Chapter 219: The Souls of the Ancestors

As Rayan and Imperius tangled in battle, Phoenix Lady on the noble's platform felt a mix of emotions.

She was an absolutely rational woman, knowing exactly what result she needed—Imperius had to win. Only with Imperius winning could Rayan's arrogance be crushed, forcing him to bow to her and beg for the "Holy Light artifact." She could then take the opportunity to make various demands.

Not only did she need Imperius to win from a rational standpoint, but emotionally, she also wanted him to win. Imperius was not only the most loyal servant of the Firebird family but also treated her like his own daughter. She still remembered the scene when Imperius cried for her—

At that time, her father was critically ill, and there were no elders in the Firebird family strong enough to support them. External families coveted the Firebird family's interests. She decided to give herself to the Lion King, hoping to attract his attention and, with his support, ensure the Firebird family's survival. She meticulously studied the Lion King's preferences, molding herself into the image of the deceased queen, diligently learning dance instead of the magic everyone believed would be useful for the family, delving into books rather than frolicking with other children...

In the end, it was Imperius who sent her to that ball. As she stepped out of the carriage in a luxurious dress rented with borrowed money, Imperius, the servant, reached out to hold her.

She slapped him to punish his offense to his mistress, but when she saw the tears in Imperius's eyes, her father's face appeared before her. She knew Imperius did not mean to offend her but was reluctant to see his daughter make such a sacrifice.

Yet, knowing this, she still couldn't turn back...

After that, Imperius never cried again, and of course, rarely smiled either. Phoenix Lady's father died, and the Lion King buried him with royal honors, which did not bring Imperius any joy.

He was the most loyal servant of the Firebird family, even closer than relatives like Marquis Hart. He always protected Phoenix Lady as if a father protecting his daughter.

Therefore, whether rationally or emotionally, Phoenix Lady hoped Imperius would win, but—

But, her mind harbored an uncontrollable thought: she desired Rayan to win.

When this thought first emerged, it startled her. But soon, she understood that it wasn't merely a desire for Rayan to win but a need to validate her judgment.

How could the man she fancied not even win a single tournament?

The more she thought this way, the greater the internal conflict grew, to the point where she could barely bear it.

"What's the matter, Phoenix Lady?"

Eileen glanced at her, her tone mocking, "You look quite pale. Are you realizing you might lose? Too bad the bet can't be changed now."

Phoenix Lady snapped back to reality and smiled faintly, "I was just wondering, if I win, can Lady Eileen come up with 120,000 gold coins to repay me? I wonder if, by then, the person Lady Eileen mentioned would still repay your debt?"

Eileen sneered, "Phoenix Lady, you've realized you are bound to lose this time. You're just too clever and overconfident, so confident that you're deceiving yourself and unwilling to believe it."

Phoenix Lady's expression darkened. She turned her gaze back to the arena and said indifferently, "Talking is useless. Let's watch the match quietly. Everything will be settled in a few minutes."

In the arena, Rayan was still using Gale Step to dodge around, while Imperius had been tormented by Rayan to the point of exhaustion. He finally planted his spear in the ground, no longer chasing Rayan.

Seeing Imperius give up the attack, Rayan knew the time was right. He stopped immediately, gathering his Battle Qi and sword gang power at the broad tip of his Crow Sword, forming a rotating orb of interchanging orange and dark hues.

"Twin Crows Dance!"

Someone in the audience already recognized this ultimate skill by its name.

A finishing move like this required time to charge. The more Battle Qi and sword gang power accumulated, the greater its power. Although Rayan's Twin Crows Dance was an area attack, with only Imperius within the attack range, all the power of Twin Crows would naturally focus on Imperius. Furthermore, the final part of Twin Crows Dance merged the Twin Crows into a giant crow, enhancing the concentrated attack.

Imperius was too far from Rayan to rush up and stop him from releasing Twin Crows Dance. However, he had no intention of stopping Rayan's move and was prepared for a head-on clash. Facing Rayan's increasingly intense rotating orb, Imperius snorted disdainfully and concentrated his Battle Qi and gang power on his flaming long spear.

He raised the spear above his head and shouted loudly, "Answer my call! Souls of the Ancestors!"

As his voice fell, the spear's shaft struck the ground heavily, causing the entire arena to shake.

