The Chronicles of New Havens

That was the greatest difference between an Arcanist like Protector Avin and a martial artist like the Sword King. An Arcanist had the superior range and area of effect. They were the perfect weapon against armies! Protector Avin exhaled and settled his nerves. Looking at the devastation caused by his spell, Three Harmonic Rebound, he felt a sense of accomplishment. This was the power that he so painfully obtained. There was still room to grow!

While he relished in his strength, the Sword King came flying over at breakneck speeds. Protector Avin immediately sensed him and erected a three-layered barrier just as the Sword King attacked. Boom! It was like a meteor struck! A humongous shockwave rippled out from the point of impact, destroying the land around them and forcing Avin back. The entire cliffside trembled under the force, as the noise travelled far. The attack was so strong that two of the three barriers broke, leaving the last one to barely hang on. Avin was shocked. Admittedly he was tired and taken by surprise, but his barriers should not be that easy to break. So, this was the Sword King, an Instinct Realm's power! It was quite the introduction!

The Sword King laughed. That was right. There was no need for introductions. No need for words. The second they stepped on the battlefield, they knew who each other was. Their powerful auras were enough to give that away! He did not let up. Summoning a vast amount of Martial Energy, he channeled it into his sword. Protector Avin was startled. They met for the first time today, so why was the Sword King attacking him? Did he get mistaken for the enemy? Of course, he never would have thought that his opponent was battle crazy. Cloud Sea Style: Heaven's Divide! The Sword King did not hesitate to use his stronger techniques. A grand flying strike emerged and sliced through the cliffside. Whoosh! Thankfully, Avin dashed back in time using his movement spells. His spell-casting speed saved him from being hit.

While he was still confused about being attacked, he did not hesitate to respond. The man quickly retaliated with three spells of his own. The first enhanced his perception for the fast-paced battle. The second projected a barrier. And the third created a wide bolt of lightning. Crack! Thunder rumbled, as it raced through the air towards the Sword King. The area it covered was massive! It looked like a large, inverted tree of energy! There was no room to dodge! However, the Sword King smiled. Moonlight flashed under his feet, and he accelerated past the lightning. He reappeared next to Protector Avin and slashed again. This time, Protector Avin was prepared. Tracking the Sword King with his spell, he quickly redirected his barrier over. Boom! The top of the cliff was cleared in a single swing. The power behind his sword was absurd. Protector Avin was thrown back, despite blocking the blow.

The Sword King was about to continue his pursuit when Protector Avin flicked his wand. The stiff barrier suddenly turned malleable and surrounded the Sword King, trapping him inside a dome. Within seconds, the dome 'froze' into a thick layer of ice. A hundred spears of ice condensed and attacked him from every angle. At the same time, Protector Avin prepared another spell. He conjured a large ball of energy in front of him. It was the same spell that the Conquestian used against the enemy ships earlier, except it was brighter and the heat more intense. It shrank and shot a huge beam of light that pierced right through the dome of ice. The projectile then penetrated a hill, exited out the back, and shot into the sky. It was visible even in Yongtein. Normally, this would have been excessive, and yet… the ice crumbled to reveal the Sword King standing.

Protector Avin narrowed his eyes. He thought he had timed it perfectly. Unfortunately, his opponent was an Instinct Realm. His perception was far stronger than a Blue Depth Core! As it turned out, the Sword King first created a hundred projectiles to negate the spears of ice. Everything was obliterated in a blast of snow. Nothing came close to him. Next, he raised his sword to parry the incoming beam. The projectile slammed into him in a fierce clash of energies, as he roared and finally managed to deflect the beam away. If he were a second slower, then things might have ended differently. That was why his speed, precision, and awareness were on another level!

Seeing this, Protector Avin grimaced. His clothes were torn, his Core agitated, and blood leaked into his left eye. He had been cut in their previous clash. While it was a light injury, it highlighted the current difference in power. The Sword King was ahead! Of course, the Sword King did not emerge unharmed either. His arms and legs were twitching because the lightning. He could not dodge it completely. His clothes were also singed from the beam of light. A vague burnt smell came from him. Nevertheless, considering the level of destruction they created, their injuries were essentially irrelevant. Especially when… Protector Avin casted a healing spell, and the Sword King used his recovery technique. They could heal their own injuries! It was like nothing happened. This was a battle between humanity's Rank 3 Kings!

"Ha! Don't disappoint me, Arcanist! Show me more!" the Sword King shouted madly. He was smiling from ear to ear, like a kid discovering a new toy. It seemed like nothing could stop him now.

"Don't push me too far, Sword King!" Protector Avin yelled back. The protector had his own pride after all. He would not let someone trample on him.

As they prepared their energies for another round, a large barrier manifested between them. The shimmering crystalline structure surprised Protector Avin. He had never seen anything like it. The two Kings looked to the person, or rather the bird, responsible. Elder Ludin swooped in with Elder Crus and the Imperial Princesses. Protector Avin was dumbfounded. He heard that the Featherwind Sect was a group of giant, sentient talking birds, but… he dismissed it as a joke. To see them in person… opened his eyes, both literally and figuratively. The Sword King glared at the birds angrily. How dare they interrupt his battle? He was tempted to cut all of them down! The fury of an Instinct Realm terrified the Imperial Princesses, Imperian Qiang, and the others atop of Elder Crus, though the two birds did not seem to mind. The Sword King leaned forward when his blade suddenly cracked. Evidently, the intense fighting was too much for his new sword. It snapped in two. He clicked his tongue, sheathed his hilt, and retracted his aura. It ruined his mood to continue. Besides, Protector Avin was not in his best form either. Their spar could be held later under better conditions.

Princess Ming breathed a sigh of relief. She had no idea what she would do if they kept fighting. "Protector Avin Arcellius, please follow us. We don't have time to explain."

Meanwhile, at the Jian and Jun Family's joint army, Minister Keigon demanded to know what happened. First, they were attacked by the Sword King in front and then they were ambushed by another enemy from behind. They had not reached Yongtein, but they were already stumbling. It was not a good sign. Lord Fuwu received a report and subsequently frowned. Although their skirmish with the Sword King was a short one, he still managed to inflict over five, maybe ten, thousand casualties to their army. For one person to achieve that much, it was a somber thought. That said, the real shocking thing was what occurred in the rear… A single attack had inflicted more than twenty thousand casualties! The damage was mindboggling! And to make matters worse, they had no idea who did it! Protector Avin had not announced himself. The two patriarchs hesitated. They lost nearly a quarter of their forces and failed to achieve anything. What would happen if they pressed on? The army's momentum and morale fell sharply.

"Stand your armies down, Minister Keigon, Lord Fuwu." The voice of Imperian Qiang drifted over, far more assertive than before.

His confidence was not unfounded, because Elder Crus, Elder Ludin, the Sword King, and Protector Avin soon appeared. Two former Half-Rank 3 Kings, and two Early Rank 3 Kings… Together, their combined auras dominated the entire landscape and plunged the world into an icy abyss. Nobody could breathe, much less move! It was the greatest show of force! Despite that, Minister Keigon and Lord Fuwu showed defiant faces. As expected from the patriarchs of the Four Great Nobility Families, their willpower and resilience were extraordinary. They would not relent! The same could not be said about their subordinates though. Tens of thousands of soldiers fell to the ground, unable to raise their heads. The previous skirmish had made it clear that they could not defeat these monsters. Therefore, it was pointless to fight. It would only lead to more misery and death. Their spirits were thoroughly demolished. Under these circumstances, even an idiot could see the outcome. Minister Keigon and Lord Fuwu gritted their teeth, but ultimately sighed. They accepted their defeat.