The constraints of light were like a cage. Beams of light resembled a net. The light was ubiquitous. The Funnels zipped through a localized pocket of space, moving too fast for the eye to even register.

Blade focused his spirit entirely on Kodem’s fighter, utilizing the Funnels' dynamic maneuverability to its absolute peak. There was always one or two Funnels positioned in the direction Kodem found most difficult to evade.

The Funnels attacked while in motion, seemingly never pausing their assault—one second firing, the next repositioning; when not firing, they were shifting position.

Kodem had predicted the light paths before the beams were even fired. Within his vision, he clearly mapped out the structure of the light-net that would form seconds later. Piloting his stealth fighter, he rolled and changed direction with the seamless fluidity of flowing water, dodging every beam.

“Mortal, how much longer do you intend to trample on my pride?”

Kodem roared. The Uranium Cannons on his fighter spat out two bright red beams, targeting one of the Funnels darting at high speed.

However, just as the uranium beams launched, Kodem frowned. He saw the Funnel instantly change course, recoiling as if it had struck an invisible wall, thus evading the shots.

“While the Funnels are not my physical body, they are linked to my spirit through the psychic guidance system, acting as extensions of my own arms. Attacking a Funnel is no different from attacking me personally…”

The duel with a Master-level expert sent a surge of heat through Blade’s blood, his spirit effortlessly entering that deeply focused state he’d known before.

The psychic equipment attribute on Kodem’s fighter was Invisibility, a capability perfectly countered by observation.

Yang Ying had previously inquired about the specifics of this type of psychic gear. All Master-level fighters possessed it, but Master-level fighters varied in rank, with some possessing only one such system, while others had several.

Kodem’s stealth fighter had appeared on the battlefield many times, and the military had compiled detailed data, confirming that this specific aircraft only carried the Invisibility system?

Around them, hundreds of thousands of fighters were engaged in fierce combat across thousands of kilometers of star systems, with hundreds of fighters being struck and exploding every second on average.

In this all-consuming, intense battle, Blade and Kodem remained deadlocked for nearly half an hour. Kodem’s fighter had been struck by three beams, while Blade had lost four Funnels.

Kodem’s fighter could no longer maintain stealth, and sparks were erupting from its rear thrusters; its agility was noticeably sluggish compared to the start of the fight.

In the cockpit, Kodem’s eyes were slowly filling with helplessness. The capability of this human mortal astonished him. In his worldview, mortals should not be able to reach this level. It even led him to suspect his opponent was a newly promoted Master, perhaps a prodigy of a new era.

He himself had only achieved the Master realm five years prior. Being pushed to this extreme by a contemporary genius Master was perhaps not entirely unacceptable. Yet, no matter how he looked, the pilot of the Ghost fighter remained a mortal, fundamentally different from a Master.

The previous retreat had left an indelible mark on his psyche—the humiliation of being driven back by a mere mortal. He had endured countless hardships and trials to forge his Master status, elevating the essence of his soul beyond the mundane, allowing him to justifiably look down upon all non-Master individuals.

If he, a Master, could not defeat a mortal, then the worldview and life philosophy he had cultivated over a century of rigorous practice faced imminent collapse.

Thus, he had returned this time, intent on resolving this inner conflict on the battlefield.

Normally, following battlefield customs, Master-level fighters occupied specific zones, separated from non-Master units to avoid collateral damage. After all, the destructive power of a Master far exceeded that of ordinary fighters; entering a dogfight among them was like a tiger among sheep, capable of inflicting massive casualties.

This time, the Masters’ engagement zone was established in the heart of the entire battle cluster, where dozens of Master fighters clashed fiercely. Every dazzling array of psychic weaponry, accompanied by vibrant visual and sound effects, concealed a chilling lethality, displaying a contest between those who had achieved transcendence.

Kodem had not gone to that zone; instead, he had tracked the radiant signature of the Funnels within the main cluster and sought out Blade.

He intended to conclude the battle he failed to finish last time—destroying this mortal-piloted Ghost fighter and eliminating the pilot who had the potential to become humanity's next supreme master.

But reality delivered a crushing blow. Blade had manifested mortal capabilities to a degree he had never conceived possible, holding him to a virtual stalemate.

To call it a stalemate might even be him flattering himself. His own vessel’s performance was degrading, whereas his opponent had only lost four Funnels while his fuselage remained remarkably protected, having taken no hits from Kodem.

For a Master-level expert like Kodem, to fight an opponent for half an hour without being able to foresee victory was a sign of an undeserved title.

