YM778.TV Chapter 197 End
"Come on, give it your all."
The energy surrounding Alpshar felt like a harbinger of disaster that could shake the entire world. Standing at the center of that crimson vortex, he stared me down, humiliated me with his gaze. Everyone on the battlefield was holding their breath, watching both his and my every move. The pressure in the air had grown so intense that even the air I inhaled felt like it was burning my lungs. But the will inside me burned hotter than any fire.
"If this whole show is just for theatrics, I\'m sorry, but it doesn\'t impress me," I shouted, concentrating my energy as I spun in midair. Bringing my hands together, I summoned a massive orb of fire.
This orb wasn\'t an ordinary fireball; I had infused it with both air and earth elements. The heat of fire, the speed of air, and the solidity of earth combined into a volatile mass, ready to explode like a volcano. Without hesitation, I hurled it at Alpshar.
Rather than retreating, Alpshar stepped forward and spread his arms wide. Using the red vortex around him as a colossal shield, he absorbed the attack. However, the explosion from the orb slightly rattled his defenses. The resulting shockwave pushed him back a few steps and sent dust swirling into the air.
"Interesting," he remarked in a mocking tone, his voice cutting through the roar of the explosions. "But not interesting enough."
Before I could react, Alpshar was suddenly in front of me. His sword descended toward me with lightning speed. I countered with my own blade. The sparks from the clash momentarily blinded me, but I didn\'t retreat.
This time, I switched strategies. To increase my speed, I channeled the air element into my feet, allowing me to dash to his right side in an instant and launch a flurry of slashes. But Alpshar, as if predicting my every move, parried each strike with his sword. He even went a step further, redirecting the energy from my attacks into his own counterstrikes.
As the energy from our clashing blades sent ripples through the battlefield, Alpshar unexpectedly struck the ground with his sword. The impact caused a massive stone pillar to rise from the earth, targeting me. I leapt into the air to evade it, simultaneously combining fire and water to unleash a burst of steam in his direction. While the steam obscured his vision, his mocking laughter made it clear the attack had failed.
From within the steam, a sudden red energy wave shot out, aimed directly at me. I tried to dodge, but its speed sent me hurtling backward. When I hit the ground, pain radiated through my back like a knife twisting into my flesh. But that wasn\'t a reason to give up.
"Congratulations for not giving up," Alpshar said, striding toward me. "But, your strength is nowhere near my level."
"Yeah, yeah, keep talking."
The scent of scorched dust in my lungs and the pain in my battered body couldn\'t stop me. This time, I concentrated on the water element with a spear in my hand. The water rippled in the air, ready to flow like a river at any moment. The moment I saw Alpshar swing his sword toward me, I hurled the spear. The water spear sliced through the energy emanating from his sword and headed straight for him, but Alpshar split it in two with a single slash.
"Is that all? I expected something better," he laughed.
I ignored his taunts. They are nothing more than distractions. I had already placed my left hand on the ground, channeling the earth element to manipulate the terrain beneath him. Suddenly, sharp stone pillars rose around Alpshar, aiming to restrict his movements. He easily shattered the first pillar, but the second and third slowed him down.
I had to seize this moment. Using the air element to boost my speed, I suddenly appeared on Alpshar\'s left side. Forming another fireball, I clenched it in my palm and slapped him hard with my right hand. The resulting explosion sent Alpshar flying a few meters back, and for the first time, a faint trace of anger flickered on his face. Planting his sword into the ground, he unleashed a crimson energy ring around him. The earth quaked, cracks formed, and this time, I was forced to switch to defense. Explore new worlds at empire
I couldn\'t allow this red energy to consume me. Leaping into the air, I summoned a series of water shields to counter its effects. Although they managed to deflect the energy from directly hitting me, they couldn\'t completely neutralize its force. Still midair, I saw Alpshar move once again, pulling his sword from the ground and sending a massive energy wave hurtling toward me.
