Death… And Me

Xiria and the others looked at each other and nodded after that. Since Gian said that himself, they had no need to refuse. Of course, they still thought he was overestimating himself. Nonetheless, this was a good opportunity to test out Gian's abilities.

Xiria was the first one to act, bringing out what looked like a pair of claws. It turns out that Xiria was adept at using katars, quite a rare piece of equipment when one thought about it.

Water Element and Soul Power gathered around her body as she moved out.

'Rain Pierce!'

Her hands moved at high speeds. Her katars were covered by both powers, which instantly made them more dangerous than ever before. She was able to use her Water Element to make her string of attacks precise and ruthless. At this moment, she felt like a raging river.

She wasn't the only one, of course. The others also took out their own weapons, surrounding Frandin and brandishing their own moves.

'Sky Pummeling!'

'Thousand Slashes!'

'Unlimited Barrage!'

'Rage of the Salamander!'

Frandin looked at all of that without even flinching. Well, the truth was that he was letting out a ton of cold sweat under his clothes. It's just that no one noticed that. He kept waiting for Roan's orders, but Roan didn't say anything even at the last moment.

However, it was then that he noticed something strange.

His body seemed to automatically move as he shot forward against a guy named Jomawe. Lightning Element and Soul Power ran through his body, increasing his speed even further. He was the guy who used the Thousand Slashes attack. At that moment, everyone's eyes widened. Frandin's body contorted into unbelievable angles as he dodged all the attacks from all sides. Not only that, but Thousand Slashes was an attack that covered a huge area in front of the user. Even with that, Frandin seemed to find a space between each slash, appearing right in front of Jomawe.

Of course, there was a limit as to what Frandin could do in that situation, so a few attacks did hit him. However, he used his Soul Power and Spiritual Energy to create a barrier to barely avoid any serious damage. At most, just a few simple cuts on his skin were left behind. Still, that was a better result compared to most people.

Jomawe was terrified to see Frandin pass through his barrage. If Frandin counter-attacked and overwhelmed him with his skills, that would be okay. But he didn't expect Frandin to truly find a gap in his assault. Because of the delay in his own attacks, the gap Frandin seized left a huge hole in Jomawe's defense. There was no way he could dodge Frandin's spear now.

'I'm dead!'

However, Frandin's spear suddenly changed at the last moment, swapping sides between the spearhead and its back.

*Bang!*

Jomawe was then sent flying back like a cannonball!

*Crash!*

Following that, he hit the wall and lost consciousness.

Everyone was shocked by that scene. The fight had just started, but Frandin had already dispatched one of his enemies away. It was a 5v1, but he had shown an overwhelming advantage.

However, no one was as frightened by what just happened as Frandin himself. He couldn't believe what he had just done. When the attacks came from all sides, it was like they moved in slow motion for him. He could clearly see and think about the next action. Because no one here had cultivation higher than his, that helped even more.

'This... It was so easy...'

Roan snorted as he said.

'Hmph! Who the hell trained you up to now? After more than half a year under my teaching and training schedule, this result is more than expected. Compared to what I made you do in the demon beast regions, this is nothing.'

He then continued.

'Besides, these guys are obviously not that great to start with. You don't really think that the Asume Clan sent their best geniuses here, do you? They are above-average members at most. As if you would need my help for this ridiculous challenge. Now, pay attention since the battle hasn't finished yet.'

That conversation was done through Spiritual Sense, so it only lasted a fraction of a second.

Frandin's eyes lit up as his confidence suddenly increased several folds. Right behind him, Xiria and the others attacked, trying to catch him under the delay of his own assault. However, Frandin's Soul Power soon manifested in an even greater amount. Roan noticed that Frandin's Lightning Element flowed through his body thanks to that. The Soul Power seemed to create paths that didn't exist for the manipulation of Lightning Element.

In the next second, Frandin's body turned halfway around as his head dropped back. With that, he avoided the first two attacks. Following that, he jumped back while brandishing his spear in a full arc, deflecting the remaining two. Just like before, the dodge wasn't perfect. The defense didn't completely avoid the last two attacks either. Nevertheless, Frandin avoided any serious damage, if you could call that damage at all.

That only left everyone even more speechless. After all, just what kind of body movement was that? It had nothing to do with his Rank Five Original Bloodline Soul Mark. That was basically his own overwhelming control over both Spiritual Energy, Lightning Element, and Soul Power. That wasn't something a Foundation Establishment cultivator should be able to do.

Frandin felt like he was in a different world. Here, he was unstoppable.

The moment he landed on the ground again, his muscles tensed up before he shot in the direction of another candidate. Frandin's plan was obvious. First, he would take care of the three that had cultivations lower than his. He would leave Xiria and Qarviu Asume, who were at the same stage, for last.

'Snake Lightning Spear!'

It was too fast! Frandin's Lightning Element already gave him an advantage in speed, but he himself had a reaction speed far above the others. 

Pioran Asume was his next target. She was frightened. Noticing Frandin coming in her direction, she immediately used an area attack. Earth Element and Spiritual Energy burst out of her body as Soul Power helped increase the damage. The ground around her trembled before hundreds of earth spikes came from all sides. It was a completely indiscriminate attack, which forced her allies back as well.

"One less!"

Or so Frandin thought...

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Author's note: I released a new project called The Ascension Age, check it out if you like this type of work.