CHAPTER 46: CHAPTER 46: THE DIVINE SWORD ART IS TO POWERFUL

The fused form of the Minotaur Brothers loomed high above the battlefield, its towering frame casting an oppressive shadow over the torn earth. Jagged plates of black armor gleamed with ominous. Dark energy pulsed and rippled outward from its body in slow, suffocating waves, distorting the very air with every breath it took. The combined aura radiating from this monster was overwhelming—dense, suffocating, and heavy enough to make the lungs ache. It was the undeniable, crushing presence of a Golden Vein Stage Level 8 existence.

Shaurya saw this and, instead of flinching, he smiled. A faint yet commanding golden aura began to seep from him, just enough to hum in the air like a quiet storm gathering strength.

The massive beast threw back its horned head and roared. The sound was a deep, bone-rattling thunderclap, rolling through the mountains and making the ground quake. A surge of dark, ominous, demonic aura exploded outward. Dust lifted from the ground as though pulled up by an unseen hurricane. The very wind carried malice.

Disciples staggered, faces pale. Elder Liya and Lin Shu both trembled where they stood. Wang Tian, despite his own shaking limbs, forced himself into a battle stance. Luo Chen wiped the blood from the corner of his lips and allowed a faint smile to tug at them, refusing to bow his head.

Elder Liya and Lin Shu ignited their auras, drawing their swords in unison. The Minotaur Demon raised one massive, black-clawed hand. Dark energy swirled and condensed until, in a blink, a gigantic black axe materialized in its grip. It roared again, and the sound this time made weaker disciples clamp their hands to their ears.

Only a few still stood under the crushing weight of its aura; most were forced to retreat several paces, their knees nearly buckling.

The Minotaur’s gaze swept over the survivors—predatory, cold, and slow, as if savoring their helplessness. It began to walk toward them, each heavy step pressing into the earth with the weight of a boulder drop. Killing intent rolled off it like a tide.

Lin Shu and Elder Liya resisted with gritted teeth, but fear seeped into their eyes; they knew they were no match for such a being. Wang Tian and Luo Chen were forced to their knees, blood seeping again from their mouths, yet they still resisted, fists clenched.

Elder Wan,Chen Fang, Lu Fang, Sheng Lu, Xiao Rui, Lee Bie, Zong Bu, Muo Qian, Su Quan, Xiao Lian, and Xu Ran—each of them fought to remain upright, the veins in their necks straining. The rest had already collapsed to the ground, utterly smothered by the monster’s presence.

The Minotaur’s grin widened as it closed the distance, teeth bared in a way that was too human and far too cruel.

And then—

Like the descent of a star, a golden light streaked down from above and slammed into the ground between the Minotaur and the surviving disciples. The shock of its landing blew the dust away in a wide ring.

Shaurya had arrived, his landing crouch firm and deliberate, the quintessential hero’s pose. The moment his golden aura flared, the oppressive, choking pressure of the Minotaur was wiped clean from the air, like ink washed away in water.

He straightened slowly, rolling his shoulders and stretching as though warming up before a spar. "Fear not, my dear disciples."

Turning to face his sect members, he lifted both arms outward in a bold T-pose, a grin spreading on his face. "Your savior is here!"

The disciples who had been crumpled moments ago slowly pushed themselves to their feet. Hope flared in their eyes, and smiles, shaky but real, began to spread across their faces.

Wang Tian and Luo Chen collapsed fully onto the ground, finally letting themselves breathe, chests heaving with relief. Lin Shu exhaled a long, trembling sigh, a soft smile touching her lips. Elder Liya took a deep breath, shoulders loosening. Elder Wan moved quickly among them, handing out Orange Pills to restore their strength.

The Minotaur’s head tilted slightly, confusion cutting through its cruel demeanor. Then its face twisted into rage, and it roared again, sending a dark wave of aura crashing toward Shaurya.

