Black ripples enveloped Fang Zhen, and he instantly felt his body become bound. He could only move within an extremely cramped space. The black ring of light was a type of control Magic, temporarily restricting the movement of both Fang Zhen and his Red Hare Horse.

Tarrenno didn’t stop after casting the binding Magic. The firelight appearing on his greataxe grew increasingly intense and vibrant, eventually enveloping the entire weapon.

The Exotic Beast Warhorse beneath Tarrenno charged forward, combining the force of its momentum with the power of the flaming axe in a heavy strike aimed at Fang Zhen.

Though confined to a small area by the binding Magic, Fang Zhen could still wield his spear. He thrust it forward to meet Tarrenno’s greataxe.

A white light flickered on his spear; it was the Second-stage Power Mountain Seal once more.

BOOM!

The greataxe and the spear crashed together, and a ball of intense flame engulfed Fang Zhen.

The flames raged with thick smoke, so searing that they heated the small pebbles on the ground until they glowed red-hot in moments.

Fang Zhen felt a powerful tremor travel from the greataxe, causing the spear in his hands to vibrate violently.

Tarrenno had used a rather advanced technique. Someone with insufficient strength would have already had their weapon shaken from their grasp.

Fang Zhen managed to keep his grip on the spear, but he had the same feeling as before: the black, spherical shield around Tarrenno had absorbed most of the damage, and it seemed to be storing that absorbed energy.

Fang Zhen’s brow furrowed slightly. ’This shield isn’t as simple as it seems.’

Tarrenno looked surprised as well.

His axe strike was an incredibly powerful attack, yet Fang Zhen appeared completely unscathed. Tarrenno had no idea what technique Fang Zhen had used, only that his opponent seemed impossibly profound.

Just as Tarrenno prepared to press his attack, Fang Zhen suddenly formed a sword gesture with the index and middle fingers of his left hand and pointed forward.

"Kun Sha!"

In an instant, Tarrenno’s expression went slack, and his attack movements ceased.

The Magic ripples binding Fang Zhen also began to weaken.

With a mental command from Fang Zhen, the Red Hare Horse reared up violently, stomping its hooves on the surrounding black ripples.

This thing seemed very similar to Fang Zhen’s Thorn Ring; physical force reduced the duration of the magical control. In an instant, the black ripples trapping Fang Zhen dimmed, then let out a crack like shattering porcelain and vanished.

Suddenly, Fang Zhen’s precognitive senses showed him the black shield around Tarrenno shattering and erupting with a powerful shockwave.

He spurred the Red Hare Horse hard. The horse immediately leaped away, covering a distance of about five or six meters from Tarrenno at incredible speed.

BOOM!

The black, circular area surrounding Tarrenno’s body exploded.

The blast was incredibly powerful, carving a crater into the ground around Tarrenno’s Exotic Beast, like one left by a cannonball.

Fang Zhen, however, had already escaped the epicenter of the blast. He was now more than ten meters away, turning his horse to face his opponent.

He now understood what that black area around Tarrenno had been.

It was some kind of Magic Shield that absorbed impact and damage, then unleashed all that stored power when it dissipated.

’The intense shockwave must have been the combined power of my two absorbed Second-stage Power Mountain Seal strikes, released along with some of his own Magic.’

Tarrenno was panting heavily. It seemed the recent attack and the Spirit assault from the Kun Sha Seal had taken a great toll on his body.

Fang Zhen sensed something was off.

There was no denying Tarrenno was strong—at least, far stronger than Montagu had been after his fall. His collection of Extraordinary Items and Magic abilities was also outstanding. He was indeed worthy of his title as the Kingdom’s First Warrior.

’However, in terms of absolute power, Tarrenno shouldn’t be as strong as Bloody Lord Ellick.’

’This level of strength doesn’t quite measure up to a Nightmare-difficulty dungeon boss.’

’Have I been mistaken?’

’Is Tarrenno not the Demon Duke, the one hidden within the Kingdom of Zambein?’

Despite these thoughts, Fang Zhen didn’t hesitate.

After pulling back to a safe distance, Fang Zhen began tracing circles in the air with his left hand, and a ball of fire formed.

He was using the Fireball Technique ability from his Extraordinary Necklace.

Tarrenno was in a weakened state. Seizing the opportunity, Fang Zhen completed the casting for his Fireball Technique, and a Fireball shot toward his opponent.

Casting the Magic Shield seemed to have consumed a great deal of Tarrenno’s Spirit and stamina, and his condition had clearly deteriorated. He failed to dodge in time, and the Fireball slammed into his Black Dragon Armor.

A Fireball that could melt through a steel plate exploded against Tarrenno’s body in a burst of light. Yet, when the flames died down, his face was merely smudged with soot. The Black Dragon Armor had blocked the Fireball and showed no obvious signs of damage.

’Magic Defense Armor?’ Fang Zhen was slightly surprised. ’Tarrenno’s armor is truly remarkable.’

After a moment’s respite, Tarrenno recovered some of his stamina and Spirit. Mustering his remaining strength, he let out a furious roar. The faint arcs of electricity on his axe head suddenly intensified, gathering before it to form a raging thundercloud with a three-to-four-meter radius.

Swinging his axe, Tarrenno charged swiftly toward Fang Zhen once more.

Fang Zhen believed his Gang Zan Seal could block the lightning, but out of caution, he chose not to engage Tarrenno in close combat.