Chapter43-Be My Stepping Stone!

As Owen vaguely sensed something amiss, the Council of Elders, Edward, and others craned their necks, staring at the stage shrouded in dust and chaotic mana.

A gentle breeze blew through.

The dust and mana dissipated, revealing a strange sight.

At this moment, the surging sword aura of the Supreme Sword had already vanished.

The Fire Dragon King's massive, wall-like chest bore a deep sword mark, almost split open, extending to its back like a bloody abyss.

One could see its writhing organs and blood-soaked bones.

A bit more sharpness in the sword aura, and the Fire Dragon King might have been cleaved in two!

The Fire Dragon King's aura was weak, its breathing growing faint, occasionally letting out mournful cries as if it might collapse at any moment.

Although Alfonso hadn't endured the full brunt of the Supreme Sword, the terrifying shockwaves nearly tore his body apart.

He was covered in bloody wounds, with blood flowing continuously.

"What a terrifying sword strike!"

At this moment, countless mages watching the stage stared at the sword marks left on the Fire Dragon King and Alfonso, barely able to breathe.

The deadly aura of the combined attack from Alfonso and the Fire Dragon King had been palpable to everyone.

They all had the power to annihilate a beginner platinum-tier mage!

Yet now, not only had Owen blocked their attack, but he had also severely injured them with a single sword strike!

How terrifying was Owen's combat power?!

They had thought Owen had reached his limit, but now it was clear he was far from it!

Among the Council of Elders, the elders' faces flushed with excitement.

Alfonso had been too arrogant before, but as elders, they couldn't break the rules to deal with him.

Luckily, although the Azure Kingdom's geniuses were heavily injured and humiliated, Owen's comeback meant they could turn the tide and even enhance the kingdom's reputation!

Princess Marry and other young prodigies were fervently shouting Owen's name with unparalleled enthusiasm.

The entire stage was boiling with excitement because of Owen's sword strike!

However, just as the cheers reached a crescendo, King Aldric, Edward, and several other top-tier mages suddenly narrowed their eyes, looking at the weakened Alfonso and Fire Dragon King.

In their perception, the auras of the man and the dragon seemed critically weakened, as if teetering on the edge of life and death. Yet, this gave them an inexplicable sense of impending danger!

"Could Alfonso still have some means left?" King Aldric frowned slightly.

No sooner had he spoken than the bloodied Alfonso and Fire Dragon King on the stage shuddered, as if turning into a viscous liquid, eerily merging together.

As their bodies fused, their darkened auras suddenly surged. Countless sparks flew from them, burning through the void and leaving dense black scorch marks!

"Forbidden art!"

"Has Alfonso lost his mind? He's even using the dark state!"

Watching Alfonso and the Fire Dragon King gradually merge, Edward held his breath, his mind filled with a single thought.

Alfonso had gone mad!

The dark state was a bizarre condition where a contract spellbeast and mage fused together.

In this state, the boundaries between human and spellbeast would dissolve, and even a slight mistake could result in complete annihilation!

Even if successfully entering this state, they would become grotesque monsters, losing their minds and turning into mindless zombies.

In short, the dark state was both extremely difficult to master and a desperate, all-out measure!

As Edward exclaimed in shock, the other mages present shivered, their skin crawling and hair standing on end.

The dark state was a well-known forbidden technique in dark magic!

Once entering this state, one's strength could increase tenfold or even a hundredfold!

But it would also bring complete madness!

Even though Owen's recent sword strike was impressive, facing Alfonso and the Fire Dragon King in their dark state would be an entirely different matter.

Sure enough, under their watchful eyes, the mana in the air boiled, like some kind of adhesive, frantically gathering into Alfonso and the Fire Dragon King, causing them to fuse more completely.

Meanwhile, their sword wounds began to heal at a visibly rapid pace.

The continuously rising aura surged like a flood, each wave stronger than the last, pressing the martial arts stage downward with a creaking sound.

"Owen, die for me!"

As Alfonso's twisted head gradually fused with the Fire Dragon King, a bizarre and frantic voice roared into Owen's mind, like sharp nails scraping against glass, causing immense discomfort.

Then, the distorted form of the Fire Dragon King appeared behind Owen like a streak of light.

Alfonso's mind remained twisted and insane.

He knew that if he didn't quickly annihilate Owen, he wouldn't be able to maintain this state for long.

Even if he managed to kill Owen, his own state would become extremely dangerous, so he dared not delay for even a moment.

Appearing ghostly in front of Owen, Alfonso's sharp dragon claw immediately struck towards him, piercing through the void and surrounded by intensely compressed flames, burning the air.

The power and speed of this attack far surpassed anything from before.

In an instant, Owen, targeted by Alfonso, felt a chill on his back. The sharp aura from this claw attack made him acutely aware of the strong presence of death.

However, as Alfonso's eyes grew more frenzied in his dark state, he suddenly noticed a peculiar wave emanating from Owen. The mana swirling around Owen was instantly sucked away!

Without the support of mana, Alfonso's dark state immediately wavered like a rootless duckweed, and his already twisted and deformed body began to rapidly separate from the Fire Dragon King!

"No!"

Feeling the magical vacuum around his body, Alfonso stared at Owen in disbelief, his arrogance and madness turning into terror.

He could feel that the disappearance of the surrounding mana was caused by a unique wave from Owen, an invisible and intangible field!

A field?!

At this thought, Alfonso's face turned pale. A field was something only grand magi could comprehend, representing a high-level use of magic.

Owen was merely a silver-tier level 9 mage; the concept of a field seemed incompatible with him.

However, the dark state, being a forbidden secret technique, wasn't something that just any method could interfere with.

Only a field!

And a very special one at that, could achieve this!

How many more secrets does Owen hold?!

The pride in Alfonso's heart seemed to have taken a heavy blow.

Forced out of the dark state by the influence of the field, his already strained body couldn't handle it, causing him to vomit a mouthful of blood.

Whether in Kyrik or in the Holy Temple, he had always been a shining genius, especially after subduing the Fire Dragon King with his strength and mastering the dark state.

In his eyes, no one in the younger generation could rival him!

This absolute confidence, which looked down on everyone, proved to be so insignificant before Owen!

At this moment, Owen, who activated the Mana Void, slashed his sword towards Alfonso with a solemn expression!

The power that Alfonso and the Fire Dragon King unleashed in their dark state would have seriously injured him if not for the Mana Void!

A genius of this caliber was indeed far superior to ordinary spellbeasts and mages. To prevent further complications, it was best to eliminate him quickly!

As Owen's deadly sword strike approached, Alfonso snapped out of his mental collapse and twisted his body to retreat, trying to evade the blow.

But severely injured, he found escape impossible. Desperately, he kicked the heavily wounded Fire Dragon King in the back, using it as a shield against the fatal strike!

Screech!

The Godslayer Sword easily sliced through the Fire Dragon King's neck. Its dull dragon scales shattered, its skin and flesh split open, the surface smooth as a mirror.

Until Owen decapitated it, and its head fell to the ground, a fountain of blood gushed from its neck, turning the air a sinister shade of red.

Seeing his contracted spellbeast meet a gruesome end, and with Owen attacking again, Alfonso, whose mind was already shaken, was instantly shrouded in the shadow of death!