Ye Qiong accepted the challenge letter and looked at Phainon beside him.
"Phainon, you go."
"Me?"
Phainon was a little surprised.
"Yes. This prince is strong. He should be about evenly matched with you."
Phainon started and looked at the red-haired boy across from him.
At that moment, he saw the other boy looking back at him, brimming with fighting spirit.
Faced with such undisguised fighting spirit, Phainon felt his own blood stir, and a trace of battle fervor rose within him.
He rolled his shoulders and nodded, accepting Ye Qiong's request.
"Fine, then leave it to me."
The red-haired boy looked at Phainon and asked:
"Are you the strongest in your academy? You don't look it."
Phainon smiled.
"You'll find out once we fight."
The red-haired boy gave a faint smile.
"Good. Then, please."
The two left the VIP seats one after the other and headed toward the back of the Soul Fighting Arena.
Seeing this, Wang Sheng moved closer to Ye Qiong and asked:
"Teacher, are they going to have a private match in the Soul Fighting Zone?"
Ye Qiong nodded, then beckoned to everyone.
"Everyone, come with me and watch."
The group went to the spectator seats of the private Soul Fighting Arena.
At that moment, there were no spectators in the hall, only the people from Amphoreus Academy.
The red-haired boy and Phainon climbed onto the ring. Turning to face Phainon, the boy asked:
"What's your Martial Soul?"
Phainon remained calm.
"Khaslana. And yours?"
"Spear of Divine Retribution."
As the red-haired boy spoke, he raised a hand and summoned his Martial Soul.
It was the phantom of a dark-red spear.
"My name is Mydei. State your name."
"Phainon."
The moment the words left his mouth, Phainon summoned his Martial Soul too. Dawnmaker was already in his hand.
Behind both of them, Soul Rings appeared in matching configurations.
Both were startled by this, and then an even stronger fighting spirit surfaced in their eyes.
The two faced off from a distance, neither in a hurry to attack.
But a few breaths later, Phainon decided to strike first.
He stamped a foot down and shot forward, bringing Dawnmaker down toward Mydei's face.
Mydei immediately raised a fist to block.
A clang rang out.
Fist and sword collided, sending a shower of sparks flying.
Mydei's arm shuddered. He slid half a step back,
but immediately twisted around and drove a straight punch toward Phainon's side.
Phainon reacted quickly, slipping to the side. Dawnmaker followed through, sweeping down toward Mydei's shoulder.
Mydei didn't retreat. Instead, he charged in and threw an upward punch.
Clang!
They collided hard again.
Both of them took two steps back.
Phainon shook out his wrist, which had gone numb from the impact, and looked at Mydei.
"Not bad. You're strong."
Mydei rolled his shoulder too, a hearty grin spreading across his face.
"You're no slouch either."
He paused, then beckoned Phainon with a hand.
"Come on. Show me your courage."
"I'm with you to the end."
Phainon replied and raised Dawnmaker, pointing it at Mydei, his fighting spirit burning even brighter.
Mydei grinned, then spread his arms.
"Flow, Blood of Hanging Edge!"
The next moment, the Second Soul Ring behind him flared to life, and his aura surged.
Then he shot forward, unleashing a series of red fist shadows at Phainon.
In the stands, Wang Sheng and the others watched the scene in confusion and turned to Ye Qiong.
"Dean, didn't Mydei say his Martial Soul was the Spear of Divine Retribution? Why is he fighting with his fists?"
Ye Qiong smiled faintly.
How was he supposed to explain it to them?
Mydei's Martial Soul, the Spear of Divine Retribution, wasn't necessarily a weapon.
Just like the dictionary of Hanging Peak City had no character for "character."
Having the word "spear" in its name didn't necessarily mean it was a spear.
(HKS)
The word "spear" represented, above all, the authority over strife.
Of course, you could say Mydei had a spear, and you wouldn't be wrong. That red spear phantom was one. But Mydei excelled at using his fists in close combat, so he had turned the spear phantom into a fist.
That was the authority over strife. Pretty incredible, right?
Meanwhile, in the Soul Fighting Arena, Mydei's fists rained down in a relentless barrage.
Phainon's gaze sharpened as he held Dawnmaker across his body to block.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
A rapid string of collisions rang out.
Phainon struggled to hold his ground, his feet nearly digging into the floor, but Mydei's assault still drove him back several meters.
Mydei only grew more ferocious with every blow, his fists sweeping over Phainon like a violent storm.
In the stands,
everyone watched with clenched fists.
"Why is Xiao Bai being pushed back?"
Ye Qiong began to explain.
"Mydei's Second Soul Skill is Blood for Blood."
"He burns his Soul Power and converts it into Blood of Strife, greatly increasing his attack power for a short time."
"Phainon is on the defensive now, but once this wave of attacks passes, he'll have a chance to turn things around."
On the ring, Phainon had already been driven to the edge of the stone platform.
Seeing this, Mydei frowned.
"Move! Don't let our fiery bodies grow cold!"
Phainon didn't respond. He kept Dawnmaker raised before him, blocking Mydei's attacks.
Mydei grew frustrated. He stopped holding back and threw a heavy punch, sweeping around Dawnmaker and aiming straight for Phainon's chest.
Phainon's eyes narrowed.
He didn't try to block it head-on. Instead, he leaned aside, letting Dawnmaker slide along Mydei's gauntlet as the sword point shot toward Mydei's neck.
Mydei reacted quickly. Seeing Dawnmaker come at him, he twisted his wrist and kicked toward Phainon's lower abdomen at the same time.
Phainon wasn't about to let him succeed. He raised a knee to block the kick.
Their legs collided, and the impact sent them both staggering back three steps.
Mydei looked at Phainon. Though he had already spent a great deal of Soul Power, his fighting spirit burned brighter than ever.
Phainon had noticed the change too. He had spent a lot of Soul Power blocking, but he was confident he could defeat Mydei with his next attacks.
He raised the corner of his mouth.
"My turn."
The next moment, his Third Soul Ring lit up.
Golden light surged across Dawnmaker.
He gripped the sword with both hands and swung with all his might.
A huge golden crescent slash streaked across the entire ring.
Mydei's pupils contracted. He immediately raised both arms to block.
He managed to stop the attack, but his arms were left intensely numb.
Still, he stared at Phainon, his fighting spirit undiminished.
"That was nothing... Show me your full strength!"
Phainon grew more excited when the attack failed to defeat Mydei, and swung out another slash.
This one carried even more force than the last.
Mydei raised both arms to block again, but this time he clearly felt a twinge of pain.
He couldn't help praising Phainon from the heart. "What power!"
But Phainon had no intention of giving him a chance to catch his breath.
He flashed to Mydei's side,
then raised Dawnmaker and slashed at Mydei's flank.
Mydei was startled, but turned in time to block.
This sword strike was heavier than the last.
The force sent him sliding backward several meters.
Seeing this, Phainon pressed forward again.
Mydei gritted his teeth.
His Third Soul Ring suddenly lit up.