The Path of the Strongest Mortal, page 11
“Pierce,” she said again once he was within spitting distance. A blade made of air whistled as it was shot forward, aiming at Beast’s head.
The audience held their breath, and even Starks was now fully focused on what was going on — in his opinion, the outcome of the whole tournament depended on this fight.
At the last moment, Beast thrust his left paw directly into the attack. His hand was instantly torn apart (so much that he couldn’t restore it), but he still survived.
“Die already!” An’na shouted as she cut the air with her hand, pointed it at Beast, and then clenched her fingers into a fist.
Beast was cut into hundreds of pieces.
The fight was over.
And how am I supposed to beat that? Kai wondered.
Chapter 12
FIST FIGHT 4
“What the hell is that?” Kai turned to Rune’Tan.
“Will of the Sword,” he replied.
“Could you, perhaps, be more specific?” the young cultivator said, voice oozing sarcasm.
“You remember that the level of energy control depends on willpower and talent, yes? When a cultivator becomes an Exorcist, their ki reserve increases significantly. To control it, they need a very strong Will,” Rune’Tan began to explain. “And if one reaches this stage successfully, this will raise their Will to the necessary level. You know what it’s called...”
“The Master’s Will?”
“Exactly. And it’s called that because at that point it stops being an incomprehensible, fleeting thing. The Master’s Will can affect the world around it. That is, it can become a material force. This includes abilities like weak telekinesis, partial and full mind-control, etc. But the development of Will doesn’t stop there. It’s infinite. You can either increase its power, or you can transform it — merge it with the understanding of any weapon, giving it its properties. But for this, you need to have a very, very deep understanding of that weapon. All this is very difficult, and even I know almost nothing about it. All I can say is that only a few — geniuses among geniuses — can do such a thing.”
“What about the other elements? Is it possible to create the Will of Fire for example?”
“Only if you’re a Spirit. Ordinary creatures such as humans, sylphs, elves, or even animals can combine their Will only with the understanding of some kind of weapon.”
“Why?”
“How would I know? This is one of the many secrets of the universe, and, perhaps, only the Gods can unravel them,” Rune’Tan replied.
“Okay. But can you at least tell me how to fight against it?”
“Without ki and Forces, you can only try to sense the attacks in advance and dodge.”
“You think I should give up?” Kai asked. After all, his freedom was already guaranteed.
“No. You can do that anytime. Fortunately, your bloodline doesn’t let you die quickly. I’d advise you to fight against her. She doesn’t have the most powerful Will. But the depth of her understanding of the essence of the sword is incredible. I believe that if you fight her, even just for a little while, it’ll help with future development, deepen your understanding of the sword, strengthen your Will... Not to mention that you don’t get to fight someone like her every day.”
“Okay,” Kai agreed. He actually wanted to take a swing at An’na. “I’ll fight her.”
***
After the fight between An’na and Beast ended, those eliminated in the second round of the tournament started fighting for places from thirty-third to sixty-fourth. Kai had no desire to watch them so he left the arena and returned to his mansion. He planned a long training session in order to prepare for the upcoming battle with An’na.
Less than ten hours remained until the Fist Fight finals when, suddenly, none other than Lex came to see Kai. He ordered the poor servant who had greeted him to take him to the lord of the manor. Not caring about what the said lord was doing, he broke down the door of the cultivation room, entered, and shook Kai’s shoulders.
“What?” he asked coldly, sharply opening his eyes.
“Come with me, grasshopper,” Lex replied, already leaving the room.
“Where are we going?” Kai asked, stepping through the massive enchanted door. That is, through what remained of it.
“Are you going to fight that half-breed? Or are you a coward?” the elf asked, ignoring the question.
“I’ll try to fight her,” Kai said calmly, following Lex, who kept opening every door on his way, looking for a suitable room.
“Good. Here.” Finally finding what he was looking for, he nodded. “Come in and lie down on the bed.”
“What for?” Kai didn’t stop asking questions.
“Here, take it and use it right now.” Lex held out a bottle to him and ignored yet another question. “A gift from the overlord.”
The Cold Void raged in Kai’s soul, and the first moment’s astonishment gave place to calm and indifference.
Looking at the offered bottle, he read the label.
[Rebirth of Flesh Elixir]
Rank: Royal
Quality: Peak
Feature: Renews and strengthens all cells in the body, healing any damage. Increases power, speed, stamina, and endurance by thirty units.
Limitation: Can only be used once. Cannot be used on dead people.
Kai took the bottle.
“You should know that Lord Starks is looking forward to your victory,” Lex said, turning toward the stairs. “And... you better lie down before drinking that.”
After that, he left the mansion. He had completed his task and couldn’t help Kai in any other way. And the reason for that wasn’t the lack of resources, but the fact that Starks was adamantly against breaking his own rules, even in this situation. Even though he was in the position to boost Kai’s performance before the fight with a bunch of forbidden potions that’d increase his strength several times for a while (after which he’d die), he didn’t want to. Such things were forbidden by the rules of the Fist Fight, and even he wasn’t going to violate them.
