The giant golden energy slash met the light pillar, and the result was undeniable. The pillar instantly split in two and collapsed, accompanied by the sound of shattering glass. Arthur widened his eyes and quickly raised his barrier, but as he watched the golden slash move at an incredible speed towards him, the pressure rooted him in place. He felt as if death was already knocking at his door. However, he then saw the golden slash pass 50 meters above his head.
He realized that Aldrian had directed his technique upwards, towards the sky, and he could only stand there blankly. The energy continued traveling east across the continent, heading towards the sea, destined to keep flying who knows where. The training ground was in ruins, and the people who had braced themselves for the impact were stunned by the overwhelming power that they believed would have destroyed the eastern region.
But the problem didn't end there. A crack in space appeared in its wake, unfortunately triggering spatial storms that threatened to suck in anything nearby. Aldrian's strike, far stronger than when he used it against the Hydra, caused the space to collapse more severely, creating a chaotic void and unleashing spatial storms that wreaked havoc on the surroundings.
Aldrian quickly manipulated the surrounding energy, especially the spatial energy supported by his mastery of spatial laws, to close the crack as fast as possible and prevent any casualties. Arthur, who was closest, had already reinforced his feet and body with energy to keep from being sucked into the spatial storm. The crack closed rapidly and disappeared completely a few seconds later.
Emperor Ladwin had already activated the defense mechanism to protect the people, aided by the blessing of the Evergreen World Tree. He had braced himself to witness the destruction of part of his city, but fortunately, Aldrian directed his attack towards the sky and demonstrated exceptional control over spatial energy. The Emperor was truly astounded by the power of Aldrian's technique.
"What prophecy? Darkness crouching the land? What darkness could stand before such absolute power?!" he thought.
If that strike had been aimed at him, he was certain he would be dead, and even the true body of the World Tree would have been severed.
"It must be a divine technique—it has to be! There's no way that kind of power is merely a heaven technique. But according to the records, divine techniques invoke phenomena from both heaven and earth. So why didn't this one?"
Divine techniques had not appeared on this continent for a very long time—not because such techniques didn't exist, but because no one had been able to comprehend and master them. They didn't know why, but whenever they tried to grasp a divine technique, they were blocked by an invisible force that prevented them from understanding it.
Every imperial family possesses such a technique in their arsenal, but no matter how brilliant the person who attempts to comprehend it, they never succeed. In the end, these techniques remain stored in their treasuries, waiting for the day someone can finally use them.
For everyone here, it wasn't an exaggeration to consider Aldrian's technique a divine one. They didn't know that the power he unleashed was that of his Ivory Empire's domain. If he had added the secret realm domain to this technique, the result would have been even more catastrophic. To those who had never experienced power like this, it was undeniably a divine technique.
Aldrian looked at the crumbling sword in his hand, unable to withstand the power of his technique, and sighed.
"Well, that was a good fight, and the result is good too," he said, glancing at Arthur and the surrounding area. He had really made a mess of this place, and the looks people were giving him were, to say the least, expected from those who had never witnessed such power.
Arthur dropped to the ground, sitting and gasping for breath, his blonde hair disheveled. His energy was more than half depleted after using all those techniques. He looked at Aldrian, who had just unleashed a technique that made him feel something he had long forgotten—fear. The power of that slash, the feeling of helplessness and despair that enveloped his heart, aroused fear in anyone who dared to stand before this singularity.
He smiled, but it could only be seen as a mocking smile, directed at his own ignorance and foolishness. Was he supposed to block that thing? He feared he would have been dead even before the technique touched him. The onlookers finally began to assess their surroundings, stilling their racing hearts. Today was an unexpected day for them—they had witnessed another divine technique.
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A few minutes earlier,
The sun was already in the western sky, moving toward her place of sinking. The sky had taken on a slight orange hue, signaling that the day was nearly over and night was preparing to take its place.
Balin City operated as usual; nothing significant had happened in the past few months, aside from the occasional visit from high-level cultivators, but nothing particularly noteworthy. Inside Balin's mayoral mansion, Livrin was working as usual in his office. The chaotic aftermath of the Hydra incident had passed, and in recent days, he had been able to rest his mind. He closed his eyes to take a nap after reviewing some documents in front of him, as it was nearly sunset.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes. He could hear people outside talking in a noisy, agitated manner. Looking out his window, he saw the confused expressions on several faces. Sensing that something was amiss, he left his mansion and flew into the sky over Balin. He could sense that many people in the city were confused as they discussed their swords. Spotting a particular person below, he descended toward them.
"Sorry to disturb you, but what's going on? Why is everyone so confused?" Livrin asked.
The person he addressed was stunned by the sudden appearance of the elf but quickly responded.
"My sword trembled violently for a few seconds. I don't know where the source is, but we're sure it's a strong sword will—like the one outside the city! It seems like the entire city felt it."
Livrin fell silent, thinking. "Sword will? But I can't sense any major fight in the city, it should be—" He then remembered someone. "Did he do something again? Why is he always affecting so many people?" he sighed.
"Alright, thank you," he said, before flying up to a point where he could see beyond the city walls in the direction of the residual sword will. He noticed that the people who had been meditating had stopped and were now standing, talking amongst themselves. The remaining ten great swordmasters, who were still there, were also standing, seemingly deep in thought.
"Well, whatever. If they move out, it'll be good! I'll have more peace of mind."
Without much further inspection, Livrin returned to his mansion.
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In a tavern in Thonias City, many customers were enjoying their drinks and food. Among them was a man in a black robe, wearing a conical straw hat that covered his face. He seemed to be content, quietly sipping his drink with his sword resting beside him, not engaging with the people around him.
Suddenly, his sword trembled. Without hesitating for even a split second, he vanished from his seat, surprising the people nearby.
He reappeared on the rooftop of a building in Thonias, staring intently in one direction. Then, he glanced around at the people below, who were already in a state of confusion about what had just happened.
"Found you," he murmured before disappearing once again.
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The forest covers 85% of the Ivory Empire, a testament to how the elves have been blessed with power over this land. Many parts of the empire are left as natural forests, untouched by elves or humans. In a region where the forest stretches unbroken to the horizon, a man with a giant axe on his back moved swiftly, using his movement technique.
His speed was so great that he seemed like a passing sound, and his large build didn't hinder his movement in the slightest. Even his fierce face remained unaffected by the wind blowing past due to his velocity. He continued at this rapid pace for several minutes when, suddenly, he noticed a slight movement in his peripheral vision. Without hesitation, he changed direction and approached the spot, only to find a group of elves setting up camp.
"The elves? What are they doing here?" he wondered.
He concealed himself as best he could before moving closer to hear what they were saying.
"It's really strange—my sword suddenly trembled for no reason."
"Is that so? Maybe it's a sign that we're about to catch something big."
Their laughter followed, but the man who heard it couldn't shake his thought.
"A trembling sword? Without any apparent cause? I can't sense anything unusual nearby," he mused.
Deciding to confront them, he mustered the best smile he could manage, though it only made his fierce face appear even more intimidating. Then, he approached them openly. The elves were startled by the sudden appearance of the large human, especially since they hadn't sensed his presence, and they immediately became wary.
"Hello there, sorry to disturb you," he said. "I'm just a vagabond cultivator. May I take a moment of your time? I have a few questions."