Chapter 87: Looks like You-lose... You-win...
Leon\'s eyes narrowed. He couldn\'t afford to lose focus now. This duel was far from over, and he was determined to find a way to win.
As the newly formed golem began to move, its steps shaking the ground, Leon took a deep breath, ready to face the next phase of this relentless battle...
The arena was silent, tension thick in the air, Euwen coughed with a pale face breaking the silence...
Pointing at Leon, he yelled with a red face, "ATTACK!"
The golem\'s eyes glowed brighter, and it raised its arm, which morphed seamlessly into a massive axe.
Leon\'s eyes widened in surprise upon seeing this... Even though he half expected this after being attacked by the arrow, he was still surprised nevertheless.
Swoosh-!!!
Leon watched as with a powerful swing, it brought the axe down toward him. He barely managed to dodge, feeling the rush of wind as the weapon missed him by inches.
KA-!!!
CRACK-!!!
The ground where the axe landed cracked a little, showcasing the immense power behind the attack.
Swoosh-!!!
Leon moved with high speed, his katana flashing, slicing through the air with great speed as he aimed for the golem\'s joints..
But the golem anticipated his move, its other arm transforming into a greatsword, blocking Leon\'s strike with a deafening clang.
Clang-!!!!
The sound was loud and odd, it\'s like the loud sound of someone hitting a hard metal against a large stone...
The force of the clash sent vibrations through Leon\'s arms, but he held firm, his eyes locked on the golem\'s red glowing ones.
The golem pressed its attack, its movements surprisingly fluid for a creature of stone and earth.
The golem swung its greatsword in a wide arc, forcing Leon to leap back. As he did, the golem\'s arm shifted again, this time elongating into an extra-long spear. It stretched almost endlessly, thrusting forward with incredible speed and precision.
Leon gritted his teeth, using the side blade of his katana to deflect the spear, shifting its great force to the side.
The impact resonated through his arms, his muscles straining against the sheer power behind the attack.
"KA-CRACK!!!"
The ground beneath Leon shattered as he landed, the force of the spear strike splitting the earth around him. He cursed under his breath. He never imagined Euwen would push him to his limits like this.
Clearly, the pressure from the battle had caused Euwen to evolve his comprehension of the skill, this was the first time he was trying this...
Meanwhile, Using the momentum from deflecting the spear, Leon rolled mid-air, landing gracefully on the fractured ground. Without missing a beat, he sprinted towards the golem once again.
The elongated weapon, though unpredictable, offered him a chance to get closer if he was fast enough. But for some reason, Leon didn\'t want to use blitz just yet.
The golem\'s spear began to withdraw, retracting swiftly, but Leon\'s speed was anything but normal. He darted forward, closing the gap between them with remarkable agility.
Leon was forced to roll to the side as he felt danger from behind.
The spear merged back to the golem\'s body and then morphed into a massive hammer then it swung down with devastating force.
Boom-!!
Leon was forced to rolled to the side once again as the hammer smashed into the ground and sending debris flying.
From the debris, the golem\'s body released a barrage of hardened earth shurikens and kunai, each one sharp enough to pierce steel. Leon\'s eyes widened as he saw the projectiles coming at him from all directions.
Swoosh-!
Swoosh-!!
Swoosh-!!!
He slashed at them with his katana, deflecting some, but he had to twist and turn to avoid the rest, his agility put to the test.
The crowd watched in awe, murmurs of amazement and concern rippling through them.
"Did you see that?!"
"Leon is incredible, but can he keep up with this?"
"This fight is beyond anything we\'ve seen before. Euwen really pulled out all the stops."
Euwen, standing behind his creation, smirked.
"Impressive, Leon. But let\'s see how you handle this!" He gestured, and the golem\'s body shifted again, its arm transforming into a massive spear that it thrust toward Leon with deadly precision.
Leon parried the spear with his katana, the force of the impact nearly pushing him off balance. He gritted his teeth, feeling the strain on his muscles.
