"So these are Fourth-Rank battles?!"

One of the spectators shouted in astonishment.

Meanwhile another said:

"They’re monsters!"

"When does their energy run out?"

Someone else asked.

"I think this is the end... they’ve been fighting for a long time."

"Shut up, idiot...

Can’t you see how fast they are? How would their power run out this quickly when they move like that?!"

The crowd’s discussions were loud and tense.

Some wanted the fight to continue.

Others argued back with the same excitement.

But the arena overseers were present to suppress any spark of conflict.

On the other hand...

The sections reserved for Third and Fourth-Rank Lords were far calmer and more focused.

The conversations were scarce and fragmented.

No one wanted to reveal useful information.

Or a decisive observation.

Not if another Lord could benefit from it.

In one section...

Snow Lord with the white eyes sat silently.

His eyes narrowed in concentration.

Suddenly...

Three Lords sat near him.

"Snow Lord...

What a coincidence meeting here."

Black Lightning Lord said.

He sat down.

Then beside him sat both Forest Bird and Killing Eyes Lord.

"The Lord who supposedly hates fighting...

Why are you here?"

Snow Lord turned toward Black Lightning Lord.

Black Lightning laughed and replied:

"Not liking it...

Doesn’t mean I dislike watching it."

"You won’t participate either then...

Lady Forest Bird."

Snow Lord looked toward the beautiful woman with her radiant smile.

"No, I won’t."

She replied with a charming smile.

"Forget that...

Look."

Killing Eyes Lord snorted.

His eyes were fixed on the battlefield.

The battle before them...

Was no longer a distant exchange of attacks.

Ivory Mask Lord had descended from the sky toward his stationary opponent.

His speed was immense.

His movements refined.

He exchanged hundreds of blows.

And shattered over a thousand powerful whips using his blade formed from wind edges.

Meanwhile...

Even the hundreds of whips that could barely be seen because of their speed...

Still failed to hit him.

"Everyone’s quiet..."

Black Lightning whispered.

"No one wants to explain anything...

So I’ll say it myself."

He paused briefly.

The other three paid attention.

Then he added:

"Those winds...

Are they a weapon?

Or an ability?"

"I don’t know."

The woman answered immediately.

Still smiling.

Meanwhile the other two Lords focused even harder.

Killing Eyes Lord whispered:

"If it’s a weapon...

Then how does it possess so many forms?

Even Ancient Weapons don’t have this many configurations."

"You’re right..."

The woman quickly replied.

"So far he’s used what...

Five or six forms?"

"Five?

I think four."

Killing Eyes Lord said.

"No."

Snow Lord whispered, finally entering the discussion.

"He used the star form.

The natural circles.

The rectangular forms.

The sword shape.

And also...

Those ones carrying him in the sky."

"You’re right."

The woman answered.

"No."

Black Lightning whispered with a laugh.

"What about those fans?

Aren’t they a sixth form?"

Silence fell briefly.

Everyone’s eyes...

Returned toward the arena.

There...

Ivory Mask Lord descended at blinding speed.

The long Wind Sword spun in his hand...

Splitting grassy whips apart one after another.

Meanwhile the winds around him spiraled like a living cyclone.

"No...

This isn’t just multiple forms."

Snow Lord finally whispered.

The three narrowed their eyes toward him.

Then he continued:

"Those winds...

React to the battle itself."

"What do you mean?"

Killing Eyes Lord asked.

Snow Lord slowly raised his hand...

And pointed toward the battlefield.

New numbers of blades had appeared there.

"Look carefully...

Every form he uses...

Creates a different function."

"The fans are for pressure and field control.

The sword is for penetration.

The circles are for rotation and destruction.

The stars alter trajectories."

He paused briefly.

Then whispered:

"He doesn’t merely possess a weapon...

He possesses an entire combat style built around wind."

Black Lightning Lord’s smile widened.

"Terrifying."

He said it simply.

As for Forest Bird...

She had begun looking toward the arena with a completely different level of interest.

"This Lord..."

She whispered.

"He’s not the type to suddenly appear and then disappear."

On the battlefield...

Another explosion thundered.

BOOOOOOM!

Dozens of whips retreated.

