novelraw Chapter 1466 - 1465 - Combat Test
Chapter 1466 - 1465 - Combat Test
Now that the armors, weapons, and artifacts had been accepted by their cultivators, the judges had the final test.
True combat.
Nightshade Immortal had stabilized her bloodline foundation and tested her abilities to an extent. Now, however, she would face real battle.
The armor easily shifted as she became human once more. Power brimmed in her limbs unlike anytime before in her life!
She quickly made her way to the arena and the crowd greeted her for a change. She had not chosen to participate as a main contestant. She was too close to refining her bloodline that it was dangerous to have it happen in the middle of battle.
Unlike a tribulation that would protect her, bloodline ascension would leave her susceptible to attack for a brief moment.
Now, she marched proudly into the ring. Her opponent was a bald man with a shining double bladed axe over his shoulder. His armor was a chest plate covering some high quality robes.
The tanned face had no wrinkles but his glacial eyes were ancient. She knew an expert when she saw one. The axe especially stood out to her.
It was like her armor, a Law Grade item freshly made. Her instincts were wary of it but the man seemed as wary of her.
"I will not hold back, even if you are a flood dragon, I will not fall." His bold declaration was startling to her for several reasons. Chief among them being he knew what she was!
She had only just ascended, but he knew? She quickly checked herself and sighed. She was not able to properly restrict her beast aura.
It was as good as hanging a sign up to what she was. She shook her head and bowed to him.
"I will not hold back as well. May the spirits watch over us both." Surprise bloomed over his face as dragons were notorious for their pride. Nightshade Immortal was normally prideful but her joy made her feel generous.
In addition, the axe was not a small thing. His well muscled body was clear and it was a honed instrument just like the weapon. She could not underestimate such an expert.
[This is a demonstration of your items. Ipar the Mountain has received the Reaver of Fate as his weapon. Nightshade Immortal has received the Second Skin armor. Death is not allowed and any attempt to kill your opponent will be stopped. You will fight to incapacitate or ring out your opponent.]
The words boomed through the arena and cheers were met to it. Nightshade Immortal understood but while the armor was there in her senses, she could not make it appear. It was odd.
She instead summoned 2 daggers to her hands and took a stance to attack.
The judge looked at them both and nodded. He then raised his arm and dropped it.
[BEGIN!]
Ipar moved as if the axe and armor he wore weighed nothing. Nightshade Immortal twisted at an unnatural angle as the axe seemed to glow when it tore through where her body had been.
Ipar had struck true. It would have been her body, where the armor should be, that he aimed for.
He had to leap back as her daggers seemed to multiply. It was her hair! It was far stronger than before but now blades hidden within were exposed. The clash of metal on metal was heard but not even a drop of blood was drawn.
New respect filled his glacial eyes as the pair stood across from each other. The first clash had been a tie.
Nightshade Immortal could not use her skills in the well lit arena, not as it was anyway.
She transformed and her massive sinuous body loomed over the human. He was not deterred as his axe lit up even more brightly.
Her instincts screamed at her to not let it touch her but she was not going to wait for him. Her head snapped out like lightning and he had to dodge. She had misjudged her strength as she could not restrain herself to stop.
The head slammed into the stone and shattered it! Ipar narrowed his gaze but the axe swung out at her.
She had no way to dodge! The instant the blade touched her, however, the energy wrapped around it dispersed like it never existed!
The axe did hit her, but it was just metal. Blood flowed briefly until the wounds sealed up even faster than her regeneration would allow! The armor finally revealed itself as it shimmered to protect her flesh from any further damage as it repaired itself!
The crowd went wild. Ipar had thought he had victory with such a clean strike but even he looked shocked. Nightshade Immortal felt her body was hardly bothered!
Healing normally took a chunk out of her stamina but now she felt like it was only a scratch! She smiled as she then sank into her own shadow!
A demonic technique but she was a flood dragon of the natural Qi. How was that possible?
Ipar quickly leapt aside and cast pure light Qi around him. His shadow vanished thus eliminating a direct strike.
It was his fatal mistake.
It was not the shadow, but darkness she used. It was a parallel technique but in the heat of battle, it was a common mistake as demons used the shadows like a weapon far more often. Besides, the resolution seemed the same, but it was not.
Nightshade Immortal could not use another person's shadow, but she could use the darkness created by the use of light Qi and the broken shards of stone she aligned to make places that would become dark in the light.
Daggers flew from 3 places he had not expected. Blood was finally drawn but it was only scratches. She too had avoided his head, but his armor was unable to completely cover him.
She had nearly gotten his arm directly at one of the joints!
"I admit, that was impressive but it will not work again!" He increased the light so no darkness remained. However, that was not the area he should have worried about.
[You were not unwise to use light, but you have left only 1 place for darkness.] Confusion crossed his face at her words.
How could she attack him if there was no longer an external location of darkness–?!
He suddenly felt the blood drain from his face as his robes were torn asunder! The darkness between his legs!
A massive flood dragon appeared and flipped him in the air! He did not, however, panic. He swung his axe for all he was worth. Her tail intercepted it and just as before, it lost all the Laws and Qi on it.
It dispersed to just be metal but it nearly cut through her tail. Pain lanced briefly before her body began to heal with the armor. She felt hardly any strain still and focused on victory!
Her body twisted to slam into him and send Ipar flying! His armor was broken and the axe was sent flying.
It sliced through the first ward with ease but was brought to a halt as emerald tendrils quickly restrained it.
Ipar landed at the edge of the platform but he did not get up. He simply looked down at his broken limbs and sighed.
"A dragon is still a dragon no matter its quality. I yield." His voice carried through the silence and sent the crowd roaring! She had won! She transformed back and finally felt a little tired.
Still, she was in far better shape with the armor than without it. Such injuries would normally debilitate her for quite a while as she recovered. She smiled slowly as she understood just how strong she had become as well as how helpful the armor would be.
She bowed low to Ipar in gratitude and the judge returned.
[Winner of Combat Test: Nightshade Immortal! Second Skin is superior!]
The words made her smile wide as she left the platform only to freeze as a group of 6 waited for her.
The other 5 were older Forgers but the 6th person made her tremble as he smiled at her. Emerald eyes looked at her and seemed to see all of her!
"You did well. Congratulations on becoming a flood dragon, junior sister." She trembled before she knelt to him.
"True Lord, I am humbled to receive such a gift! Thank you for everything!" He laughed and held out his hand. She carefully took it and a jolt went through her.
Her bloodline sang in joy! She was acknowledged by the True Lord of dragons!
"You did all the work to lay the foundation. You would not have become a flood dragon by that armor alone. Never forget, you made this possible." His words made tears well up as she nodded.
She had gotten far more than she dreamed from the tournament and now she had an armor all her own that would grow with her! The newly born spirit also seemed to be happy for her and the group spoke to her about her experience with the armor and how well it worked.