Blazing flames burned fiercely, intertwining with the wild winds that Muria unleashed when he didn't hold back his power. Wind and fire entwined, with golden lightning flashing within, striking towards Ilvest with the rainbow shot by Muria.
Muria had no intention of holding back. He had decided to go all out and beat his brother-in-law into submission, so that he wouldn't interfere with his relationship with Mikaela.
"Hmph!" Ilvest snorted coldly, similarly pulling out a large bow, drawing the string, and shooting a rainbow beam that collided with Muria's arrow, both dissipating into nothing. The flames on his eight wings rose up, blocking Muria's lightning.
As Muria had mentioned, spears, swords, and bows were the three essential weapons for the Seraphim race. Each Seraphim mastered these three weapons at a master level, though their specializations varied. Some could even be called grandmasters.
If a genius was willing to spend a large amount of time practicing these techniques, they could achieve grandmastery in all of them. Ilvest was such an individual.
Back when he was at the Soul Will level, Ilvest had dared to lead a group of friends to join a Titan in attacking a legendary eight-armed serpent demon. Born into nobility and willing to fight fearlessly, the Seraphim's resources were naturally inclined towards him without limitation, meeting almost all his needs.
So when Muria took out the Starfall Bow, Ilvest also drew out a platinum bow, neither gold nor jade in material, and engaged Muria in a shooting match. This was a legendary bow, temporarily comparable in power to Muria's Starfall, though it lacked growth potential. The method of crafting exclusive weapons was known only to the Titan race.
Boom! Boom!… Muria and Ilvest, both holding legendary bows, engaged in a fierce exchange of shots, creating a stunning spectacle. The arrows collided and shattered, stirring energy vortices that swirled across the vast sky arena, emitting waves that made the faces of golden-level angels pale. This was power that could completely tear them apart, giving no chance of recovery. But for Muria and Ilvest, it was like a breeze.
"This power…" Muria frowned slightly, glancing at Elash, who was watching the battle outside the arena. His eyes conveyed a clear message: "Are you too weak, or is my brother-in-law too strong? You're not even on the same level."
Elash, who had been watching, hoping to see Muria suffer, turned pale as he met Muria's gaze, understanding the message.
"How are you so much stronger than Elash?" Muria was surprised. His brother-in-law, like Elash, was also at the third level of legend, but when suppressed, he could still match Muria in combat.
"Are you proud of defeating someone who relies solely on talent? Experience my true power; this is what a Seraphim should be like."
After exchanging more than a dozen shots with Muria, discovering that Muria's archery was also at the grandmaster level, Ilvest drew his twin swords. With a slight movement of his eight wings, he appeared beside Muria, slashing down in an X shape.
"Don't underestimate me!" Muria rolled his eyes, putting away the Starfall Bow and drawing the Seven Sins Blade and the Demon-Banishing Sword. They engaged in close combat, with sharp sword and blade auras scattering, forming a storm of sword energy centered around them, leaving intersecting slash marks on the hard white stone arena. With the King of the Mountains present, the arena wouldn't be destroyed.
"Before your sister was born, you were the number one genius of the Seraphim race. Even now, you are still the top. Defeating you is equivalent to defeating the younger generation of Seraphims."
Since he intended to pursue someone's sister, Muria had done his homework, understanding her family and clan. At least all the publicly available information was known to him. Ilvest was the face of the younger generation of Seraphims, and he still was, as Mikaela had not yet grown up.
Boom! Ilvest's twin swords slashed down repeatedly, each sword beam extending thousands of meters, like sword mountains crashing down on Muria, fierce and domineering. If not for the Seraphim reinforcing the space, it would have been torn apart by Ilvest.
"This gap is too large. Elash really is a waste," Muria thought as he wielded his blade and sword, unleashing sword energy and blade auras that matched Ilvest's, holding a temporary stalemate. Muria realized he couldn't quickly defeat his brother-in-law.
