Chapter 454
Two titans hung in the sky, tension stretched tight as a wire.
Khaedor loomed above the valley like an ancient god, power rolling off him in waves that made the air tremble.
Leander floated opposite him, light and ungraspable as if reality barely held him.
A shriek tore across the sky.
Before either could strike, a dark shape came plummeting from above. It hit the valley floor like a warhammer. Dirt blasted outward, and the mountain base quaked violently.
As the dust settled, a massive figure emerged within a new crater. His shoulders were as wide as a fortress wall, and a fierce killing intent radiated from his eyes.
He fell several hundred feet without a bruise. He hovered above the crater as if he had no weight.
“That’s Nicholas Adkins… the Bloodthorn Mercenary commander p>
Recognition rippled across the watchers.
Bloodthorn Mercenaries ranked second among the four great mercenary corps, and Nicholas stood at their helm. Hundreds served under him, many of them seasoned martial arts masters.
Nicholas himself was their strongest weapon—a Transcendent body-forger with strength so deep no list could measure him. The International Combat Units list ignored mercenaries, although rumors claimed he once traded blows with Torrez, the Raging Bull, head-on.
No one ever spoke of who won, yet one fact spoke louder than any rumor. After that fight, Torrez the Raging Bull never set foot in Bloodthorn Mercenaries’ territory again. That alone made it clear he had been the one defeated.
Bloodthorn Mercenaries’ base was in the Sahar Wastes, so his arrival here stunned everyone.
Nicholas swept one cold look at Leander before bowing to Khaedor. “Mr. Khaedor.” Shock flickered across the crowd. Rumors returned instantly—Nicholas descended from a steward of a Blood Clan count. Khaedor’s bloodline came from that very house.
The whispers were true.
Khaedor’s voice lowered. “Nicholas, why appear now p>
“I came to support you, Mr. Khaedor,” Nicholas replied. “The master feared trouble over the relic, so he ordered me to trail you p>
He lifted his arm toward Leander. “Jeff, if you want to face Mr. Khaedor, you have to get past me. Fail here, and you’re not qualified to stand before him p>
Khaedor stood with a monarch’s bearing, pride sharp enough to cut.
“Mr. Khaedor?” Leander released a short laugh, head shaking. “Some mutt thinks it can raise its voice at me p>
His gaze sharpened, and his voice iced over. “Fine. I’ll even be generous. Both of you can come at me together p>
Nicholas’ expression hardened. “Jeff, your arrogance disgusts me. If you crave death so badly, I’ll break your undefeated legend myself p>
He roared and shot forward. His fist smashed downward with the force of a falling boulder.
Wind pressure alone carved a chunk of cliff away.
Leander didn’t dodge. He lifted his fist and struck.
Boom.
The valley trembled as a shockwave radiated outward, causing the ground beneath Nicholas to collapse several yards away from the impact.
Leander barely shifted, hovered in the air, and absorbed Nicholas’ punch without budging.
Nicholas flipped back, boots skidding across the earth. “You’re a body-forger p>
He arrived late and missed Leander’s earlier victory over Torrez, the Raging Bull. The realization left him stunned.
Leander gave no answer. He clenched his fist, surged upward, and cut through the air.
“That level of strength… and you think you can speak on your young master’s behalf p>
His gaze turned cold as he launched his punch-slow to the eye, yet blazing fast underneath. Air rippled red from friction.
Nicholas stood firm. As a body-forger, he embraced brute force. His right arm swelled with power, veins flaring, muscle doubling in size.
Crack. He punched.
Leander’s fist was barely a quarter the size of his, yet their fists collided with a metallic ring.
The ground split, rocks exploded, and wind screamed.
A silhouette hurtled backward, heels streaking a long trail through the void. Nicholas finally slammed to a stop. His right arm was bent out of shape, shattered by Leander’s blow.
A spark lit in Leander’s eyes. “Impressive. Your path in body refinement surpasses Torrez the Raging Bull’s by far p>
Torrez the Raging Bull fell to a single palm. Nicholas, however, took a punch and only lost an arm. The difference drew a clear line. Nicholas’ physical strength was well above Torrez’s.
Judged solely on body-forging skills, Nicholas was the toughest opponent Leander had faced in years.
Something else sharpened
Leander’s focus. Nicholas’
body-forging art carried an undercurrent he couldn’t ignore, a
hidden layer of power tucked beneath the surface. That buried
trump card was likely the reason
Nicholas had the nerve to act as the
vanguard for Khaedor.
Nicholas staggered upright, shock flooding his face. He never imagined Leander’s
physique would be this overwhelming. Even his Tiger-Demon Body-perfected over decades—could not withstand a single strike.
Khaedor’s expression darkened. Nicholas’ Tiger-Demon Body had been handed down from his father’s bloodline.
It was only a mid-tier Blood Clan art, yet still enough to put Nicholas in the world’s top tier. Against Leander, it meant nothing.
The sight compelled Nicholas to reevaluate Leander. His aura intensified, channeling all his strength inward, prepared to act instantly.
“Once more p>
His ruined arm dangled uselessly, although not a flicker of fear appeared on his face. He roared, drove his heel into the earth, and ripped a massive boulder straight out of the ground. Dust blasted outward as he lifted it overhead with a single hand, then hurled it at Leander with murderous force.
The throw weighed tens of thousands of tons. Even an armored military carrier
would have been crushed into pulp beneath it.
Leander reached out. His fingers slid into the stone, as if slicing through soft clay, and split it apart. Before the dust even settled, his hand clamped Nicholas’ wrist.
venet
Nicholas paused for a moment, stunned. He attempted to pull back, but Leander acted first. A surge of strength surged through his arm, rendering Nicholas helpless Leander grabbed him by the ankle and forcefully slammed him into the ground, causing the valley to shake-similar to a child smashing a toy on the floor.
Bang.
Again.
Bang.
Again.
Bang.
Then Leander twisted, stepped, and lashed his leg across Nicholas’ back. The strike cracked like a whip.
Pfft… Nicholas spat blood as he blasted through a nearby hill, splitting the thirty-foot rise cleanly in half.
Leander straightened in the center of the valley and flicked his gaze toward Khaedor. “Your mutt isn’t in my league. Stop wasting time, Khaedor. Join the fight p>