Soul Absorption

"Heh, I'm still more interested in your head!" Before Luo Ya even finished speaking, he kicked the dining table toward Ambux.

He slashed his sword at the tumbling table, and a wave of flame-imbued sword energy split it in two.

The sword energy flew instantly toward Ambux.

A sizzling sound emanated from Ambux's palm; the flame energy slowly shrank within his grip until it vanished into mere sparks.

At the same time, his appearance underwent a drastic change. His height surged to nearly three meters, his skin covered in pitch-black fur, his ears grew pointed, and his snout elongated.

His eyes glowed with a blue halo, and he transformed into a muscular, jackal-headed humanoid.

"Since you don't cherish the chance I gave you, I'll just have to devour your soul."

After saying this, Ambux teleported to Luo Ya's side and kicked him. Before Luo Ya could react, he was embedded into the wall, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Yet, the kicked Luo Ya did not retaliate as he usually would. Despite being a simple strike, the excruciating pain it caused was comparable to the heat of Ryujin Jakka.

Just as Luo Ya leaned on his sword, gasping for air, Ambux slowly walked up to him.

"Do you feel the pain of a missing soul? If you're willing to submit now, the offer still stands. You are far stronger than that fool Seton; at least he fainted from the pain the first time he felt his soul being torn away."

"Heh, then please, feel the pain of being scorched by flames yourself!" Luo Ya sheathed Ryujin Jakka, his eyes locked onto Ambux.

"Very well, I will remember you, delicious Black Flame Swordsman Luo Ya."

No sooner had Ambux finished speaking than he teleported behind Luo Ya, ready to strike with a fist, only to be forced back by a ring of flame-imbued sword energy.

Luo Ya seized the moment, stomping his foot as flames surged violently over Ryujin Jakka.

Fire Burning City Walls! A massive eruption of flames surged forth, slashing toward Ambux.

Of course, against a speed-type opponent, such a move was rarely effective, which was why Luo Ya seldom used it.

However, while it couldn't inflict significant damage, it was excellent for drastically altering the terrain.

After all, a battlefield filled with flames was highly advantageous for Luo Ya.

As the blade descended, the magnificent castle was rapidly ignited, engulfed by raging infernos.

Just as Luo Ya felt a flicker of joy that his move had worked, the sea of fire spiraled at high speed into Ambux's claws.

In an instant, the flames were completely absorbed.

Ambux curled his jackal lips, flicked the remaining sparks from his claws, bent his knees slightly, and lunged at Luo Ya.

Clang! The claw, coated in Armament Haki, collided with Ryujin Jakka.

The usually invincible Ryujin Jakka only managed to carve a small nick into the pitch-black claw this time, and its temperature began to drop, its once-solid appearance beginning to turn translucent.

Drill Dragon Nail! Luo Ya quickly condensed his Haki and kicked at Ambux's chest.

With a bang, the blow was blocked by Ambux's other claw, and using the momentum, Luo Ya quickly retreated.

"What pure soul energy? This sword of yours... is it actually a soul blade?" Ambux looked crazed, like a drug addict craving a fix, staring fixedly at the Ryujin Jakka in Luo Ya's hand.

"Ryujin Jakka is quite satisfied with you too, heh." Luo Ya glanced at his blade, which was trembling as it tasted a drop of Ambux's blood, and spoke to him.

"No wonder you refused my recruitment. Haha, but it doesn't matter; I will use your soul to rule the world!"

Ambux roared and lunged at Luo Ya once more.

Luo Ya held Ryujin Jakka level, and sixteen flame blades instantly manifested around him, encircling him completely.

Clang! Clang! Clang! The sounds of collision rang out incessantly as Ambux launched a storm of attacks at Luo Ya, his body burning with intense blue flames.

Fists, elbows, knees, teeth—every part of his body became a weapon as he assaulted Luo Ya.

The sixteen flame blades formed an impenetrable defense, and relying on the protection of the Infernal Fire Prison, Luo Ya launched a frenzied counter-attack.

However, once Ambux was wreathed in blue flames, every strike he landed caused the flame blades to dissipate, even when blocked.

The two traded hundreds of blows, fighting from the afternoon until the sun slowly began to rise the next morning.

The battle finally paused when Luo Ya's flame blades completely vanished, and Ambux was left with several deep, bone-exposed wounds.

The two stared at each other, panting heavily. Ambux trembled slightly; the damage to his soul combined with the searing pain from Ryujin Jakka had taken a heavy toll.

Luo Ya was also bleeding from his nose and mouth after being struck several times, his stamina severely depleted, and his consciousness drifting in and out due to the damage to his soul.

"Do you know why Anubis is a Mythical Zoan? It is because it grants the ability to manipulate souls. Your soul damage must be quite severe by now, isn't it?"

"Heh, anyone can talk big. I'll cut you down soon enough."

"Haha, whether it was absorbing your flames or attacking your soul upon contact, it was all thanks to this technique: Soul Absorption. Normally, this move only works through physical touch."

"But ever since I pushed it to a new realm, I've developed a new way to use it."

As Ambux spoke, he raised his arms high, his blue flames intensifying. Outside the castle, which had been reduced to ruins by their battle, countless spheres of blue flame swarmed toward Ambux like moths to a flame.

Finally, the flames ceased, revealing a fully restored Ambux.

"Did you think I kept those lowly commoners around just as food? Hahaha, in my kingdom, no one can defeat me!"

Having recovered his strength, Ambux laughed and launched a new wave of attacks at Luo Ya.

Luo Ya, temporarily unable to unleash the Infernal Fire Prison, found himself struggling to keep up.

He blocked an elbow strike with his blade, only to be sent flying by the knee strike that followed immediately after.

Close-quarters combat is too disadvantageous; I must take the initiative! Luo Ya thought, rolling away the moment he hit the ground to put some distance between them.

He scrambled to his feet, black flames roaring to life around his body before being heavily compressed into Ryujin Jakka, vanishing from sight.

It was worth noting that the Setting Sun Blade had originally been developed to counter opponents with overwhelming individual strength.

However, once Ryujin Jakka's temperature returned to three thousand degrees Celsius, the technique had become meaningless, as compressing ordinary flames could no longer raise the blade's temperature.

Yet, compressing black flames into Ryujin Jakka was essentially an infusion of Haki and soul energy, effectively reactivating the technique that had once faded into obscurity.

Luo Ya swung the pitch-black Ryujin Jakka violently toward Ambux, the high heat causing the air to warp and distort.

Ambux's Observation Haki screamed a frantic warning, and he dodged the strike by leaning to the side, but before he could counterattack, Luo Ya slashed again, severing Ambux's left arm at the shoulder. The wound instantly charred, emitting the scent of burnt flesh without a single drop of blood escaping.

Ambux was a ruthless man; even with his left arm severed, he gritted his teeth and channeled a massive amount of blue flames into his right fist.

He struck out fiercely toward Luo Ya's temple.

With a bang, a dim blade of fire manifested to block Ambux's lethal punch, and while Ambux was overextended and unable to change his move, Luo Ya slashed horizontally across his neck.

A sizzling sound echoed as a massive dog head separated from the neck, and Ambux's headless body collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Thwack. "Phew, I won." Luo Ya looked down at Ambux's headless corpse, lit a cigarette, and slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke to ease the exhaustion following the intense battle.