Shame

Arnold glared at the steadily approaching Noah, his gaze shifting momentarily to his teammates. His voice, low and menacing, growled, "Don't move a muscle." Fury consumed him. His pride, swollen and unyielding, wouldn't allow him to team up to defeat Noah—especially not an opponent who had insulted him so brazenly.

The trio didn't utter a word. Reluctantly, they backed down, though a flicker of irritation crossed their faces. They held their tongues, knowing that while their family names granted them protection, none of them could personally rival Arnold's raw strength.

"I'm going to smash your fucking face in," Arnold snarled, unleashing the full force of his aura. His power, at the 7th Level of the Adept Stage, was palpable, as flames wreathed his fists—evidence of his Path of Body. A vortex of fire ignited behind him, pulling in the surrounding Essence, which funneled energy into his already formidable frame.

Noah merely smiled. He couldn't really understand why the fools of the Nolan House so often favored the fire attribute of their Star Essence over the far superior light element. They were stupidly squandering a powerful Tier 2 element.

But Noah wasn't about to enlighten them; he wasn't foolish. His wings unfurled, a majestic two-meter span that flapped once, propelling him into the air. In the brief time it took him to reach Arnold, Noah's heightened intellect—sharpened by his Soul Essence—had already mastered the intricate mechanics of his wings. They now felt as natural to control as if they had been a part of him since birth.

The transformation brought by his recent advancement left Noah astonished. His Flicker range had expanded to a hundred meters, and thanks to his Path of Essence, he could now unleash his energy-draining attacks with ease. The drawback, of course, remained—the strain on his body from the flood of Essence his Path provided could still overwhelm him. Yet, if there was one thing Noah had been proud of since his transmigration, it was his unyielding body. He was confident he could finish this fight before any weakness set in.

With a powerful kick, Noah launched himself from a spatial platform beneath him, his wings adding a burst of speed. Halos shimmered around his legs—khaki to lighten his weight and silver to distort the space around him, reducing spatial resistance in preparation for the impending clash.

Arnold roared, his flames erupting as he charged at Noah. His fists, cloaked in fire, swung to strike the "peasant" before him. But just before the blow landed, an invisible force struck him, disorienting him long enough for Noah to execute a swift Crescent Slash.

Arnold's flames surged, stabilizing his stance as he deflected the crescent-shaped projectile with a fiery swipe. Yet, to his disbelief, the casual attack barely held off Noah's strike. Reality sank in—this opponent could genuinely pose a threat if he underestimated him. He couldn't just casually dismiss his opponent's attacks.

Reluctantly, Arnold acknowledged what was before him: Noah was one of those rare fighters who could leap across realms and display strength well beyond his stage. Gritting his teeth, Arnold finally summoned his Battlesoul, a towering 10-meter Star Lion, Emperor Grade. The lion roared as it transferred a stream of energy to Arnold, enveloping him in a humanoid, lion-shaped armor, leaving only his face exposed. His eyes locked on Noah, who simply waited for his transformation to finish while suspended in the air.

Noah's cold gaze was unfathomable, an abyss of apathy. A blinding light erupted behind him, revealing two colossal 12-meter-tall Battlesouls. Their Emperor Grade auras crashed onto the battlefield. To Noah's right stood a silver-scaled Dragon Emperor, its gaze dripping with disdain for Arnold. To his left, the Overlord Sword Emperor glowed with a menacing energy, the blade trembling with an unmistakable will to destroy any chains that bound it. The weapon didn't seem to even acknowledge Arnold's presence, simply shining brightly with its might projected outwards.

Another wave of power surged through Noah, his body reaching peak condition. In a flash, he dashed forward, his aura shimmering as three identical clones split off from him, emerging from the spatial folds. All four Noahs radiated the same brilliance before vanishing, only to reappear at Arnold's sides, each executing the Void Slash Battle skill.

Hidden within the spatial rifts, Emile's eyes widened slightly. She had just witnessed Noah perform four simultaneous spatial jumps while executing a high-level attack. Though the quick succession of jumps weakened the strike by about 60%, it was astonishing he could do this so soon after awakening his Soul Essence.

What shocked her even more was Noah's ability to endure the extreme strain his body was under, sustaining those jumps while continuously channeling Essence into his Core.

Meanwhile, Arnold found himself in a precarious position. The four identical attacks left him guessing; he couldn't distinguish the real Noah from the clones, as their Essence signatures were all perfectly synchronized. Had Arnold walked the Path of Soul, he might have detected the slight difference in the real Noah's attack, but as it stood, he could only resort to brute force, smashing his way through.

His body ignited with a blazing armor of flames, charging recklessly at one of the clones and shattering it. Before he could advance, a sudden force pulled him into the arms of another clone, which promptly exploded, leaving behind a corrosive trace of Essence on Arnold's body.

Ignoring the Essence, Arnold pressed forward but suddenly howled in fury as Spatial Poisoning seeped into his armor, finding a weak spot and gnawing at his flesh. Cursing, he immediately dismissed his flaming armor before more harm could be done to his body.

In that precise moment, Noah reappeared, his fist a blur of speed, enhanced by the khaki halo, indicating the use of his soul skill, Gravity Force. Arnold, panicked, hastily conjured a fiery shield to block the strike. But in an instant, Noah vanished and reappeared at his side, delivering a crushing blow to Arnold's face that sent him sprawling.

"You… YOU BASTARD! DIE!!" Arnold bellowed, his face contorted with fury and humiliation. As the sense of shame and anger within him reached an overwhelming level, he could no longer care about his pride and roused his Essence before hurling a massive fireball at Noah, its aura causing Noah's teammates to gasp in alarm.

This was because, despite his earlier promise, Arnold had actually infused his Pseudo-Intent into the fire ball heading towards Noah!