Dual Cultivation: Beasts and Women!

Chapter 99: Subsequent Battles (3)

After two dozen intense exchanges, both warriors found themselves in a state of physical decline. Their sweat-soaked clothes clung to their weary bodies, and their pallid faces reflected their exhaustion.

Liam's entire being ached with fatigue, his legs heavy from constant movement and evasive maneuvers. Even his eyes throbbed from the strain of tracking Levi's every move through his heightened senses.

The toll of the battle manifested in small, visible cuts scattered across Liam's body, particularly on his arms. Though not life-threatening, each laceration emitted a searing pain that intensified his overall misery.

Simultaneously, Levi found himself in a state no more advantageous than Liam. His mana reserves had dwindled, leaving him fatigued and achy. The strain of continuous movement, whether in defense or attack, had left his body tender.

His stomach throbbed with discomfort, while his trembling hands betrayed a gradual loss of strength with each subsequent strike against his foe.

The initial blow to his soul, caused by the demise of his first Spirit at the onset of this confrontation, had only worsened as he engaged in a fierce "dance" with Liam. Breathing heavily through his open mouth, his eyes sunken into his weary face, Levi struggled to keep pace with the enemy's assault, Liam's movements now eluding his previously keen perception.

Clang!

The sharp clash of metal echoed through the air as the two men engaged in combat. Gripping their weapons tightly with both hands, they wielded with agility, each striving to gain the upper hand and land a devastating blow.

Levi, already bearing the marks of Liam's strikes, felt the sting of pain as his clothing tore and became tainted with the unmistakable scent of blood.

"Hah-Hah..." The sound of the two men's deep, ragged breaths mixed with the metallic clang of their weapons as an icy wind blew against their bodies.

Liam could no longer use Shadow Suppression, while his Power Amplification had already lost most of its power.

Levi was no longer displaying his super strength from earlier in the fight, nor was he even manipulating the vegetation that had helped him pull off three of the worst moves for Liam in this fight.

'Shit! If I hadn't been surprised at the beginning of the fight, everything would have been different!' Levi lamented in his heart.

But little did he know Liam felt the same way. 'If I hadn't just finished a fight, this result wouldn't have taken so much out of me!'

Clang!

Their weapons clashed once more. This time, however, the intensity escalated as one of them pressed forward, the sharp edge of his sword hovering dangerously close to his opponent's neck.

Levi's heart raced, his eyes widening with fear as he anticipated the imminent harm that awaited his body. Reacting swiftly, he released his weapon, the metallic thud echoing as it hit the ground, and rolled backward, the soft grass cushioning his retreat.

Liam, caught off guard by his opponent's sudden evasion, teetered on the edge of losing balance. He hastily adapted to the terrain, using it to his advantage. With a swift motion, he released his grip on his sword and executed a nimble somersault, the rush of adrenaline heightening his senses.

As Liam stood up, he noticed the enemy holding another weapon, a spear this time. It was the perfect choice for maintaining distance from an opponent.

Seeing this, a small smile tugged at the corner of Liam's lips. He had come close to delivering a deadly blow to Levi. Clearly, the opponent was feeling fear in that moment.

With one move, Liam didn't hesitate to choose the same weapon as his enemy, picking up the spear he had inherited from one of his enemies.

Liam's initial attempt didn't go as planned, causing him to rethink his strategy. He awkwardly held the spear, unfamiliar with its weight and balance, a weapon he had never seen humans wield on Earth.

Despite the fanciful nature of Earth movies, Liam found it incredible how watching fictional duels in his last life greatly aided his mastery of the sword now.

As he lacked any familiarity with spears, his initial action proved to be a mistake. However, his opponent, who appeared exhausted and out of breath, failed to seize the opportunity.

"Aaaagh!"

After three moves, Liam evolved by simply repeating what his opponent had done, using his slight advantage to hit Levi's right chest.

With his enemy impaled, Liam took one of his daggers and threw it at one of the enemy's hands, which was holding his own spear.

"Aaaagh!"

Levi had lost some of his vitality to Liam in the middle of the fight. At this point in the fight, he could not defend himself against the enemy's second attack, and a dagger pierced his right wrist.

He released that hand from the body of his spear, allowing Liam to make his next move.

Liam withdrew the tip of his spear from Levi's right chest and allowed blood to flow from the wound, filling one of the enemy's lungs with blood. But he would not wait for his opponent to die like that. In one swift motion, he tossed Levi's spear away.

With his enemy disarmed, in pain, and too exhausted to summon a new weapon, Liam leaped at Levi, both hands tightly clasping his silver spear.

At that moment, the two Spirits that were about to explode looked over and saw the decisive blow of the fight, a small smile forming on Thal'Korr's mouth as the Demon Ant emitted an extremely high-pitched sound.

As it saw it had little time left, the ant jumped onto Thal'Korr's body, ignoring its opponent's attacks and focusing only on destroying each other.

"Aaaaaaagh!"

Levi screamed one last time as he fell to the ground, Liam's spear piercing his heart. He looked up to the sky, not expecting to end up like this for hunting down a newcomer.

But he didn't make any comments to scare Liam before he left this world.

Blood dripped from his mouth, heart and right lung as Liam frowned, feeling a pang in his heart.

As he looked back, Liam saw the two Spirits explode, the Demon Ant's last living move having been successful.

'You bastard! You left me in this state!'

Liam cursed Levi and the Demon Ant, while not hesitating to retrieve one of his recovery potions from his spatial ring.

He guzzled the Survival Nectar, not caring about Levi's still shaking body. In 20 seconds at the most, the 9-Star Spirit Lord would no longer be in the realm of the living.

Liam ignored him as he closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the freshness of the liquid he had just drunk.

The Survival Nectar tasted sweet, and his first impression was one of freshness, like a cold shower after a hot day of hard work.

But Liam wouldn't enjoy this sensation in peace. As he felt the liquid enter his body through the walls of his stomach, he heard a blade moving against him.

He opened his eyes to see a plump man attacking him with two Spirits, a demon and a boar, each coming from a different direction but much faster than Liam would have liked.

'Azariah!'

He identified the one attacking him, realizing without a doubt that this guy really had grim intentions for him.

Azariah attacked with a smile on his face, seizing the opportunity he had spotted about a minute ago.

He had been on Liam's trail since the day before. Even though he had stopped to rest during the night, he had reached his target and watched part of the short black-haired man's fight against Levi.

Azariah was shocked to see the power of Liam, who had fought off a high-level opponent and even bring Levi to his own end.

But he didn't want to miss the chance to let them both wear themselves out until they could no longer fight. Better that they both died and their possessions became his!

The moment Thal'Korr exploded with the Demon Ant, Azariah attacked with his two Spirits in a decisive move against Liam.

Now Liam was in a situation where he couldn't defend himself against all the enemies attacking him!

"Azariah!" He said, shaking with rage at this bastard who had tried to trick him and hurt him for no reason.

Unlike the others who could be harmed by Liam's existence and his alliance with the Leopards, Azariah had no reason—in Liam's opinion—to plan his death with such force of will.

The kind treatment Liam had shown the boy intensified his feelings of animosity towards the rotund man, surpassing his hatred for any of the opponents he was currently facing.

Among all the enemies that Liam had, Day was the only one who came close to Azariah in terms of the intensity of the hate he felt in his heart!

"You may kill me, but I'll kill you too!" He said as he ignored the two Spirits, preparing to attack only the fat man in front of him.

"Liam!" Azariah said aloud, not liking the resilience of the opponent. "Just die quietly, asshole!"

Just as he was about to reach Liam, wielding a sword to kill the brat, Azariah saw a purple glow emerge from his enemy's shadow, the first Spirit of Liam.

'Will he finally reveal his main Spirit?' Azariah worried.

Liam didn't bother to understand the incubus' move and continued with his plans, attacking only Azariah, leaving the guy's two Spirits free to attack him.

Swooish!