1 vs 1

By now, Ren was leisurely traveling with a small caravan for a few days. It contained a few Imperial Army members, Nameless and Ariana, as they were transporting captured Ironclaw members toward the north. In reality, they already knew about Neiro's plan thanks to Sentios's and Kitten's tips, and everything was set up in a way that gave him the perfect opportunity to plan an 'ambush.'

"Are we sure this will be fine, Master?" Ariana asked with a voice transmission as they sat on the carriage containing the prisoners.

"Oh, my dear disciple, you already asked me this question for the hundredth time!" She sighed, stretching her arm, and ruffled Ariana's hair. She just yelped out helplessly as it got jumbled up completely. "Did you forget that your Master is already working toward the Demigod realm? I am fusing my energy points; give me a few years, and I'll be done with it."

"That fast? Even Sect Head is stuck at the final stage…."

"Yes, because he also needs to work on understanding the realm's laws. Your Master is a genius. It is an easy task for me!" She laughed, but Ariana just smiled, thinking to herself.

"And you have experienced it once already… that's cheating!" She giggled with her in the end. "So… are you going to capture him?" She asked after the laughter died down.

"Nope!" Ren answered immediately. "I'll beat him down, scourge his mind right here and now, and finish him off. After that, I'll go to Thunder Valley, do the same with their captured people, and see if I can gain any useful information from their brains. Feynor needs all the help he can get so we can wipe the Empire clean of this vermin."

"And after that?" Ariana asked as she tilted her head.

"I'm off to the Kingdom and start doing it all over again until I find that scumbag."

"Do you think he could reach the 3rd stage, Master?

"I hope so." Ren said as she leaned backward, stretching with a loud moan, "I want to crush his pride. If he fails to reach it, it is good too. Because then I'll mentally torture him a little before squashing him like a bug."

"Something is heading our way." Nameless's voice traveled into their ears. "And it is fast."

"Finally! I was getting bored!" Ren said, cracking her knuckles, "Stay out of it!" She ordered as she flew up with a flash. Soon, she was high up in the air when a different, yellowish lightning bolt traveled towards her before stopping a few meters away, revealing Neiro's figure, holding onto a black spear.

"Oh? This is going to be fun…." Ren said as she licked her lips. Her body flashed with purple lightning, summoning a pure energy spear into her hand.

"Are you Ren?" Neiro asked with a cold voice, tilting his head, looking dead serious.

"Yep. Why? Do you need a blood sample? Some kind of birth certificate? Hm?"

"Very funny. You have one chance! Release my people, and we don't need to fight. We can both be on our way as if nothing happened."

"No can do! Sorry, it is against my religion."

"Against what?" He blinked his eyes, looking confused for a moment.

"I believe in fucking up those who hurt my family! So sorry, no chance that we will come to an agreement!" Ren said with a smile, "Anything else? Or can we start already?"

"Hmf… it seems you are indeed an insufferable little bi-"

"Bitch. Yeah, yeah, I heard it a million times!" Ren sighed, but she was already behind Neiro, her spear in a stabbing motion, going towards the middle of his spine.

"Hmf!" The leader of Ironclaw snorted as he quickly, keeping up with Ren's pace, swirled backward, meeting her spear with his own, deflecting her attack.

In only a flash, they exchanged multiple moves, sending sparks and loud thundering noises through the sky. While Ren's movements were elegant, more like a dance as she wielded her spear as an extension of her arms, Neiro's were missing her fluidity. Yet it did not mean he was weaker; no, his counterattacks were precise, instinctively capitalizing on any minute changes, and he was trying to disturb Ren's rhythm with them. Every swing or stab with his spear contained an insane amount of force behind it. They were quick and precise moves aimed at killing with every strike. When they finally separated again, Ren spun her weapon between her hands with an excited smile while Neiro was recollecting his breath. Yellow lightning was vibrating alongside his hands, dispersing Ren's powers that constantly tried to invade his body.

"You learned on the streets, huh?" Ren asked in the end as she felt the moves displayed by Neiro were all picked-up skills and not taught ones. They were birthed by the experience of life and death battles and not by a teacher.

"Oh, sorry that my techniques can't match your Highness's!" He said, with a mocking voice, imitating a noble's bow.

"No, no, no, I don't mind!" Ren laughed. "They are not that bad! Were you a street kid? That is why you picked up the spear?"

"A stick is always available on the streets." He nodded with calmness. "I had no opportunity to learn anything fancy like sword fighting or any frivolous moves!" Neiro said that while concentrating his powers on his spear. Then, a yellow lightning beam flew towards Ren when he stabbed out.

"Nice~" Ren chuckled, imitating him and sending forward her own, meeting it head-on in a loud explosion that raised both of their hairs towards the sky. The air was quickly filled with wildly crackling electricity around them.

"I've got more if you like it!" He shouted while he struck out once again. "You still have too little experience, girl; I wouldn't be so stuck up in your place!" Neiro shouted as he swung his spear diagonally and let loose a giant arc of yellow electricity sweeping before him, heading straight towards Ren. As he did so, multiple yellow electric balls appeared behind him in a half circle. They lit up randomly as they sent forward attacks, forcing Ren to dodge or deflect the incoming bolts with her spear.

