost with the help of the Branch of the Kalpataru , each ferociously digging at the vengeful memories . A few vines managed to sneak past the ghosts’ defenses , but Zac noted the effect was only decent . Imbuing your attacks with Dao was usually enough to deal with intangible beings like elementals and ghosts , but the Hero Souls were a bit special .
A few of Vivi’s lashes slammed into the Hero Souls with full power , and they reacted as a normal cultivator would . They either blocked or had to bear the brunt of the attack using their armor . Other attacks passed right through their bodies like the warriors were nothing but projections . It even looked like the Hero Souls knew , or perhaps even controlled , when they were corporeal and when they were just memories .
Imbuing the vines with his Dao of Life only had minimal impact , just like the missives explained . You couldn’t damage them when intangible , but you disturbed whatever held the memories together . It would quicken their disintegration if you just kept at it . A few Daos were more effective than others , such as the Daos of Time and Emotions , but the most effective was the Dao of Conflict . The Dao of Conflict didn’t disrupt the Hero Souls , it locked them in and forced them to stay corporeal .