CHAPTER 731: 573 EXPLOSIVE SWORD TECHNIQUE

"Clang!"

In the midst of yet another heavy collision, the two fiercely battling Sword Saints finally separated and created distance between them.

Sgranot still held the upper hand, retreating only about ten meters or so.

Reiger, however, was sent flying dozens of meters before his toes finally touched the ground.

However, as the one dominating, Sgranot’s expression was hard, whereas Reiger seemed utterly calm.

"Tsk!"

Sgranot looked at the serene-faced Reiger and could not help but click his tongue in a gloomy manner.

There was no choice.

Sgranot truly had not anticipated that Reiger would be so difficult to handle.

"Even though he has lost his Magic powers, he can still hold on under my sword until now. Is this guy really only 17 years old, just recently stepping into the realm of a Sword Saint?"

The strength displayed by the opponent, where was there a trace of the naivety of a newly promoted Sword Saint?

That clearly was the strength that should belong to a veteran Sword Saint who had struggled in this field for fifteen or twenty years, right?

Having already used the Amber Blade, yet still unable to successfully take down his opponent, even unable to trouble him momentarily—was this strength truly something a 17-year-old could possess?

This... should not be!

With such unwilling thoughts, Sgranot’s expression suddenly changed.

"Clang..."

On the Amber Blade hold in Sgranot’s hand, among the twelve radiant gems, one suddenly dimmed.

Simultaneously, the Magic Power flowing from the Amber Blade into Sgranot’s body suddenly plummeted, causing a steep drop in the aura and presence emanating from his body.

"Hm?"

This sudden change first caused Reiger, whose eyes shone with a clear luster, to be taken aback, and then displayed a dawning understanding.

"So that’s what it is."

A slight smile then hooked at the corner of Reiger’s calm face.

"What are you smiling at!?"

Sgranot, seeing this, could not help but rage.

However, the greater Sgranot’s reaction, the higher the arc of Reiger’s smiling lips became.

"Swoosh!"

In the next instant, Reiger suddenly darted forward without any warning, swift as an arrow, instantly appearing in front of Sgranot.

"Moon Breathing·First Form·Dark Moon·Night Palace!"

The crescent blade burst forth, a swiftly executed slash from Reiger’s hand that could hardly be seen due to its speed, cutting through the air and striking at Sgranot.

"......!"

Sgranot’s pupils shrank, wanting to retreat but also mindful of the many subordinates watching this battle, watching him.

If they saw him, the City Lord of Sgranot, voluntarily stepping back against a newly promoted Sword Saint, a mere 17-year-old, wouldn’t his invincible image built over many years in their minds be damaged?

Sgranot had always been intentionally cultivating his invincible image, subtly transforming the residents’ perception of him, making them naturally fear and revere him, daring not to rebel. If his image were damaged, would the knights of the City Lord still maintain their reverence towards him? Not to mention, those lawless characters from the Underworld would definitely start getting restless, aspiring to challenge the authority of the City Lord.

Considering this, Sgranot clenched his teeth and ultimately, maintaining his status, did not choose to dodge the strike.

Or rather, even if he wanted to evade, given the extremely fast speed which was so swift that even he could barely see it, Sgranot had no way to dodge it just like that.

Thus, in the split second filled with surging thoughts, Sgranot not only did not retreat but advanced. He did not dodge, nor did he defend; he attacked head-on.

"Clang!!!"

The black blade and the Amber Blade collided once again, releasing a burst of Qi Force that shattered the ground beneath their feet and thrust both combatants backwards.

But this time, the distance they were pushed back was almost the same; Sgranot was no longer at an advantage.

This made the face of Sgranot, the City Lord of Sgranot, even more displeased, and Reiger’s smile grew even broader.

"Indeed, your power right now is temporary."

Reiger revealed Sgranot’s secret.

Yes.

At this moment, the power displayed by Sgranot was only temporary.

Or rather, this power did not belong to him personally.

"Your actual strength should only be slightly stronger than Revin Meipros, the Border Guardian Sword Saint of the Kingdom of Ginas, but by a very limited margin."

"Yet, the power you’ve shown now far surpasses the level of an ordinary Sword Saint."

"Your performance just now, I’m afraid, might also stand on par with that of the strongest old Sword Saint in the Kingdom of Ginas."

"But that is not your actual level of strength; it’s just a limited burst."

Reiger exposed the truth behind Sgranot’s power.

Indeed, the City Lord of Sgranot was strong, stronger than Revin and Rom, these two veteran Sword Saints, and probably among the top Sword Saints across the continent of Akasha, just below that old Sword Saint from the treasure vault of the Kingdom of Ginas.

His strength was roughly equivalent to the limit of Lv.7, and in terms of ability values, he had probably trained all basic attributes except for "Magic Power" to the S-stage, just like Ota.

