Chapter 15: Duel (Continued)

Shatima was truly enraged.
Vladkov had gone too far—daring to use fancy attack techniques to deceive her!
Shatima almost crushed her silver fangs in anger. She channeled all her Ice Dragon essence into her dragon spear, causing its tip to emit a fierce glow and extend over three feet long. An icy blue halo enveloped the entire spear. As its speed reached its limit, the air within a ten-foot radius began to compress and solidify, showing how the rapid rotation and friction of its power were altering the space around it.
Like a shooting star, Shatima gripped the dragon spear tightly and abruptly turned back in mid-air. The intense reverse force made her, who had never known fear, feel slightly dizzy. But consumed by rage, she couldn’t care about the potential backlash. The profound sense of humiliation drove her to use this opponent to vent her fury.
The dark blue light sphere spun rapidly in the air before suddenly turning back. The unprecedentedly strong airflow caused the entire space to warp strangely.
Vladkov finally paled. That damned woman thought this was a life-or-death battle? She was unleashing every ounce of her power!
But there was no room left for retreat now.
The knight’s spear was finally held straight, with a faint black mist rising from its shaft. Vladkov took a deep breath and floated upward. He quickly spun the spear, stirring the air in the surrounding space. A powerful dark force, accompanied by a howling wind, swept forward.
“If we’re going to fight, then let’s fight!”
Without another word, Vladkov took a deep breath, pressed down on the spear’s tail, and surged forward like a dying venomous dragon ready to attack. His long knight’s spear transformed into a black streak, screaming as it rushed toward the swirling dark blue light sphere.
A series of sound waves, compressed to their extreme before exploding, caused everyone around to feel excruciating pain. These sound waves surpassed the limits of human hearing, turning into infrasound that surged into people’s bodies, stirring endless turmoil in their bloodstreams.
Yet the two combatants paid no attention. Shatima had forgotten everything. Her fangs dug deep into her lips. All she had in mind now was to utterly destroy her opponent at any cost—only then could she fully vent the pent-up anger deep within her.

Her arms deftly manipulated the thick dragon spear, using the forces generated in the air to continuously channel her inner power, allowing the spear to effortlessly change its direction and angle of attack mid-air. The blue light emanating from the spear’s blade exceeded three feet in length, even reaching four feet!

Vladkov also brought his own strength to its peak. He never expected this woman to hide such capabilities—her martial energy attacks had surpassed the three-foot limit and entered a higher realm. This was the second time Vladkov had witnessed such a sharp attack wave after seeing Tularjan’s prowess. If not for Shatima’s slightly imperfect tactical skills, she would have been fully capable of fighting Tularjan alone.

The two beams of light clashed in the air, producing continuous sounds—some sharp, some muffled. From low to high altitudes, the blue beam pursued relentlessly at first, while the black circle counterattacked repeatedly. Gradually, the two beams converged, with explosions becoming more frequent. The resulting shockwaves filled a ten-zhang radius with dust and flying debris.

The onlookers had already retreated fifty meters away. Those with less favorable viewing angles or eyesight could no longer see the two fighters clearly and could only squint, relying on their senses to perceive this extremely fierce battle.

Everyone forgot that this fight was originally just an ordinary sparring exercise. It became what it is now because two proud and irritable opponents ended up facing each other. Those who enjoyed watching from the sidelines gained a great deal from observing such a close-quarters battle, both in terms of practical combat experience and the use of martial energy and spear techniques.

When the dull sound of the final strike stirred up thick yellow dust, the two figures finally flew apart, staggering. Shatima was drenched in sweat; her clothes clung tightly to her body, highlighting her already striking curves. Her flushed face and slightly unsteady posture showed that her strength was nearly exhausted. Yet, the dragon spear in her hands remained steady, and the flickering light on its blade proved she still had the strength to fight further.

Vladkov’s situation wasn’t much better. Shatima’s formidable internal energy and tenacious fighting style gave Vladkov a hard time. He had thought the battle would end quickly, but instead, Shatima persisted relentlessly, forcing Vladkov to unleash his true strength later on. He threw himself into the fight with all his might, his dark magic growing stronger with each wave. Yet, to his surprise, his usual effective dark devouring power failed to gain any advantage against her combat energy. Her continuous supply of internal energy made Vladkov think she must have the support of a mage—otherwise, how could she sustain such a prolonged fight?

Taking a deep breath, Vladkov realized his steps were unsteady, which surprised him greatly. If Shatima took this opportunity to launch a third attack, he might truly be humiliated. Even if he managed to hold on, it would be in a very embarrassing manner. But he couldn’t show the slightest sign of fear on the surface, or he would truly become a laughingstock.

“Miss Shatima, do you think we should continue?”

“As you wish,” Shatima replied viciously.

This time, Vladkov had truly encountered someone who would not back down. He didn’t want to fight any longer—after all, this kind of sparring had already crossed the line. Continuing would mean a life-or-death struggle. But Shatima seemed unwilling to retreat at all. Did she really expect him to bow?

“What do you mean, Miss Shatima? Wasn’t our close contact enough just now?”

“Hmph, who was being intimate with you?” Shatima also took a deep breath. The hint of compromise in his words relieved her greatly. She had no idea what would happen if they continued—perhaps the only option was to transform.

“Hehe, well then, Miss Shatima, if you’re really interested, maybe the masked knights of the Black Flame Knights Order could teach you something tomorrow. How about ending it here for today?”

“Hmph, I’m giving you a discount. Even if it’s a series of battles, I’m not afraid!”

With a fierce expression, Shatima picked up her Dragon Spear and glared at those who were watching smilingly. Then, suppressing the pain in her body, she forced herself to leave.