Farmboy becomes King with the Lust System Chapter 266: Don’t buy this - !!

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Sparks flew as the spear twirled, intercepting the flames. Veynar pivoted with the spinning weapon, unleashing a savage slash aimed at cleaving Jae from shoulder to hip.

Jae ducked beneath the sweeping blow, driving forward with momentum. His fist, alight with intense heat, shot towards Veynar's center mass. The impact resounded against the armor, not breaking through but forcing the larger man a step back.

A rough laugh escaped Veynar. "Yes! Yes, that's the spirit! Strike me harder!"

The spear lunged again, a piercing thrust whistling through the hazy air. Jae met it with his blade, fire meeting the gleam of enchanted steel. The force traveled up his arms, yet he stood firm. Pushing the thrust aside, he followed with a swift kick to Veynar's shin.

The general faltered, retaliating with a ground-shattering sweep that sent debris flying towards the observing cadets.

Elise winced as a fragment grazed her arm, but she persisted, her mana already working to heal another student who bore a more significant gash.

Byun's shadowy tendrils snaked out, encircling a falling piece of rock just before it could strike a young student. He glanced at Jae, a smirk playing on his lips despite the intensity. "Just try not to obliterate the entire training field while you're at it."

Jae returned the grin, his breathing ragged. "No promises."

Veynar snarled, raising his spear high above his head. The runes etched along its length erupted in light as he brought it down with a bellow. The impact fractured the earth, creating a line that shot towards Jae like a bolt of lightning.

Jae surged forward, flames erupting from his heels. He vaulted over the newly formed chasm, bringing his sword down in a two-handed descent. Fire met enchanted steel, the collision exploding into a shockwave that sent nearby combatants reeling.

They remained locked, muscles straining, faces mere inches apart. Veynar's grin wavered slightly at the edges, but his eyes blazed with ferocious delight. "Do you feel it? The currents of destiny shifting for us? You aren't a warrior, boy. You are a tempest, one that I intend to conquer."

Jae's crimson eyes narrowed, his smirk subtle yet resolute. "You speak excessively."

He shoved, twisting his blade free and then slashing horizontally across Veynar's chest. The flames permeated the armor, searing the flesh beneath. The general stumbled backward, his laughter dissolving into a pained hiss.

For the first time, his confident smile faltered.

A roar of cheers erupted from the cadets, galvanized by the turn. Tirel's flames surged higher, her voice dripping with playful scorn. "Oh dear, did the mighty general merely get a little singe? Truly heartbreaking."

Veynar bellowed, fury igniting within him. He lunged again, his spear a blur of rapid thrusts and wide sweeps. Jae evaded with nimble footwork, his Ember Step animating his every movement.

The spear grazed his thigh, tearing fabric and drawing blood. Jae hissed in pain but continued his assault, pivoting within the spear's arc. His blade sliced across the shaft, leaving scorched trails on the runes.

The runes flickered ominously.

Veynar's eyes widened, then filled once more with a wild intensity. He lashed out with a kick, sending Jae sprawling back. Breathing heavily, he spat, "You believe you can defeat me? I have crushed stronger individuals than you!"

"Perhaps," Jae responded, wiping blood from his leg. "But I am not someone you can simply consume."

And with that, he charged again.

His fist connected with Veynar's chest, the intense heat of his palm searing through the armor. Veynar grunted, staggering, his spear dipping noticeably for the first time.

Jae pressed his advantage, flames roaring along his blade as he executed a relentless sequence of slashes—high, low, feints, and thrusts. Each blow forced Veynar backward, step by agonizing step.

From the sidelines, Byun let out a low whistle, his grin sharp with admiration. "Just look at him. The farm boy is practically outmaneuvering our resident lunatic."

Elise's voice, though softer, carried with equal clarity. "He will not yield until one of them breaks. And it will not be Jae."

The duel reached its climax.

Veynar launched a desperate, final lunge, his spear radiating an almost blinding light. Aiming directly for Jae's heart, every rune burned with raw power. The ground beneath the strike groaned and cracked.

Jae did not evade. His fiery aura intensified, hardening into burning plates of molten armor across his body. He caught the spear barehanded, flames engulfing the runes, and wrenched it aside. Before Veynar could recover, Jae's blade sliced through the spear's shaft.

The weapon snapped in two.

Veynar's eyes widened, disbelief replacing the madness. Jae seized the opening. His blade arced once more, fire carving through both chest and armor. The general stumbled, coughed a crimson spray, and collapsed onto his knees.

"A farmboy..." he rasped, his voice frail, his triumphant grin finally extinguished. Then he fell, the flames consuming the last vestiges of his being.

For a single, suspended moment, silence reigned.

Then, the enemy soldiers hesitated. Their formations wavered, dissolved. Cries of panic arose as they turned and fled, the weight of their general's demise shattering their resolve.

The cadets remained frozen, watching as Jae lowered his blade, the flames sputtering into wisps of smoke.

Byun exhaled, a chuckle escaping him as he shook his head. "Well. It seems we've discovered who the true storm is."

Tirel grinned, smearing blood from her lip with a lick. "Mm. And I had thought I’d witnessed his most searing moment already."

Elise rushed to Jae’s side, her palms radiating a healing luminescence. She placed them against his injury, her fingers quivering. "You mustn't frighten me like this," she murmured. "Please."

Jae offered a slight smirk, wiping a bloodied hand through his locks. "Rest assured. He never stood a chance at victory."

A profound silence settled over the battlefield, echoing the demise of Veynar. His form still smoldered where Jae's blade had ended his life, his dark armor disintegrating like fragile rock. For a fleeting moment, all movement ceased.

The clang of swords, the war cries, even the whiz of arrows seemed to freeze mid-air within the smoke-laden atmosphere.

Then, the enemy formations began to waver.

Their gazes, etched with sheer astonishment, swung from their fallen commander to the youth standing resolute, a fiery blade still blazing in his grasp. Tumultuous shouts erupted amongst them, a mixture of fury and dread, yet all tinged with doubt. They faltered, their shields drooping, their spears lowering.

Jae stood, his chest heaving, sweat and blood marring his features. The incandescent glow of his skin subsided, the flames receding back into his flesh. Yet, his crimson eyes blazed with a fiercer intensity than the fire that had consumed their adversary.

He gave a faint smirk, raking a hand through his damp hair, as if this pivotal moment held no trace of surprise for him.