The storm and the fierce downpour raged wildly inside this shattered, once-glorious golden hall, like dancers gone mad in a gale.
Viktor stood amid the chaotic rainstorm and swirling winds, the coat behind him seeming to come alive as it whipped violently in the air.
In his eyes, blue and white magic seemed to flow, accelerating with the hurricane, swallowing up the broken golden walls piece by piece.
Chunks of rock were torn from the walls by the wind, like weightless dancers colliding and shattering midair.
In front of Viktor, the two tiger men were wrapped in a faint, flowing aura, their bodies gradually growing larger.
The sharp light in their eyes seemed able to pierce through the hurricane, locking firmly onto Viktor.
In an instant, three figures tangled together like whirlwinds within a storm.
Every clash of fists and kicks felt like a collision of raw power.
The female tiger shot down from midair like an arrow, charging straight at Viktor's face.
At the same time, the orange figure moved as if fused with the ground, stepping through the pooled water, stirring up waves, a hook punch aimed straight at Viktor's waist.
Those two bursts of force tore through the air, shattering the large raindrops falling from above.
Their fists, wrapped in aura, smashed apart the scattered splashes once more.
Just as their high-speed punches were about to connect with Viktor, he turned into flowing water again, his body dissolving instantly like liquid.
Even though the two tiger men reacted quickly, by the time they sensed Viktor's position, it was already too late.
The water on the ground surged up, gradually forming Viktor's body.
He braced one hand on the cracked ground, and the water clinging to him burst outward in an instant.
Viktor's head was almost pressed against the ground, narrowly avoiding the hook coming from the side, while the sharp wooden sword slashed toward Tiger Leader's legs.
In Tiger Leader's eyes, that crude wooden sword now looked like the blade of death.
Tiger Leader leapt up at once, avoiding the fast-moving strike and abandoning his attack.
But that slash had clearly been a feint. The next moment, Viktor pushed off the ground with one hand, his legs lifting up.
Like flipping upside down, he spun his body.
That whirlwind-like kick slammed fiercely toward both tiger men's abdomens at the same time.
BOOM!!
Two bursts of force struck their internal organs directly, like boulders crashing down.
The accompanying hurricane pierced through them like blades, blasting a deep hole into the golden wall.
After taking such a hit, both tiger men coughed out blood.
Their arms hung limp like swaying branches as their bodies were sent flying backward.
Even though they adjusted their posture midair, when their feet landed on the water-covered ground, they still slid back more than ten meters.
Ripples spread like shattered jade, and the two tiger men steadied themselves again, planting their feet and crossing their fists before their chests, adjusting their breathing.
They stood atop the rippling, chaotic water, feet rooted, fists raised before their chests, regulating their breath.
Viktor was already standing still again, the damp wooden sword still in his hand.
On his calm face, there wasn't even the slightest sign of pressure.
The two tiger men felt his composure and confidence, and their previously steady aura began to tremble slightly.
The crowd watched the high-speed exchange just now, and a wave of shocked cries erupted amid the rain.
The sheer impact overflowed from their expressions, pulling them completely into the battle.
Only when their eyes became dry and sore from the storm did they finally shut them with difficulty.
This intense fight had already lasted for over an hour. The tiger men, like relentless storm rain, kept launching attack after attack at Viktor without pause.
But Viktor stood like an immovable rock, blocking every strike perfectly.
Every counterattack of his was precise, almost as if guided by something unseen, each time catching the tiger men's openings and driving them back.
What shocked everyone the most was Viktor's terrifying stamina.
His endurance was nothing like that of a normal mage.
Under the dense, rain-like barrage from the two tiger men, there was no time to rest at all.
Even a normal warrior would feel immense pressure under such attacks.
But not only could Viktor hold on for this long, he could also keep counterattacking effectively against both of them.
Was he really a mage?
Viktor looked at the two tiger men and casually flicked the rainwater off the wooden sword.
"Not fighting anymore?"
"Looks like you're not as strong as you thought."
The two tiger men were completely enraged, their soaked fur bristling.
The muscles on their faces twitched violently, flames of fury filling their eyes as if they were about to burn themselves up.
Their lips curled back wildly, the corners of their mouths nearly reaching their ears, exposing cold, terrifying fangs, their expressions savage beyond measure.
This anger and humiliation made it hard for them to keep control.
But the truth was right in front of them. Even fighting two against one, they were the ones left panting, their bodies covered in wounds.
If Viktor had been a powerful warrior, they could have accepted it.
But he was just a mage.
The two tiger men suddenly threw their heads back and roared at the sky, the terrifying howl piercing through the heavens and ringing in everyone's ears.
Everyone present was shaken by the roar, covering their ears, feeling dizzy and disoriented.
Only Viktor remained where he stood, narrowing his eyes, his expression calm.
The next moment, a terrifying force exploded beneath the tiger men's feet.
The ground was torn up into a towering slab of rock, water surged upward, and along with the fractured earth, it slammed into the golden wall.
The two tiger men shot forward like orange missiles, turning into blurred afterimages.
Viktor moved just as fast, wind elements wrapping around his body.
He seemed to become a hurricane himself, his afterimage weaving across the water's surface.
Three rapidly moving figures left sharp echoes through the surrounding space.
