Chapter 178
“Ugh…!” A man spat blood into the thick mists of Aiden Gorge.
More blood seeped from his body, and his tattered clothing did nothing to stop it. The only reason he hadn’t collapsed to the ground was that he had propped himself up with what remained of his sword. However, he couldn’t even turn his head anymore.
“Remarkable,” a large-framed middle-aged man whispered, “Who knew an untitled knight would have this much skill?”
At the same time, the world-famous fog of Aiden Gorge suddenly dissipated, revealing a gastly sight where a bloodbath had occurred and there were mountains of corpses, as well as rivers of blood. A quick glance would be enough for anyone to deduce that there were at least a thousand corpses here.
What was important was that most of the corpses had the golden owl inscribed on their chest; it was the crest of the Pontier Family.
Whoosh, whoosh!
“Tell me your name,” the large-framed middle-aged man demanded as he easily swung an enormous axe in the air as if it was a toy.
Behind him was stood a line of knights equipped with full-body steel armor; it was as if they had received orders beforehand to be on standby.
‘My lord…’
The man spitting out mouthful after mouthful of blood stared with a determined light at the large-framed middle-aged man as he spoke in a low voice. “Cain… I’m a knight of the honorable Sanders house.”
“Cain… a knight of the Sanders house.” The large-framed middle-aged man repeated before walking forward. “If we had met ten years later, then perhaps, I would be the one on my knees.”
“...!” The lined-up knights had be listening quietly, but now, they stirred in shock. Just what was the identity of the large-framed middle-aged man in front of them? He was one of the Twelve Superhumans of the continent!
“I will remember your name. You deserve to be remembered.” The large-framed middle-aged man carefully lifted the axe up above his head and said, “I want you to remember my name as well, even when you’re already in the afterlife. My name is…”
Exhausted, Cain had collapsed forward until his head was on the ground. The man stared at the back of Cain’s head before continuing.
“Barbarian.”
And then the axe fell, followed by a horrible thud…
***
Crackle!
He threw the spear, no, it wouldn’t be accurate to just say that when with a single throw, it created hundreds of lightning strikes along with the ear-splitting boom of thunder.
Joshua truly looked like the God of Thunder, Jeranos.
Ulabis whipped his sword at Joshua, heedless of the raging storm’s might. If Joshua were the God of Thunder, then Ulabis’s blazing figure and his fiery whip made him Ifrit.
Boom!
There was a loud explosion and then a brief lull before hundreds of blows were exchanged in an instant. Eventually, they came to a halt. The stage had been destroyed to the point it was impossible to see its original shape.
“Can you feel it as well?”
Joshua was about to attack once more, but Ulabis’ words forced him to come to a halt.
“Magma is hungry for Bronto’s power that you hold so that it could take the next step forward.”
“....” Joshua remained silent.
“I’m delighted, Joshua Sanders. The prize for winning this year’s Masters’ Battle is none other than the Primordial Stone.”
“I agree.” Joshua roared with laughter. “What do you think about making a wager?”
“A wager, you say?” Ulabis tilted his head at these unexpected words.
“If I lose, not only will I give up Bronto, but I will also give my loyalty to Thran.”
“What do you mean?” Ulabis’ eyes widened. “Does that mean you’re going to serve me?”
“Yes.” Joshua nodded without hesitation.
Ulabis stared at Joshua for a moment before saying, “...I find that hard to believe. You have already been acknowledged as a Master, and there’s no saying what kind of future you will have in the future, but it’s definitely a glorious one… but despite that, are you saying that you’re willing to become my subordinate?”
“You don’t have to worry, it is not going to happen.”
Ulabis frowned. “What are you talking about?”
At Ulabis’ question, Joshua confidently replied, “I’m not talking about becoming your subordinate… I’m saying that you don’t have to worry about me since the current you cannot beat me.”
Ulabis stared agape at Joshua.
“And since there is no way I’ll lose to you, there is no way I’ll become your subordinate, right?”
“...”
Dumbfounded, Ulabis stared before erupting into laughter.
“Pffft! Hahaha, hahaha! I thought we were similar to each other, but it looks like I was wrong.” Ulabis slung the whip sword over his shoulder. “I accept your wager. With the monster of Avalon on our side, Thran’s ascendence would no longer be a pipe dream. I trust you will keep your word.”
“I always keep my word.” Joshua smiled and took on a stance. “However, if I win, I expect you to listen to my request as well.”
“That will never happen…” Ulabis took on a stance with his sword and said, “But if by some miracle it were to happen, then not only will I listen to your request, but I’ll also become your subordinate.”
