Imperial Crown.

Chapter 604 Fifth-Order Reverse Slash Against Sixth-Order
"Ok?"

Just as Ferdinand was brimming with confidence and smugly preparing to kick Raven to death, a staff suddenly floated out in front of Raven! It was Adjani's staff! Ferdinand recognized his old friend's relic at a glance!

As the staff appeared, the gem embedded in the ring trembled slightly, and in an instant, a large pool of purple lightning burst forth from the staff's head! That's right! A pool of lightning! This was none other than Raven's fourth-tier magic spell—Titan's Wrath—which he had obtained from Frindor! Ferdinand's kick missed Raven; instead, it felt like he'd stomped on a durian. Raven howled in pain. Not only that, the purple lightning pool, following suit, spread directly to his calf.

But it wasn't over yet. The endlessly spinning gem trembled slightly again, transforming into a gust of wind! An extremely eerie wind! It was the fourth-tier magic—Elemental Disintegration! The excruciating pain, like nails piercing his feet, hadn't ended when the toes of Ferdinand's giant foot, formed from his battle aura, were reduced to dust one by one. Vanished into thin air! "Ahhh!" Ferdinand's screams grew increasingly shrill and piercing!
But Raven's counterattack was far from over! The gem on his staff pulsed once more, radiating light. Clusters of lotus-sized purple flames shot towards Ferdinand's aura-infused body. This was Raven's Desolate Deathfire, fused with the "Eternal Freeze" law! Of the three spells, only this one barely touched the threshold of the fifth tier. Therefore, its destructive power was destined to be the most enduring and potent! As these flames bloomed like mold spots on Ferdinand's body, he was in so much pain that he could no longer utter a single sound!

It all sounds like a long time, but it actually only took three breaths!

Boom!

A tremendous explosion resounded.

Ferdinand's right foot was injured, causing him to lose his balance and fall backward with a thud!

"Old dog!" "You forgot!" "Besides being an extraordinary being, I am also a magician!"

On the way here, Raven had already stored all his magic spells within Adjani's staff. Now, they proved incredibly effective, helping her escape! Raven said indifferently. Then, taking advantage of Ferdinand's loss of balance, he immediately flung off the ship-shaped spirit on his head, stood up, and pounced forward, delivering a powerful punch to Ferdinand's face.

Although the thick aura armor prevented any actual damage to Ferdinand's physical body, the real pain was exactly the same! Otherwise, Ferdinand wouldn't have screamed so miserably!
"Raven!" "You really are despicable!"

Ferdinand kicked Raven away, then got back up. That cunning bastard Raven was truly shameless! He actually used magic against him. In the heat of the battle, he'd completely forgotten that Raven had once been a "magical genius"! Ferdinand cursed angrily. Then, glancing down at his "severely injured" right leg, he swiftly swung his blade and severed his leg!

"hiss--"

Ferdinand gasped sharply.

Fortunately, with the disappearance of his "right leg," the excruciating pain also subsided, allowing Ferdinand to breathe a sigh of relief. Immediately afterward, he used his internal battle qi to condense his right leg again! Instantly, he was "healed"! However, the price was that a third of his internal battle qi was instantly consumed!

"Damn Raven!" Ferdinand's eyes blazed with fury, his teeth practically grinding to dust with hatred!
His greatest advantage originally lay in being a whole level higher in cultivation. Therefore, the battle qi within him was not only abundant but also of high quality. Now, after all this commotion, the battle qi within him has probably been consumed even more than Raven's! His once advantageous position has now turned into a disadvantage! "Damn it!" Pei Dinan cursed inwardly in frustration.

Rumble—Rumble—Rumble—Rumble—

Immediately afterwards, the two engaged in a fierce battle inside the crystal-clear "square box" made of ice!

You punch me, I kick you. You kick me, I punch you.

The battle was so fierce that the sky darkened, the stars and moon were obscured, ghosts howled, and thunder roared and rain poured down!

They transformed the bloody battle into a life-or-death turn-based combat system!
……

"What's going on??" "Why are we hearing sheep bleating and cows bellowing?"

However, for the hundreds of thousands of onlookers, a strange and perplexing situation arose simultaneously.

Besides the constant sounds of the two divine battle qi armors collapsing, exploding, and being destroyed emanating from inside the "ice box," there were also occasional pitiful cries of "baa baa" and "moo moo moo."

