Black Monarch

With a mere flicker of his body, the Black Monarch appeared before Olivia. The tip of his long spear, gleaming with a cold, eerie light, lunged toward her.

In that instant, an overwhelming sense of oppression enveloped Olivia, making her feel as though she were being suffocated.

After all, her opponent was no longer a mere Destroyer like those she had faced before; he was a genuine Controller.

Furthermore, he was among the elite even within the Controller rank. The pressure such an existence exerted was intense beyond measure.

Facing the Black Monarch, Olivia knew she could no longer afford to hold back.

She raised her hand and made a grasping motion. Divine power coalesced in her palm, forming a water-blue sword that she gripped tightly.

The blade possessed an ethereal quality, lacking a solid, physical form, looking as if it might dissipate with a single gust of wind.

Yet, the moment the sword appeared, even the Black Monarch sensed a formidable pressure.

He did not waver, however, and his spear continued its relentless, forward thrust.

Olivia raised her hand and swung her sword in a decisive strike.

Clang!

Their weapons collided with a sharp, clear ring.

In the next heartbeat, a massive surge of power swept over both combatants. The Black Monarch found himself unable to control his footing, stumbling back more than a dozen steps.

Olivia, meanwhile, remained exactly where she stood, not retreating an inch.

This sight caused an immediate uproar among the spectators. Eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

After a simple clash between Olivia and the Black Monarch, was it the Black Monarch who had been forced onto the back foot?

This outcome defied everyone's expectations. After all, this was the Black Monarch; everyone had absolute confidence in his combat prowess.

The Black Monarch himself was equally surprised. Even though he hadn't exerted his full strength, he felt deeply that Olivia was no weakling.

There was a reason this Destroyer had dared to challenge him.

However, winning against him would not be so simple.

The Black Monarch charged again, his body erupting with bursts of black light as an aura of death permeated the surroundings.

The spear, wreathed in a thick shroud of death energy, lunged forward once more.

As the spear drew near, he gave it a slight vibration. The single tip split into two, then four, evolving into a swarm of spear shadows that engulfed Olivia.

In response, Olivia simply swung her Sword of God, striking out with what seemed like a plain, unremarkable slash.

Clang!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Their weapons clashed repeatedly.

This time, the Black Monarch was not blown back. Instead, he engaged Olivia in a rapid succession of strikes, the sharp sounds of metal on metal ringing out continuously.

Both moved with incredible speed, leaving a trail of afterimages across the arena.

They shifted positions constantly, their offensives fierce, each fighting with the ultimate goal of slaying the other.

The Black Monarch was truly powerful; the aura of death spread wherever he went.

During his assault, he would occasionally manifest a death domain.

These death domains appeared as small, inconspicuous black spheres. They were hidden within his attacks, surging toward his enemy alongside his strikes.

Anyone touched by a death domain would feel their mind and body being dragged into it, forced to embrace death in such a manner.

These attacks were nearly impossible to guard against, as each death domain resembled the sparks flying from a weapon's collision, making them difficult to notice.

But Olivia naturally did not overlook the Black Monarch's tactics.

As they fought, she maneuvered around the Black Monarch, maintaining a fierce offensive while never forgetting her own defense.

In a battle of this level, she couldn't rely solely on the life force bonus provided by the Remnant Branch of the Divine Tree.

No matter how great one's life force, it could not grant eternal life. There were far too many powers capable of eroding it.

At the very least, the Black Monarch possessed such power.

Seeing that none of his death domains could get near Olivia during their exchanges, the Black Monarch realized his tactic had been seen through.

But as the Black Monarch, his repertoire of techniques was vast. Having one method countered did not prevent him from using others.

He churned his death energy, causing the environment to plunge into darkness. Strands of yin energy became entangled within the space, making it feel as if they were in the legendary underworld.

In response, Olivia focused her mind, and her body suddenly expanded, transforming into a giant in an instant.

She wore a specially made nun habit; even as her body grew massive, the garment did not tear.

Olivia's towering form instantly broke free from the death zone created by the Black Monarch. She then brought down her Sword of God, which had grown in size along with her.

Clang!

Faced with Olivia's heavy assault, the Black Monarch could only raise his spear to meet it. The collision produced another sharp ring.

Just as the sound echoed, the Black Monarch's pupils shrank. He discovered that his pitch-black spear had been snapped clean in half by Olivia's sword.

The origin of his black spear was quite extraordinary, yet it had been severed so easily. A chill of unease inevitably crept into the Black Monarch's heart.

Taking advantage of the fact that the Black Monarch was now weaponless, Olivia resumed her fierce assault.

Even though her body was currently massive, her flexibility was not affected in the slightest.

She already possessed exceptional combat skills. Now, wielding her sword, she unleashed a continuous stream of ingenious attacks, trapping the Black Monarch within her reach and striking at him relentlessly.

The Black Monarch struggled to cope for a moment before his body was torn apart by Olivia's sword, leaving him in a wretched state.

With a loud roar, the Black Monarch simply allowed his entire body to self-detonate.

His attack was incredibly sudden and decisive.

A pitch-black ring, centered on the Black Monarch's remains, rapidly expanded outward in all directions.

Within the area covered by the ring, one figure after another of the Black Monarch began to walk toward the center.

“Every second, I am different from who I was the moment before, and different from who I will be the moment after. Yet, every version of me shall fight for me within this same span of time,” the Black Monarch's voice echoed eerily from the shadows.