"Angered you…?"
Ingrid's voice dripped with hatred as black-purple flames erupted beneath her black thigh-high boots, swirling into a circle of ominous formation.
"ANGERED YOU?!" she screamed, her roar shaking the air itself.
Clash!
The flames wrapped around her body, etching themselves into her very being as her form warped.
With a violent surge, Ingrid transformed into a colossal demonic dragon. Her scales shimmered with a dark, poisonous purple, her claws, hair, and whiskers black as the void.
Gigantic wings tore from her back, spreading wide and with a single beat, they ripped through the mountains, shattering stone peaks as if they were nothing more than fragile glass.
"YOU GODS AND APPRENTICES STARTED THE GODDAMN WAR!!!"
Her voice boomed like thunder, her dragon eyes narrowing in pure hatred as she locked onto Zhe Ha.
"Fool!!! We did it for the equilibrium!!! And now you demons crawl back into the world. What do you want? Another rematch?!" Zhe Ha mocked, his tone sharp, guessing, almost taunting.
"Took you long enough to ANSWER!!!"
Ingrid lunged forward, her massive jaws opening with a breath of hellfire that cascaded toward Zhe Ha.
The flames twisted violently, splitting into streams of purple fire entwined with streaks of lightning.
Thunder cracked as she summoned a storm above, bolts of white-hot lightning spearing downward in a torrential assault.
"Hyea!!!"
Zhe Ha leaped into the air, his scarf unraveling and shifting into a divine shield of gleaming metal.
Sparks flared as he blocked each strike, one after another, the shield ringing like a war drum under the assault of flame and lightning.
With every clash, the air around them shook violently, sending shockwaves across the landscape.
Ingrid shrank back into her human form, but her body still bore her draconic features — scales layered across her arms, her pupils glowing slits, claws sharp and dripping with energy.
With a feral cry, she charged at Zhe Ha, their clash now shifting to raw, brutal melee.
Her strikes came faster and deadlier by the second — claw swipes aimed at his throat, her kicks breaking the ground beneath them, her fists crashing with inhuman force.
Zhe Ha parried and deflected with the shield, his scarf weaving around to lash at her arms and legs, countering every wild strike.
"Rrghhh!!!"
Ingrid roared, catching Zhe Ha's foot mid-kick. With a monstrous strength, she spun and hurled him like a ragdoll across the battlefield.
He smashed through trees, rocks, and finally into the courtyard of a nearby pavilion sect.
Crash!!!
The earth trembled from the impact, pillars and tiles collapsing under the weight of his fall. Students and disciples who had been training nearby froze in terror, their eyes wide.
They whispered in disbelief, recognizing the battered figure rising from the rubble.
"Lord Zhe Ha…?"
"It's Lord Zhe Ha…!!!"
"Praise—the lord has descended!"
Clang!
A spear-shaped stone pillar erupted from the ground, skewering five disciples in a single strike before slamming them against the sect's outer wall. Their bodies hung lifeless, a chilling reminder of the merciless power at play.
Zhe Ha whipped his head toward the sky where Ingrid hovered, her glowing yellow eyes burning with terror and darkness. Lightning forked across the heavens, the storm raging in her aura.
"A true warrior fights without dragging civilians into it, Ingrid!!!"
His voice thundered across the battlefield, echoing through the collapsing pavilion.
"Leave them be, and face me—!"
But before he could even finish, Ingrid's form vanished in a blur. She reappeared for a split second, a blade forming in her hand, then vanished again. Her movements tore through the air like distorted shadows, impossible to track.
A thick mist suddenly swallowed the battlefield, heavy and suffocating. From within it, the sound of metal shrieked — a massive bone-like chain, jagged as a spine, burst out and coiled around Zhe Ha's throat with a brutal snap.
"Ghh—!"
Zhe Ha staggered, straining against the chain's crushing grip.
From the mist, Ingrid leaped forth like a predator, her eyes blazing, her blade gleaming with malevolent energy. She launched into close combat, striking at him with savage precision.
Thud! Thad! Thud! Thad!
Every strike landed with a quake, sparks and shockwaves exploding as her blade clashed against Zhe Ha's divine shield and his own desperate counters.
"You really think you can outdo me?!! A god of flames!!!" Zhe Ha roared, defiant, even as the chain tightened.
Ingrid didn't answer. Her focus was locked, her expression consumed with the sole intent of killing him. Her blade swung again, a killing strike aimed at his throat.
