Zuo Qia slowly exhaled.
The surrounding spiritual qi surged toward her once more.
Although her robes were scorched—
Although traces of blood still lingered upon her lips—
The sword in her grasp never trembled.
Its edge remained perfectly steady.
Sword intent quietly gathered around her.
Denser.
Sharper.
More condensed than before.
She no longer underestimated the demon beast before her.
Not even slightly.
---
Across the sky—
Lizarius hovered silently.
Thin streams of crimson continued flowing from the corners of his golden eyes.
His expression remained utterly emotionless.
The instant—
their gazes met—
His pupils contracted.
An invisible ripple swept across the heavens.
No spiritual qi.
No sound.
No warning.
Only—
an unseen strike aimed directly at consciousness itself.
---
Zuo Qia's pupils contracted.
*Again.*
Boom—
The invisible force slammed into her Soul Palace.
Her soul barrier erupted with brilliant white radiance.
The attack failed to break through.
Even so—
a dull ache spread through the depths of her consciousness.
Her brows knit together unconsciously.
"...Hmph."
Within a breath—
she had already steadied herself.
The pain gradually subsided.
Her eyes never left Lizarius.
"...Another soul attack."
She remained silent for several breaths.
Then—
understanding slowly surfaced.
"...I see."
Her gaze sharpened.
"...You attack..."
"...Through eye contact."
Silence answered her.
The white-scaled beast remained perfectly still.
His golden eyes never wavered.
Zuo Qia continued calmly.
"...That explains everything."
"...The first attack."
"...The immobilization."
"...The interference with my soul."
"...All of it began..."
"...The moment our eyes met."
She gave a slow nod.
"...An extremely dangerous ability."
"...Invisible."
"...Instantaneous."
"...Nearly impossible to defend against..."
"...Without preparation."
Her fingers tightened around the sword's hilt.
"...Fortunately..."
"...Now I understand it."
The lizard remained silent.
Not the slightest change appeared in his expression.
A nearly imperceptible smile curved the corner of Zuo Qia's lips.
"...I'll take your silence..."
"...As confirmation."
The surrounding atmosphere abruptly changed.
Every lingering strand of sword intent quietly flowed toward her.
Not violently.
Not explosively.
Instead—
everything became...
Empty.
The wind disappeared.
The pressure vanished.
Even the sounds of the mountains gradually faded away.
It was as though heaven and earth had fallen into perfect stillness.
She slowly raised her sword.
Its blade emitted no radiance.
It appeared completely ordinary.
Almost mundane.
Yet—
the surrounding space quietly distorted.
"...Sword of Emptiness."
"...First Form."
"...Silent Horizon."
She stepped forward.
There was no explosion.
No burst of speed.
She simply...
Walked.
Yet the distance between them vanished instantly.
The silent blade descended toward Lizarius.
Without the slightest fluctuation.
Without the faintest killing intent.
As though—
it had always been there.
No wind.
No pressure.
No dazzling brilliance.
Nothing announced its arrival.
It simply...
Existed.
---
Lizarius' golden eyes remained fixed upon the descending blade.
His pupils narrowed almost imperceptibly.
*...Interesting.*
*It conceals even its killing intent.*
There was no hesitation.
His body moved before conscious thought.
Lightning erupted beneath him.
Wind compressed around his body.
Gravity distorted violently around him.
Boom!
His enormous form vanished from its original position.
The silent sword continued descending.
It struck...
Nothing.
Or so it appeared.
---
A thin white line quietly appeared across the empty sky.
Several hundred meters away—
Lizarius' figure emerged once more.
The next instant—
Blood splashed.
A shallow crimson line slowly opened across his left shoulder.
It cut diagonally across several white scales before coming to a stop.
The wound wasn't deep.
Nor was it fatal.
Yet—
it existed.
Lizarius lowered his gaze toward the injury.
Fresh blood slowly rolled between the pristine scales.
*...It followed.*
The realization settled almost instantly.
*No.*
*More accurately...*
*It anticipated where I would appear.*
Across from him—
Zuo Qia slowly lowered her sword.
Her expression remained calm.
"...You are fast."
"...Very fast."
"...But speed alone..."
"...Cannot escape an emptiness already waiting."
She raised her sword once more.
"...The moment I strike..."
"...Every possible path of retreat..."
"...Already exists within my sword."
Silence.
Lizarius neither acknowledged nor denied her words.
Instead—
his thoughts quietly continued.
*Not prediction.*
*Calculation.*
*She observed my movement patterns throughout the battle.*
*Calculated the point with the highest probability of my evasion.*
*Then allowed the sword to occupy that point first.*
His golden eyes remained emotionless.
