“Jared,” Hendrix said, solemn now, the earlier arrogance erased. “Your sword technique commands my respect. But this match bears the honor of my entire sect. I will not, cannot, hold back.”
Jared bowed with measured courtesy, his voice calm yet edged with anticipation. “Please, Hendrix, show me what the Seven-Star Sword can truly do.”
Hendrix answered with no more than a flick of his wrist. The Seven-Star Sword thrummed like tempered thunder, its seven embedded gems lighting in unison with a cold blue shimmer.
“Seven Shooting Stars! First form, Starry Chess!”
The shout cracked the air. A galaxy of blue swordlights burst from the blade, each sliver a pin of starlight that sealed every exit around Jared, hemming inside a tightening constellation.
Though scattered to the eye, every single light resonated with the other, an invisible array craft covering Jared in a net woven from pure strategy.
Spectators leaned forward until the arena blurred,jaws slack as the intricate storm unfolded.
“That’s Starry Chess! Hendrix has sharpened it again!”
“Its light is so dense. There’s no gap to dodge! Jared may be in real trouble this time!”
Yet Jared stood utterly composed, not a ripple disturbing the surface of his focus. He drew Dragonslayer Sword into a slow spin. Metal sang in widening circles until a sword wheel of gold-edged light formed before him.
The sword wheel brightened. The sword intent was compressed to a razor’s edge, gold against the incoming blue.
Clang after clang hammered the arena as every blue shard struck the wheel, ringing off harmlessly and falling away like sparks from an anvil. Not one ray pierced the golden barrier.
Hendrix’s brow tightened. He had not expected a defense that stout. He called out, “Seven Shooting Stars! Second form, Starry Rebound!”
His left hand traced a rapid hand seal, and the longsword in his right hand swept up. The scattered blue lights reversed mid-flight, boomeranging from every angle toward Jared with twice the cunning of the first strike.
The shift came so fast It felt like lightning changing its mind. However, Jared was already moving, Traceless Move flowing beneath his boots. His outline blurred, a phantom threading needles of light.
Dragonslayer Sword flicked in quick silver arcs, each parry shaving danger by a hair and forcing Hendrix to parry in turn.
Back and forth they danced, blades conversing in sparks, dozens of exchanges passing in the space of a heartbeat. Hendrix’s Seven Shooting Stars hunted with lethal variety, every thrust aimed to finish the duel.
Jared’s style remained deceptively gentle, its gracefulness negating the oncoming brutality. The crowd watched, spellbound. This was no mere contest but a master class In sword technique.
“Brilliant! Keep going!”
“Hold strong, Jared!”
“Hendrix, go!”
Cheers rolled like rolling thunder, shaking the stands. On the VIP dais, the steward of Swordmaster City stroked his beard and nodded again and again. “Soft defies hard, change begets change, either youth could be the city’s future…”
Farther down the platform, Lester’s expression soured. He had gambled on Hendrix to defeat Jared, yet the duel refused to yield a victor.
Hendrix exhaled sharply, gems flaring brighter. “Seven Shooting Stars! Third form, Moon Destruction!”
Hendrix had been dueling so long that the taste of metal clung to every breath. Frustration flashed through him. He threw back his head and released a raw, defiant howl. In that instant, his entire reserve of spiritual energy flooded outward, no longer restrained by caution or pride.
The seven gemstones set along the Seven-Star Sword ignited at once, each sapphire-blue facet erupting into blinding fire.
Seven twisting rivers of azure light, dragon-thick and dragon-fierce, spiraled through the air, wove into a single colossal blade-shadow, and crashed downward toward Jared with world-ending aura.
It was the fiercest strike within the Seven Shooting Stars Sword Art, a fusion of all seven lights.
Veterans whispered the move rivaled an Earthly Immortal Realm Level Six full-powered blow.
Around the arena, a collective gasp hissed through the crowd. Even their breathing stopped, afraid to disturb the violence gathering overhead.
“It’s over! No one could block that cut. Jared’s finished!” someone choked, voice cracking under the weight of dread.
“What a shame… He fought so well,” another murmured, regret mixing with awe. On the platform, Lyra’s palms were slicked with sweat.
Flaxseed shut his eyes altogether, unwilling to witness whatever dreadful thing might follow. Jared, facing that sky-splitting sword shadow, felt a spark of wild delight flicker across his gaze.
