Chapter 479: Ice Sword Saint

Three war hammers slammed in from three directions.

At the critical moment, Duke Brandon, who had been pulled into the air by the Electric Claw Technique, looked up and shouted; a white wolf illusion materialized above his head, its massive wolf head vivid and lifelike, with a pair of cold, ruthless eyes. It opened its mouth in sync with Duke Brandon and let out a roar toward the sky.

"Awo!"

The wolf's howl contained unimaginable power; in an instant it wildly summoned ice Elements within dozens of meters, causing a fierce explosion.

Centered on Duke Brandon, the explosion generated a visible white shockwave that spread out like lightning.

Among the three Lei En attacking him, one was his true form, the fastest to react; its Soul Eye sensed the Element flicker in the enemy's mind half a heartbeat early. It was the Supreme Element "Ice Roar", whose power rivaled a Six Ring Spell, could be cast instantly but consumed a great amount of energy, and like a Dragon's Roar could not be used casually.

The two Mirror Images were frozen into ice statues holding war hammers.

Lei En's true form promptly slipped behind an ice statue, but inevitably some ice Elements assaulted him, coating his exterior with frost and slowing his speed.

When Lei En emerged from behind the Mirror Image ice statue, Duke Brandon had already taken the opportunity to break free of the Electric Claw Technique.

He dared not linger within the three‑person encirclement; the moment he touched ground he sprinted at breakneck speed, and as he broke through the circle, he casually swung his sword at the Mirror Image ice statue on the right.

The Mirror Image's defense and strength were only half of the true form's, unable to withstand the sharpness of the Frost Greatsword.

Clang!

A booming crack sounded; Lei En's true form arrived in time, swinging his hammer to deflect the Frost Greatsword and saving the Mirror Image. Duke Brandon, unfazed, merged his silhouette with the sword's light, and once more sliced out a silent, invisible sword aura, targeting the Mirror Image that had just had its Electric Claw Technique interrupted, ten steps away.

The Mirror Image calmly activated Electric Flash Teleport, turning into a bolt of lightning and retreating.

Duke Brandon's sword aura cut through the air without stopping, continuing forward like an invisible silver thread flashing by, extending over twenty meters and slashing the centaur behind the Mirror Image.

The charging centaur suddenly stalled; the human torso separated from the horse body, splitting in two, the corpse tumbling to the ground and shattering like ice, without a drop of blood spilling.

It was just one sword, yet it slew dozens of centaurs.

Duke Brandon's slash placed his figure deeper within the centaur charge formation; with his left hand he swung, hurling a barrage of ice spears into the sky. Each ice spear, over a meter long yet only as thick as a forearm, tapered to sharp points and fanned outward, easily piercing the centaurs' bodies and clearing a zone.

The surrounding centaurs were frightened; unlike the Ice Wolf Knight Order, whose Willpower was as cold as ice, they changed direction, trying to keep a greater distance from this terrifying foe.

The charging formation instantly fell into disorder.

Bang!

Amid a flash of electric thunder, Lei En pursued from behind; Duke Brandon abandoned the second wave of his area ice spear technique, brandished his Frost Greatsword and vanished in a flash.

Lei En emerged from the electric flash, looked at the scattered centaur corpses, and shook his head helplessly.

The opponent truly was a Legendary High-rank level 19 Ice Wolf Swordmaster; not only was his attack power astounding, his defense and speed had no flaws, and he was half a spellcaster. Coupled with that epic‑level Frost Greatsword, the combination equated to a Legendary ice spellcaster, impossible to defeat in a short time.

Such strength was simply beyond what centaurs could withstand.

Lei En understood Duke Brandon's intent clearly; he could slaughter the Ice Wolf Knight Order, and the opponent could slaughter the centaurs.

"Is this a contest to see who can kill faster?"

"Then let's try it!"

Lei En snorted coldly in his mind; after all, the centaurs were not his troops, and after this battle they'd be of little use, whereas the Ice Wolf Knight Order was the foundation of the Brandon family—if they were all slain, the power to rule the North would be lost.

He wanted to see who would be reluctant to let go first.

Lei En's mind shifted; the remaining four Mirror Images abandoned their siege on Duke Brandon and turned to slay the Ice Wolf Knight Order. The Mirror Images possessed only half the strength of the true form; a single Mirror Image could not match Duke Brandon, but they were more than sufficient to kill Ice Wolf Swordmasters.

Duke Brandon, knowing he was outmatched, refused to engage Lei En head‑on.

He dodged Lei En's pursuit while swinging his Frost Greatsword, employing masterful swordsmanship, unleashing wave after wave of icy sword aura to slaughter centaurs, occasionally casting a burst of area ice spear technique.

In less than two minutes, at least five hundred centaurs fell by Duke Brandon's hand; the casualties were severe, and the centaur charge formation was completely disrupted.

