I alone am the Honoured One!

HUH? Ji Shuang's eyes shrank in horror 'Dark energy of Elditchfiends? Why... does he have that?'

Before she could voice it, Zhao Tian vanished with a deafening crack as the space crumbled like glass in his wake.

He reappeared just meters above the Paragon's half-regenerated body.

Tendrils of black mist clung to his arms, and his blade burned with flickering black lightning, crackling violently.

The Paragon's malformed eyes turned skyward, and dozens of those eyes gleaming with a different unnatural color locked onto him.

It shrieked, looking at him.

But Zhao Tian didn't stop and slashed.

A blade of pure black lightning, laced with distorted space, erupted from his sword, and it tore down through the air like a jagged tear in the sky.

The bolt struck the Paragon's torso-

BOOOOOOOOOM!!!

The impact shook the barrier and the entire ground beneath the creature folded inward like paper, crushed beneath gravity.

"GRAAR- CREEAACHH!" The Paragon screamed in a distorted, multi-tonal howl that reverberated through its bone and mind.

And still, Zhao Tian was not done.

He flashed to the right side of the creature and his whole body burned with blackish flames.

He drove his palm into the Paragon's flank.

Flames burst out, and the black fire drilled into the Paragon's flesh, twisting and eating through its rune and bone.

The creature flailed in agony and its limbs attempted to strike back.

But Zhao Tian vanished again just before the limb could hit him.

He reappeared directly above the creature's head, where the central crown of runes glowed brightest.

He reached out with his hand and the air collapsed.

A perfect sphere of space folded inwards upon itself, centered right above the Paragon's skull.

The pressure was immense making the distortion visible as it warped the light and sound around it.

The creature's bones cracked beneath the pressure but it wasn't finished.

FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNN!

It expelled a wave of pure energy, and Zhao Tian's barrier of dark lightning flickered under the wave as the space around him trembled.

Yet, even as his elemental energies sputtered for an instant, Zhao Tian closed his eyes and delved deeper.

He didn't resist the corruption.

"I walked through the Rupture," he whispered, voice trembling with pain as the energy engulfed him completely "I survived what others couldn't even see…"

His hand clenched around his blade as he gritted his teeth.

His robes began to tear under the energy outburst, but he held his ground, absorbing it.

Space. Lightning. Fire. Darkness.

All of it wrapped around his body, forming a streak of pulsing energy that bled colors the human eye couldn't comprehend.

He dashed again and slid through the energy, facing the Paragon head-on.

The Paragon reached out with all its limbs, but Zhao Tian was already past them, slashing again and again... each strike landing before the last could even register.

SLASH. SLASH. SLASH. SLASH.

Each rune screamed as black lightning and dark flames devoured their structure.

The creature faltered, and its regeneration slowed.

Its body began to twitch and spasm.

Though the Paragon was scorched with its body mangled and burned black, a hideous glow now surged from within its body.

The runes on its remaining limbs flared bright green, and the eyes scattered across its mutated form reignited.

Ji Shuang gasped from above "It's still alive?!"

But Zhao Tian didn't flinch.

The Paragon opened its chest cavity, and within it there was a sphere of compressed, spiraling energy.

And then the Paragon fired.

SHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!

A beam of annihilating light erupted from its core, ripping through space like a giant lance towards Zhao Tian.

Zhao Tian vanished just before it struck.

The blast detonated against the barrier dome, sending massive ripples of distortion across the violet wall as Ji Shuang grunted and focused harder, pouring more energy into it.

But Zhao Tian had reappeared mid-air, spinning above the Paragon's right shoulder as he slashed downward.

CLANG!

One of the Paragon's bone-blades shot up to block it as sparks and black lightning scattered on contact.

Another limb burst from its side and tried to spear through Zhao Tian from below.

He kicked off the Paragon's shoulder, flipping backward in midair and his sword trailed with violet-black arcs of lightning.

