Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 56 Oath
In the deadly battle in the cave, heaven and earth were turned upside down, and the warriors pressed against the ceiling suffered several times the force of gravity.

"This is still the probing phase. We can barely stand, how are we supposed to fight? And this thing is standing right above us, looking down on us."

Feeling the excessive pressure on his entire body, especially his back, Rean gritted his teeth, braced himself on his limbs, and tried to stand up.

Yes, even at this moment, Rean and his group were still launching a probing attack on a powerful enemy while ensuring their own safety.

To probe the opponent's fighting style, to test their abilities, and to identify any potential weaknesses or vulnerabilities.

Adjusting one's own combat tactics based on intelligence gathered during battle is the standard, most effective strategy.

But this "gravity authority" alone was enough to overwhelm the Knights squad.

My senses, both above and below, were in disarray; being pressed against the ceiling was an unbearable feeling.

Even taking action is difficult, how can we fight!
Rean was in the best situation; he looked up and, seeing that Maria was still standing there, breathed a sigh of relief.

She was upside down in my field of vision, the patterns on her body emitting an eerie glow, simply smiling and staring back at me.

That fake smile seemed to mock me, implying that those who weren't strong enough weren't even qualified to touch me.

Rean, however, was more concerned with the reversal and doubling of gravity, which was centered around him.

It seems that even after using this power, she is unable to move freely, which is understandable, since she is at the center of the gravitational field. Given her habits, if her side exposes such a large opening, she should have already started hunting.

"Aaaaah!" A woman's scream came from behind Rean.

Talia was trapped in the ceiling; the excessive gravity pressed down on her, rendering her unable to move.

The wound kept reopening, and the muscles and bones groaned in pain.

Dimon, who was beside her, was in much better condition and even began to try to stand up and help Talia up.

"Why are they treating her differently?! No, this isn't right. Even though she's injured, Talia is much stronger than Dimon; she shouldn't be in the worst condition."

Rean keenly sensed that perhaps the reason for this difference was the key to overcoming this ability.

I am in the best condition, followed by Dimon, and Talia suffers several times the damage. Considering all factors, Talia is undoubtedly number one. Without any weight, she should be the one who suffers the least pressure, and her physical strength should be the greatest.

"Resistance. All abilities depend on resistance; this is not the true authority over the world!"

Rean realized that, just like when he directly roared away the spells, the paladin's greatest advantage was that he was an "all-rounder," a class with high resistance to various abilities.

Dimon is a Pledge Knight, and Rean himself carries the aftereffects of the Sul Pledge, making him one of the most resistant paladins to begin with! So strong that it's considered ridiculous even among paladins.

"boom!"

Rean was the first to stand up; his resistance was undoubtedly the highest.

Even so, the heavy armor became a burden, and the several times the gravity made it extremely uncomfortable.

"She can't hold on much longer."

The sound of bones cracking came from behind, and blood had already soaked the ground. Talia's wounds, which were already agile, were rapidly deteriorating.

She struggled to get up, but the result was that her spine was subjected to even greater pressure, and the continuous cracking sounds made people wonder how she could still move.

She coughed up large amounts of blood, turning into a blood-soaked mess, yet she still stubbornly held on.

This is the normal power of this evil ability; you can't compare the resistance of a Excalibur to that of an ordinary superhuman.

"Don't move! I'll help you!"

Rean took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and stood up.

The top priority remains saving the lives of our comrades.

However, when he took action, he still endured several times the pressure. He glared fiercely at Maria, who was still smiling, but there was nothing he could do.

Even the throwing knives fell directly onto the ceiling.

"Click."

Even the slightest movement produces a sound as if one's bones are cracking internally, which is not a pleasant experience.

Should we use the Heroic Soul to settle the score and switch to the next Heroic Soul? Rean felt from the beginning that this was not a good idea.

Stability and controllability are always the top priorities on the battlefield.

Rean couldn't determine whether he could immediately draw the next Heroic Soul after the settlement, and the one he drew would just happen to be useful in this situation. After all, no matter how strong a Heroic Soul is, it still uses his physical body. Moreover, there should be some Heroic Souls that are magic-based or even not good at combat.

There was no other way out in this desperate situation, so he had to gamble. But if there were other possibilities at his disposal, he wouldn't have to take such a huge risk. Rean didn't want to become the next hero!
Life is only once, and we really can't afford to gamble with it!
"Is there any way to increase resistance, even just a little bit?" Whether or not he could break through the defense was a world of difference, and Rean felt he was on the verge of it all.

Rean took one step and already felt a deep weariness.

But when Rean looked ahead and saw Dimon helping Talia, he suddenly realized something.

It turns out the answer had always been right beside us.

"I swear"

Calm words are a sign of inner enlightenment.

Although he has the rank of Oath Knight, Rean is not an Oath Knight; Sull is.

This was part of the plan, since Rean should also be able to obtain the power of a paladin after the settlement of the Heroic Souls.

But he never intended to serve any god.

Becoming a knight of oath and generating his own holy power was his only option; he had already decided on the oath long ago.

But at this moment, he hesitated.

It's not a matter of hesitating about taking this step sooner rather than later.
"Are the vows we made before still sufficient?"

Rean had not planned to major in paladin, and therefore did not want the oath to bind him too much.

The chosen oaths were broad, with light constraints and low costs, and were a form of self-restraint acceptable to his personality.

But the stronger the oath, the greater the boost it can provide. Damon's (life-or-death) oath is the foundation of his confidence in fighting beyond his level, while Larry's oath merely supplements her power.

There is no superiority or inferiority; it only depends on whether it is suitable and whether one is willing to dedicate everything to the vow.
"What suits me best is the best." This is the experience given by Knight Suer.

