by Yuri Ajin
Thrown back by the last joint attack, Lightus rose to his feet. His body lit up and his wounds began to heal. He imbued his blade with energy, after which his figure blurred.
He almost got to his wounded opponents to finally kill them when he had to halt and teleport back, evading the technique that had almost hit him and left behind a long trail of frozen grass. The temperature dropped sharply and continued to plummet.
Everyone looked to the side and noticed a lone figure standing on the edge of the island.
“Kai?!” An’na exclaimed in surprise.
She hadn’t expected him to follow them, let alone to see him reappear as an Exorcist. They left him behind as they knew he didn’t have any additional lives, so waiting for him was like leading him into a trap. A chance not to get expelled from the Abode was another reason why An’na had plans to disband the team so that in case of her death, the rest of them wouldn’t be disqualified. She also had an extra life for a scenario like that, but as long as she was the leader, she couldn’t use it.
Lightus slightly arched an eyebrow, not surprised by Kai’s new stage, but by the power of the Cold Void that almost got to him.
Kai glanced at his friends. He had learned from Ailenx that they couldn’t really die here, but that didn’t mean that their horrible state didn’t worry him.
An’na smiled faintly. Malvur just nodded. Shacks gave him a thumbs up. The power of Space enveloped them, and they were sent to Kai’s Storage to have some rest, where Ailenx was already waiting for them.
Lightus chuckled and then smiled.
“Why bother? Do you think you’ll do better than them?” he asked, but didn’t wait for an answer.
He was in front of Kai in one quick dash. Swinging his blade, he cut off his head. Or at least he thought he did. Lightus belatedly realized that there was no blood. Kai’s head turned into a cloud of dark fog for a moment so the blade simply went through it.
Kai thrust his palm forward and clenched his fist, making Lightus step back abruptly. He realized with horror that if he hadn’t reacted in time, Kai’s grip would’ve crushed his skull.
“You’re exhausted. I can see that,” Kai said and then glanced at the System menu. “There are just over ten hours left until the end of the Games. I’ll allow you to recover, but then I’ll demand a rematch.”
Lightus narrowed his eyes and bared his teeth. For the first time in a long while, he experienced the thrill of battle. The boredom that always haunted him vanished.
“Great!” He sat down on the grass. “I’ve long dreamed of an opponent such as yourself. I sincerely hope that you won’t disappoint!”
“Don’t worry. It’s not like you’re going to win this time,” Kai replied coldly.
***
Evening was approaching. There was one hour left before the end of the Games.
Two pairs of eyes opened at the same time and two Fields of Superiority covered the flying island. Neither Kai nor Lightus were able to suppress each other. And although neither of them achieved anything, the ball was in Kai’s court. He was younger and a level of development lower, but he didn’t yield.
Both cultivators rose to their feet to prepare for the oncoming duel.
Kai’s was clad in smooth, thin, but very dense and highly energized Ice Armor. He activated the Five Weightless Steps Technique, after which the power of the two Senior Spirits poured into his body. Two onyx straight swords appeared in his hands, given to him by Kenji and his brother, who had completed this masterpiece a week ago.
Swords forged from demon bones were of low quality and Royal-rank. For now. They were scalable artifacts. Thanks to their skill, knowledge, and unique tools of the Abode, the dwarves managed to make the blades adapt to the level of their owner’s Forces.
With perfect knowledge of the Path of Sword’s Forces of Form, Kai could use nothing other than low-quality Royal-rank weapons. But once he mastered Force of Fusion, the blades would become peak quality.
[Twin Blades of Nightmare: Phobos]
Rank: Royal
Quality: Low
These blades adapt to their owner’s level.
True Rank: Imperial
True Quality: Peak
Passive Skill: [Fear Aura]
These weapons bear the full weight of their power; however, to their owner, they feel no heavier than a feather.
Active Skill: ???
Activate a Sword Sphere to unlock.
