Scarlet spun lightly, dispersing the excess force, but when she steadied herself, she found she had slid more than two meters from her original position.

Ray staggered back, heart pounding.

A piercing cold had seeped through his scales during the clash, surging violently into his body. He immediately mobilized both his bloodline power and soul power, sealing the foreign energy away.

Even then, light burst from his right arm, forcing him back another two steps.

From that brief exchange alone, the disadvantage was obvious.

And yet, Scarlet was the one truly shaken.

The stargod energy didn't invade his body?

Even three-ringed soul masters usually couldn't withstand it so cleanly.

Her gaze flicked to his arm.

Scales.

What kind of body does he have…?

She didn't pause.

Her first soul ring ignited as starlight poured into her blade, the sword humming softly as she thrust forward.

Ray's heart tightened.

Her casual strike earlier had already pushed him to the edge. Now she was using a soul skill.

He reacted instantly.

Silverfalls Vine burst from the ground, weaving into a dense net between them.

His martial soul has nothing to do with those scales?

Scarlet's thoughts raced. Twin martial souls?

The starlight collided with the grass.

There was no explosion.

Instead, golden light spread across every strand it touched, wrenching control away from Ray.

Ray's eyes widened.

Scarlet pointed her sword skyward, lifting the glowing Silverfalls Vine with it. In the blink of an eye, the barrier vanished.

A strange, domineering soul skill.

Ray retreated without hesitation, violet light flashing in his eyes as he activated Purple Demon Eyes.

Against an opponent like this, holding back was suicide.

The instant Scarlet sensed the spiritual pressure, she closed her eyes.

Her second soul ring flared.

Starlight enveloped her, forming a seamless, radiant barrier. Ray's Purple Demon Eyes found no opening at all.

A shield that blocks spiritual attacks?

Before he could analyze further, Scarlet sliced apart the suspended Silverfalls Vine and thrust her sword forward. Her footwork shifted, becoming erratic and ghostlike. In an instant, multiple afterimages surged toward Ray.

Danger screamed through his instincts.

His combat experience was rich, but even the cleverest fighter couldn't fight empty-handed. With his martial soul temporarily compromised, his options were limited.

So Ray did something unexpected.

He closed his eyes.

If sight failed him, he would rely on everything else.

With spiritual power exceeding two hundred points and years of forging and sharpening his perception, Ray's awareness far surpassed that of ordinary soul masters. His right hand transformed, golden dragon claws emerging as he struck.

Clang.

He blocked the sword at his shoulder.

The Stargod Sword trembled, its energy halted. No matter how Scarlet pressed forward, it couldn't advance even a fraction.

Ray held firm.

Scarlet reacted instantly. With a flick of her wrist, she disengaged, drawing starlight back to her blade. The sword's radiance intensified, and at the same time, Ray regained control of his Silverfalls Vine.

Ray counterattacked with his claw.

Scarlet slapped it aside effortlessly.

Yet something had changed.

With every exchange, Ray's ability to sense her position grew sharper.

"You have quite a few tricks," Scarlet said coolly as she retreated. Her eyes shone like twin stars. "Looks like I'll have to get serious."

Starlight surged around her.

Without warning, she shot forward again.

Twice as fast as before.

Her sword no longer felt like a weapon, but like the descent of the heavens themselves, carrying the brilliance of countless stars.

Ray summoned his Silverfalls Vine in full, reinforcing his defense.

Scarlet's blade danced.

Each strike shattered a strand of grass in a burst of light. The sword tip fluttered like a butterfly, scattering Silverfalls Vine wherever it passed. In the blink of an eye, dozens of sword images stabbed toward Ray from every direction, sealing off all escape.

There was no soul skill behind it.

Only pure, terrifying technique.

In that instant, Ray gained a brand-new respect for Alfred.

Scarlet's Stargod Sword techniques bore a striking resemblance to Alfred's Frost Scar swordsmanship. They shared the same ruthless efficiency, the same cold precision that left no wasted movement.

And because of that familiarity, Ray already knew what he had to do.

A strand of Silverfalls Vine shot up in front of him, its surface flashing with golden scales.

Like a living serpent, it wrapped tightly around the length of Scarlet's sword, disrupting the flow of stargod energy and restricting its trajectory. Many of the incoming thrusts were blunted by the stubborn vines, while Ray's dragon claw intercepted the rest.

Barely.

The only reason his Silverfalls Vine could suppress that terrifying stargod energy was because of Goldlight's enhancement. Even so, the strain was immense. Ray activated Bind, targeting the strands entangling the sword, and surged forward with the assistance of his spirit soul.

But Scarlet reacted instantly.

A sphere of condensed starlight dropped onto the Silverfalls Vine, severing his soul skill mid-cast. Her figure flickered like a mirage, bypassing the golden grass entirely.

She appeared right in front of him.

Her Stargod Sword stabbed forward.

Ten strikes bloomed at once.

"Let's see how you deal with this!" Scarlet shouted.

She hadn't expected things to reach this point. Facing a one-ringed opponent, she should have been overwhelming him. Instead, she was being pushed to fight seriously. His Silverfalls Vine wasn't ordinary, his golden dragon claw was terrifying, and worst of all, she felt an instinctive danger whenever he reached for her sword.

She didn't dare let it go.

If he managed to seize her blade, she knew the fight would end instantly.

Ray was struggling.

Even though he could sense the incoming attacks, his body simply couldn't keep up. His reactions lagged behind his awareness, and every fraction of a second felt like a blade at his throat.

What do I do…?

At that critical moment, Ray made a reckless decision.

He charged straight toward her.

Ignoring the falling starlight, he pushed forward, his golden dragon claw leading the charge. His claw moved in a frenzy, both shielding his body and reaching for Scarlet herself.

Mutual destruction.

Ray trusted his claw's destructive power. He trusted his body to endure for just one heartbeat longer. If he could survive that instant, he would drag her down with him.

Shooting stars slammed into his golden dragon claw, wrapping him in a storm of blood and light. Stargod energy surged violently, on the verge of eruption.

But he was already in front of her.

Shock flashed across Scarlet's face.

She thrust her sword forward and activated both soul rings simultaneously. A torrent of starlight descended, forming a radiant fortress around her body.

Light exploded.

Golden claw and starlight barrier collided.

The shield shattered.

Ray tore through the starlight with raw strength, his claw ripping the energy apart like silk. Yet Scarlet's reactions were worthy of Central Academy. She bent backward at an impossible angle, dodging the claw by a hair's breadth while thrusting her sword upward toward Ray's armpit.

Ray recoiled his arm in time, deflecting the blade.

At last, Scarlet's defenses faltered.

Ray's claw closed around her sword with terrifying force.

Clang!

A violent shockwave rippled through the blade, nearly wrenching it from her grasp.

Then—

Boom!

A burst of light exploded from Ray's body. He let out a muffled groan as his golden dragon claw vanished, the backlash hurling him backward through the air.

"Stop!" the referee shouted.

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