A Man Like None Other (Jared Chance) novel Chapter 5401

Stebarin edged close to Soul Devourer and murmured, "My Lord, we still have fighters. One more victory, and the Ritual Manual is ours."

Soul Devourer lifted his chin. "Who among you will challenge next?" The command cracked through the Demonic Cultivators like a whip.

For a heartbeat, the Demonic Cultivators went silent. Later, a figure appeared in the middle of the battlefield.

It was a young man in a black robe, wearing a mask that only showed his cold eyes.

"I volunteer," the young man growled.

Yuliana stiffened the moment she met that stare. A warning fluttered across her heart.

She sensed power coiled inside this stranger. It was far stronger than Atorn. It was a creepy aura that came from hell.

"Who are you?" she asked, voice tight but steady, sword drifting into guard.

"Not a name you need," the black-robed man replied.

The black-robed man said, "Let's begin."

Yuliana did not hesitate. She lunged, sword flashing, shoulders twisting like a whip as she exploded forward.

Her sword hissed through the air like a green serpent driving for the black-robed man's throat.

The black-robed man's silhouette blurred. In a single sway, he slid aside, the strike carving space where his throat had been.

He moved faster than Atorn, each step an eerie dance that made no sound, as though the earth dared not claim his weight.

"Hmm?"

A flicker of surprise crossed Yuliana's face. She reversed the sword, breath sharp, and spun back in to press the attack once more.

Yet every thrust found only wind. The black-robed man wove through her strikes with ease while countering back.

Those attacks carried no formal style, each swing a direct hit to whatever weakness he glimpsed in the heartbeat before.

The duel's rhythm turned against Yuliana. Her breath shortened. Color drained from her face.

Her fight with Atorn had already burned through much of her spiritual energy. Now, facing an opponent whose power felt bottomless, her limbs began to feel carved from lead.

"Yuliana's in trouble!"

The black-robed man tried to match that glare, though a flicker of fear slipped through. "This is a duel between us. Why interfere?"

"A duel?" Jared snorted.

"When Atorn tried to kill Niall a moment ago, you never mentioned a duel. Now you want to kill Yuliana, and I'm supposed to stand aside?"

The black-robed man's mouth opened, but words refused to come.

Soul Devourer's voice floated down like frost. "So you insist on meddling?"

"Not yet," Jared answered. "When I do, none of you will leave here alive."

With that, he looped an arm beneath Yuliana's shoulders and guided her back toward their line. The black-robed man only stared, hands limp at his sides, shackled by Jared's sheer presence.

Wrapped against Jared's shoulder, Yuliana felt something warm bloom in her chest. No man had ever stepped in front of blades for her like this.

If the crowd vanished right now, she would give herself to Jared.

Jared had helped her countless times. She had nothing to repay him aside from herself.