The Challenge

"Desterie—

Desterie—

Desterie!"

The waves of cheers drowned out every other sound.

Amid the crowd's cheers, Desterie rose gracefully and walked toward the arena with a smile.

A young man in black battle robes was already standing in the arena. He had short black hair, but, unusually, wore a black braid. Clutching a crimson spear, he stared at Desterie as he approached at an unhurried pace, his eyes full of fighting spirit.

Desterie walked to the center of the battlefield and faced the young man. He raised a hand slightly, and the deafening cheers came to an abrupt halt.

Desterie smiled. "Your name is Kurado? I've heard of you. You're the Seven-Star Fate Master of our Kalin Continent, and you've been famous for quite some time. It seems you think your Asura strength makes you a match for me.

"But I didn't expect you'd dare challenge me. Ever since I became Prefect of Jinyang Prefecture, everyone who's challenged me for the position has been killed swiftly and cleanly. You'll be no exception. It's not too late to give up!"

Kurado raised his spear and said calmly, "We'll see who wins after we fight!"

"Very well. Since you're so determined, let me see just how powerful the long-renowned 'Death-Certain Spear' is. I've roamed the Heavenly Realm for so long, and not one Fate Rule expert has ever impressed me!" As Desterie spoke, he extended his arm and held out his hand. A flash of black divine power later, a thick, pure-black iron sword appeared in his grasp, giving off an unusual presence.

"A Sovereign Artifact?" Kurado's voice turned grave. Though phrased as a question, he sounded certain.

"Exactly. A Material Attack Sovereign Artifact! In this arena, it's kill or be killed. There'll be no talk of victory or defeat, and I won't hold back!" Desterie smiled. The next moment, he darted forward as if teleporting, closing in on Kurado in the blink of an eye.

Kurado's pupils widened, and he hurriedly retreated to dodge. He'd watched countless Battle Projections of Desterie's fights and knew how fast he was, but facing him in person was far more difficult than he'd expected. Desterie might not have been as fast as experts in the Wind or Lightning Elements, but such speed was remarkable for a master who focused on the Destruction Rule.

"Too slow!" Desterie roared with a laugh, swiftly pursuing him again as he brought his Sovereign Artifact greatsword crashing down.

Kurado hastily raised his spear to block. A small notch instantly appeared in the crimson shaft, and before he could make another move, cracks spread rapidly from it. The Destruction Rule was already powerful in its attacks, and the difference in the weapons' quality was too great. The spear couldn't even withstand a single clash.

Kurado dodged to the side, already made up his mind.

With Desterie's speed and offensive power, he had no chance of dragging the fight out. He had to use his strongest move and strike his opponent like a bolt of thunder. Otherwise, his defeat and death were only a matter of time!

Even an Asura couldn't easily withstand his soul attack! What was more, from what he'd learned, Desterie had asked for this Material Attack Sovereign Artifact after becoming a Sovereign's Envoy. The Destruction Rule was weak when it came to defense!

Among the eight prefectures of the Kalin Continent in the Heavenly Realm, each prefect was either protected by a Soul Defense Sovereign Artifact or was a powerful expert who focused on the Water, Life, Fate, or Death Element and had formidable soul defenses. After weighing his options, Kurado had found the Prefect of Jinyang Prefecture to be his only opening. That was why he'd won a hundred battles in Jinyang Prefecture and challenged its prefect today.

"What's wrong, Kurado? Can you not take even this much? You're disappointing me!" Desterie said with another laugh.

As his laughter rang out, another spear appeared in Kurado's hand, this one white. Like his crimson spear, it was a Highgod Artifact he'd carefully nurtured himself over many years.

After leaping aside to dodge once more, Kurado faced Desterie, who had just finished attacking and hadn't yet made another move. He leaned back slightly, bent his elbow, and raised his spear as if to throw it. An invisible wave of soul energy immediately clung to the weapon.

Desterie felt himself locked onto by an inexplicable aura, as if fate had bound him and left him unable to dodge.

"Here it comes! This is Kurado's signature technique—the 'Death-Certain Spear,' which never misses and kills with a touch!" one of Kurado's supporters shouted. He looked around. Until now, the Prefect of Jinyang's supporters had kept them from voicing their support. At last, they could hold their heads high.

As the shout rang out, Kurado finally hurled his spear.

Ignoring the sense of "destiny" surrounding him, Desterie swung his Sovereign Artifact greatsword with ease. The oncoming spear was cleaved in two, knocked off its original course. But the soul energy clinging to it took advantage of the moment and surged into Desterie's Soul Space.

Desterie paid it no mind. He thrust his greatsword at Kurado, who had momentarily exhausted his strength, and transmitted his voice to him at the same time. "Kurado, your 'Death-Certain Spear' is indeed a clever soul attack. But you all think I only know the Destruction Rule, don't you? The truth is, I know just as much about the Fate Rule as you do.

"Using this technique with a Highgod's soul power causes a brief paralysis from the excessive consumption of soul power. Am I right?

"Unfortunately, that brief paralysis is going to cost you your life!"

Kurado stared at him in disbelief. Even if Desterie knew about the technique, how could he have made no preparations? Even a Soul Defense Divine Artifact couldn't stop it!

Was Desterie planning to die with him?!

But before Kurado could voice his question, Desterie's greatsword had already pierced his forehead and driven deep into his Godhead.

Kurado, the Seven-Star Fate Master, was dead!

"Desterie! Desterie! Desterie!"

The cheers rose once again. Their great Prefect, Desterie, had once again killed his challenger with overwhelming superiority, crushing him utterly!

Desterie smiled. After raising his hand in acknowledgment, he walked over to Kurado's corpse and picked up his Spatial Ring, then headed back.

At that moment, in Desterie's Soul Space, a radiant piece of white jade floated in midair, slowly rotating. Four figures sat around it. One of them radiated a steady stream of soul power, replenishing the thin film enveloping the Soul Space. The film had nearly been pierced by the "Death-Certain Spear," but under the control of Desterie's Fate Divine Clone, it had managed to hold.

Before long, the film settled. The Fate Divine Clone within Desterie's Soul Space opened his eyes and smiled. "A Soul Defense Divine Artifact is no match for a Soul Defense Sovereign Artifact. If no one had been controlling it, Kurado's attack might have penetrated. But even so, it wouldn't have mattered. With the protection of the Longevity White Jade, he still couldn't have harmed my soul.

"Heh. Who says only one Divine Clone can fight at a time? With four Divine Clones together, how could I have any weaknesses?"