Ethan charged forward quickly, while Ashley raised her magic staff and formed a magic barrier in front of her.

The wall of magic clashed with Ethan's sword, sparks flying and a small explosion echoing through the training field.

Ethan leapt back, running around to look for an opening in Ashley's defense. She kept taunting him, telling Ethan to use his new skill against her.

Of course, he'd be happy to do that. He gripped the Bloodblade Ashura tightly, slashing sideways at Ashley with a crimson arc.

Once again, Ashley managed to block the attack using her magic shield. The impact of Ethan's skill exploded loudly, though it didn't hurt her.

Her magic barrier was strong—impressive, even.

Not stopping there, Ethan attacked again using another Ashura Mode skill. He planned to test the Ashura Rift and see how powerful it really was.

Just as in the demonstration video, Ethan jumped far back and swung his sword upward from below.

The skill attack unleashed three red claw slashes that tore forward in a wide arc, the floor beneath burning with crimson flames.

The wide-range attack reached Ashley, but since she'd managed to summon her magic barrier, she took no damage at all.

"Where's your new skill?" Ashley asked.

"That was my new skill," Ethan replied, standing a few meters away, his hair still glowing red.

"Really? That's a good skill—wide range, good AOE."

"But still not enough to defeat me," she said, sounding a bit smug.

Ethan grew more fired up. He already knew what Ashura Rift could do, so it was time to test Bloodflare Cataclysm.

According to its description, the skill created a field of blood across a wide area. Any enemy trapped in it would suffer HP reduction by 5 per second.

That wasn't all—Ethan would also gain increased ATK, AGI, and a powerful regeneration boost. It worked like a rage buff for him.

Ethan drove his sword into the ground, activating Bloodflare Cataclysm.

The training ground's floor turned into a pool of blood. Ashley's eyes widened in shock.

She looked down, her feet submerged ankle-deep in the blood. Not only that—her power weakened, making her magic barrier less stable.

Is this his new skill too?

From the front, Ashley saw waves of energy bursting from Ethan's body, many times stronger than before.

It made her channel all her strength to reinforce her shield.

Ethan pulled his sword from the ground and dashed forward in a streak of red lightning.

The pool of blood split apart along his path, reminding Ashley of Moses parting the sea.

In an instant, Ethan was right in front of her shield, gripping his sword with both hands.

He slashed violently—diagonal, sideways, from every direction. With every second, his attack speed increased while his strength stayed consistent.

Ashley saw cracks forming in the shield and pointed her staff forward, trying to keep it up.

The power of Bloodflare Cataclysm lasted only a few dozen seconds. The blood receded, and Ethan's energy began to calm.

"That's terrifying power. It only lasts about twenty seconds, huh?"

Ethan stopped attacking and looked closely at his Bloodblade Ashura. With the new skill combination, his sword's strength had increased dramatically—he could feel it.

"A good sword, and a perfect match of skills."

"I knew you'd pick well," Ashley said.

"You're strong too. What level are you now?" Ethan asked.

"Around level 94," she replied.

"That's great. You've grown fast," Ethan said, praising her.

Ashley nodded and used her magic to push Ethan back to a safe distance.

Ashura Mode had been tested and practiced; Ethan was satisfied, though he knew he still had to test it in a real battle later.

He sheathed the Bloodblade Ashura and summoned the Tempest Reaver in front of him. Ethan reached out and gripped its handle.

[Mode: Tempest]

Unlike Ashura Mode, Tempest Mode made Ethan's body emit a white glow—the mark of wind, the Tempest Reaver's core element.

Not only did his power shift, but his appearance changed too. His crimson-red hair turned ash-white under Tempest Mode.

Ashley was impressed. She was truly amazed by the Omniblade class, something she'd once considered underrated.

Changing abilities based on weapon type was unique—not many players could do that.

"I think I'm more interested in your Tempest Mode," Ashley said.

"Let's see what it can do."

Ethan held the Tempest Reaver and swung it sideways, sending out a massive whirlwind that surged forward, pulling everything nearby toward it. That was Gale Rend.

Ashley grew more interested in sparring. She dismissed her shield and aimed her staff forward, summoning a whirlwind identical to Ethan's. Ethan was stunned.

"A copied attack?" he asked.

"Yes. That's one of my skills," Ashley replied.

The two whirlwinds collided, exploding and sending strong gusts in every direction. Ethan shielded himself, as did Ashley.

Their sparring in the guild's backfield caught the attention of many guild members. They weren't joining in, but they could hear the distant sounds of combat.

Apparently, Ashley was fighting Ethan. Everyone knew Ashley's level, but few knew Ethan's. Strangely, their power seemed equal.

Some said Ashley was holding back; others whispered that Ethan was genuinely just as strong.

Ethan was surprised—his Gale Rend didn't affect Ashley at all. Both paused for a moment.

"Interesting power, but weaker," Ashley said.

"So? You still want to keep going?" she asked.

He nodded, raising his sword before his face, mimicking the demonstration video.

His body began to glow white-gray, and his attack speed surged until his movements blurred beyond sight.

Ethan moved from one spot to another in an instant. Ashley narrowed her eyes, trying to follow his seemingly random attacks.

Unpredictable and fast strikes like that were a Mage's weakness—Ashley knew that well.

From her blind spot, Ethan dashed in and slashed her, shocking her completely. The other players watching couldn't believe Ethan had actually landed a hit.

"So fast!" Ashley gasped.

Ethan shifted again, striking from another blind spot. He landed a second hit using Tempest Resonance. He kept going, stacking up four hits in twenty seconds.

After the fourth stack, Ethan stopped at a safe distance and drove his sword into the ground. Sword marks appeared all over Ashley's body, stunning her in disbelief.

Even though she'd been hit, she didn't feel pain—only a faint ticklish sensation. Her HP hadn't dropped at all.

"Good. That was a great skill."

"I'm not done yet!" Ethan shouted.

He raised the Tempest Reaver toward the sky, summoning thunder that struck the blade. Ashley and the others watched in awe.

With a downward thrust, Ethan called lightning down to strike all enemies in range.

Ashley turned just as the blue lightning targeted her—but she lifted her staff and defended. Ethan's Lightning Veil attack had been blocked.

"Lightning and wind—an interesting mix," Ashley said, impressed.

"This is the end!" Ethan declared.

He gripped his sword tightly as lightning coursed back into the blade. Once it was charged, Ethan leapt forward, sword raised high for a finishing strike.

Ashley saw it coming—Ethan was using his strongest Tempest Mode skill. Not wanting to disappoint him, she summoned her best defensive spell.

The sword clashed against her shield, lightning exploding violently in every direction.

Guild members outside the arena shuddered in fear. Ethan's power was far beyond what they could imagine. If they'd tried to fight him earlier, they'd all be dead by now.

When the thunder finally faded and the wind calmed, Ethan jumped back to a safe distance, far enough from Ashley.

"Ashura Mode and Tempest Mode. Both are strong and fascinating," Ashley said.

"Thank you. Your power's amazing too."

And with that, their guild training session came to an end. The spectators outside the training ground cheered and applauded—it was the most intense battle they had ever seen, like a show worth remembering.

Ethan turned, sheathing the Tempest Reaver as his appearance returned to normal.

"Alright. Who wants to fight me next?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.