Chapter 72: Final Battle

The power of the Gale Sword Technique was so formidable that even after being forcibly “enhanced” by the system’s comedic tweaks, it still inspired awe. After all, its origins lay in the extraordinary sword arts of a high-magic world, far beyond the martial skills of ordinary mortals that Jos had previously studied.

It had been nearly a month since Jos first acquired the Gale Sword Technique. With his uncanny aptitude for martial arts, he had mastered this form with remarkable ease. Now, less than a minute into battle, Jos effortlessly sliced off nearly half of Hydra’s heads.

Yet, that was as far as it went.

Just as everyone believed Hydra to be nothing more than a powerless showpiece, the severed necks and wounds on its arms began to sprout double the number of new serpent heads. And Jos, being closest, noticed that these fresh heads were not soft like newly shed snake skin, but darker in color and far tougher in texture.

Within moments, the wounds across Hydra’s body healed almost completely, covered by a membrane of blood that stopped all bleeding.

“Tsk… what is this ability? Is it some kind of self-healing like Deadpool’s? But the color of those new heads is clearly off—it can't be that simple.”

In the past, Jos had faced powerful enemies, most of whom were famous figures from Marvel. He knew their abilities inside out, sometimes even better than they did themselves. As for those whose abilities were unknown, they were never a match for Jos, and he rarely needed to worry about the true nature of their powers as he did now.

While Jos pondered, Hydra lunged at him again. Fourteen massive serpents twisted and bit from different angles, sealing off every possible escape route.

In battle, aside from those with overwhelming powers, just as someone once climbed to the rank of the fortieth blade simply by having four extra arms, even a single additional limb was an enormous advantage for any humanoid creature.

Now, with fourteen serpents encircling Jos and Hydra’s main body lurking nearby, it looked like a certain death trap from every angle.

But faced with this lethal strike, Jos did not panic. Brandishing the Greatsword of Mercy, he charged forward instead of retreating.

“Ha! Sa! Ge!”

With a slight tilt of his blade, Jos spun in place, unleashing a circular sword wave that severed all the serpent heads at once!

Yet, even decapitated, the serpent heads did not die. Driven by powerful muscles, they continued to leap at Jos, venom spraying from their fangs and corroding the concrete beneath into deep pits with mere contact.

“Ring of Wind!”

Jos swung his giant sword in a sweeping arc, creating a vortex of wind around himself that instantly blocked all the venom and fangs.

This was not the system-provided comical skill “Face the Gale,” but a genuine wind barrier technique Jos had deduced himself!

Though the four skills offered by the system were rather… disappointing, except for the “Ha Sa Ge,” Jos—ever exuberant since mastering the Gale Sword Technique—found it easy to reverse-engineer their principles. He could even transcend the original, weakened in-game skills, developing higher-level versions based on actual need.

He had pondered for a long time about the Ring of Wind, never quite achieving a flawless 360-degree defense. Yet at this crucial moment, it came to him naturally, as if inspiration flowed like water.

Still, Jos had no time to celebrate, for in that brief instant, Hydra’s wounds sprouted yet another doubling of serpent heads.

“Damn it… what kind of ability is this?”

The new heads grew darker, shifting from emerald to deep green. Jos realized his earlier suspicions were correct: these heads were at least thirty percent stronger than before, and their venom seemed far more lethal.

“It’s odd. If his power is this strong, he could have just kept chopping off his own heads to become invincible. But since he returned in the nine-headed form, there must be some drawback…”

Jos defended himself against the increasingly fierce serpent heads, hesitating to attack, wary of triggering something worse.

“Wait?! That ability!”

A sudden recollection lit up Jos’s eyes. He had never thought to use it before, but now, he hurriedly accessed it from the system interface.

One Percent Perfect Copy

The ability was simple to use. Once activated, Jos was prompted to target anyone within ten meters. Each use replaced the previously copied power, and if not replaced, the copied ability lasted only an hour, with extra points required for extension.

Yes, you get to use it first, and only then are told it’ll cost you—such a classic system move.

Jos paid no mind to this now, his focus drawn to the sudden influx of information that made him want to shout, “Success!”

Ability Acquired—Hydra, 1%

Effect: Grow serpent-like appendages from large wounds. Each time these are damaged and fall off, more and stronger limbs will grow. However, as the number increases, the strain on the user’s vitality and spirit becomes immense. Serpent appendages can be freely made to wither and die.

“This is it!”

Jos had suspected as much before, but only through this experiment did he confirm his theory.

A one percent copy wasn’t much use; Jos could only grow serpent heads the thickness of a pinkie on his back, with strength barely surpassing that of a baby’s arm.

Yet the true value of this ability was its instant analysis and decryption of the opponent’s power!

Jos was not boasting: if he could travel to worlds like Bleach or A Certain Magical Index, this ability would cut their drawn-out power-guessing scenes by ninety percent.

“But really, who would’ve thought—the strongest blade is also your weakest spot? What a melodramatic setup…” Jos muttered, gripping his greatsword and charging toward Hydra once more.

“No matter what, let’s begin round two!”