A disturbing silence lasted a few seconds after the whale’s serious words. Old Dyen heard everything and returned to laugh sinisterly, but this time, he laughed while closely watching the flaming Qi around Almin. That power didn’t diminish at all; if he ran now, he still wouldn’t survive easily.
"What? Do you think there’s a free lunch? I remember saying that I would rescue her from the old man, not that I would save her. I’m not a hero or a protagonist who saves people," the whale spoke indifferently. But Ruri, on their shoulder, narrowed her eyes; her master was lying.
"A pet isn’t worth this trouble. Show me that you’re worth it; I’ll only give you this chance," he finished, looking at Almin and crossing his arms behind his back.
Almin took a deep breath, and a strange relief sprouted in his chest. Everyone in the group who had been with him for a while could no longer read or recognize this person. There was no fear, doubt, or desire to escape in Almin anymore. In his mind, only one face existed, and there was only one path for him.
He then turned to the old man, and his spear cut through the air, pointing forward in a piercing manner. With a breath from him, immediately, the diabolic flame lost much of its density. Clearly, he stopped burning his life and was using his Qi.
A faint smile appeared on Old Dyen’s face; without using Almin’s life, this power clearly couldn’t kill Dyen. Dyen then began to trace an escape route in his mind, but in the same second, he felt his heart stop beating briefly as a bad presentiment struck him.
Almin was clearly weaker. But to the amazement of everyone watching him, his presence and combat spirit soared to the heavens in a cold and bloodthirsty sharpness. At that moment, even Langrum felt a bit overwhelmed.
Alm mentally spoke sarcastically. ’I had even forgotten that he has memories of his past life.’
Bruno nodded with a sigh. ’Although he never had relevant cultivation, he lived a few hundred years before. We lived in a remote place, in a village inside a forest, and there we always had beast attacks. He had to fight even without techniques or power, with life at stake thousands of times.’
’His cowardly nature surfaced in this universe, where everything is much more powerful and larger than our original. But... even this rudimentary combat aura can still be shaped into something better,’ Alm concluded, unwilling to admit he was pleased with his little brother.
Dyen was stunned, with a cold sweat running down his back, then felt he had no choice and raised his spear defensively. ’What does it matter if he changed? I can’t use my Qi, but my body is several times more powerful than his,’ he thought.
At that moment, Almin advanced with fierce momentum. Old Dyen snorted and took a calm step forward.
CRACK!!
The metallic clash echoed in the surroundings as they confronted each other with precise and swift movements. Everyone in the city watched the fight excitedly; soon, it turned into an event, and even bets were being made.
Old Dyen, with his overwhelming physical strength, seemed to have a clear advantage. Every blow from his spear was like thunder, threatening to break through Almin’s defense. The ground trembled under the pressure of his attacks, and Almin dodged the most devastating blows, but several wounds were opened on his body.
However, the determination in Almin’s eyes did not waver. He studied every move of Dyen, every attack pattern, and slowly began to adapt to the overwhelming strength of his opponent. Instead of confronting brute force head-on, Almin focused on finding openings in Dyen’s defense.
The two danced on the battlefield, a fierce dance of clashing and deflecting spears. Then, suddenly, everyone felt a clear change in the rhythm. Almin, despite being physically inferior, suddenly became unpredictable. He lacked technique but strangely always managed not to injure himself severely, and a strange and barbaric blow was delivered.
Almin’s movements were unpredictable and brutal, deviating from traditional techniques. Each assault was accompanied by sharp kicks and violent headbutts, a chaotic dance of combat.
As the fight continued, some observers noticed severe burns starting to form on old Dyen. The fiery aura surrounding Almin wasn’t just a visual spectacle; it was a real danger that consumed everything it touched.
Amidst the chaos of battle, some began to realize the unique nature of Almin’s attack. Small, almost imperceptible runes danced in the air around him, leaving a trail of concentrated fire laws. Every movement, every blow, was an invitation to the fire emanating from these runes.
Although Almin didn’t possess the massive power of a direct fire attack, his mastery lay in the precision and density of these runes. He couldn’t unleash the flame entirely because his core was empty before. But every spark was a focus of intense heat, turning his body and blows into a flaming weapon.
Dyen, now worn and burned, desperately tried to adapt and avoid the burns. The battlefield became a spectacle of fire and swift movements as Almin continued to press, trying to maintain some advantage.
Langrum and Ruri watched with such astonishment that they thought they weren’t seeing reality. Since when did Almin fight so well?
The whale then dryly commented, "He has no skill, but he has willpower and instinct pushed to the limit. Raw power and techniques are never the main factors in deciding a winner. If you underestimate someone weak and desperate, you’ll end up dying without understanding."