Shaurya didn’t even move his feet. He turned his head toward the oncoming darkness and casually waved one hand. A sudden shockwave erupted from his palm, meeting the attack head-on and erasing it completely as though it had never existed.

The Minotaur’s eyes went wide in disbelief.

Shaurya’s smile deepened. "I didn’t expect to see a fusion technique here. You really shocked me." Then, with a mocking lift of his brow, he added, "So, what’s your name? Crimson fused with Sapphire and became what... Crimhire?"

The Minotaur froze. "How did you know what we are called after fusion? No one knows this!"

Shaurya blinked, actually surprised at having guessed correctly. Behind him, his sect members stared with open mouths.

A beat of silence passed.

Then Crimhire roared, shattering the pause, and launched forward.

In less than a heartbeat, he appeared before Shaurya, axe already raised high. He swung down, a blow meant to split Shaurya in two.

Shaurya’s answer was a small smile as he drew the Meteorite Sword in a fluid motion, steel flashing. The axe met the blade with a thunderous BOOM, and a shockwave blasted outward, shattering stone and sending the air screaming in all directions. The ground beneath Shaurya’s boots cracked in a spiderweb pattern.

The disciples staggered back, shielding their faces from the shock. Elder Liya barked, "Quickly, all of you—go to the ship!"

Without hesitation, they fled toward the Dark Pearl vessel. Elder Wan activated the protective formation the instant they arrived aboard, his shoulders slumping in relief. "We’re safe here..."

They crowded to the rail and looked down at the battlefield. The dust churned so thick below that the ground was hidden, chunks of earth floating in the disturbed air.

From the haze, Shaurya burst forth, charging at Crimhire. The demon met him with a raised axe, and steel clashed against steel again.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

Each collision sent quakes through the land. The ground split in jagged scars beneath them. Dust fountains erupted. Shaurya’s smile never wavered, while Crimhire’s face twisted into pure rage—one a predator savoring the fight, the other a predator desperate to kill.

The shockwaves formed craters, and debris began to hover in the violent air currents around them. Above, the onlookers watched in awe, unable to tear their eyes away.

Then—Shaurya’s sword flared with golden light. He slashed in a powerful arc. Crimhire tried to block, but the force was too much; the axe rang with the strain and Crimhire was thrown back, his boots carving deep grooves into the soil as he slid. His hands trembled, his eyes wide.

Shaurya rested the sword lazily on his shoulder and grinned. "What happened, big fool? Isn’t your fusion supposed to be strong?"

Crimhire roared with full, unrestrained rage.

The sound was not merely a voice — it was a deep, guttural bellow that shook the very marrow of the bones of everyone who heard it. His dark aura erupted like a volcanic surge, thicker and heavier than before, coiling around him in jagged waves of black smoke and malevolent light. The pressure it released tore through the air like an invisible hurricane.

The ground beneath him fractured with sharp cracks, splintering into spiderweb patterns before chunks began to collapse inward. The earth groaned under the strain. All four mountain peaks surrounding the arena shuddered as though the land itself feared his wrath. The massive tower behind him trembled, stone shedding dust and debris.

Rocks and boulders began to lift from the ground, pulled upward by the violent distortion of energy. They floated slowly into the air, caught in the maelstrom of force, as if gravity itself was hesitating to function in Crimhire’s presence.

Shaurya’s hair fluttered in the roaring wind, strands lifting as if beckoned by the chaos. Yet his face did not harden in concern, nor did his stance falter. He stood unmoving, smiling with an almost casual defiance, a calm eye in the middle of the storm.

Crimhire moved — no, launched — forward. The charge was like a siege cannon made flesh, his body nothing but speed and destructive intent.

Shaurya’s smile widened. His own aura burst forth in response — a golden, blazing storm that clashed violently with the dark tide. He did not sidestep. He did not evade. He met Crimhire head-on.

When their auras collided, the world convulsed.

