Chapter 506: I’ve Got You
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 506: I’ve Got You
A pressure like a tidal wave swept over them.
The ground cracked inch by inch. The outer buildings of the factory, which Celicia had just sliced in two, shuddered and crumbled, shedding stone after stone. Yet, the moment those fragments neared Indra King, an invisible force ground them into dust.
Seeing this, both Muen and Celicia’s expressions turned grim.
They realized that Indra King was finally getting serious!
But before they could even move, they were horrified to find that Indra King had vanished from his spot!
It wasn't until half a breath after he disappeared that a thunderous boom finally echoed through the space!
So fast!
Previously, Indra King had been slow and methodical, suppressing them with sheer force without ever leaving his prayer mat. Consequently, Muen hadn't expected his speed to be so staggering.
No—Muen suddenly snapped to his senses. As a martial artist who had climbed step by step to the exalted Crowned level to obtain a near-god body, speed was a fundamental requirement for Indra King!
Even as an avatar, his basic attributes of speed and strength were guaranteed to crush both him and Celicia!
Furthermore, that deep-sea-like pressure was still restricting Muen. According to Celicia, this was the "Domain" of a Crowned expert. Because this was only an avatar, it was merely an embryonic form; if it were a true Domain, the two of them wouldn't be able to move a finger.
Earlier, Celicia had used small feints to bait Indra King, and Indra King had used a few palm strikes to bait them in return.
Or perhaps it wasn't baiting—perhaps, until now, they simply hadn't been worthy of anything more than those casual moves!
"Damn it!"
A premonition of death screamed in his mind. Having lost sight of Indra King, Muen followed his instincts and crossed his dual daggers in front of him.
BOOM—
Almost simultaneously, Indra King appeared before him.
His eyes remained vacant, reflecting nothing.
And yet, Muen read a very real indifference within them... and a lethal intent.
Indra King reached out, pressing a hand toward Muen.
It wasn't a punch.
His five fingers were loosely curled, each bent to a different degree, forming a strange and almost comical gesture.
But as that hand approached, Muen suddenly realized that the space around him was being thrown into chaos.
Creeeak—crack! The sound of shattering glass rang out continuously.
It was the sound of space itself fracturing, unable to withstand that terrifying power.
But it wasn't just space being distorted and shattered—it was Muen’s body.
Agonizing pain assaulted Muen’s nerves. He couldn't help but cough up blood mixed with bits of flesh. His face contorted into a gruesome mask, and his eyes instantly became bloodshot.
It felt as if his internal organs were being violently churned, crushed, and kneaded into a pulp by that strangely curled palm.
Muen swung his blades through the pain, but his sword light was similarly ground to pieces.
His physical body is decent, but his rank is too low. His internal organs are still fragile.
That is his weakness.
Indra King remained expressionless, looking down like a god watching the death throes of an ant.
Zing—!
In an instant, the sharp sound of air being sliced drowned out Muen’s groan of pain.
A cold, glinting rapier thrust forward once more from a lethal angle. A silver-white figure stepped out of the shadows like a witch bringing death.
But Indra King seemed to have anticipated this; his other hand was already waiting.
Two thick-jointed, weathered fingers snapped together, clamping the rapier in a vice grip.
Sword intent erupted, once again leaving trails of blood on his arm, but he didn't care. He simply suppressed the vibration of the blade, ensuring its master could not swing it again.
He turned to look at Celicia, as if curious to see what choice this Third Princess of the Empire—who was famous enough but still clearly hiding her true depths—would make in such a desperate situation.
But Celicia wasn't looking at him.
Her head was slightly tilted, her gaze fixed on the agonizing expression on Muen’s face.
She said nothing, but the ice freezing in her eyes seemed to drop another several degrees.
She withdrew her gaze and flicked her finger against the blade of her sword.
"Falling Rain."
Her voice was cold and clear, instantly suppressing all the surrounding clamor.
The world went silent.
Indra King’s pupils constricted. Sensing something, the hand suppressing Muen with that strange gesture suddenly clenched into a fist and slammed down.
"Pfft—!"
Muen sprayed out a massive cloud of blood as his internal organs were completely pulverized by the blow.
His body was sent flying like a sandbag, crashing violently into a wall. Dust billowed up, obscuring his broken form.
Now with both hands free, Indra King moved to fully restrain the rapier, intending to crush the girl’s next move in its infancy.
Unfortunately.
It was already too late.
A misty drizzle began to fall.
It was ethereal and drifting, like a spring morning fog.
Yet within this hazy rain lay a terrifying, murderous intent.
For every thread of rain was a... sword light!
Celicia took a deep breath, and the rapier in her hand suddenly spun.
The rain fell.
The misty drizzle turned into a raging tide!
The Domain surrounding Indra King was instantly torn open. Although the momentum of the attack slowed significantly because of it, those thousands of rain threads still left wound after wound upon his body.
His tattered robes were reduced to flying rags.
Indra King’s gaunt but powerful frame was exposed; for a Crowned expert, he looked uncharacteristically disheveled.
"You broke through?"
Indra King looked at Celicia.
He had long since gone blind during his years of ascetic cultivation, but through his vacant pupils, he could see a world constructed of gray lines.
And right now, in this gray world, the brilliant flame representing Celicia was burning far more fiercely than before.
The flame had more than doubled in size.
"To force a breakthrough for the sake of your paramour... is it worth it?" Indra King asked.
"Two things," Celicia replied, her movements not slowing in the slightest as she charged with an even more ferocious posture than before.
"First, he is not my paramour. He is my fiancé."
"Second, this was a natural progression. Why would I need to force it?"
Zing—!
Sword shadows moved like the wind.
After ascending to the Fifth-Tier, Celicia’s moves became even more lethal. She transitioned from being suppressed and relying on surprise to being able to face Indra King head-on.
Though she still seemed to be at a disadvantage, as time passed, Celicia appeared to adapt to her new realm. Her sword light grew stronger, and Indra King became the one forced onto the defensive.
However, just as her strength reached a peak, it suddenly began a slow decline.
Indra King saw through her state immediately and said, "You have only just broken through, and combined with your previous exhaustion, how long can you really face me head-on?"
"I don't need to face you for long."
Despite being pushed to the brink by Indra King, a mysterious curve suddenly tugged at the corner of Celicia’s mouth.
"Haven't you noticed yet?"
"Noticed what?" Indra King frowned.
"Noticed that... I was never the primary attacker."
The moment she finished speaking, Celicia took another breath and lunged forward with a vicious, clinging assault.
Indra King seemed to realize something and whipped his head around.
Bang!
The already crumbling wall shattered completely as a figure shot out like a cannonball!
"Wha—"
For the first time, Indra King showed a look of genuine shock.
Muen Campbell?
How was that possible?
He knew the boy had incredible recovery, so that last strike had been intended to completely liquefy his internal organs, including his heart.
How could he be jumping around with his guts turned to mush? Was this really a Duke’s son? Was this even a human?
But in this critical moment, he didn't have time to think.
A blinding blade light pierced through the dust, slashing toward his vitals.
Indra King managed to dodge at the last second.
At the same time, at the cost of taking a direct hit from Celicia’s sword, he freed one hand and slammed it into Muen.
Thud.
Muen’s abdomen was punched clean through, blood flowing out as if it were worthless.
However, on that face hidden behind the mask, a savage, excited grin appeared.
"I..."
Muen clamped his hands onto Indra King’s arm with a death grip, his voice rasping:
"I’ve got you, Indra King!"
From the depths of his pupils, beneath the revolving Black Sun, a black flame with a white outer glow roared to life!