Oooooooooooom!

A unique humming sound reverberated throughout the third stage, accompanied by an aura of annihilation.

ROOOOOOAR!

Suddenly, the humming sound transformed into the warcry of a mighty dragon that seemed to reign over all else in the world.

Those standing outside the platform felt chills run down their spines when the aura of annihilation emerged and the cry of the dragon entered their ears.

"What the heck kind of skill is that...? Even though we're so far away, it's so suffocating." Colorful Nimbus frowned.

"I'm not sure, but even S-rank skills don't give off this feeling. This kind of pressure—it's similar to the Phantom Queen's Grand Magic. However, it feels much more ruthless. Like it's ready to swallow everything in its path." Sacred Blade stated with furrowed brows.

While no one knew what skill Izroth used to invoke such a strong response that it caused their bodies to tremble, they understood one thing. If they were face-to-face with something like that, their chances of surviving would be infinitely close to zero!

"No, in terms of power, this skill well exceeds my Grand Magic," Morrighan said calmly as she observed Izroth.

After Morrighan spoke, the shock on everyone's face could not be hidden.

Who was the Phantom Queen? She was someone capable of summoning down a colossal meteorite and calling upon a skill strong enough to simultaneously sever tens of heads of the Immortal Hydra.

When it came to offensive power, few, if any, came close to Morrighan! Therefore, for her to openly admit that the skill Izroth used exceeded her Grand Magic—how could they not be astonished?

"How unusual... His mana was on the verge of going out of control just a second ago. But now it has undergone a tremendous evolution. That's not all. There are other energy sources outside his mana present and they are somehow able to overlap without displaying any of the typical negative effects. I never imagined that besides myself, another player would be capable of using this approach. More so, that the player would not even be a magic caster. Truly, how unusual..." Morrighan thought to herself.

The reason Morrighan's Grand Magic performed so strong compared to other types of magic, was not solely due to the skill rank of the spells she casts. Rather, it had to do with the original method Morrighan formulated when it came to controlling her mana. With this method, Morrighan was able to compound her mana several times over and manipulate, as well as enhance magic sequences on the most fundamental of levels.

For example, the level 10 mage spell, Fireball, was a C-ranked offensive skill with a two-second cast time. However, if Morrighan was to utilize her casting method, not only would the cast time be reduced to zero, but the power Fireball displayed would be on par with its B-rank equivalent, Flaming Spear. And, if she went all out and concentrated, having it reach the same strength as the A-rank skill, Hellfire Burst, was not an impossible task!

Taking a C-rank skill and making it display the destructive force of an A-rank skill—if others magic casters knew Morrighan's secret, they would do anything to try and get their hands on it.

However, how could Morrighan know that it was not Izroth's own doing that brought about this phenomenon? Instead, it was done by his Dragon Force! If Izroth attempted his chain of skills without the Dragon Force present, there was a high chance that it would have backfired because of his body's inability to contain that much power at once. 

Izroth's Third Baneful Sword: Annihilation was not only empowered by his Full Mantle and every last drop of his Essence but also by the Dragon Force from his Dragon's Soul. If one also included the Law of Causality and Law of Void, then Izroth was simultaneously using five different energy sources! Added to the strain placed on his body from executing the Compressed Lightning Movement empowered by Dragon Force, it was a miracle that his body had not already been torn asunder!

Meanwhile, the dragon's roar ceased as the noise coming from the platform became deathly quiet.

Neither Izroth nor Tal'Nis moved. The edge of Izroth's Sword of The Storm was less than one centimeter away from Tal'Nis' face.

As for Tal'Nis' white sword, it had been driven through Izroth's back with an exit wound right at the center of his chest!

〈System Alert: 1 second remaining!〉

Tal'Nis' gaze locked onto Izroth as she lifted her hand to her cheek and felt a slightly warm sensation on her fingertips. It was blood from a small cut across her cheek!