"Look who's talking?" Ren grinned as she also raised her spear. Purple lightning struck down at its tip immediately from the sky as she roared before swinging it down, releasing an arc of her own.

As the two met, it was accompanied by an explosion, stirring up the air and causing strong wind throughout the region. Above them, the clear sky had already darkened as clouds hid the sun, and it was close to breaking into a downpour.

"How are you planning to do this…?" Ren thought, watching Neiro's every movement as they rushed at each other. She matched his strength completely, restraining her own to the same level as Neiro's so they could go toe to toe for as long as needed.

"Damn…" Neiro thought to himself after they separated and barely dodged Ren's spear's sharp end. "Her lightning is weird… It's trying to get under my skin, tsk! This is fucking dangerous!" He grumbled deep inside, yet it did not show on his face. "Little fucking bitch, you are not just sexy but wild… I should've found you earlier so I could make you my own… well, shit! No matter, it's time to end this. I don't want to tire myself out completely!" He said to himself as he took a deep breath. He switched up his movements, going in more aggressively, making mistakes deliberately that Ren immediately realized.

"Oh? Is it starting? Okay… I'll play along with you… let me see~" She smiled, capitalizing on his 'mistakes,' landing in blows that injured him, drawing blood for the first time since they started their fight.

"You're strong…." Neiro gasped for air as they separated again, now bleeding from multiple holes in his arms. "Let's decide this with one attack!" He roared towards the sky, raising his spear as yellow lightning came down, drawn to it. Soon, a giant column of lightning connected it to the clouds, constantly growing and expanding. It was evident if someone in the 1st stage of Harmony got hit by it, they would perish instantly.

"Oh? A suicide attack?" Ren asked as she tilted her head, understanding his play, but Neiro just laughed as an answer.

"I won't let myself be captured! If nothing else, let us die together!"

"Sorry! That won't happen." Ren said as she let go of her spear with a gentle smile, looking like an innocent little girl. Neiro's heart skipped a beat, feeling that something was out of place, something that he did not realize until now. "Disperse!" She said as her genuine aura swept out, washing through Neiro's body.

"What…?" He gasped, but everything happened in an instant.

The lightning he was gathering was almost ready for release. He wanted to use the small window of opportunity to disappear among the chaos, faking his death and making it seem like his spell destroyed him. Yet now it just… stopped. The electricity stopped gathering, and it did not listen to his orders or will, and it suddenly started to disperse. Long strands of yellow bolts snaked out from it in every direction before nothing else remained but the spear that he held towards the sky.

"Sorry." Ren shook her head, walking towards him. "You are already in my domain. Nature listens to my wish and not yours. You stepped into a trap the moment you approached me."

“You… you… that is not possible! You can't be! No! You are barely… barely a child!" Neiro stuttered, not wanting to believe what he was seeing.

"Please!" Ren laughed. "Don't let my appearance fool you! Even in this life, I already should be a mother~" She shook her head, arriving before the trembling Neiro. "Now… let us talk." She said as she looked into his terrified eyes. Her violet pupils lit up with an eerie light while the rumbling thunder drew out Neiro's screams in the sky as a violet lightning storm ensued around them.

…

….

…..

Somewhere in the territory of the Kingdom of Ten, Rudrick was hiding in a labyrinth-like, underground city. It was filled with not just Ironclaw cultivators but hundreds of his men. Descendants that he groomed himself so they would be loyal to him entirely or just heavily brainwashed people… slaves to be discarded if must. He was sitting on a plain mat inside his room, meditating while wearing nothing. His torso still showcased a nasty, freshly-looking injury. It was the same wound that Ren left on him, looking like it had happened yesterday.

"Mh?" He opened his eyes with anger inside them as he failed again in his attempt to advance, primarily because of that wound on his body, festering with lightning from that accursed tribulation. It made him unable to expel it. "Neiro died?" He snorted, feeling the weak fragment of his aura being destroyed. He left it in him so long ago that not even Neiro knew about it. "Idiot! I am surrounded by fucking idiots!" He slammed the ground as his whole room shook. "Even in death, you can do nothing but fuck up! Disturbing me with the end of your useless existence!" He constantly raged, foaming from the mouth. On the outside, those who heard it were already used to it, deciding it was best if nobody approached his room for a few days. "I feel it… I can feel it!" Rudrick groaned, gasping for air, trying to calm himself down without success. He leaned forward, growling on the floor, "I felt the threshold yet… these fucking bolts of lightning!" He moaned as he grabbed the wound, but no matter what he tried, the red sparks inside it stayed there, even lashing out at his fingers, causing him great pain. "That bitch… that little fucking bitch!" He gasped as his saliva drooled to the carpet from between his teeth that he was grinding loudly. It was giving him an even more crazed look. "I need to find her… then this shit can return to her as she drew it down… yeah… yes… then I can also kill her right there and there, making her the sacrifice for my advancement!" He said, watching himself in his pool of drooling, laughing like a maniac.