<h4>Chapter 298 Chapter297-A New Rival - Berserker Iron Mountain</h4>


    After yet another fruitless assault, Ghostde finally settled into a state of utmost seriousness, pouring his heart and soul into the battle, vying fiercely against John.


    The entire desert seemed to catch fire from theirbat, with every sh between John and Ghostde sending sparks flying.


    The tension in the arena grew palpable, with the audience holding their breath.


    Ultimately, John unleashed a lethal strike, his swordsmanship having reached its zenith.


    A lightning-fast gleam shot from his de, aimed straight for Ghostde''s heart.


    With evasion impossible, Ghostde had no choice but to parry.


    As their swords met, a deafening ng resonated.


    Both were formidable, but John''s attack clearly held the upper hand.


    His stunning blow shattered the void, stopping just an inch away from Ghostde''s heart.


    Gripping the hilt of his energy sword, John looked steadfastly at Ghostde, calmly dering, "I''ve won."


    His voice echoed across the virtual desert, and a resigned Ghostde withdrew his weapon. "Indeed, you have... I hadn''t anticipated your growth reaching such heights. Even with you suppressing your level, I''m no match for you."


    John responded with a faint smile, nonchntly stating, "It''s alright. The summit for the strongest cannot forever be upied by only me. I''ll wait here for the rest to join."


    Ghostde nodded, his expression inscrutable.


    While defeated, such a setback wasn''t enough to break his spirit.


    Conceding willingly, heughed, "Once you''re done with the Arena PK, let''s grab a drink somewhere..."


    John nodded in agreement, a smile ying on his lips.


    Inside the arena hall, the crowd erupted in cheers and apuse, expressing their admiration and respect for John.


    "Is this the power of Galewind? He''s managed to ovee the guild leader of the Sword Soul guild, the renowned Ghostde, using mere swordsmanship!"


    "Insane... Absolutely insane!"


    "Galewind truly showcased what being a big shot means!"


    ...


    [System Prompt: Congrattions to yer Galewind for defeating the opponent and advancing to the next round. Please be prepared!]


    Ghostde''s figure gradually vanished amidst the desert sands.


    John patiently awaited the arrival of his next opponent.


    Shortly, before him stood an incredibly towering figure, resembling a mobile mountain of muscle.


    A glint shed in John''s eyes, recognizing another top-ss yer renowned in the gaming realm.


    Iron Mountain, the mightiest yer from a certain major guild, a berserker.


    While not belonging to the top ten global guilds, his strength was undeniably on par with the likes of Blue Sea and Adam.


    John''s tattered cloak fluttered behind him, seemingly sensing the overwhelming presence of Iron Mountain.


    Their unfamiliarity dispensed with any formalities, and the battle quickly ensued.


    Once again, a light blue Divine de materialized in John''s hand.


    "Come, let me witness the might of the legendary Galewind firsthand!" Iron Mountain sneered, swiftly approaching John, his massive axe cleaving menacingly towards him.


    With nimble agility, John dodged, spinning tounch a series of sword techniques. His de danced, effectively parrying Iron Mountain''s onught.


    Outside the arena, the uproar of the audience surged once more.


    This battle captivated many.


    The dazzling array of skills, shimmering radiance, and infusion of magical elements made the virtual desert resplendent.


    Iron Mountain snorted disdainfully, unleashing his berserker energy once more.


    Lifting his axe, he aimed at John with a ferocious barrage of strikes.


    Sensing imminent danger, John leaped, soaring into the air, transforming into a streak of lightning, deftly evading the flurry of attacks.


    "Ha! So this is the legendary Galewind? Nothing more than a dodging rat!" Iron Mountain roared withughter,unching a swift counterattack.


    John gazed stoically at the increasingly aggressive advances of his opponent, his expression unwavering.


    Slowly lifting his energy sword, a formidable surge of power coursed through him.


    Then, a luminescence, akin to a cascading waterfall, erupted from his de, illuminating the entire space.


    Iron Mountain felt the overpowering aura and his demeanor instantly shifted to a more somber tone.


    No longer attacking recklessly, he fortified himself with defensive measures, bracing for John''s onught.


    After barely withstanding John''s blow, a grin shed across Iron Mountain''s face as he vanished from sight.


    Reappearing, he was directly behind John.


    With his axe gleaming menacingly, he swung down hard towards John''s head.


    "Meet your end!" bellowed Iron Mountain.


    This blink-and-you-miss-it move was Iron Mountain''s most formidable tactic from previous battles.