At the same time, the Dragon Force from Izroth's body vanished without a trace as his Full Mantle came to an end. His complexion had become pale as cerulean energy fractures could be seen forming on his hands, neck, and the lower part of his face.

At the moment, Izroth felt as though every strand and fiber of muscle in his body was being pulled apart and electrocuted. Right now, he could not so much as lift a single finger!

'The backlash is worse than I thought, but... It's my victory.'

"Brilliantly done. You have earned my acknowledgment, Izroth. It's my loss." Tal'Nis stated as she smiled gracefully.

〈System Alert: Congratulations, you have defeated «Lady of the Everlasting Rain, Tal'Nis»!〉

〈System Alert: You have received x1 Level Emblem!〉

〈System Alert: Congratulations, you have cleared the «Crusade: Lady of Everlasting Rain»!〉

〈System Alert: Congratulations, you are the first party to clear a «Crusade»! You will receive an additional reward!〉

〈System Alert: Congratulations, you have cleared the «Lady of the Everlasting Rain, Tal'Nis» hidden challenge! You will receive an additional reward!〉

〈System Alert: Congratulations...

...

He had done it. With just one second remaining on the time limit, Izroth was able to reach Tal'Nis with his sword!

Skill Name: Third Baneful Sword: Annihilation

Skill Creator: Izroth

Skill Level: 1/3

Skill Rank: SSS

Active: The user unleashes a sword wave of true annihilation within the surrounding 50 meters that fears and stuns all targets for 5 seconds. Any target(s) (Ally or Foe) caught within the range of this skill will experience the following effect(s):

«Aura of Annihilation»: Items and skills cannot activate in response to this skill's stun. For the duration of the stun, the target is unable to use any skills or items.

«World of Annihilation»: The user steals up to 50% of the target's attack or magic(prioritizes the highest stat) and converts it into their own attack. These effects last for 10 seconds. The amount stolen depends on the target's strength.

«Wave of Annihilation»: The target receives 2,500% of the user's total attack as pure damage that ignores all defenses, shields, and damage reductions.

«Great Annihilation»: Instantly kills the target as long as their HP is equal to or less than 30% of their maximum HP. There is also a 10% chance to instantly kill the target regardless of their HP. If the target is boss rank, they are not instantly killed. Instead, the boss rank target will be affected by a second strike of «Wave of Annihilation» and receive an additional 25% of their total missing health as pure damage.

«Restless Intent»: If this skill kills a target, its cooldown time is reduced by 5% and the duration of «World of Annihilation» is increased by 5 seconds.

«???» - If the skills «First Baneful Sword: Destruction» and «Second Baneful Sword: Kill» are used in the correct sequence just before this skill's execution, a powerful hidden effect will be activated, and the cooldown of «Third Baneful Sword: Annihilation» is increased by 100%.

Description: One sword to annihilate all that dares to obstruct its path.

Special Effect: This skill can be used without a sword, but the damage is reduced by 80%. This skill cannot be leveled up using skill points, the user must experience many battles to further advance.

Cooldown: 336 hours

'To think she would react so fast even under the effects of the Nullification Zone. If I was even a bit careless at the end, it would have been my loss.'

After Tal'Nis' final strike, Izroth only had one hit left. If the blade had managed to exit his body before his attack connected to Tal'Nis, he would have suffered a fatal hit.

'It's just a fragment left behind before her ascent to the Divine Realm, but I was only able to inflict a small cut going all out. I still have a long way to go before I reach the top of this world.'

The white sword in Izroth's chest disappeared as Tal'Nis' hair returned to its original flaming blue color.

"Can you stand?" Tal'Nis asked.

"Yes," Izroth replied as he stood up straight. However, just standing took all of his strength. In addition, his stats had been temporarily lowered and his skills locked because of the backlash.

The barrier around the platform was disabled as Izroth's party members rushed onto the platform.

The excitement on their faces was there for all to see. They did it... They actually did it! The first-ever group to conquer a crusade in RML!

Once it was announced to the world, their status in RML would soar to new heights.