Reality wasn't a game. Even within the same race, individuals could achieve vastly different levels of success through effort and learning. This was evident in the difference between Ilvest and Elash, particularly in their techniques and equipment.
According to Muria's knowledge, Seraphim children, upon reaching legend status, could choose a legendary weapon. However, obtaining a second one required their own ability.
For instance, if Elash wanted a legendary sword, he needed to reach grandmastery in sword techniques to acquire it. Clearly, he hadn't, as he couldn't produce a second legendary weapon after Muria had easily defeated him and suppressed his legendary spear, Radiant Glory.
"Brother-in-law, where did you get this legendary armor?" Muria finally managed to break through Ilvest's dual swords, leaving a slash mark on his chest armor that began to heal on its own. He asked with some frustration.
"I exchanged it for merits," Ilvest replied coldly. "Where did you get your exclusive weapons?"
The Titan race had a different policy for training their descendants. Ilvest remembered that after breaking through Soul Will, Titans seemed to have only one exclusive weapon. To get more, they had to rely on their own efforts, without their clan's support. This was due to the differing paths the two races took after becoming legends.
"I earned them with my own ability," Muria answered confidently. To obtain the legendary metals in his mother's crystal castle, he had spent a lot of time studying formations, learning how to find the weak points in the meticulously crafted, nearly perfect arrays.
Muria found that this ability to find weaknesses wasn't just useful for breaking formations. It could also be applied in combat, allowing him to identify and exploit the weak points in his opponent's techniques, defeating them with minimal effort.
However, finding weaknesses in his brother-in-law's techniques wasn't easy, making this fight exceptionally tough. The surrounding Seraphims and angels enjoyed the spectacle, occasionally cheering for Ilvest.
"Tch!" Muria scoffed at the surrounding noise, then fought Ilvest even more ferociously. He realized the way to defeat his brother-in-law.
While their techniques, equipment, and levels were comparable, Muria had one advantage: his physique. His recovery ability was stronger, which was his path to victory.
"They're exhausting each other," a female Eight-Winged Seraphim remarked softly, frowning slightly. She was surrounded by numerous Six-Winged and Four-Winged Seraphims, like stars around the moon.
"Lady Feyette, how do you think this battle will end?" a Six-Winged Seraphim asked eagerly.
"I can't tell," Feyette shook her head honestly. "Both of them are monsters. I can't beat either of them."
"Uh, Lady Feyette, you don't have to belittle yourself so much!"
"It's not self-belittling. I fought Ilvest before and lost. As a result, I agreed to his marriage proposal," Feyette smiled lightly.
"Congratulations, Your Highness!" The sudden news surprised the surrounding Seraphims, who quickly offered their blessings. The marriage of two Eight-Winged Seraphims was essentially settled, with no opposition expected.
"Given that, don't you hope Ilvest wins against this arrogant fellow?" another Seraphim asked.
"Of course, I hope Ilvest wins, but I care more about his safety and well-being," Feyette replied, her face showing concern. "They're exhausting each other with their physiques. Continuing like this will hurt both of them."
The battle continued, with all the Seraphims and angels watching intently. Although most couldn't follow the combatants' movements, the residual energy from the fight was enough to entertain them.
"Brother-in-law, give up! You can't outlast me. Continuing is just a waste of time," Muria panted, his body stinging and numbing from Ilvest's attacks, but he believed his brother-in-law was worse off. He saw Ilvest's heroic body trembling slightly.
"Hmph, you..." Ilvest's face showed anger and extreme reluctance. He realized that Muria's physique was superior, and continuing would result in his loss. It wasn't a matter of skill.
"Screech!" Just as Ilvest was about to recover and continue fighting, a sound like a bird's cry and a beast's roar pierced the air, shaking the heavens.
Muria looked in the direction of the sound and saw a giant beast covered in wings flying towards them, transforming into a white rainbow. An endless gale followed, dispersing the clouds, creating a spectacular sight. The first creature to respond to Muria's challenge had arrived…
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