A Flash of Brilliance

The Black Octopus thrashed its tentacles, wildly battering toward Guen.

But Guen blurred into a shadow, sweeping straight past the tentacles and weaving through them all. The Meteor Light Blade slid from its sheath. It seemed as if a hundred blade shadows converged into one as he struck, and a bright flash of light flared.

The Black Octopus sensed the threat and let out an unintelligible roar. Its tentacles lashed about even more frantically, but Guen's blade was faster!

His blade cut into the Black Octopus's hard shell, hesitated for an instant, then sank all the way into its back. He pulled it free, leaving a massive wound that gushed foul-smelling blood like a fountain.

Flame Slash, Second Form: Liaohuo!

Now that Guen had reached the Planetary Level, the technique's true power finally showed.

The first form of Flame Slash, Huoguang, released a powerful burst of energy. Flame Slash was a blade technique perfectly suited to the Meteor Light Blade, and the energy it unleashed was just as powerful. If Guen had possessed fire-type Origin Power, flames would have danced around the blade, perhaps even igniting his enemies' flesh and blood.

But Guen had lightning-type Origin Power, so he couldn't bring out all of the first form's properties.

The second form was Liaohuo.

In short, it was fast. It stirred the flames without suffering any harm, relying on one thing alone: speed.

But when speed reached a certain level, even a small pebble could kill an enemy.

With this move, Guen could easily wound the Black Octopus.

But only wound it.

Fierce beasts had always been sturdier than humans. Their shells and fur were natural armor. The same injury that might prove fatal to a human might not even count as a serious wound to a fierce beast.

That was even more true of Planetary-level fierce beasts.

Aside from being somewhat rattled, the Black Octopus was still full of fight. It kept its distance from Guen while slamming its tentacles against the ground, leaving crack after crack.

"Killing a Planetary-level fierce beast really isn't easy," Guen frowned.

Half the Black Octopus's body was stained with blood, yet it showed no sign of being seriously injured.

That was the power of a Force Weapon.

Meanwhile, Carl watched Guen with shining eyes. Guen's swordsmanship was certainly exquisite, but the main reason she had wounded the Black Octopus in a single strike was that her weapon was a Force Weapon.

With a Force Weapon, it was like an adult wielding a sharp blade.

Without one, any weapon was just a toy. Carl carried several weapons, all Diamond Level, but in battles against Planetary-level opponents, they were easily damaged. Most Planetary-level fighters kept a large supply of Diamond Level weapons as backups.

Carl wasn't the only one who coveted Force Weapons.

But no one dared to covet Guen's Force Weapon. As if! Throughout history, anyone who had dared to seize a Trial Grounds challenger's weapon had been blasted to pieces from afar by the Trial Grounds, no matter how far away they were.

Carl could only console herself that members of the Forest Goddess Temple at least had a reliable way to obtain Force Weapons. It was difficult, but for other factions, it was even harder.

"Carl, come help me!"

Just then, an urgent cry for help came from the melee.

Carl looked over. One of the Goddess Temple's Planetary-level fighters was already in dire straits.

There were five Planetary-level fierce beasts. Including Guen and Carl, there were eight people in all!

Yet even with eight against five, they weren't necessarily gaining the upper hand. It took them a long struggle to injure the beasts, while the fierce beasts' greater stamina and vitality usually gave them the advantage in a one-on-one fight. Two people against one beast was ideal; it kept them from being in mortal danger.

But the one calling for help was a Planetary Level 2 fighter facing a fierce beast alone. Naturally, she couldn't hold out.

Carl immediately flew over. "Guen, that beast is yours!"

Guen nodded, whether Carl saw it or not, and flew straight toward the Black Octopus. It immediately shrieked and swung its tentacles, the air filled with sharp whistles. Even stone walls and floors shattered into chunks and cracks at the slightest touch.

"Such a lack of skill, and you think you can stop me?"

Guen sneered inwardly and blurred through the tentacles' defenses, reaching the Black Octopus. He swung his blade—Flame Slash, Second Form: Liaohuo.

His blade flashed bright. A glimmer of light streaked past, and another wound appeared on the Black Octopus.

"Hiss—!"

The Black Octopus roared in fury, but could only retreat step by step.

"Where did this guy come from? He's incredible!"

The two Planetary-level fighters from the Imperial Council, who had followed along the way, stared wide-eyed.

Guen's blade was fast, and so was he. His first move had already stunned them.

They didn't dare take advantage of him just because he was a new face.

"Come on, over there."

The two soon spotted a fierce beast being held off by a fighter from the Goddess Temple and hurried over. "Haha, Brother Roger, we're here to help!"

Roger looked furious and startled. What help? They had obviously come to steal the beast. Killing it would earn merit, which could be exchanged for rewards within their faction or for things their faction didn't have at the Armory Camp.

"Roger, go deal with that octopus. I'll handle things here." A booming voice rang out.