The brutal and violent clash between the two "deities" had been going on for over ten minutes, showing no sign of hesitation or pause. Everyone could see and hear it clearly! Whenever "Iceberg" was attacked by "Sea of ​​Blood," it would let out a pitiful "baa baa baa." And when "Sea of ​​Blood" was attacked by "Iceberg," it would let out a mournful "moo moo moo!"
Perhaps the voices of the two deities were distorted due to being muffled within their battle armor. Or perhaps the sounds descended from the sky, undergoing processing through layers of clouds, howling winds, and ice... thus altering their tones. As for the exact mechanism, those present were unsure. After all, they were all 2-3 miles apart, daring not to get too close, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire and reduced to ashes. However, coupled with the terrifying scene resembling a "clash of gods," the bleating of the cattle and sheep was indeed quite eerie.

What's even more absurd is...

The hundreds of thousands of soldiers who should have been fighting a bloody battle are now just spectators, craning their necks and looking up.

If you had a small stool, some nuts, potato chips, sunflower seeds, and drinks at this time, that would be truly delightful.

There was nothing they could do. After all, Raven and Ferdinand were like two towering mountains, blocking the way between the city walls and the wilderness. Not even a mosquito could fly through, let alone them.

The most nervous of all were Akori on the city walls and Eric outside the wilderness! Without Ferdinand, Akori, the bastard, had no chance of inheriting the dukedom! And without Raven, the entire Snowmaple County would be reduced to nothingness and ruins.

……

"Damn it!!" "Damn it!!!"

Unable to defeat Raven in the long run, Ferdinand not only lost patience but also his reason. He dared not delay any longer and had already considered dissolving his battle aura armor and using the World-Suppressing Divine Weapon once more!

More than half an hour had passed since the two first clashed with that punch, and signs of the backlash from using the world-suppressing divine weapon had already appeared! Pei Dinan's body was frequently experiencing intense pain, and the seed of battle qi was flickering on and off, causing the battle qi within his body to become intermittent.

From initially wanting to "strive to kill Raven quickly," to wanting to "kill Raven without paying such a high price," and now to "as long as Raven dies, that's all that matters," Pédinán's thoughts changed repeatedly within just one hour.

Raven's condition wasn't much better. Firstly, that initial punch nearly exhausted his Doumo Yuanqi. Secondly, he used Martial Soul Transmission twice, which consumed another 20% of his Douqi. Add to that the creation of such a massive Douqi giant and the prolonged, intense clash, and his Douqi was nearly depleted. So, at most, he could use Martial Soul Transmission twice more. Two at most. However, Raven wasn't too panicked. He had a real trump card: absorbing magic cores to quickly replenish his Douqi. He had obtained four sixth-tier magic cores from Adjani, and hadn't used them yet, saving them for this battle! However, absorbing magic cores would inevitably expose his Eye of Truth, and with so many eyes watching, Raven didn't want to take the risk. Not even the slightest. Raven was indeed crazy, despicable, and shameless… but also cautious enough. He wouldn't easily take a risk without at least an 80% chance of victory.

Boom!

After yet another intense clash, Ferdinand and Raven exchanged a glance, tacitly agreeing to remove their battle aura armor and revert to their true forms.

If they continued like this, the two would likely completely exhaust their fighting spirit and become dried-up corpses. At their level and status, they naturally didn't want to easily give up their lives. The task of risking their lives was best left to their soldiers. This was almost a tacit understanding, a silent agreement.

"Come"

Pédinan deactivated his battle armor, hovering in mid-air, his white hair fluttering behind his head, a chilling killing intent solidifying around him. Behind his right hand, he secretly slipped the Boundary Fang into his wrist. In truth, Pédinan knew perfectly well that both of them were at their limit, merely gritting their teeth and holding on. If Raven truly wanted to kill him, he would only need to use that one move. This was Pédinan's final test. If Raven appeared from behind him again, then he dared to assert his point! Raven's mysterious killing move, capable of traversing space, seemed elusive, but it actually had a significant limitation—it could only appear from behind the enemy. To lure Raven into a trap, to make him feel comfortable using that move to kill him, Pédinan casually glanced down at his left arm. Blood was flowing freely there.

He knows Raven too well. Really.

Everyone thought Raven was crazy, reckless, and despicable… willing to do anything to achieve his goals. But Pédinan knew Raven's ingrained caution, his meticulous intelligence, and his steady approach. Looking at Raven's career, he had achieved almost everything he set his mind to. Don't worry about the methods he used. They might be dirty, they might be despicable… they might evoke contempt and utter disdain… but it's often these kinds of people who rise to the top step by step. And those who consider themselves superior are trampled under his feet. That's why Pédinan was certain that Raven wouldn't act rashly without absolute certainty of a kill.

If he deliberately looked at his left arm, revealing his weakness, Raven, given his personality, wouldn't fall for it. That's why Ferdinand acted as if he was in pain but didn't want to be seen. These fleeting, subtle features are precisely the bait that a "clever" person will take.

as predicted!

