Several figures in black outfits stood together, gazing fixedly at the vast plain ground before them.
"Are we sure this is a good idea?" Beta asked while fixing her glasses.
"There must be a reason he is doing this. We can only hope to support him to the best of our abilities..." Alpha said in a calm voice, glancing at Aurora at her side.
Witch of Calamity, Demin Diabolos—Aurora.
She who should have been dead centuries ago was now standing beside her in the flesh.
It must be because of Lioro's magic.
Alpha contemplated quickly in her mind before turning back to look at the two figures standing opposite each other in the distance.
"Go, my knight! Win the battle!"
Aurora's sudden excited shout caught everyone off guard.
Hearing the loud cheers for Lioro, Alpha and the members of the Seven Shadows were instantly enraged.
"Go, Lord Shadow!"
"Beat his ass!"
"You're the best! Shadow!"
----
On the empty field—
Shadow's black slime suit silently fluttered in the wind.
Lioro stood on the other side, his hands in his pockets, looking calm.
"You ready?"
"I was born ready."
"...."
Okay.
"I gave a few revival scrolls to Aurora, so feel free to go all out."
Lioro smiled, then took out a gold coin from his inventory.
With a casual motion, he flipped the coin, making it spin through the air.
As the coin approached the ground, time suddenly slowed down.
And the moment it hit the ground—
Shadow moved.
He took a step forward.
Then disappeared without a trace.
Shadow Style Swordsmanship.
Like a ghost, he appeared behind Lioro, tightly gripping a pitch-black sword in hand.
Without even a hint of hesitation, he struck—his blade ruthless, aiming straight for the neck, going right for the kill.
Alas.
His blade stopped an inch before hitting Lioro.
At the same time, a pair of clear blue eyes filled his vision.
A pitch-black nine-petal lotus shot straight toward him.
Tier 10 Spell: Final Oblivion.
At such a close distance, even Lioro would be hit by the attack—
that is, if he wasn't covered by Infinity.
Boom.
The terrible might of a Tier 10 spell spread out, enveloping the two inside a thick dark miasma filled with the death element, shocking the onlookers.
For weaker creatures, even touching the fog would result in an instant death check, let alone inhaling it.
But suddenly, the entire miasma parted as a sword strike of purple mana bisected the black death in two, heading straight toward Lioro.
In response, Lioro simply sidestepped, easily avoiding it.
A single directional attack like a magic sword strike from such a distance would never hit him.
At the same time, Shadow's figure appeared at his side. As if predicting his move, he moved like a reaper, his sword once again striking at Lioro.
Of course, it would be blocked by Infinity—
Lioro suddenly had a feeling.
Shadow wasn't stupid.
So why would he use the same attack again?
He suddenly remembered Aurora's advice to always take his opponent seriously, especially when the other person is a shounen protagonist.
Going with his instinct, Lioro disappeared from the place, appearing 20 feet away.
Teleportation.
Lioro stepped on the ground and looked down at his shoulder.
His cloth was cut, revealing a clear bloody mark.
Lioro turned back to look at his opponent with interest.
Shadow stood calmly in place, simply holding his unassuming pitch-black sword in hand.
Everything seemed the same.
So… what exactly changed?
"Surprised?" Shadow asked with a grin.
"Yes," Lioro easily admitted.
"It's space, isn't it? You're manipulating space, which means..." Shadow raised his blade and continued,
"I just need to use space to cut space."
Purple mana rushed through his sword, shaking it at a speed invisible to the naked eye.
Lioro focused on the sword.
And then he saw it.
Very small, minuscule tears in space had formed around Shadow's sword due to the intense vibration.
It was an incredible feat that normal weapons would never be able to withstand.
But Shadow's weapon was made of slime, not any metal.
[Martial Arts Skill "Tremor Sword" detected… requires purple mana to learn… condition fulfilled…]
Lioro spent a skill point and learned it.
Instantly, he understood the workings of the skill and smiled.
"When did you come up with it?"
"I've been thinking since the first time I saw you use it..." Shadow replied.
"Now that we know my blade can reach you, are you prepared?
To taste defeat?"
Hearing his words—
The corners of Lioro's mouth unconsciously lifted up, forming a wide smile.
"Don't get ahead of yourself and say things you are incapable of doing."
Shadow pointed his sword straight at Lioro as a purple light flashed through his eyes.
"Then come and prove me wrong."
The next moment—
A terrible amount of mana rushed out of Lioro's body, distorting the air and sending shockwaves everywhere.
Tens of terrifying purple balls of light appeared around him.
10th Tier Magic: Hollow Purple.
