An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori (official version)

As Azalea stared at the overwhelming golden wave, her eyes narrowed, and her heart raced. She had expected a few more exchanges, but Kendricks's opening move was terrifying.

Without hesitating, she flicked her wrist and pulled out a red paper parasol that seemed to appear from nowhere. The parasol gleamed with deep red hues, and its surface etched with mysterious runes. As light danced over its surface, the runes began to pulse and whirl as if infused with life.

"The Abyssal Parasol?" The spectators immediately recognized the origin of the red paper parasol.

The Abyssal Parasol was a powerful defensive divine artifact known for its dark and formidable properties. It was once the prized possession of the Abyssal Legion, but it was believed to have been lost after their downfall. Surprisingly, it ended up in the hands of the Mystic Arts Order.

"Go!" Azalea opened the parasol and thrust it forward against the golden wave. It shot into the air and shone brightly. A layer of crimson light instantly surrounded her, and from afar, it appeared as if she was standing inside a massive eggshell.

The golden wave crashed down with immense force, slamming against the crimson barrier with an ear-splitting roar. The barrier shook violently under the impact. It distorted and wavered against the relentless onslaught.

Inside the barrier, Azalea was deep in concentration, forming hand seals. As the golden wave pounded relentlessly, her body began to tremble, and sweat beaded on her forehead.

Even with the protection of the Abyssal Parasol, Kendricks' assault was overwhelming. At that moment, she understood the terrifying power of those ranked on the Legendary List. Even a casual strike from one of them could put her life at risk.

"Oh? You still have something else up your sleeve?" He raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised.

From his keen eyes, he could tell Azalea had just reached grandmaster level, and her skills were mediocre. Typically, he could finish her off with a single strike, so he didn't bother to follow up.

Kendricks hadn't expected her to have a defensive divine artifact that could block his attack, but he didn't give it much thought.

From the moment they stepped into the ring, the outcof this match was already decided. Even with the Abyssal Parasol shielding her, it would only take him a bit more effort to win.

"I'd like to see if you can still block my attack." Kendricks wasted no tand raised his golden saber. Then, he swung it toward Azalea from afar.

A massive golden blade aura shot out, which was more terrifying than before, and crashed into the crimson barrier.

An explosion rang out as energy rippled outward. The barrier instantly shattered, and the Abyssal Parasol hovering in the air dimmed and fell to the ground.

Azalea, still forming hand seals, stumbled back several steps from the impact. Her face had gone pale, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. Although the attack hadn't struck her directly, the shockwave and recoil left her badly injured.

"Let's see how you block my attack without the Abyssal Parasol." Kendricks didn't show the slightest bit of mercy. After shattering the barrier, he raised his saber again and swung at her from a distance.

The strike was just as simple and brutal as before, without any fancy moves. The golden blade aura crashed down like a meteor, its force overwhelming and terrifying.

Azalea's expression changed. She quickly pulled a blue talisman from her bosom and hurled it toward the incoming blade aura.

The golden aura shattered with a loud explosion. Then, a streak of blue lightning struck Kendricks with blinding speed.

He was hit by lightning and stumbled back several steps. His clothes were in tatters, and his hair was singed black.

He stood there in shock as he stared at the wound on his chest. It had a charred mark where the blue lightning had struck him. Though it wasn't a life-threatening injury, the searing pain was inescapable.

However, Kendricks was more disturbed by the fact that a seemingly weak woman had injured him than by the pain itself. What should have been an effortless victory had left him looking ragged and humiliated.

At that instant, the spectators were equally stunned and murmured in disbelief.

"Did I see that right? That beauty injured Kendricks?" "It's not easy to injure the eighth- ranked master on the Legendary List." "Could that blue lightning be the Divine Talisman from Sacred Wrym Summit?” "You're right. That was definitely the Divine Talisman. Besides the talisman, no other weapon could injure Kendricks." "But... Why would a disciple from the Mystic Arts Order have a Divine Talisman from the Sacred Wyrm Summit?" The spectators were abuzz with confusion.

Kendricks being injured was shocking enough. However, the fact that he was hurt by a Divine om Talisman, which was exclusive to Sacred Wrym Summit, left them bewildered. Still, they couldn't understand how a Mystic Arts disciple could possess such a talisman.

"I didn't expect the Divine Talisman to be this handy. What a pleasant om surprise! "Abigail grinned from her seat, then cupped her hands toward Caleb, who stood not too far away.

"Thanks, little monk." At her words, every eye turned toward Caleb, including the Mighty Three Cyrus, Alloy, and Penelope. Even Kaden, the newly appointed Sage of the Sacred Wyrm Summit, looked at him.

Caleb was speechless. He felt a chill run down his spine as cold sweat dripped from his brow He thought, "Damn INI shouldn't have made that bet. Now I've lost a stack of Divine Talismans and been exposed in front of everyone." He could already imagine the whipping he would get when he returned later. The thought alone made his head throb.

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