Defeating Olivier Again

March 2, Year 10024 of the Yulan Calendar, dusk, War God Mountain.

The sunset's lingering glow spilled across the main peak's plaza, bathing the entire mountain in crimson gold. The light seemed almost tangible, like molten gold pouring down from the summit, staining every rock and leaf. Clouds on the distant horizon blazed orange and deep purple, layer upon layer, like a magnificent oil painting.

Twenty-one Saint-level experts gathered in small groups across the plaza. Some drank and chatted, while others sparred in midair, filling the place with activity. Most had spent thousands of years cultivating in seclusion and rarely appeared in public. Some had not even left their training grounds for centuries, yet the opening of the Necropolis of the Gods had brought them all here.

An and Linley descended from the sky side by side.

Their arrival immediately drew everyone's attention.

"Linley's here," someone said. Linley Baruch, the prodigy of the Dragonblood Warrior Clan, had reached the Saint level at thirty. Now at the Saint-level Peak, he was a renowned figure throughout the Yulan Continent.

"Who's that with him? He looks even younger," a Saint-level mage in black robes asked quietly.

"That's An's younger brother, An Baruch. I hear he's even stronger than Linley," the man beside him answered.

"Stronger than Linley? How is that possible? Linley's at the Saint-level Peak. Even among Saints, he's a formidable figure..."

"You're far too out of touch. Last year in the Chaotic Territory, An single-handedly routed thirteen Saints from the Radiant Church and the Dark Church, including Heidens and Affleck. After that battle, the five Saint-level Limit experts became six. An was the newest addition."

"He routed thirteen Saints by himself?" The black-robed mage sucked in a cold breath. Of course he knew that Heidens and Affleck were both Saint-level Peak experts. Those two had joined forces with eleven other Saints, yet a single young man had routed them all. It was simply unbelievable.

Fain came forward to greet them. He was the senior disciple of the War God Sect, a lightning-element expert at the Saint-level Limit.

"Linley, An." Fain smiled in greeting, his gaze lingering on Linley for a moment before settling on An. Fighting spirit shone in his eyes. "Rutherford sent word a while ago that you'd reached the Saint-level Limit while training in the Arctic Icefield. I've been hoping for a chance to test your skills."

An gave a slight nod. "You're too kind, Senior Brother Fain."

Rather than challenge him immediately, Fain first introduced the two to the others. He introduced the experts in the plaza one by one, and An nodded politely to each. Most were old monsters who had made their names thousands of years ago and belonged to much older generations, but with Fain making the introductions, they treated An courteously enough.

After all, strength commanded respect. That was the Yulan Continent's eternal, unchanging law.

Among the crowd, a lean man with long silver hair stood alone in a corner.

Olivier.

When An looked toward Olivier, Olivier looked back.

"An Baruch," Olivier began. "I've never forgotten how you defeated me in the Combat Arena over a decade ago. I've trained tirelessly all these years for another chance to fight you."

"Are you sure you want to do this here?"

Olivier said nothing. He simply drew the longsword from his back.

A powerful aura surged from Olivier. Black and white light intertwined around his body. Light and darkness, two diametrically opposed powers, had reached a wondrous balance within him.

The others in the plaza moved aside, clearing an open space. Everyone watched An and Olivier with excitement and anticipation in their eyes.

Fain did not intervene. Rutherford had spoken extremely highly of An in his message, and Fain wanted to see whether that praise was justified.

An remained where he stood and loosely curled his right hand. An azure Wind Blade condensed in his palm. Thin as a cicada's wing and nearly transparent, it had faint spatial ripples along its edge, as though it might tear through space at any moment.

An's action made everyone present frown.

"Isn't he going to draw his sword?" someone asked quietly.

"He dares act so arrogantly against Olivier? Olivier is no ordinary Saint."

"Perhaps he really is that strong..."

Amid the murmurs, Olivier's gaze grew colder. To him, An's refusal to draw his sword was the greatest possible slight. But he said nothing and merely tightened his grip on his sword.

Olivier transformed into a streak of white light, appearing before An in an instant.

His longsword thrust forward, black and white light intertwining along its blade to form a strange spiral of sword energy. It was a fusion of light and darkness. Beneath his sword, the two opposing forces had achieved a wondrous balance, creating an entirely new power.

An swept his right hand forward. The azure Wind Blade shot from his palm and collided head-on with Olivier's longsword.

Sssht-

There was no thunderous crash as the Wind Blade struck the sword energy, only a faint slicing sound, like a sharp blade passing through silk. The Wind Blade cleaved Olivier's spiraling sword energy down the middle as easily as scissors cutting paper. The black and white light instantly collapsed, scattering in all directions.

Olivier's expression changed sharply. He hurriedly withdrew his sword and retreated.

A fine crack had appeared in his blade.

Olivier lowered his head and stared at the crack for a long time in silence. Defiance flickered in his eyes, but in the end, it all turned to bitterness.

"I lost." Olivier sheathed his sword and returned to his corner, his retreating figure looking forlorn.

Silence blanketed the plaza.

Olivier ranked among the strongest of the twenty-one, yet An had shattered his sword with a single Wind Blade.

Fain watched An, his fighting spirit burning even brighter. His eyes held surprise, excitement, and a trace of eagerness to try his hand. As the War God Sect's senior disciple and a lightning-element expert at the Saint-level Limit, it had been a long time since he had encountered an opponent he had to take seriously.

"An, Rutherford said you'd reached the Saint-level Limit. I never quite believed him. But now I do." Fain stepped forward, a note of solemnity in his voice. "I'd like to experience your strength firsthand."

An looked at Fain, then nodded.

Fain was a true Saint-level Limit expert with a profound understanding of the lightning law. He was on an entirely different level from Olivier.

The two rose into the air, flying high above War God Mountain.

All twenty experts in the plaza looked up to watch. Even those who had been drinking and chatting set down their cups, raised their heads, and fixed their eyes on the sky. A battle between Saint-level Limit experts was a rare opportunity indeed.

Linley stood in the plaza, looking up at An with a trace of worry in his eyes. Fain had been famous for thousands of years and had entered the Necropolis of the Gods four times, returning alive each time. His strength was unfathomable. Among Saint-level Limit experts, Fain undoubtedly ranked in the top three. Although An had also reached the Saint-level Limit, his breakthrough had been too recent. His experience might not match Fain's.