BANG!
Shang's sword hit the spear of his opponent.
The young man opposite Shang was thrown backward with a lot of force, and Shang charged after him with an Ice Blast.
He readied another strike.
BANG!
Shang's strike was blocked again, but the young man was blasted into the ground due to the overwhelming force of Shang's attack.
BANG!
An explosion of lightning appeared between Shang and his opponent, but the explosion vanished just as quickly.
Domain of Entropy!
The young man opened his eyes wide in terror and shock.
Shang slashed another time at the young man lying on the ground.
The young man lifted his spear to block.
BOOOM!
The surroundings were turned into a crater as the young man's body got buried even deeper into the ground.
The young man's bones broke, and he couldn't lift his spear anymore.
Shang readied another strike.
BOOOOM!
The person below Shang was cut into two pieces by Shang's sword.
Since the beginning of the fight, the young man had been in a disadvantaged state. Shang's attacks were just relentless.
Shang quickly absorbed the remaining life energy of the corpse to recover.
Then, the cheering returned, and Shang readied himself for his next opponent.
"Level ten: Weak Late Commander Stage warrior," the voice announced.
The two wheels returned, but Shang didn't even look at them.
A couple seconds later, Shang's new opponent appeared.
It was a middle-aged man who looked like an experienced warrior. However, that didn't say very much. There were no inexperienced warriors at the Late Commander Stage.
Every single warrior at this Stage had been a genius in the General Stage, but since everyone was a genius, no one was.
After the bell rang, Shang charged forward again and reached his opponent.
The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes and readied his shield.
He would block Shang's attack with his shield and counterattack with his sword.
Shang readied his sword.
BANG!
Yet, instead of attacking with his sword, Shang kicked the shield diagonally.
The warrior's eyes widened.
Wasn't his opponent supposed to be at the Initial Commander Stage?! How was his body so strong?!
The warrior's shield was thrown to the side, leaving him open.
BANG!
Several Magic Circles blocked Shang's attack.
Shang readied another attack.
BANG!
Shang's sword cut through the body of his opponent, and the fight was over.
The cheering returned.
Shang didn't even look at his opponent.
By now, he had made peace with his actions.
If he could choose, he wouldn't kill these people, but he had to.
He needed the power.
There was no point in thinking about something he couldn't do anything about.
"Level eleven: Average Late Commander Stage warrior."
After some seconds, Shang's opponent appeared.
It was a woman with long green hair and two curved swords.
DING!
The bell rang, and Shang charged forward again, leaving behind a trail of icy mist.
Shang's charge didn't faze the woman, and she entered a combat stance.
Wind Mana gathered around her and her blades.
SHING!
She performed a quick slash, and a wave of fast and sharp Wind Mana shot at Shang.
BANG!
Sword blocked the wave, destroying it.
SHING! SHING!
The woman released another two waves, and the Wind Mana around her exploded as she also charged at Shang.
BANG!
Shang used a Fire Blast to jump over the waves, but the woman appeared before him at that moment.
Her body was spinning with a terrifying amount of sharp Wind Mana.
BANG!
Shang used another Ice Blast to evade, but it was like the woman knew where Shang would go, and her angle changed.
SHING! SHING!
Another two waves of Wind Mana shot at Shang.
WHOOOM!
Shang had to activate his Domain of Entropy to destroy the two waves.
BANG!
Then, Shang charged at her with a Fire Blast.
Shang reached her and released a slash.
BANG!
The woman released another wind blast and jumped backward, evading Shang's slash.
But at that moment, a wave of Ice Mana came out of Shang's sword, which shot directly at her.
BOOOM!
A big part of the woman's body froze, making it difficult for her to move.
BANG!
Shang released another Fire Blast, several parts of his body turning to ice as he reached her.
WHOOOM!
The Domain of Entropy activated again, turning the gathered Wind Mana around her into Neutral Mana.
Her eyes opened in terror.
BANG!