’Ridiculous, he only has an advantage because we trained him to have the ability to create these extremely concentrated fire runes. But he’s not that bad...’ Alm mentally responded to Bruno.
Langrum and Ruri nodded in understanding. Nothing was impossible with the right motivation, as even Almin could become that dangerous. But, of course, they all knew well that the main factor was those fire runes.
In a matter of minutes, the fight became a desperate, blood-soaked exchange, shrouded in smoke, colliding fiercely. Dyen, with his burned and exhausted body, charged with what little strength remained. It became clear to everyone watching that he couldn’t keep resisting for much longer.
Almin, in turn, accepted the imminent blow, his endurance reaching its limit. The fire laws surrounding him wavered, the runes becoming unstable, showing signs of exhaustion. He couldn’t sustain the fire laws for long because his core was empty before, and creating flames directly with Qi was inefficient.
The next moment was like a held breath. Dyen’s spear pierced Almin’s defense, but to everyone’s surprise, Almin not only accepted the attack; he guided his own spear towards the heart of the old warrior.
This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.
Everyone held their breath. Was Almin choosing to exchange his life for the old man’s?
But at this moment, beyond expectations, Dyen narrowed his eyes and dodged while retracting his spear; he wouldn’t accept death at all, let alone dying together with someone like Almin. In the next second, blood splattered heavily on the battlefield.
The old Dyen was violently impaled by Almin’s spear!
"A warrior never fears death or dodges a blow. He never fights to win but to kill. If you fear death and withdraw your weapon, even if you are stronger, you die," the whale spoke lightly to Ruri and Langrum nearby. This fight shattered many of their paradigms. Even Langrum had seen few battles as wild and desperate as this in her life.
Old Dyen tightened his grip on the spear and leaped backward, avoiding the worst. Suddenly, the fight changed direction, and Almin advanced with an unstoppable momentum.
"Fool." Then, the cold voice of the whale startled Ruri and Langrum.
In the next second, a dull glow came from the old man’s spatial ring. A flying dagger violently pierced Almin’s shoulder, causing him to take heavy steps backward.
"He’s still very inexperienced. When at a disadvantage, he acted calmly, but when he had the advantage, he attacked, thinking the enemy was in his hands. Never underestimate the enemy; even a desperate ant can use its fangs and counterattack."
Quickly, the fight leveled out. Soon, old Dyen took a step back, and so did Almin. Almin’s Qi was almost completely depleted. The old man was extremely injured and burned; only at this moment did Dyen understand that those flames carried intense demonic curse. This made the previous curse penetrate even deeper into him, with a suffocating pain starting to hit him.
There was no more room to run. So, the two exchanged firm glances; their strike would be the last. Almin’s determination didn’t waver; the old man had his face contorted, and in his eyes, black lines pulsed.
They both advanced simultaneously, but this time, Almin was completely focused. As they dangerously closed in, a sinister smile lit up the old man’s face. In the blink of an eye, his ring shimmered, and dozens of black daggers, sharp as the night itself, were hurled toward Almin. It was his final play; if he could infuse his Qi into the blades, even the most vigilant of elders could easily fall victim to this attack.
However, looking into Almin’s determined eyes, there was no trace of retreat. The daggers cut through the air ferociously, but in the last moment, an earthly glow radiated from Almin’s chest, and the dense laws of the earth were perceived by all attentive spectators.
BOOM!
An intense and resounding shock made the earth tremble slightly, raising a cloud of dust that hung in the air.
Everyone watched attentively as the cloud revealed the outcome. At that moment, Ruri and Langrum jumped in shock.
The armor that Alm and Bruno forged had a supreme defense that could last for a few minutes, but that only happened if they used the array to nurture it. And they wouldn’t interfere in this fight in any way. Without Bruno and Alm’s intervention, the armor’s special ability would only last a few moments, enough for a successful full defense. Still, that was enough.
In the center of the battle, Almin was completely unscathed; the armor protected him from the onslaught. But on the other side, old Dyen was completely shrouded in darkness, with six infernal wings on his back. He gave up everything and, to save himself, unleashed his Evil God Tattoo’s wings and a small portion of his Qi.
At that moment, Almin drove his spear into the ground for support; his Qi was completely depleted. Then his armor flickered out completely. The runic seal was also used up and could no longer save him.
A guttural grunt of pain and extreme hatred escaped old Dyen’s throat. The curse was almost fully active in his body, and he was experiencing a pain he had never felt in his life. But... he focused all his pain by pointing his spear forward. Almin was completely surrendered and too weak to fight, but the old man... He wanted blood!
"In the end, he lost," the whale said dryly.