This was already considered having one foot into Lv.8. Among the Sword Saints, who were generally at Lv.7, he naturally ranked as one of the veterans, a top-notch contender.

However, the strength that Sgranot had just demonstrated had completely surpassed the category of Lv.7.

The evidence was that he was able to gain some advantage in the fierce battle with Reiger.

Now, talking solely about ability values, Reiger himself was at the highest level of Lv.7, plus his multiple combat growth abilities and potential abilities accumulated over several levels. Normally, he had also subtly exceeded the Lv.7 category, and could be considered to possess the power of Lv.8.

Therefore, even without entering an aggressive mode or a quick attack mode, theoretically, he should not have been at a disadvantage against a Sword Saint at the extreme level of Lv.7.

But, Sgranot, by relying on the power of the Amber Blade, forcibly possessed strength equivalent to Lv.8, explosively enhancing his abilities.

Thanks to that, Sgranot was able to slightly dominate in the fierce battle with Reiger.

"If I’m not mistaken,"

Reiger expounded.

"The sword technique you practice must be a special-grade sword technique capable of explosive power."

"The more Magic Power it consumes, the stronger the power you can unleash."

"On the contrary, if it consumes less Magic Power, then the power unleashed will be weaker."

"By practicing such a sword technique, you can unleash strength far beyond the usual by dramatically consuming your own Magic Power."

"Such a sword technique is certainly powerful, but the consumption is also significant, leading to a severe drop in the swordsman’s ability to sustain combat."

With that said, Reiger turned his gaze to the Amber Blade in Sgranot’s hand.

"To compensate for this weakness, you chose that weapon as your armament."

"If I’m not mistaken, every gem on this weapon can automatically absorb Magic Power from the atmosphere and store it. Once in battle, the user can draw from the stored Magic Power of the gems, either for deploying sword techniques or magic, or for enhancing the weapon’s power."

"You have just opted for the former use, utilizing the Magic Power stored in the gems to deploy your sword technique, coupled with your sword technique’s explosive ability, to maximize your own strength."

"Thus, you were able to demonstrate power far surpassing your usual level."

Once, Rom, to make up for the insufficiency in killing power of his Shadow Strike Sword Skill, chose a shadow sword that could directly convert Magic Power into destructive power as his main weapon.

Sgranot did the same.

He, to compensate for the excessive consumption of his explosive sword technique, chose the Amber Blade capable of absorbing and storing Magic Power as his main weapon, significantly increasing his ability to sustain combat and the duration of his burst strength.

That was the reason he could demonstrate strength comparable to Lv.8.

Unfortunately, these compensatory measures were also limited.

Unleashing power transcending the current level requires an astronomical amount of Magic Power.

Therefore, even with the Magic Power stored in twelve gems available for use, once used recklessly, the Magic Power would eventually see a significant reduction.

Thanks to this, with each gem on the Amber Blade in Sgranot’s hand growing dimmer, the Magic Power he could draw on decreased, resulting in a reduction of the power he could unleash.

In this punch-for-punch battle, Sgranot no longer had the upper hand, but instead was matched equally by Reiger, which served as proof.

And then...

"Boom!"

As the thunderous boom appeared on Reiger, fierce lightning also emerged from him.

Reiger’s breathing rhythm changed, switching from Moon Breathing to Thunder Breathing.

"What...!?"

Sgranot’s expression changed abruptly.

Seeing the violent lightning on Reiger, his first thought was about that rumor that reverberated across the entire continent of Akasha.

"When the lightning appears, defeat is near."

As this phrase flashed through his mind, Sgranot could no longer maintain his composure and retreated instinctively.

"Pili—"

At that moment, the lightning suddenly surged explosively with astonishing speed towards Sgranot.

"Clang!"

While Sgranot was still in retreat, a bolt from the lightning shot up and landed heavily on his hastily raised Amber Blade, causing sparks and the sound of clashing metal to burst forth simultaneously and making Sgranot lose his balance as if struck by lightning, being catapulted upwards.

"Boom—Boom—Boom—Boom—Boom—"

The sound of thunder was incessant, and the lightning abruptly changed direction towards the sky, aggressively pursuing Sgranot.

"Clang—Clang—Clang—Clang—Clang—"

Suddenly, countless thunder strikes emerged from the lightning, accompanied by the lightning moving around Sgranot, striking at him constantly.

Every time the lightning moved around Sgranot, the slash wrapped in lightning would strike.

As the thunder strikes landed, the loud clashing sounds of metal were heard.

Sgranot, up in the mid-air of the City Lord’s hall, faced countless strikes, as if multitudes of lightning bolts were attacking him from all directions, forcing him to defend desperately.

"Puch!"

Finally, the sound of tearing arose.