Kanoru crossed both arms in front of him as the pond water burst apart, and a powerful fist struck him, sending him flying backward. His body crashed into a tree with a dull thud, the force splintering the trunk as it snapped and fell beside him.
His chakra instantly repaired the bruises forming on his arms, but his gaze remained locked on the figure standing in the midst of the disrupted water.
A silver metal-coated human figure stood there, LED-like lights glowing where its eyes should be.
Without hesitation, the silver being charged at Kanoru once more, its fist cutting through the air with terrifying speed. Kanoru didn't evade—he let the punch land, using the opportunity to counter with his own fist, driving it straight into the figure's abdomen.
The result was immediate.
Kanoru coughed up blood, staggering back as a dull pain spread through his arm and chest. Meanwhile, the silver humanoid remained unmoved, standing in the exact same position as if Kanoru's attack had done nothing at all.
Feeling the strength behind the enemy's blows and the complete lack of reaction to his own, Kanoru narrowed his eyes and said, "You Greyrose Circus bastards sent a Spirit King to kill a mere Spirit Lord?"
The silver figure didn't answer. It simply moved again, launching another attack.
Kanoru turned and fled, shooting into the sky at an incredible speed. Even without looking back, he could sense the enemy pursuing him without hesitation.
He had no choice but to distance himself from the silver figure. Even though he believed his strength had reached the Spirit King Realm, his power lay in his elemental attacks, particularly those fueled by alien energies—not physical combat. Until now, he had comprehended six alien elemental energies, but he had only fully mastered Explosion Energy.
It harnessed the explosive nature of fire and the erratic force of wind, creating devastating bursts of power.
Behind Kanoru, orange-colored wings flared into existence—not the bird-like wings that had once appeared when he manipulated wind energy, but a pair riddled with holes, where fire erupted like jet thrusters. In an instant, he accelerated, shooting forward at a breakneck speed, widening the gap between himself and the silver-human figure.
Then he turned.
A storm of orange energy balls formed around him, crackling with unstable power. With a flick of his hand, they shot toward his pursuer like blazing meteors.
The silver figure reacted instantly. A silver light blade extended from its hand, slashing through the first incoming energy ball. But the moment the energy sphere split in two, both halves detonated, engulfing the figure in twin explosions and hurling it backward.
Before it could recover, another volley rained down. One after another, the energy balls slammed into the silver humanoid, each detonation pushing it further back through the air.
After the second explosion, the figure hastily conjured a silver energy barrier in front of itself, bracing against the onslaught. But Kanoru didn't stop. He kept firing, relentless in his barrage. The energy balls struck again and again, their impact shattering the barrier. The final explosion sent the silver figure plummeting to the ground, crashing into the dense terrain of the Black Forest.
Kanoru hovered above, watching the dust settle. He knew this wasn't enough to kill it. At best, it had suffered minor injuries.
Without hesitation, he raised his right palm toward the crater where the enemy had fallen. An orange energy ball began to form, its glow shifting from a light hue to a deep, searing intensity.
Ever since he had gained full control over Explosion Energy, his fighting style had changed. He had stopped developing complicated spells, no longer seeking to understand new runes. Before, he had relied on the creation of power-based techniques to comprehend the elements. But after connecting the runes already present in his spiritual space and mastering Explosion Energy, he realized there was no longer a need for intricate spell formations.
A single energy ball now carried the destructive force of the ten Sky Arrows Kill spell. There was no reason to waste effort on complex techniques when pure devastation could be achieved with a simple attack.
So, instead of refining spells, he turned his focus to pushing Explosion Energy further—digging into its essence, developing it, making its power even more overwhelming.
The energy ball in his palm deepened to a dark red hue before he released it. Like a missile, it shot toward the spot where the silver-human figure had fallen. The entire sequence—from forming the energy ball to launching it—took only a couple of seconds.
As the attack landed, an explosion tore through the ground. A massive fireball erupted, flames billowing high into the air. But before the explosion could fully subside, something emerged from within it—a massive lizard's mouth, its silver scales gleaming through the fire.
Kanoru barely had time to react before a silver beam shot out from the creature's maw. The attack struck him squarely, sending him hurtling backward as the scorching energy seared his skin. He crashed into the ground, his chakra momentarily flickering out from the impact.
Gritting his teeth, Kanoru forced himself to look up. Standing before him was a towering silver lizard, its mouth already aimed at him, gathering another blast of silver energy.
Without hesitation, Kanoru retaliated, releasing a concentrated orange energy beam. The two attacks collided midair, their opposing forces clashing violently. But Kanoru's beam began to falter—his attack being pushed back.
Seeing this, he quickly reinforced his energy with another hand, pouring more power into the beam. The struggle intensified, the battlefield illuminated by the clash of silver and orange, locked in a desperate stalemate. Kanoru gritted his teeth as his explosive energy beam clashed with the silver lizard's breath attack. The force of the impact sent shockwaves rippling through the air, tearing apart the landscape below.
