The [Greater Earth Barrier] was the strongest defensive skill he had seen so far. It erected a yellow barrier big enough to resist several attacks. Astartes was really tempted to obtain this skill. The only problem was that the skill needed a shield as a requirement for the it to work.
In other words, Astartes might have to become a tank!
For the [Lesser Heal], it was also a great skill that would allow an injured person with light wounds to be healed back to perfect condition. Although the spell struggled with healing serious wounds, it was still a very practical spell that August was tempted to learn.
For the [Agility Boost] skill it allowed the user to increase his agility by 20 points when active. This was a great skill that would give Astartes the needed mobility to evade attacks and advance and retreat when needed.
The last one was the [Darkness Hand] skill, that when casted, allowed the user to create an appendage made up of dark energy, and could restrict opponents. Moreover, it also inflicted damage upon contact with the target as well. It was a skill not used by many, but had its uses.
Astartes wished that he could use them all! He was finding it difficult to make a choice right now. In the end, he took a deep breath and considered every pro and con to his decision before letting go of the Agility Boost, Lesser Heal and Greater Earth Barrier skills.
He picked the [Darkness Hand] skill!
Once again, as someone who preferred to attack from a long range and keep his distance, playing his role as a mage to the utmost efficiency, [Darkness Hand] was perfect for him as a skill to support the [Icicle Blast] he did not have to also worry about using too many skills all at once like other mages which certainly gave him the edge.
In the future, he was keen to exploring other ways of diversifying his battle style.
After picking the skill, he went to the counter and paid for it. It cost a whooping 75,000 credits! He would not have been able to afford it if he had not sold the [Lion Cloak] equipment that he had obtained as part of his personal reward that he obtained from the Catacomb Raid.
After finding a secluded place, he immediately crushed the skill and absorbed it into him, learning the skill, immediately placing it into the second Infinite Cast slot. Now, he had a complete set of 'infinite' skills!
Instead of heading back to his lodging, Astartes rushed straight to nowhere but the [Lionmen Abode] catacomb! There was no better place to train and test his new skill than there!
After reaching the place and passing the identity verification with the guards at the Catacomb entrance, he walked through the thin film of energy and delved back into the familiar environment.
Just like the last time, after entering the Catacomb, it took mere minutes before a group of Lionmen discovered him and charged towards him.
Despite being outnumbered, Astartes was not flustered at all and stood in his place calmly. He brandished his finger and cast [Icicle Blast]. Ten ice swords appeared before him. Before the Lionmen to get any closer to him, the ice swords pierced through their bodies like a hot knife through butter.
The Lionmen were unable to offer any resistance to the fast and sharp cutting ice swords at all as the bones and internal organs were destroyed completely from a single attack!
The remaining Lionmen who survived could not even think of escaping as they were also met by another [Icicle Blast] skill from Astartes, ending their lives in an instant.
The power of the [Icicle Blast] has become so powerful, capable of handling F-Rank creatures easily. This should mean that it is not far from reaching the power of an average E-Rank skill...
How powerful would this skill become after it reached the master level or even complete level of proficiency?
Astartes did not rush to clear the floor and was very patient and careful with his advance. He was like a death reaper god within the catacomb, easily slaying the Lionmen like it was nothing, spamming [Icicle Blast]s non-stop. Any mage should have run out of mana after exhausting their spirit in this way and hence their skills were used sparingly, make them more like ultimate skills.
However, Astartes was dishing out [Icicle Blast] skill like with were random sword attacks or punches, not suffering from fatigue at all. In this way, he cleared the first floor and entered into the second. He had collected a good number of cores and was pleased with his harvest.
After entering the second floor, he was met with the combined attacks of the Lionmen Warriors and the Lionmen Rangers. Astartes decided to deal with rangers first, targeting them with his [Icicle Blast].
The ice swords that were formed plunged into the hearts of the rangers killing them instantly. However, several rock spears were shot at Astartes in return.
He did not dodge and cast the [Icicle Blast] again. This time instead of shooting them out as projectiles, he used them differently. Ten ice sword appeared in front of him and spun rapidly, forming a perpetual whirlwind of swords that blocked the rain of rock spears and protected Astartes.
But the Lionmen warriors had reached him too by this time and blasted through the defense he had erected striking at him. However, Astartes simply gave them a cold stare and activated his second skill.
[Darkness Hand]
A pitch black appendage of dark energy rose from beneath Astartes' feet and coiled itself around one Lionman warrior restricting its advance. The Lionman warrior watched on helplessly as its head got sliced cleanly off by an icicle sword leaving its neck spurting out blood and killing it.
The other Lionman warrior did not suffer a different fate as it was unable to evade Astartes' second cast of [Darkness Hand]. It was restrained in its spot no matter how much it forcefully tried to break out of the ominous black energy trapping it, only to have its head chopped on a silver platter by another icicle sword.
August did not pay too much attention to the Lionmen warriors and focused on defending himself against the rock spear attacks from the Lionmen rangers by using [Icicle Blast] to create spinning icicle swords that destroyed the rock spears.
He did this while controlling a few of the icicle swords, shooting them out as projectiles and sniping the rangers one after the other. He was patient and very methodical in battle, and was not inclined to rush and unleash destructive skills anyhow.
He stayed alert and handled one the Lionmen attacks adeptly, despite being heavily outnumbered. Soon, he had depleted their numbers drastically. By killing of the Lionmen rangers, leaving him safe from long ranged attacks, he was finally able to focus his attention on the Lionmen warriors and attacked them without reserve, decapitating several of them in mere minutes.
A single F-Ranker, clearing two floors of an F-Rank Catacomb was nothing short of extraordinary! This was something Astartes did not believe anyone had been able to pull off within Yosemite City.
Having cleared all two floors by himself, he was faced with a single question. Should be fight the Catacomb Lord by himself?
He did not have to, as he could wait to do so with Adele and her party. That was safer and more wise.
But for some reason, Astartes did not want to do that.
"I have to be stronger. So strong and powerful that I don't have to surrender my life to these creatures and watch on in helplessness because I am weak." he declared softly.
His parents, friends, and everyone he knew and did not know all died to attacks from the Catacomb creatures! He did not want to suffer the same fate!
Therefore after collecting the cores from the ground, Astartes made his way deeper into the third and final floor.
It was going to be a one-on-one against him and the Catacomb Lord, the Lionman General!
The moment he entered the third floor and locked eyes with the Lionman General the battle erupted with full intensity!
[Icicle Blast]
Astartes fired ten icicle swords at the Lionman General and it used its large broadsword to slash the icicle swords apart. But Astartes changed his hand gestures and avoided the range of its sword, striking at its back and neck, causing it slight wounds.
ROAARR!!
The Lionman General was enraged and charged at Astartes with even greater speed and power. On the other hand, Astartes continued casting his Icicle Blast skill, avoiding its sword and striking behind the Lionman General, injuring it further. At the same time, he carefully maintained his distance from the Lionman General making it difficult for the latter to get nearer.
The injuries that the Lionman General suffered very light given its robust defense but they contained a certain cold effect that made it difficult for it to quickly recover from. Therefore, it could not allow Astartes to continue landing his attacks.
Facing another cast of the [Icicle Blast], the Lionman General activated its skill [Blade Whirlwind] destroying all the icicle swords and maintaining the momentum of its charge and was now some meters away from reaching Astartes!