Chapter 548: Hammer Blast to Ash

After unleashing the Inferno Hell, Kui Tu immediately cast the six‑ring True Knowledge Technique on themselves to distinguish Mirror Images from the true body.

Their constant Arcane Vision cannot even see through invisibility, so they must change strategy.

Their True Knowledge Technique can be instant‑cast, but even instant spells require a moment—however brief—and tactically they lag a half step.

As soon as the True Knowledge Technique took effect, four Rending Sky Swords silently slashed in front of them.

Several Mirror Images that had kept distance also launched spells—lightning, beams, thunder, Electric Blast Orbs…—all kept below three rings for instant casting, raining down on them.

Hoo!

Kui Tu vanished, and the next instant leapt out of the flames at the opposite end of the arena, faster than a blink and farther away.

Fire Leap!

In the sea of fire formed by the Inferno Hell, flames roared everywhere; Fire Leap is the best displacement spell—unlimited range and uses, with casting gaps so short they're negligible.

Just on that alone, Kui Tu stood on an invincible footing.

So after leaping out of the flames, they did not counterattack immediately, calmly scanning the nine Lei En on the field, trying to locate Lei En's true body.

"Found you!"

The True Knowledge Technique pierced illusion and reality, instantly pinpointing the target.

Kui Tu let out a cold laugh in their mind, pretended not to know Lei En's true position, instant‑cast a Five‑Ring Mirror Image Technique, creating six copies of themselves that scattered around performing casting motions, aiming to confuse Lei En and his Mirror Images and lower their chance of being hit.

In an instant, the scene filled with seven Kui Tu and nine Lei En.

Each illusion and Mirror Image looked genuine and was casting, leaving tens of thousands of spectators dazzled, unable to tell real from fake.

Yet, the Lei En who should have been most confused was completely unaffected.

All nine Lei En ignored the harmless false images, disregarding the burning flames on them, the Rending Sky Swords, Rainbow Light Beams, Electric Blast Orbs, and Thunderclap Technique, focusing all fire on Kui Tu's true body, while the four Mirror Images on that side closed in as well.

Kui Tu's complexion froze; they could only interrupt the casting and use Fire Leap again to dodge.

When they reappeared, they saw a Mirror Image very close, charging forward, while Lei En's true body and its images could not rush to aid.

"Dispel Magic!"

Kui Tu raised their wand to cast, aiming to erase that Mirror Image outright.

Dispel Magic is one of their most frequently used spells, studied for years to great depth; with wand‑enhanced casting speed and the effect of a Thought Accelerator, it can now be instant‑cast.

Pa!

A light sound rang, and Kui Tu's mind flickered briefly as the space‑time around them trembled, causing a momentary distortion in their perception.

Dispel Magic lagged a split second as well, missing the target when released.

Kui Tu reacted instantly, noticing the Mirror Image flash to their left‑rear, less than two meters away—a dangerously close range for a Wizard—so they immediately activated Fire Leap.

"Roar!"

A dragon's roar sounded in their ear.

Because it was so close, the mental shield only blocked the dragon's might; the powerful sound wave stalled Kui Tu's form briefly, causing the Fire Leap to fail.

The Mirror Image's body instantly swelled two sizes, reaching two meters tall, hard‑pressed against a Repulsion Field, and a hammer struck its shield.

Bang!

Flames splashed everywhere as the eight‑ring Flaming Shield quivered violently, ultimately not breaking in a single blow.

It was a pure force attack; the other layers of magical protection failed to activate, only canceling the lightning emitted by the war hammer, and Kui Tu was knocked airborne like a baseball.

Several Rending Sky Swords sliced through the air, cutting the wobbling Flaming Shield and ringing out with a clang.

Ding‑ding‑dang…

Kui Tu, reeling from the Rending Sky Sword, saw another Mirror Image flash in the corner of their eye and instantly cast an Advanced Sleep Technique.

This time it finally hit, but had no effect.

