"Let's begin."
As soon as those words were spoken, Arthur vanished from his spot.
No trace, no sound. He appeared right in front of Leon, his index finger already almost touching Leon's forehead.
Leon reacted with his honed combat instincts. He didn't dodge, instead swinging his sword to the side, creating distance with a sweeping attack.
Clang!
Arthur's finger struck the side of the sword, producing a loud metallic sound and a shower of white energy sparks. The impact made Leon's arm tremble.
"Good, sharp reflexes," Arthur praised, gracefully retreating three steps.
Leon wasted no time. He lunged forward, his sword drawn back. "Dark Edge!" The blade of his sword was shrouded in hissing dark smoke, leaving a purple trail in the air.
Arthur merely raised his left palm. "The Magician – Omni-Elemental Dominion." His posture was upright, his raised hand as if holding a globe. A one-meter-thick wall of ice instantly grew in front of him.
Kraak! Leon's sword split the ice wall, but his attack was deflected.
Before Leon could retract his sword, Arthur was already moving again. This time he didn't teleport, but dashed with a speed that made him look like a blur. He appeared on Leon's right side, his open hand reaching for a grab.
Leon pivoted, "Tenebris Sectio!" From his own shadow, over a dozen blades of darkness shot forth, forming a net towards Arthur.
Arthur smiled, not dodging. "Strength – Infinite Titan." His stance changed, a low crouch, one arm pulled back like a coiled spring. He shattered the shadow blades with a series of physical punches so fast it looked like he had nine arms at once.
Bam-bam-bam-bam! The sound of consecutive air explosions.
Arthur immediately executed a quick transition, launching a strike at a vital point with a low sweeping kick. This forced Leon to jump back, his eyes wide in surprise.
But Arthur gave Leon no time, immediately unleashing a crescent-shaped kick. The circular sweep struck, nearly knocking the sword from Leon's grasp. Leon, facing the attack, parried with difficulty, his body pushed back three meters.
Thud! Leon landed hard, but immediately rose, panting heavily. His face tensed, showing he couldn't ignore Arthur's attacks.
The protective energy on his body flickered, indicating his attacks had reached their maximum limit. Arthur truly wasn't using any weapon, just his body, but each attack felt like being hit by a giant steel golem.
"You rely too much on your sword, Leon," Arthur said, still with that smile.
"Your sword is indeed strong,but what if you lose it?"
Leon bit his lip. He stood up, frustration turning into determination. I have to force him to get more serious.
"Then," Leon growled, his body's aura began to change. Glowing purple symbols appeared not only on his hands, but spread to his neck and the right half of his face. His black hair turned white, but this time, among the white strands, there were red streaks like small rivers. His eyes glowed red, and the purple aura around him became incredibly dense.
"Eternal Darkness… SECOND FORM!"
BOOM! A sudden wave of energy erupted from Leon's body. The floor of the training room cracked, forming a spiral pattern. Sylphine, Veylin, and Zephyr, watching from a distance, were forced to shield their faces with their arms.
For the first time, Arthur's expression changed—from relaxed to interested, then to wary. "Oh? So you've touched this stage already?"
Leon didn't answer. He was already gone from his spot.
Swoosh!
His speed now even matched Arthur's. He appeared behind Arthur, his sword already swinging—but it wasn't a normal slash. "Eclipse Dimension Erasure!" A black circle with a blood-red rim formed at the tip of his sword, creating a zone.
Arthur reacted with incredible instinct. He didn't try to block, even though he knew he couldn't. Instead, he raised both hands, his pose changing to that of a worshipper praying to the sky. "The Magician – Omni-Elemental Dominion!" Elements gathered—fire, wind, earth, water, lightning—swirling to form a rainbow-colored protective vortex that collided with Leon's black circle.
KRRAAKOOM!
The collision created a silent explosion that sucked in all sound, then released it in a shockwave that destroyed part of the training room's roof. Pillars crumbled. Arthur was thrown back, landing on one knee. His right arm was wounded with lightning burns and claw marks of darkness, blood dripping. It was the first wound Arthur had received since the duel began.
But Leon wasn't faring well either. His Second Form wasn't stable yet. The symbol on his face flickered erratically. He groaned, forcing himself to maintain that form.
"Incredible!" Arthur stood up, the blood on his arm evaporating on its own due to his regeneration. "But how long can you hold it?"
Leon attacked again, this time with a new technique. "Shadow Bind!" From Arthur's own shadow, dark ropes coiled around his legs, his arms, pinning him in place.
