The sword's power was still surging, and the lightning bolts it unleashed left a clear mark on the ground. Arfi boasted that the battle had logically ended after activating his law, but Alex held a completely different opinion as he stared at the lightning rising from the sword, thinking, "It seems he's been given a new lease on life. Now I'll give him a good kick without needing to kill him. First, I should provoke..."
"Fool, just a foolish person delighted by your ridiculous lightning sword. I've seen you fight alongside your comrade before, both of you were amazing, especially you, who wields a miraculous barrier. But you're willing to discard it, willing to abandon your spiritual form with your foolishness."
Alex's words struck a sensitive chord, and Arfi's decision to change his spiritual form was a fateful one. Now, he's just a child doubting it, which ignited his anger even more.
"And what does a clueless person like you know to pass judgments?"
He waved his sword wildly, and terrifying lightning bolts shot out.
*Slash*
At the moment the lightning appeared, Alex pulled out a dimension-cube vial and threw it at his opponent's face, redirecting the magic back at the sorcerer. The lightning struck Arfi's body entirely, causing the most damage to his burnt hand. It was evident that Arfi hadn't activated any laws yet, and his body was vulnerable to his lightning sword's attacks.
"Ah!"
Arfi cried out in pain, dropping the sword from his hand. Alex, who had been waiting for this opportunity, picked up the sword and lunged to strike.
Unintentionally, the young man raised his hands to create a shield.
*Clang*
The collision of metal against the shield produced a thunderous sound. Alex exclaimed, his eyes gleaming with excitement, "Spectacular!"
He threw the ethereal sword and began to touch the shield with his hand, amidst his opponent's bewildered gaze.
"How can you not see the splendor of what you possess, you simpleton? Let go of the sword and let this beautiful barrier shine even brighter."
Alex used his thumb to bleed and quickly drew a magical circle on the shield's surface. Arfi saw this and hurried to cancel his barrier, but due to his energy previously merging with the ethereal sword, he couldn't do it in time. He found himself grinding his teeth as he watched the magical circle glowing red.
*Boom*
A powerful explosion shattered the shield to pieces and sent Arfi flying several meters back, crashing to the ground with bone-crushing force. Despite the pain and the feeling of his bones being crushed, he couldn't catch his breath. He heard the crackling of lightning from the sword, and the aura of death emanating from his opponent choked him more than his physical pain.
He lifted his gaze to see Alex, who had returned and picked up the sword from the ground, staring at him with a sinister smile on his face.
"I will die... If I don't attack, I'll die." In this moment, Arfi was at the height of his despair and weakness. He could barely lift his right hand due to the burns from the lightning that rebounded on him. After being hit, he lacked the energy to create a new barrier. But as the saying goes, a wounded tiger is more dangerous. With his left hand, he gathered whatever strength he had left, forming a barrier the size of his fist. Shouting at the top of his lungs, he called upon the air.
*Boom*
Arfi's vision became hazy as he used up all his energy. All he could manage was to turn his gaze toward the explosion he heard, seeing a hand-sized crater. Eventually, he collapsed to the ground.
"Arfi, Arfi... Are you okay? Can you stand?"
With difficulty, Arfi opened his eyes to see the worried expression on Artsia's face. He managed to muster a smile.
"Artzia, I'm glad you're okay."
"What are you saying in your condition? And where is that rascal? I'll kill him if I see him."
Arfi, who had lost all his treasures and had been beaten by a boy who hadn't even entered the world of spirits yet, wasn't angry or even annoyed. He smiled as he gripped Artzia's hand, pointing to the hand-sized pit, recalling the words of the white-haired boy he had encountered earlier, "The last breath is always the brightest. Congratulations on your new move."
Elsewhere in the forest, Steve continued to fight against competitors for the monk's grass. Despite being wounded, he emerged victorious. Even he was surprised by the outcome. All he did was follow Alex's instructions, as he had said before, "Steve, do you know your weakness? You simply throw punches without thinking. You need more maneuvering and don't forget to execute some feints."
Steve dodged an opponent's massive punch and retaliated with a powerful strike, his opponent crossing his arms to defend. But in the middle of the attack, Steve stopped and kicked with force, sending his opponent flying.
Afterward, he stood tall in a high place, a crimson halo surrounding him, his dark skin making him look majestic. He tilted his head slightly upward, his challenging gaze sweeping over everyone.
"The nasik grass is for my brother. Whoever wants it has to get past me first."
Alex, who had just arrived, heard what his friend said and couldn't contain his delight. He materialized the ethereal sword, allowing its lightning to create craters on the ground, displaying the power of the weapon in his hand. The beginners had no choice but to raise their hands in surrender. The Monk's grass wasn't worth dying for.
"Steve, it's time for us to head back. I'm dying of hunger; I haven't finished breakfast yet."
Unbelieving of what he was seeing, Steve jumped, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets from his intense focus on the sword.
"Is this a divine weapon? How did you get it? And what about the fighters from the spirit world? Impossible, did you defeat them? Did you steal it from them? If they're behind you, we need to escape quickly, or they'll catch up to us. What if they have strong backgrounds? We should leave the village and go into hiding for a while. We could go to..."
"Man, hold on a second. There's no one behind me from the magic circle drawn on my palm, connected to the dimension cube." Alex pulled out a tattered notebook that had the skill "Beast's Fury" written on it and tossed it to Steve. "It's an advanced combat skill inspired by half-beast arts. It will enhance your strength in the future. It suits you."
After martial artists enter the spirit world and discover the nature of their spiritual forms, they choose combat skills that fit them. These skills are classified into low, medium, and advanced levels.
A book of advanced rank skill is considered a treasure in the world of self-defense arts. In the institutes, only the elite are granted access to these skills. Steve's eyes welled with tears as he held the notebook, unable to believe how his life had turned around. Just two days ago, he was thinking he'd be content with becoming a second-tier institute disciple. Now, he held an advanced skill in his hands, something he had never dreamed of. But quickly, he remembered something and froze in place.
"You want to sell it to me, don't you?"