From the rubble, Zhe Ha's spear suddenly surged upward as if called by his will. In one swift motion, it darted forward with blinding speed, stabbing toward Ingrid.
"—!!"
She twisted at the last instant, the spear's edge grazing across her left cheek. A thin cut marked her skin, blood trickling down, but her glare never wavered.
She landed lightly, bouncing back into position. Her chest heaved once, breath misting in the storm-charged air, as she reset her stance — her eyes never leaving Zhe Ha.
Zhe Ha roared and shattered the chains around his neck. The bone-like spine coiled back into a jagged sword in Ingrid's hand, still writhing with residual dark energy.
Summoning her mana, Ingrid cloaked the sword in purple flames that hissed and twisted like living shadows. With a swift, predatory motion, she lunged at Zhe Ha, the air around her scorching from the heat of the inferno.
Zhe Ha responded in kind, igniting his spear with blazing red fire that danced along the shaft like molten lava. Sparks erupted with each swing as their weapons collided, sending shockwaves across the battlefield.
"You're nothing, Ingrid! NOTHING!!!" Zhe Ha bellowed, his voice echoing like thunder across the mountains.
"You talk too much, tantrummer," Ingrid replied coolly, her eyes glinting with deadly amusement.
(Author's note: Oh—burned!!!)
"Damn you!!!" Zhe Ha roared in pure rage, the flames on his spear flaring brighter.
With a clash that shook the very clouds, the two warriors propelled themselves into the sky.
Each strike carved trails of fire and lightning across the storm-riven heavens.
Ingrid spun midair, slashing and launching arcs of purple flame, while Zhe Ha countered with blazing red thrusts and spins, their movements so fast they left afterimages in the sky.
Clouds exploded into fire and smoke with every strike, the wind screaming around them.
Lightning forked dangerously close, drawn to Ingrid's aura of darkness, while Zhe Ha's fiery attacks ignited the atmosphere itself.
The sky became their battlefield — a storm of fire, fury, and unrelenting combat, neither willing to yield an inch.
Zhe Ha and Ingrid soared higher, the wind screaming past them as their powers tore through the clouds.
Purple and red flames clashed in midair, each strike sending shockwaves that rattled the mountains below. Sparks and molten fire rained down as if the sky itself were bleeding.
Ingrid twisted midair, her sword slicing through a cloud of red flame as streaks of purple fire fanned out behind her like a comet's tail.
She struck again, a spinning slash aimed at Zhe Ha's chest. He leapt back, twisting his spear in a horizontal arc that deflected the attack with a ringing clang.
Sparks flew, lightning streaked, and the heavens groaned under the force of their clash.
"You can't even touch me!"
Zhe Ha shouted, charging forward, spear blazing. He thrust in a straight line, fire trailing behind it like a dragon's breath.
Ingrid's eyes narrowed. With a flick of her wrist, the spine-chain sword whipped forward, wrapping around his spear midair and snapping it aside.
She landed a glancing strike across his shoulder, her claws cutting through his armor-like scales.
Zhe Ha grunted, spinning the spear like a staff and striking outward, forcing Ingrid to flip backward, twisting through the air with a perfect somersault.
Her sword hummed, absorbing ambient mana and igniting further with black-purple flames.
She came down like a predator from above, her blade aiming for his head. Zhe Ha twisted, catching the edge with his flaming spear, sparks exploding outward.
"Your arrogance will be your death, Ingrid!" Zhe Ha roared, propelling himself higher. Fire and energy surged from his body, forming a blazing aura that lit up the storm around them.
Ingrid smirked, eyes narrowing as she channeled her mana. Lightning crackled along her wings as she swung the sword in a wide arc, slicing through clouds, whipping a tornado of flame and shadows toward him.
Zhe Ha countered, thrusting his spear into the center of the tornado, igniting it into a fiery cyclone that swirled around them both.
They collided mid-cyclone, the force of their clash creating an explosion that shattered the clouds. Flames roared and debris scattered, raining down on the mountains below.
Zhe Ha grabbed Ingrid's wrist mid-spin, throwing her backward, but she vanished in an instant, teleporting behind him and striking at his side. Sparks erupted where the purple blade met his fire-forged armor.
"Not fast enough!" Ingrid hissed, summoning tendrils of flame that lashed out, attempting to bind his arms and legs.
Zhe Ha twisted violently, the flames snapping harmlessly against his shield of fire and fury. With a burst of speed, he launched himself at her, spinning like a comet.
They collided again in the sky, midair somersaults, flips, and spins blending into a blur of red and purple energy.
