Thunderous Strike

Whoosh...

A cold wind swept through, kicking up a flurry of swirling dust.

Allen gripped his black magic pen tightly, poised and ready. Sword Rain, bearing a longsword on his back, stared ahead with unwavering intensity, his battle robe swaying without wind. The two remained motionless, locked in a tense standoff.

"A genius of such exceptional talent rarely survives long!" After a brief but charged standoff, the imposing Sword Rain made his move, his cold words slicing through the air as he advanced toward Allen. His expression remained calm, exuding a potent confidence. Although his heavy sword remained sheathed, with every step he took, the surrounding air grew heavier with a growing aura of death and sword energy, his murderous intent unmistakably rising!

"Foolish trash, you too shall not live long!"

Even in the face of a formidable adversary, Allen remained unflinching, his lips curling into a cold smile. He made no attempt to summon his vast Lich army. With a swift motion of his right hand, he inscribed a large character for "wind" in the air. A blade of wind instantly materialized and whistled toward the advancing Sword Rain.

Having inherited the powers and the soul imprint of the Lich King Ovicius, Allen's magical progress had been slow, each breakthrough requiring far more effort than normal. Yet, with each advancement, his combat prowess surged. Though experienced, Ulbato was no match for him. And now, Sword Rain—an expert from the Hunter's Ranking—had appeared at just the right time for Allen to test his strength in battle!

Ding...

The whistling wind blade clashed with Sword Rain's sword hilt, emitting a sharp, high-pitched ring. Though not powerful, the wind blade continued to assail relentlessly, its piercing sound echoing as it swirled toward the demon hunter, catching him off guard.

Having wandered the wastelands for countless years, Sword Rain had encountered numerous powerful magicians—often even high-ranking wizards—but never had he witnessed such speed in magic casting. The wind blades seemed almost endless, as though they required no magic energy, their speed surpassing even that of most instant-cast spells!

"Hmm, not bad indeed! But alas, no matter how strong you are, you are destined to fall by my hand. Allen, your death is certain!" Sword Rain's expression remained impassive as he pushed forward, springing several meters closer with a single step.

Allen's magical speed had surprised him, but it was still far from enough to defeat him. Once within ten steps, not even a high-level magician could hope to survive, let alone a mere magic apprentice!

"I say, let there be wind, and let there be rain!"

Undeterred by Sword Rain's relentless advance, Allen waved his black magic pen with icy composure. He inscribed a colossal character for "rain" in the air. In an instant, thousands of droplets appeared, pausing briefly before transforming into arrows of water that shot toward Sword Rain. Each arrow shimmered with a dark light, carrying with it an inescapable aura of death.

Darkness Corruption!

Even without the vast magic array of his Lich fortress, Allen conjured a potent dark magic, channeling his immense magical power and will to shape the dark mist into deadly bolts. A single hit from these arrows would bring even Sword Rain to his knees, as the aura of death would seep into his very soul!

"Ah, a holy cleric using such vicious dark magic?" Sword Rain's face shifted slightly as he saw the ominous water arrows, his broad experience instantly recognizing the deadly aura they carried. Cold, deathly, brutal—such an overwhelming scent of death could only be found in the most fearsome dark sorcerers, the wandering hunters of the wasteland.

He knew Allen's strength far exceeded that of an ordinary apprentice, but he had never expected this holy cleric to possess such terrifying, death-laden magic!

"Well then, Allen, you've finally earned the right to make me draw my sword. You should feel honored to die by the blow of my Giant Demon Sword!"

Sword Rain drew his massive sword in one swift motion, the dark blade flashing through the air as it cleaved through the thousands of water arrows with a single strike. With a fierce roar, he leapt into the air, bringing the towering sword down in a powerful arc, sending a violent shockwave spiraling toward Allen, leaving a deep fissure in the ground.

Earthsplit Slash!

With unwavering confidence, Sword Rain unleashed his deadly signature move!

"Enough with the chatter!"

As the shockwave thundered toward him, Allen inhaled deeply and began to surge the power of his magic crystals and soul crystals. In a flash, he inscribed the character for "earth" in the air, raising formidable walls of earth to block the oncoming wave. His magic surged, drawing in the very essence of the earth, as if he were one with the world itself. In an instant, the ground beneath his feet seemed to give him the strength to oppose the overwhelming force.

The shockwave struck, toppling one earth wall, but another rose in its place, defiant and unyielding.

"I refuse to believe that a mere magic apprentice has endless power!" Sword Rain scoffed as he saw his attack stall. With a scowl, he swung his massive sword with all his might, shattering the earth walls in an instant. The impact was unstoppable, as if a colossal titan were charging forward.

Thunderous Strike!

In a moment of terrifying fury, Sword Rain doubled his strength and power, breaking through Allen's defenses with overwhelming force. Then, with a swift twist of his body, he became a blur of motion, his many shadowy afterimages converging on Allen, each carrying an aura of lethal intent and razor-sharp sword energy. In an instant, the illusion of thousands of sword strikes assaulted him from all sides!

Thousandfold Slash!

Sword Rain, a master of his craft, launched his signature move without pause. His form flickered and reappeared before Allen, his sword aimed straight at his forehead.

Seeing Allen surrounded by his many illusory images, Sword Rain grinned coldly, as though already gazing at the corpse of his victim. After hundreds of years of practice, his technique was flawless. Within a ten-step range, no one—be they a fragile magician or a powerful swordsman—could survive.

Ssss...

Just as Sword Rain's sword was about to pierce Allen's skull, a flash of cold light appeared before him. His forehead burned with pain as though a sharp dagger had driven itself into him, accompanied by a suffocating, overwhelming aura of death.

A fatal blow!

The myriad phantom images Sword Rain had conjured had bewildered countless powerful warriors, but they were no match for Allen's powerful mental fortitude. At the critical moment, he thrust the black magic pen forward, striking first, sinking it deep into Sword Rain's forehead. In an instant, Sword Rain's entire body trembled, and the countless afterimages dissipated like mist, his brutal assault coming to an abrupt halt.

"You... you're not a magic apprentice! You... you're a... a Grand Swordmaster?" Sword Rain's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Allen, who stood close before him. Having wandered the wastelands for so many years, he had never witnessed a magician move with such terrifying speed in close combat. Gasping for breath, he stammered, "You're definitely not an apprentice cleric, nor a mere magic apprentice... Who... who are you?"

"It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is, you're going to die."

With a cold smile, Allen pressed his palm against Sword Rain's head, unleashing the Devouring Technique without hesitation, greedily consuming his power and memories. A massive, ancient figure appeared behind him, like a primordial demon god descending upon the desolate wasteland. Allen's magic and soul power surged exponentially, his magical energy rising to new heights, breaking through to the ninth rank of Magic Apprentice, before immediately shattering the final bottleneck. Once he crossed it, he would be a fully-fledged magician, a force to be reckoned with in the entire town of Wuhai.

At that moment, Allen roared, overpowering Sword Rain's dying screams with his own triumphant cry, as he devoured every last drop of his opponent's energy. His magic and soul crystals churned, life force flooding his body, strengthening him with each passing moment. The techniques Sword Rain had once honed—the Earthsplit Slash, Thunderous Strike, and Thousandfold Slash—flashed vividly in Allen's mind.