Chapter 180: Hammer‑Blast Champion

"What a fast speed!"

Xikaliusi was shocked inside, but his reaction was not slow; drawing on his battle techniques honed through countless trials, he let out a roar and his massive body surged forward.

His body leaned forward, power concentrated at the tip of his sword, and he became like a huge cone, piercing the air.

Swift shadow thrust!

This combat technique is best used in frontal clashes; even against a stone wall, Xikaliusi is confident he can pierce it with a single strike.

He has already planned his follow‑up moves.

Now!

A deafening blast rang out, the great sword clashed with the heavy hammer, scattering lightning‑like sparks.

Xikaliusi's palms split open, blood gushed, and he almost couldn't grip the great sword; a terrifying force from the blade forced him to recoil continuously, distorting his movements, and the follow‑up he had planned could not be executed at all.

His great sword is forged from refined iron, weighing three hundred pounds, incredibly hard, yet under this blow the blade became slightly deformed.

"This..."

Xikaliusi froze instantly, looking toward Lei En standing not far away; the human did not seize the chance to counterattack, his posture relaxed, and a deep gouge scarred the war hammer in his hand.

"Your power?" Xikaliusi's voice became very dry.

He has always been extremely proud of his strength; when training he gives his all, able to lift a fifteen‑thousand‑pound iron block, which, according to human Element classification, corresponds to fifth‑level "Power", stronger than most legendary superhumans, and he has never met an opponent who could match his strength.

This single strike made him realize at once that Lei En's power far exceeds his own.

The onlookers' jaws nearly dropped to the ground.

A Wizard, whose physique looks perfectly normal, forms a stark contrast with the dwarf‑like Xikaliusi, yet possesses such overwhelming power; this disparity is truly unbelievable!

"Is your lord really a Wizard?" Tusadelin demanded fiercely of Fabian.

That is what others also wanted to ask.

Fabian stammered; he had seen Lei En cast spells with his own eyes, and had previously thought the lord was a Wizard, but now he could not be sure.

"I told you," Lei En said with a smile to the crowd, "I enjoy this duel tradition."

Hearing this, everyone finally understood.

Then they saw Lei En launch a charge, a trail of after‑images streaming behind him like flashes, and in an instant he surged to Xikaliusi's front.

The heavy war hammer swung in an arcing trajectory.

The air in front of the hammerhead was compressed, forming visible white vapor; the air burst with a muffled thunder‑like roar, and the entire training hall trembled gently.

Boom…

This hammer strike involved no technique at all, relying on pure force to produce a terrifying effect.

All spectators turned pale.

Generally, superhumans or exotic beings with such immense power are not very fast; a brute‑force smash like this rarely hits the target.

Xikaliusi once fought a mountain‑giant; that giant's strength was comparable to Lei En's, but Lei En's speed far outpaced the mountain‑giant by an unknown multiple.

In the blink of an eye, the heavy hammer thundered to his face, the air scraping his skin like a blade and causing a sting.

"Can't take it head‑on!"

A sense of inferiority rose in Xikaliusi's mind; his foot slipped sideways, and he launched his own charge.

Seeing this, Tusadelin and the two other Makurage men were stunned; they knew Xikaliusi's fighting style well—relentless and fearless—and in the arena for years he had never been forced to retreat by an opponent.

It was their first time seeing Xikaliusi avoid a frontal clash.

Bang!

The hammer struck the ground with a millimetre margin, shards of stone flew everywhere, instantly carving a huge pit in the stone‑slab floor.

Lei En, dragging his war hammer, also launched a charge.

His charge was a level higher than Xikaliusi's, and with a sixth‑level "Swiftness" base, his speed was a step ahead, allowing him to catch up to Xikaliusi instantly.

The hammer mercilessly slammed into the barbarian's back.

Xikaliusi did not panic; he turned and delivered a horizontal strike with his great sword.

With a clang, because the hammer was swung at high speed, Lei En could not exert full force, yet the blow still hurled Xikaliusi straight out.

His massive body, like a cannonball, knocked down row after row of weapon racks and finally slammed into the stone wall of the training hall.

Xikaliusi's body sank into the stone wall, spitting a mouthful of blood.

He struggled to leap out of the wall opening, staring intently at Lei En.

Under the effect of "Unyielding Will", the injury did not make him retreat; instead it sparked an even fiercer fighting spirit, his whole body boiling with hot blood, and he shouted, "Hahaha… exhilarating!"

"Now that's a real battle!"

Lei En was surprised in his heart; indeed, possessing "Third-level Toughness" and "Self‑Healing", Xikaliusi's resistance and resilience were outstanding, his technique flawless, and at the moment the hammer struck, Xikaliusi used his great sword to shed most of the force, so he only sustained a minor wound.

"Again!"

Xikaliusi shouted wildly, lifted a steel‑forged spear lying at his foot, his arm bulging as he hurled it with all his might.

The spear became a black streak, shooting straight at Lei En's chest.

In Lei En's eyes, the spear seemed to slow down; Truth Will allowed him to see every detail of the spear, and his sixth‑level Swiftness let his body keep pace with his mind's reactions.

Lei En shifted slightly, and the spear flew past his chest.

Then his right hand darted out like lightning, seized the spear; the shaft scraped his palm, emitting a sharp metallic clang, and he held it firmly.

The crowd stared dumbfounded, especially the two Makurage men, whose eyes nearly bulged out.

Throwing spears is the Makurage's signature skill; with great force and a low trajectory, they can pierce iron plates from over a hundred paces, and on the Seien Plateau they have slain countless prey.

However, they never imagined anyone could catch a spear bare‑handed.

And that's not all.

