Elias watched Cao Cao through the starry shield.
He gently let go of Kunou's hand and looked at his girlfriend.
"Dee, open the barrier just a little bit for me,"
Elias said calmly.
"I am going out there."
Dee tilted her head, looking a bit confused.
"Why?"
Dee asked softly.
"They cannot break my shield. We could just sit here and ignore them."
"I know,"
Elias smiled slightly.
"But I want to see what they can do. I want to adapt to their power and see how strong their weapons are."
Dee smiled her sweet, knowing smile.
She snapped her fingers again.
A small doorway opened in the starry wall.
Elias stepped out into the dark bamboo forest and the doorway instantly closed behind him.
Cao Cao lowered his holy spear. He looked at the tall teenager stepping out of the magical dome.
A wide, arrogant smirk quickly returned to Cao Cao's face.
"Ah,"
Cao Cao said, his voice full of cruel confidence.
"So you are the famous Elias Thorne. I heard the rumors about you. I heard you defeated Kokabiel and that you hang around with Devil Kings."
Cao Cao chuckled and pointed his spear at Elias.
"But do not think you are special,"
Cao Cao mocked him, completely looking down on him.
"You are just a normal human who got lucky. You are playing a dangerous game with monsters. But we are the true heroes. My True Longinus is the absolute strongest weapon in the world. You should just surrender now and give us the Yokai princess."
Elias just stood there. His face was completely blank.
His dark eyes were cold and empty.
He didn't reply to a single word Cao Cao said.
He didn't even look angry. He just looked annoyed.
Then, Elias moved.
*Whoosh.*
Elias completely disappeared. He didn't run fast; he simply vanished into thin air.
Before anyone could even blink, Elias appeared right in front of the giant man, Heracles.
Heracles gasped, his eyes going wide.
He didn't even have time to raise his hands to defend himself.
Elias lifted his leg and kicked Heracles squarely in the chest.
*BOOM!*
The sound was like a cannon firing.
Heracles was launched backward with terrifying force.
He flew through the air as fast as a bullet train, snapping dozens of thick bamboo trees in half before crashing deeply into the dark forest.
"What—?!"
George, the other faction member, yelled in panic.
But Elias vanished again.
A split second later, Elias appeared right beside George.
Elias simply raised his hand and smacked the back of George's head.
*CRACK!*
George was slammed face-first into the ground with incredible strength.
The hard dirt cracked open like a spiderweb.
George instantly passed out, completely buried in the dirt.
Elias stood up straight and slowly dusted off his hands.
Cao Cao froze. His arrogant smile completely shattered.
Cold sweat dripped down the side of Cao Cao's face.
His hands shook as he gripped his holy spear tightly. He looked left and right in pure panic.
His speed was absolutely no joke.
Cao Cao's eyes were highly trained, but he hadn't been able to see Elias's movements at all.
One second Elias was standing far away, and the next second, two of his strongest men were completely taken down.
Elias looked at the shaking leader of the Hero Faction.
Inside his own body, incredible, ancient powers were already flowing.
He possessed the raw, crushing strength of the Dragon King Blood.
He held the deep, dark magic of the Evil King Piece.
He carried the pure, holy light of the Feather of The Great Seraph.
And flowing through his veins was the absolute healing of the Phenex Tear.
Just those four things alone made him completely overpowered.
When added to his special power of Adaptivity and his true immortality, it was an absolute fact: Cao Cao could never, ever defeat him.
But Elias did not want to end the fight in one second.
He looked closely at how Cao Cao stood.
Cao Cao was arrogant, but his stance was perfect. He was a true master of the spear.
Elias wanted that skill.
He wanted his body to adapt to Cao Cao's fighting style so he could use it himself later.
Elias held out his right hand. Dark energy and bright light mixed together in his palm.
With a flash of magic, he pulled out the Fake Sacred Gear that Azazel gave him.
It was a long, beautiful Naginata—a traditional Japanese polearm with a sharp, curved blade.
The weapon was pitch black with a glowing silver edge.
"I will call her Eclipse from now on,"
Elias said calmly, spinning the Naginata smoothly in his hands.
He pointed the curved blade at Cao Cao.
"Show me what the 'true hero' can do."
Cao Cao gritted his teeth. His fear quickly turned into boiling anger. He felt deeply insulted.
"You dare use a fake weapon against me?"
