Drake stood before the young master of the Ignis Clan—Leo Ignis—who was staring at him with cold intent. He never imagined someone would dare to try and assassinate him in this backward town.
"Don’t you know my Ignis Clan?" Leo asked, still bewildered that someone would openly attempt to kill him, not even bothering with stealth.
When Drake heard this, he let out a soft chuckle and looked at Leo.
"Yes, I know. You’re the young master of the Ignis Clan, the most pampered child among the head’s sons and daughters."
Leo’s confusion deepened. Since Drake knew this, what gave him the courage to still attempt to kill him so brazenly? The surrounding crowd was equally baffled.
When Drake saw Leo’s puzzled expression, he smiled.
"Do you think that just because you’re the young master of the Ignis Clan, I would fear killing you? Don’t forget the world we live in—only the strongest fist wins. If your clan gets destroyed, what would you depend on? You’d be no different from a stray dog."
"You’re not even a son of a god, nor a god’s chosen, that one might fear you. Let me tell you something—even gods can be killed."
Drake’s chilling voice struck fear into Leo’s heart, and he realized that there was no way out of this other than to fight and defeat Drake.
"You’ll regret ever making an enemy of me and the Ignis Clan," Leo said coldly, killing intent flaring from his raging golden eyes.
"Then let me regret it," Drake ridiculed.
"Sun Lion Art: Sun Lion Pounce!"
Leo charged, lunging toward Drake like a lion. Meanwhile, Drake watched calmly, pondering which skill to use.
He possessed numerous attributes and techniques—sword skills, blood skills, thunder skills, death skills. Having awakened the Draconic bloodline, he had also gained its skills. Drake was, in terms of power and versatility, overwhelmingly overpowered.
"Well, let’s go with my original skills," Drake thought as Leo closed in.
When Leo reached him and saw that Drake made no move to defend or counterattack, he smirked confidently.
He increased the strength in his fist and punched at Drake—but what happened next shocked both him and the crowd.
"Death Art: Phantom Step."
His fist passed clean through Drake, as if striking air. Drake countered with a punch of his own, sending Leo flying. Leo barely managed to regain balance, stopping himself with a fist planted to the ground, avoiding a crash.
Staggered, Leo rubbed his eyes to confirm what he had seen—but reality didn’t change. Drake stood there, unscathed.
This was one of the abilities of Phantom Step—intangible for a brief moment, negating physical attacks.
Leo stared warily at Drake. What had just happened was beyond his understanding.
"Sun Lion Art: Rush of the Sun Lion!"
A majestic lion formed in front of him. Though it lacked the grandeur of the old man’s version, it was still formidable and powerful.
The Sun Lion charged at Drake. But even as it neared, Drake remained still, showing no signs of defending. Confused, Leo cautiously moved forward.
As the lion neared Drake’s body, it was halted by an invisible force. Leo watched in disbelief as the Sun Lion was absorbed by a barrier.
"Devouring Art: Devourer Barrier."
Drake had successfully blocked the attack—but Leo refused to accept it. He continued to summon and hurl multiple Sun Lions at Drake, but each one was consumed by the Devourer Barrier.
As their clash continued, Leo suddenly paused his attacks, a smirk etching itself onto his face.
"It seems the skills you use only allow you to negate physical attacks. That’s why you’re using a barrier when I strike with Originat."
"It seems you’re not that dumb. But even knowing that—does it change anything?" Drake grinned, taunting Leo. When Leo heard Drake’s reply, his expression darkened. He had expected shock from Drake and those watching—but Drake only continued mocking him.
"Let’s see how long you can hide under that tortoise shell!" Leo shouted, continuing his assault on the barrier with his skills.
"Sun Lion Art: Sun Lion Claw!"
"Sun Lion Art: Rush of the Sun Lion!"
He kept hammering Drake with strikes, while Drake stood calmly, defending with the Devourer Barrier.
"Well, that’s enough. It seems it has absorbed enough," Drake chuckled.
When Leo heard this, he smirked.
"Oh? Your tortoise shell can’t take it anymore? Looks like it’s going to break. What will you do now?" He seized the opportunity to taunt Drake.
"Did I say it had reached its limit and was breaking? Don’t misinterpret my words," Drake replied with a soft laugh.
"Then what do you mean?" Leo snickered.
"See for yourself," Drake smiled.
"Devouring Art: Devourer Barrier."
Suddenly, the barrier in front of Drake began to glow. Its full form revealed—a black barrier radiating a devouring hue that sent chills down the spine.
When Leo saw the Devourer Barrier glowing, goosebumps rose on his skin as his instincts screamed danger.
The barrier pulsed with energy, gathering force. Then, to everyone’s shock, a beam of Originat formed in front of it, warping the very air around them.
Energy from the surroundings was drawn into the beam, its size increasing until—
The intense beam of Originat fired. In that moment, most of the crowd’s ears went momentarily deaf from the sound.
Leo, stunned by the power heading toward him, realized the attack had been formed from the very Originat he’d been using against the barrier—now sent back at him.
This was the ability of the Devourer Art—any energy-based attack that hits the barrier is absorbed and converted into stamina or attack power. Excess energy is stored and released as a devastating counterattack.
Leo tried to dodge the beam, but it was too fast. Just as everyone thought he had been consumed by the blast, they were shocked to see him appear ten meters away from the impact zone, a talisman crumbling into dust in his hand.
Leo had used one of his escape talismans—a teleportation talisman. Though it was a low-grade one, it was still highly sought after by cultivators.
When Leo gathered himself, he looked around for Drake—but couldn’t find him. Then he looked up—and what he saw froze him.
A black-haired young man wearing a black mask, wielding two scythes that seemed to embody death itself. He reeked of a deathly aura. Above him, the double moons cast their eerie glow, amplifying his presence. At that moment, he resembled a grim reaper.
His golden eyes were meant to shine like stars in the night sky, but instead, they glowed with an ominous light that sent fear coursing through the body. His aura was death itself, as if his only purpose was to harvest life.
Leo’s body trembled involuntarily, his hair standing on end. His entire form shivered under the weight of dread. The aura Drake emitted was simply too terrifying.
"Devouring Art: Devouring Void Step."
In an instant, Drake vanished from the sky. Leo’s instincts screamed louder than ever. He didn’t hesitate—he quickly brought out another teleportation talisman, this one flinging him twenty meters away.
As he reappeared, a chilling voice echoed behind him—
"You’re still too slow."
"Death Art: Death Crescent Slash."
A/N: Continue to support this author, your support is my greatest motivation.