Sword slashed downward, and the Magic Circles of the woman's armor blocked the attack.
BOOOM!
However, her body hit the ground, creating a crater.
BANG!
Shang released another Ice Blast, some of his blood exploding outward.
He reached her in an instant and released a powerful strike.
BANG!
Shang's opponent died, and he absorbed the remaining life energy inside her body.
The cheering returned.
However, Shang could only furrow his brows.
'She was more powerful than expected,' Shang thought. 'She's only an average Late Commander Stage warrior, and her body is weaker than mine. However, her Battle-Strength was actually quite impressive.'
Of course, Shang knew exactly why his opponent had been so strong.
'Late Commander Stage. It will take several years for me to reach that, and I'm already advancing at rapid speeds.'
'Every single Late Commander Stage warrior is probably already 60 or older. They have several decades of combat experience.'
'They are no longer the people that use the techniques of their predecessors, but the people that create the very techniques that everyone else uses.'
'The students of the Warrior Academy learn the techniques of these people.'
'Right now, I am fighting people that have many times more experience than me when it comes to battle. The only reason why my Battle-Strength can even keep up is that I've been in so many genuinely dangerous battles.'
'Fifty casual battles can't compare to one truly dangerous battle.'
'However, they have also all been in their fair share of dangerous battles.'
'I need more experience and more training over the next couple of years. I have to stay at the very forefront of my Stage in terms of Battle-Strength.'
The wheels returned, but this time, Shang looked at them.
"Level twelve: Powerful Late Commander Stage warrior," the mechanical voice said.
Shang could no longer take his next opponent lightly.
He still remembered his fight with Vice-Commander Wilbury, and this fight would have the same level of opponents, just higher.
A powerful Late Commander Stage warrior was more powerful than an average Peak Commander Stage warrior.
This meant that Shang would be fighting the second most powerful class of warriors in the world, excluding the Dean.
Shang knew that he had no chance against a powerful Peak Commander Stage warrior.
He was simply too young and inexperienced to win against these monsters.
However, he should be on the level of a powerful Late Commander Stage warrior.
If Shang managed to win this fight, he would have twelve points, but these twelve points actually meant fourteen points. After all, the next two levels shouldn't be a big issue after that.
This fight would decide if he would get eleven or fourteen points from the warrior category of the trial.
The first wheel soon stopped.
The field where it stopped was empty.
This meant that Shang would be fighting someone without an Affinity.
They wouldn't be able to use any elemental attacks, but their body would be more powerful.
Their body would be about as powerful as Shang's body.
Not having an Affinity was on the rare side, and Shang hadn't fought many of those people before.
Then, the second wheel stopped on a singular long sword.
SHING!
Shang looked over at his opponent, and his eyes widened.
About a hundred meters away stood an older man with long gray hair. He wore a silver uniform, and he held a nearly 1.5-meter-long sword in front of him with both hands.
His closed eyes and expression spoke of peace, experience, wisdom, and power.
He was one of the most powerful warriors in the world.
Shang gulped and became nervous.
The jester lifted his hammer with a mad grin.
DING!
And he struck the bell.
The old man opened his eyes and peacefully looked at Shang.
"You've already grown so powerful, Shang," he said without any surprise.
Shang's heart was racing.
He could deal with killing the other humans, but he didn't want to kill his current opponent.
"Please tell me you are not the real one," Shang said.
The old man closed his eyes and showed a small smile. "I'm happy to hear that. It means that you still care for us."
"No, I'm not the real one," he said.
"I am a copy that has only just now been created."
"No matter if you kill me or I kill you. I will cease to exist after our fight."
When Shang heard that, he released a sigh of relief.
"Then, let me see how far I have come, Teacher Mervin!" Shang said as he readied Sword.
The old man also readied his sword and opened his eyes.
Shang felt intense pressure radiate out from his opponent.
"Show me the path you have created," Teacher Mervin said as he slowly entered a combat stance.
