18 A Cross-Temporal Face Slapping
"Ding, you and your team have slain a zombie. Support skill activated, your reward has been increased to 210 times. Congratulations, you have gained 20,000 experience points."
"Ding, you have reached level 22."
A torrent of experience points rapidly accumulated within Henry.
He quickly broke through the level 21 barrier, but before his realm could stabilize, Emily launched a mass-killing magic array, annihilating a group of zombies in an instant.
Henry suddenly reached level 23!
The speed was like being on a rocket.
Watching his own exaggerated leveling-up speed, Henry couldn't help but be startled.
The two female hidden class members provided Henry with a 200-fold reward, plus a 10-fold team bonus.
Although it seemed like Henry was just eating ice bear jerky, in reality, he was effectively leveling up as if he were battling fiercely himself.
Anna and Emily's leveling up pace was equally swift.
Like goddesses of war amidst the zombies, their experience points surged rapidly.
The zombies' increasing strength couldn't keep up with their leveling speed.
"Are those two women even human?" other awakeners gaped in amazement.
What kind of team was this, so unconventional?
Two celestial beauties, like war goddesses, moving in and out of the battlefield with ease.
And the seemingly strong man lying comfortably in the back, munching on jerky.
"I've got it, that guy must be the new hidden class player who can provide a 10-fold reward to his team!" An awakener suddenly remembered recent news.
Watching the performance of Henry and his team, it all clicked.
The much-coveted awakener was right there among them!
Every awakener in Snowland eyed them with burning desire, fantasizing about joining Henry's squad.
But they were unaware that they were already at a disadvantage, as most of them were male awakeners.
Not to mention the scarcity of being a hidden class - a one in a million rarity.
"So he's that hidden class," the leader of the level 30 elite team clenched his fists, feeling a wave of melancholy while staring at Henry.
With such an exaggerated leveling up speed, it wouldn't be long before they all reached level 30.
Finding trouble with them then would be much more difficult.
As minutes ticked by, the pile of zombie corpses around Anna and Emily grew larger and larger.
Finally, the ice block began to tremble violently, and the entire ice mountain burst open, revealing the purple-red coffin to everyone's view.
The archbishop reappeared before the crowd, his face beaming with a gentle smile towards Henry's team.
"Congratulations on slaying the most zombies. You have undoubtedly won first place in this competition," he announced, his voice undulating as if speaking in different tones.
A chill suddenly ran through Henry, sensing something awry.
This archbishop was not right!
What exactly was contained in this coffin?
This third-round task might very well be a trap.
"There's something wrong, run!"
Realizing this, Henry quickly grabbed the two women and ran backwards.
While the other awakeners were still unclear about what was happening, the archbishop suddenly extended his hand and forcefully opened the coffin.
It was empty, and he jumped inside it.
Suddenly, a powerful suction force emerged.
Only then did the other awakeners realize something was amiss, with some screaming in terror, "Why do I feel like this coffin is pulling me in?"
"I can't move, what's happening?"
The awakeners closest to the coffin struggled with all their might to break free from its grasp, but found themselves unable to move, inexorably drawn closer to the coffin.
"Save me!" cried an awakener being gradually sucked into the coffin.
Their blood oozed from their body, turning them mummy-like, devoid of life.
Just when many awakeners thought they were going to die there, the coffin abruptly snapped shut, and the suction force vanished.
The crowd hurriedly scrambled away, no one daring to approach the coffin again.
"What just happened?" Henry looked gravely at the coffin, sensing something familiar.
It was a scent, emanating from a token he had acquired – the Elder Token of Algado.
It was indeed that old fiend causing mischief!
General White Tiger Fatima's estimation was wrong; Algado dared to resurrect now!
As Henry pondered...
Boom! The coffin exploded open.
The archbishop inside had transformed; his robes were tattered, his hair stood up, turning silver-white.
His eyes were hollow, and spatial rifts constantly appeared around him – Algado could even influence the spatial laws nearby!
"My God, what is this thing?"
"The archbishop of Snowland seems to be resurrecting something!"
Other awakeners also guessed some of the details but couldn't believe that the resurrected entity was Snowland's supreme deity – Algado.
Suddenly, Algado's gaze shifted towards Henry, his mouth twisting into a smile.
"Found you!"
Henry broke out in a cold sweat.
This old creature was indeed after him.
Henry's mind raced through various self-rescue plans, but he dismissed each in turn.
Against such a powerful deity, any trick seemed futile.
This was the only way!
Taking a deep breath, Henry pulled out a yellow paper and lit it.
"Algado, huh? I don't know why you old thing are fixated on me. But since we've met, I ought to give you a welcoming gift!"
"Go and have a good catch-up with your disciple!"
Out of nowhere, a massive skeletal hand that blotted out the sky appeared.
The archbishop, now the incarnation of Algado, looked at the hand and laughed.
"Leonardo, after so many years, I didn't expect you to still be alive."
A deep, pained voice echoed in the void.
"I won't die until I tear you to pieces. You must pay for your betrayal, and the entire Death Realm awaits your judgment!"
The skeletal hand thrust forward with a palm strike, its force far more ferocious than the one in the magus seal against Fatima.
Unperturbed, Algado raised his own arm.
"Bang!"
The air exploded with sound, and several awakeners immediately fell to the ground, blood oozing from their ears.
Their eardrums were shattered by the blast wave.
Such was the clash between high-level beings; a mere gust from their exchange could kill lower-level awakeners.
"Leonardo, after all these years, your strength remains as pitiful as when I first taught you."
"You can't even kill one of my avatars."
The owner of the skeletal hand, Leonardo, laughed heartily, speaking with deep hatred.
"I know my talent is limited. Against someone born a deity like you, no amount of training would ever be enough to defeat you," Leonardo acknowledged.
"But if you think I have no means at all, you're gravely mistaken."
"I've traded my own being to Death for one of his powers... Desolation."
Algado fell silent for a moment, then spoke with an unusual tone, "You plan to use the power of Desolation to eradicate this avatar of mine?"
Leonardo replied calmly, "I know I can't kill your true form, but erasing this avatar will delay your plans."
"Interesting," Algado nodded, untroubled, as the power of Desolation began to manifest on him.
A huge void appeared in his stomach, and the life force of his body was rapidly fading.
"However, I never intended to do much with this avatar anyway. The human world, despite its chaos, does have some strong awakeners."
"This single avatar of mine is no match for them."
Algado's face gradually turned into red clay.
Struggling, he turned his head towards Henry and smiled,
"In the future, I will be reborn in your body. When I return, it will be my true self. The dominion of the human world will be assimilated by me, and I will truly be unrivaled!"
Algado's voice dissipated in the wind, vanishing along with the archbishop's flesh.
Leonardo, also exhausted, spoke to Henry, "The problem is temporarily solved. If you wish to stay alive, seek more cards to counter Algado."
