From Outcast to Overlord The Unyielding Heir (Leander Ashcroft) novel Chapter 523

Leander's gaze was fixed on Neil in the sky, a wide, predatory grin splitting his face.

The surviving triple-turn Half-Kings gaped, their expressions cycling through disbelief, while below them, Celia's jaw dropped.

A true King Phase master? Could this seemingly calm, scholarly-looking young man actually be a true King Phase being?

Not only was Celia stunned, but even Deo and the other Chief Arbitrators of the Arbitration Office were thoroughly bewildered, utterly aghast.

Deo swiveled toward Neil, his pupils constricting.

"Neil, you actually took that final step?"

As far as he knew, their own cultivation levels were roughly equal—all of them triple-turn Half-Kings, just a hair's breadth from the King Phase. In all these years, they had never heard of any one of them successfully breaking through.

But judging by Leander's tone, it sounded as if Neil had already crossed that threshold.

The latest-generation Demon Hunter offered a serene smile and looked directly at Leander. "You are the Iron Sovereign for a reason. My cultivation is so restrained. Several Supreme Arbiters even went to the trouble of concealing part of it for me. Yet, you saw right through me with a single glance!"

The next moment, his voice turned overwhelmingly commanding.

"You are correct. I have entered the King Phase!"

As the words left his lips, the surrounding space seemed to collapse inward. Every inch of air became saturated with an invisible, crushing pressure. It was so intense that the severely wounded Half-Kings below could barely lift their heads. Above Neil, a channel ripped open in the sky, piercing straight to the heavens.

Roar!

Hundreds of feet below, windows exploded across numerous buildings. Several taller structures immediately buckled and collapsed. Yelem Church, in particular, was blasted in half as an eruption of absolutely pure Primordial Energy burst forth.

This Primordial Energy was fundamentally different from the unrefined, half-transformed Primordial Energy used by the triple-turn Half-Kings like Deo. This was the real deal, utterly pure—a complete qualitative leap.

Just a hint of leaking Primordial Energy was comparable to the full-force attack of Deo and his peers.

"Is this the true power of the King Phase?"

The Hermit stared at Neil. Over fifty years ago, he had been fortunate enough to see a King Phase master, but that man was ancient, his lifespan nearly spent, and his power had long faded. The current Neil, however, was in his prime, easily surpassing that elderly King Phase master. His Primordial Energy was condensed and vital, and his entire body radiated a potent life force that made the Hermit sigh in reluctant admiration.

This was the realm he had dreamed of, yet Neil, decades younger than them, had managed to step into the ranks of the world's former absolute rulers first.

"It's really the King Phase!"

Celia had never witnessed a true King Phase master. She had only heard rumors that the Netherweb had true King Phase beings, but she never imagined she would see one firsthand tonight.

She glanced at Neil, then turned back to Leander.

Faced with Neil's overwhelming eruption of Primordial Energy, Leander didn't back up an inch; his eyes were deep, calm, and undisturbed. This made her recall the moment she decided to pledge her loyalty to him.

Her thought at the time was simple: she wanted a backer who could rival the Netherweb. Today was the perfect time to test if Leander truly possessed that power.

If Leander could go head-to-head with and defeat a King Phase master, then her gamble on him would have paid off magnificently.

Leander, having killed four and severely wounded three of the seven Half-Kings with a single strike, didn't bother to pay the remaining trio any mind. To him, they were nothing but worthless curs.

He merely looked at Neil, a smile playing on his lips.

"From the moment I learned of the King Phase, I've wanted to test my strength against a true King Phase master. Unfortunately, I've never had the chance. Tonight, I'm eager to see what makes a real King Phase master so different."

He stretched his neck, his fingers clenching and opening, sending loud, crackling sounds echoing through the night sky.

Crack!

A flicker of surprise crossed Neil's face, but it vanished quickly. He pressed his fingers together and thrust his palm forward. A surging wave of Primordial Energy exploded from his core, condensing into a palm print only a few feet in size.

This palm print was minuscule compared to the Hand of Judgment that Alaric had launched moments ago, yet this palm print, mere feet across, punched directly through space and slammed into Leander's chest like a missile.

Leander didn't even have time to react. A massive crash shook the air, and a ripple of energy shockwaves expanded in the sky. He was hit and sent tumbling backward, leaving a visible scorch mark in the void.

This was an attack forged by the unique Primordial Energy of a King Phase master. Ten or a hundred overlapping Hands of Judgment could have been instantly annihilated by this single blow. Such was the colossal, unbridgeable gap between Primordial Energy and simple innate vitality; the two were not even on the same plane of existence.

Leander retreated several dozen feet. He flipped his body mid-air, stomped his foot down violently, and erupted a burst of air current before finally stabilizing himself.

He looked down at his chest. A clear, five-fingered print marked his clothing. He was certain that any triple-turn Half-King taking that blow would have been instantly punched through the torso.

"Jeff, how does that feel?"

Neil, having gained the advantage, didn't press the attack, choosing instead to look at Leander with the smug satisfaction of a cat toying with a mouse.

Leander's lips curved into a smile. He suddenly grabbed the front of his shirt and ripped it open, exposing his resilient torso with flawless skin—a sculpted body where every muscle was balanced and beautiful, concealing immense explosive power.

"This is what makes a fight truly interesting!"

His hair whipped in the wind, and then, a fierce, divine light suddenly flared in his eyes.

In the sky, a ripple expanded, and an invisible, transparent longsword, practically unseen by the naked eye, suddenly materialized directly over Neil's head and plunged straight down toward him.

"What?"

Neil gasped in astonishment, his smug expression instantly freezing.