The Fierce Battle Continues

Nia Jo, the Earth Dragon Knight, silently brooded. As the daughter of the Grand Marshal of the Ost Empire, she had strived hard from a young age. At twelve, she had mastered yellow battle energy, becoming the youngest Great Swordsman in the Empire's history. Over time, she had grown accustomed to being hailed as the Empire's foremost genius, perhaps even the continent's.

And she had every right to be proud. At sixteen, she became the youngest Swordmaster; at twenty-one, the youngest Grand Swordmaster; and now, at twenty-six, she had reached the level of a mid-rank Grand Swordmaster. Given more time, she was confident she would become the youngest Sword Saint, and even becoming a Sword God seemed only a matter of time.

But here, in this small city, she encountered such a monstrous talent. Judging by his age, he couldn't be more than twenty.

How could he possess such overwhelming strength? Handling mid to low-level magical beasts with ease was one thing, but using blue battle energy to kill a ninth-level magical beast in a single strike?

A ninth-level magical beast!

That was a creature she and her Earth Dragon, Little Fatty, could barely manage together!

Perhaps her title as the number one genius was somewhat exaggerated.

Seeing his space ring, large enough to hold such vast amounts, he must be a noble from some country. Why had she never heard of him before?

Of course, I had no idea what she was mumbling about. By now, the mid to low-level magical beasts had dwindled to less than twenty thousand, and since the sea serpents charged in, there were no more around me. The fear high-level magical beasts instill in lower-level ones was indeed significant.

Unfortunately, my dragon energy differed greatly from that of other dragons. Here, even the aura of an ordinary young dragon would be more intimidating than mine. Otherwise, I wouldn't need to fight at all; just standing there would be enough to scare away those mid-level beasts.

Five high-level magical beasts were advancing: two giant crabs, classified as mid-rank eighth-level; a giant octopus, high-rank eighth-level; and two Vajra squids, resembling Earth's cuttlefish but with four duck-like legs, also high-rank eighth-level.

These beasts were relatively slow on land, which is why they lagged behind while the faster ones had already charged into the crowd.

Facing five eighth-level beasts head-on and having to restrain my battle energy to the blue level left me in a precarious situation.

The giant octopus's eight tentacles posed the greatest challenge. If I were ensnared, I'd have no choice but to reveal my true strength. The crabs' physical attacks were manageable, but their occasional whirlpool spells were a headache. The Vajra squids were the easiest to handle; slow and clumsy, they only used water-based attack magic, which was easy to dodge. However, their slow but powerful leaps were quick as lightning and could easily catch me off guard.

As for the main target, the Golden Line Sea Frog, it had remained stationary since casting Light of Protection, croaking incessantly while gathering water elements around it. It was clearly preparing a large-scale spell.

Given its ability to almost instantly cast seventh-level spells, whatever it was preparing after such a long time was bound to be formidable, possibly even a forbidden spell.

If it succeeded, at least half of the people at the city gate would perish. Unfortunately, the mercenaries, though numerous and skilled, were all focused on the other high-level beasts. If only a few more could help me, I could free myself.

Although Light of Protection was formidable, it couldn't withstand my Triple Strike. Disrupting its internal energy balance would cause enough magical backlash to incapacitate it.

Evidently, the old Duke on the city wall noticed the same issue. Gathering the mages again, he cast the third spell of the day, a single-target spell this time: an eighth-level Fire Dragon Spell. With the incantation complete, a fiery dragon, nearly twenty yards long, roared towards the Golden Line Sea Frog shielded by a white light.

With the dragon's appearance, the Duke and the mages behind him collapsed, exhausted. Casting two eighth-level spells consecutively was too taxing for a mere magister. Without the staff's enhancement, it would have been impossible.

The fire dragon quickly crossed the battlefield, colliding with the white shield. A deafening explosion ensued, raining fire that melted away upon hitting the shield.

As the dragon shrank and the shield dimmed, the dragon's body reduced to a third of its original size before the shield finally shattered into pieces that scattered with the wind. I thought this would be enough for the Golden Line Sea Frog, but then another shield swiftly formed, completely blocking the remaining fire dragon. It was another Light of Protection.

Although shaken by the dragon's impact, the second shield did not shatter like the first.

Apparently, the cunning Golden Line Sea Frog had multiple layers of protection. When the first one broke, the second would appear. Evolving from a mere third-level beast to a holy beast, it had extensive combat experience and rigorous self-defense, rendering the Duke's last strike futile.

I realized the situation was dire. While there were still powerful magisters among the mercenaries, they lacked the coordination to cast such powerful spells together.

Thus, I was the best candidate to thwart the Golden Line Sea Frog's forbidden spell.

However, with the Earth Dragon Knight charging in, I could escape the high-level beasts, but if they turned on her, she wouldn't last long.

She came to help with good intentions; leaving her in such peril would be unconscionable.

The city lord and his companions were still dozens of yards away, lacking the powerful pets like the Earth Dragon. Even together, breaking through the beasts' lines would take more time.

I decided to deal with the giant octopus first since its eight tentacles were the most troublesome.

Dodging another whirlpool spell and a Vajra squid's charge, I lunged at the octopus's massive head.

Utilizing my agile Free Spirit Steps, I weaved through its flailing tentacles, rapidly closing the distance. In a frontal assault, only two of its tentacles could threaten me; otherwise, no matter how adept my steps, approaching its head would be impossible with all eight flailing.

As I reached the octopus, I leaped high, twisting mid-air to narrowly evade a tentacle swipe. Eye to eye with it, I saw the fear in its gaze.

"Free Spirit Divine Fist, Third Form – Triple Strike."

My right fist struck out again, landing heavily on its forehead.

Even a ninth-level beast couldn't withstand the threefold attack, and this eighth-level creature certainly had no chance. With a loud crash, its forehead exploded, and its body collapsed.

To my surprise, even as its head burst, one of its tentacles lashed my back.

Throughout the fight, I had kept my feet on the ground, using my speed and precise footwork to dodge their relentless attacks.

Now, leaping high left me vulnerable in the air, unable to use my steps, making me an easy target.

Though one tentacle missed, the other struck just as I shattered its head, slamming into my back.

Thanks to my robust inner strength, I wasn't hurt, but I lost my balance, flying away like a baseball, directly towards a giant crab.

Being thrown off balance in this situation was dangerous. If my true energy were only at the blue level, I would be doomed.

Thankfully, as a master beyond a sword saint, an eighth-level beast's attack didn't harm me. I even had the presence of mind to grab a black pearl from the octopus's shattered head and toss it into my ring.

However, the other beasts wouldn't miss such an opportunity. Before I landed, a whirlpool spell held me mid-air.

Without giving me a moment to recover, the Vajra squid's water arrows rained down on me.

Though I broke free of the whirlpool in seconds, the giant crab's claws swung me away.

At the same time, a Vajra squid charged at me. Unable to dodge mid-air, I could only push it aside.

At this point, the female Earth Dragon Knight arrived. Her dragon leaped, and she grabbed me by the back of my shirt, lifting me up.

Despite my earlier predicament, I was unscathed except for a slight bruise from the crab's blow. My clothes were merely disheveled, thanks to the ninth-level beast's hide.

Being hoisted by a girl was a blow to my dignity. I regretted hiding my true strength, leading to such an embarrassing situation.