A detonation erupted between them with the force of a cataclysm, the shockwave slamming into the surroundings like a tidal wave of raw energy. The ground split apart under the blast. Dust and dirt billowed upward in a massive storm, swallowing the battlefield from view.

Up above, Lin Shu and the other sect members watched with tense, pale faces. Lin Shu’s hands pressed against her chest, her knuckles white.

Shaurya... please... be safe, she prayed silently.

Moments later, the dust began to peel away — not naturally, but from the sheer pressure radiating from both warriors as they strained against each other.

They were locked in a contest of strength, blades of aura grinding against one another. Crimhire’s face twisted as he screamed, muscles bulging with effort, trying to drive Shaurya back.

Shaurya, still smiling, spoke in a calm, cutting tone.

"You’re powerful... but still... in front of me, you are nothing."

His Meteorite Sword pulsed, the blade glowing with a deep, ethereal blue. Shaurya’s voice rose into a battle cry as he swung — the arc of light tearing through the air.

The strike met Crimhire’s axe.

The weapon shattered into splinters of black steel with a sharp CRACK. The blow didn’t stop there — it ripped through Crimhire’s defenses. Blood erupted from the impact point, spraying into the air as Crimhire’s massive body was thrown backward, flipping twice before slamming into the ground. He skidded across the torn earth, leaving a deep furrow before coughing blood and collapsing to one knee.

Shaurya slid his sword back into its sheath with deliberate calm, each movement echoing with authority. His golden aura began to leak outward again, each step toward Crimhire accompanied by an intensifying glow. The air shimmered with heat around him.

Crimhire’s eyes widened. Fear gripped his limbs; his body trembled. He didn’t want to believe it.

With clenched teeth and a growl, he forced himself upright.

He screamed in defiance.

But Shaurya’s smile didn’t fade. To Crimhire, that smile now looked like death itself walking toward him.

"You... this must be some kind of trick! I can’t die!" Crimhire’s voice cracked into a roar. "You mere human — you are nothing against us!"

He lunged forward, dark aura compressing around his clenched fist.

"Go to hell, you pathetic human!"

The punch came like a black comet. When it struck Shaurya’s position, a colossal beam of dark energy exploded outward, ripping apart the ground behind Shaurya in a straight line. The blast didn’t stop — it slammed into the nearest mountain peak, carving out a massive crater in its stone face.

Crimhire’s lips curled into a victorious grin. That should have done it.

Up above, Shaurya’s disciples leaned forward in alarm, their worry growing.

But as the last fragments of the dark energy faded away, Shaurya stood there. Unharmed.

He had caught the attack... with his bare hand.

Crimhire’s grin died instantly. His face shifted from triumph to horror.

Shaurya’s eyes hardened. His voice was like ice.

"Playtime is over."

With his free hand, Shaurya thrust forward. His palm pierced directly into Crimhire’s chest. The giant warrior choked on blood before he could even react.

Then, with a surge of brute force, Shaurya ripped his spine out. Blood sprayed high into the air in a crimson arc. The spectators — his sect members — stared in frozen disbelief, their expressions pale with shock and horror.

Crimhire’s lifeless body collapsed to the ground. Shaurya stood over him, a towering figure of dominance, holding the bloody spine in his right hand before tossing it aside like worthless trash.

"How long..." Shaurya’s voice cut through the silence, cold and sharp. "...are you going to watch?"

His eyes glowed red. The Immortal Eye had awakened.

From the tower, a deep purple aura erupted. A figure descended with eerie grace, landing before Shaurya.

The leader of the Black Venom Organization — Jing Li — smiled.

"I thought they would be able to kill you in their fusion form."

Her eyes flicked to the discarded spine.

Shaurya crushed the attached skull beneath his foot with a wet CRUNCH.

"Don’t worry," he said, his tone colder than before. "Soon... you’ll join them in hell."

She laughed, the sound cold and dripping with condescension.

"Don’t think too highly of yourself. My power is beyond all of them combined."

