NOVPUBIt was only a moment’s effort before the injuries on her body began to mend with the mist.
"Do you think you’re the only one who has the Original Slabs?"
Gaiat raised both hands above his head, murmuring an incantation.
Under the night sky, the entire canyon transformed as heaven and earth changed color, countless purple-black Magic Formations took shape between the sky and the earth, devouring everything around.
An invisible Divine Light of the God Era was quickly eroding the foundation of the canyon. Swirling torrents of Magic Power clashed amidst the chaos, emitting deafening roars—the enhancement of the "Original Slabs—Illusion".
Juliana gripped her Longsword tightly, ready to face the enemy.
Behind Gaiat, a gigantic shadow loomed into existence.
The shadow stood thousands of meters tall, its body pitch-black, clad in heavy armor with a demonic face, resembling a Demon God. Overwhelming Magic Power surged within its bellowing roars, black thunder rolled across the sky, the earth crumbled apart, mountains and rivers wailed in agony.
Space distorted and deformed, Time itself nearly froze at that moment.
The line between life and death seemed so blurred then.
Juliana shouted, her Longsword tracing an arc of light, unleashing a tide of Sword Qi that swept everything before it.
This was her trump card, a lethal sword technique capable of severing souls!
Gaiat’s expression unchanged, waved his Mechanical Staff, and a streak of black light passed by, significantly nullifying Juliana’s Sword Qi in mid-air!
She felt an overwhelming force coming at her, and as she faced the colossal fist of the shadow Demon God, she was violently flung away, crashing into the canyon walls.
For miles around, stones and trees turned to dust and scattered, dust filled the air, obscuring the sun.
Juliana spat out a mouthful of blood, enduring the severe pain and stood up.
Attempting a head-on confrontation wouldn’t work; her healing wouldn’t keep up.
Even without considering attribute suppression, the opponent’s raw strength far exceeded her own.
In midair.
"Your sword technique... it’s very similar to that of a middle-aged man I met a few days ago," Gaiat suddenly spoke, looking down on Juliana from high above with a tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather.
"What are you talking about..."
Juliana wiped the blood from her mouth and defiantly raised her Longsword.
The opponent was willing to halt his assault, giving her precious time to recover—she was only too happy, even if it was just for a second longer.
"His name was Leonard, I believe? A Seventh-order General of the Arolan Kingdom."
Gaiat seemed to find it amusing.
Juliana’s pupils constricted sharply.
"A few days ago, I encountered a legion called the Jar Star Desk at the Zerest Highlands," Gaiat continued to reminisce.
The legions of the Arolan Kingdom were rather strong, and with the setup of the fortress defenses, the vanguard of the Imperial Army wouldn’t have had an easy victory over the Zerest Highlands.
Unfortunately, the vanguard of the Imperial Army had successfully depleted the energy of the Barrier, and the appearance of Gaiat himself instantly tipped the balance, annihilating the entire legion.
"If you had been there, the outcome of the battle at the Zerest Highlands might have been different," Gaiat mused absent-mindedly.
If there had been an Eight-order Strongman at the fortress from the start, the vanguard would have struggled to deplete the Barrier, or as long as the Barrier stood, even under its oppression and with support from the troops behind, it would’ve been difficult for him to press on against the City Defense Army to overpower Juliana. At the very least, if they could last an energy cycle, wait for the energy core to dissipate heat and reactivate the Barrier, the fortress could resume its counterattack.
Unfortunately, the Eight-order Powerful Ones from the Kingdom Joint Council alliance couldn’t be everywhere at once, and few among the Twelve War Gods of the Empire could measure up to them.
"Leonard... my mentor... You fought him?"
Juliana’s voice trembled, although she was coming to a realization she could hardly bear to accept, she was still desperately denying the possibility.
"Yes, I killed him easily. He was weak," Gaiat replied, narrating the event as a fact, bringing his reflection to an end and looking at Juliana.
"You’re lying! He was the strongest!"
Juliana yelled hoarsely, tears streaming uncontrollably from her eyes.
The General Leonard who had taught her swordsmanship from childhood was like a father to her. The reason she could transform from a border-thief girl into a soldier revered by the Kingdom was all thanks to the grace of General Leonard’s mentoring.
But Gaiat only watched Juliana with a look of pity and incomprehension.
As if asking her, "Why are you angry?"
"The Archbishop of Decay, Fa Mo, even made a special request to the Cerryti Empire to bring Leonard’s body back," Gaiat said as if remembering something suddenly.
For the past two years, the Archbishop of Decay and Juliana bore deep-seated enmity. The Archbishop had specifically named everyone related to Juliana; once captured, they would be subjected to his forbidden magic and biochemical experiments for study and modification.
"Gaiat!!"
Juliana let out a mournful, angry scream, her entire body enshrouded in a dazzling silver light.
Her power reached its peak in extreme fury; every slash carried the momentum to tear the space, the terrifying sword pressure causing the entire canyon to tremble.
Her sword strokes were wide and sweeping; at this moment, all she wished was to shred Gaiat into a thousand pieces!
However, facing Juliana’s assault, Gaiat remained unruffled.
Sometimes he laid out layers of Phantasmagoria to make her lose her bearings in the mix of illusion and reality, sometimes he used Seals as a counterattack, turning her moves into nothingness, sometimes he teleported instantly, causing her attacks to miss entirely—as if a cat were toying with a mouse.
