Forced Kill

In truth, after unleashing his final attack, Bolton felt a flicker of regret.

After all, judging from the outcome of the battle just now, he really had lost.

However, when he saw Locke being driven back by the lightning he had unleashed, Bolton was delighted.

This guy's body and battle qi were so weak!

He felt like an ordinary Ninth-level Warrior.

I can win!

At that moment, Bolton's mind was filled with nothing but defeating Locke.

So much so that he overlooked the most important point.

Since the defense Locke displayed was roughly comparable to that of an ordinary Ninth-level Warrior, how had Locke attained the Saint Domain?

One had to know that in the Coiling Dragon Universe, even if one had comprehended ninety-nine percent of a Profound Mystery, one still could not cross that natural chasm before one's battle qi or Magic Power had reached the peak of the ninth level.

Only peak ninth-level battle qi or Magic Power, combined with a Profound Mystery, could allow one to attain the Saint Domain.

Even Linley Baruch, the protagonist of the Coiling Dragon Universe, only broke through to the Saint Domain after transforming into a Dragon Blood Warrior because the Dragon Blood Warrior bloodline originated from the divine beast Azure Dragon.

In a sense, Dragon Blood Warriors could also be considered "Saint Domain Demonic Beasts." Their bloodlines contained a portion of the Profound Mysteries.

When Linley transformed at the ninth level, his battle qi would rise to the peak of the ninth level. Only with that, combined with the Profound Mysteries contained in his bloodline, could he truly break through the shackles of the Saint Domain.

Otherwise, although Linley had already comprehended part of the Earth Pulse Profound Mystery before reaching the Saint Domain, he had not become a Saint-level Expert before cultivating to the peak of the ninth level.

"Kill!"

"Boom!"

With a furious roar, endless lightning burst from Bolton's body, shattering the ground of the training field beneath that immense power.

Under Bolton's control, the lightning gathered at the tip of the spear in his hand. The scattered arcs of lightning reduced everything they touched to dust.

However, before Bolton could thrust his spear at Locke, he felt as though he had fallen into a bottomless abyss.

He could not see anything, hear anything, or smell anything...

He could not even seem to sense the existence of his own body.

It seemed that the only thing he could still perceive was Thunderstorm, which had become instinctive after countless rounds of training.

"Heavenly Dance Treasure Wheel—Five Senses Deprivation!"

Locke lowered his hand and breathed lightly a few times.

Having been deprived of his five senses, Bolton could no longer sense the existence of his body and thus lost control over it. He remained standing in the middle of the training field in the same pose as before.

Yet the lightning within the spear did not explode as Locke had expected. Instead, it became somewhat... smoother?

Moreover, the lightning was slowly drawing together, as if Bolton's Mental Strength was still controlling it.

"Oh?"

A glint flashed through Locke's eyes at this sight.

His Heavenly Dance Treasure Wheel could only deprive an enemy of their five senses.

Apart from the five senses, a Saint-level Expert's Soul Power could merge with the Profound Mysteries they had comprehended, allowing them to enter a state of Unity of Heaven and Man.

In this state, apart from the five senses, the soul could also perceive the Profound Mysteries one had comprehended.

Although the perception offered by the Unity of Heaven and Man state, formed from the fusion of Soul Power and Profound Mysteries at the Saint Domain, was incomparably inferior to the Spiritual Sense of God-level Experts, it was still another sense available to Saint-level Experts beyond their five senses.

Within the endless darkness where nothing could be perceived, the Unity of Heaven and Man state was like a ray of sunlight in a bottomless abyss.

Perhaps, given enough time, Bolton could use this state to break Locke's Heavenly Dance Treasure Wheel and recover his five senses.

But would Locke give him that chance?

Locke had never spared anyone who wanted to kill him.

Just like that crushing defeat more than twenty years ago: while fleeing, Locke had believed that the Temple of Light knights following behind him were pursuers sent to kill him, so he had forcibly wiped out all seventeen groups of Temple of Light soldiers.

Bolton's earlier actions had already been enough to make Locke want to kill him.

Immense Magic Power surged within Locke's soul.

A great quantity of water elements gathered before Locke, forming a single droplet of water that floated above his hand.

Then, with a gentle wave of Locke's hand, the droplet shot toward Bolton in an instant.

"Pfft—"

Without the slightest surprise, the droplet instantly pierced through Bolton's head, then rapidly expanded.

"Boom!"

In the blink of an eye, the droplet Locke had fired expanded into a gigantic water sphere ten meters across.

From outside, one could see the water inside the sphere swirling at high speed in chaotic currents.

Faint traces of red appeared within the water sphere, only to be diluted by even more swirling currents.

A few seconds later, the enormous water sphere burst apart with a "bang," sending towering sprays of water across the training field.

The soldiers of the Tsunami Legion watching from outside were terrified by the scene before them.

Commander Bolton's figure was no longer anywhere on the training field.

Any soldier with sharp enough eyesight to have caught that flash of red inside the water sphere knew that Commander Bolton had not evaded the attack of this newly joined Saint Domain expert of the Tsunami Legion.

Rather, he had been completely torn apart and pulverized by that powerful sphere of water.

His body had likely become one with the water on the training field.

"This..."

None of the watching soldiers knew what they were supposed to do now.

Who could have imagined that what they had thought would be an ordinary sparring match would ultimately turn into a battle of life and death?

And could they blame Lord Locke for this?

Could they? Would they dare?

No one was blind.

It was obvious that Lord Locke had been holding back during his fight with Commander Bolton.

Yet not only had Commander Bolton refused to concede, he had even turned around and launched a sneak attack on Lord Locke.

Such conduct was utterly disgraceful.

Even though Lord Bolton was a lofty Saint Domain expert and their legion commander, they could not approve of what he had done.

Still, they had never expected Bolton, who had mingled with them before and seemed so bold and forthright on the surface, to resort to something like a sneak attack.

Moreover, it was only when Lord Locke became angry in the end that they realized Lord Locke was not a Saint Domain warrior, but a Saint Domain mage!

If Commander Bolton had known that, then judging by all the behavior he had displayed just now, he probably would not have dared challenge Lord Locke at all.

After killing Bolton, Locke waited for several seconds. When he received no telepathic message from His Majesty Ceres, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief.