With an unmatched momentum, the blade descended, slicing through the air and manifesting a blood-red arc that seemed poised to cleave the very sky. The overwhelming stench of blood and the searing heat bore down upon Enzo, leaving him with no avenue of escape.

“Tell me, what will you use to counter this strike?”

Lovins burst into hearty laughter, envisioning Enzo, grievously wounded, collapsing before him in a plea for mercy.

Yet, to the astonishment of all, an extraordinary event unfolded.

Blood-red armor rapidly materialized around Enzo’s form, enveloped by swirling mists of silver lightning and emerald hues. He merely extended his hand and grasped the descending blade’s arc.

The crimson light seared through Enzo’s palm.

Yet that was all it managed to achieve. Thereafter, it could penetrate no further.

With an unwavering resolve, Enzo exerted force through his arm, producing a series of crackling sounds as the massive, corporeal blade was effortlessly crushed, reduced to a scattering of sanguine fragments that vaporized into mist and vanished.

This display of power caused Lovins to narrow his eyes in disbelief.

Compared to a year ago, Enzo’s prowess had grown immensely.

It was not merely a one-dimensional enhancement. His elemental mastery, soul strength, and physical might had all undergone a comprehensive ascension. Where had this individual ventured to garner such terrifying advancements?

Lovins struggled to accept this reality, despite its veracity.

At that moment, a discontented voice echoed in Lovins’s mind: “Lovins, are you truly intimidated by such a lowly insect? You have half an hour to bring him back. If you fail, I may well find a new lord for Ambera City!”

Sweat trickled down Lovins’s brow.

Though he could not see Cornelius, he instinctively lowered his head, murmuring, “Your Highness Cornelius, I shall bring this wretch before you at once!”

With that, Lovins raised his gaze, his expression turning fierce.

Without hesitation, he brandished the blood-red blade and charged once more at Enzo.

This time, he eschewed the seemingly formidable techniques in favor of unleashing the divine energy inherent to his status as a low-level deity to overwhelm Enzo.

Though such an approach appeared decidedly unfair—an act of the strong preying upon the weak—Lovins was indifferent to moralities.

He had to secure Cornelius’s approval!

Lovins’s sudden shift in battle tactics imposed significant pressure on Enzo.

In their previous encounter, he had faced merely the illusion conjured by Lovins, an echo of his consciousness that wielded only a fraction of Lovins’s might and lacked access to the core essence of a deity’s power—divine energy, a unique force that transcended ordinary elemental powers.

This distinction lay at the very heart of the divide between the deity and supernatural realms.

Now, Enzo felt acutely aware of this chasm.

With each of Lovins’s strikes, he sensed a peculiar energy clinging to his own form, difficult to dispel. While its effects were minimal, they compounded with Lovins’s relentless assault.

“No, I cannot allow this to continue.”

After another successful defense against Lovins’s onslaught, Enzo staggered backward, his expression growing grave.

Lovins was not only stronger but also wielded the formidable blood-red blade, and each strike infused with divine energy inflicted considerable tolls on him. Prolonged engagement would only spell disaster for him.

In truth, Lovins was growing increasingly anxious.

As a junior deity, despite wielding divine energy, the accumulation of such strength was no simple task.

This power required a lengthy recovery period after being expended.

Yet, due to Cornelius’s command demanding he defeat Enzo within half an hour, Lovins had no choice but to draw upon the limited divine energy he had gathered.

Now, as his divine energy teetered on the brink of depletion, Enzo’s strength appeared far from exhausted.

This left Lovins in a state of deep concern, prompting him to make the same fateful decision as Enzo — to concentrate all his might and unleash his most formidable technique, a single blow to determine the outcome!

Abruptly, the two combatants separated, amassing their respective strengths, plunging the central square of Ambera into an eerie silence.

Enzo silently chanted, “Thunder-Cracked Claw!”

In a surge of overwhelming power, Lovins erupted, plunging his blood-red blade into the ground, drawing forth a thick, swirling mist of crimson vapor, which he consumed entirely before unleashing a thunderous roar, “Beast God, descend!”

In an instant, the sky seemed to darken ominously.

Above Lovins, the clouds churned, forming a swirling vortex.

Then, a colossal head emerged, that of a fearsome beast, its golden eyes coldly surveying all below, locking its gaze inexorably on Enzo, rendering escape impossible.

Enzo took a deep breath, his resolve unwavering.

He slowly raised his hand, and behind him, a massive claw materialized.

As this ethereal claw appeared, a palpable aura emanated from it, instilling dread and compelling submission.

“What is this?”

Lovins’s heart was gripped by shock and bewilderment.