*An excellent technique.*
*It attacks before the opponent decides.*
The wound across his shoulder slowly closed.
Torn flesh regenerated.
Broken scales reformed.
Within moments—
only a faint trace of blood remained.
Zuo Qia watched the regeneration without surprise.
"...As expected."
"...Your vitality is extraordinary."
"...Then..."
"...I'll simply continue cutting."
Boom!
Her aura erupted once more.
The heavens dimmed.
Not because of storm clouds—
But because every strand of sword intent within hundreds of li answered her call.
The sword in her hand released a soft hum.
For the first time since the battle began—
the heavens themselves seemed to acknowledge her resolve.
The entire mountain range fell into complete silence.
---
Then—
Lizarius slowly opened his jaws.
A deep breath expanded his enormous chest.
The storm clouds overhead trembled violently.
The next instant—
**ROOOOOOOAAARRR!!**
A deafening roar exploded across the heavens.
It wasn't merely sound.
The roar condensed into a visible shockwave.
The surrounding air fractured.
Clouds were violently torn apart.
Lightning scattered in every direction.
The mountains below trembled as vast forests bent beneath the overwhelming force.
The invisible wave raced directly toward Zuo Qia.
Her brows furrowed.
Without hesitation—
she circulated spiritual qi around her ears.
A thin layer of spiritual energy enveloped her head.
Boom!
The roaring shockwave slammed into it.
The barrier shook violently.
Although the sound itself was blocked—
the sheer force still rippled through her body.
Her robes whipped wildly in the gale.
---
At that very instant—
Lizarius moved.
Lightning erupted beneath him.
Boom!
His enormous body shot forward.
The surrounding sky blurred.
Blue-white lightning rapidly gathered around his tail.
It compressed again and again.
Denser.
Sharper.
Until it no longer resembled lightning.
Instead—
it became a crescent blade of crystalline lunar radiance.
His tail swept through the heavens.
Boom!!
Dozens of black scales erupted from its path.
Each scale had become a razor-sharp projectile.
Blue-white lightning crawled across every surface.
Together—
they formed a storm of black blades.
They descended toward Zuo Qia from every direction.
---
She never slowed.
Her gaze remained locked on Lizarius.
The white sword flashed once.
Shing!
Another flash.
Shing!
Shing!
Shing!
The sky filled with streaks of white.
Every incoming scale was either deflected—
Or cleanly bisected.
Fragments of black scales rained from the heavens.
Not a single one reached her.
Within a single breath—
she had already broken through the barrage.
Straight toward Lizarius.
Her sword descended.
Its edge aimed directly for his head.
---
Lizarius' golden eyes remained perfectly calm.
His right foreclaw slowly rose.
Blue-white lightning gathered rapidly around it.
The energy compressed again.
And again.
Until it no longer resembled lightning at all.
Instead—
it became a crescent blade of condensed lunar radiance.
His claw traced a shallow arc.
*Moon Cleaving Art.*
*First Form.*
*Crescent Execution.*
*Lunar Severance.*
Boom!!
Claw and sword collided.
A blinding shockwave erupted outward.
The surrounding sky fractured beneath the impact.
The reconstructed art remained incomplete.
Its power still fell short of Zuo Qia's perfected sword technique.
Crack!
The crescent blade shattered.
The tremendous impact surged directly into Lizarius' foreclaw.
Several white scales exploded apart.
Blood sprayed through the air.
The bones beneath his claw groaned beneath the pressure.
His foreclaw had been injured.
Yet—
that had never been his objective.
The instant the two techniques separated—
he moved.
Using the opening he had deliberately created—
Lizarius lunged forward.
His enormous jaws opened wide.
Straight toward Zuo Qia's head.
---
Her eyes sharpened.
Without hesitation—
she retreated.
Lightning flashed beneath her feet.
She attempted to widen the distance.
Then—
her expression changed.
"...!"
Her body suddenly became heavier.
The surrounding space distorted.
An invisible force gripped her from every direction.
Gravity.
Her retreat slowed dramatically.
Only for an instant—
But in a battle between experts—
An instant was enough.
Her pupils contracted.
Then—
something within Lizarius' open jaws caught her attention.
A tiny black point.
Barely visible.
Yet—
utterly wrong.
Light bent toward it.
Fragments of lightning spiraled into its depths.
Even the surrounding air warped around its existence.
Recognition flashed through her eyes.
*...That technique.*
*The Devouring Void.*
The tiny point rapidly expanded.
Its attraction intensified.
Space itself began folding inward.
Her robes whipped violently as the suction increased.
Even the sword in her grasp trembled beneath the growing distortion.
Zuo Qia's jaw tightened.
*This beast...*
*It's trying to devour me.*