ONLINE: Blades of Eternity-Chapter 280: THE ARRIVAL OF THE MIST WALKER

His vision spun.

For a brief second, his body kept moving, his hands still gripping his crescent blades—but his head was no longer attached to his body.

A heartbeat later—

Blood sprayed into the air.

His severed head hit the ground with a dull thud.

The battlefield fell silent.

Rafaela, who had been mid-attack, stopped cold, eyes wide in sheer shock.

"Wha—?!"

Lila, barely standing, blinked in disbelief.

A figure stood beside her, mist swirling around him like a ghostly shroud.

Ethan.

His expression was calm—almost indifferent—as he gazed at Hughes' lifeless body.

Then, without even sparing a glance at Lila, he muttered,

"It's time for me to join the fray."

And with those words—

The battle just went up a level in intensity.

Because the moment Ethan stepped forward, the battlefield immediately changed.

Mist swirled, crawling across the ground like a living entity, wrapping around Rafaela in shifting layers of uncertainty and fear.

Rafaela's illuminating eyes narrowed.

"Mist magic… Tch."

She wasn't a fool—she knew how dangerous mist magic was. Unlike brute force elements like fire or lightning, mist was unpredictable, elusive… and deadly in the hands of a true master.

She tensed, her lunar magic swirling around her in protective waves as she tried to track him.

Then—Ethan vanished.

The mist thickened in an instant, obscuring everything.

And that's when it began—

A battle not of brute strength, but of deception and precision.

—SHING!

A flash of silver tore through the mist, slicing toward Rafaela's throat.

She barely dodged, her lunar aura flaring, pushing the mist back for a split second.

—BANG!

Her instant counter spell release met empty air.

Ethan wasn't there.

Then—a whisper in her ear.

"Too slow."

—SLASH!

A deep gash opened on her side, and she winced in pain.

He was toying with her.

But Rafaela wasn't about to die quietly.

"Enough!"

She raised her hand, summoning an immense lunar sigil above her.

"Moonlight Eclipse!"

A blinding explosion of lunar magic burst outward, dispelling the mist—revealing Ethan's form.

"Got you!"

She lunged, casting a spell straight for his heart.

But Ethan only smirked.

And vanished.

Rafaela's eyes widened.

"What—?!"

Then—a cold whisper behind her.

"No. I got you."

A dagger plunged deep into her back.

Her breath hitched.

Ethan's other dagger slashed across her throat.

A moment of silence.

Then—she collapsed.

Dead.

The mist slowly faded.

Ethan exhaled, rolling his shoulders before glancing toward Lila.

She was still standing, though barely, her breaths labored.

He walked toward her, eyes scanning her form.

"You alright?"

Lila nodded weakly.

"I'll manage."

Ethan then glanced around the battlefield before his eyes landed on the mana fruits.

"How do we use them to get out of here and help Kaelen?"

Lila frowned, staring at the fruits in her possession.

"I… I don't know."

For the first time, uncertainty flickered in her icy gaze.

Ethan clicked his tongue.

"Tch. Figures."

Time was running out.

Kaelen was out there—alone.

They needed to figure this out—fast.

––––––

Back in Valoria kingdom....

The entire coliseum was silent.

No cheers. No murmurs.

Just raw, unbearable tension.

Every single gaze was locked onto the three figures standing in the center of the battlefield.

—Kaelen Dragonyx.

—Kelvin Bowel.

—Kent Harrow.

The air was thick with pressure, the weight of this confrontation crushing down on all who watched.

Up in the VIP section, King Alexandria leaned forward ever so slightly, his eyes gleaming with intrigue.

Kael Dragonyx, too, had an amused smirk, as if already entertained by what was about to unfold.

Castenada and his friend Marel, Vice chancellor Reeves and General Cao, they all currently had worried looks on their faces as they watched the confrontation Kaelen is currently having with Kelvin and Kent.

But down in the arena, Kaelen and Kelvin felt none of that amusement nor that kind of tension.

Because their eyes were fixed on the man standing before them.

Kent.

Unlike them—who were grim, cautious, and bracing themselves—Kent…

Kent was smiling.

A relaxed, unbothered grin, as if this moment was something he had dreamed of a thousand times over.

Kaelen's grip on his sword tightened.

Kelvin's fingers twitched over his scythe.

And then—

—BOOM!

Kent's aura exploded outward.

An immense, crushing wave of mana erupted from his body, washing over the battlefield like a tidal wave.

Kaelen and Kelvin's bodies stiffened instinctively.

For the first time in a long while—they felt it.

Overwhelming power.

A predator's aura.

The kind of presence that made their instincts scream DANGER!

Kent stretched his arms lazily, as if waking from a nap.

