Read Novel Full Chapter 222: One Hit
Chapter 222: One Hit
Boom!
A deafening explosion erupted from within Richard’s body as he unleashed the power of his heart—power that far surpassed his current Aether Accumulation.
His eyes widened at the strength surging through him. It was vast and overwhelming, yet incredibly easy to control.
He wasn’t just twice as strong.
He was nearly three times stronger.
From his aura alone, Richard saw the surrounding darkness pushed back slightly, as if it feared his power.
This was clearly not something a Lord at Dasmond’s level should have been able to achieve.
Despite having accumulated only fifty thousand Aether in the Grimoire Realm, the raw power released after activating his Black Heart already surpassed that of most Lords.
Richard felt this was on par with the Lord of the Crimson Veil before Ethan.
Of course, that was the Ethan from ten years ago.
Suddenly, Dasmond stopped chasing him, seemingly terrified by the pressure radiating from Richard.
But there was no way Richard would let him escape.
His right fist transformed into a dragon’s fist.
ROAR!
A thunderous roar burst from his mouth, shaking the domain even further.
Then, as he punched forward with his dragon fist, the darkness split apart, finally allowing Richard to see Dasmond.
The man wasn’t merely shocked—he was terrified.
He clearly wanted nothing more than to turn around and flee.
But Richard struck first, sending a Mind Attack that froze Dasmond in place as the invisible assault detonated inside his head.
BANG!
Richard appeared before him in an instant and punched straight through his chest.
Dasmond wasn’t sent flying—his chest simply couldn’t withstand the blow at all.
The shockwave from the punch slammed into the massive city wall behind him, causing it to explode outward toward both the western and eastern ends.
Several buildings beyond the wall were shattered into fragments as well.
Yet all eyes were drawn to Richard, who had punched a hole clean through Dasmond’s chest.
Dasmond didn’t die.
He gasped for breath, staring in disbelief at the outcome.
Unconsciously, he dropped his long scythe.
Richard had no intention of letting it fall to waste and absorbed it into his ring.
Naturally, he wanted it. Perhaps one day, he might even use a scythe himself—just like his mother.
Richard then glanced at the ring on Dasmond’s finger—his storage artifact.
Though Dasmond also possessed a Hidden World, Richard was only interested in the ring.
Casually, he took it and found nearly 150 million Spirit Natures inside, along with the copper coin Dasmond had intended to give to the Red Star Empress.
Though it wasn’t as much as Richard had hoped—there were no other valuable treasures—he was still quite satisfied.
Out of curiosity, he also probed Dasmond’s Hidden World.
Unfortunately, it contained nothing of note. Aside from the cold man, Richard saw several young people around his own age.
Richard stepped back, pulling his hand from Dasmond’s chest as it rapidly regenerated.
As a Lord, Dasmond’s body could recover easily from wounds like this.
To truly kill him, at least half his body—from head to waist—would have needed to be destroyed.
Still, the regeneration consumed a tremendous amount of stamina.
Dasmond now fully understood that Richard had no intention of killing him—only robbing him.
Richard couldn’t stop smiling, a sight Dasmond naturally took as a humiliating mockery.
Yet this defeat was enough to leave him completely speechless.
"If you’re dissatisfied, bring all the former members of the Dark Star Legion next time for revenge," Richard said coldly before walking back toward the city.
He knew he had become the center of attention.
After all, he had defeated Dasmond—the former king’s younger brother, the current queen’s uncle—a man whose strength rivaled the king himself.
To the city’s residents, their perception of Richard had long surpassed mere astonishment.
Now, would they still dare object to his marriage with Lilith?
"Richard..."
Suddenly, William reappeared as Richard flew low through a quiet area of the city.
William still looked as though he couldn’t believe what had happened.
They had only just parted ways, yet Richard had already defeated Dasmond.
"Is something the matter, Brother Anderson?" Richard asked casually.
"You’ve become incredibly strong," William said with a sigh.
"And this doesn’t even seem to be your full power."
"Is this enough to make you believe I’ll become the Grand Sovereign of this era?" Richard asked.
William hesitated.
He was clearly uncertain, but that hesitation wasn’t unreasonable. History had proven that the path to becoming a Grand Sovereign was riddled with uncertainty.
