Soulbound: Dual Cultivation

Chapter 433: The duel

Ken let out a quiet breath, the faint smirk never leaving his face as he gave Lucas one last look, a look filled with confidence and quiet mockery, as though he had already seen how this would end. Without another word, he turned and began walking back toward his army, his steps unhurried, his composure untouched.

When he reached his side, he stopped at the front line, folding his arms as he settled in to watch, the same smug expression resting on his lips as his eyes locked onto the center of the valley.

He was not worried.

Not in the slightest.

Back at the center, the atmosphere shifted the moment he left.

The Celestial stepped backward.

Each movement was slow, deliberate, carrying a weight that pressed against the ground and rippled through the air itself. He stopped at a distance of about twenty meters from Lucas and the Ice Belle, his scarred body standing tall, unmoving, like a storm waiting to be unleashed.

The valley fell into a deep, suffocating silence.

Even the wind seemed to still.

Lucas stood firm, his gaze locked onto the man before him, his breathing steady, his presence calm in a way that did not match the scale of what he was facing. Beside him, the Ice Belle remained quiet, her earlier irritation gone, replaced with a cold focus that sharpened her entire being.

Across from them, the Celestial exhaled slowly.

A faint crackle passed along the surface of his skin, subtle, but unmistakable, like remnants of something violent that still lived within him.

"You should feel honored," he said at last, his voice low, carrying easily across the distance. "Not many get the chance to die like this."

Lucas did not respond.

He simply watched.

Unmoved.Back within Valerion’s ranks, the tension had reached its peak.

All eyes were fixed on the three figures standing in the valley.

Lira’s hands were clenched tightly in front of her, her fingers pressing into each other as though she could ground herself through sheer force. Her gaze never left Lucas, every second stretching painfully as her heart pounded against her chest.

Selene stood beside her, her expression composed on the surface, but the subtle rise and fall of her breathing betrayed her. Her eyes were sharp, focused, yet filled with a quiet worry she could not hide.

Princess Nyx stood tall, her posture unwavering, but even she could not fully conceal the tension in her eyes. She understood better than most what a Celestial represented, and what it meant to stand against one.

Henrietta, though quieter than usual, kept her arms folded tightly, her gaze fixed forward, her jaw set as if bracing herself for what she feared might come next.

"This..." Lira whispered, her voice barely audible, "this is different."

Selene nodded faintly.

"It always is," she replied softly, though her eyes did not waver. "But he always finds a way."

Nyx remained silent for a moment before speaking, her tone calm, but heavy with truth.

"This is not something you simply find a way around."

There was no pessimism in her voice.

Only realism.

Henrietta exhaled quietly.

"At least it’s not Ken," she muttered. "If he was facing Ken directly... this wouldn’t even be a duel."

Lira nodded quickly, almost instinctively.

"That would be disastrous."

Selene’s gaze hardened slightly.

"This is already dangerous enough."

They fell silent again.

Because despite everything they believed in Lucas, despite everything they had seen him do, this was a different level entirely.

A Celestial was not something that could be outplayed easily.

Not something that could be overwhelmed through sheer will.

It was a realm that stood above, crushing those beneath it without effort.

And yet...

Their eyes remained on him.

Because if there was anyone who could turn the impossible into something real...

It was Lucas.

But even that belief now trembled under the weight of what stood before him.Back in the valley, the air grew heavier.

The moment stretched thin, as though the world itself stood on the edge of something irreversible.

The Celestial took one step forward.

The ground beneath his foot cracked faintly.

Lucas did not move.

The Ice Belle’s eyes narrowed slightly.

The duel was about to begin.

The silence at the center of the valley stretched thin, fragile, as though even the slightest movement would shatter it completely. The tension had reached a point where every breath felt heavier, every second longer than the last.

Then, unexpectedly...

The Ice Belle spoke.

"What’s your name?"

Her voice was calm, almost casual, cutting through the suffocating pressure in a way that felt completely out of place.

For a brief moment, even the Celestial seemed caught off guard.

His eyes narrowed slightly, studying her as though trying to understand whether she was mocking him or simply foolish.

"...My name?" he repeated, his tone low, laced with disbelief. "Why would you want to know that?"

She shrugged faintly, her expression unchanged.

"If I’m going to defeat you," she said, her voice light but steady, "I might as well know your name."

A pause followed.

Then the man let out a short, humorless scoff.

"You truly don’t understand the situation you’re in," he said, his gaze sharpening, a dangerous glint flickering within his scarred eyes. "You’re about to die, and you’re asking for names?"

The Ice Belle tilted her head slightly, as though considering his words.

Then she replied, just as calmly,

"The one who’s about to meet their end is you."

The air shifted.

The faintest crackle of energy passed through the space between them, subtle yet heavy with intent.

For a moment, the Celestial simply stared at her.

Then...

He laughed.

It was low, rough, and devoid of any real amusement.

"Arrogance," he muttered, shaking his head slightly. "I’ve seen plenty of it. It always ends the same way."

His gaze moved between her and Lucas, lingering for just a fraction longer on Lucas, as though assessing him one final time.

"Very well," he said at last, his voice dropping, growing colder. "If you insist on knowing..."

A brief pause.

Then....

"Remember it as the last thing you hear."

His presence surged.

"My name is Dravok."

The moment the words left his mouth...

Everything changed.

Without warning, without hesitation, the ground beneath Lucas and the Ice Belle exploded.

A violent surge of earth erupted upward, jagged pillars of stone bursting from below with terrifying speed, tearing through the surface as though the land itself had turned against them. The force behind it was overwhelming, immediate, leaving no room for delay or miscalculation.

The attack was not a test.

It was meant to kill.

Lucas’s eyes sharpened instantly.

His body moved before thought could even form, his instincts taking over as Qi surged through his limbs, his figure blurring as he shifted out of the direct path of the attack. The ground where he had stood just a moment before shattered completely, debris scattering in all directions.

Beside him, the Ice Belle reacted just as swiftly.

A thin layer of frost flashed beneath her feet as she glided back, her movement smooth, controlled, narrowly avoiding the jagged spikes that tore through the earth where she had been standing.

The air filled with dust and shattered stone.

The ground trembled.

And at the center of it all, Dravok stood unmoving, his hand slowly lowering as the remnants of his attack settled around him, his expression cold, his intent unmistakable.

There was no more conversation.

No more restraint.

The duel had officially begun.