"Let me help you understand the meaning of unlimited mana."
Lioro raised his finger toward Shadow and said,
"Don't die."
Tens of Hollow Purple orbs moved at the same time, rushing toward Shadow from all directions, making his pupils shrink.
Shadow Style Swordsmanship.
His movements left afterimages; he dodged 10th-tier magic left and right.
Of course, even with his speed, it was impossible to dodge everything.
So he waved his shaking blade and cut apart the 10th-tier magic using the power of space.
Then without missing a beat, he rushed toward his opponent at incredible speed.
Seeing him approach, Lioro's ring glowed, the space before him shattered, revealing the hilt of a black sword.
He grabbed it and pulled it out, revealing the figure of his masterpiece in all its glory.
Black Dragon's Sword.
Faint roars of the black calamity could be distinctly heard throughout the battlefield.
Shadow's strike arrived.
A deadly strike containing his experience, years of hard work, and effort.
It was truly the pinnacle of mortal swordsmanship.
And similar to his unmatched sword—
In another world…
There was someone…
Who, just like him…
Remained undefeated.
Fire rushed out of Lioro's mouth.
"Sun Breathing."
Fourth Form: Burning Bones, Summer Sun.
Seeing the flaming sword—
An illusory figure seemed to appear in Shadow's mind.
A figure with long waving hair and an unnatural mark on his face.
Shadow met his eyes—
And felt…
A single-minded, almost obsessive determination that bordered on madness.
As their weapons collided—
Shadow was instantly thrown back.
But instead of feeling upset—
He started laughing in exhilaration.
Instantly getting back to his feet, he rushed straight back.
"Ahahaha! This is it! This is what I've been waiting for!!"
Sun Breathing.
Shadow Style.
The two styles collided, going all out, breaking the earth, boiling the air.
Lioro's sword cut Shadow.
Instantly, Shadow felt his strength weaken.
He understood—being struck by that sword decreased his strength.
But he didn't step back.
Instead, he became even more fearsome in his assault.
Lioro and Shadow moved faster than the eye could capture.
Their weapons struck each other nonstop.
It was a fight between ideas.
A battle to prove whose path was superior.
But alas—
One of them…
Was a fake.
And that truth was about to be revealed.
After all—
For a true genius…
A battle between equals is a breeding ground for growth.
And Shadow was improving.
He was learning.
While Lioro wasn't.
It happened sooner than expected.
Lioro's sword cut toward Shadow's neck, like it had done hundreds of times in the past minute.
Only this time—
It missed its mark.
Shadow moved his head, making the attack miss.
And the next moment—
A clean sword mark appeared on Lioro's chest.
"I see through your strike."
Shadow raised his sword and unleashed several unnatural strikes.
They were different from his usual style.
But every single one of them—
Managed to get past Lioro's sword and strike his body.
Slash.
Teleportation.
Lioro's figure flashed and appeared a distance away.
"Your sword... is fake," Shadow declared while staring straight at him from afar.
"I learned it from a friend," Lioro replied in a casual tone while healing his injuries with reversed cursed technique.
"A friend from another world?" Shadow asked, his eyes glowing with anticipation.
"Yes."
"I'd like to meet him."
"Sure."
Lioro agreed without a second thought.
"Then… let's take things up a notch."
"Oh? You still have things you hide?" Shadow asked with interest.
"Yeah, there's a lot I haven't shown."
"You—"
"10th-tier magic: Time Stop."
The world came to a halt.
Interestingly, time-stop spells have a distance radius.
Meaning they don't stop the time of the whole world, but instead create a dome-like structure that freezes time in a particular area.
That was why, when the members of Shadow Garden saw Lioro casually walk up to the frozen Shadow, they wondered if the battle was over.
But then they were proven wrong when Lioro kicked Shadow and sent him flying.
Just as they wondered what was going on, it happened again.
Then again.
And again.
"Delta is confused! What is Boss-man doing??" Delta stood up and complained in a loud voice.
But no one replied to her, as everyone else was just as confused.
Though—
There was one who understood what was happening.
Someone who had experienced it firsthand.
"Time… He's stopping time…" Aurora said as a drop of sweat slid down her cheek.
Her voice was small—
But it made everyone freeze.
Of course, there were always exceptions.
"Um, what is time?" Delta asked with an innocent look on her face.
"….."
----
"Dammit, what the hell is happen—"
"10th-tier magic: Time Stop."
Lioro walked up to the frozen Shadow and positioned himself to kick his head.
And as soon as the time-stop ended, his kick landed right on Shadow's face, sending him crashing into the ground.
After repeating it a few more times, Lioro stopped.
