As six shadow clones appeared at once, Jared, who had been fighting solo up until now, managed to surround Ararat completely.
The Dragonslayer Sword gleamed with a fierce light. Each strike came down with overwhelming force, as if it was hellbent on destroying everything in its way.
“Hmm…” Ararat frowned.
Without warning, stabbed his longsword into the ground.
“Unmovable!” roared, and in the blink of an eye, countless swords rose up around him, encircling in a deadly formation.
Though Ararat didn’t move an inch, the floating swords around attacked relentlessly, each one acting like an extension of his will.
Their swordplay collided in an intense storm of blades. Sword energy swept out in waves, and wherever it touched, mountain rock crumbled into dust. Deep trenches were carved into the ground, like the mountaintop had been ravaged by some giant, invisible force.
Amid the chaos, Jared slipped into an odd state of mind. His thoughts cleared, his focus narrowed. Every move Ararat made, every time drew his blade, it all slowed down, each detail unfolding with perfect clarity.
Jared began to pick up on the deeper structure behind Ararat’s sword techniques. What once looked complicated was now clean and logical in his mind.
“So that’s it… The weak point’s right there,” muttered to himself.
In a flash, his six shadow clones merged into one. At the same time, the arc of his Dragonslayer Sword shifted.
He wasn’t focused solely on defending or launching power strikes anymore. Instead of taking Ararat head-on, Jared started sidestepping, slipping through openings, and targeting vulnerabilities.
Ararat noticed the change immediately, his expression flickering with interest.
“Not bad,” said. “You’re actually picking things up mid-fight. But do you think that’s enough to beat me?”
His aura flared as moved. Ararat’s swordplay evolved in an instant. What had been a barrage of endless swords now refined itself into something far deadlier. Each strike felt like it could rip the world apart. Even the space around them seemed to bend wherever his sword passed.
“Meteorite Sword Domain!” called out.
As the words left his mouth, the ground surged with sword energy. It looked like a silver river had flipped upside down and was falling from the heavens.
These weren’t just regular sword energies, each one bearing the crushing force of the stars.
Jared felt like his legs were sinking into quicksand. His meridians throbbed under the immense pressure. Quickly, plunged his sword into the ground and began to chant the Focus Technique. Surprisingly, the meteorite sword energy within a thirty-foot radius around vanished, absorbed completely.
Ararat’s eyes narrowed. The sudden vacuum in his sword domain threw off for a split second.
“You can actually absorb sword energy?” said, startled.
His stance changed again. The longsword in his hand danced through the air, splitting its glow into a Circle of Duality. One side flared bright like the sun, the other glimmered cold and pale like the moon.
Boom!
The moment the two sword energies clashed, a brilliant burst exploded outward. Jared’s sword collided with Ararat’s, ripping three dark gashes into the void itself.
Jared’s grip nearly gave out. The sword almost slipped from his hands. Cracks ran across his body like a shattered mirror, blood pouring from each one.
He stared at Ararat, stunned.
Hmmm… This is the strength of a second level guardian?
How did Octavion and his team make it all the way to the fourth level?
“Jared, are you all right?” Catalina called out, voice full of worry.
Rosa and Isla were just as shocked.
“Rosa, when we fought him, wasn’t this strong, was he?” Isla asked, confused.
“No way. Is purposely targeting Mr. Chance?” Rosa looked just as suspicious.
If Ararat had fought them like this from the start, they would’ve lost in a heartbeat.
