Damn, I Have to Marry the Strongest Antagonist at the Start? - Chapter 172

Chapter 172: Chapter172-The Great Change in the Fate Line
Puh!

John spat out blood as Owen’s punch sent him flying.

His face darkened to an extreme as he struggled to stabilize himself in mid-air, several dozen feet away.

Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he glared at Owen with eyes that burned with killing intent and madness, distorting the very air around him.

Sensing the volcanic fury building within John, Ymir, hidden within the necklace, quickly sent him a telepathic message.

“John, that’s enough. Your current strength is far inferior to Owen’s. Continuing this fight will only lead to your defeat.”

She understood all too well the deep-seated enmity between John and Owen, as well as Owen’s formidable power and terrifying talent.

“Not his match? Do you not have faith in me either? You used to say that there was no prodigy in this world who could compare to me—that I was the most brilliant genius in existence!”

Ymir’s words of comfort only served to deeply provoke John. Memories of the past, along with his seething anger, surged within him, causing his eyes to bulge like fish eyes, bloodshot and deranged.

John could never forget the day when Marry came with her haughty demeanor to annul their engagement.

The searing humiliation nearly drove him to madness.

It was Ymir’s sudden appearance that had calmed and encouraged him, instilling within him a firm belief—that his talent, strength, and determination were unmatched, even among the geniuses of Middle Earth!

It was Ymir and this belief that had enabled him to forget the pain, the hardships, and the relentless training day and night.

But now, Ymir was telling him that he was inferior to Owen! He couldn’t accept it!

John’s increasingly erratic demeanor caused Ymir to fall silent.

She had indeed once valued John’s talent highly, recognizing an inexplicable great fortune surrounding him.

Such a person was destined to become one of the world’s top powerhouses, with a boundless future.

But she had never expected that in the barren land of Middle Earth, where producing one John was already astonishing, an even more extraordinary Owen would appear!

If John’s limitless potential was something she could foresee and predict, then Owen’s talent and rapid rise were like some kind of error—a chaotic anomaly that defied all reason!

Facing such an unpredictable existence, even Ymir had little confidence, for she had no idea how many trump cards Owen had yet to play.

Moreover, Owen possessed that ring, making it impossible for her to take action against him.

However, Ymir also knew that John was a person of unwavering will.

Once he made up his mind, he would see it through to the end.

In the past, as his mentor, he had shown her respect. But now, she could clearly feel John’s growing distance from her.

As Ymir sank back into contemplation, John, now gripped by a frenzy, charged at Owen like a wild beast, disregarding everything in his path.

John’s speed was nearly ten times faster than before, and those present could only see the flames of rage dancing on his body as he transformed into a scorching fireball.

The aura of destruction and madness he exuded was so intense that even observing from a distance made their hearts race in fear.

“Who would have thought that in this barren land, there would be such a formidable man as John? We were truly ignorant back in Middle Earth,” the Dragon Princess and several other Middle Earth prodigies remarked with solemn expressions as they watched John.

While John’s strength had initially drawn some attention, it still paled in comparison to Owen, and even to some of the Middle Earth prodigies.

But now, the sheer combat power John unleashed in his rage was enough to make even the master-tier Dragon Princess cautious.

His speed and power were such that even she would have to be extremely careful when facing him.

The continental mages, though aware of John’s strength and his previous defeat at Owen’s hands, had never imagined that his current battle prowess would reach such terrifying levels.

As they watched John, who seemed to weave through the air like countless fiery threads, their shock gave way to awe.

Perhaps, among the continent’s prodigies, only Owen could be considered John’s equal.

However, despite John using every trick at his disposal, astonishing the onlookers with his terrifying and intricate attacks, Owen effortlessly neutralized them all.

After dozens of exchanges, John’s burst of energy reached its decline, while Owen, who had withstood the storm of attacks, remained as unyielding as a rock, completely unmoved.

In the moment of John’s weakness, Owen shook his head in disappointment.

John’s current strength left Owen feeling somewhat let down.

Despite being the original protagonist, a man blessed with great fortune, capable of uncovering treasures and experiencing endless adventures, John now seemed to have fallen far behind Owen.

Perhaps it was because Owen had repeatedly taken fate points from him, but John’s growth rate was nowhere near what it once was.

While John’s attacks were enough to threaten a master-tier mage, they were still far from enough to challenge Owen.

The hint of disappointment and disdain on Owen’s face was like the most venomous thorn, stabbing deep into John’s heart.

His breathing became ragged, and the complex thoughts swirling in his mind rapidly dissipated, leaving only endless killing intent.

The very air around them seemed to shudder as the wind turned cold, and a faint blood-red hue tinged the atmosphere.

In that moment, the world seemed to fade into darkness for John, with only Owen’s figure blazing like a beacon in the night.

“Kill him!”

“Kill him!”

A strange whisper echoed in John’s mind as the mana within and around him surged to a boil.

“Armament Merge!”

John’s face twisted into a blood-red grimace as his veins bulged, covering his forehead.

A hoarse voice burst from his throat, filled with a madness that could drive anyone to the brink of insanity.

If conventional methods couldn’t harm Owen, then surely his most powerful, secret technique—prepared specifically for Owen—would catch him off guard!

Armament Merge, second stage!

As John’s crazed voice rang out, his skin began to bulge and writhe, as various magical artifacts emerged from beneath his flesh, dripping with blood and exuding a pungent metallic odor.

These were the magical artifacts he had collected during his time, guided by Ymir.

Swords, spears, staves, and more—all emanating their own domineering auras, far from ordinary. Many of these had once been used by master-tier mages, and there were even a few grandmaster-tier and legendary magical artifacts among them!

Due to the unique nature of these artifacts, it was almost impossible to refine them through conventional means.

After all, magical artifacts of this level possessed their own spiritual essence.

However, the Armament Merge technique that Ymir had taught him was highly unique, with an ultimate secret far beyond the second stage that Owen had learned.

This ultimate secret was John’s greatest hope of defeating Owen!

No matter how terrifying Owen’s strength and talent were, even making Ymir feel a touch of despair, the immense power contained within these artifacts was overwhelming.

If he could harness this power, not only would Owen fall, but even a grandmaster-tier mage would be doomed.

Thus, to wield this ultimate secret, John didn’t hesitate to use his body as a vessel to nurture these artifacts.

Although he had only established a preliminary connection with these magical artifacts, the power within them was already vast as an ocean—his strongest trump card!

Swish, swish, swish…

The artifacts flew around him like a torrential flood, cutting through the space around them like transparent ice, leaving behind deep scars and emitting a hoarse, sizzling sound as black smoke occasionally rose from the air.

“I have nurtured you with my body for so long, and now, it is time for you to serve!”

John abruptly raised his blood-streaked right hand, and the wounds on his hand seemed like a mass of blood-red eyes, lightly pulsating, emitting a tremendous suction force that swirled up countless silver streams of energy.

Then, the densely packed magical artifacts began to emit a brilliant light, and countless tiny elemental particles flew out from the artifacts, converging into John’s body.