Soulbound: Dual Cultivation

Chapter 419: Enraged King

The King did not stop after severing the general’s arm.

If anything, the sight of blood only deepened the fury burning inside him.

The general collapsed to one knee behind Ken, clutching the ruined stump of his shoulder while blood poured across the battlefield floor. His weapon lay several paces away, forgotten in the dirt.

But the King did not even glance at him.

His entire focus had locked onto one man.

Celestial Ken.

The rage in his chest had become something uncontrollable now. Every word Ken had spoken still echoed in his mind like poison.

His wife had betrayed him.

His own queen.

She had tried to murder their son.

She had helped bring monsters to Valerion.

She had handed their kingdom to the enemy.

The King’s grip tightened on his sword until his knuckles whitened.

With a furious step forward he attacked again.

The blade cut through the air with frightening speed, aimed straight for Ken’s throat. It was a strike filled with enough power to cleave through steel armor.

Ken moved his head slightly to the side.

The sword passed within inches of him.

The King pivoted immediately, turning the missed strike into another slash that came from below with brutal force.

Ken stepped back lightly.

The blade missed again.

But the King did not slow.

His sword moved again and again, each strike flowing seamlessly into the next. Every motion was sharp and precise, the work of a master who had spent a lifetime refining his technique.

Steel flashed in the valley like lightning.

Lucas watched in disbelief as the King pressed forward relentlessly.

Each swing carried the weight of his fury.

The King attacked like a man who had already accepted death and no longer cared about the consequences.

Ken continued to evade him calmly.

He stepped aside from one strike.

Then leaned slightly to avoid another.

The blade sliced past his chest, then his shoulder, then his neck, each time missing by the smallest margin.

To anyone watching from afar it would have looked almost effortless.

But Lucas could see the truth.

The King’s swordsmanship was forcing even a Celestial to move.

Ken’s eyes had sharpened now.

He was no longer amused.

The general on the ground shouted hoarsely through the pain.

"Celestial... kill him!"

But Ken ignored him.

The King attacked again, stepping forward with a powerful downward strike that split the ground where Ken had stood an instant earlier.

Dust and fragments of stone burst upward.

Still the King pressed forward.

His sword spun in his hands as he launched another attack, the blade moving with brutal speed as he aimed for Ken’s torso.

Ken finally spoke.

"You are angry," he said calmly.

The King answered with another strike.

Ken tilted his body aside as the blade passed his chest again.

"But anger does not close the gap between us."

The King roared and swung again.

The sword came down in a violent arc meant to split Ken from shoulder to hip.

This time Ken did not step away.

Instead he raised one hand.

Wind gathered instantly.

A violent surge of compressed air exploded outward from his palm.

The attack struck the King directly.

The force was overwhelming.

It felt like being hit by a moving wall.

The King’s body lifted from the ground as the wind technique slammed into him with devastating power. His armor shattered in several places under the impact as the blast hurled him across the battlefield.

Lucas’ eyes widened.

The King crashed violently into the ground several meters away, rolling across the scorched earth before finally sliding to a stop among the scattered remains of broken weapons.

Dust rose around him.

For a moment he did not move.

The difference in power had become painfully clear.

The King slowly tried to push himself up, his sword still clutched in his hand.

But Ken had barely exerted any effort.

The Celestial stood where he had been moments before, completely unmoved.

His robe fluttered slightly as the last remnants of wind dissipated around him.

Ken looked toward the fallen King with calm indifference.

"You are strong for a king," he said.

His voice carried easily across the valley.

"But your strength means nothing here."

The King struggled to stand, his breathing heavy.

The earlier rage still burned in his chest, but now it was mixed with the crushing realization of the difference between them.

Ken had not even tried.

And yet the King had already been overwhelmed.

Dust still drifted slowly through the valley when Lucas reached the King.

The wind attack had thrown him several meters across the battlefield, and the ground around him bore the marks of the violent impact. Cracks ran through the scorched soil where his body had struck before sliding to a halt.

The King was trying to rise when Lucas knelt beside him.

His armor had split in several places and one shoulder guard hung loose where the blast had shattered its fastening. Blood had begun to seep through the fabric beneath the metal, though the wound did not appear immediately fatal.

Even so, the force of Ken’s strike had clearly shaken him.

Lucas grasped the King’s arm and helped pull him up to his feet.

For a brief moment the King leaned slightly on him, catching his breath as the dizziness from the impact passed.

"Your Majesty," Lucas said quietly.

The King steadied himself and pushed upright again, though his breathing remained heavy. His eyes lifted toward the man still standing calmly across the valley floor.

Celestial Ken had not moved from where he stood.

He watched them with the same detached expression, as if the entire exchange had been little more than a brief interruption.

Lucas spoke again.

"You heard what I proposed earlier."

Ken raised an eyebrow slightly.

"The duel."

The Celestial tilted his head with mild interest.

Lucas continued calmly.

"You accepted the terms."

The reminder hung in the air between them.

Ken said nothing at first. His gaze shifted briefly from Lucas to the King, who was now standing on his own again with his sword still clenched in his hand.

Then the Celestial let out a quiet breath.

"Yes," he said at last.

"I remember."

His tone carried no hesitation now.

"If you insist on gambling your remaining hope on a single champion, I have no reason to refuse."

Lucas studied him carefully.

Ken’s gaze hardened slightly.

"In fact," he continued calmly, "I find the idea rather convenient."

Commander Alexander had begun walking toward them from behind, having witnessed the King’s brief clash with Ken from several paces away. His expression was tight with concern as he reached their side.

Ken’s voice carried across the battlefield.

"You asked that each side present a champion."

His eyes settled on Lucas again.

"Very well."

He took one slow step forward, the faint pressure of his aura spreading slightly through the air again.

"I will represent my people."

The words landed with heavy finality.

Even Commander Alexander felt the weight of them.

Ken, a Celestial cultivator, had just declared himself their champion.

Lucas did not show surprise.

Instead he nodded once.

"So be it."

Ken folded his hands behind his back again.

"When?" he asked.

Lucas glanced briefly toward the King.

The King was still breathing heavily from the earlier blow, though the rage that had driven him moments earlier had cooled into something colder now.

Lucas turned back to Ken.

"Tomorrow morning."

Ken considered the suggestion for a moment.

"Dawn?" he asked.

Lucas nodded.

"Dawn."

A faint smile touched Ken’s lips again.

"That will give you the night to decide which unfortunate soul you wish to sacrifice."

Commander Alexander clenched his jaw at the remark but said nothing.

Ken turned his gaze briefly toward the distant armies waiting on either side of the valley.

"Very well," he said calmly.

"The duel will take place here."

He gestured lightly toward the ground beneath their feet, still stained by the blood of the earlier battle.

"Tomorrow morning."

Lucas gave a final nod.

The terms had been set.

For a moment none of them spoke again.

Then Ken turned and began walking back toward the usurper lines.

His wounded general was already being carried away by several soldiers who had rushed down from their side of the valley.

The Celestial did not look back.

Lucas watched him go before finally turning toward the King and Commander Alexander.

"You understand what this means," the commander said quietly.

Lucas did.

They had forced a duel with a Celestial cultivator.

And now they needed a champion.

Lucas’ eyes moved briefly across the distant slope where the Valerion army waited.

Somewhere behind those ranks stood the one person who might actually survive such a fight.

The Ice Belle.

They had not formally chosen a champion yet.

But in Lucas’ mind, the decision was already beginning to take shape.