A Desperate Counterattack
Steffan’s pupils shrank to pinpoints.
His scalp went numb.
Every instinct in his body screamed the same warning.
"Ahhh!!!"
Realizing Julian D’Aurelius’s intention, Steffan let out a furious roar and instinctively tried to throw himself backward.
Unfortunately, the Chaos Mirage Mist still had effect on his body. As soon as his mind told him to retreat, his body acted against his command and lunged forward instead. "Slash!
Julian’s dagger cut through the air like a silver ray of light.
Its point narrowly missed Steffan’s manhood, digging into the side of his lower abdomen instead. A soft "thud" sound echoed in the large hall. The dagger pierced into the flesh but not too deep. Steffan gathered his true energy to defend with his body to prevent further damage as the dagger embedded on his lower abdomen just shallowly.
Currently peak gold realm, he had defenses unlike anything a weakling had.
The dagger barely went an inch into Steffan’s body and was already stopped. A few drops of blood was released from his tearing outfit but this wouldn’t even cause much trouble for him. Julian scowled.
"Tough bastard."
Not bothered by it, he withdrew his dagger and attacked Steffan from a different angle again. If attacking straight at him yielded no result, he would attack what would annoy him more -- his sensitive point.
One jab, another jab and another jab came in one after another targeting that sensitive spot.
Julian’s onslaught pressured Steffan in his prone position and all he could do was to continuously wriggle away on the marble floor trying to avoid another piercing to that painful spot.
He would rather take another blade through his back than allow Julian to cripple him.
If he lost his manhood...
How could he still call himself the Martial Art King of the Farlands?
He might as well retire and change his title to the Farlands Chamberlain.
"Damn you!"
"Stay away from me!"
Julian snorted.
"You’ve got plenty of confidence when you’re standing."
"Let’s see how brave you are now."
Watching the bizarre battle unfold, Liza Voss and Lina Ashford were completely speechless.
Their expressions stiffened.
Neither woman had ever imagined witnessing a duel between two Gold Realm experts devolve into... this.
Lina blinked several times.
"...Young Master Julian..."
"...Is this really your strategy?"
Liza slowly rubbed her forehead.
"I’ve seen assassins..."
"I’ve seen generals..."
"I’ve seen martial artists..."
"...I’ve never seen anyone fight like this."
The two women exchanged helpless glances before looking back toward the battlefield.
There, a Peak Gold Realm expert was writhing across the floor while Julian relentlessly pressed the attack.
The sight was so unbelievable that it almost defied logic.
At that moment...
Their admiration for Julian somehow grew even stronger.
Only someone as unfathomable as him could force a Peak Gold Realm expert into such an embarrassing situation.
The battle became strangely one-sided.
For every three stabs Julian launched...
Steffan barely managed to retaliate with a single kick.
Yet Julian’s attacks struck their mark time after time, while Steffan’s kicks sliced through nothing but empty air.
Pinned to the ground by the lingering effects of the Chaos Mirage Mist, he simply couldn’t regain enough balance to stand.
His greatest strength had become his greatest prison.
Five full minutes passed.
Sweat soaked Steffan’s face.
His breathing became ragged.
His clothes were torn in multiple places.
His lower abdomen bore more than ten stab wounds.
His thighs had been slashed seven or eight times.
Every muscle in his body screamed in pain.
He had finally broken through to the Peak Gold Realm, believing he could crush Julian with overwhelming force.
Instead...
He had been forced onto the defensive from beginning to end.
The only consolation he could find was that, despite all of Julian’s relentless attacks, his manhood had somehow remained unharmed.
That single thought became the last thread preserving his sanity.
Julian, meanwhile, was becoming increasingly anxious.
"Damn..."
"My hands are getting sore."
Silently, he calculated the remaining uses of the Chaos Mirage Mist.
He had already used it once against the Queen.
Now he had activated it six consecutive times against Steffan.
Only three uses remained.
If those were exhausted before Steffan was defeated...
The situation could reverse instantly.
"I can’t drag this out any longer."
His eyes sharpened.
Without warning, Julian abandoned his previous rhythm.
Instead of aiming low, he drove his dagger straight toward Steffan’s heart.
Steffan reacted instinctively.
He rolled sideways across the marble floor, narrowly avoiding the fatal thrust.
But the instant he completed the roll...
A sharp, explosive pain erupted between his legs.
Julian had anticipated the movement.
His left foot came down squarely, pinning Steffan in place.
Before Steffan could recover, Julian made his move.
His dagger flashed with ruthless precision, its cold edge cutting through the air in a single decisive strike.
In one clean motion, Steffan’s manhood was severed.
For a heartbeat, time itself seemed to stop.
The entire mansion fell into stunned silence.
Steffan’s eyes widened in utter disbelief as an indescribable surge of pain crashed through his body. His face turned deathly pale, and his body stiffened before instinctively curling in on itself.
Then a servant leaning over the second-floor railing pointed toward the air, his jaw hanging open.
"Ah! His manhood is flying!"
The severed manhood spun through the air in a bloody arc toward Liza Voss and Lina Ashford.
Julian immediately stepped back, deliberately widening the distance between himself and Steffan.
He couldn’t afford to waste the remaining three uses of the Chaos Mirage Mist. Every activation counted now.
"Liza!" Julian called out.
"Catch it and roast it!"
Liza’s beautiful face instantly twisted with disgust.
"That’s absolutely revolting."
"You can forget it."
Without the slightest hesitation, she sidestepped and let it pass.
Lina’s emerald eyes widened in disbelief.
"Catch... his manhood?"
"Absolutely not!"
She refused to touch it with her hands. Acting purely on instinct, she spun gracefully and delivered a perfectly timed bicycle kick, sending the severed manhood flying away toward the mansion’s entrance.