Then, almost at the same time, both of them shifted tactics. The lizard propelling itself forward with unnatural speed, its silver energy surging around its body. Kanoru, knowing a direct clash in physical combat was not in his favor, twisted his body midair and shot upward, his jet-like orange wings spouting fire as he accelerated. The silver lizard roared and pursued, silver beams shooting from its mouth like spears of light. Kanoru weaved through the attacks, his superior agility keeping him from being overwhelmed.
Counterattacking, he raised his palm and conjured multiple orange energy spheres, launching them rapidly at the incoming beast. Each one exploded on impact, engulfing the silver lizard in a chain of fiery blasts. But when the flames cleared, the lizard remained, its metallic body barely scratched. Kanoru narrowed his eyes. His attacks had power, but against this strange being's unnatural defense, they only caused minor trouble.
The battle moved high into the sky, turning into a deadly chase. Kanoru zipped through the air in unpredictable patterns, avoiding silver beams while sending back his own bombardment of explosions. The silver lizard, though not as fast as Kanoru, was unrelenting, its massive form twisting and turning, trying to outmaneuver him.
Minutes passed, yet neither could land a decisive blow. The lizard couldn't touch Kanoru due to his sheer speed, and Kanoru, despite his overwhelming attack power, couldn't inflict lasting damage. Both warriors seemed to realize the battle was reaching a stalemate.
As if sensing each other's thoughts, they abruptly stopped. Hovering in the air, they stared at one another for a long moment before simultaneously pulling back. Kanoru turned and shot toward the location where his members had been waiting, his energy slightly depleted but his fighting intent still burning. At the same time, the silver lizard retreated in the opposite direction, flying toward its own forces.
Neither side had interfered in the battle. Kanoru's team had sensed the fluctuations of the fight, but they remained where they were, knowing that if they moved, the enemy's forces would do the same. Likewise, the silver lizard's team had held their ground, prepared to intercept any outside interference.
In the end, neither Kanoru nor the silver lizard had called for help. This fight was theirs alone.
As Kanoru returned to his members, the fiery orange wings behind him faded. Hovering in the air, he watched the Greyrose Circus members retreat into the distance. The tension in the air slowly eased, but the battlefield remained silent.
"Are you okay?" Asuna's voice broke the stillness.
Kanoru glanced at her and nodded. "Yes. He came to assassinate me but failed. After testing my strength, he left."
Sang Yi, the leader of one of the armies under Kanoru's command, furrowed his brows. "The attacker was in the Spirit King Realm. How..." He trailed off, unable to comprehend how Kanoru had survived such an encounter.
Kanoru's role was not just as a commander of his army, but of the entire coalition tasked with conquering the Black Hill region. In this world, tactics and strategy had their place, but the most decisive factor in battle was power. If the Greyrose Circus had not deployed a Spirit King Realm expert to this region, Kanoru's overwhelming strength would have already guaranteed their victory. But now...
Shaking his head, Kanoru answered, "Sang Yi, my strength has reached the beginning of the Spirit King Realm. So, I was able to keep my life from the enemy's assassination."
His words stunned those around him.
"We should inform headquarters that you've broken through to the Spirit King Realm and hold a celebration," Asuna said. "The troops need a chance to rest and enjoy themselves."
Kanoru shook his head. "I haven't broken through. My realm is still at the Spirit Lord Realm. Only my strength has reached the Spirit King Realm."
A wave of astonishment spread through those nearby. Fighting across ranks was rare, and in the higher realms, it was even more uncommon. Those who could accomplish such a feat were the top cultivators of the world. The realization dawned upon many of the army leaders present—if they aligned themselves under Kanoru's command, they might be following a future legend.
"Then that's still reason to celebrate," Asuna insisted. "And I doubt the Greyrose Circus will attack so soon."
Kanoru exhaled, then nodded. "Do as you wish. Now, return to your posts."
Without another word, he turned and flew toward his camp, leaving behind a battlefield full of shifting ambitions.
Asuna followed behind him, her gaze fixed on his back. Just then, a voice called out beside her.
"Sister, what happened to Husband? I thought he would be happy after verifying his strength against a Spirit King Realm cultivator."
Asuna glanced over and saw Gu Mingzhu flying alongside her, concern evident in her eyes. Asuna hesitated before answering, her expression clouded. "I don't know..."
She turned her gaze forward, watching Kanoru fly ahead in silence. The tension in his posture, the urgency in his movements—something weighed heavily on him.
When they reached the camp, Kanoru wasted no time. Without speaking to anyone, he went straight to his training ground.
He had hurried back for a reason. The Greyrose Circus had sent a Spirit King Realm cultivator to assassinate him. If his strength had not reached the threshold of that realm, he would have either died or suffered severe injuries. And if that had happened, his loved ones would have followed him to the afterlife.
There was no more time to hesitate. He needed to break through.
He was only two runes away from stepping into the Spirit King Realm. His spiritual space still held nineteen unconnected water elemental runes. He decided to start with them.