"F*ck! Bastard! Always hitting my face!" Shadow roared in an unresigned voice after being beaten left and right without any means of fighting back.
Then suddenly he noticed the attacks weren't coming and stopped cursing.
Quickly standing up, he locked gazes with Lioro, who was standing at a distance giving him a friendly smile.
"Dammit! You piece of shit!"
Shadow roared, completely abandoning his Eminence-in-Shadow act and becoming ferocious like a maddened beast.
He harshly stepped on the ground, cracking the earth, making purple lines spread out in an instant.
"Finally here…" Lioro muttered, seeing the ominous purple lines covering the sky.
"Bear witness! To my unchallengeable! Unbeatable might!"
Highly concentrated mana filled the purple lines.
[Super-Tier Spell "I Am Atomic" detected… requires purple mana to learn… condition fulfilled… would you like to learn it?]
'Yes.'
As the vast knowledge of his new super-tier spell filled Lioro's mind, a distorted voice rang throughout the place.
"I... AM..."
Shadow raised his purple-glowing sword toward Lioro.
In response, Lioro also pointed his finger toward him.
One of his rings glowed with an eerie light.
"ATOM—"
"Temporal Collapse."
All the purple lines shattered.
"???"
Shadow's pupils widened in disbelief.
At the same time, he was hit by the backlash of the super-tier spell's destruction.
Crack.
Multiple cracks appeared all over his body. His mana veins ruptured at the same time, sending blood spraying everywhere.
But as if the inhuman pain didn't bother him at all, Shadow remained silent, trying to feel his all-powerful attack.
And as he tried, he realized—
"I can't use it… What did you do?..." Shadow asked in a calm voice while looking down at his bleeding palm.
Lioro raised a finger and pointed at one of his rings before saying,
"I can use it to break spells and skills every minute. Don't worry, you can reuse your spell after 3 minutes."
"After 3 minutes… Wait! You can reuse it every minute? And I have to wait for 3??? Isn't that f*cking broken!!" Shadow shouted in indignation.
"You're cheating! I call hacks!!"
"Dragon Lords will also have several unexpected means of attack. Always expect the unexpected."
"Fck!"
Shadow's figure flashed as he quickly appeared before Lioro and grabbed his hand, staring at his rings with dangerously glowing eyes.
"Y… you have so many of them—"
"Each has a different function."
"You pay-to-win bastard! You have to give me one too!"
"Even if you get one, you won't be able to equip it. You don't meet the requirements."
After some bickering, Shadow finally calmed down and said,
"I give up. You win."
"What? But I haven't even used my big moves yet…" Lioro said in a disappointed voice.
Hearing that, the corners of Shadow's mouth couldn't help but twitch.
What am I? A guinea pig for you to test your spells on?
At the same time, the spectators ran toward them.
"Shadow! Are you alright?" Alpha asked in a worried voice, seeing him covered in blood from head to toe.
"Oh, I'm fine. He healed me, so it doesn't hurt."
Shadow said casually.
"It seems you won, my knight," Aurora said while looking at Lioro's uninjured figure.
Except for a few cuts on his clothes, he didn't have wounds.
The members of Shadow Garden noticed it too, and their faces darkened almost simultaneously.
It was like their untouchable, all-powerful god was suddenly defeated by a random passerby.
They didn't know how to feel.
Aurora walked up to Lioro and poked his chest.
"But young man… you used a time-stop spell against a poor, weak maiden! How could you!"
She puffed up her cheeks in defiance.
Lioro blinked, then raised his hands and grabbed her cheeks, stretching them.
"Y-young man! S-stop!!"
Aurora protested loudly. Lioro gave one hard squeeze before releasing her.
"T-this is not how you treat a young lady!" Aurora complained while holding her reddened cheeks.
---------------------
Tremor Sword: An art that vibrates the user's blade using intensely compressed purple mana. The rapid oscillations create microscopic fractures in space itself, allowing the weapon to bypass spatial defenses and cut targets normally untouchable by physical force.
---------------------
Spell: I Am Atomic (Super Tier Magic)
Mana Cost: 50(Purple Mana.)
Cooldown: --
Description:A super-tier annihilation spell that channels mana into a single, ultra-condensed point. Upon release, the spell triggers a chain reaction that destroys everything within the designated radius on an atomic level, leaving behind complete oblivion.This spell is a manifestation of absolute supremacy, a declaration that, before the caster, all matter becomes irrelevant.
Bonus Effect: Causes equal damage to all beings regardless of their faction value.
Penalty: If disrupted the caster will suffer from a 30% decrease in all attributes for 2 minutes.