Cao Cao yelled, his holy spear glowing with intense, blinding light.
"The True Longinus is created by God! A cheap copy will shatter in one hit! I will show you real skill!"
Cao Cao dashed forward. He was incredibly fast.
He thrust his holy spear directly at Elias's chest, aiming for a quick, deadly strike.
*CLANG!*
Sparks flew into the dark sky. Elias didn't dodge. He simply raised Eclipse and blocked the holy spear perfectly.
Cao Cao didn't stop.
He unleashed a massive storm of rapid attacks.
He swung, stabbed, and slashed from every direction. His spear technique was beautiful, deadly, and flawless.
Elias moved just a little bit slower on purpose.
He let Cao Cao push him back a few steps. He was watching everything.
He watched Cao Cao's footwork, how he twisted his wrists, and how he shifted his weight.
Because Cao Cao didn't know about Elias's Adaptivity, he completely fell into the trap.
Cao Cao thought he was winning, but he was actually just acting as a free training dummy for Elias.
"Is this all you have?"
Cao Cao smirked, breathing heavily as he pushed his spear against Elias's Naginata.
"You are just blocking! You can't even fight back against my perfect technique!"
"Your technique is very good,"
Elias replied softly. His voice was completely calm, not even out of breath.
"Your speed is excellent. But you have a major flaw."
"What did you say?"
Cao Cao glared, pushing harder.
"Your pride makes you blind,"
Elias explained simply, looking right into Cao Cao's angry eyes.
"You rely way too much on the magical power of the True Longinus."
"Shut up!"
Cao Cao roared.
He jumped back and swung his spear in a massive, sweeping circle, trying to cut Elias in half.
But this time, Elias didn't just block. His body had fully adapted.
He had already learned Cao Cao's entire fighting style in just a few minutes.
Elias stepped inside Cao Cao's guard, moving faster than the Hero Faction leader could even see.
With a graceful, perfect spin that looked exactly like Cao Cao's own technique, Elias swung Eclipse.
*Smack!*
Instead of cutting him, Elias hit Cao Cao hard in the ribs with the blunt, wooden end of the Naginata.
Cao Cao gasped in pain and stumbled sideways, completely shocked that his own perfect move had just been used against him.
Cao Cao clutched his ribs, his breath hitching in pain.
He looked at Elias with absolute disbelief.
How could he copy his perfect, ultimate technique just by watching?
Cao Cao quickly looked past Elias.
In the distance, the giant Heracles was just starting to groan, slowly pushing himself up from the broken bamboo trees.
George was holding his bleeding head, barely awake on the cracked dirt.
Cao Cao gritted his teeth. His pride was deeply wounded, but he wasn't stupid.
He knew the absolute truth.
The plan was a total failure. They could not win this fight tonight.
"George!"
Cao Cao yelled loudly, his voice tight with anger and panic.
"Use your magic! Get us out of here right now!"
George groaned weakly. He quickly raised his shaking hands.
A swirling, dark purple magic circle opened up right behind them, creating a portal to escape.
Elias slowly lowered his black Naginata.
He didn't rush forward. He didn't prepare another attack.
He just stood there and watched them calmly.
He let them go. He had already adapted and learned the perfect spear techniques he wanted.
There was no need to kill them tonight.
Heracles heavily limped over and grabbed George, pulling him toward the glowing escape portal.
Cao Cao stepped toward the magic circle, but he stopped right at the edge.
He turned his head and looked back at Elias. His eyes were burning with pure, bitter hatred.
"You got lucky tonight, Elias Thorne,"
Cao Cao spat, holding his glowing holy spear tightly.
"But do not think this makes you a winner. This is not over. The Hero Faction never forgets an insult."
Cao Cao glared at him, his voice dripping with a dark promise.
"I will come back,"
Cao Cao threatened him.
"I will find a way to break that fake power of yours. And when I do, I am going to make you deeply regret ever standing in my way."
Elias looked at the angry leader. He wasn't scared at all.
"I will be waiting. You should get more technique for me when the time comes."
Elias answered simply, his voice completely unbothered.
Cao Cao gave him one last, furious glare. Then, he turned around and stepped into the portal.
With a soft *whoosh*, the dark magic circle vanished into thin air.
The uninvited guests were gone, leaving the dark bamboo forest completely quiet and peaceful once again.
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