However, the Ice Wolf Knight Order suffered even heavier losses.

During a brief pause as his sword light flickered, Duke Brandon reappeared, glanced back at the battlefield, and saw Lei En's Mirror Images had already cut through the Ice Wolf Knight Order; the ground behind them was littered with the corpses of ice wolves and swordmasters. Some were electrocuted, others sliced cleanly by rainbow‑colored beams; some were smashed by war hammers into pulp, leaving no intact bodies.

A single person's slaughter efficiency, after all, could not match that of four.

Moreover, Lei En's true form continued to chase Duke Brandon, preventing him from moving freely, further reducing his efficiency.

After the four Mirror Images cut through the Ice Wolf Knight Order, they did not stop nor look back, handing the remaining split Ice Wolf Swordmasters—now divided into two groups—to the centaurs, then continued slaying the two thousand makeshift cavalry.

These were vassal troops of the Brandon family; if they were all slain, the Duke's realm would have few extraordinary beings left!

Boom—

A blinding Electric Blast Orb detonated, lightning and flame instantly killing a dozen cavalry.

Whoosh!

A rainbow‑like beam swept across, cleaving the cavalry and their warhorses in two; they fell to the ground, not dying instantly, the halves crawling on the earth, emitting mournful cries.

Duke Brandon's eye twitched slightly, his heart aching as if blood were dripping.

These youths were the ones he had watched grow up, leading them to the capital to aid Marck, believing it a grand chance to achieve glory and defend honor, only to have them die here. If he could return to the North, how could he face their parents, wives, and children?

The North was already sparsely populated, and cultivating extraordinary beings was extremely difficult; such deaths were far too wasteful.

In this moment, Duke Brandon doubted whether he had made the wrong decision; his family should not have supported Marck, nor should they have knowingly sent the children to the capital to die despite the enemy's terror.

He momentarily lost his focus.

"Under the augmentation of 'Cold Mind', perception becomes extremely sharp, not only resisting most mental attacks but also maintaining constant composure; Duke Brandon, without turning, knew Lei En had flashed behind him, his mind as still as ice, reflecting the image of Lei En swinging his war hammer.

Because of that momentary lapse, this was the closest Lei En had ever chased.

The war hammer had already struck just a few steps behind him.

Duke Brandon instinctively prepared to use 'Ice Sword Stance' to dodge, but a peripheral glance over the slain Ice Wolf Swordmasters and extraordinary beings caused a flicker on his cold visage, and he suddenly changed his mind.

He abruptly turned, and the Frost Greatsword met the war hammer in a genuine clash.

When!

Countless bolts of lightning erupted, striking Duke Brandon; his Five‑Ring Ice Armor wavered, the recoil from the great sword nearly made him lose his grip, and his figure was forced to retreat rapidly.

"His power is too great!"

Duke Brandon gazed at Lei En's youthful face, feeling boundless apprehension; in his life, only Marck's power could compare to Lei En's.

From Lei En's relaxed fighting style, it was clear he was not exerting full strength; his power even hinted at being greater than Marck's.

A faint smile curled at Lei En's mouth.

Clearly this slaughter contest was won by me, Duke Bu Lande still cared for his family's Ice Wolf Knight Order and Transcendent Army, and had to stop and cease confronting me directly.

He swung his warhammer to repel the opponent, then charged forward at once.

Whoosh!

The scene in my sight flashed backward like lightning; in an instant, Lei En rushed to Duke Bu Lande's front, raised his warhammer and struck.

Duke Bu Lande showed no fear, brandishing his sword to meet the attack.

Clang!

The Thunder Hammer and Frost Greatsword clashed repeatedly, spraying sparks; the piercing roar hurt the centaurs' eardrums, and they all fled from the two legends in battle.

With each exchange, countless bolts of lightning erupted from the warhammer, ravaging the surrounding space.

Duke Bu Lande's Frost Greatsword also emitted a great white mist; though it seemed light, it contained vast ice Elements, and some centaurs who inadvertently inhaled it were instantly frozen, turning into shards of ice on the ground seconds later.

Even Lei En had frost forming on his surface.

The True Dragon Body granted extreme resistance, and the Crimson Cloak's protection blocked the mist's frostbite; he kept fighting, and the freshly formed frost was shattered and crushed, only slowing his speed somewhat.

Lightning raged, and sword aura streaked across.

Within a hundred‑meter radius, no one dared approach.

Lei En's mind was intensely focused; because of the Frost Greatsword's sharpness, he did not opt for a trade‑blow strategy, repeatedly hammering the enemy solely with his warhammer.

One must admit, Duke Bu Lande was the most skilled swordsman I had ever encountered.

He considered his combat skill no weaker than any sword Master, believing that within a few months he could spar with Master Luo Jie without any disadvantage.

