Chapter 1629 (1/2)
For a brief second, Randidly Ghosthound moved so quickly that Helen couldn’t capture his form at all. One second Shal and Randidly were so close they could reach out and touch each other and the next their movements briefly tore the surrounding space and rendered their figures as blurs.
A projectile cut sharply upward into the sky, rapidly heading for the spatial wall that formed the ceiling of this isolated location.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Compared to the other fights between images around them, this confrontation wasn’t particularly eye-catching. The spatial wall distorted slightly from the impact, but the construction of Aether and Nether was not something that could be damaged with physical means. Yet what shocked Helen was that as the speeds shifted to less overwhelming levels, the launched projectile turned out to be a rather miserable looking Shal.
Mid-air, the man spat out blood. He gradually began to fall back down as his sharp eyes fixed on Randidly. Yet the expression on his face was one of immense glee as he shouted out above the chaotic battlefield. “So, this is the reason for your confidence?!? A Strength that can crush all obstacles?!”
Due to the fact that hundreds of other powerful individuals experts were clashing every second in the vicinity, that voice was quickly overwhelmed by the image reverberations. Compared to the screeching Crimson Thunder Eagle and or the Thousand Armed Alabaster Titan, this small voice was smothered. Neither Randidly nor Shal had even unleashed their full images so far. Yet Helen couldn’t tear her eyes away, even for a second.
In response to his master’s words, Randidly spun his spear and pointed it upward. Shal allowed gravity to run its course and began to accelerate downward. He shifted his spear between his hands carefully, seeming to measure its weight.
Helen refused to breathe, afraid she would again miss their movements. While being careful to avoid drawing the attention of the powerful Pinnacle Seekers nearby, she activated her Tides of Blood Domain at a very shallow depth and allowed it to spread out toward this specific portion of the battlefield. Even if she couldn’t follow their movements with her eyes, she could observe the action as long as she could read the air currents around the two combatants.
Next to her, Raymund folded his arms across his chest. “So that is Shal? Is the Ghosthound… holding back…?”
While Claudette had stepped forward to stand with Myrwyn and other Pinnacle Seekers, Narthalla and the other eight members of the Holy Frost Society remained back with Helen and the others. Having been rescued by their group, they curiously watched the Ghosthound too. At Raymund’s words, Narthalla looked over with a frown. “That move… was still the Ghosthound holding back?”
Helen shook her head slightly. “It isn’t that he’s holding back… right now, the conflict is one of spear Styles. It is… difficult to explain to outsiders.”
What is even more difficult to say is that Shal keeps fucking avoiding it.
When DiOrtho opened his mouth to say something, Helen gestured sharply with her hand; above them, Shal’s aura began to sky-rocket and she wasn’t willing to miss any more of this fight for Vant’s nonsense. As Shal shot downward, his spear turned golden and began to elongate. By the time he had covered half the distance to the ground, his spear was almost four meters long and released waves of golden light. The spear undulated in the air around Shal, wreathing him in a holy glow.
Meanwhile, Randidly cracked the ground as he leapt upward. The Nether Flames across his body had grown more erratic, leaping off of his body like miniature solar flares. Shal’s avoidance of the Style comparison seemed to have gotten under Randidly’s skin. Again, his strategy was direct and unrelenting, simply thrusting Acri forward in a powerful assault.
Shal’s hands twitched and he wielded his Golden Snake Spear like a whip, flicking the blade unpredictably through the air. Then he twisted the weapon and the previously Phantom-esque display receded like a mirage, in its place was simply a hero’s bold direct thrust, which perfectly impacted Randidly’s attack.
DOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNGGGG!
The impact of the two metals rang out through the surroundings with enough force to seep into the surrounding few conflicts. The duo drew a few short looks before the other combatants continued to face their own opponents.
Neither achieved an advantage as they smashed into each other. Their two spears possessed equal force, even while one relied on an image and the other didn’t. In the next moment, Shal spun his comically long spear and sent a far-ranging slash toward Randidly’s shoulder. When Shal began the movement the spear’s four-meter length made the blade seem far away, but then it practically materialized right above Randidly’s body. The undulating movements of his spear deceived the eye; even Helen, who relied on her Tides of Blood Domain simply to observe, reeled from the acceleration.
Randidly didn’t even blink as the spear approached. The deadlock between the two thrusts had robbed him of his momentum, but he simply raised his spear while hanging in the air. Even as Shal’s attack was howling toward him, he cut sharply upward with his spear.
Yet there was something exceedingly uncanny about Randidly’s strike; natural energy seemed to gush from his body. It surged along his limbs, its passage causing the spectral Nether Flames to flicker. As he moved, Randidly seemed to have less in common with a humanoid than with a wrathful volcano or a natural spring in an untouched grotto. The vibrancy hidden in the unadorned movement was astounding.