My bloodline is so eager to improve.

"Generally speaking, if a paladin falls into the dead, the gods will withdraw their attention from them."

The paladins' core combat skill, Divine Punishment, was thus rendered useless.

Maeve spoke eloquently.

"But Helarek is different."

The god of war seemed to think highly of him, and even though he had become an undead creature, he still did not leave his sight.

Therefore, he was probably the first necromancer capable of using divine punishment.

This is why Maeve values ​​this undead creation so much.

A necromancer capable of wielding divine punishment—this was unprecedented in the entire history of the Kingdom of Thorne.

She was even willing to find a suitable person to accompany him in a fight, all for the sake of his obsession.

If it were any other undead creature, Maeve would have already ripped out his brain and replaced it with a more obedient familiar.

Helarek seemed unconcerned by Maeve's smugness.

He simply looked at the boy in front of him and spoke his mind.

"Young man, I have fallen so low that I dare not have any more hopes."

At this point, Helarek's voice lowered slightly.

"I just have one wish that I can't fulfill."

If you can obtain my breathing technique, as a reward, I hope you can do me a favor.

He paused, and as if afraid Otto might have some concerns, he added another sentence.

"Don't worry, I won't force you."

The paladin before me maintained his purity even after death.

Even though his level of life was far higher than Otto's, he still treated everyone equally.

Otto even felt a strange sense of peace emanating from him, as if he were standing in an ancient church, enveloped in a sacred atmosphere.

This made Otto really want to believe the other person.

“Mr. Herald, please speak freely.”

Otto said solemnly.

"I will definitely do anything that I can to help."

Otto felt that even though the paladin before him had fallen into the form of a necromancer, his will was still not corrupted by evil.

He must have been an extremely upright person in life, so it's unlikely that anyone would have said anything to make things difficult for him.

Otto would love to help if he could.

But Helarek said...

"Then let's start the testing."

His tone became more serious.

"That being said, I don't want to casually hand over my breathing techniques to others."

If you can complete the test, then we can talk about other things.

After saying that, Herald immediately turned and walked forward, seemingly to distance himself from Otto in preparation for the formal test.

He spoke slowly, keeping his distance.

"This breathing technique is not recorded in the archives of the Hall of War; I learned it by chance during an adventure with my friends in my early years."

As Herarek spoke, he turned around.

He clenched his fist in the air, and black and red flames gradually condensed around him, forming a greatsword.

The greatsword was also black and red, with a wide blade, flames flowing along its edge, and dark red strips of cloth wrapped around its hilt.

It doesn't look like a weapon; it looks more like a shaped disaster.

"Ready, kid?"

Herald's voice carried a hint of fighting spirit.

"Let's begin!"

The moment Herarek announced the start, a faint cracking sound came from the ground beneath his feet.

Immediately afterwards, Helarek, like a black and red cannonball, lunged at Otto.

His speed was completely disproportionate to his enormous size.

His over three-meter-tall body instantly covered a distance of tens of meters, bringing with it a scorching gust of wind. Black and red flames left a long trail behind him, like a falling meteorite.

Otto, seeing this, naturally did not hesitate.

He drew his iron sword, preparing to parry the opponent's greatsword attack.

The opponent is very large, and its attack range must be wide, so he must be careful.

But at that moment, the black cat that carried the soul sent a notification.

Do not block, get out of the way immediately!

Otto only felt that the opponent's strength should not be too great, and that he should be able to block it, but since the Soul-Crossing Black Cat gave such a suggestion, there must be a reason for it.

Thinking of this, Otto immediately gritted his teeth and dodged to the side.

His body twisted in mid-air, narrowly missing Helarek's greatsword at an extremely dangerous angle.

The scorching air swept past his cheeks, burning his skin.

But the moment the greatsword hit the ground, black and red flames erupted like a volcanic eruption.

The flames shot skyward, reaching a height of over ten meters, bathing the entire open space in a golden-yellow light.

Interspersed among the flames were countless wails, sharp and piercing sounds, like countless souls struggling in agony within the flames.

The ground was blasted open, and rubble and soil were thrown into the air, where they turned to ashes in the high temperature.

This is definitely not a power a paladin should possess!

Otto looked at the sea of ​​fire with lingering fear.

If he had chosen to block, he would probably have been engulfed by the exploding flames by now.

Even with the fire resistance of the Fire Seed Iron Guard, he didn't think he could survive in such flames.

"That's a very accurate judgment."

