CLANG!!

Two pairs of glowing blades met each other, as the two steels clashed against each other, a wave of Verth diffused, destroying the ground beneath them.

Garou shuddered slightly as intense lightning coursed through his body, damaging him in the process. It was the activation of Stormvein ore. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Emperal’s smile widened as he felt the rush of adrenaline. The Verth around his blade thickened as he pushed his blade forward.

"Hahaha! Come, it’s been a long time since my blade has tasted fresh blood!!"

Changing his grip mid-fight, he redirected his body weight and ducked down.

"Shit!"

Garou cursed as he tried to move away, but he was a step slow. Emperal’s blade scratched his thigh.

A deep gash was formed when the draconic flesh came in contact with the feral Verth.

SLASH!

Before he could even think further, Emperal was already in front of him. His blade was moving with a speed his eyes couldn’t even hope to track.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

Dozens of cuts appeared all over his body in a matter of seconds, and the cause of it was still going on more and more.

Brilliant lights flashed in the arena as everybody above couldn’t help but appreciate it.

...

Thud

Crash!

The wine cup in Soleine’s hands shattered as her eyes hungrily devoured Emperal’s movements; there was even a trace of drool dripping down her chin.

Her golden eyes were swirling intensely as her breathing became uneven.

Gulp

"T-This...is too wrong to let that man fight! How can he be so wild and hot at the same time?"

She hissed through her breath, her left hand shooting out and clamping onto her right wrist.

"Soleine! Control yourself! We are in public!"

As conflicting thoughts clashed within her mind, somewhere else, the exact same struggle was taking place.

Seraveth’s thighs were trembling from emotions she didn’t even know existed within her. Above everything, one thing rang louder in her mind.

"H-How did he get so strong?"

The last time she had seen him fight was against a peak Verth Seeker. And even in that, he struggled and won through pure swordsmanship.

But down there? The speed at which he was moving was...close to a Verth Wielder.

"Is this Emperal that your mother had adopted and kept...close?"

Alzerath Vulcarion spoke, his voice as cold as an iceberg. Elder Blazefang gulped when he heard the Dragon Lord’s voice.

"Damn the Royal Family drama, I’d better stay out of it."

...

"ENOUGH!!"

Garou roared, a thin tidal wave diffusing from his pores, sending out a layer of water. Emperal hurriedly raised his sword to defend himself.

But he was blasted a few meters back with just the force of the attack, Garou pulling back immediately.

His wavy water blade reformed in full glory; he had a grim look on his face. The off-affinity technique was costing him more and more Verth per second. He was basically bleeding resources, and the worst part was...he knew it.

Taking a step forward, he changed his approach.

The water blade in his left hand split, and the one in his right hand vanished. Replaced by another sharp steel sword.

The disappeared water-infused Verth once again began to flow into his right hand, coating the steel blade.

"Hmph! Brat, don’t get ahead of yourself."

He spoke and gave the blade a few hard swings. The water-coated steel moved differently, the surface friction changed, and the previous blade, which had faced restrictions while swinging through the air, now moved through sharply.

Garou exhaled, bending his knees. He moved one of the swords to his back, and the front one was aimed at Emperal, who was looking at all of this with an amused expression.

"What a joker you are."

Garou dashed in! Emperal’s eyes flashed deeply as his body moved in a different direction, leaving scorched marks on the ground.

"DIE!!"

Garou was relentless, he swung his blade at Emperal with three consecutive strikes. One diagonal, one horizontal, and one rising from the ground.

"Oh?"

Emperal’s eyes burned with curiosity as he detected a new technique and movement. The first attack Emperal read and easily deflected. The second, he stepped away from. But the third.

The water coating was redirected at Emperal at the very last moment, Garou’s wrists turning a few degrees.

"The technique is buried...!!"

"Heh! Too late," Garou grinned, with a twist.

In an instant, the water responded to his Verth and shifted the blade’s path mid-arc!

KCHHH!!!!

The blade immediately connected with his shoulder, a shrill sound echoing throughout the arena. It was the sound of steel meeting a rock.

"WHAT!?"

Garou gawked at the scene with his eyes wide open, his sword capable of cutting through ore...just made a small cut on his shoulder.

The temperature rose around Emperal, as his grin widened more than ever. With a graceful twist of his wrist, he slashed his sword in a beautiful arc.

The blade ripped through the air and went straight for his arm.

Slash!!

"ARGHHH!!!!"

Garou howled in pain as unimaginable agony coursed through his body. A dull thud echoed as the sound of flesh hitting the ground resounded throughout the arena.

"Shit! My arm!"

Garou roared as he hurriedly backed away, but...how could Emperal allow that? The ground beneath him cracked as a blaze of fire was released.

Garou blinked, and in the next instant, a heated fist was already between his brows. Just before the fist could touch him, he heard Emperal’s words.

"In your next lifetime, choose your words wisely. And, I’m not sorry."

KRAETH’SOL!!

BOOOM!!!!

The moment Emperal’s fist connected with Garou’s face, a massive explosion of blinding heat blasted forth.

A bright rocket flew through the debris, hitting a building. Specifically, the Dragon Lord’s building.

Elder Blazefang vanished, reappearing beneath their building. His eyes shifted as he felt a pair of dark eyes on him.

"This damn...brat"

He cursed under his breath and waved his hand. In an instant, from the debris, a body flew out...if it could even be called that.

There was just Garou’s upper half left, with his forehead turned into bloody mush.