Chapter 164: Chapter 164: My Turn Now
"Huh?" Kael breathed, his eyes arching slightly as a dumbfounded expression settled on his face while he struggled to process the youth’s words.
It was all too absurd to make sense. Did the youth even know what he was suggesting? Matters like life-and-death battles were treated almost as sacred.
Not this lightly.
Besides, he wondered, where did the youth get this much confidence?
Despite possessing an absurdly strong physique, he didn’t think that alone would be enough to face off against them. The stronger one became on the path to power, the more means they accrued to strengthen themselves.
Physical strength was just one among many sources of power.
The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became as his face contorted with rage. Before he could take it anymore.
"You..." Kael growled, pointing at the dark-robed youth.
The grey-robed academy elder beside him seemed to share his thoughts as he slowly shook his head in disappointment.
"Impetuous... truly an impetuous brat."
From what he had observed, he had hoped the youth would know better. Or at least understand his limits.
But like many before him, he was quick to overestimate himself and underestimate his enemies. And now he was about to learn there were consequences for his actions.
Hearing the grey-robed figure’s words, a vile smile slowly stretched across Kael’s face as his eyes narrowed on Ulric.
Given he was the supreme genius they sought, he couldn’t exact revenge for the death of his daughter, Valeria.
Even if he wanted to, the grey-robed elder would stop him before he could make a move. The youth was simply too precious.
But now, with this open declaration of a challenge, Kael couldn’t help but feel delighted as waves of excitement surged within him.
This would allow him to knock some sense into the brat.
All he had to do was refrain from killing him. As for the rest...
He chuckled faintly, already imagining how he would put the dark-robed youth through a world of pain.
With those thoughts racing through his mind, Kael stepped forward, his gaze narrowing on the youth.
"Very well. If you’re so keen on dying, I suppose it’s time someone taught you a lesson about picking your fights."
As his words echoed out, he stepped forward and jumped from the mystical flying treasure.
Crashing down beyond the city gates and into the open wastelands.
Seeing the green-robed figure accept his challenge so easily, a faint smile carved across Ulric’s lips.
It seemed he wasn’t as smart as Ulric had given him credit for.
But he couldn’t really blame him.
From what Kael and the grey-robed elder had observed, they had likely concluded that most of his strength stemmed from his physique. Perhaps even his confidence as well.
What they didn’t know was that this was merely a glimpse of his true strength.
And they were about to learn that the hard way.
As the thought took form, he could barely suppress the laughter bubbling in his throat.
With a powerful flap of his wings, he glided smoothly from the sky before landing gently on the ground below.
Not wasting a single moment, he instantly streaked forward.
Letting the duel begin.
Watching the charging figure, Kael snorted as a glint of disdain flashed openly across his eyes.
***
Having already seen through the youth’s monstrous physique, it didn’t take a genius to deduce that he excelled in close combat.
Allowing him to get closer would not end well.
Which was why Kael didn’t.
The moment the youth crossed the fifty-meter mark, Kael lifted one arm into the air.
Instantly, the air around him began to churn violently as he mobilized the mana within the surrounding area.
It stirred restlessly, as if awaiting a command.
And when the youth got close enough, Kael dropped his hand in a crushing motion.
Instantly, the mana moved in response.
Taking the shape of a monstrous human hand that came crashing down on the black-robed figure with overwhelming force.
One of the hallmarks of truly powerful beings was their ability to intricately manipulate the essence of mana.
Just as Kael had done.
Shaping raw mana into a tangible construct.
When the attack struck true, a faint smirk spread across Kael’s face.
He bet the dark-robed youth hadn’t seen that coming.
Watching the ground cave in beneath the attack, fissures and microfractures raced outward while dust billowed everywhere, obscuring the battlefield for several moments.
With the force he had exerted, Kael was certain it would be enough to gravely injure the youth.
A calculated move.
He wanted to display the massive gap between them.
Ending the match in a single move would only kill any desire the youth had of issuing another challenge in the future.
The grey-robed elder nodded thoughtfully as he observed everything from atop the mystical flying treasure.
Before he suddenly paused, his eyes constricting violently.
"That’s not right..." he muttered, confusion flashing across his face.
One that was soon mirrored by Kael.
As the dust finally settled, where the youth should have been lying in a crater nursing grievous injuries... there was nothing.
If he didn’t know any better, he might have assumed the youth had dodged the attack.
But that was impossible.
Kael inhaled sharply, discarding the thought instantly.
He shared a close connection with mana.
Almost as though it were an extension of his own body.
Through it, he had felt the attack crash directly onto the youth.
What he was seeing simply didn’t make sense.
There wasn’t even a trace of blood left behind.
Now that he looked closer, all he could see were wisps of dark energy slowly dissipating into the air.
What was this supposed to mean?
Before he could sink deeper into confusion, his thoughts were abruptly cut short as he felt the air ripple slightly behind him.
Followed by a familiar voice.
One that sent chills racing down his spine and froze him in place.
"Looking for me?" Ulric breathed softly, no different from the devil incarnate.
When Kael had mobilized the mana to crush down on him, it would have been a lie to say Ulric hadn’t been tempted to tank the attack with his body.
But he had decided against it at the last moment.
He was done lowering himself to fight weaker opponents on their own terms.
If there was nothing to learn from their battle style, then he saw no reason to do so.
Conjuring a clone in the distance, he had swapped places with it.
Then used Shadow Teleportation to appear behind Kael.
***
Snapping out of his daze, Kael clenched his fists as his heart thudded violently.
Instantly afterward, the mana around him exploded outward into a blazing inferno.
Consuming everything within a hundred-meter radius.
All while his heart raced as countless questions flooded his mind.
But he doubted the youth would answer any of them.
His presence had vanished one moment and appeared behind him the next without the slightest warning.
That was terrifying.
Given the years he had spent refining his senses, Kael couldn’t help but feel unsettled.
If the youth had truly wanted to, he could have launched a crippling attack during that moment.
So why hadn’t he?
He received his answer soon enough as the same eerie voice echoed once more.
"Hmm. Strong... but not strong enough."
Turning slowly, Kael’s breath hitched for a moment as he saw the youth standing there once again.
Caught off guard, he had mistakenly unleashed the full extent of his strength in that last attack.
For a moment, he had genuinely feared he might have killed the youth.
Now he could see how wrong he had been.
Very wrong.
The only evidence that a blazing inferno had erupted there was the surrounding ground, which had been transformed into molten sludge.
Besides the charred robe slowly repairing itself, the youth appeared completely unharmed.
Not even a single strand of hair had been singed.
Sensing Kael’s shock, Ulric chuckled slightly as he examined his own body with fascination.
Aside from a faint prickling sensation across his skin, he felt no discomfort at all.
He had known that mastering elements to a transcendent level would grant at least a degree of resistance against elemental attacks.
He just hadn’t expected it to be this monstrous.
A peak C-rank attack couldn’t even leave a mark on him?
The absurdity of it all left even him momentarily speechless.
Kael even more so.
"This... I don’t understand."
He stuttered beneath his breath, struggling to make sense of what he was witnessing.
A strong physique didn’t completely invalidate incoming attacks. It merely reduced the damage, allowing one to endure blows that would have otherwise crippled or even killed a weaker individual.
So what exactly was happening before him?
He didn’t have time to dwell on it.
Caught off guard, he watched as the dark-robed youth’s figure blurred.
A hand shot forward and wrapped around his throat before forcefully lifting him off the ground.
Then the youth spoke.
"My turn now."
