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The Undead Sky Archons were the most difficult enemies this trial ground could offer.

No matter where they spawn, Ren would instantly know where they are. Not just because his sensory network caught them, but also because they have that certain presence on them.

The air just shifts when they appear. They are accompanied by a strong gust of wind and a chill that penetrates the soul. They spawn in the sky, not on the ground, and their large and wide wings were definitely unmistakable.

Ren has encountered them several times by now, yet each time, he’s still taken by the way they just appear on the battlefield.

Something about their presence makes anybody feel as if the sky itself were descending, and all thoughts about fighting them up in the air become impossible because they will lose that fight each time.

And these were the undead versions of the Sky Archons. These ones don’t talk; they don’t reason, make excuses, or show mercy. The moment they see the trialist, they will fly towards them and start killing.

They’re not the type to give out any warnings, so if the trialist were caught off guard, they may very well die without knowing how it happened. They are that fast.

Fortunately for Ren, he wasn’t oblivious about their arrival. He had fought them before and had become familiar with their tactics and combat styles.

Once again, he knew the moment the Undead Sky Archons appeared. He felt their presence at the same time his sensory network registered them in the field.

He watched them dive down to the zombies, particularly those who had the Sky Archon pieces with them. They stole the piece and fused with them, and the piece unlocked some of their strength when they were still alive.

One’s wings turned into metal shards. He looked as if he were flying by controlling the magnetic field; sparks of purple electricity also pulsed and webbed around him.

Another one had her wings turned into ice crystals. Said crystals also formed a strong and compact ice crystal armor that protected her body. Despite her rotting body, the changes in her made her look more pleasing to the eye.

The third one didn’t show that much change upon fusing with the Sky Archon piece, but his vitality did increase through Ren’s perception. It’s like he came back to life. His previously rotting body recovered a little bit, his flesh gained some color, and his wings became more vibrant than before.

Although his changes were as drastic or as noticeable as the other two, his presence easily overpowered both of them, combined. Indicating that he’s the biggest threat around.

Ren also knew the moment those three saw him. He felt their gaze landing on him from where they spawned, and in that same instant, they started flying towards him with a clear intent to kill.

He braced himself. Ren knew that there was no avoiding this. Those three had the three Sky Archon pieces he needed to clear this night; therefore, they have to die.

Ren heard them shattering the sound barrier with how fast they were flying. Even with his sensory network, they were a blur to his senses, but Ren wasn’t too intimidated.

He timed his attacks properly. He has all but forgotten the other zombies around him since they don’t matter anymore now that the Undead Sky Archons are here.

As he saw the first one diving straight at him, Ren didn’t retreat. He swung his arm, which has been gathering a lot of chakra since, and threw a punch with all his might and rage.

He truly wasn’t holding back this time. He couldn’t afford to, facing these ones.

This time, he also broke the sound barrier with his attack, but it had taken all of his strength to do so. The impact of his punch clashed directly with the comets that are the Undead Sky Archons.

His punch not only contained so much force that it was enough to contend with, but it also echoed nine times, which the birds certainly didn’t expect.

Ren successfully killed the strongest threat because he’s the one who went straight for it and was ahead of the other two. He received the full might and consequences of taking all of Ren’s determination and rage, resulting in his own head exploding like a watermelon, leaving him lifeless on the ground. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The other two didn’t have it as bad, but they’ve been effectively crippled anyway. Their wings had been clipped by the impact, and they won’t be flying again anytime soon. Their undead state basically ensures that any possibility of them regenerating from their injuries becomes impossible, even if they’ve fused with a Sky Archon Piece.

Ren didn’t stall for too long; again, he couldn’t afford to. The previous attack almost took him out as well. He could hear his body yelling and cursing at him for abusing it this much.

That was something that should’ve been way beyond what he could handle, even with all of his advantages stacked. His chakra reserves were running dry, and even though he could keep moving to generate more, he couldn’t wait for that long; otherwise, more Undead Sky Archons would appear.

Ren fetched the piece that the dead Sky Archon dropped before pressing to kill the other two.

He leapt and hopped two times in the air to bridge the gap. He landed on the female Sky Archon. He then grabbed her head and gave it a snappy and quick twist, killing her right then and there.

The moment she died, the piece she held dropped, which he snatched before going for the last one nearby.

He jumped high again, and this time, he swung his arm, using what remains of his chakra to send a ’Wing Guillotine’ to finish the last one. It was clear that the metal Sky Archon wasn’t expecting that from him, but it was already too late. His head had been sliced off of his body. He fell to the ground with a loud thump, landing at the same time as Ren and dropping the final Sky Archon Piece that Ren needed for this night.

Ren practically used whatever was left of his stamina to run and grab the final piece, because he just felt more Sky Archons appearing. He couldn’t stay behind and fight them. He was completely drained.

Whew!

Ren touched the final piece, and as soon as he did, it was as if time stopped around him. The newly spawned Sky Archons got real close; they almost prevented him from taking the final piece.

It certainly had him sweating badly. But he made it somehow. He got covered in light and was transported back to the safety of his dome.

Once inside, Ren’s knees felt wobbly. He winced and practically dragged his spent and drained body to the nearest chair. There, he took out the pieces he collected.

He then watched as they formed a fragment. Then, everything he collected so far resonated. They emitted a bright and holy sound that almost brought him comfort. They all fused together in a single piece—a section of the Godly Sky Archon’s inheritance.

Yes, Ren managed to collect enough to gather a section of the whole inheritance. Anybody who, like him, has managed to successfully clear each night will also have a section like this.

But this was just one out of the four he needed for the complete inheritance. He still has a long way to go.

It would also seem as if he won’t have enough time, but Ren believed that he does.

Time here is weird. Experiencing ’nights’ was a way to count how many days it had been since they arrived here. But it’s not really that accurate. In the beginning, yes, it’s about the same, but at some point, it will be out of sync with the real time.

Ren doesn’t know exactly how it works or why this was the case. He just knew that through this, less than two years should be enough to gather enough pieces to receive the complete inheritance.

That said, having a section of the inheritance was definitely more valuable than having mere pieces or fragments.

Ren forced his eyes to stay wide open and inspected the corner section of the inheritance he received.

Just like the message that Vordt left on the wall, there were writings on the surface of this thing, written in the same language that Sky Archons used.

And just like how it was when he approached the wall, the language was automatically translated into human language, this time through his touch.

What he now has is introductory information about the godly Sky Archon’s inheritance. It started with songs of praises for the Godly Sky Archon before going into the deeper discussion about refining one’s physique and strength control.

The topics here were all advanced. So much more than what Ren has learned from his research so far. And the writer had completely assumed that whoever was reading this knew what they were talking about already.

Ren didn’t finish it. He knew it wasn’t the time yet. He needed to do more research and study.

Fortunately, he earned more than enough points to buy more Sky Archon Arts. Especially after killing those Undead Sky Archons.