Chapter 317: Chapter 51: I’ll Probably Never Forget You

After pinning Mephit against the city wall, he began a one-sided beatdown. He mercilessly aimed heavy blows at the Knightess’s vitals and her face, striking again and again, and again.

THUD—

THUD—

THUD—

Each punch sent visible ripples through the air, transmitting terrifying vibrations.

Even though his fists were landing on Mephit’s protective barrier, and the storm had scraped his knuckles raw until they bled, revealing the stark white of bone, Westheid’s assault never faltered for a moment.

Mephit endured hundreds of one-sided blows, blocking them all with the storm barrier constructed from her Blessing. The moment Westheid paused, she suddenly erupted, countering and seizing his wrist as she swiftly drove her knee upward.

BOOM—

The blue-haired girl held nothing back in her knee strike. A pillar of air, formed from a condensed storm, materialized behind Westheid and shot straight into the clouds.

"Puah—"

Westheid’s vision went black. His soul nearly left his body as he coughed up fragments of his internal organs.

But he fought the urge to pass out, roaring as he lunged forward and delivered a vicious blow to Mephit’s abdomen in return.

The blue-haired girl coughed, then burst into laughter. "So that was your plan? Ah, a reasonable tactic. My Celestial Blessing is indeed almost depleted, but no matter... I still have one last burst left in me. Lord Westheid, let us decide the victor."

The two figures continued to flicker, blinking all over the battlefield even within the Domain of the [Gale Heart]. Transcendents below the rank of Legend couldn’t even follow their movements.

The strongest against the strongest. What a damn satisfying fight!

One possessed the [Riding God Steel Will]; the other was a collection of T0 Talents, all at complete mastery. It was hard to tell who had the upper hand... or rather, Westheid was at a significant disadvantage.

’As I thought, she isn’t going to let me boil her slowly. Mephit is concentrating all her remaining Celestial Blessing in exchange for one final shot at victory.’

Westheid did the same. He activated the [Soul Burning Technique], which he had never used before. As his stamina and Magic Power rapidly depleted, and crimson cracks spread and seared across his skin, his power began to soar! To surge! To explode!

He could no longer perceive anything besides pain and the impulse to attack. He was running on sheer will—a determination that absolutely could not admit defeat or slacken.

The suffocatingly intense battle raged on for an unknown length of time. All that was certain was that each collision kicked up a shockwave that horrified the onlookers, sweeping over them like the gale from a distant avalanche.

As Mephit fought fiercely with Westheid, she began to softly chant a hymn:

"May the storm fail to strike you down. May you be ever unyielding, tempered into Divine Steel. May you be absolute in your might, your strength never to recede..."

The soft, beautiful chant was lost amidst the roar of the blizzard and the surging shockwaves, its notes shattering into fragments.

As their stamina rapidly drained, their fight devolved into something like a turn-based battle. One moment, Westheid would catch Mephit and unleash a flurry of savage strikes; the next, Mephit would seize an opening and counter with potentially fatal blows.

There was no technique to speak of, no room for clever tactics—only a pure clash of power and will.

The first to give out would be the first to fall!

Finally, after pinning Mephit down and pummeling her until his own strength gave out, Westheid let go and stood dazedly in place, waiting for his stamina to recover.

"Hah... hah... haha..."

The blue-haired girl got to her feet, panting heavily. Just as Westheid braced himself for a storm-like assault, the expected blow never came. Instead, a delicate figure threw herself into his arms.

Mephit’s beautiful indigo eyes sparkled with adoration and joy. She rested her head on Westheid’s shoulder, reaching up to gently caress his cheek as she murmured in a daze:

"Ah... Lord Westheid, as a Yonglan Knight, you are truly... incredibly powerful..."

Then, the Knightess closed her eyes, her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground. The last wisp of the storm swirling around her dissipated.

Gazing at the collapsed, exhausted Mephit, Westheid’s expression was dazed for a moment before he finally realized he had won.

A faint smile touched his handsome, bloodied, and battered face. He looked down at the fallen, blue-haired girl and said:

"That was a truly exhilarating fight. I don’t think I’ll ever forget you, Mephit."

Despite his stats being far inferior to Mephit and her Celestial Blessing, Westheid had managed to defeat her through sheer tactics and skill. Compared to a simple victory through overwhelming stats, the sense of accomplishment from this battle made him tremble with satisfaction.

"West!"

"Teacher West!"

The moment the victor was decided, Reiya and Mivana, who had been waiting anxiously, rushed to Westheid’s side. They supported their lover, who was covered in blood and riddled with wounds.

Westheid waved a hand.

"It’s nothing, just minor injuries... *cough, cough!* Anyway, just let me rest for a bit."

For Westheid, who possessed multiple T0 and T1 Talents, all his injuries could heal completely within a day—all except for those from the [Soul Burning Technique], which was a special case and more difficult to recover from.

As for why...

’I’m just too damn durable. This is a victory for martial arts!’

Her lack of a powerful method of recovery was the sole reason for Mephit’s defeat!

As Westheid was helped back to the front of the pilgrim army by the two women, the Qinghui Guard quickly wiped away their tears and cheered ecstatically:

"His Majesty has humbled the Divine Chosen! His Majesty is peerless!"

"Yeah! I knew His Majesty was invincible!"