Unlimited Power 02 - The Ranger's Domain

Chapter 892 - Scratches

                            Ryan wished that he had a plan against even one of those two, but he didn't have it. He decided to fight them because they certainly were the most troublesome foes and because the rest of the group would be able to fight more accessible if they didn't have to worry about them. Regardless, Ryan was in the wrong spot, and the situation will only get worse, so he had to damage them as fast as possible before they could have the chance to do something even more dangerous.

                            After having a certain idea, Ryan decided to put it into practice immediately. It was a bit dangerous, but the whole situation was, after all. While leaving a trace like a lightning bolt had passed in his place, Thor approached, and he swung his hammer. The very moment the strike landed, he activated Soul Armor to nullify the damage, and the also summoned Gungnir and swung to cut Thor's throat. However, in the blink of an eye, Thor noticed that something was weird and didn't attack with everything. Thanks to that, he had the chance to dodge the spear by lowering his stance.

"What an annoying speed…" Ryan thought and then stored away Gungnir.

                            Before Ryan could do anything else, Zeus fired his bolts toward Ryan and then paralyzed him once again. Thor approached to smash Ryan's head with the hammer, and in the end, he landed a hit and almost crushed Ryan's head, but Ryan got his hands smashed instead when he tried to protect it.. Regardless, at that moment, Ryan activated Vengeful Explosion, and it worked. The same amount of damage was reflected to Thor's hands, and Ryan saw his expression of annoyance getting worse. On his hands, though, Ryan could only see some bruise marks. It couldn't be compared to Ryan's broken hands.

Congratulations! The skill Pain Resistance has leveled up.

Congratulations! The skill Pain Resistance has leveled up.

Congratulations! The skill Pain Resistance has leveled up.

…

"I suppose he is much sturdier…" Ryan furrowed his eyebrows. 

                            In any case, Ryan learned that common defensive skills worked against Thor, and that was good. It means that as long as he has mana, he can protect himself from receiving critical damage. Thor wasn't as skilled as his father… still he makes up for it with brute strength and stupid speed. Ryan could only react to it sometimes, thanks to Death Sense. However, Zeus was the problem. He was only using the most basic version of his attacks, and yet, he could paralyze Ryan completely if he wished for it.

                            Despite the difference in damage that both of them received, Thor seemed even more pissed. It appears that receiving damage from someone so inferior was something he couldn't stand it. Maybe Ryan could use that pride against him, but not so well while Zeus stays behind, backing him up.

                            Suddenly, Thor stopped charging like a mad bull and began to spin his hammer… Ryan knew what he was doing. Apparently, Mjolnir was like a boomerang when it had an owner. No matter where it is or where it is thrown, it will always return to the user if he wishes for it. At some point, Thor spun his hammer so fast that a horizontal tornado appeared on his right side. Without wasting any more time, he threw toward Ryan. At the same time, Zeus bombarded him with bolts that paralyzed him… that asshole increased the output at that time to make sure that he wouldn't react…

                            The hammer hit Ryan's chance and then made him to the distance. He lost consciousness for a moment while his chin was cracking, but when he recovered and tried to grab Mjolnir. He noticed that it couldn't move an inch, even while it was flying close to his body. When the weapon finally lost some momentum, Ryan had the chance to breathe for a second, but then his back was hit against a mountain, and he felt many bones breaking. Ryan tried to heal himself faster, but he failed in doing so before he could vomit some blood. He caused only a small bruise on a single enemy, but he had already suffered so much damage… he won't last long that way.

"Merlin, with the mana I gain from Conversion, uses it to level up Stone Skin, Bronze Skin, Steel Skin, and Electric Aura," Ryan said.

"Understood," Merlin said.

                            It was hard to imagine that he would last long enough to make good use of that skill or to hope that it would change the flow of the battle significantly, but Ryan could at least have some hope. Otherwise, what would be the point of fighting?

Congratulations! The skill Stone Skin has leveled up.

Congratulations! The skill Bronze Skin has leveled up.

Congratulations! The skill Steel Skin has leveled up.

Congratulations! The skill Electric Aura has leveled up.

…

                            Ryan saw that Merlin was quick to work, but he had hoped that he would be more optimal while making those levels up. Making them level up equally seemed like a waste when they required different amounts of mana to level up. To make that process a bit faster, Ryan decided to summon the mithril hammer in which he sealed Hephaestus in and then used it to block some of Zeus' bolts. When Zeus noticed that the energy of his attacks had been drained by the weapon, he stopped attacking. The next moment, when Thor tried to hit Ryan with his own hammer, Ryan swung his hammer as well, and a thunderous impact echoed through the area alongside with an explosion. Ryan suffered some damage, but he also obtained a lot of mana from Conversion and from the dead trolls that were hit by the explosion. 

                            Ryan had used the energy stored in the hammer to even the power of their attacks a little bit. However, once again, he lost the exchange. His already damaged body suffered even more damage, and Ryan began to bleed from other parts aside from his mouth. As for Thor, he only had a few scratches here and there.