Before this, Freya had always assumed that the Curse Pathway was a special pathway that needed to be mixed and used alongside the potions of other pathways—parasitic upon them and making them stronger than the originals, undeniably formidable.
Yet that was not the case at all. The leader of the Holy Blessing Society, for instance, belonged purely to the Curse Pathway, untainted by any other.
In fact, looked at the other way around, the “Curse potions” blended into the mixtures taken by every other Holy Blessing Society member were merely manifestations of this cult leader’s own ability.
While these special “mixed potions” certainly granted their consumers greater strength, the price was horrifying. Just like now, the cult leader could reclaim the power he had distributed at any moment, draining dry everyone who had consumed the mixed potions to empower himself.
Sensing that things were turning bad, War Freya flew toward the cult leader at once. Her speed was so extreme that it even triggered a sonic boom; with a thunderous crack, a visible shockwave of white air rippled outward from where she had stood, while War Freya herself appeared before the cult leader as if teleporting, throwing a punch straight at him.
Wham!
Yet the Curse of Myriad Recompense took effect even faster than War Freya could strike. The cult leader actually tracked her movements, raising a single hand to block her fist. His legs remained firmly planted into the earth as he slid back five or six meters under the punch’s impact, gouging two distinct trenches into the ground.
Shaking his slightly aching palm, the cult leader said, “Don’t be in such a hurry, little girl.”
War Freya knitted her brows slightly. Without saying a word, she pressed the attack, throwing punch after punch. Yet she could clearly sense that as the curse power converged, the cult leader grew stronger and stronger, until his sheer physical strength was almost on par with hers. This was utterly absurd—she was a “Warrior,” an extraordinary who specialized in close-quarters melee!
What was more, the cult leader wasn’t just physically enhanced; he could still use other extraordinary abilities. Right as War Freya’s previous barrage ended and before her next strike could land, the cult leader clapped his hands together—the exact same opening stance Cyril had used.
He was summoning those Hands of Curse that ordinary people couldn't see! And the power of his cursed hands was undeniably far greater than Cyril’s!
It was no exaggeration to say that in a one-on-one duel against the current cult leader, War Freya felt she had little chance of winning. Even if she dropped into a near-death state to max out the Blood Rage buff, the outcome wouldn't change. Formidable though the War Pathway was, she was currently just an ordinary Rank Five.
Meanwhile, the cult leader had already been a Rank Five to begin with, and he had now used the Curse of Myriad Recompense to drain every single member of the Holy Blessing Society of their strength. This man was operating far beyond the level of an ordinary Rank Five.
The cult leader said coldly, “It’s over.”
From his perspective, four cursed hands shot toward War Freya from four directions. As long as a single one landed and slowed War Freya down even slightly, more hands would follow until she was bound tightly like a rice dumpling. After that, he could do whatever he pleased with her.
To the cult leader's shock, War Freya took half a step back and leapt violently into the air. Tracing an arc through the sky, she flawlessly evaded all four cursed hands and landed right in front of him.
The cult leader froze. Just as he was about to speak, a sharp pang of agony pierced his brain, as if someone were driving steel needles through his temples—Mind Piercing!
However, the cult leader possessed formidable willpower; the Mind Piercing only stalled his brain for less than half a second. He instantly snapped back to his senses, roaring, “Damn it, it’s... I want some beef.”
The cult leader: “?”
In the next second, while he was caught completely off guard, War Freya’s fist swung brutally into his cheek. The cult leader spun like a pinwheel, his body twisting a full hundred and eighty degrees in an instant before his head slammed viciously into the ground.
If War Freya couldn't win a one-on-one duel, then why fight one-on-one? Don't forget that nearby, Mind Freya had been maintaining Psychological Invisibility the entire time. Mind Freya had simply conducted a quick Mind Reading on the cult leader, pinpointing the positions of the four cursed hands.
Then, right as War Freya’s attack was about to connect, Mind Freya struck with Mind Piercing, immediately following up with Psychological Scalpel to secretly replace his concept.
What the cult leader had actually wanted to say was, “Damn it, it’s the Mind Pathway,” but that thought had been swapped out by Mind Freya in that split second for “I'm hungry, I want some beef.”
Although this play seemed bizarrely absurd, it really only bought War Freya a window of about one second. But that one second was more than enough.
In close-quarters combat between two combatants of comparable strength, as long as one could seize a single opening or opportunity, they could suppress and pummel the other continuously.
Even though the cult leader's physical attributes were now comparable to War Freya’s, that didn't mean he could take a Full-Force Strike from her without defense. In fact, War Freya wouldn't even be able to take an undefended hit from herself.
While the cult leader’s head was still ringing and his skull had just slammed against the ground, War Freya planted a fierce kick straight into his abdomen.
Boom!
Accompanied by a visible cone of white air, the cult leader shot into the sky like an artillery shell. War Freya gave chase at once, accelerating even faster to appear before him and blast him with another punch, pursuing and launching him higher with each successive strike!
Since the trajectory was purely vertical, after just four or five punches, War Freya could already see thin wisps of clouds. A sudden thought popped into her head: could she just punch this bastard completely out of the planet's atmosphere?
Even if that didn't kill him, he couldn't fly anyway; she could just leave him floating aimlessly through outer space while she flew back down.
Yet the very second that idea formed, goosebumps erupted across War Freya’s skin. An overwhelming sense of danger flooded her heart, as if screaming at her not to do it under any circumstances.
Though she didn't know why, War Freya chose to trust her instincts. Shifting her strategy, she didn't throw another punch when she caught up to the cult leader. Instead, she flew above him, planted her pale, slender foot right onto his face, and then... gunned her flight power to maximum, diving straight down!
The two of them transformed into a meteor, hurtling toward the ground from a height of two thousand meters!
...
Rate on N.U.
