Child of Destiny

Chapter 2318: Sacred Neanderthal versus Desert Barbarian (Part 3)

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Bang! Bang! Bang!

Owen continued pressing Heartless Dream with a relentless barrage of attacks.

Because he had deliberately chosen the round shield and heavy mace for this exchange, his movements were much freer compared to when he wielded the pair of tower shields.

More importantly, this weapon combination was far more familiar to him.

He had spent far more time refining this fighting style than the more specialized techniques he had developed around his dual tower shields.

Combined with the enhancements provided by his Thunderbird Divine Tattoo, Owen was able to draw out an even greater level of combat prowess.

For a moment, it was enough to push even an Old God like Heartless Dream into a corner.

However, an Old God was not someone who could be underestimated.

Bang!

Heartless Dream suddenly planted the massive hammerhead against the ground, tilting the metal shaft diagonally as he used the weapon to block Owen’s incoming mace.

Clang!

The two weapons collided.

Owen couldn’t help but raise his brows after seeing his attack blocked so precisely.

Heartless Dream looked directly into Owen’s eyes before revealing a faint smirk. "You’ve had your fill."

His grip tightened around the metal shaft. "Now it’s my turn."

He suddenly pulled the shaft toward himself while simultaneously kicking the hammerhead with his right foot.

Bang!

The sudden movement sent the enormous hammerhead whipping toward Owen at an unexpected angle.

Swoosh!

Owen immediately retreated, allowing the hammerhead to pass dangerously close to his body.

He was about to capitalize on the opening and launch another barrage, but Heartless Dream didn’t give him the chance.

The instant the hammerhead completed its arc, Heartless Dream abruptly pulled it back and stopped its momentum high above his head.

Both hands tightened around the shaft, making his muscles bulge as an immense amount of strength gathered in his arms.

Then—

BOOM!

He brought the Legendary Hammer crashing down with enough force to make it seem as though he were attempting to crush an entire mountain.

Owen’s expression became serious, not daring to meet the attack head-on.

However, he didn’t retreat either. He chose to advance instead.

Bang!

Owen stomped into the ground while ducking to the side, dodging away from the trajectory of the incoming strike.

At the same time, he rotated his body and swung his round shield toward the descending hammer.

BANG!

The timing was perfect.

The shield slammed into the side of the hammerhead at precisely the right angle, redirecting its trajectory away from Owen.

The enormous weapon crashed into the ground beside him.

BOOM!

A tremendous shockwave erupted from the impact, blasting rock fragments and sand in every direction while violently shaking the surrounding battlefield.

Owen ignored the debris striking his armor.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

He immediately stepped through the shockwave and continued advancing, swinging his lightning-wreathed mace toward Heartless Dream.

Crackle! Crackle!

Golden lightning surged around the mace as it tore through the air.

However—

BANG!

Just before the weapon could reach its target, the metal shaft of the Legendary Hammer suddenly appeared in its path.

Owen’s attack was blocked once again!

Owen could not help but furrow his brows. ’Something felt different.’

He then slowly raised his gaze and saw Heartless Dream staring directly at him.

A confident smirk appeared on the latter’s face. "You’re talented."

Heartless Dream’s eyes narrowed. "But talent alone won’t be enough to overcome the gap between us."

Swoosh!

At that exact moment, the crimson tattoos covering Heartless Dream’s body suddenly brightened.

The strange patterns pulsed once or twice before—

BOOM!

An intense and suffocating pressure suddenly erupted from Heartless Dream’s body.

The surrounding mana violently surged as though an invisible beast had awakened within him.

Owen’s pupils contracted. "This..."

For some reason, the sensation radiating from those tattoos felt strangely familiar.

But before he could focus on it—

BOOM!

A terrifying burst of energy exploded from Heartless Dream’s body and blasted Owen backward.

Swoosh!

Owen twisted his body in midair before quickly regaining control and landing on his feet.

Bang!

He immediately planted his feet firmly against the ground, forcing himself to stabilize his body as he prepared to continue the battle.

However—

Bang!

Before he could fully recover, Heartless Dream suddenly kicked off the ground and propelled himself forward.

Swoosh!

He crossed the distance between them almost instantly, dragging his massive Legendary Hammer behind him.

WHOOSH!

The moment he reached Owen, Heartless Dream suddenly swung the weapon upward before bringing it crashing toward him.

Owen immediately raised his round shield.

Bang!

The hammerhead slammed directly into the center of the shield.

