No way...!?

Shane moved his blade from one angle to another.

Just when it seemed like Shane had the upper hand, Oliver finally saw his opportunity.

Crunch!

With a swift feint, he drew Shane's attention away from his axe, tossing it into the air before catching it mid-air by the handle and then brought it down with all his might, the blade bit into Shane's shoulder with a sickening thud.

"AGHH-!!"

Shane cried out in pain, staggering back as blood welled in massive amounts from the wound. He could even see something white beneath it.

Was that his tissues or bones? He did not know but it pained very bad.

Oliver maintained a neutral look as the moonlight reflected back from his rapier. Pressing to his advantage, his rapier darted forward with insane speed. With a final thrust, he pierced through Shane's abdomen, the tip of his rapier finding its mark with lethal accuracy.

"Kuh-!"

Shane directly spat blood onto the ground as his eyes felt the world tremble.

He bit his lips to prevent losing consciousness as he backed down.

"You forced me to use this." Shane spoke in a hoarse voice as blood kept spilling from his body.

His eyes were filled with killing intent when he looked at Oliver's expressionless face.

It reminded him of Nadia's face… they resembled each other too much for his discomfort.

Oliver became alert when he saw him doing some strange movements, he activated [Cosmic Void Gaze] and saw espera rapidly gathering around Shane rapidly and quickly realized that he was about to perform a secret art.

"Just die, you bastard!" Shane mumbled as his eyes turned ignited into craziness and madness. He no longer cared about the rules, he just wanted to kill Oliver now.

'So be it.' Oliver also realized that he was not in a state to simply dodge or counter without revealing any of his cards.

Shane placed the blade straight in front of his chest as he closed his eyes.

"[Trip of the Seven Serpents]"

He spoke aloud, his voice echoing in the forest.

Oliver did not delay and got into a stance of his own in front of Shane's eyes.

He threw the axe to the side as he stretched the hand holding the rapier forward in a straight line pointing towards Shane.

"[Sovereign Strike of Infinite Freedom]"

It all happened in a split second, as both parties launched their own secret attacks.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

A series of terrifyingly loud booming sounds were produced in the silent forest sending an uproar among the nearby demons or humans.

The explosion was deafening, shattering the serene silence of the forest and reverberating through the trees with a force that seemed to shake the very earth beneath their feet.

The shockwave of the impact rippled through the air like a thunderclap, echoing off the distant mountains and sending birds fleeing from their perches in a panicked frenzy…

_________________

The result of the aftermath soon turned clear as all the dust slowly cleared with the strong winds.

Oliver was leaning against a tree—using it as a medium to support his body.

In front of him was Shane, lying in a pool of blood as he barely let out a few breaths, struggling to even open his eyes.

No part of his body was unharmed, the [Sovereign Strike of Infinite Freedom] not only consumed Shane's secret art but also annihilated the trees behind with the force it generated.

The ground beneath their feet was gouged and cratered, as if the very earth had been torn apart by some unseen force.

The air was still thick with swirling dust and debris, obscuring vision and choking lungs with its gritty hold.

Trees were laying splintered around and the once green canopy was now nothing more than a chaotic tangle of branches

Oliver just laughed as he looked at the broken rapier in his hand which could not handle the power of the technique full.

A wave of satisfaction washed over him as he saw Shane in a state worse than he was in when they had beaten him.

He supported himself back and got on his on two feet with some difficulty.

He was currently panting hard from exhaustion and pain.

"I should have purchased a healing potion…"

"You should have."

Oliver froze in his tracks as he heard a voice behind him, he knew the owner of the voice in an instant.

It was the 3rd sister.

Before he could even turn around, a sharp pain assaulted his chest.

Splash!

"Agh-!"

A stream of blood oozed out from his front as he coughed violently.

He could see a black sharp weapon extending behind him slightly.

She had used a sword to pierce him in the center of his chest.

'H-How…?'

He looked in disbelief as he turned around with great difficulty, he saw her looking at him with a cold and murderous expression.

An expression of extreme hatred was etched on her face.

But more importantly, the thing he noticed was that her injuries, although still there, seemed to be duller than before.

He saw as she curled her fingers and punched at his face.

She spat, "I don't like the look in your eyes, this defiant look… how vexing."

One punch after another as she vented out her anger.

"How did you change so much!?"

"How did you gain such strength!?"

"TELL ME!!"

She used an espera-infused punch and sent him flying forward.

"Ugh-!"

Oliver groaned in pain, his mind and vision were getting dizzy.

He had already realized that this girl had brought a healing potion along with her.

It was no surprise, she was one of the main heirs of the clan, she was showered with resources and should have a few potions.

He quickly started to concentrate and calm himself, the pain was searing but fortunately, his vitals were safe for now.

She did not look at Oliver right away and instead went up to her brother first.

"Shane…"

She whispered as she saw his bad state, a frown slowly made its way on her forehead.

She was the one who knew him the most, she knew that Shane was very strong, stronger than the 2nd brother and this was the reason why she often listened to him.

Seeing him in such a critical state made her feel mad.

"I never expected that you would be beaten to such an extent by him… you disappoint me."

She scowled in a colder tone as her eyes had a look of disappointment in them.

She did not like how he was also defeated by Oliver.

That's right, she was not mad because Oliver had beaten her brother to such a state but because Shane was defeated so badly by him.

It made her lose her respect for him.

She knew that even she was defeated by that Oliver but it was not this bad… he was almost on death bed at the moment.

"Tch."

She clicked her tongue in annoyance and took out another healing potion from her pocket. It was a tube of liquid.

Cupping his mouth in her hands, slowly pouring its contents into his panting mouth.