His strength and speed were comparable to the Bloodline Monarch.

No...

In fact, he even surpassed him.

’This guy probably has the strength to solo a Tier Three King Level Demon.’

His burst of speed even felt slightly reminiscent of the Bloodthirsty Needle Bee.

However, his sustained speed wasn’t quite as fast.

Lu Cang waved his hand again, and forty-two Ice Shuttles materialized. This time, they were thinner than before and spun faster.

The Ice Shuttles zipped around him like needles!

They closed in, surrounding him!

But a sweep of his blade tore through the air!

BANG!

BANG BANG BANG—

All the Ice Shuttles exploded in succession!

But frost coated his blade and even began to creep up his arm.

Atelindo shook the frost from his blade and grinned, exhaling a puff of frigid air.

A wild grin spread across his face. "You really are a strong foe!"

He glanced at Lu Cang’s feet.

Thus far, Lu Cang hadn’t moved a single step from his spot.

CLICK. He sheathed his sword once more.

"AHH!!"

With a furious roar, his skin instantly flushed crimson!

White steam billowed from his entire body!

And in the very next instant!

BOOM!

A slash swept out—instantly piercing Lu Cang’s Four-layered Shield!

Water Shield, Stone Shield, Wind Protection, and Dark Shield—

The slash was nullified just before it reached the Thick Molten Shield.

"You... you must be a Mage who has comprehended Root Magic!"

"Show me your Root Source!"

"AHHH—!!"

Fury Burst!

"HAH!"

BOOM!

A shockwave of air erupted from Atelindo!

It instantly blew away all the dense fog in the area!

Lu Cang watched him slash...

’One, two, three, four, five, six...’

’Seventeen slashes in total, all unleashed in a single instant!’

’So fast.’

’Judging by how fast he broke through my barriers, he should be able to get through my defenses.’

BOOM!

In the blink of an eye, a flash of sword light swept past!

It finally shattered the nine different shields surrounding Lu Cang in a single instant!

It struck Lu Cang’s body!

However, the moment the sword light touched his body—

WHOOSH—

A cloud of mist billowed out.

Lu Cang’s entire body dissolved into a vast cloud of watery mist and vanished.

’A fake... It was a fake?’

Atelindo froze, then whipped his head around in an instant.

He saw several Lu Cangs, each standing in a different corner of the arena.

’One, two, three, four, five...’

’Seventeen Lu Cangs?’

Their clothes were identical, and they were each surrounded by the same incredibly durable shields from before!

’No, wait. When did he get away?’

’Why didn’t I realize that Lu Cang was a fake?’

With the first illusion, Atelindo had realized it was fake almost as soon as he got close.

But he only realized the illusion he’d just shattered was a fake at the very moment of impact.

From the shadows, Lu Cang let out a cold smirk.

’Heh heh...’

’Of course he couldn’t tell.’

’The Dark Erosion Ring Shield obscures detection and Perception. Anyone looking through it from the outside would only see a blurry shadow.’

’It’s impossible to see what’s going on inside, let alone distinguish a real body from a fake one.’

’As for the first illusion...’

’I hadn’t activated my shields back then, so he only figured it out after getting close.’

BOOM!

Atelindo instantly charged forward!

’Oh... so he increased his explosive power.’

POOF!

An illusion dispersed!

The seventeen Lu Cangs were scattered about the arena.

Earth Fire, Thorns, Vines, a Sea of Fire, Flame Waves...

All of it began to assail Atelindo from every direction!

Atelindo blasted through a Heavy Wall, dodged Earth Fire, severed Vines, and cleaved through a Flame Wave. He even stepped into the Sea of Fire, parting the flames with his power...

However, beads of cold sweat trickled down Atelindo’s forehead.

’The pressure is immense...’

’No matter how many of these spells I cut down, more just appear. How can he control so much Magic at once?’

’And why is it all cast with No Chanting?’

He’d fought Monsier before, but the feeling he got from Lu Cang was completely different.