Herarek slowly raised his greatsword and explained simply.

"These black and red flames are not my property, but a curse unleashed by my mortal enemy who killed me."

If you can't even cope with these curses, then I'll have to seriously consider whether I should teach you the breathing techniques.

After saying that, Helarek immediately swung his greatsword again.

This attack was even more swift, with the greatsword whistling through the air as it swept in from the left.

Otto raised his iron sword to parry, and the two swords clashed together, producing a deafening metallic clang.

Otto felt a numbness in his arm, and a tremendous force traveled through the iron sword, causing him to involuntarily take several steps back, his feet carving two deep furrows in the ground.

But in the end, he managed to steady himself.

"Not bad."

Herald's voice carried a hint of approval.

"Let's do it again!"

The two fought fiercely within the magic array, one attacking and the other defending.

Herarek's attacks were wide and sweeping, each sword strike carrying a world-destroying momentum. Black and red flames splattered in all directions with his sword movements, leaving scorched craters on the ground.

His swordsmanship comes from the orthodox lineage of the War Order, and his moves are fierce and domineering, with each strike aimed directly at vital points, without any fancy moves.

That was a deadly swordsmanship honed on the battlefield—simple, efficient, and lethal.

Otto, on the other hand, used his agile movements and accurate judgment to weave through the opponent's attacks.

His fighting style is completely different from Helarek's; it is more agile and focuses more on dodging and counter-attacking.

With the help of his animal friends, Otto possesses reaction speed and stamina far exceeding those of other exceptional professionals of his generation.

He moved like a fish through the opponent's net of swords, occasionally launching a counterattack. Although he couldn't inflict any real damage, he still forced Helarek to pay attention to him.

Black and red flames exploded between the two, while warm flames burned on Otto's iron sword. The two completely different flames intertwined and collided within the magic circle, emitting a sizzling sound.

The Soul Purifying Flame, powered by Otto's Dragon Flame, is not as violent as Herarek's Cursed Flame, but it has the property of purifying evil. Whenever the two flames come into contact, the black and red Cursed Flame will emit a mournful hiss and be partially purified by the Dragon Flame.

"nice!"

Herald's voice was filled with increasing praise.

At that moment, Herarek smiled, though his face was covered by his helmet, Otto could hear the laughter in his voice.

"Your power is upright; you are someone who walks the path of order."

Let's have a good talk using the swords in our hands.

Chapter 260 The Stars Are Breathing (6K)

With Helarek's announcement, the conflict between the two gradually intensified.

The battle raged from day to night.

Otto's physical strength was rapidly depleting, but his will was becoming increasingly firm.

He could feel his experience rapidly increasing in this battle.

The opportunity to fight a true paladin is not something everyone gets.

Every block, every dodge, every counterattack deepened Otto's understanding of combat.

Meanwhile, Helarek was also guiding Otto, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

His attacks were sometimes fierce, sometimes ingenious, sometimes as fast as lightning, and sometimes as heavy as a mountain!

He gradually revealed the essence of the War Order's swordsmanship to Otto.

Although Herarek didn't say it explicitly, Otto could sense that the paladin was teaching him in his own way.

However, to the paladin's surprise, Otto had such stamina.

Originally, Herarek only wanted to test whether Otto's current profession was suitable for inheriting his breathing technique. When Otto withstood the black and red flames, he could have already taught him the breathing technique.

But Otto's brilliant performance made Helarek decide to watch a little longer.

Since we've already decided to teach the breathing technique to this young man, let's give him a demonstration.

With that thought in mind, Herarek immediately raised his greatsword.

"Now, I will demonstrate to you the combat techniques contained in the breathing method you are about to learn."

At this moment, Helarek's fighting spirit soared.

The magic and energy within his body were increasing at an astonishing rate.

If he had previously only used curses around his body to deal with Otto, now the paladin was finally going to get serious.

The aura that Herarek had been gathering gradually intensified, and then emitted a golden light.

The light was dazzling, forming a stark contrast with the black and red cursed flames. The gold and red intertwined around him, like a battle between light and darkness.

Immediately afterwards, the greatsword slashed down.

A huge flaming cross suddenly appeared in the sky above the Blackthorn Forest.

The cross was tens of meters wide, suspended in mid-air, burning with golden flames.

The moment it appeared, the entire sky was illuminated.

As the Flame Cross appeared, the Black Forest was completely engulfed in flames.

Golden flames poured down from the sky like a river of fire, completely engulfing the spot where Otto was.