The two slashes collided, unleashing a terrifying impact that shattered the surrounding ground.
"Flash Thrust!!"
Arthur stomped his foot, rapidly charging at Qi Yan, raising his sword and thrusting it towards Qi Yan.
"Sun Breathing, Seventh Form: Scorching Rush!!"
Flames coiled around Qi Yan as he raised his sword with both hands, launching a swift thrust.
Clang—!
The tips of their swords clashed, light and flames colliding.
Boom boom boom boom—!
The ground beneath their feet and all around them exploded, the impact rapidly spreading outwards.
"Flash Sword!!!"
Arthur's sword attacked as swiftly as light.
Qi Yan swung his blade, blocking all of Arthur's attacks.
"Sun Breathing, Eighth Form: Solar Heat Haze!"
The tip of Qi Yan's blade shimmered like a heat haze. Arthur immediately retreated to dodge, and just as he thought he had evaded and was about to counterattack...
Suddenly! His expression changed. The seemingly short blade suddenly seemed to lengthen, and Arthur no longer had time to dodge.
Pfft!
A wound was cut into Arthur's body.
Arthur swiftly swung his sword in a horizontal sweep.
"Sun Breathing, Ninth Form: Setting Sun Twirl!"
Qi Yan's body leaped and spun, dodging Arthur's attack while simultaneously slashing horizontally with his blade.
Such an unexpected attack made Arthur break out in a cold sweat. He quickly ducked, and the long blade sliced just above Arthur's head, taking a wisp of his hair.
Before Arthur could react, Qi Yan's next attack arrived.
"Sun Breathing, Sixth Form: Burning Bone Sun!!"
The swirling Solar Flame slash directly struck Arthur.
"Ugh ah ah ah!!"
Arthur cried out in pain, his entire body sent flying by the slash.
Boom—!
Arthur slammed into the inner wall, shattering it.
"Oh oh oh!! Arthur was sent flying by Tsugikuni Yoriichi!! Is the battle about to end here?!"
Arthur struggled to his feet.
"Not yet!! Arthur is back on his feet!!"
"As expected of Mr. Tsugikuni Yoriichi. I originally wanted to engage in close combat to decide the victor with you, but it seems I was overestimating myself." Facing Qi Yan in person, he finally understood why Clay had been scurrying around like a startled rabbit.
Before each of Qi Yan's moves, he felt as if he saw an illusion of himself being defeated. He relied on his strong willpower to avoid being influenced by the illusions.
He even used the illusions to predict Qi Yan's attack methods in advance.
But he realized he was still a bit overconfident. He thought he was fighting Qi Yan with his own strength, but Qi Yan's recent attack seemed to tell him just how vast the gap between them truly was.
"..."
Qi Yan said nothing. To be honest, the moment the opponent got close, Qi Yan had the chance to instantly kill him. However, that would be a bit disrespectful. After all, he was the strongest swordsman in the Sobeya Kingdom. If he were to defeat him so easily, it would be somewhat rude to the host.
He who eats another's food is beholden to him, and he who takes another's money is at his mercy.
He intended to end the battle with a token effort.
The opponent's swordsmanship was not weak, but his swordsmanship was stronger.
"But I also want to see what the true gap between Mr. Tsugikuni Yoriichi and me is."
Arthur clasped his sword with both hands in front of his chest, and magic rapidly converged into the sword.
The light from the sword shot skyward, forming a giant golden broadsword, the same move he used against Erza. However, this time Arthur clearly gathered even stronger magic.
Qi Yan really disliked guys who unleashed such powerful moves so freely. It was supposed to be a sword skill competition, but it ended up being a magic competition.
The wind-up for the opponent's move was so long; honestly, that much time was enough for him to kill the opponent several times over.
Even if he didn't kill the opponent, Qi Yan could easily dodge it.
But he couldn't do that. Interrupting at this point would be a bit undignified. He couldn't attack, and he couldn't dodge, so the only option was to meet it head-on.
Qi Yan infused magic into his sword.
But just as he infused it into the sword, a strange sensation arose in Qi Yan's mind.
Looking at the magic infused into the sword in his palm through the Transparent World, combined with his body's sensation of magic, it was as if he was experiencing magic for the first time.
His brain became incredibly active, and countless thoughts and wisdom surged in his mind.
Qi Yan didn't know what this feeling was, but he could sense that this was definitely a huge opportunity for him. If he missed this opportunity, he would absolutely, without a doubt, regret it for the rest of his life.
Qi Yan chose to forget everything and immerse himself wholeheartedly in the ocean of consciousness.
Arthur had also finished charging at this moment. A giant golden energy sword, dozens of meters tall, stood in the arena, like a legendary holy sword.
Arthur saw Qi Yan in a daze and didn't know what he was doing, or why he wasn't assuming a fighting stance. Whether he intended to dodge or clash head-on, there should have been some indication.
But the opponent just stood there, motionless.
However, at this point, he no longer had time to think about what Qi Yan wanted to do. His move was fully charged and he had to attack.
"Judgment of Light!!"
Holding the sword with both hands, he roared as he swung it downwards.
The giant broadsword, like a divine weapon, swung down towards Qi Yan with Arthur's movement, as if splitting heaven and earth.
Qi Yan seemed to have no time to react, or perhaps he forgot to react, or perhaps he was oblivious.
He neither dodged nor charged to defend, merely standing motionless. Only when the sword was about to strike him did his body instinctively slowly raise his sword to block.
But how could a single sword possibly withstand such an attack? When Arthur attacked Erza, Erza had released a magic barrier, but the magic barrier was torn apart, and even her shield and armor were shattered.
This time, Arthur's attack was clearly more powerful than the one against Erza. Everyone thought Qi Yan was finished this time, and couldn't bear to see Qi Yan split in half by a single sword.
Clang—!
A crisp sound rang out, and then a scene that shocked, stunned, and disbelieved everyone appeared.
The blade of the golden giant sword met Qi Yan's blade. The scene everyone expected, where Qi Yan's blade would be easily shattered, did not occur. Instead, Arthur's golden giant sword broke directly.
That's right! It just broke directly, as if cut by something incredibly sharp, and then the golden giant sword dissolved into specks of light.
"..."
The entire venue instantly fell silent. Arthur himself stood frozen in place, his eyes vacant.