Chapter 493: The Hard-Headed Battle

My ears were still ringing, and I couldn’t hear the sounds around me.

At least my vision had cleared.

Li Ziyu covered one ear with his hand, used the other to prop himself up on the battlements, and struggled to his feet.

Then he saw the shockwave erupt in the sky and come sweeping over.

“Holy sh— Shi— AHH… AHHHHHHHH…”

A furious wind swept past.

The wind distorted Li Ziyu’s face.

He’d just opened his mouth to speak when he got a mouthful of wind, making it impossible to close.

He was regretting it immensely now.

‘Why the hell did I run up to the top floor? Wouldn’t it have been better to just stay downstairs?’

‘This is just asking for trouble. I’m a total glutton for punishment.’

The gale passed, and two figures descended from the sky.

Li Ziyu let out a belch. He’d certainly had his fill of wind. ‘I really have you two and your ancestors to thank for this.’

‘The drama is juicy, but it’s not worth getting caught in the crossfire.’

A fire at the city gate brings disaster to the fish in the moat.

‘You two can fight. I’m going to find a new spot.’

Li Ziyu turned and ran.

He didn’t even stay in the main tower, running straight to the Great Tomb.

‘The Great Tomb is perfect. Not only does it have high Defense Power, but I can also see far from it. I can still watch the show.’

Stable.

Once inside the Great Tomb, Li Ziyu activated his long-range vision and looked toward the battlefield.

To this moment, he still didn’t know why those two had started fighting.

Damenevsky said he didn’t know the Void Lord Bebuta.

But Bebuta had blocked their way.

‘I’m not going to get bogged down in the details. The show must go on, and a battle like this is a rare sight.’

After the first exchange, both of them had a rough measure of the other’s strength.

Damenevsky landed near the Undead Fortress, while Bebuta landed over on the grasslands.

As if acknowledging Bebuta as a worthy opponent, Damenevsky drew his uniquely shaped axe from his back, swung it forcefully twice, gripped the handle with both hands, and hefted it a few times.

Bebuta reached into the Void and pulled out a weapon similar to a Lance. The shaft was made of a green metallic material Li Ziyu couldn’t identify, while the tip was like a Crystal, transparent and shimmering with the blue fluorescence of Void Energy.

The Void Lord was surprisingly honorable. His duel with Damenevsky was one-on-one, and the surrounding Void Beetles all cleared a path, moving a great distance away to watch.

‘Uh… wait. Maybe it wasn’t about honor. They were probably just afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.’

Judging from that last shockwave, the collateral damage from their fight would be significant.

‘Wait, am I a little too close?’

“Pull back!”

Just as Li Ziyu ordered the Fortress to retreat, Damenevsky was already charging at Bebuta, gripping his War Axe with both hands.

No fancy moves, no wasted motion—just a direct overhead chop.

Bebuta raised his Lance, blocking overhead.

CLANG!

The two weapons collided, and time seemed to pause for a moment before resuming. A shockwave spread out with the two of them as the epicenter.

The surrounding prairie was devastated. Despite having done nothing wrong, the grass was torn out by the roots and sent flying into the distance by the gale.

A circle of barren ground, where not a single blade of grass remained, instantly appeared in what was once a lush prairie.

At the center, Damenevsky and Bebuta seemed not to notice. Damenevsky’s arms tensed, his muscles bulging, as he pressed the axe downward.

Bebuta, renowned for his personal combat prowess, had thought he could withstand this Human’s Power. But as the immense force bore down on him, his arms began to buckle.

He had no choice but to raise his other two arms. That’s right—Bebuta was a humanoid Void Beetle; he had four arms to use.

Only by using all four arms together could he barely parry Damenevsky’s War Axe.

Just as Damenevsky was about to press his advantage, Bebuta unleashed a sudden burst of power, flinging him away.

Damenevsky used the momentum to leap into midair. Bebuta jumped up from a standstill, thrusting his Lance fiercely at Damenevsky.

The two clashed violently in midair for some time before falling back to the ground, the exchange ending in another stalemate.

Taking advantage of the time, the Undead Fortress had already retreated a long way. The aftershocks of their battle were no longer a threat, and Li Ziyu, hiding in the Great Tomb, let out a long sigh of relief.

‘You do you, and I’ll watch the show.’

‘Seems perfectly reasonable to me.’

「On the battlefield.」

Bebuta twirled his weapon in a flourish, held the Lance diagonally at his side, and gave Damenevsky a thumbs-up.

“You are strong.”

“You’re strong too. A worthy opponent.”

Receiving praise from his enemy made Damenevsky very happy, and he responded in a booming voice.

“To show my respect, I will grant you a dignified death. I will use my full combat power to honor you,” Bebuta said solemnly to Damenevsky.

“I’d be honored!” Damenevsky replied, a joyful smile on his face as he rested his War Axe on his shoulder.

The two warriors were so loud that Li Ziyu could hear every word from inside the Great Tomb.

‘What a pair of thick-skulled brutes, finding a kindred spirit in each other,’ Li Ziyu couldn’t help but marvel internally.

‘What’s the greatest joy for a reckless, thick-headed warrior? Probably getting to have an unrestrained battle against another one just like him.’

‘That was their kind of romance.’

Bebuta nodded at Damenevsky, and his lower pair of hands reached into the Void, pulling out two straight Swords.

The straight Swords didn’t seem to be made of metal, but rather the same Crystal-like material as the tip of his Lance.

His upper pair of hands held the Lance, while his lower pair held the Dual Swords.

He radiated an overwhelming aura of power.

As Li Ziyu looked at Bebuta’s new stance, his brow suddenly furrowed.