The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 861: Volume 27: Sudden Gust - 2: Heavenly Knight

Chapter 861: Volume 27: Sudden Gust Chapter 2: Heavenly Knight

The opponent’s exquisite move had dissipated the burst of energy he had released, and Solonberg’s deep eyes sparkled with brilliant sparks. Such a battle was meaningful. Neither his sparring with companion Vladimir Koff nor his fight to the death with Shatima could compare to this thrilling clash. It was only through contests with masters that one could truly improve, and at that moment, Solonberg’s heart was alight with surging combat spirit.

With a sudden heft of the tail end of his spear, a black dragon seemed to surge forth in defiance, roaring upwards and stirring up a thousand layers of wave-like Qi. Amidst the profusion of spear shadows, entwined in the outburst of Fighting Qi, he instantly re-engaged his opponent, locking them in once more.

"Huh!" The prideful Heavenly Knight finally showed a trace of surprise on his face. Although he had anticipated that his opponent wouldn’t be so easily defeated, the fact that the other could regain composure in a split second was enough to earn his respect.

It seemed fitting; those who dared to challenge the Religious Court shouldn’t be too weak, that wouldn’t make sense. Although the current Religious Court had become somewhat paranoid and mad due to their divergent understanding of doctrine, their strength had not suffered much. Both Noyola and Lorenzo were considered outstanding local clerics, and even Grand Archon Vazinsky held them in high esteem.

"Take this!" The Heavenly Knight’s eyes glittered fiercely as he locked on to a streak of light amidst the endless spear shadows, pressing down his spear single-handedly, the compact Qi suddenly condensing into a solid mass and bearing down violently. Meanwhile, his other hand deftly formed a peculiar gesture and, empty-handed, pointed in the air.

Solonberg felt as though his Knight Spear were suddenly stuck in a space filled with glue, each inch of movement so laborious, while his opponent’s swiftly descending Knight Spear struck unimpeded, fiercely impacting against the real tip of his own illusory spear.

A crisp and pleasant collision sound spread around, and Solonberg gritted his teeth, nearly biting into his own flesh. Wave after wave of Qi transmitted through that momentary clash, violently rushing into his body. In that instant, Solonberg felt as though all his bones would shatter, a strong sensation of blood regurgitating rising to his throat, as a faint taste of blood suddenly filled his mouth and nose.

Such powerful Light Fighting Qi! And it even has magic attacks mixed in! The first move had impressed Solonberg with his opponent’s strength, but the second strike truly made him realize the clear gap between them. The momentum of the attack had shattered a great deal of his confidence and pride. Such a disparity could not be bridged merely by confidence and stubbornness; it required accumulative practice and cultivation.

Komer had sensed something amiss the moment his opponent’s left hand left the spear, but he hadn’t expected the Heavenly Knight to be so proficient in magic as well. It was not uncommon for someone to train in both magic and martial arts, but most dual-practitioners were figures who couldn’t make it into the limelight. Only a handful throughout the Continent’s history had achieved substantial success in both fields. Perhaps Kennifer III could be counted as one, but those were mostly historical figures. At least on the current Continent, there seemed to be no one who excelled in both paths, but today Komer had finally witnessed it.

Although it was just a simple Space Compression Technique, not considered profound among space magic, with short duration and easily disrupted by other spells, less formidable compared to high-level space magic like the Gravity Spell, the timing of its release—amidst the opponent’s spear thrust—was critical. It was as if a Mage and a Heavenly Knight attacked Solonberg simultaneously, how could he, already weaker in strength, withstand such an assault?

A subtle white light silently flowed from Komer’s hand into Solonberg. The refreshing current filled his body, moving along the meridians, as the blood taste in his mouth and nose faded away. Teetering on the brink of an irreversible error, Solonberg felt ashamed yet even more resolute; he still had a chance to fight back. Komer’s Restoration Technique had mended Solonberg’s injuries in a flash. Like an outraged dragon raising its head, his Black Iron Magic Spear, already wobbling, now bore countless terrifying dragon heads as it fiercely lunged at his opponent.

The Heavenly Knight glanced at Komer, clearly noticing that his opponent had received support from his companion’s Recovery Magic. Yet he was surprised to see how quickly Solonberg recovered; after all, he seldom used this formidable combination of martial and magic power lightly, and when he did, it was a certain kill. But Solonberg had managed to simply experience a surge of blood without falling, only then receiving magical aid to recover. Otherwise, not even Komer could have instantly restored Solonberg’s ability to continue the fight.

