Chapter 75: The Power Difference Between the Two, and the Hero’s Power
Within the barrier magic, Valen and Guren faced each other, poised in battle-ready stances, awaiting the signal for their duel to commence.
“Hahaha! I must admit, you’re very brave indeed for unhesitatingly accepting my challenge, Guren,” Valen praised, folding his muscular arms as he looked at Guren across from him.
“Huh! Despite hearing about your arrogance beforehand, Spear Hero Valen, I never imagined it to be this excessive. Do you consider yourself invincible?” Guren retorted, his tone cold and scornful.
Previously, he had harbored pent-up anger from Valen’s earlier taunts, and this was the ideal moment to release it.
Listening to Guren’s sarcasm, Valen remained unfazed; instead, the smirk on his lips seemed to grow even wider.
“You’re right, Guren. I do consider myself invincible because I have the power to back it up. In the entire Empire, there is no one who can defeat me head-on except that bastard Leon, who has probably met King Yama by now,” Valen declared proudly, his voice echoing across the barrier.
Guren smiled coldly and remained silent, unwilling to entertain Valen’s arrogant remarks.
[“Very well, you may commence your duel!”]
Suddenly, Velix’s voice, signaling the start of their duel, resonated through the room.
Valen grinned playfully as he looked at Guren.
“Very well, Guren, I’ll make it easy for you,” Valen declared, raising three fingers in a pretentious manner. “You can attack me three times, and if you manage to make me move from my position, you win.”
“I don’t need your pity!” Guren replied indifferently before swiftly disappearing from his spot.
*Whoosh!*
Suddenly, Guren reappeared in front of Valen, as if he had teleported.
With all the power he had gathered in his fist, he delivered a forceful punch to Valen’s stomach.
*Boom!*
The impact of his punch was so immense that it generated a powerful gust of wind, reverberating throughout the entire interior of the barrier.
Guren was confident in the devastating power of his punch, which could slay Wyvern in an instant.
However….
“Hahaha! Nice punch, but lacking power,” Valen’s taunts suddenly reverberated in Guren’s ears, prompting him to widen his eyes in surprise.
Without hesitation, he withdrew his fist and swiftly retreated 20 meters.
With a slight frown, he stared at his reddened fist, feeling the numbness that enveloped it.
‘His body is incredibly resilient. Is this the physique of a hero who has been blessed by a holy weapon?’ Guren frowned as he muttered to himself.
He had previously been irked by Valen’s taunts and dismissive demeanor, but now he finally acknowledges that his attitude is commensurate with his strength.
Although he had not yet unleashed his full power, this was already evident.
“How about it, Guren? Are you surprised? Or is this the extent of your power?” Valen taunted with a mocking smile, his teeth bared.
Confronted with Valen’s provocation, Guren remained composed this time and didn’t rise to the bait.
After his initial punch failed, he realized he couldn’t afford to lose his temper, lest he be swiftly defeated.
Slowly, he took a small breath and gathered mana in his legs and both fists.
Then he slightly shifted one leg backward and swiftly vanished from his position.
*Whoosh!*
Once again, he teleported and suddenly appeared beside Guren.
Then he raised one leg and executed a sideways kick to Valen’s waist.
Upon witnessing this attack, Valen, who had been grinning moments before, was instantly taken aback.
Sensing the slight threat of the attack, he quickly shifted his body into a defensive stance.
*Boom!*
The collision between the attack and the defensive move produced a roar of wind and sound even louder than before.
“Hahaha! Strong enough! But not quite there!” Valen laughed as he blocked Guren’s attack, which posed a slight threat.
Guren narrowed his eyes, realizing that even his mana-coated attack, which was meant to increase its strength tenfold, had little effect.
Undeterred, he pressed on and launched another barrage of attacks at Valen.
*Boom!*
*Boom!*
With kicks, fists, and various fighting moves, he relentlessly assaulted Valen from all angles.
Unfortunately, every powerful attack was completely blocked by Valen, fueling his growing frustration.
“Is this all you’ve got, Guren? Though it’s quite powerful, it’s not enough to compel me to make a move,” Valen taunted, effortlessly blocking Guren’s attacks without retaliating.
This only fueled Guren’s already simmering fury at having his attacks repeatedly thwarted.
“Damn! You’ve forced me!” Guren exclaimed angrily, and suddenly, an unusually intense aura emanated from his body.
*Boom!*
The aura exploded, casting a tense and gloomy atmosphere over the entire throne room.
Witnessing the powerful aura emanating from Guren’s body, Valen widened his eyes in shock.
“Impossible! Isn’t that the hero’s power!?” Valen could hardly believe what he was witnessing.
The hero’s power was exclusive to him, Luna, and Leon, making it unfathomable for anyone else to possess it.
Hence, how could the person in front of him wield the power of a hero?
However, upon further observation, Valen soon realized something peculiar.
“No… This is not the hero’s power, but merely an imitation,” Valen quickly concluded as he scrutinized Guren closely.
Though potent, the power Guren exuded was noticeably weaker, and there were several disparities compared to the true hero’s power.
On the other hand, Velix, witnessing Guren suddenly emit a powerful aura, frowned slightly.
“This man… Is he truly tapping into the hero’s power? Didn’t I explicitly instruct him never to unveil the hero’s power until he gains the approval of the Zenith Holy Sword?” Velix narrowed his eyes, revealing his discontent.
He wasn’t ready for anyone other than himself and his confidants to learn Guren’s true identity as the bearer of the fourth hero’s destiny.
Revealing this prematurely could lead to significant backlash from the Holy Orthodox, a scenario he was eager to circumvent.
Within the magic barrier, as Guren felt the overwhelming power coursing through his body, a confident smile graced his handsome face.
‘With this, I should be able to inflict him significant damage,’ Guren thought to himself.
The aura he had just unleashed wasn’t the true essence of the hero’s power; instead, it was a weaker version that he had refined and perfected over the years.
After all, he remembered Velix’s caution against revealing the hero’s power until gaining the approval of Zenith’s holy sword.
Soon, the potent aura radiating from his body gradually subsided and vanished.
With a sarcastic smile and a hand raised forward, Guren eagerly looked at Valen across from him.
“Come on, let’s begin round two!”
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