Ultragene Warlord

ws, crackling with lightning and fire.
The energy dissipated as twin pillars of lightning and flame rose into the air.

With the blade Hanguang, Zhang Lie split both pillars in two.

Duan Zisuan howled.
The red aura around him flared, and his last reserves of lightning burst forth from his body.
His mane puffed out as the combination of fire and lightning pierced the air with heat more extreme than what had appeared in the battle thus far.

”[Blade of the Heavens: the Sea Swells]! ” Energy poured out of Zhang Lie in waves, honing the edge of his blade.
The pulses of energy struck the sea like a tsunami, devouring everything within.

Zhang Lie bisected even this pillar of impossible energy, tearing apart the elemental landscape and revealing the pale blue skies that had been hidden from sight all this time.

Duan Zisuan, wrapped in lightning and fire, invoked his authority once more to summon a thick pillar of lightning at Zhang Lie ’s location, which he blocked with his twin blades.

The lightning revolved in mid-air, forming a waterfall that poured over Duan Zisuan ’s body, causing it to radiate visibly.
His claws, sharp and crackling, seemed as though they could tear through anything.

”[Rune: Resonate]! ” Zhang Lie sent all four runic tablets down on him.
They began to resonate as one, sending ripples that melded with the sky and forming an absolute domain over all things within.

Duan Zisuan ’s body suddenly slowed down, and the lightning and fire petered out.
This was Zhang Lie ’s chance to counterattack.
He sprung forward, blocking any bursts of energy with his blades.

Duan Zisuan suddenly noticed something amiss.
From his perspective, Zhang Lie had suddenly sped up countless times, and his blades, whirling like the wind, easily cut apart his elemental phenomena. 

He quickly realized that the four runic tablets were to blame for warping natural law around him.
He thought that the two tablets controlling gravity were shocking enough, but for all four to be able to control space and time as well… 

”As expected of the product of a higher realm… ”

Duan Zisuan wasn ’t wrong; the origins of the manual from which Zhang Lie had learned his framework might well be from a higher realm.

With a moment ’s thought from Duan Zisuan, the array of runic tablets broke apart, but by then, Zhang Lie was already right in front of him.
”[Second Form: Piercing the Soul]! ” 

He infused spiritual energy into his blade, and the blade gleamed more and more brightly as he charged up his technique.

The silvery-white glow illuminated the entire space.

Lightning and fire condensed around Duan Zisuan ’s claws as he tried to block Zhang Lie ’s blow, but the sword strike passed through his claws as though they were non-existent.
It cut through his claws, through his body—and directly struck his soul.

Duan Zisuan howled in pain.
The injury was far more serious than anything Zhang Lie had inflicted to date.

Unbidden, fire and lightning burst from him, but Zhang Lie didn ’t step back.
He bore the brunt of Duan Zisuan ’s counterattack as he launched his own blow.
”[Time ’s Passing]! ”

Duan Zisuan ’s claws easily blocked this attack, but even so, his claws suddenly shuddered.
Like plants that had become desiccated, his claws were quickly aging and chipping away.
The power of time corroded his body, and huge patches of fur fell to the ground.
Duan Zisuan ’s eyes widened in shock; he had the temptation to cut off his arm.

Fortunately, Zhang Lie ’s command over time was still weak, and Duan Zisuan himself was far from death…