The moment Bai Chen gave the order—
A deafening dragon's roar tore through the air above.
Wind howled.
A hurricane surged across the battlefield, scattering dust and stone.
Countless blades of compressed air rained down like a torrential storm.
There was no place to hide.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!
The ground split open under the invisible barrage,
deep slashes—thirty centimeters long—carved into the stone.
From Basic to Skilled, Nergigante's Blade Storm had grown denser, sharper, faster.
"Hariyama—counter it with Whirlwind!"
Hala's command was instant.
Hariyama slammed its palms together.
The air exploded upward, meeting the storm head-on.
The two gales collided—
But Nergigante's blades cut through the gaps like scythes through reeds.
Blade Storm was born from Whirlwind,
but evolution had turned it into something a mere Mastered Whirlwind could never stop.
Through the chaos, Bai Chen moved.
A flash of green fire—he'd closed in beside Hariyama.
"Hunting Art—Qi Blade Slash!"
One strike—two—three—
Then a spin, his blade leaving an arc of compressed energy that sliced through the storm itself.
Hala's breath caught.
"He's insane… he rushed into the attack's range himself!?"
The blades of wind didn't discriminate—
They shredded everything, even Bai Chen.
But strangely—
When the cutting wind struck him, it didn't break through.
Only crimson welts appeared across his skin,
as if his body refused to yield.
"Madman!"
Hala knew at once—Bai Chen was trading flesh for flesh,
matching Hariyama blow for blow, injury for injury.
But Bai Chen didn't care.
Through pain, his senses sharpened; through blood, his will burned brighter.
He blurred again, using Quick Attack in a chain—completing the second phase of his blade technique.
"Hariyama—Heavy Slam! Now!"
The air trembled.
Hariyama's body gleamed with metallic force as it leapt forward.
The heavier the user, the deadlier the hit—and even though Bai Chen's full gear outweighed him, the impact alone could pulverize stone.
"Hunting Art—Piercing Counter!"
Bai Chen's foot twisted; he slid sideways, aiming to evade—
CRASH!
He was too late.
The collision sent him flying, the world turning upside down.
But before he hit the wall, a flash of light enveloped him—
Protect.
The second he'd triggered it, the barrier absorbed the lethal impact, just enough to keep him alive.
The storm above intensified.
Wind blades fell heavier, sharper—
Hariyama groaned in pain, blood seeping from fresh cuts.
Hala's eyes widened.
"Something's wrong… why has Nergigante's power spiked!?"
He looked up—
And his breath froze.
The dragon was wreathed in a red aura, scales glowing like molten metal.
In only twenty minutes, her battle strength had skyrocketed.
Bai Chen rose, his breath ragged, his body screaming.
"Her trait… that's the key."
Trait: Fearless —
When facing stronger foes, her power rises steadily with time.
It was the same thing he'd learned in their private duels.
At first, he'd easily overpowered her.
But as the minutes passed… the tables always turned.
Sixty-eight battles in total.
The win ratio—
0 to 68.
"She's a monster built to challenge gods…"
He looked up, grinning despite the blood on his lips.
"Nergigante! Use Elder Crush!"
"ROARRR!!"
Her right arm expanded, muscle and energy doubling in size.
She dove.
"Focus Energy, counter with Force Palm!" Hala barked.
Hariyama drew back, both palms glowing with violent power.
Then—impact.
BOOM—!
The shockwave shattered the ground; cracks spiderwebbed across the arena.
Both fighters were blown back.
Nergigante righted herself midair, wings straining to steady her fall.
Blood—golden blood—dripped from her clawed hand.
Force Palm.
A mastered skill.
A blast of pure shock through the body—often enough to paralyze lesser foes.
A 20-level gap, and yet—
Nergigante had only suffered a wound to her right arm.
Remarkable.
Hariyama, on the other hand,
was half-buried in the earth, both arms trembling, blood seeping through thick skin.
He'd taken more damage than she had.
"Hariyama, Push to the ground!"
Smack-smack-smack—!
Using the recoil, Hariyama forced himself out of the crater,
body covered in wounds, chest heaving with exhaustion.
From the stands, Lillie gasped.
"Nergigante actually hurt him that badly?"
"You forget," Lusamine murmured, "Hariyama's used Close Combat multiple times. His defense is lowered… and Bai Chen's black blade erodes resistance. The damage stacks."
Indeed, each Close Combat weakened its user.
Combined with the Venom-Eater's corrosion,
the ironclad fighter's guard was wearing thin.
Hala's eyes flicked skyward, reading every detail.
"So that's what he's been doing… buying time to awaken her trait—and she's even buffed herself with Bulk Up."
"Hariyama! Bulk Up as well!"
"Over my dead body!" Bai Chen growled.
He lunged.
"Skill—Quick Attack!"
If Hariyama completed that move, his attack and defense would rise 1.9×.
That could turn the tide.
Venom-Eater flashed; Bai Chen stabbed forward and leapt.
"Secret Art—Ascending Dragon: Qi Blade Overcut!"
"Detect!" Hala countered.
Hariyama gave up its buff to dodge aside.
The red light of Bai Chen's strike tore through the air,
cutting nothing.
Empty.
Whiffed.
It happened to every longsword hunter eventually.
Even the gods of the blade missed their dragon cuts.
"Force Palm!"
Hala seized the opening—
But before the blow landed, a massive shadow crashed in from the side.
Nergigante.
Her Elder Smash engulfed Hariyama in a pillar of impact,
a strike too broad to evade.
The ground exploded.
Bai Chen landed beside her, both breathing heavily,
staring at the still-standing titan.
Hariyama swayed, barely holding on.
"We need to end this," Bai Chen murmured. "One decisive hit—strong enough that he won't even see it coming."
He sheathed both blades.
The air calmed.
"Nergigante—keep him busy. I'll find his opening."
Closing his eyes once more, Bai Chen steadied his breath.
Hands on the hilt at his waist, heart silent, aura focused—
"Skill… Focus Energy."
He reached out with pure fighting spirit,
sensing every vibration, every flicker of heat,
searching for the one vital flaw in the giant's stance.
The world narrowed—
and the hunt entered its final breath.
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