Lara and Kenric separated, hovering roughly thirty meters apart in the air, their domains compressed tightly around their bodies as chaotic energy churned between them.
Kenric grinned broadly, all four of his arms spreading wide as though he were welcoming the confrontation, "You're slower than before, Lara. That injury from our last fight is still haunting you, isn't it?"
Lara's expression did not change in the slightest. "You will see if it's still haunting me or not."
She raised her sword, and crimson light gathered along the blade's edge, condensing until the weapon seemed heavier, denser, and far more dangerous than before. The divine essence coiled around her weapon like living fire, pulsing with intent.
Adrian leaned forward slightly, his focus sharpening.
This was it.
An offensive authority technique.
In that instant, Lara's domain, which had been compressed tightly around her body, expanded explosively. Its radius surged outward by fifty meters in a single breath, colliding violently with Kenric's domain.
The impact rippled through the air. Chaotic energy scattered outward in waves. The disciples behind Adrian flinched, some raising their arms instinctively despite being well outside the clash zone.
Both Lara and Kenric wielded fifty-seven percent authority individually, leaving the remaining forty-three percent under the control of reality itself. So when their domains overlapped and clashed, neither could dominate the other fully. Their authorities were forced into direct contention, splitting the available authority within that fifty-seven percent.
Adrian watched the rules bend and fracture where the domains met. The boundary shimmered, unstable, neither side yielding ground.
In that moment, both Lara's and Kenric's effective authority plummeted to roughly twenty-eight percent each, with the remaining forty-three percent firmly held by reality.
The balance became clear: 28% vs 28% vs 43%
With that reduced margin, the fight resumed.
Lara surged forward at terrifying speed, her sword flashing as she slashed toward Kenric. The blade cut through the air, leaving a trail of crimson light in its wake.
Kenric twisted, all four arms moving in coordinated defense. This time, his body did not transform into fire. Lara's blade struck him directly, tearing flesh across his shoulder and drawing blood. Dark ichor leaked from the wound, evaporating into smoke as it met the chaotic air.
Kenric hissed through clenched teeth and dodged, turning what could have been a lethal blow into a shallow wound. He immediately counterattacked, two of his arms lashing out with dark blue curved blades that materialized from divine essence.
Adrian's eyes narrowed. His Source Eyes focused, intent on understanding what was happening. Why had Kenric not shifted into a non-matter state this time? Why had he allowed himself to be injured? What kind of offensive authority technique were they using?
Kenric mirrored Lara's method. His domain expanded several meters outward, engulfing Lara within it, and he slashed in the same motion. His blade left a trail of dark blue light as it cut through the air.
Adrian saw it clearly now.
Lara attempted to alter the rules within her now-expanded domain, trying to declare that any matter around her body would be treated as liquid. The modification began, the rules shifting, her form starting to ripple—
But Kenric's authority surged in response.
He directly opposed her modification, asserting the rules of space and solidity instead, forcibly declaring the area around Lara's body as normal matter. His domain pressed against hers, crushing the transformation.
The two authorities collided. Lara's authority met resistance and failed to complete the transformation.
Kenric's attack landed, slicing into Lara's side and drawing blood. The wound remained shallow, her instinctive movement saving her from deeper injury.
She grunted, teeth gritted, but did not retreat.
Adrian grasped the situation instantly. They were negating each other.
They both wielded equal authority, even though it had been reduced to roughly twenty-eight percent due to the domain clash. Whenever one attempted to alter reality, the other directly opposed it. With equal authority, neither could overpower the other's declaration. Their authority cancelled out, rendering their techniques ineffective.
This was not new to Adrian. He had already known this principle and had even used it himself against Varkas.
However, seeing it unfold between two experienced High Rule Stage cultivators provided deeper clarity. The precision with which they countered each other, the timing, the efficiency, it was a dance of dominance played at speeds most beings could never perceive.
