Lucy''s eyes widened in disbelief as her attack was stopped mid-swing. The sheer force of her Volcanic Dragon ws should have torn through any defense. Even a 6-star cultivator back at the Celestial Academy would have struggled against her, yet here was this stranger, blocking her as if it was nothing.


    She took a step back, her expression a mix of shock and simmering anger. "How..." she muttered under her breath, her fiery aura flickering. It was the first time in a long while that anyone had dared to meet her strength head-on.


    The disciple smirked, clearly noticing her surprise. His stance was confident, almost arrogant, as if he reveled in the fact that he had caught her off guard. "Surprised?" he taunted, his voice dripping with condescension. "Don''t think we''re all weaklings. I''m not as easy to kill as the others."


    Lucy''s eyes narrowed, her gaze sharpening as she took a closer look at him. Something about his appearance wasn''t right. His skin—reddish, dark, almost unnatural.


    From the sidelines, Lucas''s mind raced as he quickly pieced together what he was seeing. His eyes narrowed as he studied the disciple''s strange appearance, the dark, reddish hue of the skin unmistakable.


    "So... they''ve already started handing out the Nether Puppet Body Cultivation Manual, huh?" Lucas muttered under his breath, his tone filled with a mix of annoyance and intrigue.


    He paused for a moment, his gaze locking onto the disciple. "This one must''ve used Corpse Fusion to merge with a Nether Puppet," he thought, a frown tugging at his lips. "Sure, it makes him stronger, but still..."


    Lucas''s expression shifted into a sly grin. "The puppet he fused with isn''t top-tier. It''s better than nothing, but... definitely not enough to be a real threat."


    Feeling the need for confirmation, Lucas turned inward, addressing the system in his mind. "What do you think of this, system? The enemy is using something tied to your cultivation manual."


    The system''s voice rang out, oozing with arrogance and mockery. [Hmph! So what if they''re using it? It''s a cultivation manual, not a Divine Scripture. Pathetic, really. A second-rate technique.


    Lucy will crush them like insects, manual or not.]


    Lucas chuckled, amused by the system''s shameless dismissal. "I like the sound of that," he whispered, a wicked glint in his eyes.


    The system''s tone shifted, now almost condescending as it responded, [Of course you do, mortal. You''re lucky to even hear my voice, let alone get to enjoy such entertainment.]


    Lucas rolled his eyes at the system''s overblown self-importance but couldn''t suppress a grin. "Always so modest," he muttered sarcastically.


    [Modesty is for the weak, and I''m anything but that,] the system shot back, its voice filled with smug superiority. [Just sit back and enjoy watching Lucy tear through these fools. It''s going to be... satisfying.]


    Lucas''s grin widened. "That... it will be," he said, his excitement growing as he turned his full attention back to the battle.


    Lucy''s initial shock quickly dissipated, reced by a simmering rage. How dare this enemy stand in her way?


    Even with their strength bolstered by some twisted unknown manual, they were nothing more than a mere obstacle. Her eyes narrowed, the fiery glow within them intensifying as her anger began to burn hotter than the moltenva coursing through her veins.


    The temperature around her spiked, her Volcanic Aura ring as waves of intense heat radiated from her body. The very air shimmered, distorting with the force of her power.


    Her fiery ws glowed brighter, flickering like molten mes. Without hesitation, Lucy let her rage fuel her further, channeling more of her raw strength into her Volcanic Dragon ws.


    "You think you can stop me with that pathetic trick?" she spat, her voice dripping with disdain. Her eyes locked onto the disciple''s, her expression cold and unyielding.


    The disciple, still smirking, gripped his sword tighter. "You underestimate the power of the Nether Puppet, Celestial scum," he sneered, his voice filled with arrogance. "You''re not the only one with strength—"


    Before he could finish, Lucy let out a low growl, cutting him off mid-sentence. The very ground beneath her feet cracked as her volcanic energy surged to new heights, mes licking around her ws.


    "You talk too much," Lucy hissed, her voice deadly quiet, the tone of someone who had long since stopped caring about the fight''s oue. "Let''s see if your sword can handle this."


    Without another word, Lucy lunged forward, her ws zing with an intensity that made the disciple flinch.


    The moment her Volcanic Dragon ws collided with his sword, the overwhelming force of her attack sent a shockwave through the battlefield. The de trembled in his grip, the metal groaning under the immense pressure.


    The disciple''s eyes widened in horror as the first cracks appeared along the surface of his weapon. His smirk vanished, reced by a grimace of fear. "W-what...?" he stammered, his voice trembling.


    Lucy''s expression was cold, her eyes glowing with fury. "Your cheap tricks won''t save you," she said, her voice like molten steel. With a roar of determination, she poured even more power into the sh, the heat of her ws intensifying to a blistering degree.


    The sword cracked further, tiny fissures spreading like veins of moltenva. Desperation flickered in the disciple''s eyes as he realized he was losing control. "No! This can''t be—!" he cried out, panic creeping into his voice.


    With a final, explosive push, Lucy''s ws shattered the sword, sending shards of metal flying in every direction. The disciple was thrown back by the sheer force of the st, stumbling as he tried to regain his bnce. His hand, now empty, twitched at his side, his face a mask of disbelief and fear.


    He cursed under his breath, his voice a shaky whisper. "Impossible... how could this happen?"


    Lucy stood tall, unflinching as the molten remnants of the sword melted into the ground. Her gaze never wavered as she took a step toward him, her aura burning brighter, fiercer. "I told you," she said coldly, her voice low and threatening. "You were never going to stop me."


    The disciple, now fully aware of how outmatched he was, took a shaky step back, fear overtaking the arrogance that had once filled his face.