"What's wrong? Didn't you say you'd defeat me in one blow? From what I see, besides being pesky, you've got nothing special!" Leohard scoffed while loosening his muscles to relieve the bruises, gazing at the disheveled Ye Ruozai who had fallen into the black water.

Faced with Leohard's mockery, Ye Ruozai did not argue. He slowly stood up from the black water, supporting himself with his hand. After the fierce battle, his hairpin had long vanished, and his hair, drenched in sweat, clung to his temples. Casually pulling a hair tie from his dimensional ring, he tied his long hair into a simple ponytail, taking a deep breath.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Before he could exhale, each of Ye Ruozai's steps upon the earth echoed like thunder, the ground cracking beneath him. In no time, he was before Leohard. With past losses still fresh, Leohard naturally refused to engage in close combat. As he retreated, he waved his hand, sending the black water in the courtyard surging toward Ye Ruozai, attempting to engulf him.

Boom! The black water was instantly blasted away by the Qi Force emitted from Ye Ruozai's opened arms. Leohard had no time to be surprised as Ye Ruozai closed in, delivering a punch to his crystallized armor.

Spurt! Blood sprayed from Leohard's mouth. He glanced down at his unharmed armor, turning his figure with a silent grunt, "Penetrating force, huh? But it can only affect me once!"

Sure enough, when Ye Ruozai returned the strike with a kick, Leohard only staggered back without any discomfort. His crystallized exterior armor remained intact, but his interior had already misted. The penetrating force had failed to inflict substantial harm. Observing this, Leohard spread his hands and laughed wildly, "Do you know what the biggest difference between you and your superior is? You lack powerful attack methods! Give up. I've won this battle because you can never truly hurt me, while I..."

Before he could finish, Ye Ruozai's fierce fist wind silenced him, sending him flying. As he struggled to his feet, burning with shame and anger, ready to lash out, he noticed another longsword in Ye Ruozai's hand. With a graceful motion, Ye Ruozai pointed the sword to the sky, drawing a circle in front of his chest. As the sword paused, more swords appeared in mid-air. By the time the circle was complete, thirty-six longswords surrounded him.

Having completed this, Ye Ruozai took a light breath, his eyebrows furrowing as he pointed the longsword at Leohard. The swords around him surged forward like lightning toward the enemy. In an instant, the sound of swords slicing through the air filled the room. Leohard found himself surrounded by dozens of sword shadows, the metallic screech of sword edges clashing with his crystallized armor ringing out.

"I told you! Your attacks have no effect on me!" Leohard roared, watching his crystallized armor dissipate under sword strikes. He simply dispelled the crystal, his form misting completely. The swords darted through his body within the black mist, yet none could harm him.

Anticipating this, Ye Ruozai was unconcerned. Casually tossing his longsword into the Sword Array, he calmly activated the disguise mark on his chest. A flash of light later, his tattered clothes were switched for a pristine uniform.

Seeing Ye Ruozai seemingly assured of victory, fixing the wrinkles in his clothes and ignoring him entirely, Leohard's rage reignited. As he roared, intending to embarrass this arrogant man, he found himself trapped within the Sword Array, unable to advance.

The moment Ye Ruozai discarded his longsword, the number of swords in the array fluctuated dramatically. Each sword doubled, then tripled, generating countless swords in the blink of an eye. Soon, a torrential sword rain surrounded and enclosed him.

Each sword carried the Power of Origin, plunging into the mist. Each sword pass inflicted an intense, piercing pain on Leohard. Yes, even the mist form had its limit. Much like Pei Yan's Plasma Cannon, no matter how Bailang tried to defend in mist form, the scorching heat would reduce every particle to ash, leading to his demise.

Although Ye Ruozai's attack wasn't as powerful as Pei Yan's Plasma Cannon, each sword carrying Sword Qi sliced through Leohard's misted particles, inflicting massive damage until he could endure no more. With a great roar, he ended his mist form. Armor donned, he crystallized fully, flapping his wings like a human tank, forcing his way through the myriad swords.

However, the price was steep. Under the astonished gaze of the crowd, countless broken swords fell from the sky. Leohard staggered, breaking through the sword encirclement, his crystalline armor utterly ravaged. Most wretched was his unprotected wings, torn to bloodied shreds, the bone exposed and reversed.

"Cough, cough, cough!" Kneeling on one knee, Leohard spat a mouthful of blood. Trembling, he looked up through the Sword Array's gaps at Ye Ruozai in the distance, who had already finished tidying up, gazing at him with that loathsome, insincerely idyllic smile.

Shame! A massive sense of shame engulfed Leohard's heart. Even in the three legion wars, the Kataraga Breakthrough, he had never been so thoroughly defeated. He had failed Miss Sifuer and Lord Bailang's expectations. He lost! In this critical duel, he had lost!

No! He hadn't lost yet! There was still hope—to take this opponent to meet the Demon God with him! Thinking of this, Leohard's trembling hands slowly reached for the horn on his forehead.

"Stop! Leohard, have you lost your mind? What are you trying to do? We've lost! Admit defeat! Don't do anything foolish!" Shouting with bloodshot eyes, Bailang tried to stop him, realizing what Leohard was attempting.

"No, no, I haven't lost! At least I can take him down with me!" Leohard said, placing his hands on the demon horns.

"Fool! Think about if it's worth it! This is just a duel! Just a duel! What will happen to Sifuer, Reina if you die here? Who will protect them after? You didn't die fighting the Disaster Legion, but here in an insignificant duel, this does not showcase your valor. Think about it; Sifuer is right upstairs! Can you ensure she won't be unintentionally harmed by your next attack?" Concerned for his trusted warrior's life, Bailang disregarded honor, stepping onto the battlefield to stand before Leohard, reprimanding him.