From the shadows, that figure radiated waves of chilling cold, leaning to one side as it drew a massive axe and swung it at EeDechi. Sword and axe clashed in the air, sparking bright blue flames, and the surrounding chill was shattered. EeDechi finally got a clear look at Dragon Endbringer's form.
This was a burly warrior, with a human-like face and limbs, eyes glowing red, his whole body encased in jagged, menacing dark red armor. The armor was crafted to resemble a magnificent ancient dragon, with sharp blades carved into the forearms, elbows, and fists.
But he had a red metal ball clamped in his mouth, secured behind his head by two iron chains. He couldn't open his mouth to speak, yet a bone-chilling voice echoed directly from his body:
"Living flesh, offer up your blood and meat!"
"Hand over your own urn first!" EeDechi roared, gripping her sword with both hands, spinning and slashing nonstop. Each strike ripped through the air like countless lightning bolts exploding.
After Dragon Endbringer twisted aside to dodge two swings, he immediately whirled his long-handled greataxe in a frenzy, the blade tracing semicircular red glows across the sky as he clashed fiercely with EeDechi.
Though the giant sword and greataxe were both heavy weapons, the giant sword EeDechi wielded had the edge in both speed and power.
After the storm-like flurry of blows, Dragon Endbringer's greataxe shuddered, nearly flying from his grip. He clenched the trembling weapon tight, took a feint step back, left the deck, and floated into midair.
Dragon Endbringer hovered in the sky above, a booming voice rumbling from his armor:
"An interesting foe, an interesting sword. I can't even channel my decaying power into you through our weapons. You're strong, sure, but so what? Your comrades are all dead. I'll take my leave now, and you'll be left guarding a ship full of corpses, weeping in grief. How pitiful, how tragic, how laughable."
"Is that right?" EeDechi sneered. "I hear you command death and destruction—let me show you what I command!"
EeDechi planted her sword on the deck with both hands and bellowed: "If Gods Deny Salvation's Hand, With Sacred Blade I'll Reprimand!"
The moment the words left her lips, golden light shimmered across the ground in waves, warm currents flowing in every direction, blanketing the entire warship.
The crew members' corpses sprawled on the deck all came back to life. They stirred awake, opening their eyes in confusion and looking around.
After seeing EeDechi with her sword planted in the deck and Dragon Endbringer hovering in midair, the people were all stunned speechless, as if struggling to comprehend just what this dragon-armored warrior floating in the sky and facing off against EeDechi really was.
Barrett shoved open the cabin door and stumbled over, gripping his longsword tightly in both hands. He rushed to EeDechi's side, panting as he asked, "Did I just die again?"
"Yes," EeDechi nodded, her face grave.
"I was just sitting in the common hall when suddenly a wave of cold air drifted in and sucked all my life force away," Barrett explained. He looked up at Dragon Endbringer in midair: "Looks like this guy's the one who did it."
"Interesting, interesting. Truly an interesting Tier Magic," Dragon Endbringer nodded, his voice coming entirely from behind the armor over his belly.
Dragon Endbringer suddenly spread his arms wide, his murky voice shouting: "Ultimate Death Field!"
In an instant, endless black energy burst from him as the center, like a rapidly expanding thin black mist that instantly engulfed the entire ship.
"Be careful, Barrett!" EeDechi cried out in alarm, sensing the bone-chilling aura of death in this black mist.
EeDechi turned her head and saw that Barrett had already collapsed on the deck, his body rigid, eyes bulging wide, with no breath left in him. And besides Barrett, the crew members who had just been revived also toppled to the ground, deader than dead.
"How about that? Interesting human, my Wild Magic is far superior to yours!" Dragon Endbringer spread his arms, threw his head back, and laughed loudly.
"Damn it! Take this!" EeDechi snarled viciously: "If Gods Deny Salvation's Hand, With Sacred Blade I'll Reprimand!"
In a flash, countless golden lights shimmered across the ground, warm currents rising from the deck, the radiance rippling over everyone's bodies.
Barrett came back to life, rubbing his shoulders as he climbed to his feet, glaring angrily at Dragon Endbringer in midair, ready to pull magical items from his spatial ring to deal with this guy. The others on the ship also revived, climbing up now with eyes full of confusion.