However, Duke Bu Lande's swordsmanship was a step above Master Luo Jie's.

The Soul Eye revealed that Duke Bu Lande's power Element was only at level nine; even after the Ice Blood Pulse amplification, it failed to reach level ten, whereas my power neared level eleven, a multiple‑fold gap that would let anyone else crush him easily.

Yet Duke Bu Lande, relying on his superb swordsmanship, barely held off the warhammer.

The Ice Wolf Swordmaster fused his bloodline for enhancement, similar to a Frost Demon Swordsman, but unlike the latter he could not grasp various combat Element techniques through soul fusion.

This is a flaw of Kangjiatuo's Transcendent System; the number of Elements is fewer than other Transcendent beings, and even legendary ones possess no more than twenty Elements.

Duke Bu Lande was no exception; his soul contained few Elements, yet he mastered countless distinct sword styles, even surpassing his Element count, making him unquestionably the world's top sword master—calling him a 'Sword Saint' is no exaggeration.

With a Frost Greatsword in hand, a seemingly simple, unadorned swing can produce unexpected effects, not inferior to combat Elements, and sometimes even stronger.

This is the purest sword technique; Lei En feels inferior.

Several times Lei En flashed behind Duke Bu Lande or into a blind spot, yet the opponent easily blocked, or sidestepped the attack and countered with a swift sword strike.

If not for his steel body and activated metal, Lei En would already have many wounds.

'A bit tricky.'

Lei En thought this, but it was only a little tricky; battle isn't just about technique—Elements, soul power, and weaponry are all parts of strength.

He had already gauged Duke Bu Lande's strength, and the Soul Eye saw his details clearly.

He looked up; the Lance‑Wing Knight Order and Wizards had already arrived.

Lei En's mind shifted; four Mirror Images opened portals, leapt hundreds of meters to his side, encircling Duke Bu Lande from all directions, yet they did not charge forward, instead began casting spells.

The reason Duke Bu Lande tangled with Lei En was to lure Lei En's Mirror Images back, sparing the Ice Wolf Knight Order and his vassal army. Seeing his plan succeed, he instantly thrust a sword at Lei En to push him back, then withdrew with the 'Ice Sword Stance'.

Pop!

Lei En let the Frost Greatsword pierce his chest and abdomen; the icy sensation came, his steel body strained to the limit, and the blade lodged.

Duke Bu Lande was astonished, having not anticipated this at all.

He knew Lei En's defense was strong, but not to this degree; pushing the greatsword with all his might felt like stabbing into pure gold, the tip only penetrating about a hand's breadth before it could not advance any further.

A dreadful chill spread from the wound into his organs, and thick white frost formed over his chest and abdomen.

Lei En pretended not to see, and smiled at the shocked Duke Bu Lande.

His left hand firmly grasped the blade; Duke Bu Lande tried to withdraw the greatsword but could not move a finger—letting go was already too late.

Lei En's warhammer struck Duke Bu Lande's head.

Bang!

Countless bolts of lightning burst; because of the close range, Lei En's hammer could not exert full force, merely shattering Duke Bu Lande's ice armor, causing him to stagger into dizziness and involuntarily release his grip on the Frost Greatsword.

The four Mirror Images' spells followed in succession.

Two Thunderclap Techniques blasted Duke Bu Lande to the ground, a Rainbow Light Ray pierced his chest, and finally an Electric Blast Orb detonated on his face!

Although Duke Bu Lande was a level‑19 Ice Wolf Swordmaster, after losing his protection he could not withstand so many spell assaults and was gravely wounded instantly.

The crucial point was that without his Frost Greatsword, his combat power dropped by seventy percent.

The 'Cold Thought' revived him from dizziness, but he was unarmed; before he could draw a weapon from his Spatial Ring, a warhammer hurled by Lei En flew toward his head, rapidly enlarging in his sight.

At the brink of death, Duke Bu Lande activated a crystal he wore; blue light burst, and a surge of cold energy instantly froze him into a three‑meter‑tall massive ice block.

The warhammer struck the ice but bounced off, chipping off only a few ice shards.

Lei En raised his hand to recall the warhammer, flashed before the ice block, looked at the frozen Duke inside, hummed softly, and cast 'Frost Shield' again.

This spell is too annoying; even with my current power I cannot break it.

Duke Bu Lande's Frost Shield had more layers, reaching seven rings, and lasted longer—at least five minutes.

Lei En drew the Frost Greatsword lodged in his abdomen, stored it in his Spatial Ring, turned and opened a portal to step through. The other three Mirror Images followed suit, leaving only one behind to guard beside the Frost Shield.

Given Duke Bu Lande's grievous injuries, once the Frost Shield ends, a single Mirror Image could easily kill him.

(End of Chapter)