Not far away, the Crownless reached out and grasped the air. A long spear materialized out of nothing—slender, razor-sharp, glinting with icy light.
Noah's eyes narrowed.
In the game's opening storyline, the Crownless started in its initial form, without wings or spear.
Only after the Rover beat it down to a certain point did it transform, sprouting wings and summoning the spear.
But now it had come out in its complete form right from the start.
Fine by him. He had thrashed this version of the Crownless thousands of times—he could do it blindfolded.
The only question was whether its real-world attack patterns matched the game's attack modules exactly.
As the thought crossed his mind, the Crownless across from him suddenly flapped its wings once. The spear in its hand shot forward like a dragon, streaking toward Noah.
The air screamed and tore where the spear passed.
Noah did not dare to be careless. He tapped the ground lightly, shifted half a step sideways, evaded the lethal thrust, seized the opening, and slashed back with Commando of Conviction in a reverse grip.
Dodge and counter, kid!
The Crownless recoiled half a step in pain, raised its spear, and attacked again.
This time the assault was faster, fiercer. Yet Noah did not retreat—he drew his blade and struck first, exploiting the weakness once more and landing a heavy blow on its torso.
Counter in adversity, kid!
"Interesting! Really interesting!"
The corners of Noah's mouth curled upward uncontrollably. His eyes blazed with excitement, as though he had found an extraordinarily entertaining toy.
The moves the Crownless was using were almost identical to the attack modules in the game.
There were minor differences, but he could read and react to them effortlessly.
He stopped waiting for the Crownless to act and took the initiative instead. Commando of Conviction danced in his hands, weaving an impenetrable net that dazzled the eye.
"Noah, be careful… Nice one, Noah!"
Chixia had been fully focused on covering him, but halfway through her warning it turned into a cheer.
The Crownless's spear flashed like lightning, every thrust trailing an afterimage.
Yet Noah remained calm. His body moved lightly, gracefully, like willow fluff in the wind. He evaded the ferocious strikes with casual ease, movements fluid and elegant, a faint smile even playing on his lips.
"Is that all?"
He gripped Commando of Conviction in reverse. Brilliant light burst from the blade; wherever the edge pointed, nothing could stand against it.
The Crownless was forced back again and again, stumbling, looking utterly disheveled. Anger—strikingly human—flared in its eyes that burned with purple flame.
Yet it had no way to fight back.
Every attack it started was read and countered before it could even finish its wind-up animation.
It was as if this man had fought it ten thousand times and understood it far better than it understood itself.
Every strike he landed came precisely when its old force had faded and new force had not yet risen, leaving it no chance to dodge. It could only take the full damage head-on.
It was an Overlord-class Tacet Discord—yet it was being suppressed as naturally as a father beating his son, completely helpless.
Bro, are you cheating, or did you hire a top-tier carry?
The Crownless broke mentally. The Crownless panicked. The Crownless flew into a rage.
Another ringing clash of metal, and the Crownless flew backward like a kite with its string cut, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Its internal energy was completely spent; it needed a brief moment to recover. To Noah, that state was pure hard-stun.
When you're down, I finish you.
Noah charged forward with blade raised and unleashed a crisp, practiced small combo—clean, skilled, as though he had rehearsed it millions of times.
"Sounds to Shape."
"Thousand Floating Voice Slashes."
"Echoing Orchestra."
Noah flicked his wrist. His Tacet Mark glowed faintly. Invisible yet immense Spectro energy gathered in his palm and suddenly erupted.
"Echoes—resonate here!"
A tremendous boom.
When the sound faded, the Crownless was gone. Only a golden Echo remained on the ground.
"The outcome is decided."
Noah sheathed Commando of Conviction. His white casual outfit remained spotless, and his face showed no trace of triumphant joy.
Possessing the Rover's power—victory was simply to be expected.
"Noah! Are you okay?"
After smoothly defeating the Tacet Discord, Yangyang and Chixia finally walked over. Chixia excitedly gave Noah a big thumbs-up.
"You were insane! First this, then that—three moves, five strikes, and you took down that Tacet Discord. Just like a hero from a storybook!"
Yangyang looked Noah up and down. Seeing he was unharmed, the worry in her heart finally eased.
"I've never seen a Tacet Discord this strong, yet Noah defeated it so easily."
Noah waved his hand modestly. "You're giving me too much credit. It was everyone's effort."
"Hey, don't be humble! You fought the whole thing alone. Yangyang and I didn't do anything."
Chixia trotted over to the Crownless Echo and let out an amazed gasp.
"Wow—a Remnant this high-level! What kind of luck is this? Noah, hurry and absorb it—it'll dissipate if you wait too long."
Noah nodded, took out his Pangu Terminal, and absorbed the Crownless Echo.
In the game's storyline, the Rover had also obtained an Echo after defeating the Crownless.
But the Rover, with a level-0 terminal, could not absorb Echoes through the terminal and had to absorb the Crownless Echo directly into his body (Abby).
That unprecedented action had naturally shocked Yangyang and Chixia, leading them to speculate that the Rover's origins were extraordinary.
But now it was Noah—he could absorb the Crownless Echo through his terminal because he had a system panel, unlike the Rover.
Echoes absorbed through his terminal went straight into his inventory, and he could see the exact bonuses the Echo provided during absorption.
[Echo: Crownless (Havoc Eclipse)]
[Quality: 5★ Calamity Class]
[Main Stats: Crit DMG 44%, ATK 150]
[Substats: Crit Rate 9.3%, Crit DMG 16.2%, ATK 40, Resonance Skill DMG Bonus 11.6%, Basic Attack DMG Bonus 7.9%]
Another heirloom-tier Echo. Pity it wasn't from the Sacred light! set.
The only Overlord-class Echoes in the Sacred light! set dropped from Mourning Aix and the Sentinel Jué.
He definitely couldn't fight the Sentinel, and Mourning Aix was a neutral Tacet Discord leaning toward the human side. Putting together a full Sacred light! set was going to be a real hassle.
Noah sighed inwardly but didn't complain. He equipped the Crownless Echo immediately.
Even without set bonuses, the raw stats from the Echo itself were solid.
Before facing the Crownless, Noah had already farmed three Cost 1 Echoes in the Yunling Valley. Now he had four Echoes from different sets.
Quantity had become quality.
If before he could have torn down a mansion with his bare hands, now a full-power strike could shatter a small mountain peak.
And just yesterday, he had still been an ordinary person without the strength to truss a chicken.
"Alright, are you still looking for that Rover? He might have left already. We shouldn't stay here long—let's head back to Taoyuan Vale."
Chixia's voice pulled Noah out of his thoughts.
He glanced reluctantly back at the Yunling Valley, then finally nodded.
"Let's go. Back to Taoyuan Vale first."
Whether the Rover was still in the valley or not, he couldn't keep Yangyang and Chixia here with him any longer.
Searching for the Rover would have to wait.
Noah scratched his head and let out a quiet sigh.
How did the game plot collapse like this?
[Main Quest: "Utterance of Marvels - Part 1" completed.]
[Rewards: Radiant Tide ×20, Lustrous Tide ×10, Astrite ×1800, Shell Credits ×180000.]