Ye Qiong accepted the challenge and looked at Phainon beside him.
"Phainon, you go."
"Me?"
Phainon looked surprised.
"Yeah. That prince is strong. He should be about your equal."
Phainon was startled and looked at the red-haired youth across from him.
At that moment, he saw the other boy looking back at him, his face brimming with fighting spirit.
Faced with such undisguised eagerness to fight, Phainon felt his blood stir, and a trace of fighting spirit rose within him, too.
He rolled his shoulders and nodded, accepting Ye Qiong's request.
"Fine. Leave it to me."
The red-haired youth looked at Phainon and asked,
"You're the strongest in your academy? You don't look it."
Phainon smiled.
"You'll find out when we fight."
The red-haired youth gave a faint smile.
"Excellent. 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 fight in a private Soul Fighting area?"
Ye Qiong nodded, then beckoned to the others.
"Everyone, come with me. Let's go take a look."
The group made their way to the viewing seats of the private Soul Fighting Arena.
There were no spectators in the hall's viewing area, only the people from Omphalos Academy.
The red-haired youth and Phainon stepped onto the platform. Turning to face Phainon, the youth asked,
"What's your Martial Soul?"
Phainon's expression was calm.
"Khaslana. What about you?"
"Spear of Heaven's Scourge."
As he spoke, the red-haired youth raised a hand and summoned his Martial Soul.
It was the phantom image of a long, dark-red spear.
"My name is Mydei. State yours."
"Phainon."
The moment the words left his mouth, Phainon summoned his Martial Soul, Dawn Invader already in his hand.
Identical Soul Ring configurations appeared behind them both.
They were each taken aback, then a fighting spirit even stronger than before surfaced in their eyes.
The two faced each other from a distance, neither in a hurry to attack.
But a few breaths later, Phainon decided to strike first.
He planted a foot and shot forward, bringing Dawn Invader down in a straight slash at Mydei's face.
Mydei immediately raised a fist to block.
With a clang, sparks burst from their fist and sword.
Mydei's arm shuddered, and he slid half a step back.
But he immediately twisted around and drove a straight punch toward Phainon's waist.
Phainon reacted swiftly, slipping aside before bringing Dawn Invader down in a sweeping slash at Mydei's shoulder.
Mydei didn't retreat. Instead, he charged forward and swung a fist upward.
Clang!
Another head-on clash.
They both staggered back two steps.
Phainon shook his wrist, which had gone numb from the impact, and looked at Mydei.
"Not bad strength."
Mydei rolled his shoulder, a carefree smile spreading across his face.
"You're not bad yourself."
He paused, then beckoned to Phainon with a curl of his fingers.
"Come on. Show me your courage."
"Gladly."
Phainon replied, raising Dawn Invader and pointing it at Mydei, his fighting spirit burning even brighter.
Mydei grinned, then spread his arms.
"Flow, Blood of Hanging Blade!"
The next second, the Second Soul Ring behind him flared to life, and his aura surged.
Then he shot forward, throwing a series of red fist-shaped shadows at Phainon.
In the stands, Wang Sheng and the others watched in confusion, turning to Ye Qiong.
"Dean, didn't Mydei say his Martial Soul was the Spear of Heaven's Scourge? Why is he using his fists?"
Ye Qiong smiled faintly.
How could he explain it to them?
Mydei's Martial Soul, the Spear of Heaven's Scourge, wasn't necessarily a weapon.
It was like how the dictionary of Hanging Peak City had no words in it.
Having the word "spear" in its name didn't mean it had to be a spear.
(Mydei: HKS)
The word "spear" stood more for the authority of strife.
Of course, you could say Mydei had a spear, too. Those red spear-shaped shadows were it. But Mydei excelled at fighting with his fists at close range, so he had turned those shadows into punches.
That was the authority of strife. Pretty amazing, right?
Back in the Soul Fighting Arena, seeing Mydei's relentless barrage of punches, Phainon's gaze sharpened. He held Dawn Invader horizontally in front of himself to block.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
A rapid series of impacts rang out.
Phainon struggled to fend off the blows, his feet almost digging into the ground, yet Mydei's assault still drove him several meters back.
But Mydei only grew more ferocious, his punches coming like a violent storm.
In the stands, everyone watched, fists clenched.
"Why is Xiao Bai being forced back?"
Ye Qiong explained,
"Mydei's Second Soul Skill is Blood for Blood."
"He burns Soul Power to turn it into blood of strife, greatly increasing his attack power for a short time."
"Phainon is on the defensive right now, but once this wave of attacks passes, he'll have a chance to turn things around."
On the platform, Phainon had been driven to the edge of the stone stage.
Mydei frowned.
"Move! Don't let our blazing bodies grow cold!"
But Phainon didn't respond. He kept his sword raised in front of him, blocking the attacks.
Annoyed, Mydei decided to hold nothing back. He threw a heavy punch, going around Dawn Invader and aiming straight for Phainon's chest.
Phainon's eyes sharpened.
He didn't block it head-on. Instead, he shifted aside, letting Dawn Invader slide along Mydei's gauntlet as its tip went straight for his neck.
Mydei reacted swiftly. Seeing Dawn Invader coming, he flipped his wrist and kicked toward Phainon's lower abdomen at the same time.
Phainon couldn't let him land the blow. He raised a knee to block it.
Their legs collided, and the force sent them both stumbling back three steps.
Mydei looked at Phainon. Though he had already burned through a good deal of Soul Power, his fighting spirit only grew more intense.
Phainon saw the change in him. Though blocking had cost him plenty of Soul Power too, he was confident he could defeat his opponent with his next attacks.
So he lifted the corner of his mouth.
"My turn."
The next second, his Third Soul Ring lit up.
Golden light on Dawn Invader suddenly blazed brighter.
Gripping the sword with both hands, he swung with all his might.
A huge golden crescent-shaped slash swept across the entire platform.
Mydei's pupils contracted. He immediately crossed his arms to block.
He managed to stop the blow, but his arms went intensely numb.
Still, he looked at Phainon with his fighting spirit undiminished.
"Pathetic... Show me your full strength!"
Seeing that one strike hadn't defeated Mydei, Phainon grew excited and sent another slash flying.
This one hit even harder than the last.
Mydei raised his arms to block again, but this time he clearly felt a twinge of pain.
Then he praised him sincerely. "That's some serious power."
But Phainon had no intention of giving him time to catch his breath.
His figure blurred, and in an instant he appeared at Mydei's side.
Then he raised Dawn Invader and slashed at Mydei's flank.
Mydei was startled, but turned in time to block.
This strike was even heavier than the last.
The force sent him sliding several meters backward.
Seeing this, Phainon pressed forward again.
Mydei gritted his teeth.
His Third Soul Ring suddenly lit up.
Before you continue