Chapter XX: Thunder Against the Underworld
"I am the King of the Underworld!"
Ralph's furious roar echoed across the battlefield.
His twin swords carved through the air with terrifying speed, leaving behind black trails that refused to disappear.
Each slash distorted space itself.
The attacks vanished from one direction—
Only to reappear from another.
It was as though every strike traveled through the Underworld before emerging somewhere entirely different.
Unpredictable.
Deadly.
Yet before every slash could touch its target...
Thunder Lord had already moved.
She stood calmly amidst the storm.
Her long blue robes fluttered gently as arcs of azure lightning danced around her body.
She looked almost divine.
A spear forged from pure lightning rested in her hand.
Every swing filled the heavens with deafening thunder.
BOOM!
The two attacks collided.
Black darkness and brilliant lightning exploded across the battlefield.
Mountains cracked.
The earth split apart.
Violent shockwaves swept across the surrounding landscape, forcing countless spectators to retreat once again.
"She's unbelievable..."
"How is she reading his attacks?"
"Those strikes shouldn't even be dodgeable!"
The crowd watched in stunned silence.
Ralph's attacks were infamous.
Each slash could disappear into the Underworld before striking from impossible angles.
Many Lords had fallen to that very technique.
Yet Thunder Lord blocked every single one.
Not a strand of her hair had been disturbed.
Her blue eyes flashed.
Thousands of tiny bolts of lightning suddenly erupted around Ralph.
Like a swarm of heavenly serpents, they rushed toward him from every direction.
Ralph growled.
Darkness poured from his body.
A pitch-black shield expanded around him, swallowing bolt after bolt of lightning.
The sky itself seemed divided.
One half burned with black darkness.
The other shone with brilliant blue lightning.
The two powers clashed relentlessly.
The explosions never ceased.
"Damn..."
"Master Ralph is being suppressed."
"No..."
One elder shook his head.
"He isn't being suppressed."
"He's being completely controlled."
The faces of the disciples from Thousand Sky Palace became increasingly pale.
Only now did they understand the gap.
Thunder Lord wasn't merely stronger.
She was dictating the entire battle.
Crack!
The black shield suddenly shattered.
Ralph's eyes widened.
Thunder Lord had already thrust her spear forward.
The lightning spear pierced toward his chest with unstoppable momentum.
Without hesitation—
Ralph's body dissolved into shadow.
The spear pierced nothing but empty air.
He reappeared hundreds of meters away.
His breathing had become noticeably heavier.
"So you've finally decided to get serious."
Thunder Lord's voice remained calm.
Ralph's expression darkened.
Black mist gathered behind him.
Two enormous shadow wings spread across the sky.
With a single beat, he shot upward.
He intended to widen the distance.
Unfortunately...
Thunder Lord had no intention of allowing him to escape.
A brilliant magic formation appeared behind her.
Its center burst open.
A gigantic creature emerged.
It possessed the body of a divine bird, yet its feathers crackled with endless lightning.
Its golden eyes overlooked the battlefield like those of an emperor.
The Tempest Seraphix.
Thunder Lord gently pointed her spear.
"Go."
The enormous creature disappeared.
Its speed was astonishing.
Within moments it had already caught up with Ralph.
"What?!"
"Impossible!"
"That thing is actually faster than Ralph's Super-Class movement ability!"
"That's cheating!"
The spectators could hardly believe what they were witnessing.
The Tempest Seraphix was enormous.
Yet its speed exceeded almost everyone present.
Ralph glanced backward.
His pupils contracted.
Without hesitation, he transformed into a living shadow once more.
His body vanished completely.
An instant later—
He appeared directly behind the Seraphix.
"I've got you!"
Unfortunately...
The creature had anticipated exactly that.
Before Ralph could even attack—
It turned.
Its beak opened.
A colossal bolt of heavenly lightning descended from the sky.
BOOOOOOM!!
The explosion illuminated the entire battlefield.
Ralph's body was blasted over a thousand meters away.
He smashed through several hills before finally crashing into a massive cliff.
Dust filled the air.
For several seconds...
Nothing moved.
Eventually...
A figure slowly emerged.
Blood streamed from Ralph's mouth.
His nose.
His ears.
Even his eyes.
His body trembled violently.
Although his regeneration was already repairing the damage...
It was painfully slow.
His strongest defensive ability had been completely destroyed.
Even so...
Ralph refused to fall.
He spat out a mouthful of blood.
Then slowly stood.
"I..."
"...am not finished."
Darkness gathered once more.
Two black swords materialized within his hands.
He lowered his body.
Then—
BOOM!
The ground exploded beneath his feet.
He charged.
Every step resembled a charging ancient beast.
The earth shattered behind him.
Dark energy continuously poured into his body.
His muscles expanded.
Dark horns emerged from his forehead.
Black scales spread across his skin.
His aura became increasingly sinister.
Someone in the crowd screamed.
"Abyssal Twist!"
"Master Ralph is using Abyssal Twist!"
"We still have a chance!"
The disciples of Thousand Sky Palace erupted into cheers.
Ralph leaped into the air.
His twin swords descended.
One slash.
Yet it appeared as though countless blades were striking simultaneously from every direction.
Even experienced Lords would struggle to determine which attack was real.
Thunder Lord finally moved.
Her footsteps became strangely graceful.
Elegant.
Fluid.
Each step resembled flowing water.
Yet every movement contained flawless precision.
She neither hurried nor hesitated.
Every dodge was exactly as large as necessary.
No more.
No less.
When she counterattacked—
Her spear became a streak of heavenly lightning.
Blue electricity exploded with every collision.
Against Ralph's savage brutality...
Thunder Lord fought with absolute calculation.
She seemed to know where every strike would appear before it happened.
To ordinary Awakened watching from afar...
The battle had become impossible to follow.
All they could see were flashes of blue and black colliding endlessly across the sky.
One resembled a raging devil determined to destroy everything before him.
The other...
Looked like a goddess of thunder calmly passing judgment upon the world.
And despite Ralph unleashing everything he possessed...
Thunder Lord had yet to take a single step backward.