Lu Luwei raised her bow horizontally to block!

BOOM!

His knee slammed against her Longbow!

A surge of Magic Power shot through the Longbow—BOOM!

It slammed into Lu Luwei’s jaw.

Lu Luwei’s head snapped back!

’Her physical strength is surprisingly high.’

’Probably because Archers are a quasi-Body Techniques Profession, right?’

「Close-Range Shot」

Lu Luwei twisted her bow, and an Arrow blasted out at point-blank range!

Multiple Shields swirled around Lu Cang!

The Magic in his hands, and even his Source, was already flowing toward Lu Luwei’s body!

SWISH!

And then the scene changed again!

The Magic that Lu Cang was about to drive into Lu Luwei’s body was shrugged off once more!

’A Magic that can escape anything?’

’No...’

’It’s more like it works on all non-physical attacks.’

Lu Cang wanted to pour his Source into Lu Luwei’s body and detonate it from within!

But even when he tried to channel it through the hand gripping her calf...

...the instant the Source touched her skin, she slipped away from it...

’So strange!’

’What’s going on? It won’t even stick to her at close range?’

’Nothing can cling to her; she just slides away from everything. What kind of Skill is this?’

BOOM!

Lu Cang channeled his Magic again and again, and Lu Luwei began to flicker away repeatedly.

The two fought in close quarters.

Lu Cang’s hand held Lu Luwei in a death grip, as if they were one.

「Source·Elemental Void」

「Source·Void Reabsorption」

The two great Root Magics swirled around Lu Cang’s body!

All color drained from the world!

The entire arena suddenly turned black and white.

BOOM!

But Lu Luwei’s escape was incredibly fast.

The instant before his Magic eruption could hit her, she would leap to the next position—

All one could see were terrifying shockwaves exploding one after another in mid-air!

In a short time, Lu Cang and Lu Luwei had crossed an unknown distance. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

’It doesn’t feel like Lu Luwei is actively triggering it, but that it’s a passive effect... After a certain condition is met, she naturally moves away.’

’This escape ability.’

’It’s truly marvelous.’

’If I could get my hands on it, I can only imagine how useful it would be!’

"Let go!"

Lu Luwei shouted fiercely during their exchange!

"What are you talking about, Sister Lu Luwei? After all the trouble I went through to catch you, how could I let go so easily?"

「Demon Quenching Technique - Second Form·Demon-Sweeping Mountain-Scouring Kick」

BOOM—

A roundhouse kick!

BOOM!

Lu Luwei unleashed a point-blank blast, the Arrow’s power exploding right from her bow!

It slightly offset his roundhouse kick.

Wandering Arrow!

Arrows wandered, circling around Lu Luwei, both negating damage for her and blasting toward him!

’Tsk...’

’It’s really inconvenient having to hold on with only one hand.’

’Wait...’

’Hands?’

A thought crossed Lu Cang’s mind, and four invisible hands condensed from Magic took form.

’Don’t I have Mage’s Hand?’

It was just that the Magic wasn’t very useful in normal combat, so Lu Cang had rarely used it. Even when cast, there wasn’t much room to control it.

’What if I use Mage’s Hand to unleash a Combat Skill!’

「Demon Quenching Form - Fifth Form·Extreme Continuous Strike」

Magic Power instantly flooded his entire body.

Lu Cang’s one hand, along with the four Mage’s Hands, struck out in a continuous barrage!

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!

The force of his fists and Magic Power bored into Lu Luwei’s body. Her flesh was surprisingly soft yet tenacious; his fists actually didn’t punch through...

At the same time, many of the Wandering Arrows around Lu Luwei were negating his continuous strikes.

’Her robes.’

’They seem to be good defensive equipment, too.’

Lu Luwei was covered in wounds, her body stained with blood.

「Heart Spirit Break」

「Heart Spirit Break」

「Heart Spirit Break」

...

In the middle of his assault, Lu Cang also unleashed Spiritual Magic again and again. He discovered that Lu Luwei couldn’t slip away from Spiritual Magic; she could only endure it head-on.

Lu Luwei’s spirit was battered repeatedly.

And she still had to resist Lu Cang’s close-quarters combat!

Lu Luwei simply couldn’t fathom why this Mage was so strong in melee.

Lu Luwei believed her own close-combat abilities were on par with most Level 4 Warriors. Even if a Level 4 Extreme Intent Warrior got close to her, they wouldn’t necessarily gain an advantage!