Then, with an amicable yet deeply ominous tone, he muttered—

"Why don't we begin?"

A chill ran down Kaelen's spine.

Kelvin's expression darkened.

Because at that moment—

They were convinced that they were about to have a fight of there lives.

And the moment Kent uttered those ominous words—

"Why don't we begin?"

—Kaelen and Kelvin instantly moved.

BOOM!

They exploded forward, launching themselves straight at him without hesitation.

Kelvin's Blood Void Domain unfurled in a violent crimson storm, the air twisting as reality itself seemed to distort.

Kaelen's Eternal Guardian Armor blazed to life, sacred blue light spilling from its form like a divine beacon. His Blade of Eternity shone with an ethereal glow, thrumming with overwhelming power.

And just like that—

—they struck.

Kelvin, his dark scythe flashing like a specter of death, slashed from the left.

Kaelen, wielding his sword like a storm of divine light, slashed from the right.

Their movements were in perfect harmony, two killing machines locked onto a single target.

Kent did not move.

His smile remained.

And then—

—he lifted a single finger.

A burst of mana rippled from his body in a nearly invisible shockwave.

And in the next instant—

BANG!

Kaelen and Kelvin were flung backwards like ragdolls, their weapons deflected by an unseen force.

They crashed into the ground, tearing up the arena floor as their bodies skidded backward.

The audience gasped in shock.

Kent had barely moved.

He had just flicked his mana outward, and yet he had repelled two of the strongest competitors in the convention.

Kelvin gritted his teeth, his hands trembling from the impact.

Kaelen, eyes wide, struggled to comprehend what had just happened.

Kent, still calm, still smiling, simply flicked his wrist.

"Too slow."

And then—he attacked.

And so, Kent stood still, an unshakable pillar of dominance, his expression never faltering.

Kaelen and Kelvin, on the other hand, were locked in a desperate struggle, bombarded by an unrelenting barrage of spells.

Kent never chanted.

Never gestured.

Never moved more than necessary.

Yet—

BOOM!

A massive fire lance shot toward Kelvin. He barely twisted out of the way before an ice spear erupted from the ground beneath him, forcing him to jump.

But the moment his feet left the ground—

CRACK!

A lightning bolt blasted into his chest, sending him crashing down.

Kaelen, trying to counter, swung his Blade of Eternity to send a holy wave toward Kent, but—

WHOOSH!

A wind scythe cut straight through it before a compressed water bullet shot toward him with the force of a cannon.

Kaelen barely managed to dodge, but before he could regain balance—

BOOM!

A rock spike erupted from the ground, slamming into his side and sending him tumbling backward.

The worst part?

These were basic spells.

Kent wasn't even trying.

Kelvin gritted his teeth, his body already aching from taking too many hits.

Kaelen clenched his fists as his gaze locked onto Kent.

'We can't even get close.'

Kent was weaving multiple elemental spells effortlessly, making any approach impossible.

If this turned into a battle of attrition, they would lose.

Kaelen realized that.

That's why—

He tightened his grip on his sword.

And then—

A storm of mana erupted around him.

"Since I can't get close normally… I'll force my way through!"

His aura changed.

Kelvin recognized it instantly.

"Kaelen, Hold up for a minute!"

But Kaelen didn't respond.

He was already moving.

His blade pulsed.

The first technique of the Divine Sword Series—

"Divine Crescent!"

In a split second, Kaelen vanished.

A crescent arc of sword energy erupted forward, slicing through the air.

Kent's eyes narrowed.

And for the first time in the fight…

He actually took a step back.

That was the only opening Kaelen needed.

BOOM!

Kaelen lunged at breakneck speed, his body blurring as his blade was already descending upon Kent's head.

"Take this!!"

The audience gasped.

Kaelen's sword was mere inches away from Kent's skull.

And then—

CLANG!

A barrier suddenly materialized.

Kaelen's eyes widened in horror.

"Wha—?!"

Kent hadn't even raised his hand.

The barrier formed instantly, blocking the strike as if it had been waiting for this moment.

And before Kaelen could react—

BOOM!

A shockwave erupted, sending Kaelen flying backward at insane speeds.

He barely managed to stabilize himself before—

BANG!

A fireball smashed into him midair, blasting him across the arena floor.

Kaelen coughed out blood.

He gritted his teeth.

He struggled to rise.

And then—

He heard footsteps.

Kent slowly approached.

And this time, his expression changed.

For the first time since the battle started…

He looked slightly irritated.

"That was annoying," Kent muttered.

Kaelen's hands trembled as he forced himself to stand.

Kent's aura flared dangerously.

"Now... I'm going to make sure you don't try that again."