Transmigrated with my corruption system

The moment he issued the command, inky darkness unfurled from his body in massive torrents.

It stretched out for tens, then hundreds, before encapsulating thousands of meters. Soon it overshadowed the range of Thunderblade’s storm clouds and continued to pour out freely, surpassing them greatly.

The sight drew gasps of awe and shock from both armies as they stared at the expanding darkness, feeling the overwhelming power it radiated.

But Thunderblade only grew more excited. He chuckled beneath his breath, until the smile vanished from his face as he watched the dark-robed youth flick his wrist.

In the next instant, the darkness stopped expanding and began to compress. The outline of a massive blade took shape.

As the potency of the aura grew stronger, the front rows of both armies could no longer hold their ground. They were pushed back hundreds of meters.

When the blade fully formed, a scowl stretched across Thunderblade’s face.

The aura radiating from the fifty-meter blade, glimmering with intricate runes and sigils, far exceeded the regular thresholds of a peak D-rank powerhouse.

If he took that attack head-on at the very beginning of the battle, the rest of the fight would not go well for him.

Raising both arms, lightning shot forth from the clouds and his own body, coalescing into a suit of armor forged from pure lightning.

But he wasn’t done yet. Forming a series of rapid hand incantations, multiple thunderbolts rained down, forming buzzing walls of lightning.

Still, even with all this preparation, he wasn’t entirely confident. He was forced to pull out a treasure he had been hoarding for a long time.

A Great Defense Talisman. One he had gone through great lengths to acquire during one of his ventures outside Tempest City.

The moment he activated it, the talisman exploded into a protective dome that would offer him protection for at least half an hour. It possessed the might to block several peak D-rank attacks before collapsing.

He had thought he would never need to use it. If someone had told him he would be forced to deploy it at the very start of a battle and against a mere youth, he would have laughed it off as nonsense.

But this was no joke. He could clearly sense the terrifying power radiating from the blade. Ulric wielded it with even greater ease.

Its edges were now smooth, intricate patterns of sigils and runes pulsing across its frame in an entrancing manner. Wisps of corrosive energy leaked out in terrifying waves, corroding everything within a few hundred meters. A truly abominable blade by any measure.

Compared to the previous versions he could conjure, its might easily exceeded them several times over.

Satisfied with its spectral form, Ulric waved his hand, sending the massive blade streaking forward. It pierced through the air with a piercing screech trailing behind it.

Following his will, it tore through the multiple walls of lightning as if they were made of paper. None of them even disrupted its momentum.

Seeing the sight, Thunderblade’s eyes constricted slightly. He watched the blade crash toward the barrier formed by the talisman.

For a moment, the dome held, halting the blade’s charge. But before he could even breathe in relief, microfractures spread across its surface, followed by a sizzling sound. Then the dome burst apart into wisps of energy.

A couple of seconds! Thunderblade yelled inwardly. That was all the talisman supposed to withstand multiple peak D-rank attacks had managed to endure.

There was no time to dwell on it. Channeling the last of his lightning, he formed a desperate plan and tilted his head sharply just as the blade aimed for him.

His throat went dry as the blade grazed his cheek. A deathly screech filled his ears before the weapon crashed into the distance, rocking the ground with an explosion that carved a massive crater hundreds of meters wide.

"It missed?" Ulric mused, his brows arching slightly.

But it wasn’t as simple as it appeared. The blade was an extension of himself, meaning he could adjust its aim even when opponents tried to dodge.

He could sense the blue-robed man had done something clever. Just as the blade was about to pierce him, Thunderblade had tilted his head while creating a lightning clone that had eluded detection for a split second.

That was all it took. The blade had crashed into the lightning clone instead of its intended target.

"Interesting," Ulric muttered.

Not many would have even survived being in such close range with the blade, yet this man had not only dodged it but countered cleverly. It only confirmed the thought circling in Ulric’s mind.

He was special. He wasn’t as fragile as the rest of the D-ranks.

A quick Appraisal confirmed it.

"Level 75," Ulric muttered under his breath. The absolute limit of peak D-rank.

Raising his head, his crimson gaze locked with Thunderblade’s purple eyes. As if their minds had synced for a moment, both figures blurred. One into arcs of lightning, the other into deathly trails of shadow and charged at each other.

Yes... yes! This is it! Thunderblade yelled inwardly. His excitement grew uncontainable. He had stared death in the eye for a moment, but that wasn’t what mattered. In that instant, he had felt the blade graze his cheek.

He had felt the bottleneck that hadn’t budged for years sway slightly. This was it. A few more clashes and he could push for the breakthrough.

The thought caused his eyes to light up brilliantly, buzzing with lightning as his fingers curled into fists. This was how he would ascend to C-rank! It was almost as if their battle had been destined by the heavens.

"T-this..." Kaelgor muttered, finally finding his voice as he gulped audibly.

He watched the two blurring figures charge for a few seconds. At first it had seemed like they were locked in a stalemate, but as the battle raged on, that illusion shattered. The darkness prevailed over the lightning, constantly pushing Thunderblade back and forcing him onto the losing side.

The sight made Kaelgor glance at the clan leaders under Ulric, who now wore smirks on their faces. He could see now where their confidence came from.

It came from the dark-robed figure’s absolute strength.

Aelira stared in similar shock, her eyes fluttering rapidly. Seeing the battle unfold, her breath hitched slightly.

If this was only a portion of Ulric’s strength, she could finally understand why Amber and the others hadn’t seemed concerned about his well-being.

As the thought formed, her lips twitched rapidly. Had he been holding back during their own battle? With this level of power, a single flick of his fingers would have been enough to kill her multiple times over.

But none of that mattered now. She could tell he had grown stronger at a rate far beyond her wildest imaginations. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

The realization caused delight to well up in her heart. Memories of their shared night flickered through her mind, bringing a faint blush to her face and heat pooling between her thighs, sparking fresh battle intent.

If only he hadn’t been so stubborn about claiming the strongest opponents for himself... she mused, before freezing in sudden realization. A mischievous light glinted in her eyes.

He had said he wanted the clan leaders all for himself because they were the strongest... but with this new figure drawing his attention, the rest were now left wide open.

Smiling at the thought, she raised the massive hammer holstered on her shoulders. A fierce yell tore from her throat as she charged forward.

"Attack!"

The army behind her stared for a moment. They had seen how close she was to the lord. More than that, Ulric’s words still echoed in their heads. They followed behind her without hesitation, bloodlust reeking from their eyes.

It was time to carve a wave of carnage through the enemy lines. They had witnessed his might, and they would not disappoint him as they joined the battle.