Chapter 490: The Icebound Undead Knights

Zimourman swallowed two fragments of divinity. His aura surged dramatically, and he ascended another rank, stepping into the realm of mid-level transcendence.

Charlot Mecklenburg felt no envy, but his fear toward this "companion" deepened. He, too, was a high-level Transcendent, but his cultivation of Bloodfire Combat Energy had to follow a structured process. Although he progressed much faster than ordinary orcs, the requisite steps in his training could not be bypassed. Yet Zimourman advanced merely by consuming fragments of divinity, defying the "common sense" Charlot understood.

Even in the world of Transcendents, some principles seemed immutable.

Charlot could only conclude that Zimourman was not human. He was ten out of ten certain—this person was Him.

Charlot twirled his two-handed battle axe casually, his long sword at his waist having been replaced by a new mid-tier transcendent blade. However, it was not a standard weapon from the Old Continent, so he had not abandoned his trusty axe.

Zimourman exhaled deeply and said, "At last, I’ve become a mid-level Transcendent." His expression was peculiar, as though recalling some past event.

Charlot, unwilling to let him delve into memories that might distract him, hurriedly interrupted, "We've cleared about one-fifth of the dungeon's monsters. If we exterminate all of them, you might very well reach high-level Transcendence."

Zimourman smiled faintly and replied, "I've monopolized all the fragments of divinity. Doesn't that seem unfair to you?"

Charlot shook his head and said, "We agreed to this arrangement beforehand. There’s no unfairness in it. I need to clear all the monsters in the dungeon, and you need the fragments of divinity. We’re simply fulfilling each other’s needs."

Zimourman gave Charlot a complex look, his gaze tinged with subtle melancholy.

Charlot maintained a façade of righteousness. He dared not play tricks with this individual.

Had the situation allowed him to leave, Charlot would have parted ways with Zimourman long ago. However, he needed to clear all the dungeon's monsters and transform the desolate underground city into a labyrinth to pass the fourth labyrinth trial and locate the exit.

Zimourman said plainly, "Let us continue."

Charlot took the lead, exposing his back to Zimourman. Soon, they encountered a new group of monsters.

These creatures were exceedingly fast and capable of spitting venom. They resembled oversized rats magnified hundreds of times. Zimourman’s face turned slightly pale at the sight, but Charlot remained unperturbed. With his battle axe in hand, he unleashed swift, masterful strikes, a technique learned from Redback Bear warriors. With three consecutive, increasingly rapid swings, he decapitated three monsters. The remaining creatures squeaked frantically and scattered.

Charlot made no attempt to pursue them. The dungeon was teeming with monsters, and chasing individual strays would be inefficient. He planned to slaughter the bulk of the monsters first and then deal with the remnants.

Glancing back, Charlot mused, Why does Zimourman seem increasingly feminine? Could he have suddenly comprehended some profound principle of yin-yang harmony and the genesis of life, opening a door to an entirely new world?

Zimourman’s face flushed faintly as he muttered, "I’m a bit afraid of rats."

Charlot responded with a noncommittal hum, unsure how to address such a remark. Was he supposed to embrace this likely ascendant Evil God and gently console him? He wasn’t that reckless.

I’m the one who should be scared, alright? Charlot thought. Rats aren’t nearly as terrifying as an Evil God.

The atmosphere between the two turned slightly awkward but soon shifted as a group of knights emerged faintly in the distance. Their forms were hazy and translucent, and even from afar, a chilling aura swept over them.

Charlot whispered, "Icebound Undead Knights. A rare variety."

Zimourman said, "I’ll handle them."

As a Radiant Knight, Zimourman’s attributes were naturally advantageous against undead creatures, making him far more suited to the task than Charlot.

Charlot stepped back, his Bloodfire Combat Energy relatively ineffective against the undead.

Zimourman hefted his two-handed greatsword. Though he appeared as a delicate young girl, his swordsmanship was bold and fierce. The radiant combat energy imbued in his greatsword cleaved through one Icebound Undead Knight with ease, splitting it in half like cutting through brittle wood. Though the knight was immune to most physical damage, it crumbled against the radiant combat energy that countered its essence.

Zimourman dispatched the first knight effortlessly, but soon, a second, stronger Icebound Undead Knight intercepted him. This one was a mid-level high-tier creature, beyond the tenth rank. Despite Zimourman’s attribute advantage, the knight remained unyielding. They battled fiercely through seven or eight exchanges, and twenty more undead knights closed in, encircling Zimourman and placing him in grave danger.

Charlot, though momentarily entertained by the thought of the undead knights dealing with Zimourman, quickly sobered. Rationally, he knew the knights could only strip away Zimourman’s "shell," potentially summoning the true Evil God lurking beneath.

Charlot had no intention of confronting a fully awakened Zimourman. Seeing the precarious situation, he charged into the fray with his battle axe.

The group of Icebound Undead Knights included four Transcendents. Apart from the mid-level high-tier leader, the remaining three were low-tier Transcendents of the fifth or sixth rank, making them formidable adversaries.

Charlot adopted a strategy Zimourman had previously used, avoiding direct confrontation with the Transcendent knights. Entering a state of hyper-aggression, he swiftly decimated the weaker knights one by one. Each swing of his axe felled an enemy, reducing the group of ordinary Icebound Undead Knights to corpses.

Once the twenty weaker knights were slain, Charlot exited his hyper-aggressive state and lured the remaining three Transcendent knights away.

With his third-tier Bloodfire Combat Energy, Charlot had no chance of defeating three fifth- or sixth-tier Transcendents head-on. But once he drew them to an isolated area, his face twisted into a vicious grin. Unleashing his transformation, his Blood Glory, at an overwhelming eighteenth-tier strength, he obliterated the three knights in a single charge.

Charlot twirled his battle axe again and murmured, "Perhaps I should use my true strength to crush this dungeon entirely."

As he turned to "rescue" Zimourman, his gaze caught a faint glimmer among the remains of the three shattered knights. Approaching, he discovered three fragments of divinity and pocketed them without hesitation.

Charlot had used this tactic repeatedly, amassing over a hundred fragments of divinity in secret. Although these fragments could aid in cultivation, even with his high-tier eighteenth-rank strength, it took him one to two months to absorb a single fragment. Unlike Zimourman, he could not instantly consume them for immediate ascension.

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