Splat!Blood sprayed everywhere. Leander's palm cut through the air like a steel blade through tofu, plunging straight into Orianna's chest and shattering her heart.Then fire erupted from his hand, bursting outward and enveloping the female Chief Arbitrator in a blazing cocoon. In an instant, the incomparable powerhouse was consumed by a towering fireball. Her body disintegrated into ash midair, and even her soul evaporated into nothingness.The ground trembled immediately.Every pair of eyes snapped to him—fear, shock, horror frozen on their faces. No one had anticipated this. A Chief Arbitrator, a being beyond the Infernal Crown Transcendent Realm, had been obliterated just like that.Jeframon and Reefus drew in sharp, cold breaths, dread crawling into their bones.For the first time, they tasted true fear.All this time, they had believed themselves untouchable, perched above the world like kings on a mountaintop. But witnessing a peer's sudden annihilation, they finally grasped the cruelty of reality.No matter your status, when confronted by a force greater than yourself, you are nothing more than smoke in the wind. And Leander he was that unstoppable force."After today, the Arbitration Office will lose three Chief Arbitrators."With a single motion, Leander had ended Orianna's life. His tone remained flat, expression unreadable, as his body flickered-ghostlike—melding seamlessly into the night."D*mn it!"Jeframon, wielding the light spear, reacted instantly. Even severely injured, his instincts were razor-sharp. His light spear morphed into a dragon of luminous energy and lunged toward the space in front of Reefus.From the darkness emerged a figure-Leander-standing before Reefus like the Grim Reaper incarnate.Reefus' heart skipped. His spiritual strength flared into a defensive net as he tried to retreat, but Leander was faster. A flaming fist was already aimed at his shoulder.Scrape!Jeframon's light spear struck from the side, clashing with Leander's fist by the barest margin.Clang!Metallic thunder shattered the air. Light erupted like shards of glass. Before a hundred stunned witnesses, the peerless light spear in Jeframon's hands was obliterated by a single punch from Leander.Splat!Jeframon coughed up blood, tumbling backward, aura crashing. Flames spread across his chest, scorching a wide section of his shirt."B*stard!"Reefus roared, slamming his palm forward. A formless wind blade cut through the air toward Leander's back.Clang!Sparks flew, but Leander didn't flinch. Jeframon felt his arm go numb, and the wind blade he had condensed shattered like glass."Do you think being a spiritual-strength practitioner gives you the power to harm me?"Leander's head turned lazily, voice calm.Reefus' face was drained of color. "Oh no!"Panic gripped Reefus. He bolted instinctively, retreating hundreds of feet in a single bound.noveldramaLeander didn't pursue him.He merely sneered, raised his palm, and conjured a wind blade that spun into life."It's your turn to take my strike."His tone remained deceptively mild. The wind blade sliced outward.Whoosh! Zip!The spinning blade ripped through the air like a spinning disc, punching a path through the void with absolute dominance. Sonic cracks followed its flight.Even a casual wind blade from Leander made Reefus' attacks look like child's play -sharper, faster, utterly beyond comparison.Reefus could only watch the white arc hurtle toward him. No time to dodge. He roared, channeling innate vitality into his spiritual strength to form a solid barrier over his skin. Splat!The wind blade struck, ignoring his defenses entirely. It tore through the barrier, grazed his neck in a single, lethal sweep, and continued flying into the distance. "H-How is this possible?"Reefus' lips parted, and his body froze midair. His eyes dulled to gray.Even as life slipped from him, he still couldn't fathom how Leander had done it. "What just happened?"Heads whipped up across the crowd, shock rippling through every onlooker.Jeframon braced himself, ready tocharge, when he noticed it-a thin,crimson line slicing across Reefus neck deepegradually,encircling his throat, until Reefus'head detached and tumbled from the sky. "Reefus!"Jeframon's eyes narrowed to pinpoints, disbelief rooting him to the spot.The only spiritual master among the twenty-four Chief Arbitrators had been cut downjust like that.A long moment passed before he finally lifted his gaze, fixing Leander with the stare of someone facing a reaper.The proud Flame Goddess had withdrawn all her fire, shrinking into a regular woman, utterly still.Silence reigned."Dear Lord, I actually went up against a monster like him? I must've lost my d*mn mind."Leander floated above, one hand clasped behind his back. He directed his attention to the last one-Jeframon."I'm done with you. You bore me." He wagged a finger. "Use your final card. This is your one and only chance."Jeframon's eyes tightened once more.He paused, gathering himself. Then, a ruthless glint appeared in his gaze. "Jeff, youwill regret everything you've done today for the rest of your life!"You dragged me here. Fine. Even if I'm torn apart, I'll take you to hell with me!"His roar shattered the mountains. The entire Aorinth Peaks region seemed to join ina chorus of ghostly wails."With my blood, I burn my soul!"A wisp of pale smoke rose above him—the soul that marked a practitioner of exceptional power.Jeframon was not a spiritual-strength practitioner, yet now his soul slipped free, terrifying in its intensity.Hum!As soon as it emerged, he bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of essence blood. Blood and soul fused, igniting into a blazing inferno in the sky."Soul Burn-Arbitration Summoning!"His voice carried from within the fireball. The world fell silent.Eyes lifted in astonishment. Across the valley, a circular spatial gate, dozens of feet wide, spun open. Darkness swirled within, thick as ink, devouring sight itself."Spatial transfer?"Leander's eyes narrowed. He stared at the black vortex, a flicker of genuine surprise breaking through his composure.The gate rotated. A longsword wrapped in holy light shot out first. Then figures— one, two, three...Twelve in total—emerged, hovering above like deities descending.Each of the twelve who stepped through the portal radiated an aura at least as strong as Reefus', most even greater Their presence propped up the heavens and pressed down on the air. Space itself groaned under the weight, faint fractures creeping along the edges. Halia's eyes fluttered. She had no words left. The valley fell silent. Twelve Chief Arbitrators had appeared out of nowhere.