Chapter 136: Complete Victory
Five seconds! The ultimate move of the Sanction Formation, also known as the most terrifying faction of the Light Sword School. If Diaz succeeds in executing it smoothly, the consequences will be extremely serious.
Four seconds!
At this moment, Claude takes the initiative, while Diaz laughs loudly. Suddenly, a shield as sturdy as a city wall appears in front of him.
【Holy Shield】
The Sanction Formation combines offense and defense, but offense outweighs defense. The Holy Shield alone is incredibly sturdy; even the most powerful technique of Tyr, the Heavenly Sword Unity [Third Style], couldn’t break through it at the time. Moreover, the offensive aspect, the Sanctioned Saint, is even more terrifying than the Holy Shield. Just the pressure alone makes Claude’s heart tremble.
In the profound Vedic Formation, the ultimate technique, Black and White Impermanence.
The tip of the pale white longsword in hand rapidly condenses into a black-and-white fusion energy mass. In the process, unstable elemental bombardments emanate, causing ripples to spread and collide against the barrier, making the entire barrier tremble. The nobles outside, one by one, contract their pupils, and some even choose to retreat.
Without hesitation, Claude swings his longsword, and the black-and-white fusion energy mass flies out abruptly, but in an instant, it clashes against the Holy Shield.
Hum~
The Holy Shield begins to rapidly crack under the attack of the energy mass, but in the next moment, another Holy Shield appears, blocking the immensely powerful energy mass, which quickly dissipates!
Three seconds!
Claude’s heart skips a beat, but his expression remains unchanged. He stops and stands tall in front of the Holy Shield, raising the ethereal longsword above his head.
Two seconds!
Diaz’s smile widens, but Claude remains unfazed. Countless light elements gradually gather, yet the ethereal longsword seems to vanish into space, suddenly disappearing.
One second!
The clock behind spins to 59, the next moment marks the end of the decisive battle!
Zero…
“Hahaha, perish, perish. Sanctioned Saint!!” Behind Diaz, the giant clock emits two beams of power enveloping the angelic being beside him. Then, as if imbued with life, the angel rushes towards Claude, the terrifying momentum shocking the entire arena! His roar seems to become the sole melody of the entire hall, rendering everyone speechless, even Tyr holds his breath. In this moment, it’s as if everyone’s movements have slowed countless times, even the trajectory of blinking becoming clear and visible.
Then, a cold, clear voice cut through the void.
“One Vedic Dust.”
A dazzling light suddenly radiates from Claude’s body, eventually filling the entire hall. Except for the Emperor-ranked and a few Sovereign-ranked powerhouses, everyone else closes their eyes because the light has become too blinding for them to keep them open.
Afterward, there was no sound of fighting heard, not even Diaz’s roar was audible.
The next moment, the light gradually dissipates.
People begin to open their eyes, and those Emperor-ranked and other high-ranking powerhouses reveal a gleam in their eyes.
Tyr slowly opens his eyes, then abruptly widens them in astonishment.
Before everyone’s eyes, there stands Claude unscathed, while not far away, Diaz kneels on the ground, covered in blood.
The stark contrast between the two leaves everyone dumbfounded. While most believed Claude could defeat Diaz, given his reputation, they expected a more evenly matched battle, with Claude narrowly winning. However, reality defies expectations; Claude effortlessly overpowers Diaz within a few moves, leaving him defenseless and claiming an easy victory.
“I see now.” Diaz, covered in blood, appears to regain his composure. His voice lowers once more as he speaks to Claude, enduring the pain from his wounds.
“Lord Claude, I acknowledge that your talent far surpasses mine, perhaps even that of Number 123 who defeated me before. But remember, this is only the beginning.”
“It all depends on the final step we take by ourselves.”
“No matter how much of a genius or monstrous talent you may be, as Tyr said, that’s just a weakling who’s eagerly anticipated. What truly shocks the world is the ultimate limit one can reach oneself.”
“Emperor-ranked, Demigod, God, or even the level of Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.”
Claude smiled as usual and replied calmly.
“If you can’t handle the present, how can you talk about the future? Everything starts with basics, everything starts with weakness. Weakness is not a sin, but being self-deprecating is the greatest sin of all. Looking up, we see countless strong individuals, but looking down, many ambitious newcomers are rising steadily.”
Claude walks up to Diaz, extending his right hand. The calmness in his eyes makes Diaz shake his head helplessly. Finally, he extends his right hand, and with a gentle exertion from Claude, Diaz stands up.
Claude’s hands swiftly cast a healing spell, slowly alleviating the injuries on Diaz’s body. He speaks again.
“Indeed, the path of the strong is long and perilous, but if people walk side by side, supporting each other, they can achieve double the results with half the effort, validating each other’s ideals and ultimately reaching the summit. Clearly, Lord Diaz, you are a good companion.”
Diaz remains silent at first, but ultimately shakes his head without speaking. Claude expected this reaction, but still feels a bit of regret.
“In that case, Lord Diaz, please enjoy the banquet. If you ever need anything in the future, feel free to come to me.”
Diaz nodded but remained silent. The nobles around silently cheered for Claude, and some even began to subtly denigrate Diaz to enhance Claude’s already lofty image. For a moment, the entire hall was enveloped in an atmosphere of “elegance.”
However, in the next moment.
A graceful figure appears outside the door leading to the winding staircase on the second floor of the hall.