Solonberg, full of indignation and without any reason to hold back, realized that defeat was inevitable, but he decided to make it as glorious as possible. Even if he couldn’t win, he would make his opponent pay a significant price. The Black Iron Magic Spear, like a parasitic worm, tenaciously locked onto his fleeting opponent’s figure in the sky, yet it was always an inch away from making a real impact. This "Shape-shifting" technique was a type of Land Soaring Technique and had its advantages compared to "Inches Apart". Though Solonberg could launch into the air, he fell short in his Flight Technique compared to his opponent. His spear’s tip, emitting a cold light, was already within three feet, stirring up a shrill, piercing sonic boom in the air.

As Solonberg took a sudden breath, the temperature in the air dropped sharply, and a whiter-than-white ice mist formed in the space where the two were dueling. The chill emitted by the tip of the spear even brought about trails of white, substantial ice spikes. Hexagonal ice spikes clustered together, instantly becoming a deadly weapon!

In the midst of the furiously churning mist, Solonberg’s expression turned exceptionally solemn. His deep blue eyes displayed a sort of blurred fluctuation between light and darkness, and his hands, gripping the black iron magic spear, shook violently in a series. The long spear exhibited a strange distortion, as the Frost Fighting Qi that had been accumulating for a sufficient length of time burst forth through the body of the spear.

The numerous ice spikes suspended in the air were completely activated by Solonberg’s burst of full-body power, resembling a world of snow and ice-storms. Countless ice spikes whirled and danced in the air, and the piercing screech that tore through eardrums made the entire square seem like it had fallen into a realm of phantoms and specters.

Even the strength of the Heavenly Knight, extraordinary as it was, had not anticipated that Solonberg, despite being seriously injured, would suddenly erupt. In an instant, Solonberg’s Frost Fighting Qi turned the water elements in the air into ice spikes, and the sudden release of Fighting Qi caused the ice spikes to explode in rapid succession. At this moment, the Heavenly Knight had nowhere to retreat to, nowhere to hide, and could only face it head-on.

The milky-white Light Fighting Qi slowly expanded into a dazzling circle of holiness, enveloping the body of the Heavenly Knight. Any ice spike that entered the range of the circle immediately lost its momentum, the violent friction causing an initially shrill sound to become somewhat muted, piercing straight to the forehead.

Under the strong resistance of the Light Fighting Qi, the numerous ice spikes either melted into droplets of water or turned into ice-cold powder. The whole combat space was a mess of water vapor.

But Solonberg’s full-powered attack was not without effect. The hastily erected shield of Light Fighting Qi couldn’t defend every spot; the swirling ice spikes struck back from every unexpected angle where the Fighting Qi was weak and inevitably attacked.

The scattered spots of blood-red on the white robe proved Solonberg’s achievement, yet the anger on the Heavenly Knight’s face and his agile figure likewise demonstrated that the damage was mostly superficial rather than substantial. Especially when the opponent’s gleaming knight spear whipped up a relentless storm, Komer knew that this contest was approaching its climax.

The black iron magic spear stirred up raging black waves, but as the hurricane-like fury attacked like a stormy sea, the cold Frost Fighting Qi dissipated in layers upon layers amidst the air’s frictional screeching, and the two knight spears met once again.

"Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!" A series of clear, ear-piercing clashing sounds reached everyone’s ears. With every clash, Solonberg was forced to step back. Though he bit his lips until they bled, and his body resisted like a bent bow, the powerful impact made him retreat bitterly. It was unwise to act tough at such times. In a true test of strength, there were no tricks; despite the myriad reluctance in his heart, Solonberg had to admit that he had to end this battle in a somewhat embarrassing manner.

With the final violent strike landing, the Heavenly Knight’s lips curled into a proud smile. He lovingly retracted his knight spear and elegantly tossed it into the air. The knight spear performed a beautiful somersault and directly fell into the quiver on the Heavenly Knight’s back, exquisitely precise, earning Komer’s involuntary admiration.

Blood surged upwards in his throat with each breath, causing Solonberg to stagger back six steps. He wanted to grit his teeth and endure, but the alarmingly red cheeks gave Komer a hint of the danger. With a light leap, his fingers conjured a mysterious gesture at Solonberg’s forehead, while his other palm pressed heavily into Solonberg’s back.

With a "puh!" a large mouthful of blood spurted out, and Solonberg’s figure became staggered, needing the tip of his spear to steady himself on the ground. And Komer’s White Magic penetrated deep within Solonberg.

(To be continued... For more, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters available, support the author, support authorized reading!)