Shelia, despite her bloodied and battered appearance, calmly stood back up, displaying a cold resolve that seemed to overshadow her serious injuries. Her abyss-like eyes gleamed with a cold light as she responded to Ace's challenge. "If you insist."
As the sound of her voice faded, her previously black battle-qi took on a subtle but noticeable purple hue, signifying a deeper connection to the laws of darkness.
Ace's eyes flickered when he observed this change. Until now, Shelia had relied solely on her prowess as a warrior, underestimating her young opponent. But now, she was tapping into her insights into the laws of darkness for the first time in this battle.
Ace was only mildly surprised, quickly realising that, like her daughter, Shelia had gained insight into the profound mystery of evil. However, in terms of the depth of comprehension, she lagged far behind him. Yet, due to the disparity in cultivation levels, Ace knew he couldn't afford to underestimate her.
"[Devil Armour]," Shelia uttered coldly as her aura shifted, causing a blackish-purple energy to envelop her form.
Ace observed as Shelia transformed into a devilish figure, towering over two meters tall, complete with two menacing horns and flickering blackish-purple skin. Although he sensed a greater threat from her now, Ace remained unfazed. He possessed the ability to interrupt Shelia's transformation, but he chose to use her newfound power as a means to test his own strength.
In the treacherous environment of the Necropolis of the Gods, Ace knew that the challenges he would confront had the potential to end his life in an instant. To safeguard not only himself but also those he held dear, he needed to rapidly increase his strength. And what better opportunity to do so than by facing off against the injured leader of the Cult of Darkness?
As their eyes locked, sparks seemed to fly between Ace and Shelia. Then, without hesitation, both warriors surged forward simultaneously, their palpable killing intents igniting the air around them.
The battle between Ace and the transformed Shelia unfolded with a frenzied intensity. At the beginning of their clash, Ace found himself easily overpowered and suppressed by Shelia's monstrous physical abilities. She stood like a mythical beast in a semi-humanoid form, her two-meter-tall frame exuding an overwhelming presence.
Shelia's spearmanship, though exceedingly simple, gained her the upper hand due to her incredible physical prowess. Each of her spear strikes was like the furious blow of a celestial giant, shattering Ace's fiery aura with ease.
Ace felt his energy depleting rapidly with each clash. Every time Shelia's simple yet incredibly powerful spear strikes managed to land, they easily tore apart his fiery skin-tight aura, leaving him vulnerable, forcing Ace to spend a substantial portion of his energy instantly incinerating the corruptive energy that Shelia's attacks carried as her insights into the profound mystery of evil had made her energy highly poisonous, adding a perilous dimension to their battle.
Still, his eyes never wavered. He ignored his injuries and ever-growing fatigue, focusing solely on honing his “Blazing Glaive Art”.
It was because of his incredible skill level that allowed him to barely hang on against Shelia's relentless onslaught. However, as the battle raged on, Shelia became more frantic with her attacks. She sensed that Ace was making noticeable improvements despite his rapid exhaustion. Determined to defeat him swiftly, she pressed forward with frantic determination, unwilling to allow Ace to improve any more.
Unfortunately, as the duel continued, Shelia's desperation only seemed to grow, fuelled by the realisation that Ace's improvement was outpacing her efforts to defeat him. By the time she fully comprehended his rate of progress, Ace had reached a point where he could not only hold his own but engage her in a fierce and balanced exchange of blows. The battlefield crackled with fiery energy and the palpable tension of their relentless struggle.
Amira had just finished treating Leona's injuries, her gaze fixed on the intense battle between Ace and Shelia. With each passing moment, Ace's injuries accumulated, and Amira couldn't help but watch with a mixture of worry and a hint of infatuation.
As a practitioner who had suffered the corrosive effects of the profound mystery of evil in the past, Amira knew firsthand the excruciating pain that Ace must be enduring. Yet, his unwavering focus on the battle and his determination to prevail despite the pain were simply captivating.
Her attention was so absorbed by the fight that she almost didn't notice the low growl emanating from Leona beside her, warning her that something was amiss.
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In the confines of the Necropolis of the Gods, where their spiritual essence was greatly restricted, Leona's heightened senses, particularly her sense of smell, still remained sharp. She had detected the approach of the Magma Demons before anyone else.
Soon after Leona's warning, a faint rumbling on the searing hard ground beneath their feet confirmed her suspicions. Ace's battle was like a beacon, signalling their presence to the native creatures of the ruins.
Amira understood the impending danger and quickly made her decision. She turned to Leona, summoning her twin katanas with determination in her eyes.
"C'mon, Leona," Amira said, her voice resolute. "You and I will deal with these Magma Demons."