A deep, swirling purple aura erupted from her body, wrapping her like a raging storm. The very air trembled. Slowly, her feet lifted from the ground, and she began to float upward, her robes swaying unnaturally in the invisible currents of her own power. Her eyes locked on Shaurya.

"You killed their fusion form... which is surprising," she admitted with a sly smirk. "But still, in front of me, you are a mere ant... an ant that is going to be crushed."

Then, like a dam bursting, a powerful, ominous aura exploded outward from her body — so thick and suffocating that the surrounding space seemed to groan under its weight. The very air warped as her pressure expanded.

Shaurya felt the force hit him like a tidal wave, and his eyes widened in genuine surprise.

Golden Vein Stage — Level 11.

Up above, inside the Dark Pearl, his sect members felt it too. A shudder passed through them, and for a moment, stunned silence filled the control deck. Even seasoned elders found their jaws tightening.

She raised her index finger toward Shaurya, her lips curling into a smile that promised pain.

"Kneel."

With a delicate bend of her finger, raw force crashed down on him. The ground beneath Shaurya’s feet shattered instantly, collapsing into a crater as if a meteor had landed there. Dust and chunks of stone blasted outward.

Shaurya’s eyes narrowed at the display of power — but then, to her astonishment, he smiled. He stood there completely unaffected, his posture relaxed, as though her crushing command were nothing more than a light breeze.

For the first time, Jing Li’s eyes flickered with surprise.

She lowered her hand, her palm glowing with concentrated violet energy. With a slow, deliberate movement, she bent her palm toward the earth.

"Gravity Manipulation."

The air around Shaurya tightened. A wave of gravitational force slammed into him, pulling him toward the ground with ten times normal gravity. Dust exploded upward as the earth cracked under the weight. A wide crater spread out around him, rocks groaning under the pressure.

Yet Shaurya remained smiling, standing straight as if he were enjoying a warm afternoon breeze.

Her eyes narrowed. She raised the gravity to twenty times normal. This time, the ground beneath Shaurya’s feet completely disintegrated, collapsing into rubble. His robes fluttered wildly under the crushing force — but instead of falling, Shaurya floated forward, his movements calm and unhurried, until he was directly in front of her.

"Is this the best you can do?" he asked casually.

Her lips tightened. A flicker of frustration danced across her face. Raising both hands, she summoned a storm of violet aura that wrapped around her arms like writhing flames. Then, with a swift, violent motion, she bent both palms downward.

Thirty times gravity slammed into Shaurya.

If anything felt that force, it was the air and the ground below him — not Shaurya himself. The stone split into spiderweb cracks, chunks of earth falling away, but he just rolled his neck with a soft pop, like a man loosening up before breakfast.

To him, this 30x gravity was daily routine — because it was. He had trained under 40x gravity.

Now it was Jing Li’s turn to be completely shocked.

She had no idea that the man in front of her had endured pressure far greater than what she could produce.

With a mocking grin, Shaurya tilted his head.

"Seems like this is your limit."

Then, with a bright smile, his right hand lit up — wrapped in the same violet aura she wielded. Jing Li’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"Taste your own medicine."

"Gravity Pressure!" he roared.

Forty times gravity smashed down on Jing Li. The air itself screamed under the force. Her body trembled as she tried to resist, but within seconds her knees buckled, and she slammed into the ground with bone-crunching impact.

From the Dark Pearl, his disciples gasped.

"Did Master just use her technique?" Luo Chen asked in awe.

"Like he did before," Wang Tian replied, eyes narrowing.

Flashes of memory returned — Shaurya using Luo Chen’s sword style, Shaurya wielding the Crimson Beast Sect’s moves, Shaurya copying the Howling Abyss Sect’s arts.

Elder Liya chuckled. "This is why he is our Sect Leader."

The rest nodded firmly.

The scene shifted back to the battlefield. Jing Li still struggled against the crushing force, sweat dripping from her temple, while Shaurya stood smiling.

