Beyond the Apocalypse
Chapter 768: Second round

Chapter 768: Second round

The Lord clenched his fists, seething with rage and frustration as he turned toward Vlad. Killing the young warrior would require just a flick of his finger. One move. One breath. And Vlad would be nothing but a memory. But doing so would also seal his own fate.

Even as a being far beyond the realm of mortals—a lofty existence elevated above mere Legends—he understood perfectly well that in a battle against the White Death, he would lose. Every time. Ten times out of ten. No exceptions.

Of course, things might be different if he had the full, unshakable backing of Valhalla, the great civilization that crowned gods and birthed nightmares. But that was not going to happen. He was already considered a stain in Valhalla, and if the Elders would be happy to see him die.

Taking a deep breath, the middle-aged Lord forced himself to regain composure. Slowly, he turned toward Octavio, voice cold and commanding.

"What are you waiting for? Rise from the ground and kill that man."

The White Death’s warning applied only to Lords. That wasn’t a misstep or oversight. It was intentional. The Emperor of the Graecia Empire had no interest in shielding Vlad from other Legends. If the True Depravita dared to enter the domain of a higher civilization, only to fall to one of its Legends, then in the eyes of the White Death, he deserved to die for his foolishness.

Octavio was still trying to wrap his head around everything that had just transpired. So much had happened—so quickly—that he barely had time to process it. But the moment he heard the Lord’s voice again, his instincts kicked in. He nodded silently and rose from the crater.

Right now, his only hope of surviving this ordeal was to kill Vlad Xaos. If he failed, the Lord might very well dismember him alive, and the old woman wouldn’t lift a finger to help. To her, he was nothing more than a blemish on Valhalla’s legacy.

"BOOOOOOM!"

The fear of death, fused with the primal urge to destroy, caused Octavio’s energy to erupt. A sea of platinum light burst from his body, roaring like a tidal wave. It wasn’t just power—it was pressure that could fracture mountains and pierce through the fabric of space. His presence became a weapon, a divine spear honed by centuries of cultivation.

Despite his cowardly tendencies, Earl Octavio was no weakling. He was a Superior Legend of the Viking Civilization, a monstrous warrior of ancient prestige. If Vlad hadn’t caught him off guard earlier with the unexpected spatial techniques, he wouldn’t have gone down so easily. But now—now he was ready to fight.

Vlad narrowed his eyes as he looked at the two Lords. They clearly had no intention of interfering directly. That realization allowed him to exhale and center himself. He tightened his grip on his sword, feeling the electric pulse of his power crackling through the hilt.

Octavio understood his techniques now. The element of surprise was gone. This would be a battle of will, skill, and overwhelming power.

Vlad let his energy explode outward.

"BOOM!"

A violent spatial storm erupted from his body. Lightning surged and twisted, intertwining with the ethereal currents of space itself. The power coursed through his sword, and was further fueled by the Law of Life, evolving into something chaotic, wild, and deeply unpredictable. It was no longer just elemental force—it was transcendent destruction.

The aura of both warriors grew heavier, rising into the sky like two pillars of divine fury. When their power reached its zenith—

They moved.

Vlad tore through space itself, appearing in front of Octavio in the blink of an eye. But he wasn’t alone.

Two spatial incarnations emerged from his sides, attacking from the left and right. These were not illusions. They were true manifestations, born from Vlad’s advanced cultivation techniques and empowered by the Law of Life. Each one wielded deadly intent.

Octavio’s eyes sharpened. Three swords rushed toward him at terrifying speed.

"CLANK!"

His platinum spear struck with blinding force, obliterating one incarnation and clashing with the real Vlad’s blade. The impact sent shockwaves tearing through the ground as the young warrior was pushed back, skidding across the terrain.

But the third incarnation remained.

Octavio twisted, narrowly avoiding a fatal strike to his head—but the blade still cut deep into his shoulder.

"Gah—!"

With a roar, the Super Legend lashed out and destroyed the final incarnation. But before he could regroup, the wound on his shoulder began to tremble.

An insidious energy remained in the gash.

His muscles convulsed. Blood vessels burst. The cut expanded violently as if it were eating away at him from the inside.

He growled in pain, but he didn’t have time to be shocked—Vlad was already upon him again.

Steel clashed against steel in a violent dance of death.

Octavio displayed astonishing martial prowess, spinning his spear in arcs that carved wind tunnels through the air. His attacks weren’t just powerful—they were precise, surgical, like thunderclaps that could tear the sky. He wielded his spear with such expertise that even space itself began to ripple from the piercing energy. Each thrust seemed to reach through dimensions.

Vlad dodged narrowly, teleporting through fragmented zones of reality and unleashing distance slashes—invisible cuts carried on the wind, guided by lightning and space. They came from multiple angles, but Octavio was quick to read their trajectory.

"BOOM! BOOM! CLANG!"

Their weapons sparked with blinding flashes. One of Vlad’s slashes ricocheted off Octavio’s spear, only to bounce into a nearby hill and cleave it in half.

Octavio roared and drove his spear into the ground. Energy surged out like a shockwave, forcing Vlad to leap into the air. The Earl followed, using the momentum to spin and throw a mid-air barrage of spear strikes, each one moving faster than light.

But Vlad countered, teleporting behind him and unleashing a spiral cut—a rotating blade of lightning and void energy.

Octavio twisted in mid-air, barely parrying it, but the explosion sent both fighters hurling in opposite directions.