Gol D. Ace In Coiling Dragon

Everyone stared at Wukong in shock and awe. Even those whose senses weren’t sharp enough to determine Harriet’s exact level could see she was a saint, whilst he was just a mortal.

But for Maria and the other fallen angels who understood the truth, their shock was several times more. If before they were looking at Wukong cautiously, now there was a definitive element of fear.

They knew that even amongst saints of her level, Harriet ranked near the top, and yet, Wukong sent her flying with seemingly little to no effort.

The only ones who weren’t shocked by this outcome were Amira, Faye, and Lance. If anything, they would’ve been more shocked had things ended up any different; after all, in terms of talent, Wukong was the only one, not including Amira and Leo, who could compete with Ace in the Pavilion.

Harriet’s shock was no less than Maria and the other Fallen Angels; in fact, it was even more. Wukong’s last attack held a spiritual element to it, causing her to be temporarily disorientated.

Still, she didn’t have time to waste time thinking about what just happened, as she noticed that Wukong’s attention had shifted from her to Maria, causing the young woman to subconsciously tremble in fear.

“Hmm?” Wukong voiced as his eyes turned back to the elderly sabre-wielding woman. “That’s more like it.”

Upon realising that she wouldn’t be a match for the young ape-like warrior in her current state, she undid the seal that was restraining her power in this body.

It had to be remembered that each of the souls currently inhabiting the bodies of the fallen angels were experts from the higher plains. Unfortunately, the bodies they were placed in weren’t capable of withstanding their full powers, causing them to seal it away.

Though it was possible to undo the seal – as Harriet had just done – it came at a cost. Since the bodies of the mortals used weren’t able to withstand such power, they would slowly wither away and die.

Still, in a situation like this, Harriet unhesitantly undid her seal – Wukong was simply too strong.

“Granny, you…” Maria’s eyes became slightly watery as she looked at the cold and indifferent old woman who was essentially killing herself.

Though Harriet was cold and indifferent, even in front of Maria, she had still been the one who basically raised her all these years. After all, as the rulers of one of the most powerful forces on the continent, whether it was her mother or her father, neither had the time to spend as much time with her as she would’ve liked.

Harriet didn’t only raise her; she even trained her as both a mage and a warrior. She was a big part of the reason she had become as strong as she had, and now…

“Leave the monkey to me,” Harriet indifferently commanded. “You kill the girl and escape!”

A fierce but firm look appeared in Maria’s eyes as she coldly responded. “I understand.”

“You all continue to underestimate me too much,” Wukong grinned as he took an unhurried but measured step forward. “Tribulation Stepper – First Step!”

As he said that, a giant purple bolt of lightning the width of a tree trunk descended, striking the heads of all of the fallen angels, instantly killing two and leaving two disorientated and severely injured as they fell to their knees, clutching their heads and screaming.

The only ones who weren’t phased by that strike were Harriet, who had easily sidestepped the attack, and Maria, who was apparently protected by some sort of magical amulet.

Unfortunately, it appeared to be a one-time use as both the barrier and amulet immediately shattered.

Wukong though, acted as though he couldn’t be bothered to care about the damage he inflicted. Instead, he simply raised his foot in order to take another step. “Seco…”

“Don’t even think about it,” Harriet snarled as she shot forward like a bullet, appearing in front of Wukong in the blink of an eye, knowing she couldn’t afford to allow Wukong another chance to strike.

Though she had dodged it, she had still sensed the spiritual power infused in that last strike. It was the main reason why those two mortal fallen angels were still screaming in pain.

And although Maria was a saint with a fairly powerful soul for her realm, it was clear she was still inferior to Wukong spiritually. Should the next strike be allowed to land, the damage done could very well be fatal.

“Stupid old hag,” Wukong cursed as he blocked the arcing sabre with his staff. “Don’t think this king won’t kill you because you’re old!”

Maria, who had taken one final look at the clash between her Granny and Wukong to make sure she wasn’t defeated so easily, was brought back to reality by the grunt of one of her family’s fallen angels.

