Chapter 143: The battle of the pinnacle

"HEY, ONYX ELF! WATCH OUT! YOUR ATTACKS ARE ATTACKING MY CLONES!" Thousand Petal shouted, clicking his tongue in annoyance. "He can’t even hear me..."

In front of him, the Dark Emperor laughed before lifting his enormous foot and stomping toward Thousand Petal. However, the moment his foot came crashing down, Thousand Petal remained completely still, not even bothering to move.

"Hey, I’m here."

Thousand Petal suddenly appeared beside the Dark Emperor, his blade covered in a trail of petals as he swung it toward the giant’s face. The blade slashed across the side of the Dark Emperor’s face, leaving a deep wound.

"You pest!" the Dark Emperor roared, swinging his enormous arm through the air. The force behind the swing created a massive shockwave that ripped through countless trees across the Shade Forest.

"Fine. Let’s settle this."

The Dark Emperor reached toward a small jar with his giant fingers before crushing it with barely any effort. A swarm of dark aura escaped from the shattered container, circling around his arm before spreading throughout his entire body.

"Behold, the power of death."

He suddenly clapped his enormous hands together, releasing a massive shockwave that swept across the battlefield. Even the Constellations floating in the air were forced to sway slightly from the sheer force, while another movement of his finger sent a wave of power through the forest and blew away multiple clones of Thousand Petal.

"You do know that brute force alone isn’t enough to defeat someone like me, right?" Thousand Petal said calmly.

He pointed his sword toward the sky, and hundreds of his clones immediately followed the same movement. The Dark Emperor looked downward as vines began forming around the tips of their swords, rapidly climbing into the air.

"What kind of trickery are you planning? Are you finally calling for help from the Bountiful Harvest God?"

"As someone who possesses an authority like yourself, you should know that it doesn’t work like that."

The vines continued climbing higher before connecting with the vines created by the other clones. Soon, hundreds of them intertwined, forming an enormous cage made entirely of vines that descended over the Dark Emperor.

The cage wrapped around his enormous body before rapidly tightening, restricting his arms and legs and preventing him from moving. The Dark Emperor attempted to force his way out, but the vines only tightened further around him.

"Thorn Cage."

Thousand Petal’s voice was low, yet it resonated clearly through the forest and reached the ears of the Dark Emperor. Moments later, countless thorns erupted from the vines, piercing directly into the Dark Emperor’s skin.

"ARGHH!"

The Dark Emperor violently shook his enormous body, desperately attempting to break free from the cage. However, the more he struggled, the tighter the vines became.

On the other side of the battlefield

The Magic Swordswoman’s sword began to be engulfed in flames. The fire danced violently around the blade before gathering at its tip, where it slowly formed the shape of a massive fiery bird.

Within moments, the creature had completely manifested. It was enormous, nearly as large as a house, with flames constantly swirling around its body and wings.

"A bird?" Lapace the Overproud muttered.

He slightly opened his palm, and an arrow made entirely of lightning manifested between his fingers. Within seconds, he released it, sending the lightning arrow flying directly toward the newly formed fiery bird.

"Bullseye."

The lightning arrow struck the blazing bird directly in the head. However, its flames merely scattered from the impact before quickly returning to their original form, leaving the creature completely unharmed.

A smirk appeared on the Magic Swordswoman’s face.

"Lapace the Overproud, meet Blazing."

Lapace simply smiled, looking at her the way an adult might look at a child proudly showing off a creation they were deeply proud of.

"Is that so?" Lapace muttered.

In an instant, his figure vanished.

Before the Magic Swordswoman could even react, he reappeared only a few meters in front of her. His eyes met hers, and the playful smile on his face remained unchanged.

"Kneel."

The single word lingered through the air.

It was not loud, nor did Lapace need to raise his voice. Yet the moment the command left his lips, the space around the Magic Swordswoman seemed to become unbearably heavy, as though invisible mountains had suddenly been placed upon her shoulders.

Her knees trembled.

The Magic Swordswoman immediately resisted, gripping her sword tightly as she forced her body to remain standing. Her muscles strained against the invisible pressure, while the ground beneath her feet began cracking from the force being exerted upon her.

Yet the authority continued pressing down.

Slowly, her legs began to bend.

"Urgh..."

She gritted her teeth, fighting with everything she had, but her body ultimately betrayed her. One knee slammed into the ground, followed by the other, forcing her into a kneeling position before Lapace.

"So you finally showed your authority," the Magic Swordswoman said, her voice trembling as she continued resisting the pressure.

Lapace’s smile widened.

"What a good-looking woman you are when you’re kneeling."

He stepped closer and gently tilted her head upward with his hand. His fingers moved beneath her chin, almost as if he were admiring her expression.

"You bastard," the Magic Swordswoman spat angrily, her eyes burning with rage.

Lapace chuckled.

"I knew it. You really are adorable." He tilted his head slightly before smiling. "How about this? You become my wife instead?"

The Magic Swordswoman’s eyes narrowed.

She stared directly at Lapace, her expression filled with such overwhelming rage that even his smile briefly faltered.

Then something changed.

Heat began radiating from her body.

At first, it was barely noticeable, little more than warmth brushing against Lapace’s skin. But within seconds, the temperature skyrocketed, causing the air around them to distort as waves of heat spread through the forest.

Lapace’s expression changed.

He instinctively stepped backward, then another few meters as the ground beneath the Magic Swordswoman began glowing red. The surrounding trees started burning, stones melted into liquid, and even the air itself seemed to tremble beneath the rising temperature.

"Hey, hey... I was simply joking."

She didn’t respond.

The Magic Swordswoman remained kneeling, but flames were beginning to erupt from her body, growing brighter and hotter with every passing second. The pressure of Lapace’s authority was still surrounding her, yet the heat continued rising as though her very existence was beginning to burn through it.

"Make it stop!" Lapace shouted, finally losing his composure.

The heat continued to spread.

Lapace stared in disbelief as cracks began appearing within the invisible force of his authority.

"Hey, you’ve got to be kidding me..." His expression became one of genuine disbelief. "Are you seriously melting even my authority?"

He took another step backward as the heat intensified.

"This is just absurd!"