The sound of clashing steel, roaring flames, and thunderous strikes echoed across the horizon. Every movement left trails of fire and shadows, painting the sky with their war.
"Enough games!"
Zhe Ha shouted, summoning a massive fire spear that pulsed with molten energy. He thrust it down in a vertical strike meant to crush her.
Ingrid leapt backward, twisting midair as the spear plunged into the clouds, tearing them apart.
She landed on the edge of a floating rock, lightning crackling around her as her sword transformed into a massive crescent blade of purple fire.
"You won't stop me!" she hissed, launching herself like a dragon diving from the heavens, the crescent blade slicing through the sky.
Zhe Ha met her head-on, the collision of their powers shaking the mountains below. Fire, lightning, and shadows intertwined in a violent maelstrom, each refusing to yield.
For a moment, time seemed to freeze. Sparks hung in the air like stars, and their eyes locked — two forces of destruction, equal in skill, wrath, and will.
Then, as if the storm itself had chosen, they lunged again, unstoppable, their battle consuming the sky, leaving nothing untouched in their wake.
The storm around them intensified, thunder cracking like the world itself was splitting.
Zhe Ha and Ingrid surged through the clouds, their clash carving a path of fire, shadows, and lightning. Each strike sent shockwaves across the mountains, tearing peaks into rubble.
Ingrid shifted tactics first, vanishing into a swirl of black-purple mist. From above, she rained down slashes and arcs of flame, teleporting unpredictably, striking from angles Zhe Ha could barely track.
Every swing of her sword forced him to dodge or parry with bursts of blazing red fire, his spear moving in fluid, lethal arcs.
Zhe Ha countered with a tactical shift of his own. Summoning molten energy from the mountains below, he created a series of floating fire pillars, each erupting with explosive force.
Ingrid twisted in midair, narrowly evading them, but a streak of molten fire grazed her wing, singeing the edge.
"You're fast, but not fast enough!" Zhe Ha bellowed, charging at her through the pillars with a spear swing that ignited the clouds themselves.
Ingrid teleported behind him in a streak of darkness, slicing at his back. Sparks erupted where her blade met his armor-like scales, but Zhe Ha spun violently, using the momentum to propel himself upward in a spiral, forcing Ingrid to leap and retreat.
The battlefield shifted again. Mountains crumbled, and a massive crater formed below as Zhe Ha drove a pillar of fire into the ground, using it to launch himself skyward.
Ingrid followed, teleporting from cloud to cloud, leaving trails of purple flame behind her like falling stars.
Midair, they clashed once more. Ingrid's crescent blade collided with Zhe Ha's spear, creating a violent explosion of red and purple energy that sent shockwaves rippling across the horizon.
She twisted, launching a flurry of slashes, each imbued with lightning and fire, forcing Zhe Ha to parry with precise, spinning movements.
Zhe Ha's tactical shift came in the form of a feint. He retreated suddenly, drawing Ingrid in, then unleashed a burst of flame in all directions, creating a ring of fire that cut off her escape.
She leapt, summoning a streak of shadowy flame to pierce the ring, and they collided at the center, sparks and lightning exploding around them like miniature storms.
"You can't keep up with me!" Zhe Ha yelled, driving her backward through a series of lightning-infused strikes.
Ingrid gritted her teeth, smirk fading, and channeled every ounce of her mana. Purple flames engulfed her blade as she shifted tactics again, teleporting rapidly, striking with unpredictable angles.
Each attack pushed Zhe Ha further, forcing him into a defensive spiral, yet his counterattacks were just as fierce, burning streaks of red fire tearing through the air toward her.
The sky above became a battlefield of light and shadow — fire, lightning, and darkness intertwining in a chaotic dance. Even the clouds themselves twisted and blackened, as if the heavens themselves feared their wrath.
Finally, they paused in midair, circling one another. Both breathing heavily, their auras clashing like storms.
The mountains below lay shattered, smoke rising from broken peaks, rivers boiling where their energy had struck. The battlefield was nothing but chaos — a testament to their unstoppable fury.
Ingrid's eyes narrowed. Zhe Ha's gaze burned with rage and determination. Neither would yield.
The storm raged around them, silence settling for a heartbeat before they surged at each other one last time — a final, desperate clash that would echo through the skies long after the chapter ended.
With one titanic collision, fire met shadow, steel met flame, and the heavens shook with the fury of their battle.
The chapter closed with their silhouettes locked in combat, suspended between storm and sky, leaving the outcome — and the world below — hanging in suspense.
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Chapter 32 — End