Looking back over her shoulder, she noticed that one of the two still-living fallen angels who had survived Wukong’s last attack had suddenly collapsed with his head rolling on the ground beside him, and just behind him was the fleeting afterimage of the young caramel-skinned dual-swordsman – Amira Rohault.

“Since when don’t I exist?!” Maria growled, still greatly agitated by the impending death of the woman who basically raised her.

Amira frowned when she realised she wouldn’t make it to kill the last mortal fallen angel before being intercepted.

She wanted to kill both Fallen Angels before facing the enraged princess of darkness. Unfortunately, although she was slightly faster than the princess, she was further away.

In the end, all she could do was focus on the biggest threat.

“Get up,” Maria barked at the kneeling black-winged angel. “Hurry up and kill the rest of those mortals.”

“Yes, your highness,” the fallen angel respectfully replied as he stumbled to his feet, ignoring the roaring headache he was suffering.

“Lance, Faye,” Amira called out with a little worry.

“Don’t worry,” Faye shouted back as she leapt towards the peak ninth-rank fallen angel fearlessly. “We’ve got this!”

Even though he was badly injured, Faye and Lance knew not to underestimate their opponent. After all, he was a warrior at the peak of the ninth rank. Still, they didn’t have to defeat him; they just had to keep him busy until Wukong and or Amira were done with their fights.

Something that, with their recent improvements, was very possible.

Hearing their confidence, Amira sighed with relief as she turned back to face her opponent with a calm confidence.

“Do you really think that you stand a chance just because I don’t have support?” Maria growled as she slashed her longsword at Amira’s flawless neck. “Ignorance!”

It was at that moment that Amira did something that shocked her and all those watching.

It had to be remembered that although they knew Amira was virtually peerless among her generation, she had never revealed her bloodline to the public… Until now!”

The moment Amira’s spiritual projection appeared behind her, cultivation jumped straight from the peak of the sixth rank to the peak of the seventh as a golden battle-qi seemingly made of pure mage-force coated her body.

If before she was only slightly faster than her opponent, now, the difference in speed was clear as day.

And to make it worse, Amira’s skill with the sword was clearly a level or two above Maria’s.

Both Amira’s katanas danced around her opponent as though each had a mind of their own, slowly allowing Amira to suppress her opponent.

Even as Maria leapt back to put some distance between them, Amira stayed glued to her like a shadow, each strike aimed at a vital point, causing the nerves of the princess of darkness to constantly stay taut.

Whilst one of Amira’s katana’s flashed like a light seemingly flickering in and out of existence with incredible speed and precision, trying to pierce Maria’s weak spots, her other katana moved with the wind flowing from one strike to the next with grace and a deadly elegance.

Maria’s only saving grace was that although Amira’s speed had clearly reached and surpassed the average early saint, her raw power was very much that of a mortal, allowing her battle-qi to defend against the few strikes that made it past her sword.

Still, if things carried on like this, it was only a matter of time before Amira’s attacks found a way through her slowly weakening battle-qi.

“Is this the limit of the number one woman of your generation?” Amira smirked.

“DON’T UNDERESTIMATE ME!” Maria roared as she ignored Amira’s incoming slash, seemingly wanting to exchange injury for injury.

Amira’s eyes constricted as she saw that, not because of the power of the blow but because of the vicious nature of the attack.

Amira saw Maria’s jet-black battle-qi transmute into what appeared to be a viscous inky-black liquid that made her hair stand on edge.

Even before she took the time to understand what had happened, she instinctively leapt back, unwilling to get touched by that. Unfortunately, for the first time in a long time, Amira was a little slow to completely avoid it.

In the end, all she could do was raise her swords to block as she went on to use the impact of their clash to put some distance between them.

A frown appeared on Amira’s otherwise beautiful face as she studied the sticky black liquid that appeared to be eroding her light style [Force Armour]. “Law of Darkness: Profound Mystery of Evil…”