Clang!
Thud!
The force of their blade thrusts was truly extraordinary. The sheer pressure generated by each exchange of blows far surpassed what inferior iron swords could withstand, even as You’er and Heggel both imbued their weapons with magic, desperately striving to prolong the life of their blades.
Yet, with every collision of their fierce assaults, the two swords inevitably snapped, often shattering into countless fragments.
Eventually, a moment arrived when not a single intact iron sword remained on the weapon racks circling the arena.
Thus, You’er and Heggel, cloaked in biting ice and searing wind, crashed into each other, unleashing a primal, close-quarters melee.
Their hands, elbows, shoulders, feet, knees, legs, teeth, fingernails, and even their heads, were all transformed into vicious instruments of attack.
Heggel, incandescent with rage over You’er’s blatant theft of his sword techniques, fought with furious abandon, while You’er, adhering to his characteristic style, battled with the wild intensity of a berserker.
Throughout this brutal exchange, the spectators in the fourth ring had already reached a fever pitch of excitement, roaring their support and dedicating their entire being to savoring this breathtaking spectacle.
‘To memorize it after just one viewing… that’s a truly terrifying talent. I certainly didn’t misjudge him!’ Salakriffin, his gaze fixed on You’er as if observing a rare treasure, offered his commentary with a faint smile. ‘However, deciding the victor solely through a brawl like this isn’t quite the most appealing sight.’
He then rose, and his voice, imbued with potent magic, resonated clearly in the ears of every single spectator.
“Everyone, I trust you’ve all noticed the protrusions beside your seats, haven’t you? That’s right! Those are undoubtedly swords, identical to those used in the arena! Now, please, draw them and bestow them upon your favored champions!”
Salakriffin’s words acted like a fuse, instantly igniting the fervent emotions of the crowd.
In that very instant, a resounding clangor shot skyward as tens of thousands of iron swords were simultaneously drawn from their scabbards.
Under the reflection of the setting sun, the myriad glints of sword light formed a shimmering silver ocean, an awe-inspiring sight beyond words!
“Lord Eastern Champion, catch!”
“Lord Western Champion, catch!”
From every corner of the fourth ring, roars suddenly echoed, and an endless torrent of swords, imbued with immense power, rained down.
Perhaps the spectators were well-intentioned, most of them simply wishing to offer weapons to You’er and Heggel, who were locked in a desperate melee below.
Yet, each person acted in isolation, and with every sword thrown, the number quickly swelled to over ten thousand, descending like an encroaching black cloud, blotting out the very sky!
It was, likewise, an utterly terrifying sight!
Moses Du, Miekin Hogg, Quia Terra, and Rigalantie Hogan, who had been fighting fiercely just a second prior, were now so terrified their scalps tingled.
They scrambled and crawled towards the most concealed corners, from where, with trembling eyes, they watched the sky-darkening rain of swords descend.
Only two individuals remained in the center of the arena: You’er and Heggel.
Engaged in their ferocious struggle, they almost completely disregarded the deluge of swords pressing down from above.
They dared not turn, dared not retreat, for any shift in attention would inevitably expose them to the other’s relentless and desperate assault.
They could no longer be called men; they had transformed into savage beasts, committed to fighting until death.
Only when the overwhelming rain of swords fully descended did they finally separate.
“Blade Thrust!”
“Blade Thrust!”
You’er and Heggel’s actions remained perfectly coordinated.
Simultaneously, they raised their hands to snatch the first falling iron swords, then, calculating the time difference, executed their thrusting sword techniques to evade the overwhelming deluge of blades.
Even with such a dense sword rain, no matter how swift their movements or agile their reactions, You’er and Heggel could not completely evade it.
New wounds appeared on their bodies with every passing second.
They could only do one thing: avoid major injuries as much as possible and ignore minor ones.
In such a perilous environment, even a fraction of a second’s delay or hesitation could lead to unbearable consequences—namely, death!
The sword rain came and went swiftly.
When the last iron sword fell from the sky, the entire arena was already crammed with them, making it difficult to find even a single place to stand.
Amidst the iron swords impaled across the arena, You’er and Heggel gasped heavily, countless sword marks covering their bodies, with blood streaming ceaselessly from their arms and feet.
Despite what appeared to be grievous injuries, both men’s expressions and gazes remained resolute and sharp, their fighting spirit undimmed.
Heggel wore a Demonic Rock Vest, an enchanted defensive artifact that had once again shielded him from countless fatal blows.
You’er’s Soul Eye, on the other hand, granted him superior computational and observational abilities compared to Heggel, allowing him to cleverly evade numerous crises.
This meant that, despite their outwardly scarred appearance, neither had actually sustained significant damage; the blood flowing from their bodies stemmed from minor, non-critical wounds.