    Being suddenly outnked by such a power-driven berserker was something no one could guard against.


    But John, sensing the looming threat behind him, remained nonchnt.


    True, Iron Mountain was formidable, but in this virtual world, John had long ceased to fear any challenge.


    A sardonic smirk edged his lips as he pivoted to face Iron Mountain''s renewed assault.


    The collision between the two was cataclysmic, with shockwaves of pure energy that mutated their surroundings into a dust-choked battleground.


    Though just a virtual battle, the palpable intensity was enough to set hearts racing.


    Relying on his razor-sharp reflexes, John nimbly sidestepped Iron Mountain''s relentless blows.


    His movements, ghostly agile, sometimes manifested as a sky filled with radiant sword light, and at other times, as fleeting as a startled heron.


    Iron Mountain gritted his teeth, pouring every ounce of strength into each swing, only to see them deftly dodged by John.


    A chilling gleam shed in John''s eyes. Abruptly ceasing his evasive maneuvers, he coiled, then, like a gale, lunged ferociously at Iron Mountain.


    "Think again!" Iron Mountain roared, lifting his massive axe towards John.


    However, his vulnerability didn''t escape John''s keen eyes.


    A frosty smile graced John''s lips as he nimbly darted through the gaps in Iron Mountain''s attacks, striking lightning-fast towards his heart.


    The brilliance of his de shone with boundless power and precision.


    Desperately, Iron Mountain retracted his axe, barely deflecting John''s sword.


    de and axe shed, sending a deafening crash echoing through the arena.


    With all his might, Iron Mountain retaliated, the berserk energy from within pouring out, but it couldn''t unsettle the rhythm of John''s de.


    "You''re not strong enough," John uttered coldly, soaring upwards once again.


    A streak of blinding sword-light effortlessly broke all defenses, piercing through Iron Mountain''s chest.


    A pained roar escaped Iron Mountain as blood gushed out.


    Thankfully, being a berserker yer, his resilience was formidable.


    Despite such grievous wounds, Iron Mountain''s fighting spirit remained undeterred.


    John, unhurried, danced around Iron Mountain, exploiting his agility, marking him with a series of minor cuts.


    Soon, the passive trait of the berserker activated.


    [Bloodthirsty Rampage: Exclusive to berserker yers. When HP drops to a certain level, this skill is triggered, increasing attack by 50%, defense by 50%, and movement speed by 50%. Duration: Two minutes...]


    Iron Mountain''s roar resonated like thunder, his aura instantly more savage and fierce.


    His expression was ferocious, wielding his weapon as blood continued to spurt.


    The more he bled, the more overwhelming his presence became.


    "Indeed, you live up to your reputation. But the final victory will be mine! Witness today the true terror of a berserker''s triggered passivity!"


    John remained impassive, casually twirling his sword. "Bring it on. Just don''t disappoint me."


    Perhaps provoked by John''s nonchnce, Iron Mountain was thoroughly incensed.


    Raising his massive axe, he charged at John.


    The surge in speedpared to earlier was staggering!


    A flicker of intrigue appeared on John''s face; it was his first time witnessing the transformed visage of a berserked berserker.


    In the past hunt against the Devil Elite Team, Balga, when faced with the Soul-Devouring Devil Ghana, was overwhelmed before he even had the chance to go berserk.


    It''s often said that the lower a berserker''s HP, the more formidable they be; it seems there''s some truth to that adage.


    John''s energy-charged sword tilted upwards, directly confronting Iron Mountain''s assault.


    Their blows intermingled, resulting in a ceaseless cacophony of collisions.


    The radiant glow of John''s energy sword illuminated with every strike, each imbued with boundless force.


    Even after his transformation, while Iron Mountain possessed enhanced strength and resilience, he still struggled to breach John''s defenses in a short span.


    He was even pierced by John''s energy sword multiple times...


    With every blownded, he felt searing pain, his protective armor prated by John''s relentless assault.


    John''s swordsmanship grew increasingly sharp, his attack pace escting.


    Every maneuver either forced Iron Mountain to retract his axe in defense or perfectly parried Iron Mountain''s onught.


    The slender energy sword, appearing almost fragilepared to Iron Mountain''s vast axe, seemed unbreakable, steadfastly resisting each of the axe''s cleaves.


    The fleeting two minutes passed in a blink, and despite Iron Mountain''s all-out offensive, he failed to achieve his strategic goal of besting John in that time frame.


    John remained unyielding, not even pushed back an inch by Iron Mountain''s efforts!