Kiriya's footsteps echoed steadily as he stepped into the arena, a sharp contrast to the boiling roar of the crowd.
His presence was like dropping an ice cube into a vat of scorching oil—instantaneously igniting the entire stadium!
"Here comes another challenger!"
"That black-clad swordsman! I just saw him—his aura isn't ordinary!"
"Place your bets! I'm putting mine on the Sorceress!"
"Who knows? That swordsman looks pretty formidable, too!"
Under the hood, Morganna's eyebrows lifted slightly, her lazy tone tinged with a trace of genuine interest as she watched Kiriya stride directly toward the center of the arena. "Oh? Bold… I hope you're not here to be humiliated."
Kiriya ignored her trash talk and stopped at a standard dueling distance—about twenty yards away.
This was the perfect range: close enough for him to strike instantly, yet far enough to dodge most instant-cast spells.
The referee NPC, generated by the system, began the countdown:
"Three—"
Dark energy began to swirl at the tip of Morganna's staff, filling the air with a disturbing magical aura.
"Two—"
Kiriya's hand slowly gripped the hilt of his sword, his body lowering slightly, coiled like a predatory leopard ready to strike.
"One—"
"Begin!"
Almost instantly, Morganna swung her staff with astonishing speed, firing three Shadow Arrows in a fan formation toward Kiriya, sealing off his lateral movement.
Yet Kiriya had no intention of dodging.
"Phantom Thrust!"
He bellowed, his figure blurring into a straight, black streak—not retreating or sidestepping, but charging directly through the arrows!
The skill's invincibility frames precisely carried him past their trajectories, closing a massive distance in an instant.
"Tch… reckless!" Morganna muttered, caught off-guard by his aggression. But her reflexes were sharp; she planted her staff.
"Dark Barrier!"
A translucent purple-black shield instantly enveloped her, like a fortified shadowed egg.
Kiriya's sword slammed against the barrier with a muffled clang but failed to break through. Using the rebound, he vaulted lightly and landed gracefully, eyes fixed on his opponent.
"Is that all you've got?" Morganna taunted, but her eyes had lost their previous laziness.
Kiriya said nothing, stepping forward again. Morganna immediately launched another volley of Shadow Arrows.
This time, however, Kiriya's figure flickered mid-dash.
"Clone Summon!"
Boom! Boom!
Two perfect replicas of him appeared instantly, one on each side, flanking him as they charged Morganna together with the original!
"What?!" For the first time, Morganna's voice betrayed real surprise. Her hooded face was a portrait of shock. "Clones… you're not an ordinary swordsman… a hidden class?!"
The audience erupted into chaos! Cheers and shouts nearly shook the arena!
"Clones?! No way! He's a hidden class, too!"
"A hidden class that can summon clones? Never heard of it!"
"Three on one?! How do you fight that?!"
"Don't call it three on one—that's a skill summon! Incredible!"
"This just got interesting! Hidden class vs. hidden class!"
On the sidelines, Lina instinctively crossed her arms, her ice-blue eyes tracking every move Kiriya made.
There was no worry—only complete trust and analytical focus. She knew his strength, and she knew the fire burning in him at this moment.
"Childish tricks!" Morganna recovered from her surprise with a snort. Facing attacks from three directions, she remained composed.
"Dark Burst!"
A surge of dark energy erupted from her, sweeping outward to clear the area.
Kiriya had anticipated this. Almost as she raised her staff, he activated Blink step, sliding back five meters, narrowly avoiding the blast's core.
The two clones, however, fearlessly took the brunt of the shockwave, slashing their swords viciously against the barrier!
-580! -560!
Cracks spread across the shield, visibly crawling across its surface!
"Annoying flies!" Morganna snorted, locking onto a clone with lower HP. She pointed her staff.
"Soul Siphon!"
A purple-black tendril of energy connected her to the clone, steadily draining its health.
Kiriya's gaze sharpened. The original and the remaining clone closed in again, sword light weaving like a net, continuously chipping away at the barrier.
Feeling the pressure, Morganna decided to reposition.
"Shadow step!"
Her figure blurred and vanished, reappearing on the opposite side of the arena.
But Kiriya's pursuit was relentless. The moment she materialized, the original and the clones simultaneously unleashed Phantom Slash!
Three curved arcs of sword energy blocked every possible landing point of her next Shadow step.
Morganna had no choice but to abort her next teleport, scrambling to a smaller area to dodge. A sharp sword strike clipped the hem of her robe!
-850!
The damage wasn't immense, but the insult was palpable.
"You've truly angered me, little swordsman." Morganna's voice turned ice-cold, radiating lethal intent. She Shadow stepped again, creating distance, and began casting.
"Torment Snare!"
"Fear Scream!"
Purple-black runes blossomed beneath Kiriya's feet, accompanied by an ear-piercing psychic wail!
Kiriya reacted instantly, Blink step once more, narrowly escaping the runes' effects. The residual wail caused a slight pause in his movement.
The clone under Soul Drain was less fortunate—gripped by fear, it began moving erratically.
"Got you!" Morganna's eyes glinted coldly, seizing the opportunity, charging a Shadow Arrow to strike the panicked clone.
Yet the healthy, uncontaminated clone executed Kiriya's will to perfection, fearlessly thrusting toward Morganna, forcing her to interrupt her spell to dodge or block!
