Kael's body shifted ever so slightly as he raised his staff—but what followed was a terrifying surge of lightning energy.
Crackling arcs of electricity spiraled around him, sizzling and popping violently. Unlike a flame shield, this Thunder Barrier boasted far superior defensive capabilities.
This was one of the benefits of reaching the peak of the eighth rank. His spiritual power had surged to unprecedented heights, allowing him to unlock another fragment of The Book of Immortality and master new spells.
Among them was the Lightning Shield—a formidable defensive magic now swirling around him.
When the puppet knights' greatswords came crashing down, the barrier merely trembled slightly. Kael's shield had completely neutralized their assault!
"Impossible!" Seraphina's voice cracked with disbelief. Her knights were peak eighth-rank combatants—how could they fail to breach this brat's defense?
Kael glanced at his shield, satisfaction flashing in his eyes. As expected of a spell from The Book of Immortality. The defensive power was exceptional. With this, his survivability had skyrocketed.
Of course, the Lightning Shield wasn't invincible—but for now, it could easily withstand a few strikes from the knights.
Now, Kael could cast spells without restraint.
"Puppet Knights—Inferno Charge!" Seraphina gnashed her teeth, refusing to accept that Kael could block her knights. She issued the command through clenched jaws.
This time, flames erupted from the golden-horned steeds, as if they had ridden straight out of hell. Fire wreathed their bodies as they launched a devastating charge at Kael!
This was one of Seraphina's trump cards—Flame Rush—which doubled the knights' offensive power in an instant. However, the effect was short-lived and drained immense energy, so she only used it as a last resort.
But now?
She had no choice.
Kael's growing power filled her with dread. She had to end him—now.
"Who the hell is this kid? He's only at the peak of the eighth rank, yet he's far too mysterious and dangerous! He must be eliminated now—or I may never get another chance!" Seraphina thought grimly, her teeth clenched as she directed her puppet knights to unleash their most devastating attack.
The knights' Inferno Charge wreathed them in raging flames, forcing even Kael to frown slightly at the situation.
Yet he still didn't call for Arjun's help. Instead, a glint of battle fervor flashed in his eyes as he began chanting an arcane incantation—one he had never used before.
"Hand of the Thunder God!"
The moment the flaming knights surged forward, Kael's chant concluded. His staff pointed skyward—and suddenly, countless bolts of lightning descended from the heavens!
The thunder coalesced midair, forming a gigantic palm forged from violet lightning. It crashed down with overwhelming force, reminiscent of Kael's former Hand of the Balrog—yet exponentially more powerful.
This was no mere spell—it was as if an ancient Thunder God had descended, his palm blotting out the sky!
The sheer magnitude of destruction was unparalleled.
Seraphina froze, stunned. Beside her, Arjun stood dumbfounded, utterly at a loss.
The Hand of the Thunder God crashed down.
Where it struck, flames erupted—ignited by the sheer heat of the lightning. Bystanders screamed in terror, utterly awestruck by the might of Kael's spell.
A deafening boom shook the world, as if reality itself had been erased—leaving only thunder in its wake.
Seraphina's three puppet knights were caught in the devastation. The colossal lightning hand swatted them aside like insects, obliterating them before they could even complete their Inferno Charge. Not a scrap remained.
In their place, a ten-meter-wide crater scarred the ground, its charred depths a testament to the spell's cataclysmic power.
For a breathless moment, the air hung silent—nothing existed but the echo of lightning.
"Holy…" Arjun's voice was hoarse with disbelief. What kind of monster was this? A single thunder spell had just annihilated three peak eighth-rank knights—equivalent to three elite warriors!
"This is beyond broken," he muttered, cold sweat drenching his back.
Seraphina's blood ran cold. Her trump card—the knights she'd poured years of effortinto crafting—had been erased in an instant. No resistance. No struggle. Just gone.
"Damn you, brat!" she shrieked, her voice raw with fury and terror. But she knew—she'd lost all advantage. Survival was her only goal now.
She spun and fled, her heart bleeding at the loss. Each knight had been a fragment of her soul, forged through painstaking labor. And now? All six were dust, thanks to Kael.
Damn it all!
But grief would have to wait. She ran like hell.
"Thinking of leaving?" Kael's eyes narrowed. Another incantation spilled from his lips—the same spell, cast even faster.
Reaching the peak of the eighth rank hadn't just amplified his power—his casting speed had skyrocketed too.
The Hand of the Thunder God descended once more—
A titanic palm of lightning blotted out the sky, its sheer force cracking the air like shattered glass. Mana detonated with the fury of a collapsing mountain.
Sensing the spell, Seraphina blurred into motion, her body flickering between afterimages to mask her true position. This very technique had saved her from the Earthbane Basilisk's relentless pursuit.
But the thunderous hand gave no quarter.
An overwhelming pressure crushed down, stealing the breath from Seraphina's lungs. She opened her mouth—perhaps to curse, perhaps to beg—but the storm of lightning tore her apart before a sound could escape.
Not even ashes remained.
Bystanders paled, their faces bloodless.
Arjun stood dumbstruck. "This… this is absurd," he muttered. "Same rank, yet he crushed three peak eighth-rank knights—no, obliterated them—in one strike. How…?"
The disparity was incomprehensible. Those knights should have been equals, yet against Kael, they'd been tissue paper in a hurricane.
Kael's breakthrough—though merely a small tier advancement—had propelled his strength to monstrous heights. His battle against the Water Dragon's shadow had honed his insights, and now, The Book of Immortality's secrets unfolded before him with effortless mastery.
Sweat drenched Arjun's back. He wasn't alone; every witness stared at Kael with awe bordering on terror.
Unfazed, Kael retrieved Seraphina's spatial ring, its treasures now his rightful spoils. Arjun had contributed nothing—no objections would be entertained.
"Idris, you've crossed into 'ruthless' territory," Arjun said with a strained chuckle. Though no weakling himself (mid-tier in the Water Dragon's trials was respectable), comparing himself to Kael was an exercise in despair.
Kael examined the ring. Seraphina had undoubtedly pillaged rare artifacts here. Whatever lay inside would be… enlightening.