Meanwhile Ivory Mask Lord surged directly toward his opponent.

And for the first time since the battle began...

Lord Grass Puppet...

Started retreating backward.

"Impossible..."

Killing Eyes Lord whispered.

"Does he possess more than one weapon?"

"Impossible."

Snow Lord answered.

"But..."

He lowered his voice.

Then added:

"Perhaps...

A weapon and an ability both related to wind?"

"So that’s it..."

Forest Bird whispered.

"Terrifying."

Black Lightning answered again with a grin.

"A weapon and an ability of the same type...

He’s lucky."

He looked toward the battlefield.

Lord Grass Puppet...

Retreated several more steps.

The pressure upon him had grown much heavier.

His powerful whips could cut apart all independent blades.

And in the worst case...

The confrontation would end with both whip and blade destroyed together.

But his true problem...

Was the descent of the other Lord.

That sword in his hand...

No whip could withstand it.

And with the support of the winds and his immense speed...

The whips were falling far faster than the blades.

After many exchanges...

Lord Grass Puppet no longer had any whip protecting him.

Ivory Mask kicked off the ground—

And shot forward like an arrow.

His right hand gripped the terrifying weapon tightly.

The roar of the spinning blades forming the sword was deafening.

SWOOOOOOOOOSH!

It tore through the air violently.

In the spectator stands...

The Lords’ eyes widened.

"He’s ending the match."

Forest Bird whispered.

Lord Grass Puppet did not move.

He remained standing.

His calm eyes following the approaching enemy.

Fifty meters.

Thirty.

Ten.

And the moment the sword came only meters away from his neck—

Suddenly...

Lord Grass Puppet smiled.

"Hah?" 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Black Lightning whispered.

Then—

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

Suddenly—

The earth beneath Lord Grass Puppet cracked apart.

Not a normal explosion...

But—

A colossal rupture.

Soil and grass burst violently into the air.

And in the next instant—

Something enormous emerged from beneath the ground.

A gigantic grassy shell.

Like a massive closed hazelnut.

It wrapped entirely around Lord Grass Puppet...

Protecting him from every direction.

Ivory Mask Lord’s eyes widened.

But his speed...

Did not stop.

SWOOOOOOOSH!

The Wind Sword surged forward with all its might.

The shriek of the blades forming it screamed violently.

Then—

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!

The sword collided against the hazelnut shell.

Ivory Mask’s entire movement halted.

The sound alone...

Was enough to shake the battlefield.

The winds exploded.

The earth cracked beneath his feet.

But—

The shell did not shatter.

It didn’t even...

Crack.

"What kind of toughness is this?!"

One Lord whispered in disbelief.

As for Ivory Mask...

His eyes narrowed.

He felt a massive recoil surge through his arm.

And before he could fully comprehend the shell’s strength—

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!

The earth exploded again.

This time...

Across the entire battlefield.

More than two thousand green whips erupted simultaneously.

These weren’t thin like before.

Instead—

They were thick.

Long.

And covered in pulsating wooden veins.

Every single one surged toward Ivory Mask Lord.

And in a single instant—

They surrounded him from every direction.

But—

They did not attack.

Instead—

They connected together.

Like roots.

Intertwining.

Overlapping.

Then slowly coiling around him in circles.

Layer upon layer.

Until—

A massive circular prison formed.

The audience.

The Lords.

Everyone...

Could no longer see anything.

Only—

A gigantic grassy sphere sealed completely shut.

The winds outside slowly calmed.

As for inside...

Darkness dominated everything.

Heavy air.

A suffocating grassy scent.

Ivory Mask stood firmly.

He did not move.

His eyes wandered through the sealed prison.

Behind him...

A thick grassy wall.

Ahead...

Interwoven roots moved slowly...

Like a living creature breathing.

And on the opposite side—

Lord Grass Puppet remained standing.

Protected within the powerful shell.

Calm.

Silent.

Then finally his voice echoed throughout the darkness:

"Now..."

"There is no escape anymore."

The echo of Lord Puppet’s voice reverberated violently through the grassy prison.

.

.

"As expected."

I whispered.

"So that wasn’t the full power of a Fourth-Rank Lord...

Now...

He’s finally showing his real strength.

Good."

