Chapter 294: Shaping Up
Dordok and the Sage flew in mid-air, covering each others backs. The greatclub fell heavily, distorting the air where it passed. Darkness clouded the enemys senses, making reality confusing.
Unfortunately, for the canine deacon who cultivated the Dao of Insanity, reality was already confusing.
Careful, theres a Five Star Grasp on your left, he said, stepping through space to appear at Dordoks right. His open hand shot out like a viper, all fingers outstretched, topped with sharp nails. Dordok brought his club to the correct side to defend.
As if Id fall for that!
The impact was dull and heavy. The cyclops held his ground, but Sapasun was already behind him, whipping out a kick. Kick that Breaks your Shin! he shouted. Dordok raised his legs. The kick found him in the abdomen, pushing out all air out of his lungs and making his stomach burn.
Oh, but this, you fall for, Sapasun gloated. Its alright. You cant be both big and smart.
Ill crush you, Dordok croaked out, raising his club again to strike. He did not plan to just defend. Their real opponent wasnt Sapasun, but the clockif they couldnt deal with these opponents quickly enough, the next wave would arrive, and they would be overwhelmed.
His club came down, the Dao of Strength grabbing the air around the canine and condensing it. Sapasun used his own Dao to ignore the compressed air and lean to the side, dodging the strike. At the same time, a finger appeared out of nowhere to press at the top of his skull. Sapasuns eyes grew foggy for a moment, letting the second swipe of the club crack him at the ribs. He went flying.
Good one, Sage, Dordok said.
The Sage stepped out of the tear in space hed been hiding in, panting and sweating. His Dao was extremely profound, but he hadnt fought anyone in these few months, so he remained at Level 170. Affecting such a strong peak D-Grade for even a moment took everything he had.
We must hurry, he said. Dont let him escape.
I wasnt going to, Dordok responded.
I wasnt going to, Sapasun repeated, bending reality to suddenly appear behind them. There had been no teleportation this time, so even the Sage hadnt seen him coming. His fingers pressed together, and the side of his palm descended onto Dordoks shoulder, eliciting a terrible cracking sound. The cyclops screamed. One of his arms left the handle of the greatclub, hanging limply at the side.
The Sage instantly sent a torrent of life energy into Dordok, healing him, but Sapasun was already swinging. The Sage teleported awayhe was clearly the priority target here. Somehow, however, that strike wasnt aimed at him, but at Dordok again. Five fingers dug into the cyclopss back, and though the Sage once again healed the wound, they were both left panting.
Sapasun grinned. Only a madman would target the high-level ogre before the low-level wizard, he said. So, you should have seen it coming.
I have never, Dordok said mid-panting, faced such an obnoxious opponent.
Oh, its about to get worse. Bending Twist!
Clarity! the Sage shouted in return. Reality twisted around them, then was forced back into shape. Dordok roared and dove for the canine, who laughed and brandished his claws. They clashed again.
This could take a while, he said, but I have time!
A mile to the side, Shol and Li Qian were submerged in a cold battle to the death. Both were fighting at their limits. Their eyes were sharp, their minds devoid of anything but the battle. These were hardened veterans going for each others throats.
Their battle spanned the entire sky. Shols arms moved in elaborate patterns, summoning suns and solar beams and flicking them away. Golden barriers appeared around him, encasing him in flames that even burned the air away.
Facing him, Li Qian was as calm as a lake, as sharp as a blade. His sworda cyan katanadanced between his palms, cutting through the air so quickly it was a blur. Every swing released sonic booms as if he was wielding a whip instead. The winds obeyed him, forming into blades that shot forth to crash into the miniature suns.
The suns were cut in half, and the winds were burned away. Heat faced sharpness in a battle whose mere shockwaves were enough to crack the terrain below. If any normal human was watching from close-by, they would have been blinded, deafened, and burned to death already.
Li Qian suddenly dove in. His sword flashed a hundred times in the blink of an eye, covering him in ethereal blades that cut away even the heat. Such was his sharpness that, where he passed, it felt like the world had its skin shorn away, like the colors were just a bit muffled.
Seeing that, Shol brought his hands together and shouted sharply. He clapped. A tremendous explosion was released, impacting everything around him including the space behind him, where Li Qian had just appeared.
Still, it was not enough to stop the sword. It cleaved straight through, forcing Shol to place a straight palm against it. The strike, which could have easily cleaved steel or the earth itself, was blocked. The shockwave carried on, carving a mile-wide fissure on the ground below.
Shols palm bled.
First blood is mine, Li Qian said. If this was a sparring duel back home, you would have already lost.
Shol snorted, his eyes hard. You have no home, and this no spar. Today, one of us will dieand you may have earned first blood, but I will earn the last one.
Lets see.