[Twin Blades of Nightmare: Deimos]
Rank: Royal
Quality: Low
These blades adapt to their owner’s level.
True Rank: Imperial
True Quality: Peak
Passive Skill: [Horror Cut]
These weapons bear the full weight of their power; however, to their owner, they feel no heavier than a feather.
Active Skill: ???
Activate a Sword Sphere to unlock.
Seeing the Blades form, Lightus winced, falling under the effect of the Fear Aura. But only temporarily. With his strong will, he easily snapped out of it. Kai could enhance the ability’s effect by pouring more energy into it, but he found that to be excessive and wasteful. With how dense Lightus’ ki was, the Fear Aura was unlikely to have a strong effect on him.
It was difficult to assess the value of the Blades. Even without taking into account all that they could do, the swords themselves were extremely expensive due to the material they were made of. Demon bones were extremely good energy conductors. So much so that the level of energy in them made it much easier for Kai to form techniques. Never before had he had a weapon so powerful.
Lightus summoned his sword and drew it from its scabbard. Next, he activated the Shimmering Light Technique, based on the Paths of Light and Space, which made him incredibly fast, as well as the Light Bearing Shield Technique that granted both defense and an increase in physical parameters.
Finally, he merged with a Senior Spirit of Space, and then with the Elemental of Light. His eyes shone brightly.
“Ready?”
Lightus smiled.
“Of course.”
Two auras clashed in an explosion of light and power.
Kai and Lightus looked at each other for a few moments and then disappeared. Colliding again, they brought down their blades at each other. Even before the battle had begun, Lightus realized that he was inferior to Kai in physical strength, which is why he used the Particle Reflection Technique.
Kai braced himself for impact. Digging his feet into the ground, he remained where he was when the technique hit him, swinging his other sword at his opponent. Lightus dodged and jumped, releasing a crescent of light from his sword in retaliation. Touching the ground with its edge, the technique cleaved it, leaving behind a deep furrow.
Kai launched the Blade Release from both blades, but both were immediately deflected by his opponent’s technique. The collision weakened Lightus’ attack so it couldn’t break through Kai’s barrier or stop him from rushing forward.
Before they clashed again, Lightus’ blade shone like a star. Having no time to dodge, Kai blocked by crossing his blades.
Shit! I underestimated it!
Physically, Lightus was still much weaker than Kai, however, having strengthened his sword with a technique, he compensated for this difference and even surpassed his opponent. His attack was so strong that the impact made Kai’s back crack. It almost tore the swords out of his hands and forced him to fall to one knee. He felt like someone had dropped a mountain on him.
Kai clenched his teeth so hard that they cracked and began to bleed. The ringing in his ears deafened him. For a moment, his vision darkened.
And it was at that moment that Lightus attacked.
His hand and sword turned into a smear, and his blade sank deep into Kai’s chest. His heart stopped, but he continued to move.
How?! Lightus’ eyes widened in shock. What kind of regeneration does he possess?!
The blade stuck in Kai’s chest shone again. Lightus was
about to repeat his attack when a wave of Cold Void burst out of Kai along with the Gravity Break Blade Technique. Lightus was partially covered with a crust of ice and then thrown back. With the power of Light, he easily melted away the Frosty Touch Technique and neutralized all damage.
They both got up and prepared themselves for another round.
In the past, Kai’s techniques were more than enough for him to win almost every fight. However, he had now reached a new level, and his old abilities were no longer strong enough to deal with opponents like Lightus. As he didn’t have much time to master new skills after the breakthrough, he only had two techniques to rely on — Five Weightless Steps and Darkbody.
This short encounter made Kai realize that he was much weaker than Lightus in terms of techniques and that he should rely more on his stats. Or better yet, that he should find a way to get around this weakness.
Lightus rushed at his motionless opponent and deflected a vertical swing with his scabbard, at the same time making a sharp thrust with his sword, aiming at Kai’s head. To his surprise, Kai began to dodge even before he swung as if he had predicted the attack.
