Oppressive pressure appeared in a blink of an eye, it was so strong it made Tristan's feet move a few inches. The Aesir in front of him seemed to transform as his eyes turned completely white, followed by a glowing aura gradually enveloped his entire body.

Feeling the overbearing pressure, Tristan knew this Aesir would be one of the strongest opponents he would ever face.

"Everyone stand back!!" Tristan shouted, lest they got injured due to the side effects of the impending battle.

Hearing the order, Tristan's companions, as well as the orcs, immediately retreated, giving more space for Tristan and Vidar.

After making sure the others had reached adequate distance from the looming destruction, Tristan returned his attention and took a deep breath while closing his eyes. The moment he opened them again, he immediately pulled the claymore from the ground and dashed forward at breakneck speed, pouncing at the glowing figure aiming to kill.

Taking advantage of the momentum the speed gave him, Tristan swung his sword with all his might, sending a horizontal slash towards the figure.

Swooossshh

The Aesir, Vidar, took a step back and successfully dodged the slash. The movement was effortless, as if Tristan's slash didn't amount to anything. But obviously, Tristan would not stop with only one swing.

He turned his body by pivoting on one of his feet, utilizing the momentum of the first swing as he released an even stronger slash forward. But it still did not hit its intended target.

The second slash was the culmination of the speed and strength of Tristan's newfound 200 battle power, but his opponent still managed to casually dodge it. It should have been a successful strike, one that killed. Unfortunately, the current reality wasn't the case.

Tristan was dumbfounded, as he looked at Vidar with a shocked expression. On the other hand, the Aesir responded with a mocking smile on his face.

"What kind of attack was that? So erratic, so sloppy. How could an amateur like you have such strength! Who are you really?"

Tristan was astute enough to understand his opponent was stronger than him, much more so. Hence, he could not just attack aimlessly otherwise he would only waste his energy.

Raising his other empty hand, Tristan activated his skill [Blood Synthesis]

A dozen blood pearls swiftly formed above his palm and Tristan immediately fired them at the pale man. Much to his surprise, Vidar did not even try to dodge the pearls, as he stood there unmoving. It was apparent the man intended to let those high-speed pearls hit his body.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The dozen pearls that could effortlessly pierce through a barbarian's body were unable to do the same to the Aesir, as they bounced off the latter's body like stone marbles hitting a steel plate.

The pearls scattered around Vidar like trash and the man slowly patted his body. "They were quite painful, but honestly, they were very disappointing. I expected more, you see…"

'Fuck!'

Tristan cursed loudly in his head. The enemy had skin stronger than steel plate. This was really bad news for them.

Tristan quickly calculated his chances of winning this battle and the result didn't make him happy at all. Thoughts of running away began to resurface in his mind. Subconsciously, he took a glance at Layla, who was still trying her best to heal Borin and Astrid from their wounds.

Seeing Tristan silent, the Aesir opened his mouth, "Is that all you have? Then, it's my turn."

Before Tristan could respond, Aesir was already running towards him at a speed he couldn't comprehend. The man moved so fast he lifted the dirt and dust in his tracks.

Tristan could clearly see Vidar's fist slowly enlarging before his eyes, but he didn't possess the speed to dodge.

Baaaammm!!!

One direct hit to the face and Tristan was thrown flying a few meters back. That one hit made Tristan dizzy, lost his balance and almost tripped his steps.

'Fuck!! What kind of punch was that?!" Tristan once again cursed, as he looked at the figure who deliberately stayed in his last punching motion.

Tristan felt like he had just been hit by a massive truck at full speed.

Seeing Tristan was ready to take another, Vidar advanced one more time and delivered another jab at him. This time, Tristan could not possibly let it hit, as he immediately used his sword to parry the punch.

Baaaammmm!!!

Another loud sound resounded, as he was once again pushed a few steps back. Though Tristan managed to lessen the impact by parrying it, the remaining strength behind the punch was still enough to make him vomit blood.

"If you have nothing else to show me. Then, it's time to end this." The Aesir said as he pulled out the sword sheathed at his waist. As it was drawn, the sword's appearance was slowly revealed to everyone. It was a one-edged blade - a sabre made of gold.

Previously, the man could stop his giant sword with only his bare arm. Tristan would not dare to imagine what would happen after this monster wielded a weapon. But one thing he knew for sure, the situation would become worse from now on.

When the Aesir jumped to the air, Tristan instantly created a huge wall of blood in front of him, hoping it would be enough to stop the former. Alas, it was instantly cut in half by the golden sabre.

But instead of panicking, Tristan strangely smiled a little - confusing Vidar with his reaction.

The moment the blood wall split in two, Tristan activated his [Blood Synthesis] skill to turn the broken wall and latch it onto Vidar's body, becoming a kind of restraint that held him down.

Without wasting such a good opportunity, where his opponent was restrained, Tristan immediately leaped to the air and swung his claymore downward, planning to split the Aesir head in two, but missed and hit the shoulder instead.

Spllaattt!!!

Even though Tristan had the help of gravity and his own strength in the slash, the cut was still not deep enough, proving how durable this Aesir's skin was. Even so, his effort wasn't in vain as Vidar suffered an injury.

Tristan quickly pulled out the claymore that stuck on the shoulder and swung it one more time. This time, toward the neck. It was evident that Tristan wanted to cut Vidar's head off, ending him once and for all.

However, before the sword could land on Vidar's neck, the binds that restrained his entire body crumbled to the ground. In an instant, the Aesir used one of his hands to capture the incoming sword while the other one, the one holding the golden sabre, was headed toward Tristan's chest.

Spllaaatt... Blood splattered out of his body.

The sharp tip of the saber pierced through Tristan's chest and out of his back.

Seeing this, Layla immediately screamed, "Tris!! NO!!!"

Meanwhile, the pale man opened his mouth and spoke with a nonchalant tone.

"That was a smart move... congratulation for hurting me. But unfortunately, it's now time for you to die!"