Although every evasion by the opponent was razor-thin, requiring only a slight lapse in concentration for mortal danger, it seemed like victory was within reach with just a little more effort.

However, after half an hour of contest, he realized the opponent’s focus was absolute, like a cold machine. A person like that would not grow careless.

If this stalemate continued, the predictable outcome was his own defeat. Perhaps he should have foreseen this moment the instant he realized his stealth ability was useless against the enemy.

Retreat, or press the fight until a victor emerged?

At this moment, under Kodem’s pressure, Blade’s focus was pushed to its extreme. His mind was utterly quiet; every maneuver seemed to occur without conscious thought. Environmental data was captured, and his body automatically executed the most appropriate response. His firepower output had dropped by a third, affecting his rate of attack per unit of time, but it hadn't compromised the fluidity of his assault.

It was just that the intensity of the fire was lessened; the problems plaguing Kodem’s fighter were far more severe.

Over the past six months, ever since hitting his bottleneck, Blade had constantly contemplated advancing to the Master realm. To achieve this, he had dispatched three avatars to observe the joys and sorrows of the world, while another three avatars remained on the Floating Continent to cultivate fiercely.

Now, sparring with a Master-level expert, he found there were aspects where he still simply could not match a Master, no matter how hard he tried.

Blade could feel a chilling sensation emanating from every beam fired by Kodem—a tangible, almost physical killing intent.

He knew clearly that this was an illusion; the beams were not the carrier of psychic energy, but the oppressive feeling was undeniably weighing on his heart.

He had heard that every action of a Master-level expert could imbue their will into their attacks, making them fundamentally different from will-less strikes—like the difference between the living and the dead. In ancient terms, this phenomenon was described as aligning one’s conduct with the Great Dao, or achieving Oneness with Heaven.

Looking at himself, no matter how dense the fire from his Funnels or how cunning their angles, he could not infuse his will into them. The threat his single attack posed to Kodem was less than one-tenth of the threat posed by one of Kodem’s strikes.

And Kodem, among Master-level experts, was only considered to be on the weaker end. Yang Ying’s Ghost Special Operations Unit had once investigated the Master-level experts of the Ancient Legion, even stealing classified intelligence data. Kodem’s file was among them. Based on aggregated intelligence, Kodem’s psychic strength was estimated between 150,000 and 200,000—only about double his own.

Blade mused that if he were a Master—even a Master with a psychic strength of 90,000—it would likely take him only five minutes to bring Kodem down.

Suddenly, he sensed the intense, oppressive pressure emanating from Kodem beginning to wane. The will infused in the beams no longer carried the same murderous edge; it had grown dull.

“Could it be…” Blade’s heart stirred. Before he could react, Kodem’s fighter instantly turned and fled, leaving Blade far behind in a flash.

“Trying to escape? Don't you dare!” Blade roared, giving chase.

Kodem saw the Ghost fighter pursuing him on his radar and managed a bitter smile, his lips moving slightly: “This time, I don't have Lord Onsha-Lie’s retreat order as an excuse. Perhaps when I return, I will be ridiculed. Am I to accept death calmly because of my fighter’s disadvantage? I refuse!”

Thinking this, Kodem’s expression gradually turned ferocious, and he slammed a fist onto the control console.

“As long as I remain a useful body, I can always redeem this shame. If this fighter’s psychic equipment only had the stealth function, and any other offensive weapon instead, I absolutely would not have ended up in this situation. As long as the Jupiter Campaign isn't over, there is still a chance for revenge. If this fighter cannot deal with him, I will switch to another fighter. No matter what, I will stake my honor and my life to wash away this disgrace!”

Behind him, Blade launched four Funnels that caught up to Kodem’s fighter, using their beams to harass his maneuvers and delay his escape time.

The speed and agility of the Funnels surpassed even Master-level fighters; overtaking Kodem was merely a matter of thought.

The energy of the four Funnels was quickly depleted. Blade recalled them for recharging and replaced them with another set of four.

“Today’s humiliation, I shall repay tenfold in the future!”

Kodem cursed inwardly. After a frantic flight spanning a considerable distance, he finally managed to exit the battle cluster, his destination—the Ancient Legion’s fleet—not far away.

“Lucky you ran fast enough.”

Seeing this, Blade could only retreat back into the main battle cluster, looking for other Ape-man fighters to vent his frustration on. He cut a path straight through the cluster, moving from the Ancient Legion’s side all the way to the Earth Forces’ perimeter.

Having torn a path right through the battle, he returned to Hangar One on the flagship, instructing the maintenance crew to service his fighter and reload the four Funnels.