The Mirror Image seemed to have known it wouldn't be affected, ignoring Kui Tu's spell; the war hammer rose high above its head and, from top to bottom, hammered Kui Tu down to the ground.

Boom!

Kui Tu's shield was incredibly solid, like a meteor striking down, killing a few unlucky molten snake demons, and the entire arena shuddered.

The four nearest Mirror Images surged forward together.

The war hammer swung in a burst, clanging loudly.

Each hammer blow was strong enough to shake the earth; the Flaming Shield shattered, and Kui Tu's body was smashed into fragments, yet no blood spilled.

All nine Lei En blinked slightly, turning together toward a corner of the sea of fire.

In that two‑to‑three‑meter‑high blaze, Kui Tu's silhouette appeared; they brushed the broken Ruby Prison necklace at their throat, their face still trembling with lingering fear.

This extremely precious "Flame Rebirth Seed" necklace saved their life, but it can only be used once.

Kui Tu finally grasped Lei En's terrifying power and realized Lei En truly intended to kill them, and was about to concede.

"I—"

But he was cut off as soon as he began to speak.

A Mirror Image opened a Random Door, and a neighboring Mirror Image hurled the war hammer through it; it flew out the other side, creating a terrifying howl that drowned out his voice.

At that moment, Kui Tu's protections hadn't been activated yet, so they could only raise the Flaming Shield and leap into the flames to escape.

In the sky, Bi Ge Bai shouted immediately, "Chairman Lei En, you can—"

But he couldn't finish his sentence.

Boom!

A sudden thunderclap exploded beside Bi Ge Bai's ear; caught completely off guard, he was knocked down by that Thunderclap Technique.

A Mirror Image of Lei En had already been waiting below.

Bi Ge Bai kept a constant Prismatic Shield on himself, which auto‑activated upon attack, preventing him from being stunned by the Thunderclap Technique.

Seeing the Mirror Image approach, he let out a dissatisfied hum and raised his hand to cast a Five‑Ring Banishment Technique.

A cage materialized in the void above the Mirror Image's head, but vanished in an instant.

Exile Technique ineffective!

All spatial binding, control, and isolation spells are immunized by the Key of Doors; Lei En's Mirror Image took advantage of Bi Ge Bai's casting gap and, with a single hammer strike, knocked him flying as well.

With a bang.

Bi Ge Bai was slammed into the transparent wall of the shield, and the usually unbreakable shield was cracked with spider‑web‑like fissures.

"What a terrifying power!"

"This is only his Mirror Image, its power is only half of the original. If the original were to hammer it..." He was horrified, and looking up saw three more Mirror Images surrounding him, his head throbbed instantly.

Having watched the battle up to now, he knew clearly how hard these Mirror Images were to deal with.

Lei En's Mirror Images were not as sluggish as others; each was agile and versatile, as if it possessed its own mind and could cooperate with the others.

Bi Ge Bai flashed out of the encirclement, and just as he was about to cast, a thick rainbow‑colored beam struck the shield, stirring colorful ripples.

There were also eight Rending Sky Swords, wildly slashing around him.

The prism‑light shield quivered violently and would collapse within seconds; Bi Ge Bai had to imitate Lei En and use Instant Mirror Image, but his Mirror Images numbered only six. As soon as they appeared, an Electric Blast Orb shattered three of them, the rainbow beam pierced another, and the Rending Sky Swords slashed two, leaving him alone in an instant.

With no other choice, Bi Ge Bai forced the shield to hold while casting, about to unleash his self‑invented Giant Palm Technique.

However, as soon as he raised his hand, a Space‑Time Shock struck and interrupted him.

A Mirror Image flashed forward, hammering him again into the shield; his frail body trembled from the impact, his head dizzy and his brain swelling.

Subsequent attempts to cast were always interrupted.

Bi Ge Bai could only use low‑ring Instant Spells, but they affected the Mirror Images like a mere tickle; all control spells were ineffective—Binding Technique, Slowdown Technique, Gravity Reversal, Fear Technique—none worked, leaving him helpless.

A Legendary Peak Wizard was surrounded and beaten by four Mirror Images, the scene a chaotic mess.

Over forty thousand spectators outside the arena were all staring in stunned amazement.

Lei En was executing a one‑against‑two!

At the opposite side of the arena, Kui Tu was again interrupted by a Mirror Image mid‑fire jump, tangled in place, while the remaining Mirror Images closed in, taking turns to release Space‑Time Shocks at the right moment.

Any spell requiring casting time, Kui Tu could not cast a single one.

The low‑ring Instant Spells dealt damage that was far too low.

He re‑applied various protections onto himself, but they offered little against the war hammer's melee blows; after being hammered several times, his Flame Shield again teetered on collapse.

This time, without the "Seed of Rebirth in Flames" necklace, he would truly die.

Seeing the shield about to shatter, Kui Tu, terrified, finally produced his lifesaving item: three dazzling gems the size of pigeon eggs.

"Kierdaling Gem!"

Lei En's expression remained blank; he recognized the gem's origin at a glance.

A Kierdaling Gem can store spells; crushing it releases the spell instantly, uninterruptible and requiring no casting time.

Kui Tu crushed all three Kierdaling Gems in one breath.

Three spells surged forth.

A terrifying fireball over a meter in diameter formed instantly, smashing the nearby Mirror Image; with a booming crack, its dreadful power exploded the three unavoidably hit Mirror Images into fragments, the shockwave sweeping the entire arena, and the raging inferno was suppressed and extinguished.

Eight‑Ring Flame Explosion Technique!

The second spell was silent and struck Lei En directly.

Incantation: Soul Rift!

Immediately following was the third spell; the void above Lei En's head twisted, instantly forming a black vortex over three meters wide, bottomless like an Abyss, generating a massive suction that tried to pull him in.

Seven‑Ring Spell—Otherworld Vortex!

After unleashing three powerful spells, Kui Tu finally broke free from the siege; the pressure dropped sharply, followed by a pang of sorrow. Advanced Kierdaling Gems that can store from Seven‑Ring to Nine‑Ring spells are worth over one hundred thousand Gold Shields each, and though they have price but no market, he had only obtained three over the years.

Nevertheless, being able to eliminate Lei En was not a waste.

But in the next second, Kui Tu's complexion froze.

Soul Rift ineffective!

The Otherworld Vortex also failed to pull Lei En in; the flame impact of the Flame Explosion Technique was blocked side‑by‑side by two Rending Sky Swords, leaving Lei En standing safely behind the swords!

"This can't be!"

Kui Tu let out a startled scream, fear rising in his heart; he turned to flee, but a Mirror Image that survived the Flame Explosion Technique flashed from behind and hammered him away.

Moreover, he was hurled toward the direction where Lei En's original stood.

Suspended in mid‑air, the other two Mirror Images turned back, taking turns to unleash Space‑Time Shocks, preventing Kui Tu from casting any spell, watching helplessly as he fell toward the charging Lei En original.

Within arm's reach, Kui Tu could see the cold indifference in Lei En's eyes, chilling him to the bone.

"He's really going to kill me!"

"Save me..."

Kui Tu's cry for help was cut off before it could travel.

Lei En raised his Thunder Hammer; the All‑Seeing Eye had already activated, displaying several "lines" and "dots" on Kui Tu's Flame Shield. He selected a target point and hammered down with all his might.

Battle music!

Constant Dragon Power Technique!

Level‑5 Blood Frenzy!

Level‑5 Devastating Critical!

Boom!

The instant the war hammer struck, Kui Tu's Flame Shield burst like fireworks, shredding his gear—magic robe, amulet, staff—and layer upon layer of magical protection were pierced by the dreadful force. His body exploded into a cloud of blood mist, then was struck by countless lightning bolts, instantly reducing him to nothing but a swirl of ash.

One chapter remains.

(End of Chapter)