"What happened? Where is your past arrogance? Weren’t you going to crush me like an ant?"

Gritting her teeth, she let out a scream. Dark purple aura erupted from her body like wildfire. Shaurya’s expression remained calm. Then her aura shifted, turning pitch black. Her eyes glowed crimson, and a new, feral pressure burst outward.

The gravity pressure vanished.

From the cracked ground beneath her, a massive green serpent burst upward, its scales glistening like wet emerald armor. Its mouth opened, revealing fangs as long as a man’s arm.

Shaurya’s lips curved.

"Golden Vein Stage — Level 12. And a Core Formation Level 10 Demonic Serpent. Impressive... but still too weak."

Jing Li tilted her head, her voice venomous.

"I will tear your bones from your flesh... slowly. And I will take revenge for this humiliation."

The serpent lunged, but Shaurya simply tilted his body aside. His counterattack was an uppercut that sent the beast flying skyward. He roared, "Mountain Breaking Fist!" — but before the strike could land, Jing Li intercepted, slamming her own fist into him. The blow hurled him back, smashing him into the earth with a thunderous crash.

Shaurya stood, dust falling from his shoulders, and smiled again.

The serpent’s mouth glowed — then a green poisonous cannon beam exploded toward him.

Shaurya stepped forward, his fist drawing back, power surging. His voice thundered across the battlefield:

"Dragon Fist!"

A colossal golden dragon burst from his punch, roaring as it collided with the beam. The poisonous attack was obliterated, and the dragon kept surging forward. Jing Li’s eyes widened. She threw up a shield, but the dragon’s divine aura shattered it like glass and slammed into her and the serpent.

BOOM!

The explosion’s shockwave was so great it shoved the Dark Pearl backward, tilting it dangerously. Elder Wan gritted his teeth, gripping the controls to stabilize it. "Tch... is sect master forget we are also here..." he muttered.

When the light faded, the serpent was gone. Jing Li knelt in the dirt, bleeding, one eye destroyed, her body battered beyond recognition.

"How?" she gasped. "I am two levels above you. How can I be losing?"

Shaurya’s answer was simple.

"Because I am more powerful than you."

Her rage spiked. "If I have to use my cultivation, my lifespan, my everything — I don’t care! I just want to kill you!"

Cracks spread across her skin. Between her hands, an unstable sphere of black, violet, and purple energy formed, humming like a star about to collapse.

Shaurya’s face remained unreadable.

"Die!" she shrieked.

His lips curled in a faint smile. In his hand appeared the Meteorite Sword. He shifted into a quick-draw stance, his body surrounded by an intense golden aura.

"I wilI show you... My Power... My Fury."

Inside the Dark Pearl, some disciples gasped in confusion, while others’ eyes widened in anticipation.

Jing Li’s body turned grey and cracked. She screamed:

"VOID DESTRUCTION!"

The black hole-like sphere tore through the air toward him, wrapped in violet lightning and purple flame.

Shaurya didn’t flinch.

"Evil is destined to fall."

His sword drew in a blinding arc.

"DIVINE SWORD ART — END OF DARKNESS!"

Golden energy exploded from the blade, so brilliant it illuminated the entire sky. The pressure made the ground quake for miles.

Her attack vanished like mist before a storm.

Her eyes filled with horror just before the golden slash struck. She screamed — and then she was gone. Not even dust remained.

The slash tore through the air, splitting one of the four mountain peaks in half. A crack split the ground, stretching thirty kilometers long and plunging thirty kilometers deep.

Shaurya stared at the destruction, slightly stunned, then smiled awkwardly.

"Seems like I overdid it. Hahaha!"

Elder Liya, still in shock, muttered, "You really overdid it."

Descending to the Dark Pearl, Shaurya sheathed his sword.

"Whatever. We’ve defeated the organization. A great slap to the royal family’s face."

They all laughed.

To be continued...