There was another way to make Kai stronger — to give him more resources that’d permanently increase his physical abilities. But that wouldn’t help much. There were less than ten hours left before the fight, and it took at least several days for the body to prepare for the effects of another potion.
Therefore, all he could do was give Kai this Elixir — the strongest alchemical drug available in Udin, which cost no less than two hundred thousand Crystals and that could save anyone below the Holy Lord Stage from the verge of death.
Since Starks knew that the wound on Kai’s chest was still sucking the strength out of him, he decided to help him out. Also, the boost in power couldn’t hurt.
As Lex had advised, Kai lay down on the bed. He stared at the glowing yellow liquid, for a few moments, and then downed it all in one gulp.
At first, nothing happened. The liquid splashed in his stomach like water. Since it was an elixir and not a pill, its energy didn’t try to break free.
Five seconds later, Kai felt a sudden heaviness in his stomach. His body shuddered. The room was flooded with bright light, which then filled his consciousness.
A few hours later, he woke up. As he touched his chest, he felt a slight pain and realized that the Elixir had healed only half the wound. However, that was enough to reduce the strain on his bloodline so he didn’t complain. And he was pleased to see his new stats.
Stats
Age: 21
Race: human
Status: Mortal
Stage: Soul Stage
Level: Source Creation (transition to the Exorcist Stage temporarily stopped)
Characteristics:
• [Power]: 146.73
• [Speed]: 142.32
• [Endurance]: 149.11
• [Stamina]: 161.82
• [Mind]: 85.14
• [Energy]: 365.88
Available points: 0
Abilities
• [Low-rank Techniques: View]
• [Earth-rank Techniques: View]
• [Gold-rank Techniques: View]
• [Step Through the Snow] Rank: Royal. Quality: Low
• [Bloody Snowfall Technique] Rank: Royal. Quality: Low
Forces
Path of Sword (Hearing Stage): Reflection Force, Speed Force, Endurance Force, Strength Force, Slashing Force, Piercing Force, Intent Force
Path of Sword (Seer Stage): Force of Form
Path of Space (Hearing Stage): Force of Repulsion, Force of Attraction, Force of Creation, Force of Destruction
Path of Space (Seer Stage): Force of Form
Concept of the Cold Void: maximum understanding. Now the quality and quantity of Cold Void particles you summon will completely depend only on your level of development. Current Level: Rank: Royal. Quality: Low
Yin concept: peak understanding of the second layer
Yang concept: initial understanding of the first layer
Features and Equipment
[True Descendant of the Nine-Headed Heavenly Hydra]
[Six Gates of the Body]
[No Limits]
[Life Rampage]
[Phantom Yin-Yang Tattoo] - Progress: 1%.
[Yang Concentration] Concept: Yang. Progress: 100%.
[Yin Concentration] Concept: Yin. Progress: 100%.
[Primal Flash] Concept: Yang. Progress: Locked.
[Touch of Nothingness] Concept: Yin. Progress: Locked.
(To further unlock these abilities, achieve 50% progress)
[Oaths made to you. View]
[Favorite of the Forces]: You are able to see what is invisible to others.
[Small Energy Shield]: Physical characteristics increased by 10% of the total energy reserve.
[Manifestation of Soul: Ultimate Focus]
[Full Aura Disguise]
[Suppressive Slave Collar]. Rank: Gold. Quality: Peak
[Medium Sword Spirit]. Development progress: 0%
[True Source of Cold Void]: maximum energy reserve increased by 10%, the maximum number of summoned particles increased by 10%
Achievements
[Great growth! (7)]
For the simultaneous achievement of 7 levels of Body Endurance, you get 7 free points of characteristics that you can distribute as you wish.
Minimum division: 0.01 points
[Quality Leap!]. Based on your previous successes in the study of Forces, as well as the sharp increase in the amount of Soul Energy, you receive the trait [The Favorite of the Forces].
[Overcoming mortal boundaries! (1)]. For a single victory over the Master (initial-level Exorcist), while being mortal (Soul Stage, Source Creation), you get [Memory Jade] (automatic selection).
Tasks
[Search for the Ancient Truth]
Find out the reason for the disappearance of the Divine Empire of Belteise.
Reward: ???
Should you fail, you will receive a fine of 1,000 units of each of your characteristics or death.
Remaining time: 9,994 years
***
“Three. Two. One!” The hostess started the countdown. “Begin!”
Upon hearing the signal, Kai fully opened the Body Gate of Speed and jumped to the side.
An’na summoned the Will of the Sword. She had already revealed her trump card during her previous duel, so it was pointless to hide it. Concentrating, she attacked, but none of her attacks reached her opponent.
Kai continued to move at great speed, but he wouldn’t go anywhere near her. He only circled around her, avoiding her attacks. Thirty seconds passed, which, having in mind how fast both of them were moving, was a quite long period of time.
The audience stared in wonder, puzzled as to why Kai kept running away rather than attacking.
You bastard! An’na cursed, having figured out what her opponent was doing, and stopped using the Will. You’re trying to sense my attacks in order to adjust to them!
At the moment when she decided not to waste her energy anymore, Kai moved in her direction, forcing her to continue to use it. His strategy was simple: to try to get used to her attacks as they were invisible even to his energy vision.
