Chapter 596: Maximilian vs Chitra

His nonchalant acknowledgement of her accusation only added oil to her flaming fury.

Pressing against the ground, she hurled herself straight towards Maximilian, baring her fangs.

One of the swords was pulled out from the ground at the beckoning of his finger, landing straight in his hands. He stopped her mid-air, placing the blade between her jaws.

"Oh my~ I can’t let you kiss me," Maximilian released a low, playful gasp. "I’m already married."

"You bastard!" Chitra muttered, her teeth pressing against the blade in an attempt to break it while she swung her sharp claws at his face.

He immediately jumped back, dodging the attack by a hair’s breadth and landing gracefully on the ground.

At the same time, the barrage of strikes being unleashed by the demi-beasts from atop the wall of the Stronghold reached him.

His body moved like a blur, dodging all the incoming strikes with ease. They struck the ground around him, ripping it apart. Dust and debris flew everywhere.

When the dust settled, Chitra had already transformed herself, standing in her giant tigress form, her eyes fixed on Maximilian. She was about half the size of his dragon form.

Releasing a deep growl, she charged straight at him, completely ignoring the strikes being unleashed from the wall.

’So she prefers killing me rather than ensuring her own safety,’ Maximilian murmured inwardly, the corners of his lips slightly rising in admiration of her fighting spirit. ’Guess, I should give her the battle she deserves. If I remain too passive, that Mo Feng will not let it slide.’

He formed a series of hand signs, calling forth his swords. There were about twenty of them, hovering around him, their tips pointed at the incoming beast.

With the movement of his hand, all of them shot forward in perfect synchronisation.

Chitra slammed the ground with her paws. Sharp metallic spears ascended from the earth, answering her call. They launched straight towards the incoming swords.

Resounding clangs echoed as they clashed with the swords. Around half of the swords were scattered to the ground. As the rest drew closer, a thick shield of rock jutted out from the ground before Chitra.

A few blades struck the shield, while the rest managed to change their trajectory, reaching her from above and the side.

She had already foreseen it.

"Divine Metal Physique!" she muttered, launching herself high into the air, completely ignoring the blades coming at her from the front.

Tang-tang-tang!

A strangely metallic sound echoed as the swords struck her body and scattered to the ground without even leaving a scratch on her form.

Maximilian’s eyes narrowed at her body beneath the thick fur.

’She has transformed her whole body into metal,’ he murmured inwardly, realising what she had done. ’The Soulforce of an Early-Stage True Sage cannot affect her now. But if I suddenly use more power, I will attract too much attention. Hah... such a dilemma.’

While he was having these thoughts, Chitra had already covered half the distance between them.

"In that case, I will be depending on you, Vajra," Maximilian declared, raising both his hands.

All the swords scattered across the battlefield reached his side.

He formed a rapid series of hand signs and murmured,

"Twenty-Four Swords: Serpent Formation."

Twenty-four swords shot forward and coiled around Chitra like a tornado, crackling with white lightning.

The only way out was from the top. Chitra could have bolted straight through it, but doing so would cause her metallic body to be damaged by the lightning.

However, the way upward was deliberately left open.

Maximilian’s hands moved through another series of signs.

"Nine Swords: Heavenly Fall."

A massive formation appeared above Chitra, plunging downward one sword after another. The impact of each sword reinforced the next, creating a chain of increasingly powerful strikes.

Bam!

Bam!

Bam!

The swords struck her metallic body, sending shockwaves throughout the battlefield.

Maximilian didn’t stop there either. He knew that was far from enough to damage her Metal Physique.

"Seven Swords: Execution Array!"

From the tornado of swords around Chitra, seven swords entered inside, stabbing into seven corners at equal distances. White Lightning emerged from the blades, connecting the adjacent swords and forming a regular heptagon.

Once all seven sides were connected, they released concentrated lightning towards the centre, striking Chitra.

"Ahhhh!!!!!" Her loud, agonised screams echoed as cracks began appearing on her metallic body.

All the commanders and Greater Spirit Beasts had stopped battling, their widened eyes fixed on the ground where Maximilian had unleashed one terrifying sword array after another, each one unheard and unseen before.

"I-I was wrong. It isn’t a Legendary artifact," Lin Feng murmured, his mouth wide open. "It is an Epic-grade artifact. How could a rogue cultivator get his hands on such a priceless treasure?"

While he was distracted, his opponent beast bolted towards the ground at full speed.

"Chitra!!" he called out, releasing a wide arc of energy from the swing of his claws towards the sword formation in the air.

"Perfect timing," Maximilian murmured, the corner of his lips rising.

The moment the sword formation was struck by the arc, it shattered like glass.

"Khwak!!!" Blood spilled from Maximilian’s mouth as he took a staggering step back.

All the swords around Chitra fell lifelessly to the ground, revealing her injured form within.

The beast instantly grabbed her and rushed towards the Stronghold.

"No, you don’t!" Lin Feng shouted as he rushed towards them. He was blocked by the attacks unleashed by the beasts stationed on the wall, allowing Chitra to return safely.

"Commander Lin, be-because of your carelessness, n-not only did the beast escape, but I also got deeply injured," Maximilian shouted at Lin Feng accusingly.

"I-I..." Lin Feng had no words to defend himself.

Before he could even clarify himself, Mo Feng commanded from the air.

"You have done well, Commander Arthur. Retreat."

’Perfect,’ Maximilian chuckled inwardly as he moved his finger to call back all of his swords.

"Th-thank you, General Mo," he murmured with heavy breaths, holding his chest as he retreated from the battlefield.