"At blade duel? Sounds fair, considering neither of us is specialized in physical combat," Ruri said lightly, as Loeus nodded.
Alm and Bruno agreed internally. Loeus had been trained by Langrum to be a frontline fighter; however, since awakening his bloodline at the abyss entrance, he had shifted his focus to becoming a more versatile cultivator, focusing on his Yang.
On the other hand, Ruri had only trained in frontline battles due to a hidden talent. Her mental power, which was her main ability, didn’t align very well with it. However, the whale had taught her to fight agilely and precisely. Over time, she acquired many other skills, and frontline combat became just one of her secondary tools.
Both were versatile cultivators, and a blade duel without the use of Qi or laws was indeed a fair competition.
Everyone in the arena heard the conclusion of the conversation, and soon the metallic sound echoed doubly. On one side, Ruri slowly drew from the sheath a flashy katana made of an unknown material.
On the other side, Loeus unsheathed a simple-looking greenish saber, made of such basic metal that no one there knew exactly what it was composed of. It was the same weapon the whale had forged long ago in the desert as payment to Langrum. Loeus had managed to keep it intact to this day. (Chapter 140)
CLANG!
As the blades emerged, no young cultivator could exactly keep up with when or how the duel began. The two disappeared, and the sound of metal clashing and the air vibrating resonated vibrantly throughout the arena.
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Ruri and Loeus faced off in a simple duel. Their blades clashed in a quick and precise dance. Ruri, with her gleaming katana, advanced with swift and agile strikes. While Loeus, with his saber, responded with powerful and calculated movements.
The two moved with impressive grace, their bodies twisting and dodging each other’s attacks in a series of fluid movements.
The entire arena fell silent, only the sound of the blades clashing echoed through the space. No one could fully comprehend what they were witnessing. Both fighters weren’t even using a drop of Qi or laws... they seemed like mortals dueling... yet, the skill and precision they demonstrated kept all the spectators mesmerized by their movements.
If they were to be hit by those strikes? Even without using Qi... with those thoughts lingering in some minds, a sense of mortality enveloped them. The answer was clear: they would be sliced.
Ruri spun around Loeus, her katana cutting through the air with elegance; while Loeus advanced with a series of powerful strikes, his saber cutting with millimeter precision.
The fight continued like this for several minutes, the two opponents exchanging swift and powerful blows with neither willing to give ground to the other. Each move was calculated and executed perfectly, neither of them wanting to give the other an opening for a counterattack.
As the duel unfolded, the spectators in the arena grew increasingly shocked. The strangest part was the absence of any tension or will to kill in the air. Each blow exchanged heightened the anticipation for the outcome of the fight; however, both seemed to enjoy themselves and compete amicably.
Time passed slowly, but in the minds and memories of both, time passed slowly.
In the past, when Loeus was bought by the whale as a slave. He was a completely reclusive, fearful, and mentally troubled child. Despite being a few years older than Ruri, he was so frail and malnourished that they seemed the same age; his life had been an endless hell since birth.
Right from the start, the first person to get him to talk and chat a bit wasn’t anyone else but Ruri, who was a kid similar to him. They both understood each other easily, and only later did Langrum take advantage of the opening and gained his trust.
The two were more than acquainted; they had gone through similar hardships, had powerful bloodlines, and their ancestral families were responsible for all the evil that befell them.
CLANG!
The two clashed simultaneously, making the space around them vibrate. With the impact, they separated a few meters from each other.
"That was an amazing fight," said Ruri, smiling contentedly.
"You were amazing too," replied Loeus, returning the compliment. "Let’s decide this soon, or we’ll be here all day."
The audience, in a mix of anticipation and surprise, watched as the two moved their blades with an almost hypnotic grace. Suddenly, the high elders and leaders of the four families widened their eyes at what they were witnessing.
Ruri’s will seemed to overflow from her body, enveloping her in an ethereal aura that distorted the very celestial laws around her. Small violet lotuses appeared almost magically, creating a surreal scene around her.
Meanwhile, the two combatants stood still and exchanged concentrated glances, oblivious to the magnitude of what was happening around them.
In the blink of an eye, the hearts of the mighty Yangtas present began to beat rhythmically. Loeus’s eyes transformed, revealing pupils similar to those of a divine and sacred snake. Around him, celestial laws yielded to his will, manifesting in countless white points that seemed to stare at her like snake eyes.
Alm and Bruno, watching the scene, sighed. ’This... is the Dao Heart awakened in both of them,’ murmured Bruno. Everything happened so quickly and out of their senses, the sky above the arena began to change color, taking on a subtle golden hue.