Arthur was momentarily surprised. That was enough for Leon. He unleashed "Riftrend Barrage!" at maximum power. He moved like a storm, his sword creating hundreds of spatial cracks around Arthur—a spiderweb of purple light ready to tear everything apart.
Arthur, still bound, only smiled. "Knight of Pentacles!" He struck a pose like a knight planting a banner. From the cracked ground, hundreds of golems of earth, iron, and fire rose in an instant. They charged at the spatial cracks, exploding, but giving Arthur a split-second gap to blast his energy and sever the shadow ropes.
But Leon was waiting. "Dark Fracture Slash!" His final slash, with twenty times the usual power, surged forth.
ZzzzzCRACK!
The slash cut through the golem ranks, hitting Arthur, who had already raised a hand with a combined elemental shield.
BOOM!
Arthur was pushed to the far end of the room, crashing into the wall until it cracked. Dust flew.
As the dust settled, Arthur stood again. For the first time, his breathing seemed heavy. His clothes were torn in several places. But the gleam in his eyes was even more excited.
Leon… Leon had reverted to the First Form. His hair was completely white, symbols only on his arms and neck. He was kneeling, his sword planted in the ground for support. His body was covered in wounds, blood flowing from his lips and several cuts on his body. His clothes were partially destroyed, revealing bruises and scorched skin.
But his eyes still glowed.
"Amazing," Arthur said, his voice sincere.
"Truly amazing. You've made me use three major abilities. But it seems we're not done yet."
He stepped closer. "How about we try something different? An army clash."
Leon, though breathing heavily, lifted his head. A faint smile appeared on his bloodied face. "Alright."
Arthur raised both hands high. "Knight of Pentacles – Golem Army, arise!"
The ground trembled. From the shattered floor, from the debris, from the air itself, hundreds of golems emerged. Earth golems with stone fists, gleaming iron golems with fiery eyes, seething magma golems. They lined up in neat formations, filling half the training room, their eyes empty but full of menace.
Leon was not to be outdone. He drove his sword deeper into the ground, then raised his hands.
"Dark Army… come forth!"
Spatial rifts—more numerous and larger than before—tore open in the air behind Leon. From within, the Dark Army marched out.
They were countless. Pitch-black armor, eyes glowing with blood-red light, an aura of death so thick the room's temperature plummeted. They were more orderly than the golems, more disciplined, like a shadow kingdom's army. At the very front stood four commanders: Valker with his greatsword, Forsaken, Sylvaris, and Fenrith. They bowed respectfully to Leon.
Two armies—one of light and elements, one of darkness and death—faced each other. The ruined battlefield turned into a sea of soldiers. Opposing energies created a static storm between them, small lightning bolts crackling between the golem and shadow ranks.
Arthur and Leon locked eyes, both smiling—one full of challenge, one full of pride. They were about to give the order. The two armies would collide, and likely destroy the entire headquarters.
But just as Arthur was about to raise his hand…
"ENOUGH!"
That voice, full of authority and a bit of annoyance, echoed throughout the room. Nix stood at the entrance, hands on his hips, his face sour.
Leon and Arthur turned, their expressions like children caught being naughty.
Nix gestured around him. "Look at this state! Look! The roof has holes, the floor is destroyed, half the pillars are flattened! Do you two want to bring down the entire headquarters?!"
Leon and Arthur glanced at each other, then both gave sheepish smiles. Slowly, Arthur lowered his hands. The golems began to revert back into earth, iron, and return to their original elements, disappearing one by one.
Leon nodded. The spatial rifts behind him closed, and the Dark Army—after bowing one last time—turned and shrank back into the darkness, vanishing without a trace.
In an instant, the room full of soldiers was empty again, leaving only destruction as proof of their battle.
Leon pulled his sword from the ground, standing with difficulty. Arthur walked over, and with their respective wounds, they shook hands firmly.
"Your progress is extraordinary, Leon," Arthur praised, his gaze warm and proud.
"I didn't expect you to have already touched the Second Form,even if it's not stable yet. And your strategy… is better than I thought."
Leon smiled wearily, yet satisfied. "Thank you, Arthur. Without that protection… I might have been destroyed several times over."
At the side, Sylphine hugged herself, still in awe. Veylin nodded slowly, analyzing every move in her mind. Zephyr just smiled, proud to see someone his sister loved progressing so far.
Nix let out a long sigh, shaking his head, but at the corner of his lips, there was a small smile he couldn't hide.
=== CHAPTER 51 END ===