At its second level, Ultimate Focus froze time for a moment and then narrowed it down to Lightus and Kai. At that moment, Kai’s opponent’s movements became more understandable and predictable. And although he couldn’t read Lightus like a book, he could glance at the slightly opened pages.
Kai only needed to tilt his head a few inches. Lightus’ blade whizzed past his ear, and then a powerful beam erupted from its tip, hitting air. Kai, meanwhile, attacked with his left blade from below.
Lightus grinned. He was surprised but confident in his defense.
Several different techniques broke off from the sword at once, containing an ocean of energy, and fell on Lightus’ reinforced Cover, cracking it, and even destroying it in one place. A long and deep wound appeared on his chest covered with darkness and ice. He was thrown back.
To overcome the difference in the Forces and quality of techniques, Kai decided to crush his opponent by relying on quantity rather than quality. It was believed that cultivators could only create one technique at a time inside their weapon. However, due to perfect energy control and Ultimate Focus, Kai could form four techniques at once in only one blade.
Lightus got up and winced, seeing that his defense had been broken through. The ghastly wound on his chest glowed gently as it began to heal.
He chuckled.
The next moment, his already shining eyes became even brighter. He received even more power from the Elemental, which increased the strain on his soul and astral body. His figure flickered and then exploded with speed and disappeared.
Using Ultimate Concentration, Kai had time to prepare for the attack. The Ice Armor rebuilt, the Impenetrable Repelling Field thickened and strengthened, and a thick sphere of ice formed around him.
The dome of ice exploded into a rain of shards, the barrier cracked, and Kai suffered several lacerations. Blood stained the grass. Kai fell on his knees, covering his head with his hands. Fortunately, his Yang-imbued skin stopped Lightus’ quick but insufficiently powerful attacks from penetrating too deep.
It was his time to counterattack.
A powerful gravitational wave filled with a monstrous amount of energy scattered in all directions. Lightus was thrown off his feet, unprepared for such an attack. Taking advantage of the moment, Kai unleashed another technique.
Almost two-thirds of Lightus’ body was frozen and he could only move his arms. Miraculously, he managed to land on his feet. Destroying someone else’s technique took time, which he didn’t have right now.
Recovering on the move, Kai headed toward Lightus.
I’m a sitting duck here... I guess I have no choice but to use my most powerful attack, he thought, staring at the approaching Kai.
His sword flashed brighter than ever before. All the energy available to him was placed into the technique, as well as the particles of the Elemental’s power. Raising his sword over his head, the radiance of which blinded Kai, Lightus brought the blade down.
“Dusk Blade Light!” he shouted.
Having formed as many as five techniques in each of his blades, Kai swung. The energy flashed and then broke free. Two hundred percent of Kai’s ki supply and particles of each of his elements, woven together, were unleashed in one crushing wave.
A giant strip of brightest light collided with a dozen different techniques.
A blinding flash covered the floating island, shaking it violently.
Chapter 40
REVENGE 2
Everything was quiet for a little while, and then came the sound of rumbling and scraping. Lightus began to slowly crawl out of a big hole in the ground, the cracked golden dome around him crumbling.
With a grunt, he finally got out of the crater. His robes were in tatters, revealing a torso covered with many deep wounds, the worst of which was a hole on the left side of his chest. He was missing a piece of his lungs as well as several ribs, looking as if a beast had ripped them out with a snap of its huge jaws.
In most cases, even Elementalists couldn’t continue living with such wounds. However, Lightus still had some fight left in him. Pushing back the pain, he evoked the strongest healing technique he knew. Covering the wound with a pleasant light, it began to regenerate slowly.
With that taken care of, Lightus looked around. Some forty feet away from him was a huge ice dome. The cross-section revealed that it was made of several layers and that its owner was no longer inside it.