You can't lie to yourself.

Not everyone is suited to asceticism; only a heartfelt "commitment" can be fulfilled for a lifetime.

If you don't have this awareness, the vow won't even be valid.

He shook his head and decided to continue with the vow he had previously made.

"I swear I will fight for those who love me and those I love."

His seemingly simple words carried the weight of a lifetime's commitment. Having made his vow, he stepped forward, one step at a time, toward Talia, who lay motionless in a pool of blood.

Rean is not a "saint" like Sue; he cannot make a vow to fight for all the weak.

However, for the people around him, for his family, for the people he loves and the people who love him, Rean is also willing to give it his all.

With the oath now in place, he did feel a sense of relief, certain that he was on the right path.

"Don't worry, I'm here." Rean helped the woman up and tried to lead her out.

"boom!"

But the sudden increase in pressure caused Talia to vomit blood.

Rean glared fiercely at Maria behind him, gritted his teeth, picked up his companion, and stepped back, using his body to support her.
The second oath, "I Oath," has also been activated, and Rean needs even higher resistance.

In Rean's previous considerations, this oath needed to conform to his morality and bottom line as an Earthling, and even be of some help to him.

"I will keep my promise and fulfill the vows and oaths I have made."

For Rean, integrity is fundamental to being a person. He despises people who are dishonest, and this is a vow he can accept.

In the long run, "keeping your word" is also a good personal label.

In future interpersonal interactions, it can be used as a selling point to gain the trust of others more quickly.

Moreover, to take a step back, keeping one's promise does not mean one cannot commit fraud.

The truth is quite the opposite. If you really want to deceive someone, "keeping your promises" can actually be a positive influence. It all depends on the fraudster's skill. Fraud doesn't require breaking a promise, and people who can be trusted are more likely to lead their opponents into an abyss.

"boom!"

Rean knelt on one knee. This time the oath was fulfilled, but the pressure on him was also greater.

The second oath in the Knight's Oath is far too fragile, and its blessing is clearly insufficient.

The third one? Rean had even less hope, but he couldn't stop now.

There's an unspoken rule in the knightly oath: you have two options to choose yourself, and one is for "making a grand wish."

Fight for justice, fight for the kingdom, fight for the law, fight for fairness, and so on.

A broad and long-term sense of righteousness is a lasting path in life, and an evolutionary vow of continuous growth and feedback.

They are naturally weak in the early stages, but may not necessarily become strong later on, depending on their individual achievements.

It is used by many knights as a filler oath, who will simply choose one they are confident will never break their oath.

“For the sake of justice.” Rean shook his head; he couldn’t be sure that all the heroic spirits were righteous.

In reality, there are definitely quite a few villains among them, and when they break their oaths for no reason, it won't be a laughing stock anymore.

The third oath he had previously conceived was actually a rather subtle thing.

"Fight for humanity"—this is the oath originating from the last page of the Heroic Spirit Encyclopedia: "Ultimate Mission: To find humanity."

Since this is the ultimate goal of the Heroic Spirit Encyclopedia, then the oath should be correct, right? In a world without real humans, fighting for humanity, what could be more abstract and impossible to break than this?

Although it's likely to be a zero-bonus, it's acceptable for Rean, who doesn't intend to specialize in the path of a paladin, as long as there are no restrictions.

After some thought, Rean still couldn't think of a better oath, and this step was already irreversible.

"Snapped!"

Holding the unconscious Talia, Rean moved closer to the cave entrance.

"I swear, for humanity." He was only halfway through his sentence when the increased gravity made it difficult for him to move.

He suddenly turned around and looked at the thing that had completely lost its humanity.

If it were such a thing, no matter which version of himself it was, as long as he was still "Lee Eun-suk," a normal person from Earth, he would not hesitate to swing his sword.

"I swear to fight to the death for humanity and the very foundation of human nature!"

Calm words are a vow to oneself, an expectation of change, and a promise to the world and to history.

He originally thought that the situation would not change after the oath was made.

Because it's too vague, even with the declaration of "the bottom line of humanity," it's not as concrete as "punishing the wicked." Many extreme criminals don't even qualify as the bottom line of humanity.

Perhaps in his view, this was a vow that was too frivolous.

A vow, though made from the heart, cannot be faked.

These are the limits of the lifelong commitments he can make and must keep.

"Uh?!"

But when the light of the oath finally fell, he was stunned.

Light emanated directly from his body, and he possessed inexhaustible power.

This vow was not only accepted by him personally, but also by the world!
It seems I've inadvertently made a rather extraordinary vow?!

Perhaps it will be a long time before he understands what "fighting for humanity" and "fighting for human nature" truly mean.

He was not even aware that his second oath, "I will absolutely keep my promise," further strengthened the source of his third oath, thus completing what was known as a double oath.

That means stronger rewards, stronger constraints, and a crueler price for those who break their oaths!
But now, he was delighted that his resistance had increased significantly again, and the power from within himself allowed him to save his companions even better.

Finally, with Talia in one arm and Dimon dragged along with the other, he walked out of the gravity-inverted cave.

Then, Rean once again stepped into this hellish scene.

Paladin Rean once again swung his sword at evil.

This time, it's a true paladin.

"Die, you inhuman zombie!"

Despite the pressure of crushing bones, Rean stepped forward step by step, and this time, the two stood on the same stage once again.

There are no fancy tricks or ingenious schemes; when faced with the power of the world, only the strong can endure, and only the victors can survive.

"This evil deserves to end here."

The holy sword, wielded with incredible force, tore through the gravitational field and slashed fiercely at Maria.

(End of this chapter)