With resolve in her heart, Amira activated her Viz bloodline, conjuring a massive phantom of an angel that mirrored her appearance. This transformation instantly boosted both her warrior and mage cultivation by a whole level, propelling them to the late stages of the eighth rank.
With newfound power surging through her, Amira's feet barely touched the ground as she transformed into a streak of light. She charged fearlessly into the approaching horde of over 50 Magma Demons, ready to face the threat head-on and ensure Ace's safety.
Amira and Leona faced the oncoming horde of fifty Magma Demons, each of which was at the early stages of the saint realm. The intense battle that ensued was a testament to their determination and strength.
Amira wielded her twin katanas with grace and precision, executing the "Bright Stance" of her self-created "Bright Sky Sword Art."
Her attacks were swift and precise, resembling the embodiment of light itself. Each strike was like a ray of pure energy, cutting through the Magma Demons with incredible speed and accuracy. Her attacks radiated a sense of purity, seemingly wanting to illuminate the already bright dimension of the Necropolis of the Gods, as though she was silently declaring that her light would always shine brightest.
Though Amira wasn't as powerful as Ace, she displayed remarkable skill and control. She moved gracefully through the battlefield, engaging multiple Magma Demons at once without being overwhelmed. Her movements were a dance of light and steel, and her enemies struggled to keep up with her blinding speed.
Leona, in her Divine Beast form, fought with a savage and primal style. She utilised her immense physical strength and searing flames, tearing through some with powerful swipes of her claws, incinerating others with her crimson flames, and snapping her jaws with deadly accuracy. Her attacks were brutal and effective, leaving no room for mercy.
While their fighting styles couldn't have been more different, Amira and Leona complemented each other perfectly. They seemed to share an unspoken understanding, covering each other's flaws and weak spots. Amira's precision and agility allowed her to protect Leona from any creatures that slipped past, while Leona's brute force and durability held the front line against the Magma Demons' relentless assaults.
Together, they formed a formidable team, creating a deadly synergy that carved a path through the Demons. Their goal was clear: to protect Ace, who was locked in a fierce battle behind them.
In the final moments of their intense battle, Ace and Shelia were both severely injured, their bodies battered and their strength waning. Ace, in particular, appeared to be on his last legs, his body covered in a myriad of corroded stab wounds, but the fire in his eyes burned just as brightly as ever.
Shelia, on the other hand, was filled with a mix of emotions. Part of her desperately wanted to rid the world of Ace's presence once and for all, to fulfil her duty to the Cult of Darkness. Yet, another part of her couldn't help but admire Ace's incredible talent and determination.
Experiencing Ace's abilities firsthand was a revelation. She had heard about his talents and witnessed the results in person, but being in a battle with him was an entirely different experience. She had never encountered a talent like Ace before, and she doubted the world would ever see another of his calibre again.
In an alternate reality, she wished that Ace had been born into her family instead, that their destinies were different. However, with their histories and the conflicts between the Cult of Darkness and the Gol Empire, there were only two possible outcomes: victory or defeat. For her family, for the exalted Sovereign of Darkness, she couldn't afford to lose.
On the other side, Ace's resolve was unwavering. The Cult of Darkness had crossed his bottom line one too many times, and now that his strength had reached its current level, he was determined to exact vengeance.
With their injuries and fatigue weighing them down, Ace and Shelia shot forward for the final clash.
As they entered striking range, Shelia thrust her spear with all her might, invoking her ultimate technique, "[Devilish Destroyer]."
A purplish-black spear light shot forward, carrying destructive force that threatened to annihilate anything in its path. The faint howling sound it produced seemed to attack the very souls of those who heard it.
Simultaneously, Ace unleashed his ultimate technique, "[Myriad Point Convergence]." In an instant, he struck four times with blinding speed, each thrust accurately striking the tip of Shelia's spear. The strikes appeared to converge into one, hitting their mark simultaneously and releasing devastating explosions of fiery energy.
During his fight with Linley, Ace had only been able to perform three simultaneous strikes when using [Myriad Point Convergence], but now, after his battle with Shelia, not only had his [Blazing Glaive Art] been further refined, his insights into the fused mysteries of fire essence and explosions had also deepened significantly during his battle with Shelia. His comprehension of the 'Concepts' and 'Profound Mysteries' of fire seemingly able to work hand in hand, allowing him to refine one with the use of the other.
The impact of their ultimate techniques created an explosion so colossal that even Amira, Leona, and the nearby Magma Demons struggled to maintain their footing. The shockwave rippled through the first floor of the Necropolis, threatening to consume everything in its path.