"Let’s ramp up the intensity a bit," Lu Cang murmured from within the mist, gently pressing his hand down.

BOOM!

All of the spells instantly doubled in intensity!

Hundreds of Flame Vines and Poison Vines shot into the air, forming a dense jungle, while the ground became completely blanketed in Thorns.

Nothing but hard, sharp spikes.

The Sea of Fire swept over, igniting the Thorns.

Atelindo felt the pressure become overwhelming!

Heart-drawing Sword: Extremely Fast Chaos Slash!

Flashes of sword light flickered in an instant!

He severed the Vines assailing him from all directions, yet for every section he cut down, more remained untouched behind it!

What’s more, the Ice Shuttles and Wind Blades were closing in as well!

Before he could deal with one wave, the next was already upon him!

BOOM!

A sweep of his blade shattered the wave of spells closest to him, but the next wave—Thunder Flashes, Falling Stones, and Stone Arms—immediately followed!

’Seriously—’

’Is this the kind of pressure a Level 2 Mage should be able to exert?’

’It’s just endless.’

He shattered the Stone Arms and dodged the Thunder Flashes and Falling Stones, only for the sky to fill with countless Ice Shuttles once more...

The Sea of Fire was already burning at his feet.

There wasn’t a single moment to catch his breath.

But the more he fought, the more he felt his heart pound wildly!

’This is the battle I’ve craved!’

’This is the opponent I’ve yearned for!’

’Lu Cang, you truly are a master who can give me a satisfying fight!’

BOOM!

He blasted away two or three more of Lu Cang’s pursuing spells. His body was now covered in blood, his legs torn to shreds by the Thorns.

Even his feet were on fire, scorched by clinging Flames.

’Am I going to lose?’

’Am I about to be defeated?’

’Have I been pushed into a corner?’

The feeling was already surging within him.

He felt he could finally take that next step.

Spell after spell continued to assail him, showing no sign of stopping just because his condition was deteriorating.

It was still impossible to tell which of the seventeen Lu Cangs was the real one.

Or perhaps, the real one wasn’t even among them.

"Good! This is exactly what I wanted!"

"Bring it on! Watch me shatter every one of your spells!"

He closed his eyes, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

His heart pounded like a war drum!

His blood surged in his veins!

’Isn’t this the very opponent I’ve been searching for?’

’I can still get stronger.’

’I will defeat this enemy and prove that I am the strongest!’

Battle Intent gradually coalesced within him.

All his experience, all his accumulated power, was now bursting forth. At this very moment—he achieved enlightenment!

He opened his eyes again.

Everything seemed to slow down.

His sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste, and even his Intuition—all became unbelievably sharp!

’Ah...’

’So this is... perfect clarity of the senses?’

’After more than twenty years... I’ve finally grasped it!’

He glanced up at the various spells flying toward him, then his gaze shot to a distant corner.

In that instant.

Lu Cang felt Atelindo’s gaze lock onto his own.

’He found my real body.’

BANG!

He had barely registered the white vapor trail forming behind Atelindo before the man was already right in front of him!

’An incredible burst of speed!’

He completely ignored the spells hurtling toward him!

’Oh...’

’He’s... quite impressive.’

He heard Atelindo’s lips move, a faint whisper escaping them: "It’s over."

"An interesting opponent."

Draw Sword: Soaring Dragon Flash!

BOOM!

The strike burst forward, aimed to pierce through Lu Cang’s body!

CLANG!

However, the expected one-shot kill never came.

The sword struck a barrier, failing to pierce it by even a fraction of an inch.

Lu Cang spoke, his voice filled with praise. "Impressive."

’To think he actually pierced my Twelve-Layered Shield...’

’The Three-Layered Water Shield, Three-Layered Wind Shield, Three-Layered Dark Shield, and Three-Layered Stone Shield... In the end, his attack was stopped by the barrier embedded within the Stone Shields.’

’There were still fifteen other shields left inside.’