293 Power of the Strongest - II
"So he finally got serious," Dexter said as he looked at Farnus, who was pushing the monster back with each of his strikes.
The Lightning Element was not simply an element of destruction. If used correctly to form a Lightning aura, it boosted the user's strength, similar to how an Augmenter's magic worked.
But unlike Augmenting magic, it amplified the senses of the person who successfully used the lightning aura.
Even a D Rank Hunter like Kevin could perform this, and although it was a powerful effect, the mastery of lightning aura that Farnus had was far from weak.
His lightning aura made it possible for him to nullify the effects of any mana that wasn't his around him.
This was the very essence of the Ancient Rune that Farnus possessed, making him the most powerful hunter in the world.
Although he would face the brunt of the power, the essence and intent in that mana would get nullified.
However, that Ancient Rune had its limitations. He needed to constantly supply pure lightning to keep the Rune active, and that was where the Stormscale Armor came in.
Each of Farnus's items and powers meshed together to form a balance.
The SSS Rank Stormscale Armor was not simply a defensive armor type artifact; it had a lot of offensive abilities as well.
But instead of unleashing that lightning on his enemies, Farnus absorbed it with his Ancient Rune, creating the most powerful aura, something considered the most powerful aura in the world.
Even if it was temporary, Farnus could, at that moment, face all the 6 SSS Rank Hunters alone.
"Golden Lightning, huh," Osbert muttered, sensing the power behind Farnus's aura.
Golden Lightning Aura was the term given to Farnus whenever he used his Ancient Rune with the Stormscale Armor.
The old man, usually exuding a sense of calmness and serenity, now had the most powerful presence.
Yet, there was one thing that didn't allow any of them to relax: despite Farnus going all out and pushing the monster back with his strikes, this was a battle with a peak SSS Rank Existence. They were certain the Monster wouldn't go down easily.
They were right. As soon as Farnus engaged in a one-on-
one battle with the monster, the other two monsters that had emerged from the one Farnus was fighting started roaring loudly.
The cracks in the Entrapment spell began to heal themselves as the monsters looked at the other SSS Rank Hunters, their killing intent visible.
All the SSS Rank Hunters charged at them, intent on finishing these strange monsters first so they could then focus on the one that Farnus was fighting.
These monsters were quite similar to the Peak SSS Rank Monster with their black bodies, but they had no horns and only a single, burning eye.
Strangely, since their appearance, the effect of the Entrapment spell had strengthened and started to heal itself.
It didn't take long for all the Hunters to realize that these monsters needed to be killed as soon as possible.
Even though Farnus was currently pushing the monster back, if the effects of these strange domains became stronger, there was a chance that Farnus might not be able to continue his assault.
Dexter jumped in the air, bringing his hammer down on one of the two SSS Rank Monsters. However, it dodged at the last second, and the impact was absorbed by the entrapment domain. The Monster charged towards Dexter, but Xarax intercepted, slashing his sword and creating a small cut near the monster's gut.
But the cut disappeared soon as the monster charged toward Xarax, while the other monster engaged with Declan and Osbert, who were working together.
"Damn, does this one heal as well?" Osbert asked as his flaming sword cut through the shoulder of the Monster.
The rate at which they were healing was much higher than the Monster that Farnus and Osbert had fought for weeks.
"Aim for their eyes," Silvus advised as he floated in the air, Silver Mana coursing around him.
He could sense that all the mana in those monsters were concentrated near the eye, and the body was nothing but a vessel for those two burning eyes.
Silvus began chanting one of his strongest spells, and with each word he uttered, the mana around him trembled.
"I will abolish this domain; keep them busy," Silvus said his final words before closing his eyes and encasing his body in a crystal of Silver Mana.
The protection of the Archmage's mana allowed Silvus to chant a spell without interruption from any outside factor, but that didn't mean it couldn't be broken.
But for now, Silvus's Mana, previously running rampant, became calm and steady.
The monsters tried to move towards Silvus, but they were stopped as the other SSS Rank Hunters intercepted them.
Meanwhile, the spikes on the crown above Farnus increased to three, the number proportional to the amount of lightning element his Rune had absorbed.
The Crown of Light was the name that Farnus had given to the ability of his Ancient Rune. Each spike that appeared indicated an increase in Farnus's power and his Golden Lightning aura.
Farnus's limit was six spikes, but the current version of him could only conjure three of them, as the Stormscale Armor he had was only half its original self.
The monster paused, retreating slightly as a Black Element spell structure formed behind him.
These weren't just magic that could be used by mages, even monsters could cast them, but their magic was much different from a real spell.
Their spells had no intent behind them, making them useless for any human who would try to mimic them. Hence, these were called abilities that the monsters innately possessed, and to cast them, no intent was needed.
Even the strongest monster, a Peak SSS Rank Monster, didn't possess the intelligence required to form intent in a spell.
Farnus's eyes shifted above as whips of black energy appeared all around, but as they tried to reach him, his aura demolished all of them.
The only way to counter Farnus's aura was to make an attack strong enough to destroy his aura, considered the strongest among all the hunters in the world.
Farnus spun his spear, deflecting all the other whips that targeted his face.
His power was increasing, but he could soon feel that he was reaching the limit that he could currently push.
Without the other half of the Stormscale Armor, it was impossible for him to summon all the six spikes he was capable of. This was why he used the other option: he recovered the full part of the Ancient rune that was present on the other Stormscale Armor and left the armor alone.
Without it, Farnus wouldn't be able to maintain the Golden Lightning Aura for long, and he didn't know how much time it would take to kill this monster.
The Black Element was the worst element a monster could possess out of all elements. Although other elements were equally terrifying if used by a Peak SSS Rank Existence, the Black Element was the worst for long-drawn battles.
Fortunately, the monster didn't possess the illusionary power of the Black Element, but only the curse entrapment ability that was used by many Black Element mages. However, it wasn't as powerful when used by monsters.
This entire entrapment domain diminished the power of all the Hunters while amplifying the power of the monster.
If it weren't for that, the monster wouldn't be able to match Farnus's speed so equally, as it was doing currently.
"Thousand Spins," Farnus dashed and appeared behind the monsters. His spear traveled in a strange path as it slashed the monster multiple times.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAUR," The monster roared as a massive wave of energy went around, pushing Farnus back a little bit.
Instead of stopping, Farnus charged once again. His path was untraceable, even by an S Rank Hunter.
Despite the massive power Farnus possessed, he didn't waste any of it. It was handled gracefully as he attacked the monster.
And that was the Spear Art, the skill all spear users aspired to learn.
The power to use mana in such a way was something only Farnus could do, as his Ancient Rune amplified the effect each strike would have on his enemy.
"Get down," Farnus commanded as he brought the monster down with a hit of his spear on the creature's claws.
Despite crashing down, the monster recovered immediately and lunged towards Farnus in an enraged state.
Farnus stopped the monster's attack with the tip of his spear. He spun his body and slashed the monster's stomach, causing it to bleed a black liquid.
Despite the damage, he could see that the monster was still alive with no effect on its strength.
He needed to find the weakness of the monster before his aura ran out. He was still trying to figure out a way to deal a critical blow and end this battle soon.