「Close-Range Shot」

「Wandering Arrow」

「Near-Explosive Scatter」

「Madness Shot」

「Rotating Chaotic Kick」

’Does this Archer not need to draw her bow to shoot?’

’She’s actually just smashing with her bow? And every time she does, terrifyingly destructive Arrows explode out, like a close-range shotgun blast!’

’If my own physical constitution weren’t high enough...’

’...I’d probably have several holes blown through me by now.’

’To be this close... and still maintain such high-intensity resistance. Lu Luwei, you’re really something else.’

An Archer who could fight in melee.

A Mage who could fight in melee.

The audience was stunned. Were these still two ranged Professions?

Why were they fighting at close range?

"This ability of yours to jump around, what is it exactly?"

"Is it some kind of legacy?"

"Heh... I was about to ask you why a Root Mage like you possesses Extreme Battle Intent."

Now that he was so close, Lu Luwei could finally feel the flourishing Battle Intent radiating from Lu Cang!

’Extreme Battle Intent really is something only Warriors have!’

’He was hiding it the whole time.’

Both of them found the other’s trump cards inexplicable. They both felt the other’s abilities were bizarre, their power levels off the charts and utterly monstrous.

’This can’t go on...’

’I have to finish her off faster!’ / ’I have to get away from him immediately!’

Lu Cang gathered the souls within his body and Sacrificed them!

「Demon Quenching Form - Fifth Form·Extreme Continuous Strike (Sacrifice: 50,000 souls)」

VMMMM—

Lu Cang’s fists began to glow!

The four Mage’s Hands emerging from Lu Cang’s body also shone with a faint light!

Extreme Continuous Strike!

DAKADAKADAKADAKADAKA!!

Thousands of punches, each brimming with immense Magic Power, exploded against Lu Luwei!

The more he fought, the more Lu Cang understood something.

’She keeps displacing herself, probably because my Magic hits her and causes her to slip away.’

’In fact, as long as I don’t hit her with Magic, Curses, or soul-tearing spells—anything meant to leave a lingering effect on her—and instead just focus on pure damage, she probably won’t be able to slip away.’

’However...’

’That’s just a guess. Until I can confirm it...’

Lu Cang would not let go, no matter what.

If he missed this chance and she escaped, it would be incredibly difficult to catch her again.

The Exchange Space Root Magic was, in a way, a trap he had set.

If the opponent didn’t get close...

...if they didn’t fall for it, he wouldn’t have been able to swap places with her.

BOOM!

Lu Luwei’s robes reflected various colors.

’He got stronger—’

’I can’t block it at all... The defense formed by the Arrows circling me was blown apart instantly. Thousands of fists are pummeling my body, shattering my bones inch by inch.’

’My internal organs are all ruptured.’

’If it weren’t for these clothes absorbing most of the damage...’

’...I’d really be dead...’

Lu Luwei could feel the hand gripping her calf tighten, refusing to let go no matter what.

SWOOSH!

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—

With Lu Luwei at the center, all sorts of lights also blasted out in every direction!

Lu Cang was swinging Lu Luwei around, while all of her Arrows were now concentrated on his one hand!

But that hand was terrifyingly hard!

’Is this the body of a Mage?’

After breaking through the layers of Shields covering his body, all her Arrows slammed into that single hand, yet she couldn’t break it.

It did indeed injure Lu Cang.

But the injury was also recovering at an extremely fast rate.

He Sacrificed souls to strengthen the defense of his various Shields.

At the same time, Lu Cang swallowed a pill he had been holding in his mouth. A recovery pill. It was rapidly healing his body’s injuries.

Pills to increase strength, pills to increase the body’s Hardness...

At such a close distance.

Lu Luwei couldn’t possibly unleash her powerful, lethal Bow Skills that required charging!

And her single, weaker Arrows...

...were easily negated by Lu Cang’s numerous Shields!

"Lu Luwei!"

"You’ve lost!"

Just as Lu Luwei was about to struggle more, Lu Cang grabbed her right hand!

Pinning Lu Luwei down completely!

’Wait...’

Lu Luwei suddenly realized that even if she had broken his hand, it would have been meaningless.

Because at this distance...

...Lu Cang could have just grabbed her with his other hand long ago!

’So, my only real option wasn’t to break Lu Cang’s hand.’

’It was to kill Lu Cang!’

But by the time she realized this, it was too late!

Lu Cang’s four Mage’s Hands charged up! The Sacrifice of Magic Power and soul became one.

「Demon Quenching Technique - Seventh Form·Demon Storage and Killing」