To the spectators, all they could see were afterimages colliding.
The only clear signs of their clash were the towering waves of water that kept bursting upward with every impact.
Their figures collided like lightning, and the hurricane stirred by their exchange grew even more violent.
The two tiger men dashed across the water, their movements flashing like lightning.
At that moment, a calm voice sounded slowly, "In terms of speed, you're far behind me."
Their pupils shrank suddenly as they stared at the figure rushing toward them even faster, a blur of pale and azure like a ghost.
This sharp power and speed left them unable to keep up.
They could only vaguely see the wooden blade flash past, leaving wound after wound on their bodies.
They reached out, trying to catch him, but could only grasp empty wind.
Viktor moved like the wind itself, his figure elusive, sweeping past them again and again.
In almost the blink of an eye, countless blood lines burst across the tiger men's skin, bright red blood spraying like rain and falling into the pooled water.
Before everyone's eyes, the clear water gradually turned red, and even the air filled with a thick scent of blood.
The female tiger roared to the sky and threw a powerful punch at Viktor's phantom.
Whoosh!!
The force tore through the air with a deafening roar.
This time, she hit him.
But the Viktor she struck stood firmly in place.
In front of her, Viktor didn't even raise a hand to block.
Instead, behind his coat, a thick wooden vine arm that had appeared at some unknown moment firmly grabbed her tiger claw.
That arm was tightly wrapped in glowing green magical patterns, filled with complex runes intertwined over and over.
The trapped female tiger struggled with all her strength, but that massive wooden hand seemed to possess endless power, completely unbreakable.
Not even one of its five wooden fingers could be bent.
Only Viktor's cold voice sounded, calm and steady, "In terms of strength, you're not enough either."
Seeing the female tiger trapped and unable to move, Tiger Leader's pupils shrank as he stared at Viktor, whose body was wrapped in magical patterns.
He pushed off the ground with all four limbs, leaping high into the air, his body leaning forward, claws and fangs striking toward Viktor together.
Viktor had already noticed the male tiger's movement and calmly raised the wooden sword in his right hand to defend.
But the tiger adjusted midair with sharp instinct, twisting his punch, sliding along the edge of Viktor's wooden sword, sweeping toward Viktor's face.
The force tearing through the air was already right in front of him.
At that moment, the noble lords watching widened their eyes in shock.
If that punch landed, Viktor, as a mage, would likely lose his ability to fight instantly.
Seeing this, everyone's hearts clenched in panic.
But in the next second, something they never expected happened.
Viktor's lips curled slightly into a faint smile.
At some unknown moment, he suddenly raised his other arm, which hadn't moved until now.
On that arm, a dark, eerie round shield appeared instantly, radiating a sinister aura.
The surface of the shield resembled the ferocious face of a demon, with two red gemstones embedded at the top like blood-red eyes.
Sensing the evil aura coming from the shield, the tiger man's eyes widened.
He tried to twist his body to avoid it, but his punch had already been committed and couldn't be withdrawn.
In the end, that heavy punch struck the round shield with perfect accuracy.
Bang!
With a dull thud, the tiger man fell into a stunned state instantly.
Almost the moment the stun took effect, the wooden vine blade in Viktor's right hand was wrapped again by vines, transforming into a massive wooden hammer.
The hammer rose from below, dragging across the water-covered ground and swinging upward toward the sky...
More precisely, straight toward the male tiger's body.
BOOM!!
Under that terrifying blow, his body was like something overturned by a massive wave.
His limbs twisted, and even his internal organs seemed to suffer the same devastating impact.
Blood burst out from all his orifices except his ears, mixing with the rain, looking especially gruesome.
The massive orange body traced an arc through the air before crashing toward the water below.
In a daze, Tiger Leader regained consciousness midair and quickly straightened his body, then slammed down onto the ground.
He supported himself with one claw on the wet surface, kneeling on one knee.
With his other claw, he wiped away the blood mixed with rain from the corner of his mouth.
His gaze locked tightly onto Viktor in front of him.
At this moment, in the close combat he excelled at, he actually felt a trace of… fear.
After fighting for so long, he hadn't even touched the opponent once.
Was that even possible?
The crowd saw the tiger man bleeding from all his orifices and were equally shaken.
What just happened?
They had clearly seen Viktor fall into a disadvantage.
But in just a moment, he turned it around completely.
That hammer strike just now... even from a distance...
the violent aura alone made their hearts tremble.
Viktor looked at the male tiger and spoke calmly, "As for technique?"
"I don't think you can surpass me."
With a sudden swing of his other hand, the massive wooden hand moved as well, flinging the female tiger hard toward Tiger Leader.
That orange figure cut through the air like a meteor, streaking across the water-covered ground.
Water splashed everywhere as her limp body flew rapidly toward him.
The powerful wind from the wooden hand's swing brushed across the faces of everyone present.
That nearly tearing sensation struck every noble's face in an instant.
The sharp pain seemed to sink straight into their bones.
The female tiger stabilized herself midair and landed heavily on the ground.
Viktor looked at the two tiger men calmly.
As if carrying an unstoppable presence, his voice rang out steadily, "If this is all you've got…"
"…then you still can't make me enjoy this."