Roger looked over and saw Guen. His brow furrowed. But when he glanced at the Black Octopus, it was already on its last legs, barely able to move. He hurriedly said, "All right, Guen. I'll guard the body for you. You handle things here."

"Don't worry, I won't forget your contribution," Guen replied. Then he blurred into a shadow, swept past Roger, and charged straight at the two Imperial Council fighters.

"You're asking for death!"

The two Imperial Council fighters grew angry when Guen charged at them as if they weren't even there.

They were wary of Guen, but they weren't pushovers. One was Planetary Level 2, the other Planet First Order. They might not have Force Weapons, but they were human, after all.

Unlike fierce beasts, which had brute strength but lacked technique, they believed Guen wouldn't be able to subdue them as easily as he had the beasts just by relying on his weapon.

Guen swung his blade, sending a burst of energy flying toward them.

The two Imperial Council fighters raised their weapons to block it. The burst was easily shattered, but they sensed that something was wrong.

The powerful rebound from the energy left them alarmed.

For fighters and warriors, the most obvious difference was their Force Multiplier.

At lower levels, a twofold difference in Force Multiplier could crush an opponent. At the Planetary Level, a one- or twofold difference only meant one was stronger than the other; it wasn't enough to crush them outright. But what shocked the two Imperial Council fighters was that Guen's Force Multiplier was already over fifteen times. Theirs were only twelve and fourteen times, respectively.

Guen had a Force Weapon. They didn't!

They had assumed that a new face like him would have a lower Force Multiplier than theirs, and they had years of experience with technique on their side. But now it seemed that advantage had vanished too.

"Get lost!"

Guen's blade flashed again and again, occasionally punctuated by a Liaohuo strike so fast it pierced their defenses and sent them both flying.

"Boom!"

The Flame God Armor absorbed much of the tremendous force, but the two were still knocked away by several blows and sent plunging into the ground.

"Argh! How could he possibly beat us?!"

The two Imperial Council fighters were furious. They stayed fully alert and intensely focused, but deep inside, they were also struggling to suppress their terror.

Carl was the strongest person present, with the highest level. But even she would have had nine-tenths of a strike's force absorbed by the Flame God Armor. They might not have been able to beat her, but they weren't afraid of her either.

But when Guen struck, the armor absorbed only three-quarters of the force. One blow had already injured them.

If the fight dragged on, Guen might send his force straight through the Flame God Armor and kill them.

"Run!"

The two exchanged a glance, then flew low over the ground and fled in a hurry.

But it was no use. Guen's blade was fast, and he was even faster. He immediately caught up, his blade flashing as he sent them flying again and again. Each time they were struck, their injuries worsened.

"Don't get too arrogant! Do you even know who my uncle is? He's the former emperor of the Aoyu Empire, and he's already Planet Level 5. Even with your Flame God Armor, he could kill you!"

"Don't push us too far, or you won't get off lightly either!"

Guen sneered in disdain.

The major factions had an agreement: unless someone interfered with or obstructed the members of another faction, they couldn't kill one another. In particular, Planetary-level fighters above Planet Level 5 couldn't casually kill lower-level Planetary fighters. The rule was meant to stop high-level fighters from killing those at lower levels.

After all, the Flame God Armor was only an A5 Grade Battle Suit. Against attacks from beyond Planet Level 5, its defensive effect would drop sharply.

But below Planet Level 5, the Flame God Armor was practically a life-saving treasure. Even Carl, a Planetary Level 4 fighter, would have nine-tenths of her force absorbed. That meant there were fewer restrictions between them. Lower-level Planetary fighters didn't take the rule as seriously; as long as no high-level fighter was around, they dared to cause trouble. The Flame God Armor was what gave them that confidence.

But they had run into Guen.

The penetration of a Second-order Force Weapon couldn't be fully blocked by the Flame God Armor.

Guen had never liked the Imperial Council. Back in the Starlight Forest, they had tried to kill him and the others without even asking who was right or wrong. What had happened with Setti had also left Guen with no goodwill toward the so-called Royal Family or the so-called Imperial Council.

So Guen truly wanted to kill them.

Killing a Planet First Order human earned one hundred contribution points.

A Planet Level 2 fighter was worth two hundred.

Killing a Planetary-level fierce beast earned only three. Even counting the value of its materials, it was barely worth a dozen or so.

The reason was the Flame God Armor. With it, humans might not be a match for fierce beasts, but they weren't nearly as easy to kill. The force from lower-level Planetary fighters was often reduced by ninety-nine percent by the Flame God Armor, making it very hard for them to kill one another. Higher-level fighters were forbidden from stepping in, which was why the reward was so generous.

But Guen saw a chance to kill them. One hundred contribution points would take several Planetary-level fierce beasts to earn. Where could he find that many beasts to kill? So Guen was genuinely tempted.