My Celestial Ascension Chapter 925: The Duel (2)

Isolde's eyes grew wide with astonishment the instant the wooden sword materialized in Yuan's grasp from thin air. It appeared to be just a plain wooden blade, devoid of any extraordinary features.

"Are you underestimating me, Yuan? How can you possibly battle me on equal terms using something as simple as a wooden sword?" she objected, obviously puzzled by his weapon selection.

"Don't think of this as a regular wooden sword, Lady Isolde. It's crafted from an exceptional type of wood that's nearly unbreakable. I use it primarily for honing my sword skills," Yuan clarified while raising the blade close to his eyes, lightly tracing his fingers over its edge.

"How can a simple chunk of wood be unbreakable? That's too absurd to accept," Isolde shot back, refusing to buy into the idea since she'd never encountered such a substance.

"Lady Isolde, this world holds countless enigmas that defy explanation. This wooden sword happens to be one of those mysteries," Yuan stated with a subtle grin, holding it steady in his grip.

Slash! Bang! He swung the sword leisurely, as though just checking its balance. However, a profound cut formed in the earth as an unseen curve surged ahead, slamming into the arena's surface.

"..." The entire crowd in the arena gaped in complete shock, their jaws dropping with no sounds escaping their lips.

Isolde herself stood frozen in amazement. Such a casual, offhand swing had sliced the ground and released tremendous power.

'A genuine freak... he's a beast hidden in human form!' Isolde screamed inside her mind, and right then, her view of Yuan shifted utterly.

She stopped seeing him as a typical person. He towered over everyone from the Human Continent—residing in a whole other dimension beyond ordinary folks.

'I need to unleash everything I've got to stand a chance against him... Looks like I'll have to turn into a beast too,' Isolde mused, her face hardening with grim determination.

"I have to say, Yuan, you're the first person I've encountered who stirs me this intensely... enough to force me to my absolute edge," Isolde declared as her form started to alter oddly, a vast surge of blood rising up and enveloping her completely.

Her figure changed swiftly. Her stature altered, and huge wings exploded from her back—dense and bat-like in texture.

Those wings spanned hugely, extending to blanket almost half the arena while she floated off the floor.

She morphed into a horrifying creature. Her talons sharpened and toughened, her gaze turned shadowy, and her irises glowed a fierce red.

The change kept going. Blazing fire burst from her frame, radiating intense heat through the arena as the earth under her began liquifying into glowing lava.

"This time, that human is done for... Countess Isolde has unleashed her vampire true form. He'd better give up, or her inferno will reduce him to cinders," Count Eldrick remarked with a laugh, his red eyes sparkling.

"Keep dreaming... My husband can endure any blaze this world throws at him. A vampire's fire is trivial to him. Not even divine fires could singe a strand of his hair," Valeria countered coolly, her voice dripping with scorn.

King Evander and the rest of the vampire aristocracy stayed quiet after that exchange, opting to observe how the fight would progress with Isolde unleashing her maximum might.

Whoosh! Bang!

A massive blast rocked the arena when Isolde flung a gigantic fireball at Yuan, aiming to wrap up the confrontation with one crushing blow.

But Yuan cleaved the fiery orb apart with a single smooth stroke, making the blaze burst safely away from him.

"You'll need to bring much more than that if you want to beat me," Yuan stated, flashing a assured grin.

"Fine then, brace yourself for the full assault. I'm holding nothing back anymore," Isolde yelled with a broad smile before beating her enormous wings and soaring upward.

After climbing to a specific altitude, she halted her rise and lingered in the air, peering down at Yuan from her vantage point.

In a flash, countless fiery orbs dotted the sky, each the size of a huge rock, lighting up the firmament with their searing glow.

With just a flick of her finger, she sent the barrage of fireballs hurtling toward Yuan at breakneck pace, her grin stretching wide.

Yuan, meanwhile, kept his face serene. He confronted the fiery onslaught with total poise.

He displayed zero hint of being daunted or worried.

His unflinching calm astonished all the vampires observing the match; they couldn't fathom the source of his boldness.

"Since you're airborne, maybe I should join you up there..." Yuan whispered to himself before his form started lifting off the ground.

"What?!?! "

All gazes snapped to Yuan in stunned horror, incredulity etched on every face.

"H-He can fly?! How in the world?!" King Evander burst out in awe.

"That's no big deal. I can fly too," Valeria boasted with a cocky smirk, folding her arms.

King Evander and the vampire elites struggled to process the sight. They gazed at it all in awestruck quiet.

At the same time, Yuan darted with velocity beyond Isolde's tracking. Using his wooden sword, he sliced through each incoming fireball with ease.

BOOM!!!

Blasts thundered through the skies, unleashing waves of force that spread far while the fires dispersed like broken constellations.

"Y-You... How can this be happening?!?!" Isolde shrieked, her eyes bulging as Yuan materialized right in front of her.

"It's my little secret..." Yuan answered with a gentle laugh before his face grew stern.

"You've had your shot... Now it's my turn to strike back," he announced, clutching his sword tightly.

In an instant, he disappeared. A soft wind whispered by Isolde's rear, and every fiber of her being urged her to dodge.

'What kind of velocity is that?? I didn't catch even a glimpse of his movement... it's as if he warped right next to me!' she wailed in her thoughts while compelling her body to respond at full force.

Yuan's blade skimmed her arm in its lunge, the momentum creating a fierce wind that howled by her side.

'I-I just managed to evade it... There's absolutely no way I can overcome a freak like him. He's flawless... way too flawless,' she reflected, her stare now holding an odd gleam as she regarded him.

Her breaths came in heavy gasps. She'd worn herself out merely avoiding that one blow, but she now saw Yuan through a wholly new lens.

'What's that expression she's wearing...?' Yuan thought, baffled, wondering if his prior move had shaken her mind.

'Still... why does this sensation ring a bell? Have I been through this kind of thing previously?' he questioned, a puzzled look crossing his face.

Yuan paused without a word. He held off from advancing, giving her a moment to regain her breath as he observed her intently.

"I-I concede the fight..." Isolde announced in a weary tone, her shape reverting to normal.

Yuan merely nodded, still perplexed, and gradually lowered himself to the arena floor, with Isolde descending right after.

Upon touching down, Isolde approached him steadily, her gaze fixed on his.

"You're the first one to drive me to my utmost, Yuan. You're genuinely astounding... maybe even overly so," she remarked before fully withdrawing her vast wings.

"You're pretty amazing yourself, Lady Isolde," Yuan responded with a grin as he stored his sword.

"Why not visit my home this evening? I'd like to talk over a few things with you."

"Of course. As long as it suits you to host us," Yuan agreed.

"Great, then. We'll head out once I wrap up my business here."

"Sounds good," Yuan agreed with a smile before they both rejoined the group.