THE Battle

Ling Tian didn't answer and just stood there in the air looking at Theron with a cold gaze.

His expression is mostly blank apart from that coldness in his eyes. No one could guess what he is actually thinking.

*SWOOSH*

Theron suddenly moved. But so did Ling Tian.

*BANG*

Both of them clashed as Ling Tian blocked Theron's path directly with his body. Both of them recoiled from the impact and the staring continued.

"You know, I heard a lot about you. You were a few years junior to me in the academy realm. Of course, that's based on the admission time, since I didn't technically graduate from here.

However, I always heard news about you.

Ling Tian did this, Ling Tian did that. You were quite famous."

"I disagree. I was never popular in the academy realm. Apart from my classmates in Gambler academy, no one knows about me much."

"That is not completely true. You are not famous in this realm which can only be considered as a glorified echo chamber. But you are famous where it mattered."

"And where would that be?"

"In the battlefield. In the Battlefield of Gods… your feats are praiseworthy. I always wanted to meet you there when I heard the rumors. I wanted to see if you were worth the salt.

However, soon I forgot since we never really crossed paths. Now, I am actually glad that I met you here."

Ling Tian stayed silent. His frown deepened. His time in Gambler academy was very tricky. He always kept a low profile and barely any people knew of him outside the academy or his grade. But on the battlefield… even though he kept a relatively low profile to make sure that his peers and juniors won't know too much about him… things are different when it came to enemies.

There was need for them to know his abilities, so that they won't end up underestimating him.

And he could only think of one reason why a person like Theron came across his name. Someone tried to hire Theron to kill him at that time.

"I don't believe you will hold that thought for long. I suggest that you leave this place and never return. You are not going to talk to Sam."

*SWOOSH* *SWOOSH*

*BAM*

*SWOOSH* *SWOOSH*

*BAM*

*SWOOSH* *SWOOSH*

*BAM*

Three tries and three blocks all perfectly done. Only problem is… the shockwaves.

The surroundings buildings started breaking down bit by bit. Even the ground beneath is ravaged.

Ling Tian gritted his teeth and looked at Theron once again, dead in the eyes.

"This is the last warning, Theron. Leave. NOW."

*SWOOSH* Theron smirked and moved. Trying to move past Ling Tian once again. His speed is top-notch. Probably the fastest thing Sam ever witnessed. In fact, just to get a sense of those moves, he activated energy vision to its limit, with all his divine energy.

*SWOOSH*

Ling Tian moved and he blocked Theron's way, however, this time, instead of just blocking him he caught a hold of Theron's collar and used all that force to make a spin in the air, before throwing Theron out.

*SWOOSH*

Theron flew in the air like a broken kite and flew out of the school grounds.

*BAM* *CRASH*

He flew out of the Gambler academy grounds and out into the empty streets. He crashed into the shops and buildings crashing them to rubble.

Theron stood up from the rubble and looked at Ling Tian who is floating over him with the same cold gaze.

"Leave Theron. You don't want to do this."

Theron raised his hand and energy gathered at his palm.

*BOOM*

Divine energy turned into a beam as it barely went past Ling Tian and stuck something behind him. It was an Elder that belonged to Zeus academy who was sneaking up on Ling Tian. His head exploded with the energy beam and he collapsed to the ground.

"An insect trying to get into my business." Theron mumbled as he flew in the air and hovered in front of Ling Tian, just a few meters in between each other.

"It seems like you are not going to back down."

"No, I am not."

"Then, let's do this."

*SWOOSH*

*SWOOSH*

*BANG* *BAM* WHAM* *BOOM*

The sounds literally felt like they were coming out of a movie. Sam felt exactly that. He tried to keep up with the fight, but even all his might behind the energy vision is not working. It is not good enough to observe the fight at level.

All he could see is the impact of the shockwaves on the surroundings and the faint after images of their clash in the air.

One moment, a shop collapsed, the next moment a crater appeared in the road, another moment, the broken rubble of a building flew around like a tornado was carrying it and another moment, some random elder who was hidden was dead just from the shockwave.

The battle was all over the place. It wasn't just at one spot or even one area. One moment they are in front of the Gambler academy and the next moment, they are in front of the Ares academy. They are travelling at unimaginable speeds.

Sam believed even his blink wouldn't be enough to match that speed. If he was really targeted by someone of that level, he would definitely be dead before he knew what hit him. Or even feel that thing that hit him.

He would be in a worse position than a fish on the chopping block.

His body shivered a bit, out of both fear and excitement in a weird but thrilling way.

While the most of the academy realm was unable to see what is going between the two, the two parties involved are in a tense battle. In everyone's mind, particularly in the minds of the Elders of the Olympian academy, Ling Tian is doomed.

The stories they heard about Theron, the legends that he created, they are still fresh in their minds. Most of them grew up listening to them and some are lucky enough to witness them. But there is a specific circle of people that were looking nervous.

The internal circle, the few that actually knows Ling Tian. Like Heron and Wharton who is the only one that had a smirk on his face.

*SWOOSH* *BOOM*

All of a sudden, one of the two figures fell straight into the ground.

Ling Tian stood in the air, while Theron created a large crater in the middle of the road. The latter gritted his teeth and stood up. There is blood coming out of his mouth. His calm expression was nowhere to be seen.

Judging by the bruise and the blood, it was a punch straight to the jaw. It landed cleanly and Ling Tian punched in a way that nailed him into the ground.

Theron's energy charged at his palms as he got ready to throw energy beams like he did before. Energy gathered in Ling Tian's palm as well. It condensed into a long beam, almost like a rod made of energy and then its end turned into a spear tip.

Then there is a faint metallic sheen. Almost making it look like a real spear. In fact, it would impossible to differentiate if one didn't see it being created.

Ling Tian threw the spear straight at Theron, who shot the energy beam.

*BOOM*

Both of them met, creating a shockwave that sent dust flying all over the city.

In the middle of that dust cloud, the spear pierced through the beam of energy and split it into two. The spear went straight at Theron who dodged it in the last moment.

*BOOM*

The split parts of the beam of energy didn't even graze Ling Tian and went away.

Theron gritted his teeth harder and kicked the ground to fly into the sky.

*ZOOM* *ZOOM* *ZOOM*

The energy beams making the same sounds as a laser gun in the sci-fi movies as Theron closed in the distance, Ling Tian conjured up a staff and started defending himself.

The staff spun with such resplendent golden light as it hit the oncoming energy projectiles. Ling Tian is not even moving from his position as if he anything that Theron could thrown at him wouldn't faze him at all.

Theron closed the distance soon enough and launched himself at Theron trying to land a punch aimed at his left jaw.

Right before the fist could land.

*BOOM*

The staff spun from the side and almost hit Theron on the same spot once again. But he diverted his fist to block the attack, holding the staff, while other hand was like a claw trying to take Ling Tian's life, aiming at his heart.

The staff that was in Theron's hand, suddenly split into two. Exactly at the point where his hand gripped. The bottom part slipped past. It turned into a dagger and Ling Tian tried to stab Theron.

Theron didn't have a choice and diverted his second hand to block the attack.

And then…