The next moment, Raven vanished from Ferdinand's sight again, reappearing behind him. He even went so far as to grab Ferdinand's neck with his right hand, while his left hand slipped across the back of his neck, intending to use a rear-naked choke to strangle him to death!
"Raven," "Have you ever heard the saying, 'Too clever by half'?"

When Raven appeared behind him for the third time, Pei Dinan felt much more certain. He was almost certain of the limitations of Raven's killing move. This made Pei Dinan overjoyed. "It's okay if you haven't heard of it." "Let me give you another piece of advice." "Old ginger is always spicier!" With that, Pei Dinan suddenly raised his head and slammed his skull hard into Raven's face.

With a loud bang, Raven let out a pig-like scream.

"Ha..." Ferdinand burst into laughter, but the laughter was short-lived. Raven, despite the excruciating pain, pounced on him again, using a rear-naked choke! His laughter abruptly stopped, like a duck being choked. The choke was in place, and a feeling of suffocation instantly overwhelmed him.

"You motherfucker!"

Ferdinand could feel the warm blood spurting from Raven's nostrils all over his face! Clearly, Raven was seriously injured by his headbutt. Even so, Raven had stubbornly endured it. At this moment, Ferdinand finally understood Raven's madness firsthand! No wonder Quentin of Eivor was so terrified of Raven back then!

A flash of venomous resentment crossed his eyes, and Pei Dinan's right hand shot out backward with a sudden swift movement. "Turning back to grab!" Because he was wearing brass knuckles, his hand wasn't as dexterous, but it was just right. His four fingers were firmly wedged behind Raven's ear. Pei Dinan desperately pulled downwards, and he could even hear the "squeaking" sound of Raven's earlobe about to separate from his flesh. "Let go!" "Let the fuck go!"

"Ow Oo"

His nose was broken, and his ear was ripped off. Raven screamed in agony, tears streaming down his face. But how could he let go? Grinning from his bleeding mouth, Raven freed his left hand, retaliating in kind, and dug his fingers into Ferdinand's eye socket. "Old Deng," he said, "I've never heard those two sentences you said." "I've only heard one," Raven replied, "Humiliation is like coal in barren soil; it can burn away inferiority and refine true gold." "So you can humiliate and abuse me however you want, I won't care." "Come on!" he shouted. "Let's see who's afraid of death!"

Bang bang—

The two eventually separated. Raven's ear was gone, and the pain was unbearable. The rear-naked choke couldn't be continued. He clutched his ear and screamed in agony. But Ferdinand was in even worse shape; his right eye was nothing but a dark, empty, bloodied socket. The eyeball had vanished. His cries of agony were even louder than Raven's.

"Old dog," "Look what this is?"

Suddenly, Raven threw something far away.

Ferdinand tilted his head slightly and looked closely with his left eye. What he saw was not his own eyeball, but an object shaped like a compass! It was the world-suppressing divine weapon in Adjani's hand—the Burning Sun.

Buzz...

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Raven disappeared again.

"You really think I'd fall for your tricks?!"

Although Ferdinand desperately wanted to reclaim this world-defining divine weapon, wouldn't it be the same if Raven died? Ferdinand sneered, clenched his right fist, activated the Boundary Wedge Fang, which emitted a dazzling golden light and gathered immense power, slamming it fiercely behind him.

"Um????????????"

This time, however, Raven didn't appear behind him. Instead, he appeared to his left! Grinning and contorting his face, he was throwing a powerful punch at his left armpit!

If only time could stand still. Even if it couldn't stand still, slowing it down a hundredfold would be wonderful. That way, we could see the incredibly interesting expression on Ferdinand's face!
Yes, he wasn't fooled. He realized what was happening immediately. But the appearance of the blazing sun still slightly startled him, compressing his reaction time.

So Ferdinand realized this was all Raven's trick! In his counterattack, he threw a punch behind him without thinking. Moreover, the loss of his right eye had limited his vision. When he realized Raven wasn't behind him, his only remaining intact left eye drooped slightly, revealing Raven already standing to his left! Then, in a very short time, the expression on Ferdinand's face changed from triumphant laughter to shock and confusion, and then seamlessly switched to utter terror.

Thump!!!
The moment Raven's fist struck Ferdinand's only and greatest weakness, Ferdinand was sent flying! Blood gushed through the air as he hurtled like an arrow until he crashed into the thick wooden stakes of the broken bridge outside the moat, finally coming to a stop.

Tier 5, 1 star, reverse slash; Tier 6, 4 stars.

This scene

It caused an uproar among the hundreds of thousands of onlookers! It thrilled Eric! It made Akery tremble! It horrified the spirits of God! It terrified the devil!

Ferdinand, on the other hand, felt death approaching!

……

(End of this chapter)