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The two massive warriors quickened their pace until they finally collided like two colossal beasts.

"Boom~~~~~"

The clash of ice and fire erupted with a deafening boom. A vortex of grayish-white icy currents and black-red flames ravaged the nearby ground, leaving it unrecognizable. The two warriors who had clashed head-on simultaneously retreated. Barbarian Sword Master Háo took six steps back, his face grim. Old Niu, Chief Blood Hoof, stepped back three paces, the ground beneath him cracking. He roared again and charged forward once more.

From that initial clash, it was evident that Old Niu's strength slightly surpassed his opponent's. However, the barbarian's combat aura had reached the "Moon Flame" level of eighth grade, which is why Old Niu had to retreat. Despite fighting with one hand against the barbarian's two, Old Niu still held the upper hand, indicating he had more power to spare. Nevertheless, neither side had revealed their full potential, so the outcome remained uncertain.

In their renewed clash, both power-type warriors activated their "Moon Attributes." The barbarian used the "Arctic Blizzard Combat Aura," a unique skill from the Northern Ice Plains, encompassing "Gale Speed" and "Snowstorm." Once activated, within several yards, a blizzard obstructed the opponent's movements and senses while the user remained unaffected, using the gale to move swiftly and unpredictably, altering the barbarian's usual straightforward combat style, often leaving opponents at a loss.

On the other hand, Chief Blood Hoof's Moon Attribute was unlike any ability I had encountered before. Dark golden ripples emanated from his body, resembling water waves. Within the blizzard's domain, he wielded his battle axe defensively, seemingly unaffected by the roaring hurricane and swirling snow and hail. He steadily blocked the barbarian's attacks from all directions, creating an impenetrable defense.

"Old Niu's martial arts are impressive. Every time he clashes with the barbarian, he subtly vibrates his battle axe to dissipate the enemy's attack—a truly remarkable technique. But what is that glow around him? It seems to enhance both defense and offense. I should ask someone."

I turned and called over a Minos warrior captain to inquire about Old Niu's martial arts. In my previous life, probing into another's martial secrets was strictly forbidden, and even in this human world, it was considered impolite. However, in the world of the Beastmen, such inquiries were common. If a power needed secrecy to be effective, it was seen as flawed. Therefore, Beastmen who pursued ultimate strength were eager to share their martial arts knowledge. This Minos captain immediately began explaining Blood Hoof's Moon Attribute.

"The chief's combat aura is called 'Earth Pulse Flood,' taught to our tribe by a hermit Shaman long ago. The Moon Attribute is 'Earth God Power,' which continuously absorbs the essence of the earth to enhance strength, recover stamina, boost attacks and defenses, and even heal injuries. It also allows powerful moves utilizing the earth's essence..."

Without needing further explanation, Catherine and I understood. Just as the "Holy Ice Thorns Halo" had numerous imitations, the supreme martial art "Emperor Martial's Dominance Technique" had many attempts to replicate its effects from different angles. However, few succeeded. Chief Blood Hoof's "Earth Pulse Flood Technique" was clearly one of the more successful imitations, mimicking over half of the "Dominance Technique's" attributes. Its difficulty in cultivation likely kept it from widespread recognition.

By now, the two warriors had exchanged over a hundred blows. Supported by the earth's essence, Old Niu remained calm and composed, while the barbarian could not sustain such intense combat. He retreated several yards and shouted, "Ice King, armor!"

As he spoke, a white light burst forth from a tattoo on his chest, transforming into a ten-foot-tall ice bear standing behind him. It then disintegrated into countless light threads, wrapping around the barbarian's body. Within moments, the barbarian was clad in heavy crystalline armor, with many parts resembling the ice bear's limbs.

"What is this? A special skill of the barbarians?" I asked, having never seen anything like it.

"No, it's a human skill called 'Phantom Beast.' Catherine has seen human generals use it on the Western Front. It's said to be a legacy of the Twelve Sages, involving modifying the fetuses of magical beasts during pregnancy so they hatch from eggs and form contracts with humans before hatching. When grown, these can be summoned or fused, temporarily enhancing human physique to match ours. However, the creation and cultivation of Phantom Beasts are extremely costly, only affordable by national systems and some noble families. Moreover, summoning and fusing require constant essence supply, making it unsustainable. Thus, it poses little threat to our alliance, merely giving those noble officers a chance to escape."

"Does our alliance have no research on this? Is it due to technical issues or something else?"

"It's useless. Phantom Beasts temporarily replace human physique with that of magical beasts to enhance combat power, but our own physique already rivals or surpasses that of magical beasts. Phantom Beasts offer no benefit to us. Super magical beast fusion might provide significant enhancement, but the required essence would likely drain the user instantly."

"Indeed, that barbarian's physique isn't much different from ours, so it offers little help."

As expected, after fusing with the Phantom Beast, the barbarian launched an immediate attack, but his combat power increased by only a small margin, perhaps one or two percent. His defense, however, improved significantly. Even when Old Niu's battle axe struck, it only scratched the armor without harming the body. Old Niu promptly activated the "Guardian Totem" and "Endurance War Song," maintaining a tight defense without retreating. I hadn't realized he had carved the totem pole onto the handle of his battle axe. Although small, even with high-grade materials, it could negate only about ten percent of the damage, yet it helped Blood Hoof stabilize his footing.

The Phantom Beast fusion couldn't last long. After another hundred exchanges, the ice bear automatically detached, reabsorbing into the barbarian's body as white light. Seizing the opportunity, Old Niu stomped his hoof violently, causing a fierce tremor within three yards, sending the exhausted barbarian flying. As he soared dizzily through the air, Blood Hoof roared, and a golden crescent-shaped energy blade flew through the air, slicing the barbarian in half at the waist.