Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1041: Problems of the fourth path

”Stop!!” Richard stomped the ground forcefully, but the explosion occurred elsewhere.

BOOOOM

”Damn it!” Marshal Xanox found the ground cracking beneath his feet as metallic rods surged upward. He struck the air with his foot, propelling himself upwards quickly, then swung his free hand downward. ”Begone!!”

Shiiiii A purple mist descended quietly onto the metal rods, gradually reducing everything beneath it to dust. When it settled on the ground, it began to corrode the soil, deepening the pit further.

”I want to see how many of these you can create before the rods pierce through your body!!” Richardʼs fury was evident now. His eyes radiated intense irritation, and his long white hair fluttered gently as he advanced and retreated.

”Show some respect for my presence, for Godʼs sake!” Lacross descended behind Richard, wielding a long halberd. SLASH

Richard sidestepped, letting the halberd strike the ground, then sent his green-flamed fist hurtling toward Marshal Lacross.

”Not a chance!” Lacross shouted, releasing one hand from his halberd and turning it into an open palm surrounded by the purple mist.

BZZZZZT The clash of the Life Flame and the Corrosion Law ensued as always. It seemed as though an invisible barrier prevented direct contact between them, but then BOOM the barrier shattered.

This time, however, was slightly different. As the explosion subsided, Richard quickly grabbed the marshalʼs halberd and channeled most of his strength into his leg, aiming a kick at the hand still gripping the halberd. ”Hand it over before you run!”

”Damn it!” Marshal Lacross sensed the danger. He didnʼt want to lose his epic halberd so easily. Yet if he held on to it, heʼd have to deal with the kick somehow a daunting task given the explosion had already forced his other hand backward.

”Haha, did you forget about me?!” A shout came from behind Richard at that moment. Without turning, he instantly recognized Marshal Xanox, who had circled back to the battlefield. This wasnʼt the first time Xanox had done this. He needed to stay within range of the spatial gate, so heʼd retreat and return periodically, always appearing at moments when Richard was in a tight spot.

But because it wasnʼt the first time... ”Hmph,” Richard continued his attack on Lacross with his left leg, while a surge of energy channeled through his right leg into the ground.

OOMMMM Instantly, two small mountains rose and clamped down on Marshal Xanox from both sides. ”Argh!!!” The marshal had neither the time nor the space to dodge. The mountains struck him like two massive hands crushing a bug.

And that wasnʼt all. CRACK Behind the marshal, the ground shattered again, and a sharp stone pillar surged toward his back at high speed. ”This again?!”

BSSSH The purple mist seeped from Marshal Xanoxʼs pores, gathering behind him to disintegrate the sharp end of the pillar. But the pillar pressed on regardless, slamming into his back with enough force to send him flying like a missile. SWOOSH ”ARGHAAAA!!!”

On the other side, Richard completely ignored Lacross and followed through with his attack. BAM With ease, he dislocated the marshalʼs arm, a cracking sound echoing in the air. CRACK ”Argh!!” Marshal Lacross let out a muffled cry of pain and disbelief that his arm had been broken so effortlessly. But he had no time to dwell on it.

SWOOSH After the first strike that broke Marshal Lacrossʼs wrist, Richard pushed off the ground with his right leg, spinning in midair. Then BAM his right leg came crashing down on the back of Marshal Lacrossʼs neck. ”ARGHHHH!!!”

SWOOSH SWOOSH

B00000000000M

One went flying east, the other west-Marshal Xanox and Marshal Lacross smashed through several buildings headfirst before finally coming to a halt.

||||

In a rare moment of calm, Richard glanced at his trembling hand. The strain on his body from using such an intense amount of Life Energy in quick succession was starting to take its toll. His veins throbbed, and his blood boiled. CLENCH

Richard clenched his fist tightly, then pointed the halberd at Marshal Xanox. ”Hand over that pyramid, or I wonʼt let you off today!!” He charged toward him again like an enraged bull.

”Why do you say that users of the fourth path eat dirt wherever they go?” Robin furrowed his brows in confusion. ”Itʼs the perfect path, no matter how you look at it. I donʼt know how that Truth Chosen managed it, but itʼs clear heʼs a genius. Using energy as a foundation, which can be converted into any other law since thatʼs one of its properties-how could anyone lose when they can wield any law they want at any time?”

”Because there are many issues with the fourth path, and those issues are widely known. Anyone who uses it is basically inviting ridicule,” Pythor shook his head. ”The first issue is the one you just mentioned. Relying on the simple energy patterns to construct solid foundations wasnʼt the best solution. The foundations built this way are frail and easily broken. Itʼs like building a house of glass-elegant but weak, liable to collapse at any moment. A single strike to those foundations can result in paralysis or death. Plus contrary to what you might expect, energy capacity for users of this path is incredibly limited. Energy patterns canʼt sustain the construction of large foundations!”

”....” Robin furrowed his brows further. Anyone aware of this flaw would simply drag a battle against fourth-path experts into a prolonged fight, aiming to exhaust their opponent. This issue alone was enough to ruin any popularity the fourth path might have had. Pythor raised a second finger. ”The second problem is that the body gains no significant benefit from advancing levels or breaking through realms. Whether humans, mutants, hybrids, or even beasts, we all naturally resonate with energy-weʼve been breathing it in its gaseous state since birth. Whatʼs new for the body when using it to build solid foundations? Perhaps a slight increase in energy-gathering speed. But other than that, youʼre just concentrating energy on a single point in your body. Meanwhile, the rest of your body remains unchanged and fragile. Youʼre just a mortal who can be broken with a slap unless youʼre constantly protected by energy.”