Not only he, but also from afar, at the pinnacle of the Lord’s Manor, Cornelius was taken aback as he witnessed the techniques unleashed by Enzo. He abruptly stood, astonishment etched across his face, murmuring incredulously, “Divine arts! This is undoubtedly divine arts! Moreover, it carries the essence of Elemental Law!”

“It’s impossible, absolutely impossible!”

“Even I have not mastered such formidable divine arts, let alone that all divine arts existing in the Fierce Beast realm are collected by the Beast Temple—there can be no omissions!”

“This is an entirely new form of divine arts!”

Cornelius was so overwhelmed with excitement that his words became somewhat jumbled.

Hearing Cornelius’s mutterings and witnessing his fervent reaction, Karina, standing beside him, couldn’t help but feel immense surprise. She strained to widen her eyes, gazing at Enzo, her gaze shimmering with an inscrutable brilliance.

However, a glance at Cornelius dimmed the light in her eyes.

Having offended Cornelius, even if Enzo possessed unparalleled talent, he faced a path to destruction.

…

In the central square, Lovins took a few deep breaths to regain his composure.

Even though Enzo commanded such powerful divine arts, Lovins was undeniably stronger, a true deity.

Furthermore, the spells he wielded were formidable as well!

Amidst the tense atmosphere, the terrifying head of the monstrous entity that Lovins had summoned finally descended, its cavernous maw gaping wide as it lunged toward Enzo.

Simultaneously, Enzo swung his hand down.

The silvery enormous claw sliced through the air, leaving a flurry of phantasmal traces before it struck down heavily upon the monster’s head, which seemed to offer no resistance whatsoever, being effortlessly torn asunder by the silver claw.

This scene took everyone by surprise.

Enzo, too, had not anticipated that the Thunder-Cracked Claw possessed such formidable power, effortlessly tearing apart the monstrous head summoned by Lovins. This revelation made Enzo realize that the divine arts he had gleaned from the Elder Deity crystal harbored additional unique properties.

Yet, he could not ascertain what those properties were at this moment.

However, for Lovins, whether the Thunder-Cracked Claw possessed some singular ability had become irrelevant. After rending the monster’s head, the silvery giant claw descended upon him, and as he attempted to flee, he discovered it was a futile endeavor.

That enormous claw had also locked onto him.

Even should he attempt to escape through a spatial portal, the claw could still traverse the vast distances of space to tear him apart.

“No! My fate should not unfold this way!”

Lovins was engulfed in terror.

He shouted towards the direction of the Lord’s Manor, “Prince Cornelius, save me!”

Yet, Lovins’s cries for help elicited no response.

The silvery claw descended mercilessly, ripping Lovins’s body asunder. Not merely his corporeal form but his very soul was fragmented, decomposed into the most fundamental essence of soul energy, dissipating into the air.

Even an immortal deity well-versed in soul manipulation would be powerless to reconstitute his soul and restore his life.

This was absolute annihilation.

Furthermore, at the moment of Lovins’s physical demise, the immense life energy within him erupted forth, not dissipating into nothingness, but transforming into shards of black crystal amidst a bizarre fluctuation—these were the Blood Energy Crystals.

“Is this how Blood Energy Crystals are formed?”

Such a revelation left Enzo stunned, yet this was not the time for contemplation. Though Lovins had perished, the threat still lingered.

Enzo lifted his gaze towards the heavens.

Moments later, Cornelius descended from the skies, accompanied by Karina, landing gracefully before Enzo.

Cornelius’s eyes were chillingly indifferent as he fixed his stare upon Enzo, declaring, “You are the one who has slain a member of the Gwaihir clan and absconded with the Origins Mirror.”

His tone left no room for rebuttal.

He continued, “Return the Origins Mirror to me and kneel in submission, and I may, on behalf of the Beast Temple, pardon your crime of murdering a city lord.”

“Who do you think you are?” Enzo retorted with disdain.

He sensed an even graver threat emanating from Cornelius, one far surpassing that of Lovins, an oppressive force from which he felt utterly powerless to defend himself.

The figure before him exuded unimaginable strength.

Upon hearing Enzo’s inquiry, Cornelius suddenly erupted into laughter.

At that moment, Karina, standing beside him, interjected loudly, “Listen closely, boy! His Highness Cornelius has been officially selected by the Beast Temple and is one of the Ten Divine Sons! He embodies nobility and immense power! That he is willing to receive your submission is a stroke of fortune—you should recognize it as the most significant opportunity of your life!”

Karina’s words illuminated Cornelius’s esteemed status for Enzo.

However, to everyone’s astonishment, after Karina finished speaking, Cornelius swiftly struck her across the face, rebuking, “Karina, did I permit you to speak?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep