Chapter 99 Divine Dodge, You Don’t Dodge
The crimson blade carved an exquisite, natural arc through the mid-air.
Like a blood-colored long rainbow, it fell straight towards Riel’s figure.
Seeing the edge slicing through the air, a trace of doubt flashed in Riel’s eyes.
There was no shortage of sword masters in the Western Continent, but the vast majority of them were dual cultivators of magic and martial arts. For example, wrapping their Holy Relic Greatsword with fire-element familiars, every slash would be imbued with fire elements, making them unstoppable.
However, from this sword strike before him, Riel clearly detected no elemental or magical fluctuations—
It was merely a most ordinary slash.
And with such a slash, he intended to stop me?
Riel’s figure suddenly accelerated, like a phantom in the night, his steps elusive.
Next Moment, his figure in the tailcoat suddenly blurred, splitting into three phantom images.
He didn’t believe that Shaya’s simple sword strike could harm him, a Titled Beast Tamer, but Riel didn’t choose to meet it head-on either.
The Silver Fox’s racial skill, “Phantom Body.”
As the name suggests, upon activation, it can split into several phantoms that resemble illusions.
If it were merely a trick to confuse the eyes, it wouldn’t have much practical combat value, as too many abilities could see through such illusions.
However, the phantom images of the Silver Fox, although called phantoms, could also be considered solid.
Or rather, even if it were a fake body a moment ago, with just a thought, the fake body could also transform into the original body.
This was the origin of Riel’s title, “Silver Fox,” skilled in disguise and exceptionally cunning… a title that struck fear into countless enemies of the Borgia Family.
Many times, people had believed they saw through Riel’s disguise and confidently attacked where they thought his true body was, only to find empty air. Stumbling, they were then killed by Riel in a single blow.
this time, facing a youth who had just broken through to the Four Rings, it would be no exception.
But—
A hundredth of a second later.
The crimson sword light, like blood and ink, once again entered Riel’s sight.
The blade blurred and split into three.
Two flashes.
In addition to the original curved slash, there were two more trajectories.
One from top to bottom, and one that blocked left and right.
There was no space to maneuver around.
The trajectories were like a prison, sealing all three phantom images Riel had differentiated.
“Another illusion?”
This was Riel’s first reaction.
But the next moment, he felt the cutting sensation transmitted through his body, accompanied by intense pain.
Riel was not a close-combat Beast Tamer specializing in hand-to-hand combat. Due to the existence of the “Phantom Body” skill, he had allocated all his ability points to attack and agility.
But that was still a genuine Six Rings body, the result of six Soul Pacts that had amplified his physical fitness.
To be so easily penetrated by a youth who had just broken through to the Four Rings.
In that case—
Then let’s switch to a phantom body.
Riel’s thoughts stirred, and a blurred phantom gradually became clearer, solidifying into a physical form.
However, the pain from being cut by the sharp sword energy did not diminish at all.
“How is this possible!”
Riel’s eyes widened in horror.
It defied human cognition—
No, it defied the laws of the world.
Ignoring the concepts of time and space, three slashes overlapped in the same instant.
It was not an illusion; all three slashes were real.
There was no gap to dodge, nor any opening for defense.
The next moment, the blood-colored slash engulfed him.
…
Thud—
A heavy object fell to the ground with a dull sound.
It was what was once called Riel.
But now, it was merely a corpse devoid of life.
Silence like death.
The entire process seemed complicated, but it had actually occurred in less than three breaths.
Just a moment before, everyone was still shocked by Riel’s sudden attack while pretending to help Histahlia.
Many guests leaning towards the Royal Family instinctively wanted to intervene, but were subtly delayed by guests from the Old Noble faction.
Although smiling on the surface, as beings at the pinnacle of the Empire’s power, many had seen through the situation.
After the words, “debt must be paid, murder requires a life,” were spoken, Shaya had become a significant threat to the Borgia Family, and indeed to the entire old noble system.
They were unwilling to risk facing the Second Princess’s wrath by attacking Shaya, but of course, they were happy to see Riel succeed and reap the benefits.
But no one had expected.
In the blink of an eye, Riel, a dignified Titled Beast Tamer, the head butler, and a powerhouse whom even many veteran nobles treated with respect, had become a cold corpse.
Shaya looked down at the lifeless corpse before him, the crimson hue in his eyes slowly fading.
“Divine Dodge.”
According to the traditional concept of Beast Tamers, including the system’s panel display, the proficiency cap for a single Familiar Skill was “Transcendent Sage” after “Mastered Perfection.”
However, this did not mean that there was no room for improvement after reaching “Transcendent Sage.”
After paying the price of fifteen Sands of Time, Shaya used “Slash,” a skill that had reached mastery and was nearing perfection, as the foundation to elevate it into “Divine Dodge.”
This was the first ultimate skill learned by Crimson Rose and Shaya. Of course, now that he had broken through to the Four Rings, “Amaterasu” had also been promoted from “quasi-ultimate” to “ultimate.”
Divine Dodge, elevated from the origin of Slash, seemed to still be a simple sword swing.
But as a true ultimate skill, the characteristic of “Divine Dodge” was—unavoidable, guaranteed hit.
It was like the ancient mythical magic spear that could reverse causality.
The moment the sword was swung, Riel’s fate of being struck by the blade was sealed. Unless one possessed the power to interfere with fate, escape was impossible.
“This is the second one.”
Shaya’s soft whisper echoed in the hall.
At that moment, everyone knew the meaning of his words.
Riel, as the head butler of the Borgia Family, handled most of the affairs of the Crimson Rose. It was Riel who personally delivered the letter that incited Worrick.
And now, this head butler, who had loyally served the Crimson Rose Family for decades, had followed Worrick’s path.
Shaya’s gaze swept across the distant guests, terrifyingly calm.
The Borgia clansmen, who had been restless, now hesitated.
They could naturally see that Riel had underestimated the opponent, believing he could easily take down Shaya without even summoning his Familiar.
And it just so happened that Shaya’s sword technique perfectly countered Riel’s abilities, leading to such a tragic end. In battles between Beast Tamers, it was not uncommon for the weaker to overcome the stronger due to the weakness of their physical bodies.
But they were still intimidated.
A Titled Beast Tamer had died so inexplicably; who could guarantee that Shaya wouldn’t reveal another trump card when they made their move?
Golden hair fluttering, Aerora walked before Shaya.
Her silver knight’s spear pointed diagonally towards the crowd before them, illusory aurora gathering at the spearhead.
As if sensing its master’s will, the knight’s spear named Rungoniumad flowed with a scorching silver light.
An ancient, immense mystery was awakening on the body of this knight’s spear.
Others might whisper about her identity as the orphan of Winter Flower, but in Aerora’s heart, there had never been a trace of hesitation.
It was an agreement they made many years ago, on that day she entrusted her life to the young man before her.
Therefore, no matter what decision Shaya made, Aerora would always follow him, clearing the obstacles in his path… regardless of poverty or wealth, until the end of death.
And whether she would face mountains of knives and seas of fire, or ten thousand horses.
