Chapter 404

The smoke soon cleared, revealing the wreckage of what was formerly a lively encampment. Hundreds of people had been killed by Gunner's attack, whereas all the Master and Grandmaster targets had managed to protect their lives. 

They looked at the trio who were radiating so much power and energy that their hearts trembled. The kind of powers Darius, Gunner, and Xela possessed after allocating those points was not a joke at all. 

It wasn't just the stats. It was mostly their skills where Darius had upgraded most of them. 

[Analyze - Level 40 Skill 

Grade: Intermediate 

Cost: None 

Description: Deduce the characteristics of any item or person, as well as their personal history and some skill details. The effectiveness of this skill is based on the Intellect stat x 8.0!] 

[Elemental Breath - Level 40 Spell 

Grade: Intermediate 

Cost: 400 MP 

Description: Channel the raw power of the elements through your body, realizing it in a cone-shaped breath before you. This deals 4,000% all-element damage.] 

[Mageward Barrier - Level 100 Skill 

Grade: Basic 

Cost: None 

Description: This is a long-lost skill belonging to a legendary faction of mage-killing knights who took on contractual jobs to hunt down mages. This was the core skill, allowing them to great mitigate the damage from all offensive and debuffing spells based on their mastery over the spell at no cost to their mana or stamina. Currently, this skill disperses 100% of all incoming magic damage/negative effects.] 

[Spirit Barrier - Level 100 Skill 

Grade: Basic 

Cost: None 

Description: This is a unique skill lineage belonging to the Witches of Fallon, a group of women cursed with the Mystic Arts and its benefits as well as detriments. As masters of manipulation of all things soul-related, they developed this skill that protects their own souls from interference by others. Currently, this skill disperses 100% of all incoming spirit and soul damage/negative effects.] 

[Spell Enhancement - Level 100 Skill (Max) 

Grade: Intermediate 

Description: You have mastered a unique mana control technique, allowing you to deal more damage with each spell you cast. Your spell power is increased by 100%.] 

[Spell Mastery - Level 100 Skill (Max) 

Grade: Intermediate 

Description: You have mastered a unique mana control technique, allowing you to use less mana with each spell you cast. Your spell resources have reduced by 100%.] 

[Magical Mastery - Level 20 Skill 

Grade: Intermediate 

Description: As the Ancestor of Dragons, you have been blessed by the Laws of Magic in the world, able to display mastery beyond any other mortal species in existence. Your mana regeneration, spell-casting speed, spell power, and spell resources have increased by 100%.] 

[Elemental Control - Level 20 Skill 

Grade: Intermediate 

Description: As the Ancestor of all Dragons, you belong to not a single specific element, but encompass them all. Resistance to elemental attacks as well as elemental damage increased by 100%.] 

[Draconic Regeneration - Level 20 Skill 

Grade: Intermediate 

Description: As the Ancestor of Dragons, your lifeforce and survivability are nothing short of a Primordial Titan. Your health regeneration is 100% per second regardless of situation.] 

Darius's power had grown by amounts that could not be easily fathomed. As he hovered in the air, he gazed at the over 100 Grandmasters and more than 20,000 Masters that stood there with their mouths agape. 

With a cruel smile reminiscent of his younger days, Darius decided to test out his increased power with the very 'willing targets before him. He shot out his favorite and go-to spell, Lightning Bolt, aiming at a Master mage standing nearby. 

When the fellow saw the bolt rush toward shim, he instantly paled. His natural magical barrier appeared, which had three layers belonging to three different elements. 

After each stage up, a mage would congeal another elemental shield that worked passively. 

According to Supreme System rules, each shield offered a mage 10% magical resistance, which amounted to 30% when one hit the Master stage and 40% once one became a Grandmaster. 

No matter how powerful the spell one hit them with, unless it was part of an element that was antithetical to the ones used on one or all of the shields, in which the advantage would turn on its head, it would greatly decrease in power. 

The fellow had a Fire, Wind, and Earth shield, which was quite a good array for resisting Lightning, with Earth even suppressing the Lightning element greatly. The Master mage also had equipment on his body that under the Supreme System equaled 25 points of resistance. 

However, the bolt pierced through all the shields and turned him into ash instantly. It couldn't be helped, after calculations, Darius would have dealt raw damage of 216,000, even after being reduced by 30% it totaled 151,200 points. 

After being divided by the amount of Resistance the fellow had, that was over 6,000 points of damage! While a Master fighter might be able to suffer such a loss, mages were not exactly known for focusing on their physical stats. 

His HP had been less than 4,000, and that was even high for mages. Those who had encircled Andrato back in the day had less than 1,500 HP, but this particular fellow had hailed from a stronger empire and had not been entirely human, blessing him with better stats. 

It wasn't just Darius who was shocked speechless, but his two Branded Servants as well as all those who stood below. They could not believe their eyes, that a late-stage Master had been wiped out so easily in the field which he was strongest in, against an element he was supposed to have an advantage over. 

Gunner's feat was understandable for the trio, for they knew that his level 100 Earth's Guardian would boost his power to insane levels, but for Darius to be able to achieve the same told them just how much more powerful they had become. 

Though it was obviously not enough to one-shot Grandmasters, it still put them above most Masters! After all, while mages and their equivalent might have magic defense and resistance, the physical fighters did not! 

Without equipment that offered them resistance, they would have to swallow all that raw damage of 216,000!