Chapter 280: HIGH STAKE BATTLE II

"I fear the handicap is not enough to bridge the gap between our strength," Aaron retorted sharply, his tone unwavering, refusing to diminish his own prowess in the face of adversity."As arrogant as ever," Chen Wo smiled, recognizing the unyielding spirit in his opponent. He knew breaking Aaron’s resolve would be no simple task, a challenge that excited him.

[While your Primordial talents can’t heal your eyes, your origin bloodline can. Although it will take time.]

"Doesn’t matter. All I want is to enjoy this battle," Aaron replied with a grin, his voice steady and infused with genuine thrill for the combat unfolding.


Aaron seized the initiative next, summoning long threads crafted from his own blood.

They extended from his fingertips like crimson strings, glistening under the dim light, alive with pulsating energy.

Controlling the threads with the precision of a master puppeteer, Aaron directed them toward Chen Wo.

The strands whipped through the air, seeking to ensnare and strike with deadly accuracy.

Chen Wo evaded the assault with minimal effort, his body twisting just enough to slip past the threads. His movements were economical, a display of supreme efficiency born from years of disciplined training.

Aaron, anticipating the dodge, seamlessly transitioned into the follow-up phase. His eyes narrowed in focus, channeling his power without hesitation.

From beneath Chen Wo’s feet, jagged spikes erupted from the shadowed ground, thrusting upward like dark spears intent on impaling him. They pierced the earth with a grinding rumble, casting long, ominous shadows.

Chen Wo dodged deftly, leaping into the air with graceful agility. He landed precariously on the tip of one spike, balancing without a single scratch, his poise unshakeable amid the danger.

"Abyssal flames," Aaron called out, unleashing torrents of dark fire that surged toward Chen Wo. The flames twisted like living serpents, hungry and relentless, devouring all in their path.

The inferno consumed everything it touched, the scorched earth crumbled to ash, and even the air seemed to vanish, creating pockets of vacuum that pulled at the surroundings with eerie force.

Chen Wo remained motionless, standing firm within the flames’ trajectory. His expression was serene, unperturbed by the encroaching destruction.

Gripping Dragon Forge tightly, he swung the blade in a masterful stroke, cleaving the flames cleanly in two. The fire parted like water before a rock, dissipating harmlessly on either side.

Undeterred, Chen Wo pressed forward toward Aaron, his steps as silent as a whisper on the wind. Each movement blended seamlessly into the next, a fluid dance of lethal intent.

Closing the distance, he unleashed a horizontal arc with his blade, the swing wide and powerful, slicing through the air with a faint whistle.

Aaron retreated swiftly, leaning back just enough to evade the blade’s tip. The edge passed mere inches from his skin, stirring a faint breeze against his face.

Suddenly, his werewolf senses tingled with urgent warning, amplified by his premonition ability. An invisible threat loomed, compelling him to pull back even farther into safety.

"Impressive. To dodge the invisible qi. You are the first I have seen since entering this universe to dodge the invisible qi," Chen Wo praised, his voice carrying genuine respect amid the chaos.

Aaron, however, wore a grim expression, far from pleased.

His mind raced, dismissing the cryptic words Chen Wo spouted as mere gibberish in the heat of battle.

He hadn’t actually seen the invisible qi; he had relied solely on the instinctual alerts from his senses and the premonitions of injury that persisted even after dodging the visible blade.

Despite his inner confusion, Aaron maintained a stoic poker face. He couldn’t afford to let Chen Wo detect his inability to perceive the qi, preserving any edge he had left.

But his facade proved futile, crumbling under Chen Wo’s perceptive gaze.

"Let’s see how you fare against invisible qi swords then," Chen Wo muttered under his breath. Three ethereal qi swords materialized around him, shimmering faintly with translucent energy.

Directing them with subtle gestures of his hands, he propelled the qi swords toward Aaron like guided missiles, invisible to the untrained eye.

Aaron sprouted a pair of demon wings from his back, the leathery appendages unfurling with a whoosh. He soared into the air, gaining altitude to evade the assault.

Relying heavily on his werewolf instincts, Aaron twisted and dove, dodging the invisible qi swords. His maneuvers were effective but far from optimal, lacking the grace of true foresight.

From observing Aaron’s evasive patterns, Chen Wo deduced the truth. The way Aaron moved betrayed his blindness to the qi swords, his dodges reactive rather than anticipatory under those keen, analytical eyes.

Armed with this insight, Chen Wo adapted his strategy intelligently, turning the tide with cunning precision.

Aaron felt alarm bells ringing in his mind, a dire warning centered on his abdomen that screamed of mortal danger.

A vivid premonition flashed of his stomach being brutally sliced open.

To evade the unseen attack surging from below, Aaron propelled himself upward, climbing higher into the sky with powerful flaps of his wings.

Unbeknownst to him, this ascent led him straight into the path of the remaining two qi swords, lurking invisibly above.

The qi swords struck true, stabbing into Aaron’s shoulders with piercing agony. The force drove him downward, pinning him harshly to the ground like a fallen angel.

"Surprised, right?" Chen Wo asked as he approached, his footsteps deliberate and unhurried across the cracked earth.

"It was a feat easy to achieve the moment I knew you were relying only on your instincts or some premonition rather than actually seeing it," he explained, his tone casual yet triumphant.

Chen Wo halted just before the pinned Aaron, Dragon Forge held firmly in his grasp, its blade reflecting the faint light with menacing gleam.

"All I did was amplify the danger level you would sense from one of the qi swords to mask the others. And it worked out extremely well," he elaborated, savoring the revelation.

"Goodbye, Aaron Highborn. It was a pleasure," Chen Wo said with a final smile, raising his sword for the decapitating blow.

With a swift, clean cut, he severed Aaron’s head from his shoulders, the motion precise and final, blood spraying in a brief arc.

"It was a nice fight," Chen Wo murmured to the headless corpse, a note of respect in his voice as he turned away.