With Rune’Tan’s help, Kai had learned how to fill a certain amount of space around him with his Will with which he had replaced the aura suppressed by the collar, and that allowed him to feel objects and energy nearby. However, unlike an aura, it also allowed him to feel someone else’s Will.
It usually took a mortal a few days to a couple of weeks to develop this ability but Kai was able to do this in less than a day since he possessed monstrous willpower for his level of development. Two events helped him reach this point — his brother’s death, and his fight with Greenrow. His stay on Earth turned out to be more beneficial for his development than he had thought.
He continued to inch closer to An’na, not risking rushing as that’d leave him with too little time to dodge if she decided to attack. However, instead, she rushed at him, having realized that she didn’t want to go on like this any longer. Waving her arms, she sent two invisible and deadly-sharp gusts of energy at him, followed by many smaller ones. She had scattered them so that he couldn’t dodge.
Realizing that he wouldn’t have time to evade, Kai decided to go through the hail of attacks. Closing his eyes, he deactivated everything unnecessary. He no longer needed sight, hearing, or any other physical senses. It was time to rely only on his Will.
When everything disappeared, he was in complete darkness. Frozen in place, he waited. A moment later, the attacks entered the area of his Will. His imagination depicted them in the form of many white stripes. Finally seeing the whole picture, he dashed to the right, then bent down and jumped forward, covering his head with his hands.
An’na’s eyes widened as she saw Kai roll into the least dense area of her attack. But what surprised her even more, together with the entire audience, was the fact Kai flew out of there alive, despite the fact that his torso was cut and pierced in several places and limbs mangled. The pool of blood that gathered under him was quickly soaked up by the golden sand.
The disfigured human was advancing toward her, his mauled body regenerating in front of her eyes. In an instant, he completely healed.
Despite being surprised by his inhuman ability to regenerate, An’na still tried not to lose her composure and attacked as soon as Kai approached. Her palm moved forward, releasing a wave of her Will. And although she was no longer holding back, Kai still managed to dodge.
He attacked the moment his feet touched the sand. His foot flew toward An’na’s head, almost reaching her when the arena was flooded with a bright light that only he could see. He was thrown back despite his best effort to not face that great power. Spitting out sand, he again rushed toward An’na at top speed. Replaying the last couple of seconds in his head, he realized that she had used her Will to form a sphere around herself. She could’ve turned his body into dust if he hadn’t jumped back.
Kai didn’t see it, but An’na turned noticeably pale and began to breathe faster. The Will of the Sword was as powerful as it was demanding for the user’s body.
I have to end this now! she thought and assumed a fighting stance. Instead of a regular sword, her hands firmly gripped the handle of an ephemeral blade. If this drags on any longer, he’ll surely win because of his speed and stamina.
Even though his senses were turned off, Kai saw this sword. It was a breathtakingly beautiful blade made of bright, blinding light, forged out of An’na’s Will. After seeing... more precisely, sensing it with his Will, Kai couldn’t help but be amazed.
The next instant, his mind and soul were pierced by thousands of sharp but pleasant flashes of understanding of the deep essence of the Path of the Sword. But instead of harming him, they left their imprint on his soul, mind, and body.
An imprint that brought him closer to a new level of understanding of this Path.
A bright and, as always, impudent smile appeared on his face.
A smile that hadn’t been there for so long.
A smile that even the Cold Void couldn’t immediately suppress.
He realized that it wasn’t in vain that he had agreed to participate in this battle.
The next moment, An’na took out the Blade of Will, slicing the space in front of her. Pain consumed Kai. It felt like he was hit by a car at full speed and he flew backward. Unfortunately for her, he survived.
The powerful attack grazed him, but he managed to redirect all available ki into the Body Gates of Strength and used it to protect the part of the body where the blow had hit. Many of his organs were damaged, and there was a large cut on his left shoulder. Not that it mattered as it all almost immediately started healing.
But An’na didn’t stop there. Her intuition told her that it wouldn’t be possible to kill her opponent with only one attack, so she showered him with more. Her blade lunged forward, piercing through space and unleashing the immense power of the Will of the Sword.
Kai didn’t have time to dodge as he was still flying. He could only defend. The sharpness of An’na’s blade coupled with the lack of ki and Forces didn’t make it easy for him to come up with a strong defense, but he had no other choice. Either he’d try to defend himself, or he’d die.
“Give up!” Rune’Tan shouted. “There’s still a chance to survive.”
“It’s too late to give up now, old man,” Kai replied calmly.
He threw one of his hands up sharply, pointing it toward the approaching attack. Life Rampage immediately activated, followed by Ultimate Focus. The next moment there was a collision.
An’na’s attack knocked Kai into a wall and then tried to consume him and turn him into a pool of blood and bones. Except, colliding with his palm, the invisible attack crashed into some kind of an obstacle. The air sparked, and the audience could see only the outlines of the attack, which looked like a huge sword. A kind of a barrier formed around Kai’s right palm, which was almost immediately torn to pieces. An’na’s attack turned into mist, losing all strength.