A charming smile appeared on Ruri’s lips and face, yet that didn’t hide a luminous pulse. A rune appeared on her forehead, recognizable to everyone in the arena. It was the symbol of an Empyrean!
However, before anyone could process the meaning of this, a golden beam suddenly appeared out of nowhere and silently fell from the sky like a divine intervention.
Everyone fell into complete confusion. In the next instant, a pulse of Yang energy surged... then the entire arena gasped as another Empyrean rune appeared on Loeus’s forehead out of nowhere.
It was at this moment that Ruri noticed the subtle change in Loeus’s eyes, it wasn’t something physical... but internal.
His soul seemed to have been subdued, his will and consciousness molded and altered by an external force. A golden glow reflected in his eyes, and Ruri immediately recognized it in shock.
’The queen...’ murmured Ruri, her eyes reflecting an intense killing intent.
’Shit, he’s been dominated by the Queen like you and Almin were in the past,’ echoed Alm’s voice in her mind through the array. ’Forget the duel. He’ll reveal our plans to the families if he gets out of here. End him brutally fast before it’s too late. Leave him unconscious and injured enough so we can remove the dominion before everything collapses.’
Everything the four had achieved was at risk. With the queen’s control over Loeus’s mind, he would immediately disclose their plans at the first opportunity. On top of that, he knew a lot about the whale, putting their identities in danger. Nothing would be worse than the families disclosing that they were Heaven-Defiers to the entire universe. If that happened, there would be no safe place left for them.
Ruri had to take him down heavily because they couldn’t remove the queen’s dominion in front of the families. So, this was the only way, and it would buy them time to take him to the city and deal with it.
Ruri heard everything and looked intensely into Loeus’s eyes. She noticed the determination still present in them.
’Don’t worry, master. He will still respect the duel; I’ll win,’ she replied, tightening her grip on the katana seriously.
The violet lotuses around her seemed to merge with her blade just with her thoughts. Loeus took a deep breath, and a sensation of heat engulfed everyone in the arena as if they were being burned alive... but there was no fire, Qi, or bloodline; it was something much more sinister and invisible...
"Come. I’m eager to slap your face for the first time in a long while," Ruri said dryly, her eyes fixed on Loeus, but her words were clearly directed at the queen.
Loeus’s lips curved into a sarcastic smile, and immediately his five children in the stands widened their eyes in total shock. That wasn’t the father they knew!
In reaction to this provocative demeanor, Ruri’s aura changed completely. Behind her, something illusory solidified and emerged like a shadow.
It didn’t have a specific shape; it was like an image seen in a cloud in the sky; it seemed to be something recognizable but gave the impression of being nothing, as if it were just a creation of the imagination. But all that shadow became the only light in the world, as if it were the manifestation of heaven and earth.
"Celestial manifestation!" all four family leaders spoke at the same time.
Ruri’s face turned cold and impassive; immediately celestial laws stirred around her. Everyone felt as if all the celestial laws of the universe were concentrated in her, observing her coldly.
A black mist circled above the area with Ruri at the center. The four leaders looked at it, and their hearts almost stopped. That was karma! Her karma manifested physically!
"That... that’s a judgment! She’s a Goddess candidate!" the leader of the Moonlight spoke in complete disbelief.
Alm and Bruno watched closely; Ruri’s Dao was awakened alongside the manifestation created by her Dao Heart. The two seemed to be blending... but something was missing...
It all lasted less than five seconds, and then Ruri huffed and took a step forward. Her katana slid through the air, pointing at the figure a few meters ahead.
There was no Qi, technique, law, or anything but her will. Those two phenomena arose on their own through her maximum will.
Loeus was indifferent and also stepped forward, determined. His saber pulsated, reverberating with his newly awakened Dao Heart... but that wasn’t him, nor his own will. Everything was chained and manipulated by another external will. Did he want to compete against a legitimate will, with something forced out?
CRACK!!!!!
Everyone saw the blades clash. But a thunderous cracking sound echoed like thunder in their ears. Loeus’s saber immediately shattered into thousands of fragments.
The katana went straight, not hitting Loeus, but Ruri’s aura and will guided her in this attack, coming together with her like an invincible wave. That invisible and undetectable energy hit him head-on. Then, sounds of bones breaking echoed through the oppressive silence in the arena.
He flew, writhing in the midst of blood, like a kite whose strings had been cut. Everyone watched without being able to move a single muscle. But they jumped in surprise when they saw a round figure appear in the air and grab him agilely.
Ruri watched that, and her eyes returned to normal. Suddenly, all the phenomena evaporated as if they had never existed. Soon, the sunlight and the colors of the world returned.
The whale in the air quickly returned to its place. He brought Loeus with him and appeared next to Kaiyka silently. It was only then that everyone in the arena snapped out of shock.