“Heads up!” Melvin‘s voice came from Leonel’s head. Leonel suddenly looked up, only to see Melvin forming seals with both hands. Dark soul mist churned around him, condensing into countless black Soul Needles that shot toward Leonel like a torrential rain.
Not daring to be careless, Leonel swung his sword, unleashing a wall of fire to block the attack. The Soul Needles struck the wall of fire with a sizzling sound. The flames incinerated most, but a few still managed to pierce through and shoot toward Leonel.
Leonel quickly circulated his spiritual energy to shield his body. The Soul Needles hit the spiritual energy shield. Though they failed to break through, the impact caused Leonel’s spiritual energy to become momentarily chaotic.
“Damn it! The soul is a nuisance!”
Snarling, Leonel sprang high. Both hands locked around the Blaze Sword‘s hilt as brought it down in a cleaving motion. “Blaze Sword Technique, third form! Fire Dragon!”
A dragon of pure flame erupted from the blade, claws extended, heat distorting the very air as it lunged at Melvin.
Melvin only phased aside, body flickering into a blur. His fingers sealed another sign. “Soul Chain!”
From the swirling soul mist burst countless onyx chains and whipped toward the flaming dragon, coiling, constricting, seeking to choke its fire at the source.
The blazing dragon roared in fury. It thrashed through the Soul Chains, but they constricted it tighter.
The fire dragon stopped to struggle. It eventually got tied up by the Soul Chains and burst into small flames.
“What?” Leonel’s pupils contracted until they were pinpoints of pure disbelief.
Flame Dragon was his ultimate skill. Seeing Melvin counter it as though it were smoke left his lungs empty.
Melvin’s calm baritone drifted through the arena. “Leonel, your sword technique is fierce, but it cannot touch me. Yield now, spare yourself the shame.”
Leonel roared, voice hoarse. “Surrender? Not a chance!”
He sprang forward again, boots cracking the stone and hurling sparks. This time, no longer used a wide-range attack. Instead, focused his spiritual energy on the blade, unleashing the most refined technique of the Blaze Sword Technique-Blaze Point.
A brilliant flame gathered at the tip of the Blaze Sword, then shot toward Melvin like a falling star. The attack was swift and its power highly concentrated. So much so that even a soul would struggle to dodge it.
A flicker of admiration flashed in Melvin’s eyes, but remained calm and composed. With a wave of his right hand, the soul mist around condensed into a Soul Shield.
Puff! The Blaze Point struck the Soul Shield, causing it to dent inward instantly. Yet, it did not shatter.
Melvin’s body swayed slightly, clearly affected by the impact, but quickly regained his composure. He exhaled a chuckle. “Impressive. but still far from enough.”
The final word had barely faded when Melvin vanished again. Alarm bells screamed inside Leonel’s mind. He spun, scanning the moonlight, yet the battlefield stood empty.
A breath later, a glacial presence brushed his spine. He whirled, blade half-raised, but it was too late. Melvin’s palm settled between Leonel’s shoulder blades. A torrent of icy soul energy surged through Leonel’s nerves and meridians.
Leonel froze. His spiritual energy shattered into chaos, and the Blaze Sword dropped to the ground. Muscles refused his commands while Melvin lifted that same hand again, now aiming for Leonel’s skull.
“Leonel!”
On the slope, cultivators lurched to their feet. Aurelius stood up. He wanted to help Leonel, but Jared stopped him.
Jared’s tone was steady. “King Aurelius, this is their duel. We must not intervene…”
Though measured, his words trembled with concern, a crack beneath the calm. Jared knew Leonel had lost. Any rescue would break their promise with the Soul Devourer, tipping the already precarious balance into outright catastrophe.
Leonel’s knees sank into torn turf. Raising his head, met Melvin’s gaze, and a howl of refusal rattled inside his heart.
He had spent a lifetime carving paths through war, never once reduced to such ruin. Yet every flourish of his Blaze Sword Technique had been parried, every counter snuffed before it lived.
