"No!"
When Alfred saw his blue lightning vortex attack completely dispelled, his expression changed drastically. Ren gave him no time to think, and the tip of the azure spear was already right before him.
"In that case, I have no choice but to take this step. You've forced me into it."
Alfred hesitated for just a moment before making up his mind. Gritting his teeth, he stirred a drop of purple liquid in his sea of consciousness. Energy immediately flooded his body and burst outward, while his speed surged in an instant.
"Boom!"
A terrifying aura erupted from Alfred. Purple energy spread through the air, and his severed arm began healing at a dramatically faster pace. His bones visibly mended, and his aura surged, spreading nearly a thousand miles in the blink of an eye.
"Thunder Sovereign Power. As expected, an Asura who has lived for countless years has a few trump cards."
Ren raised an eyebrow. His rapid advance came to an abrupt halt, and with a slight shift of his body, he retreated several hundred meters in the blink of an eye. He wasn't the least bit surprised that Alfred possessed Sovereign's Might.
It would have been strange if a veteran Asura who had lived for countless years and once visited the Planar Battlefield didn't even possess Sovereign's Might. Though Alfred wasn't as wealthy as the Four Divine Beasts Clan or the Augusta Clan, and certainly couldn't squander it by the flaskful like Leisjing, he could still spare a drop in a life-or-death situation.
"Ren, you made me waste a drop of Sovereign's Might. You'll pay for it with your life!"
Alfred's voice turned exceptionally grim. The phantom of a Purple Thunder War Eagle, over twenty meters long, appeared behind him once again, its cold eyes flashing. He charged at Ren several times faster than before, and in the blink of an eye, the long whip was already descending toward Ren's head.
"Shhk—"
Ren's body moved as soon as the thought crossed his mind. Deep within his soul, his original self immediately activated the azure droplet, and a wave of azure light burst from within him.
"Bang!"
Sovereign's Might radiated outward, enveloping the azure spear in blue-green energy. Ren raised his arm slightly, bringing the spear in front of his chest. It collided with the blue light surrounding the whip, and the force of the impact sent both Ren and Alfred flying back a hundred meters.
"You—you have Sovereign's Might too?"
Alfred's face was filled with shock, and for a moment he wasn't sure what to make of it. He hadn't expected a young man who had cultivated for only tens of millions of years to possess Sovereign's Might as well.
"When facing a veteran Asura who's fought in a Planar War, how could I dare challenge him without a few trump cards?"
Azure Sovereign's Might radiated from Ren's body, and the spear in his hand thrummed continuously. Though his words sounded untroubled, he never took his eyes off Alfred and remained on guard.
Sovereign's Might might not mean much to Overgods and their children, but it was precious to ordinary Asuras. Generally speaking, a rising Seven-Star Demon like Ren, who had never been to a Planar Battlefield, shouldn't have any Sovereign's Might.
Ren had acquired his Sovereign's Might by chance. Before arriving in Liang'an Prefecture, he had taken it from a Seven-Star Demon he'd killed. At the time, his Water Divine Clone wasn't nearly as strong, so he'd used his Wind Divine Clone to kill that Seven-Star Demon in a single move. Only afterward did he discover the two drops of Water Sovereign Power in the man's Spatial Ring.
Apparently, the man had been to a Planar Battlefield and had been lucky enough to collect two hundred Soldier Badges. Unfortunately, he'd run into Ren, who already had the strength of an Asura. He hadn't had time to use it before Ren killed him.
"Damn it!"
Alfred cursed inwardly and began thinking rapidly, hesitating for a moment.
He now had two choices. He could take the opportunity to risk everything and fight. Ren's Sovereign's Might was Water Element, which didn't perfectly match his Wind Divine Clone, while Alfred's Thunder Sovereign Power matched his attribute perfectly. Perhaps he could use this chance to kill Ren.
But there was a risk. After all, Alfred couldn't fathom Ren's true strength. His other choice was to admit defeat and leave immediately. His Sovereign's Might matched his attribute, and he was faster than Ren. If he left now, he could put enough distance between them before his Sovereign's Might ran out. There was no way Ren could catch him.
"If I leave like this, I'll become a disgrace among Asuras forever!"
After thinking it over for a moment, Alfred made up his mind. If he fled from the Prefect challenge, the reputation he'd built over countless years would be utterly ruined. He wasn't willing to accept that. Besides, he didn't think Ren was so much stronger than him that he had no chance. He could first see whether he could kill Ren; even if he couldn't, he would probably still have time to flee afterward.
"Purple Thunder—World Destruction!"
A low growl came from Alfred's mouth. The purple battle blade appeared in his hand once more, and the surging golden sea of lightning erupted above his head again before instantly merging into the blade. A black-purple edge blazed from its sharp side.
"Whoosh!"
Alfred darted forward at several times his previous speed. Terrifying power surged from his battle blade as he slashed at Ren. Empowered by Sovereign's Might, the attack was more than a level stronger than before.
"Gale Dimension—Burst!"
Ren showed no intention of dodging. Azure Sovereign's Might surged within his spear, and more than a thousand Divine Power Clones appeared at his side. The currents of air around his body condensed into a Mobius Ring, then merged into the spear as he charged head-on against the pressure of the purple Sovereign's Might.
"Boom!"
Their second clash of ultimate moves sent Ren flying back a hundred meters and Alfred fifty. Empowered by his Sovereign's Might's attribute, Alfred had gained a slight advantage. Yet there was no joy on his face—only gloom.
In the clash just now, Alfred had already realized he couldn't kill Ren. Their attacks were close in strength, and there was no way he could kill Ren in a short time. But his Sovereign's Might wouldn't last forever.
"Haah! Hah!"
Alfred took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He gave Ren a long look, then gritted his teeth and turned to fly toward the horizon. Even if he didn't say the words "I admit defeat," fleeing before the battle ended would count as a default loss. Keeping it unspoken would only make it a little easier to bear.
"Getting ready to admit defeat and leave?" Ren narrowed his eyes. He wasn't particularly surprised. Alfred's Sovereign's Might would eventually run out, so leaving now was the more rational choice.
However, Ren had no intention of letting him go. Since they had made enemies of each other, it was best to eliminate the threat completely. Even if an Asura powerhouse was weaker than him, he might still target the people around him. Although Ren had no one particularly close to him at the moment, he didn't want to leave himself with a hidden danger.
"Don't think you can escape!"
Ren's figure instantly blurred, and in the blink of an eye, he was right behind Alfred. He gripped the azure spear tightly as Sovereign's Might surged faster into it.
"Vmmm—"
The azure spear abruptly turned translucent and blurred, then curved through the air as it shot toward the distance. It flew even faster than Alfred, who was using Sovereign's Might to propel himself.
"What?"
When Alfred sensed the sound of something tearing through the air behind him, his expression changed. But it was too late; he could only desperately raise his battle blade in front of him.
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