[Battle power increased by 32 points] [Battle power 245 (379)] In the midst of desperation, just as he was about to throw the white flag and closed his eyes, a promise he once pledged to honor emerged from the depths of his memory and roused Emery's fighting spirit which was on the verge of breaking. In that spur of the moment, Emery managed to accomplish something that he always struggled to achieve in the past. He managed to successfully make a breakthrough in his [Immortal Gate] technique, raising it to stage 6. And apparently, this sudden increase of power was exactly what he needed to match Zach's monstrous strength. As his hand continued to push the heavy sword away from his body, it was the first time Emery saw the young dragon show a surprised face. He could see, for a moment there, that the other party's confidence faltered. Zach decided to reel in his sword and jump a few meters back. His eyes were on his opponent's figure. "A breakthrough during a fight. How convenient," said the young dragon as he prepared a new stance to attack. Upon hearing the sarcastic remark, Emery calmly placed his right hand on his left shoulder which was still bleeding profusely. In the next second, luscious green light appeared on his hand as he cast his newly-learnt Tier 4 spell. [Regrow Limb] With the addition of Fey's [Undecaying Flesh], it only took a mere few seconds before an arm grew back anew on the amputated shoulder and Emery recovered his lost limb. At the same time, all the burned flesh all over his body also started to regenerate back, regaining their previous healthy complexion. Seeing that Zach didn't seem willing to start his attack yet, Emery decided to walk towards his severed arm that lay on the bloodied ground, where the wooden creature was currently attached. "Do you want to continue helping, or enter the spatial space to rest?" A pair of pitch-black eyes appeared on the piece of wood after Emery said those words. Twik didn't answer. He just crawled back to Emery's outstretched, newly-grown left arm and began to take the form of a round shield once more. But this time, the shield was much smaller than the one Twik manifested when he fought against Zetto. After that, Emery turned his body and looked at Zach. "Thank you for waiting," while brandishing his sword again. Zach had returned to his previous calm demeanor. The young dragon just showed a faint smile as he replied, "I was just hoping for a more exciting fight!" "In that case, I definitely won't disappoint," said Emery readily, before he once again let out a loud howl and shot towards the young dragon. Swishhhh! Clank! In the blink of an eye, the swords in Emery and Zach's hand struck and met again, competing for sovereignty over the other. Sparks flew through the air as the blades clashed, and loud metallic sounds reverberated throughout the area. CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! The blades of their swords trembled with each clash, and both of them knew that now their strengths matched. Fighting spirit rose in this recognition, and the slashes that came from their swords grew even more ferocious. The additional battle power that [Immortal Gate] granted him allowed Emery to bridge the gap between them. He no longer needed to be afraid to fight Zach in close combat, as in terms of strength, he was now on a higher level. However, this didn't mean that Emery was able to easily overwhelm the young dragon, as in terms of speed, Zach was still a notch faster. Emery had to continue using his spells in order to deal with Zach's speed. [Jade Root] and [Jade Wall] kept appearing on the field where they were fighting, doing their best to impede, while [Slipstream], [Blink], and [Dark Void] cooperated together to help him be on par with the young dragon. Swwiissshh!! Clank! Clank clank!! Emery, who had been relentlessly attacking Zach, couldn't help but be a little disheartened when he saw that his sword slashes basically did minimal damage to the red armor covering Zach's body. Once again, Emery opted for spells after some of his spirit energy recovered. A dark crescent moon flew through the air as he sent [Shadow Edge] towards Zach, but the latter responded with a resplendent flame slash that was no less inferior. Seeing that [Shadow Edge] alone wasn't enough, he tried adding [Seed Bomb] and [Ash Blast] to the mix, hoping that he would be able to break through his opponent's defenses and destroy the red armor. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The second round of their fight continued for fifteen minutes during which no less than ten dangerous attacks were carried out. Then, without anyone realizing the time, it was prolonged by another fifteen minutes. Many high tier spells and battle arts were cast and showcased for the audience to see. Both sides scored and received hits. The dazzling spectacle brought great awe to the audience. To put it simply, the extent that Emery and Zach's fight progressed was no longer that of acolyte level. Even some among the audience, those with the cultivation of a magus realm, couldn't say for sure that they could receive such intense bombardment and stay alive. More so, they couldn't believe their eyes that saw the new kid from the lower realm was able to match the Dragon bloodline protege. They were shocked, dumbfounded, and flummoxed by what they saw. The crowd became more and more rowdy by the minute, gasps and murmurs could be heard from everywhere. "Go get him, Emery! You can do it!!" Klea shouted with all her might, supported by the others who were also cheering passionately. Unknowingly, as Emery continued to fight Zach, more and more people started chanting his Savage moniker. Evidently, those people hoped for the dark horse - him - to overturn expectations and win. Even when their second half had entered an hour mark, there was still no clear winner between Emery and Zach. Though both of them were simply covered with blood and gasping for air, Emery continued to attack and chant his spells seeing that his opponent's red armor had cracks all over. BOOM! BOOM! CLANK! Emery's sword swing managed to force Zach into an area where he had prepared [Dark Void] leaving the young dragon unable to sense his surroundings for a while. Taking advantage of that moment of chance where his opponent was caught off guard by the sudden change of environment, Emery's two cores exploded for one powerful attack. He drove the spirit energy within his body to the ceiling of its limit and cast another [Seed Bomb], creating dozens of dark greenish energy spheres as big as watermelon - the same size as [Dark Matter] spell. Once Zach managed to break out of the entanglement of the void that Emery had prepared for him, all the conjured [Seed Bomb] were already all over where he was and they all exploded at once at the same time. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!- The result was more than Emery expected. The area within fifteen meters of where Zach was standing was obliterated into smithereens and black smoke flew everywhere blocking the view. It took some time for the smoke to dissipate, and when it did, Zach's wretched state could be clearly seen. He was currently kneeling on the ground. The red armor was gone as it finally fell apart and burnt marks were visible all over his body. Zach was letting out a deafening roar as he stood up moments later. As if nothing had happened, the young dragon picked up his sword again, seemingly ready for another round. Emery, however, sighed when he saw this sight. The dragon protege was still not defeated even after such attacks, while he was at the end of his stamina. He had been forcing his Spirit Pool past its limit by casting all those high tier spells for a while, and now he was no longer able to maintain it. There was a sudden pain throughout all of his whole body before all his strength was drained away. [Twilight Transformation deactivated] [Battle power decreased by 70 points] [Immortal Gate deactivated] [Battle power decreased by 64 points] In a different situation, Emery might have pushed himself to the end. But not this time, because he had more to lose than gain by forcing this fight any further. Especially with the midtest will start in 3 days. It was time to conclude it. Emery took a deep breath, restraining his primal urge to fight. As he stared at the young dragon, he calmly said, "You win.. It's my loss." Emery's sudden declaration of surrender had some people shouting their frustration, but the majority of the audience cheered and applauded for such a great fight. [You have forfeited the duel] [Rank 9 - Emery Ambrose] ---------------------------------- Written by Avans, Published exclusively by W.e.b.n.o.v.e.l,