To White Wolf, Kayden was nothing more than a defenseless student, an easy target. Tearing an arm from him should have been as effortless as taking candy from a baby.
But he failed!
And what’s more, he felt that bone-deep chill of murderous intent surging from Kayden.
The sheer weight of it made his heart pound, and his breath catch. He couldn’t help but wonder how many lives Kayden had taken to forge such an oppressive, suffocating aura.
Ten thousand? A hundred thousand? Or even a million?
Whatever the answer, one thing was undeniable-standing before him was a Reaper in human form!
Being called the Blade Master of Western Frontier, White Wolf was no stranger to blood. He was a Warrior at the Grand level and might have even reached the Hermit rank. His name carried weight across the whole Seclela. At just twenty-seven years old, he stood among an elite few and a legend being whispered about in awe by other people in Hermit rank.
A genius. That was how everyone described him!
But now, facing Kayden, he felt a tremor of something he couldn’t quite name. This man was younger than him. And far, far more terrifying!
That killing aura Kayden was exuding… it slithered into his soul and rattled his thoughts!
White Wolf’s reputation had been carved out of the countless lives he’d claimed. That’s why he had been called the Blade Master, and why he gained the qualification to stay at the Azure Cloud Resort.
But now, compared to Kayden… it all felt meaningless! His deeds were like a child’s play before a true maestro.
That overwhelming killing intent. That unshakable presence! “Who is he?” White Wolf thought, his mind a blur. “How can someone this powerful choose to live in Inassea? People like this… are supposed to live in seclusion in some unreachable mountains, hidden from the world.”
“Who are you?” White Wolf asked at last. His voice carried a rare note of unease and caution.
With a calm expression, Kayden spoke as if it were nothing at all. “You’re not qualified to know!”
“Not qualified?” White Wolf muttered as if taking his time to absorb these words. His tone sharpened with a sneer, and disdain crept in to mask his unease.
But Kayden didn’t respond to the provocation. He continued as though speaking to himself, his gaze steady. “Your blade technique is impressive… but your hands lack steadiness.”
“What did you say?” The words hit White Wolf square in the heart. His face contorted, and his voice rose. “Unsteady hand? In all my years with my blade, no one has dared say that to me!”
His fingers tightened around the hilt of his saber as if trying to prove something to himself!
Kayden curled the corners of his lips into a faint, knowing smile and gave a subtle nod. “Then hold tight to your knife!”
In an instant, his body shot forward like a rushing storm, speeding toward White Wolf with blinding swiftness. White Wolf, ever quick to react, didn’t flinch an inch. As he felt the force of Kayden’s charge, he raised his blade in a sharp arc, ready to collide head-on.
A master swordsman like White Wolf held his blade as a reflection of his dignity, his honor. No matter how formidable Kayden appeared, there was no way he would let someone trample on his dignity. With unwavering resolve, White Wolf tightened his grip on the hilt, preparing for the confrontation.
Clang! A deafening sound rang through the air as Kayden’s hand collided with the sharp edge of White Wolf’s saber.
For a moment, White Wolf froze in disbelief. The resounding crash of weapons clashing echoed around him, but he realized something was off.
Kayden was not holding any weapon! What was happening?! Was he actually invulnerable? Was his body made of steel? Could anyone possess such unnatural power?
White Wolf narrowed his eyes, and as he looked at Kayden’s hand more closely, he noticed something shocking. He saw a faint blade, barely visible, shimmering within Kayden’s palm.
“You can materialize a knife out of nothing!” White Wolf blurted out, his voice filled with surprise. “You are… you are…”
Before he could finish, Kayden pulled his hand back swiftly and attacked again. His movements were so fluid and lightning-fast. White Wolf, whose reflexes were honed by years of battle, reacted instinctively, pulling his saber back just in time to block.
Clang! The two blades met and sparks flew. In the blink of an eye, Kayden once again drew back only to strike again. This time, he attacked from the left.
Again, White Wolf raised his saber to block the strike. He was fast, but Kayden’s relentless onslaught left him no time to even breathe. Even though White Wolf was renowned as the most skilled swordsman, he found himself only able to defend against the blow, but unable to counter.
The battle lasted for what seemed like an eternity, with Kayden keeping attacking and White Wolf keeping defending. But slowly, White Wolf’s movements began to lag, ever so slightly. In that split second, Kayden saw his chance. With pinpoint precision, he lashed out at White Wolf’s wrist.
As the blow landed, a sudden chill pierced through White Wolf. It was a sensation, unlike anything he’d ever felt. It’s the cold, unnatural touch of internal energy, not the sharpness of a blade!
The blade in Kayden’s hand wasn’t a physical weapon. It was the result of him channeling his immense internal energy into his palm, shaping it into the form of a knife. This was the truth behind his so-called “materializing a knife from thin air.” It wasn’t metal but pure, concentrated energy given lethal form.
Once speed surpassed a certain threshold, even a leaf could slay, and a chunk of cheese could strike with fatal force.
Kayden’s attack moved with the swiftness of a lightning bolt. This velocity amplified the destructive power of his energy-formed blade.
For most people, facing Kayden’s blade meant certain death. But White Wolf wasn’t most people. He was a Hermit, a master who could also wield internal energy with precision and strength!
After this blow, White Wolf reeled back. The two men now stood five meters apart.
White Wolf still gripped his saber tightly as he staggered back several paces!
His breath came in shallow gasps. With a hesitant step forward, he raised his blade defensively and muttered, “What incredible speed! What a sharp knife!”
Kayden said nothing. His lips curved into a faint, icy smile. His expression sent a chill through the air, and his chuckle was like the whisper of a devil in the dark.
He had been called a god of war and killing! Titles like these aren’t bestowed lightly. They are earned, carved from endless slaughter, and built upon mountains of bodies. So, Kayden radiated a dark aura when he decided to take someone’s life!
But this didn’t mean that he was a demon who only knew killing.
His darkness, killing intent, and mercilessness were reserved solely for his enemies!
White Wolf’s heart pounded as he realized how dire the situation was. Kayden seemed to effortlessly track his every movement with precision. It was as if his every motion slowed down in Kayden’s eyes. He was utterly outmatched!
No technique is unbeatable; only speed cannot be countered!
Kayden’s speed was not just fast. It transcended human limits. It was beyond comprehension!
Yet even in the face of this overwhelming threat, White Wolf’s resolve refused to falter. He would not lose his dignity so easily!
His foot slid backward in a measured, deliberate step. Then, he wielded his saber in a flurry of graceful arcs.
His movements were as light as falling petals, as fluid as running water. He wasn’t merely fighting-it looked as though he was performing a dance.
Kayden watched silently, waiting to see what White Wolf was gonna do.
And then, the air around them began to shift!
From out of nowhere, a ferocious wind surged across the scene. White Wolf raised his saber high. Above its tip, a shimmering sphere of light began to form. It was his inner energy in a tangible form!
The glowing sphere hovered, suspended just above the blade’s tip!
“Thunder, heed my call!” White Wolf’s roar split the air, tearing through the gale like a storm unleashed.
BOOM! A deafening explosion erupted in the sky. A brilliant lightning bolt followed instantly, crackling with a devastating intensity as it descended from the heavens.
The bolt tore through the air like a tiger lunging with fangs bared, poised to devour everything in its path. Its power was ferocious, primal, and so great that the night sky seemed to tremble beneath its charge. As the lightning roared downward, it shattered the suffocating stillness of the darkness.
The lightning smashed into the glowing sphere on the tip of White Wolf’s blade, and the energy within the sphere ignited. It burst into a dazzling blaze that made nobody able to stare directly at it.
Kayden reflexively squeezed his eyes shut. He felt a wave of power forcing him to stumble back, step after step.
What terrifying strength!
There was no room for doubt now. White Wolf, the Blade Master of Western Frontier, wasn’t just a name. His ability to summon the thunder and lightning was nothing short of otherworldly.
“Strike!” The word ripped from White Wolf’s throat. He swung his lightning-imbued blade down toward Kayden.
The strike carved through the air with a deafening roar, plunging toward the ground like an unstoppable meteor.
When the blade collided with the earth, the world seemed to collapse in on itself. Deep ravines sliced across the ground as if torn apart by the claws of an ancient titan. Dust and debris spiraled upward, filling the air with the smell of scorched stone.
Wherever the searing sphere touched, destruction followed!