Many Grand Sovereigns had once been inferior to their rivals, only to turn the tables later.
Not to mention the unpredictable influence of powerful supporters.
"There’s nothing worth boasting about if I’m not yet certain to become a Grand Sovereign," Richard said.
That was why he questioned William’s belief.
"Ehmm..." William cleared his throat, looking awkward, as if the much younger Richard had just shown greater wisdom.
"Perhaps... you will succeed," he said softly.
Richard merely smiled.
Of course he would.
"Is there something else, Brother Anderson?" Richard asked, noticing William seemed deep in thought.
"Richard, do you have an affinity with the Wind Element?" William asked.
"The Wind Element?" Richard shook his head instinctively.
He possessed affinities with many elements—but unfortunately, not wind.
Among the five elements, he had earth, fire, and lightning—but lacked wind and metal.
This was something he regretted, as it was said that mastering all five elements was extraordinarily powerful.
One Grand Sovereign—the Five Element Grand Sovereign—had become one of the strongest in history because of that very combination.
"Why the Wind Element?" Richard asked.
"If you had it, I could help you obtain the Supreme Wind Soul of my clan," William said.
"It would allow you to fully merge with the wind itself, granting you speed far beyond even my own. However, the prerequisite is a Wind Element affinity above 85%. Even I haven’t reached that level yet."
"Oh..."
Richard was naturally tempted.
But how could he gain affinity with the Wind Element?
That was the difficult part.
He was confident that if he obtained even a trace of it, the System could handle the rest.
Such things did exist—artifacts or methods that granted elemental affinities—but they were extremely rare.
Anyone who obtained one would rather use it themselves.
That was why buying such items was incredibly difficult.
And their prices were never fixed.
For now, Richard said nothing as William looked at him.
William understood he would need time.
"When you meet the requirements, come find me. Don’t worry about the price—it’s free. I only hope you’ll return the favor once you succeed," William said before leaving.
Richard didn’t dwell on it.
He retrieved the copper coin from Dasmond’s ring and examined it closely.
Even while holding it, he still couldn’t fully grasp its function.
After a moment’s thought, he flew toward the Red Star Empress’s residence.
Her home was far from the battlefield, so Richard wasn’t sure if she knew what had happened.
If she had been meditating in her room, she might not have heard anything at all—she was known for isolating herself completely from outside noise.
Richard landed in front of her door and knocked.
Moments later, Prince Alex opened it.
"Richard?" The prince looked surprised to see him at such a late hour.
After all, Prince Alex knew Richard only ever came to see his mother.
"Is the Empress in her room?" Richard asked.
He behaved as though nothing was amiss, confident the prince wouldn’t suspect any inappropriate intentions.
"Yes..." Prince Alex nodded instinctively.
"She seems to be in serious training and told me not to disturb her," he added.
Richard nodded.
He didn’t insist on seeing her.
Instead, he took out the copper coin and placed it in Prince Alex’s hand.
"Give this to her tomorrow. Keep it safe—don’t lose it or forget. It’s extremely valuable, and the Empress greatly desires it."
With that, Richard immediately took off.
It didn’t matter if he couldn’t give it to her personally.
What mattered was that she knew it came from him.
With a little inquiry, she would naturally discover that Richard had robbed Dasmond.
For now, Richard simply wanted to rest.
He searched for an inn—and while doing so, he was slightly surprised to see Augus again.
This time, Augus was with a beautiful short-haired red-haired woman wearing elegant white armor.
She was tall and slender, her skin pale and fair, with faintly flushed cheeks.
She radiated the presence of a true female knight.
An indifferent expression.
Firm strides.
Sharp, intimidating eyes.
Richard immediately knew—this had to be Emma.
Now he fully understood why Augus hadn’t succeeded in winning her heart, despite pursuing her since the age of seven.
Emma seemed to be the type who was too deeply immersed in her role as a knight, to the point that she had begun to forget her feminine side.
It looked like Augus had invited her to dinner, but even though she agreed, the woman appeared utterly uninterested.
Augus likely managed to persuade her only after offering something as a gift.
Not long after, Richard saw the two of them enter a luxurious yet fairly quiet restaurant.