Chapter 453
Bam! A thunderous crack rolled across the mountains. Leander’s fist tore a glowing line through the air before slamming into Halia’s chest like a hammer dropped from the heavens.
Every spectator expected her body to scatter into flame again. Primal-element metahumans always dissolved the moment physical force touched them. Nothing solid was supposed to land since nothing could reach their true bodies.
The crowd held its breath, waiting for Halia to blur into sparks.
Nothing happened.
Her body didn’t disperse. It plummeted as if a meteor had struck her. A raw scream burst from her throat while a streak of blood arced behind her like a crimson comet.
She crashed into the cliff with brutal force. Flames exploded outward before gathering again into her human shape.
This time, her reformed body didn’t stand perfectly.
Blood trickled down her lip. Her chest caved inward, a deep fist-shaped dent crushing the curves she had moments ago. Her breath hitched, uneven and tight.
A wave of silence swept the entire peak.
Halia—the legendary Flame Goddess, a primal-element metahuman—was wounded. The scene shattered everything the crowd believed possible.
Dozens of stunned gazes snapped toward Leander. No one understood how he bypassed her elemental form.
Questions raced across their minds.
Did he possess Profound Force or a hidden technique? What kind of power touched a primal-element metahuman?
Halia wiped her mouth, staring at the blood in disbelief. “How did you hurt me p>
Leander lowered his fist as though brushing dust from his knuckles.
“Why wouldn’t I p>
His voice came out flat and cutting.
“Yeah, primal-element metahumans can dissolve their bodies. Standard attacks pass straight through. That’s the rule p>
He stepped closer, eyes cold. “But that rule doesn’t apply to me p>
Flames poured toward Halia from every direction as she tried to repair the damage.
“You mastered Profound Force?” Her voice carried doubt and unease.
“No.” Leander’s response came instantly. “Profound Force isn’t my path p>
He raised his hand, palm glowing faintly. “My strength hits your kind harder than Profound Force ever could.
“There’s a third force capable of striking a primal-element metahuman. Mine is called Nirvana Energy. You might know it better as Nirvana Primordial Energy p>
A sharp brilliance lit his eyes, an aura rising that pressed on the world itself.
“That punch earlier was me holding back. If I wanted, your head would’ve vanished with the rest of your pride p>
He curled two fingers at her with lazy contempt.
“Second Seat of the International Combat Units Flame Goddess Halia—you’re nowhere near the level required to stop me p>
Halia’s beautiful features twisted. She had dominated her rank for two decades. Not
a single person during that time had dared to humiliate her so openly.
Yet Leander publicly dismissed her before every elite on the mountain, marking a humiliation she’d never tasted in nearly a century.
“Jeff, are you begging for death p>
Her voice trembled with rage. Flames curled along her arms, eyes burning like an inferno ready to swallow the sky.
Leander didn’t grant her a glance.
Metahumans didn’t impress him.
They relied too heavily on
luck-awakening, talent accidents of
nature. They were powerful
although fragile in mindset. They didn’t forge themselves through
discipline or suffering like true
martial artists did.
Halia’s second-place rank came from her near-immortal body. Strip that away, and
she sat below a typical Infernal Crown Transcendent.
Leander’s gaze shifted past her to the distant man-Khaedor, arms crossed, eyes fixed in place.
“Khaedor,” Leander called out. “You’re the one worth fighting p>
The man at the top of the
International Combat Units finally rose from the ground. He stepped into the sky as if it were solid stone, his presense wering wall.
ike
m.
They hovered a hundred feet apart, eyes locked, pressure shaking the air between them.
Halia snapped, “Back off, Khaedor! He’s mine. I’ll tear him apart, so stay out of my way p>
Halia fought to resist the effects of Leander’s punch and still wanted to continue, but Khaedor gave her a single look that froze her in place. “Halia, face it. You lost p>
She wanted to argue, yet the deadly gleam in Khaedor’s eyes silenced her. Pride and fear warred on her face, so she stayed silent as her feet touched the ground again.
Khaedor turned back to Leander. “You have spine, Jeff. You’re the first to challenge me directly since I killed the former top rank p>
He floated higher, wings of power beginning to unfurl in his aura.
“You’ll also be the last.” Leander cracked his neck, utterly calm. His right hand rose, and two fingers flicked toward Khaedor-a silent challenge urging him to make a
move.
“Great!” Khaedor released a harsh, furious laugh. His arrogance had earned him the title God of Madness
for decades, yet Leander’s sheer boldness pushed past anything he had ever shown.
In front of the world’s elites, a murderous pulse thundered through his veins. His only desire was to tear Leander apart right here on Aorinth Peaks.
Power surged from him in a wave. Blood-red energy pooled in his palm—the signature might of the Blood Clan. His eyes flooded crimson, pupils shrinking into predatory slits.
“Haah p>
A violent roar burst from his chest. Two enormous bat-like wings erupted from his back, shaping him into a mythic demon.
“Leander, you wanted this. I’ll crush you with the full power of my bloodline p>
His irises glowed completely red. A pulsing mass of blood essence formed in his hand before he swallowed it whole.
His body expanded a second time. The bat-like wings grew wider-stretching dozens of feet, then a hundred, still spreading.
A ripple of fear ran through the crowd. His aura multiplied, heavy enough to crush
the air itself.
“It’s beginning p>
The spectators whispered, tensely watching the two figures suspended above the mountain.
They understood exactly what this battle represented.
This wasn’t just a duel.
This was an attempt on the throne.
If Leander won today, the entire history of the International Combat Units would be
overturned.