Chapter 425: Vladimir VS Riven Rematch

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Vladimir tried to pull his arms back, but the sudden stop had thrown him off balance. He had been leaning into the next slash, expecting to cut through Riven’s defense again. Now his feet were still moving forward while his arms had nowhere to go.

"Damn it!"

He planted one foot and twisted, trying to make enough room to attack from another angle. Riven didn’t give him the chance. His hands had already done their job, and he shifted his stance before Vladimir could free himself properly.

Vladimir caught the movement below him. A leg, coming up right through the opening he had left. He started to lower his arms to block it.

"A kick?! You cannot defeat me with... Huh?!" Vladimir’s thoughts were interrupted by the power he sensed within Riven’s leg.

His expression changed. That was the same blade energy he had just felt against his arms, now concentrated along Riven’s leg. Blocking it like an ordinary kick would be a mistake.

Vladimir tried to move out of its path, but he was too close. He had spent the entire exchange pressing forward, and now there was barely any space between them.

He could see where the kick was going. Riven wasn’t swinging it across his side or aiming to knock him back. It was rising straight up toward the center of his body.

"You bastard...!"

Vladimir pulled back as hard as he could, no longer thinking about landing another Blazing Cross. First, he had to avoid that leg.

Abyssal Assault Arts Internalization – Abyssal Guillotine Kick.

It wasn’t just a simple kick. Riven had imbued it with enough power that a single rising, vertical strike could split Vladimir into two!

Out of fear, Vladimir leaped away, avoiding the attack by a hair’s breadth. A ray of cutting blade energy imbued with abyssal ki shot upward and split the barrier open, but it quickly closed again.

Vladimir landed badly and had to brace himself with one hand before he could straighten up. He looked at the spot where the kick had passed, then at the barrier closing above them.

"That would’ve..."

He stopped himself. There was no point saying it. He had felt enough of that attack to know what would have happened if he had been a little slower.

Riven turned to face him, ready to continue.

Vladimir clenched his teeth. He hated that he had jumped away like that, even if staying there would have been worse. His new arm still worked. He still had power left. This wasn’t over just because Riven had scared him.

"Hah... Hahahaha...! I haven’t tried everything yet!" Vladimir laughed maniacally after witnessing what Riven was capable of. "Now...! Overload!"

He charged once more, overloading his Inferno Arm with Mana, Draconic Energy, and the power of its Psionic Energy Engine. Waves of red and purple energy rose above him like a cloud of flames, taking the faint shape of a giant dragon.

The arm trembled as he forced more power into it, but Vladimir didn’t stop. He watched the red and purple energy spread beyond his fingers, then drew it back toward himself instead of releasing it in another blast.

Throwing all that energy out at once wasn’t what he wanted now. He needed it for the charge, where Riven would have to deal with him directly.

This time, Vladimir wanted to put that power behind his next attack and keep it there.

"Come on...!" he growled, flexing the metal hand.

The flames followed the movement of his arm. Above him, the dragon’s shape became clearer, its head turning toward the same target Vladimir refused to take his eyes off.

It wasn’t like Ignias, though. She wasn’t here, and this dragon’s head resembled a furious wolf baring its sharp teeth at Riven. This was, without a doubt, Vladimir’s own Beast Aura. He had already developed something like it.

And his new arm’s Psionic Energy Engine gave him the extra power he needed to push his strength even further.

Vladimir could feel the difference as he moved. The arm wasn’t just carrying the flames anymore. Its power was feeding into the attack he was preparing, letting him use more than he could have managed on his own.

He leaned forward, keeping the metal arm ready. Riven had stopped his attacks once, but Vladimir wasn’t going to make it easy for him to do it again.

There had to be a limit somewhere. A point where Riven couldn’t simply block him or answer with something stronger.

Vladimir intended to find it.

His foot dug into the ground as he prepared to push off harder. He didn’t care how ugly the landing would be. He only cared about reaching Riven.

"No matter what it takes, I will catch up with you, Riven Claymore!!!" Vladimir roared. The ground shattered beneath his foot, cracks spreading outward like a spiderweb.

And then, Vladimir disappeared.

RUMBLE!

The ground beneath him exploded, sending boulders flying everywhere as Vladimir appeared in front of Riven a split second later.

Riven could barely see him coming. His speed was ridiculous, a night-and-day difference from before he had gotten that arm.

Vladimir had already drawn the metal hand back, its five blades ready to slash. He didn’t waste the charge on another shout. All his attention was on Riven, who was finally right where he wanted him.

At that speed, there was barely any room to adjust his aim, but Vladimir didn’t think he needed to. He was close enough to strike, and he intended to use every bit of power the arm could give him.

Riven began to move. Vladimir caught that much, though he couldn’t tell what he was preparing.

It didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to stop now and give Riven another chance to turn the fight around.

The Mutants’ work was truly astonishing when they had enough high-quality materials!

But naturally, this had also been Willheim’s magnum opus. It was an amazing piece of equipment that they had salvaged, improved, and adapted to fit Vladimir perfectly.

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