"Ultimate Death Field!"
Dragon Endbringer bellowed again, surging waves of deathly power washing over the entire ship like a tidal surge. People collapsed and died, like flowers withering in an instant, without a single sound, and Barrett toppled rigidly to the deck once more.
"Barrett!" EeDechi saw her companion die instantly again, furious beyond words, and roared:
"If Gods Deny Salvation's Hand, With Sacred Blade I'll Reprimand!"
Barrett and the others climbed up from the deck, revived in a flash.
"Ultimate Death Field!"
Dragon Endbringer raised his hand and roared, deadly black mist spewing forth. Everyone on the ship had their life force sucked away in an instant, all collapsing dead to the ground.
"If Gods Deny Salvation's Hand, With Sacred Blade I'll Reprimand!" EeDechi shouted in rage. Barrett sighed, climbing to his feet, and the whole ship's crew revived as well.
"Ultimate Death Field!" The entire crew except EeDechi died again.
"If Gods Deny Salvation's Hand, With Sacred Blade I'll Reprimand!"
"Ultimate Death Field!"
"If Gods Deny Salvation's Hand, With Sacred Blade I'll Reprimand!"
"Ultimate Death Field!"
"If Gods Deny Salvation's Hand, With Sacred Blade I'll Reprimand!"
"Ultimate Death Field!"
"If Gods Deny Salvation's Hand, With Sacred Blade I'll Reprimand!"
"Ultimate Death Field!"
"If Gods Deny Salvation's Hand, With Sacred Blade I'll Reprimand!"
...
Who knows how much time passed...
"Ultimate Death Field!"
"If Gods Deny Salvation's Hand, With Sacred Blade I'll Reprimand!"
"Hey! You two jerks, are you done yet? If you're gonna fight, hurry up—I've been revived over a dozen times, and you're still not finished?" Barrett jumped up from the ground, seething with rage.
"Damn it! Dragon Endbringer, you tricked me! Go to hell!" EeDechi pushed off the ground with her feet, her form shooting toward the sky like lightning, her giant sword slashing fiercely at Dragon Endbringer with the momentum to split the heavens.
Dragon Endbringer swung his greataxe to block EeDechi's assault. His martial skills were nothing short of masterful, but compared to EeDechi, he was at a disadvantage in both speed and strength.
This was probably because he was in a spiritual form; without a physical body, his abilities had diminished across the board. His lower body was already in a shadowy state, as if it could dissipate with the wind at any moment.
BANG! EeDechi's giant sword hacked onto the axe blade, then slid along the handle in a slicing motion, nearly scraping off Dragon Endbringer's fingers. At the same time, EeDechi pressed her giant sword against the greataxe, using it for leverage to lift her body upward and maintain her airborne position.
Dragon Endbringer soon couldn't keep up the defense. He cast several flashy Wild Magics multiple times, while his body was enveloped in a pale black spherical field, but none of it could touch EeDechi. EeDechi's magic resistance was at its peak; she could even shrug off Super-Tier Magic without issue.
Suddenly, Dragon Endbringer vanished. EeDechi landed, warily scanning all directions.
"That coward, did he run away?" EeDechi said angrily.
In a flash, Dragon Endbringer appeared behind EeDechi, his greataxe wreathed in black glow chopping down from above.
As if she had eyes in the back of her head, EeDechi whipped around and struck with her giant sword, so fast that Dragon Endbringer didn't even have time to bring his axe down.
Rip! Dragon Endbringer's dark red armor on his abdomen tore like paper, thick black spiritual energy spewing from the wound.
EeDechi raised her sword for another slash, the blade about to split Dragon Endbringer's helmet, but suddenly, Dragon Endbringer vanished again, like a puff of steam merging into white mist.
EeDechi held her sword and looked around; Dragon Endbringer suddenly appeared not far away, his form slightly dimmer. EeDechi moved like lightning, slashing with speed that pierced the air.
Dragon Endbringer spat out a mouthful of black gas resembling flames in an attempt to block EeDechi, but EeDechi didn't even glance at it, cleaving the black gas in two and shattering the shoulder armor of Dragon Endbringer, who couldn't dodge in time.
Dragon Endbringer's figure vanished once more.