Chapter 1067: Our Fight Will Be Fair

　　For the next twenty seconds, the air was filled only with the sharp whistling of blades cutting through flesh, followed by the guttural gurgles of their dying enemies. About fifty Light Warriors were laid low in that brief timespan.

　　The Pulsars seemed to have learned their lesson—none tried to ambush the duo again. It was mildly unsettling, but they found themselves quietly pleased by it.

　　By contrast, Sank-Uk and the few soldiers behind him were having a h.e.l.l of a time.

　　Just as the former commander had successfully beheaded a towering Pulsar that had targeted his recruit squad, the situation went from zero to s.h.i.+tshow when the enemy regiment's big boss appeared in a blur, halting his uncontrolled charge.

　　The moment Sank-Uk looked up and recognized not just the man but his overwhelming lifeforce, his arrogance drained from his eyes, replaced by grim solemnity. In a split second, he knew that the guy facing him was going to be one h.e.l.l of a tough cookie.

　　'A powerful Vitalist, even by their standards,' he quickly a.s.sessed, backpedaling with a nervous leap.

　　A Vitalist was the stage beyond s.h.i.+mmer and Pulsar.

　　s.h.i.+mmers had just awakened their Life Lumyst Aura but couldn't actively control it. Aside from a stat boost, it wasn't much use to them.

　　Pulsars had limited control over their Aura, imbued with Life and Holy Light attributes, the latter coating their bodies in a faint luminescent s.h.i.+eld that pa.s.sively defended them from attacks. However, they couldn't externalize it for offense.

　　Vitalists were the third stage of Light Warriors. Besides being significantly stronger in every aspect—capable of easily dismantling a squad of Pulsars barehanded within a minute—they could also coat their weapons and projectiles with their Aura and even emit it a few meters to boost their troop's regenerative powers or s.h.i.+eld them. Control over this Aura beyond their bodies was still basic, only Lifemancers being able to wield it effectively.

　　As if things weren't dicey enough, six remaining Pulsars stood right behind their leader, forming an elite shock squad capable of achieving any mission, even the most perilous. As soon as their leader blocked Sank-Uk's path, the six giants fanned out around him, encircling him in a tight formation to isolate him from the troops under his wing.

　　Once he'd trapped his prey within the "circle" formed by his hulking subordinates, the towering man at their helm—holding a spiked club nonchalantly on his shoulder—calmly approached Sank-Uk.

　　"Fancy a duel between commanders to decide the outcome?" he casually remarked, picking at his ear as if it were standard procedure. "I promise, our fight will be fair."

　　Sank-Uk glanced left and right, as if counting the Pulsars, before sizing up his opponent with a frown.

　　The newcomer was an genuine giant, towering over five meters tall, dwarfing the other Pulsars under his command. Sporting the build of an ogre or troll rather than a human, this Light Warrior was different even without discussing his Aura.

　　Each of his fingers was as thick as a baby's forearm. He had long, wild, and unkempt gray hair, cascading down his back like a venerable lion's mane. His beard was, conversely, rather short and well-trimmed, but his large, oiled mustache curled at the ends, calling into question the aesthetic sensibilities of this foe. He also sported short claws, protruding fangs, a crimson third eye in the middle of his forehead, and three curved, goat-like horns to complete this nightmarish visage.

　　As for his gear, like all Light Warriors, he wore heavy plate armor cut from a single block of pure wood. His was nearly blood-red, marked by numerous darker striations and circular patterns. His club was made from the same tree.