I extended my left hand.

From nothingness—

A small box appeared.

The box suddenly opened.

And from inside—

A two-meter iron cage leaped out.

The buzzing of cicadas filled the area.

The cage opened—

And tens of thousands of cicadas poured outward.

Then—

Light emerged from the back of every insect.

Yellow.

Soft.

Like tiny lanterns floating in darkness.

The insects spread toward the edges of the grassy prison.

Many clung to the roots.

Others floated overhead like scattered lamps.

"Let’s inspect the area first."

I whispered.

"I don’t like fighting in darkness."

I looked right and left.

Suddenly—

A wave of dizziness struck me briefly.

"What’s this?"

I scoffed.

I closed my eyes.

Then—

"You."

My eyes narrowed toward the shell.

"You’re using this prison to drain my accumulation?"

There was no answer.

Meanwhile the drain had already begun.

Slowly...

But steadily.

Dozens of blades...

Quickly formed around me.

SWOOOOSH!

They surged toward the prison walls.

But—

There was no damage.

It truly seemed unbreakable.

I lunged personally.

Struck the roots.

They cracked.

Then—

More roots surged rapidly forward...

Merging to replace them.

"Were those whips weak against my sword on purpose?"

I whispered.

I took several steps forward.

"Were you luring me in here from the beginning?"

No answer.

Fine.

If he wouldn’t respond—

"Since we’re alone here...

Far away from everyone’s eyes...

There’s no harm in trying something."

I said.

I closed my eyes.

Extended my hand—

Then hundreds of blades appeared.

They connected together...

Until they transformed into a sword similar to the one in my hand.

But larger.

"Don’t worry."

I said.

"I’m not attacking you with this."

Then—

I summoned dozens more.

Within moments...

Ten massive swords floated before me.

Then—

"It’s time to test my mental strength."

I whispered internally.

I gave the command for the ten swords to merge.

They moved closer together.

Then began fusing.

A tremendous sound erupted.

Its echoes filled the enclosed prison.

A suffocating pressure began striking me.

"Come onnn!"

I screamed internally.

The sound intensified further.

Aaaah...

A faint pain started spreading through my head.

I extended both hands toward the ten swords.

Pressed harder.

Suddenly—

Two swords fused together.

A new sword formed.

Same size—

But silver instead of white.

Sharper pain erupted in my skull.

"I won’t let it stop me."

I whispered.

Two more swords fused.

My fingers began trembling.

Then suddenly—

BOOOOOOM!

Two swords exploded violently.

Numerous fragments shot toward me.

Aaagh!

My leg—

It had been cut.

But—

My eyes remained focused on the weapons.

I couldn’t lose balance.

Couldn’t lose concentration.

Suddenly—

Two more swords fused.

After several moments...

The final pair fused together as well.

Then—

I exhaled deeply.

Released greater aura.

And began merging the four silver swords.

Intense pain struck instantly.

Still—

I pushed more energy.

Continued forcing it.

Then—

Two swords merged.

A new sword appeared.

Same size—

But darker silver.

I focused again toward the remaining pair.

After a while...

They fused as well—

Creating another dark silver sword.

Two swords floated before me now.

Immense and violent energy radiated from them.

I could barely recognize their original blade structure anymore.

Weeks ago...

I tried merging different forms and types.

I fought numerous Catastrophe Beasts.

And in the end...

I managed to create this new power.

"Deadly Silver Spears."

I whispered.

I moved.

Step after step toward the Lord.

"Before these spears..."

I said while continuing forward.

"Not even a Greater Catastrophe Beast endured."

I stopped several steps away.

"Let’s see..."

I whispered.

"Whether your shell is tougher than that."

I raised my left hand.

One silver spear rose upward.

Then raised my right.

The second silver spear floated upward as well.

I pulled both arms backward.

Suddenly—

The two spears shone with concentrated violent aura.

Silver light reflected across the grassy walls...

Making the darkness resemble a cavern filled with lightning.

I smiled.

"Now."

I whispered.

Then—

I swung downward violently toward the shell.

SWOOOOOOOOOOOSH!!

The two silver spears shot forward like twin meteors falling from the heavens.

And in the next instant—

They collided against the grassy shell.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!