“Remember your words.” Joshua nodded. Afterward, he spun Lugia around, dispersing the lingering flames on the stage.
The time for talk was over. Now, it was time for them to display their skills.
‘Fourth Form…’?Joshua muttered to himself and slowly gathered the mana in the air.
Joshua was a true monster that definitely suited Bronto.
Magic Spear Arts Level 5, Fourth Form, Thunder Spear.
As he moved, Joshua could hear his bones creaking as more and more immaculate white electric currents lashed out in all directions.
Humans had always been fascinated with lightning—its deafening crack, its earth-shaking roar, and its sheer, sky-rending violence that could all happen in an instant. As the audience members were reeling from shock, they couldn’t help but imagine if this was what the fury of the divine would look like.
‘Lightning has the ability to purify, and it has always been extremely difficult to control the so-called lightning’s divine power of purification. It is the reason why mages are still having a hard time comprehending lightning.’?
Joshua lowered his knees and leaned forward as if he was about to spring into acting at any moment soon.
‘However, if I can control the divine power of lightning, then I’ll have a destructive power strong enough to rattle the heavens.’
Every muscle fiber in his body was as taut as a drawn bow as electricity flickered across his eyeballs.
“Flame Emperor: Flaming Barrier of Wolves!” Ulabis exclaimed.
It was unknown if Ulabis felt threatened by Joshua’s momentum, but he quickly summoned a colossal flame to protect himself.
The insatiable flames of annihilation protected Ulabis while threatening Joshua by consuming the flickers of electricity bouncing off of Joshua.
“Come.” Soon, a burst of flames erupted once more, and the flames enveloped Ulabis’ whip sword. Was this what the guardian of Hell, Balrog’s fiery whip was like?
It continuously decreased and then increased until it surged up. It was capable of not only surviving the flames of annihilation but amplifying them as well.
Like Abudaham’s Knuckles, the Circle of Fire was one of 10 unique artifacts.
Pzzt!
In response, the tightly restrained electrical currents accelerated and coalesced into one of the most effective spear skills of Magic Spear Arts Level 5. It was an overwhelmingly powerful spear skill when it came to raw power alone.
‘Speed and power… Lightning is the wrath of the divine…’
Joshua's muscles bulged like overinflated balloons.
Flame versus Lightning. People had been questioning which of the two was more harmful than the other since antiquity. The explosive force of flames against groups was undefeated, but the penetrating force of a lightning bolt was strong not only against a group of foes but even in one-on-one battles.
According to Theta, there had been many debates that often escalated into mage duels due to this topic, but honestly, Joshua didn’t really care. There was no way someone could force him to his knees.
There was a clamor throughout the entire coliseum of Reinhardt.
Ulabis finally couldn’t hold back. He made a move and brought his burning sword down on Joshua as it curved like a wolf’s fang.
Boom!
When Ulabis’ flaming whip sword made contact with Joshua’s spear, a trail of fire erupted before quickly vanishing as if it was a mere fireworks display.
Ulabis’ sword was as intoxicatingly beautiful as it was deadly.
Ulabis was subsequently pushed back, but he quickly sent another attack in the form of a Flame Breath.
However, Joshua leaped toward Ulabis rather than retreating, which greatly started the latter. His Highness Ulabis stared wide-eyed at Joshua because he didn’t expect Joshua to act like a moth drawn to a flame—more specifically—to a flame that consumed everything.
“You madman…!” At this rate, Ulabis’ sword would skewer Joshua, eventually turning the latter into ashes.
However, Joshua’s eyes remained impossibly serene despite the mortal danger.
His eyes looked like a placid lake, and it seemed as if nothing could disturb him at all.
When Ulabis saw his eyes, his hesitation vanished. Since Joshua himself was confident that he could take on his attack, then it would be a great disrespect for Ulabis to hold back. As such, he exclaimed, “Hah!”
Ulabis instinctively let out a blast of mana. He couldn’t afford to stop and think because this exchange would decide everything.
.
‘‘Fourth Form: The Final Evolution of Lightning.’
A wall of crimson fire made out of annihilation flames manifested to block Joshua’s path.
Joshua transformed into a bolt of lightning and punched a hole in the wall of flames using the penetrative trait of lightning.
‘True Lightning.’
There was a faint noise similar to something being cut, and a figure flickered on the stage.
Boom!
Like thunder after lightning, an explosion of brilliant light inundated both heaven and earth, finally ending the match.
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