The audience gasped in surprise, and when they recovered, they saw three orange light figures suddenly appear in front of Imperius.

The central orange light figure was tall, holding a spear identical to Imperius's. The figure on the left was short, wielding a shield almost as tall as itself. The figure on the right was tall and mighty, holding a long sword in each hand.

"Kill!"

With Imperius's roar, the three ancestral souls, transformed from Battle Qi and gang power, all bellowed and charged at Rayan. The spear-wielder lunged forward, closing in on Rayan, while the shield-bearer leaped high, landing with a crack that split the ground beneath Rayan's feet, making it nearly impossible for him to maintain his balance. The sword-wielder spun like a top, creating a fierce whirlwind with his twin swords.

Imperius followed closely behind the ancestral souls. They could only last for thirty seconds, and he couldn't waste a single second; he had to take Rayan down in one fell swoop!

The audience erupted in excitement. If the previous exchanges between Rayan and Imperius hadn't been particularly impressive, the true spectacle had now begun.

Though Imperius was slower than Rayan to initiate his move, he was evidently more skilled in the use of Battle Qi and finishing moves. Thus, the ancestral souls appeared before Rayan's Twin Crows could fully form.

By the time Twin Crows took shape, the spear-wielder was already upon Rayan, with the sword-wielder and shield-bearer close behind. The two crow shadows burst from the light orb, immediately colliding with Imperius's ancestral souls.

The clash of these forces caused the air itself to tremble.

Despite the fierceness of Twin Crows, they couldn't advance an inch against the shield-bearer's defense. The spear-wielder and sword-wielder seized the opportunity to attack from both sides, nearly overpowering the orange and dark crow shadows.

Seeing Twin Crows falter while the three ancestral souls fought more vigorously, Rayan's heart sank.

He had anticipated that an Intermediate Hero would be tough to deal with, especially someone like Imperius who was both skilled and experienced. But he hadn't expected that even after exhausting nearly half of Imperius's Battle Qi, his finishing move would still be unable to directly counter Imperius's.

"Rayan, your crow is finished!"

Imperius, alongside the three ancestral souls, combined their attacks. The flaming long spear and the armor on Imperius's body burst into flames.

Rayan realized that Imperius's armor had fire attributes, enhancing his attack power. Combined with the support of the three ancestral souls, the combined attack power was unbelievably high, surpassing the range of an Intermediate Hero and comparable to a Senior Hero!

Realizing this, Rayan hurriedly tried to withdraw Twin Crows, but it was too late.

Imperius and the three ancestral souls struck simultaneously, shattering the Twin Crows formed from Battle Qi and sword gang power.

Rayan felt a surge of blood in his chest and a sweet taste in his throat. He quickly suppressed it with his defensive Battle Qi, preventing the blood from spewing out.

The three ancestral souls didn't pause and continued to attack Rayan. Not being physical entities, their movements were incredibly swift, making it impossible for Rayan to escape even with his Gale Boots.

"Rayan! Your little tricks are just that—tricks! Prepare to die!"

Imperius laughed wildly as he chased after Rayan alongside the ancestral souls.

A clear rage surged in Rayan's heart. With a shout, he twirled his Crow Sword in midair, and the dissipated remnants of Twin Crows immediately reformed into a massive crow, rushing towards Imperius like a storm.

The shield-bearer blocked in front of Imperius, the spear-wielder stood beside Imperius, and the sword-wielder charged bravely at the giant crow.

With a fierce cry, the giant crow first annihilated the sword-wielder, then crashed into the shield-bearer's shield. The collision of their forces erupted in a blinding light, making it impossible to look directly at it.

Seconds later, when the light dissipated, the shield-bearer was gone, and the giant crow had also exhausted its last bit of energy and vanished.

Imperius was shocked. He hadn't expected Rayan to be able to reform the dissipated Twin Crows and generate such power—

Seizing the moment of Imperius's surprise, Rayan thrust his Crow Sword directly at Imperius's throat.

Imperius quickly regained his senses, shouting, "Kid, you're still far from beating me!"

With a swing of his long spear, the remaining spear-wielder mirrored his move—

"Ancestral Fusion!"

With Imperius's roar, the orange figure of the spear-wielder merged into Imperius's body, doubling his speed and strength.

"Do you think ancestral possession can defeat me?!"

Rayan thrust his sword, clashing move after move with Imperius's long spear.