Lightus was about to breathe a sigh of relief when he felt a ball of energy begin to form and thicken behind him. Abruptly teleporting to the side, he turned around and sent a thin crescent of light toward the sphere. The technique passed through the air and flew into the distance. A dark fog appeared in that spot, assuming Kai’s figure.
In order to save himself, Kai was forced to use the energy-consuming Darkbody Technique, dissolving into the air in a puff of darkness and then reforming behind Lightus. But, as he hadn’t fully mastered this technique, he failed to catch his opponent by surprise.
Darkbody took so much energy and spirit stamina, making it difficult, if not impossible, to use it again.
The two were getting ready to continue the fight when the entire island trembled and shifted from underneath their feet. The two shifted their gazes to the nearby tree and saw a deep crack that had formed after their attacks. At the same time, they realized that a part of the island was about to collapse.
Neither of them wanted to fall from such height. Without saying a word, they rushed to the main part of the island. They had almost reached it when a little girl with white hair, dressed in a scarlet dress, appeared in front of them.
“Stop breaking things!” she screamed angrily, and then both guys crashed into an invisible wall. They were thrown back and over the edge of the island, deprived of any opportunity to grab it.
Both of them teleported to the piece of the island that was falling and glued themselves to its surface with energy.
Having climbed on separate edges of the island, they stood less than thirty feet apart. They didn’t care about what just happened. Victory was all that mattered.
“It’s time to end this,” Lightus muttered and released an even bigger and brighter wave of energy than before.
Merging with the Elemental, he sprouted a pair of wings woven from pure light. His eyes became brighter and his skin was covered with shimmering lines. The wings wouldn’t help him fly but they would provide him with additional speed.
When Full Merge was complete, Lightus appeared to Kai’s left and swung his sword.
But his blade was deflected.
The air vibrated. Kai’s muscles were strained to the point of snapping from an overabundance of strength. His skin took on a bronze tint, his hair lengthened and wrapped itself around him, covering him like armor, and he grew a whole head taller and much wider at the shoulders. A wave of heat spread in all direction
s, carrying a wild power within.
Level two of Rampage of Life had been activated.
“You’re right,” Kai’s frightening voice rumbled. “It’s time to end this.”
The duel began again. Even the wailing of the wind couldn’t drown out the ringing of the clashing blades that grew more violent and more frequent as the two continued to shower each other with blows. Sparks of energy mixed with blood flew into the air only to return as burning rain.
In the beginning, Lightus had the upper hand, forcing Kai to defend himself, but it wasn’t long until that changed. With each new exchange of blows, Kai got a little better. Photographic memory combined with Ultimate Focus, allowed him to immediately memorize and analyze Ligthus’ fighting style and come up with a counterattack on the spot.
Kai’s blade pierced the air, grazing Lightus’ cheek and cutting off his ear. Normally, he wouldn’t have paid any attention to such an insignificant wound, but this time he was forced to.
In a split second, the world around him changed, and he found himself in the middle of an endless ocean of blood. Looking up, he saw a huge mouth, vomiting an uncountable number of mutilated elven corpses. For a brief moment, he felt real horror that bound him in place.
Horror Cut bought Kai the time he needed to attack. Lightus stood frozen in place, eyes wide open, allowing Kai to strengthen his hand with Eight Yang Flashes and launch a punch at him.
Hearing the wind whistle and feeling a torrent of energy approach him, Lightus snapped out of his stupor and raised his sword just in time to barely manage to form the Particle Reflection Technique, redirecting most of the blow’s power back at its owner.
Most, but not all.
Colossal pressure fell on Lightus. He felt all his bones crack. His insides were squeezed by an invisible force, and the sword was almost pulled out of his hands. But he survived.
He was preparing a counterattack when he realized that Kai wasn’t finished. Suddenly turning into dark fog, he flew closer to Lightus. The transformation happened so quickly that even in ideal conditions, Lightus wouldn’t have been able to develop enough speed to react.
