The air inside the reinforced training chamber was thick with static and an oppressive, freezing chill.
The duel between Ray and Noxians ignited with explosive intensity.
Noxians opened the fray, unleashing a barrage of shadow spheres that hissed through the air.
Ray didn't flinch; instead, blades of pure crimson lightning manifested in his hands.
He parried the incoming dark projectiles with rhythmic, precise strikes, each
collision bathing the dark room in flashes of brilliant red light.
Spotting a gap in Noxians’ defenses, Ray surged forward.
His body blurred into a flash, closing the distance in an instant to throw a devastating punch.
Noxians narrowly dodged the strike, but his eyes widened in shock as Ray splayed
his fingers, launching a hidden blade of lightning directly from his palm.
It nearly razed Noxians' throat, forcing the boy to reflexively trigger "Shadow Step,"
blinking away just as the edge grazed his skin.
Ray gave him no breathing room. He instantly solidified his mana into a crackling lightning sword and lunged.
Noxians recovered in mid-air, manifesting twin blades of solidified shadow to parry the strike.
Sparks showered against the indestructible walls as the elements clashed.
Simultaneously, Noxians conjured a swarm of shadow swords that circled
Ray like a pack of hungry wolves before diving toward him in a lethal spiral.
Ray retreated, moving with blistering speed across the metal floor, but the swords dogged his every step.
As the swarm closed in, Ray roared, detonating a massive shockwave of compressed lightning.
The force shattered the shadow swords into worthless wisps of smoke, but the
strain was visible—the output had burned through a significant portion of his mana.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from NovelPhoenix. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
Noxians had anticipated this. He had been gathering power in silence since he landed,
completing his "Shadow Blade" technique—a concentrated spear of darkness.
With a desperate cry born of his refusal to lose, he fired.
Ray tried to pivot, but the projectile was too fast; it tore through his defenses,
carving a deep, agonizing wound across his chest.
"Surrender!" Noxians commanded, gasping for air. "It's over. Give me the complete technique!"
A strange, twisted smile spread across Ray’s bloodied face.
"Why so hasty, Noxians? The match has only just begun."
Ray’s aura shifted into something terrifying.
Lightning began erupting from his pores in dense waves.
He took a sharp breath, dragging the wild electricity back into his body, forcing his muscles to adapt to the massive influx.
"Crimson Form," Ray hissed. "Tyrant Style: Lightning Step!"
Ray vanished, leaving a crater where he had stood.
He reappeared instantly in front of Noxians, his fist coiled with enough kinetic energy to flatten the boy.
Noxians responded with instinctual brilliance, triggering Shadow Step at the
very last millisecond, his body dissolving just as Ray’s punch slammed into the empty air.
Ray refused to stop. He became a streak of crimson light, hunting Noxians relentlessly.
The boy was forced into a desperate defensive dance, burning through his
remaining shadow energy to blink away
from strike after strike until his reserves were nearly bone-dry.
Realizing he couldn't outrun the onslaught, he drew a shadow sword and braced for a direct clash.
Ray’s voice cut through the tension: "You've fallen into my trap."
Ray unleashed the second movement of the Tyrant Style: "Lightning Fist."
Infused with the full momentum of his Lightning Step, the blow slammed into the shadow sword, shattering it like glass and sending Noxians flying.
He smashed into the wall, blood spraying from his lips as he slumped to the floor, barely conscious.
"You... you're strong," Noxians wheezed, struggling to stand. "But see if you can handle this!"
Summoning the last of his will, he formed dozens of floating shadow swords, merging them into one colossal, towering blade of void energy that pulsed with the weight of his soul.
Seven seconds left, Ray thought, his focus narrowing. I have to end this.
Ray sheathed his lightning sword, settling into a stance of terrifying calm.
As the giant shadow blade descended, he whispered: "Sword Emperor Style: Dusk Slicer."
In a motion as fluid and beautiful as a dance, Ray drew his blade in a silent arc that mimicked the falling of shadows at twilight.
The technique cleaved the giant blade in two, the shockwave dissipating the void energy into nothingness.
Before the dust settled, Ray was at Noxians' side, his blade resting gently against the boy's neck.
Noxians let out a ragged, breathless laugh. "I... I lost the bet."
Ray deactivated his "Crimson Form," his body trembling from pushing past his own limits.
Noxians moved with agonizing effort, dropping to one knee and bowing his head.
"I pledge my absolute loyalty to you... from this moment forward, forever."
Ray stepped forward and placed his hand firmly on Noxians' head. "Do not resist."
Ray channeled the "Tyrant’s Bond"—a technique far more potent and useful than any standard enslavement spell.
A glowing, intricate seal of authority flared on Noxians' forehead before sinking deep into his skin and vanishing.
With the contract sealed, Ray transferred the complete knowledge of the "Dark
Sovereign Technique" into his new servant's mind.
Noxians gasped as he realized that if he mastered this, his power would reach a terrifying, new level.