Chapter 38: Incarnating into Ten Thousand Blades, Unstoppable!

Cohen soon faced his first opponent, and as he caught sight of her, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

She was an Elf Ranger.

Possessing a stunning appearance, her lithe and slender frame seemed as though it could dance upon the wind. The badge pinned to her attire, displaying ten wins and two losses, caused Cohen’s expression to grow more somber. She was the opponent with the highest win rate he had encountered in the past two days.

Slung across the elf’s back was a longbow with fluid, graceful lines, its string pulled taut. Even from a distance, Cohen could sense the intense magical aura emanating from it; this was an enchanted weapon of significant rank.

A formidable foe!

As the starting whistle blew, the Elf Ranger made the first move. A colorful rainbow of energy surged behind her, and in an instant, a pair of magnificent wings sprouted from her back. They were wide and powerful, with soft, perfectly aligned feathers that shimmered with a dreamlike luster in the sunlight.

A Winged Elf!

With a flutter of her wings, the Ranger took to the sky. She drew her bow, though there was no physical arrow; as she pulled the string, an arrow condensed from pure energy manifested, aimed squarely at Cohen.

The bowstring was pulled back like a full moon. The shaft whistled as it was released, tracing a graceful arc through the air and streaking toward him like lightning. The tip pierced the air, creating a faint vibration. Cohen could feel the terrifying power contained within; with his Bronze-rank physique, which had yet to be fully tempered, taking such a blow head-on would surely result in a grave injury.

He took a quick step, activating his "Ghost Crab" movement technique, and dodged the arrow with calm composure.

The first shot missed, but the Winged Elf, soaring high above, showed no sign of agitation. Her slender fingers returned to the string, and this time, three arrows flew through the air simultaneously.

Cohen dodged them once more.

Then, three more.

The spectators had already grasped the Elf Ranger’s strategy. She intended to use her aerial advantage to exhaust Cohen’s stamina and focus. After all, she possessed a rank advantage; in a war of attrition, Cohen, who was only at the First Order, would inevitably be the one to collapse. Despite his powerful combat techniques and physical strength, they were useless if he couldn't reach his target.

Many in the crowd wondered why Cohen didn't use that skill of his that could snatch an opponent's weapon. Was it limited? Could it not be activated against a transcendent two ranks higher than himself?

While most of their guesses weren't entirely accurate, they weren't far off. Cohen had actually attempted to activate "Unarmed Disarm" at the very beginning, but to his regret, the Willpower check had failed. This was to be expected, given the two-rank gap and the fact that the Elven race was naturally gifted in willpower.

Time slipped away. With the sound of the bowstring snapping, another three arrows tore through the air.

This time, Cohen chose not to evade.

As the three arrows sped toward him, the Dragon Seal on his hand flickered, and a heavy, chilling round shield appeared in his grip. The edges of the shield were razor-sharp, as if they could slice through the air itself. At the center of the disc lay a lifelike dragon, its scales fine and uniform, each one gleaming with a mysterious light. The dragon's head occupied the upper portion of the shield, its eyes wide and piercing, radiating endless majesty. Surrounded by strange, silver-glowing magical runes that contrasted with the black dragon emblem, the shield possessed an air of mystery and fantasy.

He activated his skill: "Body of Ten Thousand Weapons"!

The spectators were stunned by the sudden appearance of the mysterious shield. There was no time for them to process it before the three arrows struck the shield, causing only a slight ripple of energy. Its formidable defensive power left the crowd in shock. Was this Cohen’s primary weapon? Was he a Shield Warrior?

But the scene that followed left the audience truly unable to keep their seats.

No sooner had the strange shield absorbed the blow than it vanished, and in its place, a dragon-patterned longbow appeared in Cohen’s hand!

Cohen drew the bow and released, his movements fluid and natural. The muscles in his arm bulged slightly, and as his fingers relaxed, an arrow shot forth with immense power, whistling toward the Winged Elf.

The Winged Elf in mid-air was so startled she nearly plummeted. What was happening? The shield was one thing, but how had a longbow suddenly appeared?

Looking at the cold, shimmering arrow, the Elf Ranger did not hesitate. It was just a contest of archery—and who could possibly best an Elf Ranger at that?

She fluttered her wings, nimbly dodging the arrow. Just as she prepared to draw her own bow to return fire, she heard a chorus of gasps from below.

The Winged Elf felt an instinctive sense of unease. Before she could even turn, she felt a sudden constriction. Several long, flexible ropes appeared behind her, swiftly wrapping around her body. The ropes seemed to possess a life of their own, coiling like a nimble dragon, and in a few moments, the Winged Elf was bound tight.

Only then did she realize that the longbow in Cohen’s hand had vanished, replaced by a massive rope.

The spectators saw it even more clearly. They had witnessed the arrow Cohen fired transform into a giant lasso the moment the Elf Ranger dodged it, catching her by surprise. The other end of the lasso had seamlessly taken the place of the bow in Cohen's hand.

Such an unbelievable scene left many completely bewildered. Was this ability to change weapon types at will a skill inherent to Cohen, or was it a powerful magical weapon?

However, a few knowledgeable individuals recalled Cohen’s previous ability to snatch weapons and felt a sense of disbelief, dimly sensing the implications behind it.

Cohen’s fingers flicked with dexterity, causing the rope to undulate and vibrate. Like a master of rope arts, he tossed the struggling Winged Elf about, leaving her dizzy and disoriented. Then, with a gentle tug, he pulled her down from the sky.

The taut rope outlined the Elf’s exquisite figure, causing her face to flush with shame and anger.

"Let me go! I surrender!"

Cohen offered an awkward smile; he hadn't expected the rope to have such an effect. With a flicker of the Dragon Seal on his hand, the rope vanished.

The Elf hurriedly rose and straightened her disheveled clothes, casting a resentful glance at him as she muttered under her breath, "Bully! When my sister arrives, I’ll make sure she settles this score for me."

The first match concluded amidst Cohen’s bizarre combat techniques, leaving the arena in a state of profound silence. Soon, messages and letters began to fly out from the various private boxes and grandstands. Every detail and process of the battle was being dissected.

By the time the second match was underway, almost every noble house with any history or influence had received an answer that left them stunned.

This mysterious man, known as the "Lord of Shadows," was suspected to be an advanced practitioner of an ancient secret class: the [Dragon Seal Weapon Master].

Suddenly, all previous questions were answered. Why did the "Lord of Shadows," with such high combat talent, only step into the ranks of the transcendent at sixteen?

It was because he was advancing as a [Dragon Seal Weapon Master]!

This secret class required the practitioner to have dragon blood to carve the seal, and one had to be proficient in over ten types of weapons to successfully qualify. The fact that he had succeeded at sixteen was not late—it was impossibly early!

Moreover, he possessed ancient divine artifacts like true dragon blood and the Dragon Seal runes.

What kind of family background and talent were required to achieve all of this!

For a moment, almost no one cared about the matches themselves. They were all desperate to uncover every secret hidden within this man.