Using air currents at my back to propel myself, I dodged to the left and reappeared behind him. Gripping my sword tightly, I infused it with the earth element, making its blade as solid as rock. Gathering all my strength, I swung it fiercely at Alpshar\'s back. But with almost preternatural reflexes, he swung his sword backward, effortlessly blocking my strike.
"Not fast enough."
After deflecting my blow, he spun around and threw a punch at me. His fist, coated in crimson energy, landed squarely in my stomach, knocking the air from my lungs. I was sent flying backward, crashing hard onto the ground. Clenching my fists, I combined fire and air elements, manipulating the clouds above us. Thunder rumbled, and the battlefield grew dark as storm clouds gathered. Now it was my turn to wield rain and lightning.
As the rain began to fall, I condensed the droplets into arrows and launched them at Alpshar. The air was so heavy with moisture that even his movements were beginning to slow. He swung his sword, shattering the arrows, but the relentless assault was starting to wear him down.
At that moment, called down a bolt of lightning, directing it straight at Alpshar. When the lightning struck, the explosion obliterated everything in its radius. My eyes remained fixed on the center of the blast. But as the dust and smoke cleared, my heart sank slightly.
He was still standing. His crimson energy burned brighter than ever, and his gaze had grown even more menacing. "Not bad," he said with a chilling calm. "But that\'s enough games. "
As his words echoed across the battlefield, the intensity of his crimson energy surged once more. It scorched the ground around him and tore through the air with an almost unbearable force. Yet fear had no place here. I had dedicated everything to this battle, and there was no turning back.
"Show me, then..."
Struggling against the waves of energy radiating from him, I focused my thoughts on finding an opening. Retreating swiftly, I balanced my energy flow and combined air and water elements to create an ice platform beneath my feet. This gave me the mobility I needed to evade his devastating strikes. Gliding across the battlefield, I closed the distance between us.
Channeling the earth element into my sword, I transformed it into a massive, razor-sharp slab of stone. As I reached Alpshar, I targeted a gap in his crimson vortex and swung with all my might. My blade tore through his defenses and struck his left arm. My eyes widened in surprise when the force of the blow separated his arm from his shoulder. Even I couldn\'t believe it was so easy.
"Did that do it?!"
For a brief moment, Alpshar froze. The crimson energy around him thrashed wildly as his severed arm fell to the ground. The smug grin he had worn throughout the fight was gone, replaced by a stunned expression. He glanced at his wound, then at me, and to my surprise, nodded as if acknowledging my effort.
A golden light began to emanate from the stump of his arm. Within seconds, a new arm had formed, shining with power that far surpassed the original.
"Be proud, kid. The last time I took a wound like that was twenty years ago…"
With his renewed arm, Alpshar gripped his sword and unleashed a massive wave of crimson energy. The force was so immense it seemed to warp the very air around it. I retreated hastily, summoning a earth shield to protect myself. But the energy shattered my shield and sent me hurtling through the air. Before hitting the ground, I surrounded myself with flames, creating an armor of fire to cushion the impact. Landing in a crouch, I readied myself to strike back.
Yet Alpshar was already one step ahead.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared before me. His sword descended in a deadly arc. I tried to deflect it using the earth element to bolster my defense, but his power was overwhelming. The weight of his attack felt like an unstoppable avalanche. His blade tore through my guard and slashed across my chest, leaving a deep, gushing wound.
I stared in shock at the blood streaming from my body, unable to stop it.
As I struggled to stand, Alpshar\'s sword pressed against my shoulder.
"You fought well, kid. You even pushed me so hard that I used up half my strength..." he said with a tone of finality. "But you will never reach the level of a god... I am the strongest existence in creation…"
Suddenly, my entire body was engulfed in crimson energy. It coursed through me like a torrent, tearing at my very being. The pain was indescribable, as though every cell in my body was waging war against itself.
"This… can\'t… be… how it ends…"
The expression on Alpshar\'s face remained unchanged. The last thing I saw was his gaze, triumphant and unyielding. Then, darkness just claimed me... Again.