Rather than trying to resist the entire force with his arms, Owen allowed the impact to spread throughout the shield’s surface before redirecting the remaining force through his body and into the ground.

Crack!

The earth beneath his feet split from the transferred force, but Owen remained firmly in place.

He had successfully neutralized the attack.

However—

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Before Owen could even fully recover his stance, Heartless Dream had already begun twirling the Legendary Hammer around his body once again.

Whoosh!

The massive weapon carved a wide arc through the air before Heartless Dream suddenly swung it horizontally.

Unlike his previous attack, this strike was incredibly straightforward.

There was no complicated trajectory or obvious opening. It just carried an overwhelming force sweeping directly toward Owen.

Given his current position, Owen couldn’t execute another perfect block like the one he just used.

He could only face it head-on.

Owen immediately planted both feet against the ground and activated several defensive Skills simultaneously.

Golden mana surged across his armor as he raised his round shield and braced himself.

BOOM!

The hammerhead collided with the shield.

The sheer force behind the attack shattered Owen’s defensive stance, forcing him to stagger several steps to the side.

Bang! Bang!

His boots scraped against the ground as he struggled to regain his balance.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Heartless Dream didn’t give him the chance.

He pulled the Legendary Hammer backward and immediately began rotating it around his body once again.

Each rotation generated more momentum, making the next attack increasingly difficult to stop. This made the next attack more destructive than the one before it.

BOOM!

Heartless Dream suddenly brought the hammer down once again.

Owen, who was still recovering his footing, immediately sensed the immense pressure bearing down on him.

He quickly retreated.

Swoosh!

The hammerhead crashed into the ground where he had been standing a moment earlier.

BOOM!

The impact sent countless fragments of stone flying through the air, some of them slamming against Owen’s armor.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Owen barely had time to steady himself before another overwhelming presence approached from the front.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Heartless Dream continued twirling the Legendary Hammer around his body while charging straight toward Owen.

’Legendary Combat Technique: Dance of the Golden Hammer’

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Owen’s expression gradually became more solemn. ’So this is his signature technique!’

Owen was naturally aware of the technique that made Heartless Dream famous and earned himself the Godlike Title—God of the Golden Hammer.

The more Heartless Dream swung the hammer, the greater the momentum became. And the greater the momentum, the harder it was to block.

If Owen tried to meet every attack head-on, he would eventually be crushed beneath the accumulated force.

He chose to dodge wherever possible.

Whenever that wasn’t an option, he redirected the hammer with his shield. And whenever even that became impossible, he retreated.

He refused to clash with the weapon directly.

Every exchange forced him farther backward.

’This can’t continue...’ Owen narrowed his eyes as another hammer strike swept past his body. ’He’ll only continue building momentum.’

Swoosh!

He twisted his body and narrowly avoided another devastating swing. ’And once that momentum reaches its peak, even my defenses won’t be enough to stop him.’

Another attack came.

Owen raised his shield and redirected it just enough for the hammerhead to pass beside him.

BOOM!

The ground exploded from the impact.

’If I keep letting him control the rhythm like this, I’ll eventually be crushed by his attacks.’ Owen’s gaze sharpened.

He fully understood what Heartless Dream was trying to accomplish.

The technique wasn’t simply about unleashing increasingly powerful attacks. It was about maintaining momentum without allowing the opponent to interrupt the flow.

Every successful exchange strengthened the next one. Every forced retreat gave Heartless Dream more room to accelerate. And every attempt to defend without counterattacking allowed the momentum of the Dance of the Golden Hammer to continue building.

Owen knew that he couldn’t let that happen.

He was familiar with this kind of momentum-gathering technique.

After all, he possessed one himself.

Techniques built around accumulating momentum and continuously chaining attacks had also become one of the signature combat principles of the Empyrean Talons, especially when combined with the weapon-swapping style that had been heavily influenced by Shin.

Owen understood exactly what would happen if he allowed Heartless Dream to maintain his rhythm.

The longer the Dance of the Golden Hammer continued, the more dangerous every subsequent strike would become.

He had to break the rhythm before the technique reached its peak.

And there was only one way to accomplish that.

He had to force himself into the storm and take one of those attacks head-on.

That meant abandoning the safer option of constantly dodging and redirecting.

It meant deliberately accepting the risk of being struck by one of Heartless Dream’s increasingly powerful attacks.

But it was also the only way to interrupt the momentum that was steadily building against him.

"Tsk!" Owen clicked his tongue as he tightened his grip around his weapons. "I guess I have to take the gamble!"

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