He had to split his focus, circulating his mana to reinforce his body while also channeling it into his blade. The dual effort was taxing, but he had no choice.
The golem pressed its advantage, switching its spear for dual swords that it swung in a relentless flurry of attacks. Leon blocked and dodged, his movements a blur as he tried to keep up.
He saw an opening and struck, his katana slicing through the air, but the golem\'s body morphed again, its chest hardening into a shield that deflected his blow.
The spectators were on the edge of their seats, their excitement palpable.
"I\'ve never seen anything like this. Euwen\'s golem is relentless!"
"The Golem art is already amazing, but this, it\'s even more greater than what I have expected!"
As the battle raged on, Leon knew he couldn\'t keep up this pace forever. He needed a plan.
He focused his mana, feeling it flow through him, and with a burst of speed, he darted around the golem, trying to find a weakness.
The golem\'s arm transformed into a whip, which it cracked toward Leon with a sound like thunder.
Leon dodged, the stone whip narrowly missing him and slicing through a stone pillar behind him. He retaliated, his katana glowing with mana as he struck the golem\'s leg, hoping to destabilize it.
The golem staggered because of the force behind Leon\'s slash but quickly regained its balance, its arm morphing back into a hammer that it swung at Leon.
Leon blocked with his katana, but the force of the blow sent him skidding backward. He could feel his energy waning, the constant attacks taking their toll. He had to think of something fast.
As the golem advanced, its fists transforming into twin maces, Leon focused his mind and body, preparing for one last, desperate move.
The crowd fell silent, sensing the climax of the battle approaching. .net
"This is it."
"Euwen\'s golem is too powerful. How can anyone defeat that, the rank of the golem art is high enough to give even those at a higher realm some trouble?"
Leon\'s eyes narrowed, and with a final burst of mana, he charged at the golem. He weaved between its mace strikes, his katana a blur of motion. He struck at the golem\'s joints, each hit chipping away at the stone.
The golem\'s arm morphed into a blade, slashing at Leon, but he ducked under it, coming up with a powerful upward strike that cleaved through the golem\'s arm.
The golem roared, its remaining arm shifting into a shield to protect its core. Leon saw his chance.
The golem\'s transition from its attacking stance to a defensive position gave him the opening he had been waiting for.
He grinned, lifting the side of his lips as he thought of something genius...
Infusing mana into his katana, he wasn\'t just strengthening the blade this time. He was preparing for something more.
One second...
Two seconds...
Three seconds...
Time reduced by second as Leon sprinted toward the golem, his feet light on the ground. A red glint appeared in his eyes, and his katana hummed and trembled in his hand as the mana from within him converged into him.
"Enough..."
The calm words left his lips, and it seemed as if everything around him slowed to a snail\'s pace.
Time appeared to crawl, but it wasn\'t the world slowing down—it was Leon moving at an incredible speed. A fiery red aura erupted and swirled around him as he activated his blitz skill.
To the spectators, he was a red streak flashing towards the golem.
In an instant, Leon reached the golem. Using the shield as leverage, he leapt into the air, simultaneously slashing his katana at the golem.
"Mana Slash!"
A vicious arc of blue mana surged from the blade, slicing through the shield as if it were paper. The golem\'s defense offered no resistance, cleaving cleanly in two without a second glance.
Leon sprinted past the falling debris, closing the distance to Euwen in the blink of an eye. With a swift and precise kick to the back of Euwen\'s knees, Euwen was forced to the ground, his legs buckling under the impact.
Leon\'s blade came to rest against Euwen\'s neck, the red aura dissipating as quickly as it had appeared.
The spectators watched in stunned silence, their eyes widening at the sight before them.
Euwen knelt on the ground, Leon standing behind him with his blade touching the skin of Euwen\'s neck.
A calm, mocking voice resounded through the battle arena, cutting through the deadly silence. "It looks like you-lose, Eu-wen."