Eyes along its arms opened, and each one fired condensed lances of energy as dozens of beams streaked toward him.

Zhao Tian's eyes gleamed darkly, and he disappeared again, dodging three of the lances.

He reappeared again, and pitch-black sparks erupted from his hand and twisted through the air like daggers.

Each one slammed into the Paragon's limbs and joints, exploding into black flames and severing connective runes.

One of the Paragon's legs snapped at the knee.

It shrieked and whipped its tail to counterattack but Zhao Tian ducked mid-flight, and the tail missed his head by inches.

CRACK!

Zhao Tian didn't give it a chance to regroup.

He drove his sword forward with both hands.

The air behind him imploded and black lightning twisted into the edge.

The blade slammed into the Paragon's midsection, cutting cleanly through the runes, which is still healing.

"BRAAARGHHHHH!!!!" The Paragon reeled and coughed out a glob of blood-like ichor that hissed and melted the ground below.

Suddenly, the Paragon's chest pulsed again and it was ready to shoot another powerful beam.

Zhao Tian inhaled softly, and his aura exploded outward.

BOOM!

Dark tendrils surged out from his back like wings of shadow, and space twisted at his shoulders.

Looking at the incoming beam, he dashed forward.

Ji Shuang's eyes widened "He's going to… clash it head-on?!"

The Paragon fired and the beam screamed across the battlefield.

His body collided with the beam.

FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNN!

And then... everything turned white.

No sound or motion. Only pure force clashing with each other.

Ji Shuang closed her eyes because of the bright energy.

The ground shattered beneath them and the dome barrier wailed.

And at the heart of the maelstrom...

Zhao Tian gritted his teeth, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth.

"I… will end you here…"

BANG!!

His sword struck the Paragon in the chest and then imploded.

THHHHHHOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

A vortex of destruction collapsed inward, dragging the Paragon's entire body into itself, folding flesh, energy, and runes into oblivion.

Zhao Tian fell to one knee, panting heavily and the black crackles faded slowly from his eyes.

His sword, now dulled and stained with seared runes, clanged against the ruined ground.

He just remained there, kneeling amidst a landscape of ash, molten craters, and silence.

Above him, Ji Shuang hovered, her hands still holding the barrier up but her gaze locked solely on him.

And deep within her pupils... her eyes shivered in fear.

In the distance, standing just above a shattered plateau, Rui Yuying's gaze trembled in hapiness "He.. did it. He really did it, Zhao Tian. H-He killed the Paragon."

Tears filled her eyes as she looked at the horizon, and the faces of previous members of the Rui family who sacrificed their lives for the seal appeared in her mind.

"You all can rest in peace now... He brought us salvation."

Looking at Zhao Tian's direction, she bowed her head as tears streamed down her eyes "Thankyou..."

Rui Guzhi, Long Xuan and others who were outside the battle range miles apart also sensed the disappearance of the Paragon's presence.

"He... did it?"

"Huh? Really?"

Other sect leaders, elders, and warriors around them exchanged looks of disbelief.

A storm of awe, relief, and unspoken respect filled the air.

Many of them had doubted.

Some had prepared for the worst.

But none had expected one man to face the monster head-on and win.

Rui Lian's gaze quivered as a sweet bitter smile appeared on her lips "Junior Brother..."

Rei Wuyin, who was amongst them, smiled faintly 'Not only Mr.Zhao Tian saved me from the Rupture, he saved this star too...'

SHEEN!

But suddenly the smile on her face disappeared as she felt a chill run down her spine 'Huh? What is this... this is the same thing I felt 'that day'.'

'That day... Vester was born... That day, everything went into ruins...'

Her eyes trembled in disbelief as she remembered the horrible day 'N-No, there is no way...'

'The Eye of the Heaven? What is it doing here?'

Zhao Tian, who was panting, felt something powerful in the air, and before he could think further, the sky turned golden...

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I hope you guys liked this chapter!