Battle of the Manor Lords

Battle of the Prefecture Lords

The area outside the arena was bustling with noise, yet on the stage, only sparse sounds reached the ears.

Leidolina looked at the handsome man opposite her and sighed, "Athos, it's been so many years, yet you are still so stubborn! Why can't you listen to reason? Give up; you cannot defeat me."

"Leidolina, you will never understand," Athos said with a cold gaze. "I will definitely achieve victory today. Facing you, I am wagering my life."

Leidolina took a deep breath, and a long whip appeared in her hand. "Then let us begin!"

Lincoln watched with interest and patted Aier on the shoulder. "These two seem to be old acquaintances, and the kind with a history, at that."

The two on the stage remained motionless for a moment. Athos could not wait any longer and struck first. He did not use a weapon, instead clenching his fingers into a fist and charging toward Leidolina with unstoppable momentum.

Seeing this, Leidolina whipped her weapon into a whirlwind, attempting to keep Athos at a distance.

Unexpectedly, Athos ignored it entirely, bracing himself against the rain of attacks landing on his body as he accelerated his charge.

"Go, Prefecture Lord! Beat this pretty boy to death!"

"Go, Athos! We support you becoming the new Prefecture Lord!"

Many people were waving flags and shouting.

"Lincoln, is this really a battle between experts of the Laws of Water and the Rules of Life? Why does it look more like the Laws of Earth and the Rules of Destruction to me?" Aier rarely saw battles at the level of a Prefecture Lord, and this brute-force style of fighting exceeded her understanding, so she couldn't help but ask.

Lincoln smiled faintly. "Aier, look at that Athos. Is he really taking Leidolina's attacks head-on? Although both are defensive, the Laws of Water and the Laws of Earth are not the same."

Aier listened and looked closely, only then discovering that every time the whip touched Athos, a strange force dissipated most of the whip's power.

"This Athos applies the Mysteries of Roundness and Softness very well. However, Leidolina is indeed holding back; an expert of the Rules of Life is using physical attacks."

Seeing that she could not stop him, Leidolina raised her right hand, and green Divine Life Power surged out, pouring into the long whip. In an instant, the whip seemed to come alive, beginning to twist and maneuver "freely," attacking and blocking on its own, completely halting Athos's momentum and preventing him from advancing even half a step.

Unable to break through after a long struggle, Athos suddenly leaped into the air. His legs transformed into a fish tail, and he slammed it against the whip. Sparks flew as the scales on the tail scraped against the whip, knocking it far away. Having succeeded in one strike, Athos leaped again, his beautiful fish tail ready to lash out at Leidolina.

"No wonder he is called an Iron-Tail Sea Spirit. Although he is brute-force and powerful, his movements are graceful. It is a pity that with such physical talent, not cultivating the Laws of Earth is a waste of his potential." Lincoln's eyes were sharp; he could see that Athos was not only physically resilient but his scales were razor-sharp. If this hit an enemy, the opponent would likely be severely wounded by the force and suffer multiple lacerations as well.

But Leidolina was unhurried. The whip that had been knocked away returned on its own, glowing with a dazzling green light, once again taking on the responsibility of offense and defense.

With just this single whip, Athos was unable to get close to Leidolina.

"If Athos has no other means, he cannot win," Lincoln suddenly answered Aier's previous question. "This Leidolina is showing him enough mercy; even now, she hasn't used her full strength!"

As a Sovereign Envoy who had served the Life Sovereign, Lincoln had seen many experts of the Rules of Life. Although he did not know how to cultivate them, he naturally had a certain degree of understanding of the Rules of Life.

Aier gave a half-understanding nod; she naturally trusted Lincoln's judgment completely.

Sure enough, after several more exchanges, Athos only repeatedly struck with his iron tail, having no other tricks, yet he refused to give up or concede.

"His strength already surpasses an average Asura, but it is a pity he met Leidolina. He cannot win."

"Give up, Athos. I don't want to hurt you." Leidolina continued to persuade him, but seeing Athos ignore her and continue his attacks, she wore a troubled expression and had no choice but to continue using her whip to block. After a long while, Leidolina's pupils suddenly constricted. After a moment of internal struggle, her gaze finally hardened.

The whip in her hand changed accordingly; while blocking, it emitted countless green light particles that dispersed into the surroundings before vanishing.

"She's getting serious," Lincoln said faintly.

Athos also noticed these light particles. He stopped his attack and retreated a few steps in caution, his divine power surging as he protected himself with an oval light barrier to isolate the green particles. He then drew a crystal longsword, his body radiating intense cold as he slashed toward the distance.

The technique, centered on the Sharpness of Ice, reached the standard of five-fold fusion. Unfortunately, without the enhancement of that special fish tail, the attack power actually decreased, making it even more impossible to break through Leidolina's defense.

Suddenly, Athos's expression changed. He convulsed and collapsed to the ground, his divine power barrier dissipating instantly. Leidolina sighed, stopped her attack, walked up to Athos, and said, "You just wouldn't listen to reason."

"Lincoln, look, Athos is about to lose." Aier tugged on Lincoln's hand.

"That is not necessarily true," Lincoln countered.

"Why? Didn't you just say Athos couldn't win?" Aier was puzzled.

"I only said that if he had no other means, he couldn't win. But I just realized that he does indeed have other means," Lincoln laughed.

"Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!!!" The audience's cheers grew louder, while the voices supporting Athos gradually faded away. The winner takes all; the weak are the prey of the strong—this was the most direct rule in the world.

Leidolina gripped her whip tightly. After a moment of hesitation, she swung it without mercy. If this whip landed, his soul would surely dissipate.

But at that very moment, Athos suddenly leaped up. His brilliant fish tail appeared once more, striking Leidolina heavily. Leidolina flew far away; although she was not dead, her aura suddenly withered and became listless. Seeing his strike land, Athos could not help but laugh wildly, his face becoming somewhat distorted.

But soon, the laughter stopped. The collapsed Leidolina suddenly emitted a green halo, and her aura rapidly recovered. She stood up, turned to look at Athos, and sneered, "Good. I had forgotten that your innate abilities, when combined with the Mysteries of Fog Illusion, have an outstanding effect. You were never hit by my Soul-Devouring Green Light, were you? But I didn't expect that after so many years, you are still so familiar with that pain. You acted it out quite well."

"Shut your mouth!" Athos's face was also twisted, as if recalling a painful past.