Chapter 016: Returning to Simplicity

It was a deafening explosion, like a thunderclap, causing everyone present to feel their hearts pounding violently. If not for the distance, their hearts might have even jumped out of their chests!
After witnessing Best’s prowess, everyone thought that with this shout, his next move would surely be astonishing. But unexpectedly, Best simply leaped from his spot and rushed at Francis. His speed was incredible, though clearly not at the level of teleportation—such speed could even be achieved by a warrior of level six or seven.
Yet seeing such speed from a saintly-level warrior was truly astonishing.
But what was even more surprising was yet to come.
Best rushed up to Francis, his hand flashing with a cold light as he raised his battle axe high before swinging it at Francis. Though the axe exuded a murderous aura, there wasn’t a trace of combat energy at all!!!
A flash of cold light passed by.
This was different from their previous battles. Back then, every move Best made was grand and destructive, filled with an overwhelming force of destruction, and its fierce aura was so intense that ordinary people couldn’t even bear to look directly at it.
But this time, there was no trace of combat energy released—it seemed like just an ordinary person swinging an axe with brute force!
A look of surprise flashed in Francis’s eyes. He could sense that with Best’s move, he seemed to have no chance to dodge, as if that move was destined to hit him the moment it was unleashed.
Francis realized something immediately—although Best’s move seemed extremely simple, it had reached a state of pure simplicity and elegance, a realm that could be considered the pinnacle of swordsmanship!
In an instant, the axe swung down toward Francis’s head, and he didn’t even manage to raise his Blood Rose. His body was split in two!!!
Amidst the gasps of shock from those present, they saw Francis’s severed body slowly disappearing into the air.
An afterimage!
This move surpassed even teleportation techniques—how could it be used so effortlessly?
Everyone watching felt a strange sensation, their stomachs turning as if they might vomit at any moment.

Only Best could see Francis’s movements clearly. With that axe swing, he had already locked onto Francis—there was no way Francis could block it. But at the last moment, his point of force became empty, and what should have been a sure-hit move missed its mark! It seemed as though, at the final instant, Francis’s presence vanished entirely. He could clearly see him right in front of him, yet he couldn’t sense him at all. This stark contrast made it nearly impossible for Best to execute his move.

However, while others couldn’t see Francis’s movements clearly, Best saw them with perfect clarity! His seemingly certain hit was avoided by Francis after stepping back just a little! Just one step apart! It seemed like merely a single step. But those at their level understood that even a tiny difference could mean a world of difference.

Boom—

A dull sound of shattering echoed as a huge stone pillar, located dozens of meters behind Francis, suddenly shattered into pieces, turning into dust. The large cauldron at the top of the pillar let out a loud “woom” before exploding as well!

“Impressive!”

Francis suddenly sighed. Though he had barely managed to avoid Best’s move, he never expected that what seemed like a weak attack could possess such destructive power. Moreover, he hadn’t sensed this power throughout the entire process. If there hadn’t been a stone pillar behind him, he likely wouldn’t have noticed it at all.

In other words, Best had completely concealed his aura, including his combat energy, making it impossible to see or sense. The power in his move was fully contained until it struck its target, at which point it erupted completely!

Furthermore, this power was condensed into a single mass. His attack didn’t lift the ground along the way but exploded only when it reached the stone pillar—this was a testament to his mastery over controlling combat energy!

Francis suddenly remembered that Best practiced a type of combat energy that allowed him to conceal his aura. It turned out to be true. The strength of this energy lay in its silence—even a powerful being like Francis couldn’t detect it, let alone others! That’s why many people died inexplicably when fighting Best.

“Hmph!”

Seeing the power of his move, Best didn’t waste words. With a single action, he moved behind Francis. Without looking back, he flipped the axe in his hand and pulled it back toward himself! To outsiders, this move seemed incredibly sophisticated, targeting Francis’s most vulnerable spot, but it was also extremely dangerous—if not controlled properly, Best might cut himself in half as well. But before the onlookers could finish worrying, they saw Best’s toes lift slightly, and he flipped in the opposite direction of the axe’s momentum, instantly returning to a position with the axe held forward. This move itself wasn’t particularly remarkable, but what made Best skilled was his ability to keep the axe moving in its original trajectory toward Francis—something no ordinary person could do. Even the slightest mistake could give Francis an opportunity! Yet Francis wasn’t an ordinary person either. He sensed the murderous intent hidden in Best’s move. Although he didn’t have time to counterattack, he suddenly twisted and began spinning in place. As Best’s move struck, Francis seemed to be blown forward by the resulting wind, “floating” forward as if by chance, yet somehow avoiding the attack! Seeing this, Best’s eyes flashed as he shouted, “Trivial tricks—daring to show off!” With that, he shook his hands, turning the originally sweeping axe into a straight strike. Along with his movement, a wave of golden combat energy erupted violently, like a tidal wave rushing toward Francis. Francis raised the blood-red rose in his hand. Just as everyone thought he would withstand Best’s attack head-on, he shot upward like an arrow leaving the bowstring. By then, Best’s combat energy had already reached him, and without Francis’s resistance, it exploded instantly! The blue bricks on the ground were flipped up and shattered into powder, creating a deep pit dozens of meters in radius!

The group of Imperial City guards who had been standing at the edge of the training ground saw a massive wave of Saintly Combat Energy rushing toward them and couldn’t help but want to scream. But before they could, they saw that wave of Saintly Combat Energy stop abruptly just short of a fist’s distance in front of them! Right where they stood was a deep pit, yet those a step away remained unharmed!
Best’s control over his power was astonishingly precise—truly unbelievable!
After a moment of shock, everyone’s gaze turned back to the sky. Under Best’s latest move, Francis had no choice but to leap into the air to avoid being hit.
Then, Best’s eyes flashed, and suddenly he stamped his feet hard on the ground before charging after Francis in the air.
It seemed all of this was carefully planned by Best!
Although Saint-level warriors could also move freely in the air, their agility was far inferior to that on the ground. With Best attacking so swiftly, Francis had almost no chance to dodge!
Francis was fully aware that if he used his Combat Energy to move, Best would still catch up to him. If he then tried to counter Best’s attacks, he might suffer heavy losses!
By arranging things this way, Best clearly intended to engage in a direct confrontation with him. Constant evasion wasn’t a solution—only a direct fight would determine the outcome.
Francis took a breath, activating his golden-colored Combat Energy. Tiny streaks of gray began to appear within the gold, and from atop the blood-red Rose of Battle, the sound of a dragon’s roar emerged.
Clearly, facing Best’s next move, Francis could no longer afford to be careless!
Seeing Francis’s reaction, a hint of excitement flashed across Best’s face. He raised his axe high and swung it at Francis without hesitation!
“Clang—”
A sharp, piercing sound of metal colliding!
Everyone clearly saw that in mid-air, Francis’s Rose of Battle and Best’s battle axe had collided, with a golden light emanating from the point of contact. Yet Best’s axe, being merely an ordinary weapon, was far inferior to the Rose of Battle and instantly turned to dust under that strike!