Lei En flicked the spear back with his other hand; he lacked the "Precision Throw" Element and had never trained that skill, but with the aid of Truth Will his accuracy matched that of the Makurage.

The spear returned along its path at an even faster speed.

First he missed the second spear Xi Ka Liu Si threw, then kept pressing forward, still charging straight at Xi Ka Liu Si.

Xi Ka Liu Si hurriedly struck it away with his great sword; with a "thwack", the spear flew sideways, landing at Tuo Sai De Lin's feet, embedding in the ground, leaving only a short tip exposed.

Even though Tuo Sai De Lin knew it wouldn't hit him, his eyelids still twitched wildly.

He is a legendary ranger, with mediocre defense; if pierced by this spear, he'd likely lose half his life.

In the arena, Xi Ka Liu Si knocked the spear away, but was repelled by the power contained in the spear; his whole body froze, and he couldn't catch his breath.

Lei En seized the chance, charged forward, and swung his heavy hammer with full force.

This time, Xi Ka Liu Si couldn't dodge in time, and could only barely hold his great sword horizontally before him, hoping to lessen the damage.

Boom!

The hammer bent the great sword and continued to pound Xi Ka Liu Si, smashing him straight to the ground.

The ground sank, and dust billowed up.

Scoring a hit, Lei En didn't stop; he merely eased off slightly, raised the hammer with both hands, and struck down again.

Bang bang bang!

After three hammer blows, Xi Ka Liu Si scrambled on the ground, but couldn't evade even once; the hammer battered him, causing blood to spurt, his bones shattered countless times, leaving him in a wretched state.

Lei En didn't aim for the head, nor did he deliver a killing blow.

Xi Ka Liu Si possesses unbreakable Willpower; this Element can lessen the impact of injuries, unless he loses a hand or dies on the spot—so long as he still has a breath, he retains the power to counter.

After three hammer blows, Xi Ka Liu Si finally seized a gap in Lei En's hammer raise, triggered a "Lightning Counter", using the ground's force to flip himself, his power erupted, gathering in both hands; the transformed great sword rose from below, executing a Reverse Slash.

The blade traced an intensely condensed glimmer in the air, like sword qi, razor‑sharp.

This was Xi Ka Liu Si's final chance.

However, Lei En had already sensed his intent; a step back would let him evade.

His mind shifted quickly, deciding to stubbornly endure this Reverse Slash.

Having already displayed tremendous power and astonishing speed, he also wanted the Makurag people to witness his defense, so they would be convinced and consider choosing him as their host.

The sword's aura shimmered before his eyes.

Lei En pretended he couldn't dodge, allowing the Reverse Slash to slice diagonally upward from his abdomen, cutting solidly from chest to shoulder.

"It's over!"

Fabian and Ai Mi Li Si saw the sword and felt their hearts chill halfway.

Tuo Sai De Lin was also in a tangled panic; with Xi Ka Liu Si's power, being hit by his Reverse Slash would essentially mean a double fatality. If Lei En died here, he would face accountability from the Silver Star Title: Duke, leaving only the escape back to the elf homeland.

But in the next second, everyone could hardly believe their eyes.

Lei En, as if nothing had happened, swung his hammer and smashed the newly risen Xi Ka Liu Si, sending him flying with a single blow.

At that moment, they noticed a shallow white scar on Lei En's chest, likely from the Reverse Slash, which had only grazed the skin without any blood.

Sss…

The crowd involuntarily inhaled sharply, watching Lei En as if he were a monster.

Tuo Sai De Lin, dazed, sighed, "Moon God above, what a terrifying defense!"

The two Makurag people wore stunned expressions, while only the legendary swordsman A Si Tan remained calm; he had just been speculating that this was the Iron Body Element.

Nevertheless, when he saw Lei En completely unscathed, he was still astonished.

Xi Ka Liu Si also witnessed the result of his Reverse Slash; suspended in midair, blood spurted nonstop, and his heart sank into despair.

Lei En activated Level 4 "Rapid Sprint", his speed surged, and he turned back to chase.

With a swing of the hammer, the still airborne Xi Ka Liu Si was smashed down, crashing heavily onto the ground, his entire body aching.

He knew he couldn't win, his mind faltered, and the effect of his unbreakable Willpower waned greatly.

Then, everyone witnessed a one‑sided slaughter.

Xi Ka Liu Si's massive body, like a rubber ball, was battered back and forth by Lei En's hammer; minutes later, when Lei En ceased, Xi Ka Liu Si was a complete wreck, a puddle of mush, lying at Lei En's feet.

Lei En exhaled, casually tossed the hammer aside, and hammered a pit into the ground.

He looked down at Xi Ka Liu Si; the savage seemed tragic, but his injuries weren't as severe as they appeared—after treatment and some rest he could recover; Lei En had merely drained his stamina.

"Xi Ka Liu Si, do you concede defeat in this duel?" Lei En asked with a smile.

Xi Ka Liu Si felt unwilling, glaring at Lei En.

He struggled to rise, but couldn't muster any strength; finally he could only abandon resistance, replying weakly, "I lost."

"Admitting defeat is fine."

Lei En nodded, retrieved a scroll from the Dimensional Ring, unfurled it, and a white light wrapped around Xi Ka Liu Si, healing his wounds.

The scroll originally belonged to the legendary Wizard Maiteer, a mid‑level healing technique of the Four Rings, extremely fast‑acting; Xi Ka Liu Si's bleeding stopped, and his stamina rapidly recovered.

Lei En no longer attended to him, walked over, took the garment from Fabian's hands, put it on, and said to Tuo Sai De Lin, "Your Highness, now we should discuss the contract matters of those three."

(End of chapter)