In his battle with Varkas, Adrian had been in Source Form, wielding close to one hundred percent authority without suppression. Varkas, as an Early Rule Stage cultivator, had possessed far less authority to begin with, and it had been further diminished under Adrian's overwhelming higher-tier concept.
In that situation, when Varkas tried to do anything with his authority, Adrian had easily negated it. But at that time, due to him being in Source Form, it felt too natural. Instinctive. He didn't truly understand everything happening beneath the surface.
But now, things had become clear to him.
In that clash, Adrian had sacrificed a small portion of his authority to negate Varkas's attempts, leaving himself with an overwhelming surplus.
He had retained over eighty percent authority after the negation. That surplus was what allowed him to dominate the battle completely and kill Varkas without resistance. The true advantage came from what remained afterward. The leftover authority was the weapon.
Here, however, Lara and Kenric stood as equals. Neither had excess authority after negation. Without surplus authority, neither could deploy additional offensive techniques. Every attempt was countered, every declaration blocked.
Adrian found himself wondering what would happen if the balance were uneven. If Lara possessed sixty percent authority instead, then even after negating Kenric's fifty-seven percent, she would still retain a small margin. What could a cultivator do with just two or three percent of uncontested authority? That question fascinated him.
He had read about advanced offensive authority techniques in the forums, techniques that relied on even the smallest surplus of control. But in this battle, such techniques were impossible. Any attempt at escalation would be instantly suppressed by the opposing authority.
Kenric lunged forward, two blades sweeping in from different angles. Lara parried one, twisted away from the second, her own sword carving upward toward his exposed ribs. He blocked with his third arm, the impact sending a shockwave through the overlapping domains.
"You've gotten predictable," Kenric said. Blood dripped from his wound, evaporating into the chaotic air before it could fall far.
"And you talk too much."
Lara's blade flashed again, forcing him back half a step. Neither gained ground.
Ultimately, Adrian couldn't get anything else from this battle. But still, he was satisfied. He had already gained enough from observing this battle. He had seen how experienced High Rule Stage cultivators fought, and how balance dictated outcome. He had seen a defensive authority technique and an offensive one which was negating the enemy.
This fight also showed him the contrast between High Rule stage beings and Early Rule stage beings. The earlier fight between Lyra and Varkas within the sealed space was stark compared to this. Back then, both of their combat was crude by comparison, lacking refinement and deeper authority manipulation. They didn't even use any authority techniques.
Lyra and Varkas had simply thrown divine spells at each other, and atmost used authority to block or change the trajectory of the spells. Their domains had clashed without strategy, without the calculated interplay of authority that Lara and Kenric demonstrated now.
This also implied that these techniques were not something anyone could use instinctively. They required deep understanding, control, and experience.
Adrian saw Lara and Kenric clashing again. Blades met, divine essence flared, and blood spattered across the air. Both bore shallow wounds now, neither gaining ground.
Behind Adrian, Torvain muttered under his breath.
"They're evenly matched. This will drag on."
Adrian understood this. As long as Lara and Kenric remained equal, the battle would continue in this deadlock. They could fight like this for hours, perhaps even days, slowly trading injuries without decisive progress.
This was exactly what the Everlasting Pill Sect wanted. They were stalling, they were buying time.
Adrian could see through it.
The Everlasting Pill Sect did not need to defeat Lara here. Delaying her was enough. Every moment wasted increased the likelihood that their other teams would secure the Core-Reforging Lotus first.
Adrian's gaze shifted past the two combatants toward the city ruins beyond. Three more High Rule Stage presences waited there, watching. Marivelle, Rhezan, Velkor. They had not moved to assist Kenric. They didn't need to. As long as Kenric held Lara in place, the mission succeeded.
He flew forward, separating from the others. He could see their plan clearly now, and there was no reason to let it succeed.
He had observed long enough. Now it was time to act.
It was time to see how his own power truly measured against a High Rule Stage cultivator.