Chapter 118: Chapter 117: Sparring Again, the Power of the Demon Sword

On the training ground, Evans and Jon stood facing each other, each holding a practice Blunt Sword.

Off to the side, the guards from the Golden Maple Leaf Trading House stood with the reinforcements Vedri had brought, packing the covered walkway.

Evans needed no introduction—the long-famous "Stone Sword," a dignified Knight Level expert.

And although the young man wasn’t as well-known, they had all seen the manticore lying in the trading house’s courtyard. Just standing firm in front of that monster required immense courage!

And a monster like that was this Mr. Jon’s Magic Pet! One could only imagine his true strength!

That was why none of them dared to set foot on the training ground, terrified of disturbing the spar between the two experts.

Only Vedri stood at the edge of the field, his arms crossed, watching the two men in silence.

Jon, however, wasn’t particularly bothered by their stares.

Getting a crowd while dueling was a common occurrence. This was just a small-scale spar on a training ground—hardly a big deal.

At least these guards were respectful. They weren’t like some players with a twisted sense of humor who would use game mechanics to give the duelists a little "surprise." They were the best kind of audience.

He rolled his sword-hand’s wrist and lifted his chin toward Evans.

"How should we do this?"

"I want to see the strike you used to kill the Evil Mage."

"Ha, you really know how to pick ’em."

Jon chuckled, then shook his head.

"But I refuse!"

Now it was Evans’s turn to tilt his head in confusion.

"Why?"

"Because I can’t do it."

Jon’s expression was frank.

"I landed that strike under the gaze of the Deities. Under normal circumstances, it doesn’t have that kind of power."

"Then a normal strike will do."

With that, Evans raised his sword with both hands and took a defensive stance, just like in their first spar.

’This man is as stubborn as a rock. Looks like I have no choice but to show him a thing or two today,’ Jon thought.

He nodded and raised his sword into a ready stance.

"Alright then, let’s go!"

The next instant, he shot forward!

His speed wasn’t exceptionally fast, but every step he took was firm and steady!

But just as he reached Evans, something suddenly changed!

Scarlet-gold flames erupted from his body without warning!

A searing heatwave swept out as a full suit of armor made of raging flames instantly covered Jon’s entire body. The black Blunt Sword in his hand was wreathed in violent Dragon Flame, transforming into a greatsword of fire that pulsed with destructive power!

The air distorted violently. In the dancing flames, the Warrior’s figure resembled a war god of fire descended upon the mortal world!

Dragon Flame Dance—activated!

"HISS—"

The guards on the sidelines who had never seen this move from Jon all gasped in shock.

With such power and such an imposing aura, even if Mr. Jon hadn’t reached Knight Level, he had to be close!

Seeing this, Vedri’s fingers, which were crossed over his chest, tightened subconsciously, his dark eyes narrowing slightly.

A sharp glint flashed in Evans’s eyes!

He felt a pressure even more terrifying than during their first spar!

Jon hadn’t displayed such an imposing aura back then!

Without the slightest hesitation, the pale yellow Battle Qi he had been gathering erupted outward, instantly thickening like a tangible rock barrier to steadily protect his body!

The scarlet-gold torrent of fire slammed viciously into the pale yellow wall of rock!

"BOOM—!!!"

A deafening explosion erupted with a blinding light and a shower of sparks!

Evans was completely swallowed by the flames!

However, Jon’s attack was as swift in retreat as it was ferocious in advance. The violent flame form lasted less than a breath before silently dissipating!

As the enhancement from the Dragon Flame Dance vanished, his aura instantly receded, making the onlookers’ hearts rise and fall like an elevator.

Why did he retreat after just one strike? What kind of trick was this Mr. Jon playing?

Of course, they didn’t know that without a continuous recovery buff like Sun’s Blessing, Jon couldn’t keep Dragon Flame Dance active for a prolonged fight.

He could only activate the Skill temporarily at the moment of impact and then quickly deactivate it, using the time between clashes to slowly recover his stamina and will. This was the only way he could maintain his condition in a long battle.

But Evans didn’t care about any of that. The moment Jon retreated, his counterattack arrived!

The gray-eyed Swordsman burst out of the flames, swinging his Blunt Sword in the same simple, unadorned backhand uppercut. But this time, the motion carried the dull whistle of a swinging stone pillar!

Jon had no intention of taking that head-on.

Stance Switching: Agile Stance!

His arm guided his sword as he turned his body to evade Evans’s strike. Then, using the momentum of his spin, the Blunt Sword in his hand carved a sharp arc of light!

Swift Strike!

This strike wasn’t enhanced by flames, but its angle was extremely tricky, stabbing straight for the opening under Evans’s ribs exposed by his block. It was as fast as lightning!

Evans’s pupils contracted. With a flick of his wrist, he unexpectedly changed his move, angling his sword upward in a slight slash to precisely strike the spine of Jon’s incoming blade!

"CLANG!"

Metal rang against metal, and the force of Jon’s strike was deftly deflected.

But at the very instant their swords clashed, flames bloomed on Jon’s body once more, and a searing, stabbing pain shot up Evans’s sword and into his arm!

A searing power penetrated his Battle Qi’s Defense, burning his flesh viciously!

Penetration damage plus bonus fire damage!

"Hmph!"

Evans grunted, his arm muscles instantly tensing. The light of his pale yellow Battle Qi flared, forcibly suppressing and dispelling the searing pain.

Jon seized this opportunity to unleash an offensive as fierce as a raging storm!

Chop, slash, stab, sweep!

His Swordsmanship was grand and sweeping, full of a wild sense of power, yet it also revealed exquisite control in the finer details.

He was like an attack machine that had calculated every ounce of its Power to the absolute limit!

He knew his own limits perfectly, avoiding his weaknesses as much as possible during clashes while using his strengths against his opponent’s shortcomings!

This made Evans feel as if he were fighting two completely different opponents!

One was violent and scorching on the attack, as if wanting to incinerate all creation; the other was cunning and tricky when dodging, his counterattacks finding every possible opening!

What shocked him even more was that although Jon’s aura would recede briefly after each burst, this retreat left no openings to exploit!

It was as if he was conserving his Power only to unleash an even greater burst next time!

If Jon knew what Evans was thinking right now, he would have grinningly told him: this is the fighting style of a player, a hodgepodge of Skills from different styles, all centered on the core concept of precise control.

And in the end, it all served a single purpose—to defeat the opponent!

Perhaps in the future, he would gradually form his own fighting style centered around Dragon Flame Dance, but for now, he was just a ruthless Skill-casting machine!

"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! BOOM—!"

The sounds of clashes as dense as rain, punctuated by the occasional roar of flames, echoed across the training ground as sparks and dissipated Battle Qi Energy flew everywhere.

The crowd of onlookers was already dumbfounded.

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