From Outcast to Overlord The Unyielding Heir (Leander Ashcroft) novel Chapter 525

Neil formed a blade with his free hand, sheathing it in boundless Primordial Energy. He aimed it straight at Leander's heart, expecting the blow to cleave through the man like a steel knife through soft butter.

He had activated the Ring of the Sage for defense, weathering four invisible swords of pure spiritual strength generated by Leander. His sole intent was to close the distance.

A spiritual master, like any mage, relied on maintaining a certain range to keep themselves safe and invincible. But once someone breached that barrier, they exposed their greatest vulnerability.

Neil's hand-blade was poised to inflict a crippling, one-strike wound.

Yet, in the very moment he lunged, a long, pale hand materialized faster than he could move, clamping down hard on his wrist.

He raised his gaze slightly, meeting Leander's deep, measured eyes, and his expression froze.

In that instant, he sensed an extreme danger, a truly perilous fluctuation. Without a second thought, he twisted his arm, pumping his Primordial Energy to its limit, desperate to wrench free from Leander's grip.

The sheer force he exerted fractured the very air around them, yet Leander's hand remained like a steel vice locked onto his wrist, refusing to yield an inch.

"What in the devil?"

Astonishment flooded Neil.

His own strength was that of a King Phase master; his intensified Primordial Energy could crush and tear apart a battle tank. Why was it having absolutely no effect on Leander?

As panic and doubt surfaced, Leander suddenly flashed a wide smile. "I was using spiritual strength to generate invisible sword energy. If you had held your ground and countered with Primordial Energy, you might have lasted ten minutes or so. What a pity you were so foolish as to choose a close-quarters fight with me!

"You're right. Normally, you can amplify your advantage and secure a kill by getting close to a spiritual master. But you met me—you'll only be defeated faster by closing with me!"

…

The moment he uttered that final word, his palm seemed to conceal a miniature black hole, unleashing a ferocious, sucking pull.

Neil gasped, his expression contorted.

He felt his innate vitality flowing out of him like river water, converging on Leander's palm, then surging up Leander's arm in a counter-current, being rapidly absorbed and stolen.

How is this possible? What kind of ability is this? His heart pounded with dread and shock. No matter how he tried to contain it, his Primordial Energy continued to drain away relentlessly, completely outside his command.

As Leander siphoned the energy, the divine light in his eyes grew exponentially brighter. For the first time, Neil experienced a genuine, icy fear.

He didn't realize that back then, on Stormcairn River, Douglas Tarlyn had been subdued by the exact same method, his innate vitality almost completely stripped away.

It was a contingency Neil never imagined Leander possessed.

Leander activated the Devourer's Ninefold Path, transforming his core into a massive, whirling vortex that violently drew in and converted Neil's innate vitality for his own use. Neil's imposing aura began to dwindle at an alarming rate.

Furious and terrified by the swift depletion of his Primordial Energy, Neil tried repeatedly to tear himself free from Leander, but all his attempts proved futile. Finally, a fierce light flashed in his eyes. A ray of brilliance shot from his hand to illuminate the space above his head: the Ring of the Sage.

"Space Sever!" he shouted, a low, urgent cry.

The Ring of the Sage blazed with light, bathing the sky in a holy radiance. In that blinding flash, both Leander and Neil vanished.

"Hmm?"

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