That split-second interference allowed Kiriya himself to fully recover from the brief stagger.
"Not over yet!" His eyes burned with battle intent. Without hesitation, he activated his skill.
"Phantom Resonance!"
A hum! Invisible waves of energy linked the original and the two clones tightly. Their movements, breaths, even sword swings were perfectly synchronized—three as one.
"This…?!" Morganna sensed the sudden, suffocating pressure of their unity, her complexion finally changing.
The next instant, the Phantom Storm descended!
The original Kiriya and the two clones became three interwoven black lightning strikes, attacking from impossible angles with shared intent, a flood of blades raining down mercilessly.
The sword light never ceased. Morganna's Dark Barrier shattered under the first coordinated strike!
She tried Shadow Step again to escape, but Kiriya's Phantom Slash preemptively blocked her landing!
-980!
Her teleport was interrupted once more!
She gritted her teeth, attempting Dark Burst to force them back, but one clone collided with her casting motion while the other clone and original swordsmen closed in again.
-680! -580! -620! -850 (Critical!)
Damage numbers exploded over her head, almost overlapping. Her health bar plummeted like an avalanche!
Every attempt to cast a spell was immediately interrupted; every movement preempted. She was trapped under an absolute onslaught of sword light and phantoms, without even a moment to breathe.
Finally, under the audience's stunned gaze, the original and two clones—three blades radiating the brilliance of Phantom Thrust—simultaneously struck Morganna from three directions, piercing her as if by fate.
The dazzling black light utterly consumed the deep purple.
[Winner: Kiriya!]
The system sounded its victory chime. The arena fell into a brief, stunned silence, as if struggling to digest such an overwhelmingly spectacular victory.
Then, a roar of cheers erupted—far wilder than anything before!
"He won!!! Too damn strong!!"
"My god! That assault left no breathing room!"
"Phantom Swordsman! That class is absurd! Once synchronized, there's no counter!"
"Total skill dominance! Complete operation domination!"
Kiriya stood, slightly breathing heavily, sweat beading at his temple. The intense micro-management and focus had drained him.
His two clones vanished quietly as their duration ended. He slowly sheathed his sword, expression calm, though a trace of satisfaction gleamed in his eyes.
Without a word, she abruptly turned and vanished hastily into the crowd.
Lina weaved through the excited crowd and reached Kiriya. Her ice-blue eyes shimmered with awe and admiration.
"Unbelievable… that final synchronized strike was like a storm. She didn't even have a chance to counter."
Kiriya took a deep breath to steady himself, glancing at her. "Her skills are strong, but they have casting lag. As long as you deny her breathing room, you can keep her pinned."
The victory, a flawless display of skill and class mastery, felt far more satisfying than any quest reward.
Morganna resurrected just outside the arena, her face a shade paler than usual—yet she remained as alluring as ever.
Slowly, she lifted her gaze, her eyes locking onto Kiriya in the center of the field.
A dangerous, predatory smile tugged at her lips.
She took two graceful steps closer, her voice low and threaded with a hint of enchantment:
"Not bad at all, Kiriya… I'll admit it—your strength truly surprised me."
Her fingertips brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face as her gaze slid over him with subtle, suggestive intent.
"Have you ever thought about joining my guild? A man like you shouldn't be hiding in the shadows forever.
With me, you'd stand at the very top of Dawn City."
Kiriya raised a brow, the faintest ghost of a smile curving his lips—half-serious, half in jest.
"Sorry, but if I joined you, your guild members might all end up unemployed. I should at least leave the others a way to make a living, don't you think?"
Morganna froze for the briefest moment, then let out a soft laugh, one laced with danger and an odd spark of interest.
"Heh… how amusing."
Her gaze lingered on Kiriya as though she were sizing up prey, before she finally turned away.
Her slender silhouette melted into the crowd, leaving behind a restless arena where the spectators whispered excitedly among themselves.
Lina walked up beside Kiriya, her ice-blue eyes glinting with mischief as she teased,
"So you really turned her down? That was the guild master of one of Dawn City's most famous guilds, inviting you personally."
Kiriya arched an eyebrow, a faint, teasing smile playing at his lips.
"Why, you sound almost disappointed for her."
"I'm disappointed for you," Lina replied, crossing her arms with a sly smile.
"Passing up a guild master that beautiful and that powerful? What a shame."
"I don't think it's a shame at all."
Kiriya turned toward the eastern gate, his tone casual but edged with dry humor.
"If I really joined her guild, I'd probably have to sleep with one eye open—just to make sure there isn't a knife aimed at my back."
Lina couldn't hold back a laugh and lightly swatted his arm.
"You make it sound like you're actually afraid of her."
"Afraid?"
Kiriya's mouth curved in a smirk, one brow lifting.
"I just don't like trouble."
"Heading to the Gorge now, 'Winner'?" Lina asked, emphasizing the title that suited him perfectly in this moment.
"Of course." Kiriya turned, heading east. "The StarForce Steel is still waiting."
After this adrenaline-charged top-tier duel, they passed through the still-chattering crowd—some attempting to record the battle—and set off toward the silent canyon once again.
After this fight, the name Phantom Swordsman Kiriya would spread like wildfire across Dawn City, and even further.