The two men moved, their swords striking like thunder, their bodies soaring like eagles.
There were no words, only the most primal objective: to kill the other!
Surrounded by countless swords, inexhaustible and readily available, they cast aside all restraint.
Snapping one blade, they would simply draw another, and so the brutal struggle between two ferocious beasts, two madmen, resumed!
In this land of shattered blades, this burial ground, only slaughter was the true path.
‘These two are truly utter monsters…’
Not only the spectators in the fourth ring, but even Moses Du and Miekin Hogg, who had crawled out from their corners, wore expressions of stunned disbelief.
‘Damn it, when these two Great Swordsmen fight, even we Swordsmasters are terrified!’
As for Quia Terra and Rigalantie Hogan in another corner, there was even less to say.
They seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement, hiding far away and watching the other two fight like mere spectators, likely thinking that since the outcome of their own fight was ultimately meaningless here, they might as well just watch the show.
“Gugu You’er Guinevere! You must die! You absolutely must die!”
Heggel, fighting furiously, had bloodshot eyes, and his face, wrapped in a black cloth, was contorted into a savage grimace.
As he snarled, he sensed his own strength waning, yet the steady force emanating from the iron sword in You’er’s hand told him that You’er still held reserves of power.
Heggel would never permit his own defeat; he would sever the head of this hateful, troublesome foe.
He would prove to Salakriffin that he was the strongest, the most valuable!
Heggel retreated, but this withdrawal signified the impending final burst of power.
“Gugu You’er Guinevere, with the next strike, let us decide life or death!”
This was a roar from the depths of Heggel’s throat.
He then sheathed his sword, adopting a stance for drawing it.
‘Finally, you’re going all out, aren’t you…?’
As he gazed at Heggel, who was poised to draw his sword and gather his power, You’er uttered these words in a detached tone, having already decided to hold nothing back.
“Hiss!”
“What is Lord Eastern Champion doing?”
“Lord Western Champion’s killing move is almost ready; is Lord Eastern Champion giving up the fight?”
“…”
However, You’er’s reaction utterly baffled the spectators.
He discarded his iron sword, simply standing there as straight as a spear, his eyelids tightly shut, as if detached from the world, closed off from all external reality.
‘Hmm? This power…’
Only one person perceived the anomaly: Salakriffin, the arena master.
Yet, even he could only vaguely sense an incredibly subtle, yet terrifying, aura awakening within You’er.
Time passed, second by second.
Heggel’s aura grew increasingly fierce and dreadful, yet You’er, across from him, remained utterly still.
This caused the spectators who supported him to secretly break out in cold sweat.
Clang!
At a certain moment, Heggel’s accumulated power reached its zenith.
“Sword Drawing Technique: Severing Gale!”
In that same moment, Heggel’s fierce roar resounded.
The instant Heggel’s sword left its scabbard at his waist, a colossal azure-green sword arc sliced through the air.
Along its path, countless iron swords snapped like paper, crumbling at a mere touch!
Severing Gale, an intermediate sword skill, was the most formidable technique Heggel had mastered, representing the pinnacle of his Gale Sword Drawing Art.
Under this blade, even the fiercest gales would be severed!
“Heggel Gale, thank you for teaching me so much during this duel… Now, it’s time to say goodbye.”
The massive sword arc tore through the air, yet in You’er’s Soul Eye, it seemed not to exist.
He simply gazed at Heggel Gale beyond the arc, speaking slowly and softly.
You’er raised his left hand, and the Divine Soul Sword, radiating a dazzling, fierce might, gradually materialized.
At this moment, the Divine Soul Sword was no longer formless and imperceptible as before.
It possessed a beautiful, ethereal blade of blue glazed light, appearing dreamlike and illusory.
This was a sword that did not belong to this world: a Divine Soul Sword, a Sword of Will!
“Divine Soul Sword Skill: Soul Sword – Ice Jade!”
You’er brought his left arm down, and the Divine Soul Sword cleaved vertically.
With him as the starting point and Heggel, beyond the Gale Sword Arc, as the endpoint, a screen of blue glazed ice light shot up from the ground, instantly tearing through the azure-green sword arc!
“Impossible! Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!”
Heggel shrieked in despair, seeing his ultimate strike so easily shattered, but his voice abruptly cut off before he could finish.
For his body, just like the sword arc he had unleashed, was split in two by the blue glazed light screen!
Soul Sword – Ice Jade, the second Divine Soul Sword Skill bestowed upon You’er by the Divine Soul Tree, originated from the lower blade branches.
It was unleashed by merging his ice magic with the Divine Soul Sword, containing an exceptionally terrifying power that had severed Heggel and his Demonic Rock Vest clean in half!
In this moment, the entire fourth ring was once again left utterly dumbfounded.
Western Champion Heggel Gale… was simply split in two by a single sword strike?