"A Sovereign Artifact?"
The instant Conofier brought out his weapon, alarm bells went off in Ren's mind. He tightened his grip on his sword as a faint vibration spread across its surface.
Ren was no stranger to Sovereign Artifacts. Though he had never fought in person against someone who owned one, he had never dared underestimate them. To a god, a Sovereign Artifact was the ultimate treasure.
Throughout Linley's rise, he had never been without the Coiling Dragon Ring. Before Beirut, his greatest cheat, made his official entrance, the ring had saved Linley more than once. At the Temple of Radiance, it had prevented Linley from being turned into a puppet controlled by a Radiant God. In the Chaotic Territory, it had kept Heidens's Life Deprivation from killing him.
Later, in Hell, Linley had been able to fight Seven-Star Demons as a Mid-God. Leisjing's Blackstone Space had certainly played a part, but the Coiling Dragon Ring had also helped immensely. Linley had escaped danger time and again, whether on Miluo Island or in the battles against the Eight Great Clans.
Since arriving in Hell, Ren had repeatedly sought out information about Sovereign Artifacts and learned much more about them. Unlike the two types of defensive Sovereign Artifacts, an Offensive Sovereign Artifact could raise one's combat strength to a terrifying degree, improving attack power, speed, and technique across the board.
Among powerhouses at the Asura level, unless someone was a Paragon, an ordinary Asura without a Sovereign Artifact stood little chance against one with an Offensive Sovereign Artifact, unless they had some special method. Ren wasn't a super divine beast. At least on the surface, he was no match for Conofier.
Still, Ren felt no unease. Before, he might have been wary, but over the past few decades his strength had grown by leaps and bounds. He was only a hair's breadth from fusing the Mysteries of his Laws. If no one had interrupted him, he was confident he would reach Paragon within twenty years. With the new ultimate move he had been developing, he was sure he could take Conofier on.
Conofier had no idea what Ren was thinking. He gripped his warhammer in both hands. It began to vibrate, and a series of rumbles rolled through the surrounding space.
Whoosh!
Conofier moved. In an instant, he became a streak of light. Strange patterns on his warhammer glowed with an eerie light, and an immense force gathered before surging from the hammer's head. A peculiar ripple spread toward Ren.
Sss!
As the sound of space tearing rang out, cracks appeared in the air along the ripple's path, revealing the multicolored Spatial Turbulence within. A casual swing had torn through space—that was the power of a Sovereign Artifact.
Ren naturally wouldn't meet a Sovereign Artifact head-on. Divine Power surged within him as he swiftly retreated. At the same time, his cyan sword roared, and a giant cyan dragon shot into the sky. His ice-blue eyes flashed with a bone-chilling gleam as he charged into the ripple of Earth Divine Power.
Rumble!
The two forces collided. The ocher ripple flickered, and a pure force struck the cyan dragon directly. The dragon roared as the force bore down on it, then the energy of Pulsation shattered it from within. Reduced to a tenth of its original size, the ripple continued forward, stabbing toward Ren.
Whoosh!
Ren's right hand moved, and his sword swept along a strange arc. A blade of energy formed and collided with the remaining ripple. The two vanished without a trace.
"Oh? Interesting!"
Conofier narrowed his eyes. Ocher power covered his body, and a powerful spatial fluctuation spread in every direction, reaching a thousand miles in the blink of an eye. A force of restraint coiled toward Ren.
"Gravity Space binding? I can do that too!" Ren immediately felt an invisible force pressing down on him, making it difficult to move. He snorted as a cyan glow burst from his body. Ripples rapidly spread outward, targeting Conofier a thousand miles away.
Though each of the Seven Laws had its own distinct Mysteries, every one of them included specialized ways to study and use space. The Gravity Space of the Laws of Earth and the Wind Space of the Wind Law were examples. Ren had the same kind of technique. It all came down to which of them was stronger.
In an instant, Conofier felt intense pressure bearing down on his body. He narrowed his eyes as ocher Divine Power appeared around him and formed a layer of Pulse Armor. The pressure eased slightly.
"As expected, the Laws of Earth make for formidable defense." Ren narrowed his eyes as he looked at his opponent. The Laws of Earth were better suited to defense than the Wind Law. After fusing multiple Mysteries, Pulse Armor could resist attacks from all directions to some degree—including Spatial Binding.
Conofier's expression turned cold. Clutching his warhammer, he transformed into a streak of light and appeared before Ren. He raised the hammer high again, then brought it down on Ren's head in an instant.
"Hm? A decoy?"
The moment the attack landed, Ren vanished. Conofier frowned. A sound of rushing air came from behind him instead, and he swiftly turned, raising his warhammer to shield his chest.
Clang!
A cyan sword-shadow appeared in midair. The warhammer blocked it before it could strike. Ren's attack failed, and he immediately retreated to open some distance.
"The Wind Law really is fast. Looks like I'll need to change my approach."
Conofier stared at Ren and activated his Divine Power again. The range of his Gravity Space suddenly contracted, shrinking to just a hundred meters in the blink of an eye. Ren, who had been moving like a blur, faltered slightly, his speed dropping.
"In terms of speed alone, the Laws of Earth can't match the Wind Law. But I'm better at spatial restraint than you are. Once you enter my space, I won't give you a chance to leave." Conofier's voice rang in Ren's mind as he once more shot forward like a streak of light.
When the Gravity Space of the Laws of Earth fused with Earth Pulse, it formed a special space with immense restraining power. Even experts of the Wind Law, who excelled at speed, couldn't use their advantage inside it. In Conofier's view, once Ren entered his space, there was no way he could escape.
"I'm not going to rely on speed alone to dodge!" Ren sneered inwardly. Ignoring Conofier's telepathic message, he began circulating his Divine Power. A thousand Energy Avatars appeared at once, filling the entire space with Ren's figure.
"Do you think that'll let you escape my Gravity Space? Gravity—shift!" Conofier scoffed. The restraining force within the space changed in an instant, and all its power began pulling downward. The Wind Law Energy Avatars immediately started falling uncontrollably, while Ren's true body remained unaffected.
"This ends now!" Divine Power surged within Conofier. An ocher ripple spread from the surface of his warhammer. He swung once, fusing the Profound Mysteries of Strength into the weapon. In an instant, the ripple spread, as if it could shake heaven and earth.
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