They broke off, each person flying a hundred feet back. Since you want to die, Shol said, pressing his palms together, let me send you off.
No new miniature sun appeared, but the temperature around him rose sharply. The air boiled. Light flickered and waved. Shol kept pressing his palms together, and to an outsider, it seemed like he was burning from the inside out. His skin reddened, then was covered by a pure golden sheen. Light escaped his eyes and mouth. His entire body shone. Even his bald head illuminated the sky like a new sun.
If Brother Tao from Earth could see Shol right now, he would immediately fall to his knees in worship, for the current Shol looked just like a Buddha.
I havent gone all out in over a century, Shol said. Prepare to experience suffering.
His every word and gesture seemed slow but was actually lightning-fast. The very air around him still burned. Four extra arms grew around his shoulders, made of golden light. A golden circle appeared behind his back. When he opened his mouth wide, a new sun blossomed inside it, burning not orange but gold.
DIE! he shouted.
The sun in his mouth released a terrible beam. Golden light the width of two grown men crossed the sky, instantly reaching his opponent. The ethereal cyan blades floating around Li Qian reacted in time, cutting the beam into a million tiny pieces, but how could one cut light?
Li Qian was buried in the beam. No sound escaped, but the light was so strong that his body was no longer visible, and even the nearby battle between the Sage, Dordok, and Sapasun was brought to a momentary halt.
When the beam dispersed, Shols eyes did not mellow. His golden form remained active. Where Li Qian used to stand, there was now a man covered in cyan armor sticking to his skin, each string a blade. Smoke wafted off from several parts of the armor, but he remained whole and combatant.
I did not expect such power, he admitted, but no matter. If you have a battle form, then so do I. His cyan sword rose to the sky, spawning a thousand other blades, each flying next to the others in complete synergy. Let me show you why you are only the second deacon of the Exploding Sun.
Shol set his jaw and charged.
This entire battle was recorded by the projection stone and transmitted across the entire planet. The Animal Kingdom was determined to make their victory a spectacle. By now, every major city on the planet had a floating screen covering the sky, and every eye was glued to the three concurrent showdowns.
However, of the three, one took center stage. People whispered at each other and held their breaths as they watched.
Jack and Maximus Lonihor were going head-to-head. They flew around each other like wasps, clashing and breaking off repeatedly. Fists met fists. Jacks punches were heavy and sure, occasionally blossoming and exploding as meteors, while the arms and legs of Maximus whipped around with laser precision and lightning speed. His battle technique was impeccable.
Yet, after two hundred clashes, he had not managed to secure any advantage.
How is this possible? he asked again, pausing mid-battle. He was panting heavily. His proud leonine face was colored in disbelief. You are even twenty levels below me. How can you be so strong!?
Facing him, Jack was breathing normally. Because I had no choice, he replied, clenching his fist. And I have no time, either. Release those winged knights, and I will pulverize you with the full might of my despair.
When those two stopped to talk, the other two battles came to a momentary halt, and even the far-off immortals, who were still rushing over, slowed down in shock. Every watcher across the planet held their breath at the rise of this new star. Shol, who knew Maximuss strength better than anyone, was watching wide-eyed.
Against all odds, Jack actually had the advantage! How was this possible?
Just how strong had he become!?
Jack caught his opponents gaze and laughed. You havent seen anything yet, he said. Lets get this over with. I have other business to attend to.
Maximus tightened his jaw. His pride had been insulted, and that was not allowed. Suddenly, the sky blossomed with divine radiance, and armies of winged knights flew down. Jack met them with a grin. Come! he shouted, punching up. The sky exploded. The knights, each of whom was equal to a low D-Grade, were sent tumbling through the air. Many dissipated on the spot.
But many more remained, encircling him. Maximus dove in too, capitalizing on the distraction hed created.
Far from enough! Jack roared. Brutalizing Aura erupted at full force, spreading out to cover an entire mile. The knights faltered. Their strength was sapped, drawn out by Jacks aura and added to his own. Suddenly, he felt himself emboldened and empowered, as if new blood was coursing through his veins.
He punched out.
Maximus must have sensed what happened, or there was some instinct guiding him. This time, instead of clashing against Jack, he chose to stop and defend.
It was the right call. Jacks meteor was purple tinged with some of Maximuss own radiance, and it exploded far harder than any other. All the power hed absorbed from the winged knights was released in this strike, impacting Maximuss crossed arms hard enough to ram them into his chest and catapult him away fast enough to break the sound barrier thrice.
He screamed as he flew.
When he finally managed to come to a stop, his forearms were bloated, and his bare ribs were already a shape of purple. His eyes were full of rage. You are full of tricks, he said.
No. I am just superior to you, Jack replied, driving a stake through this opponents Dao. To a leonine, this was the greatest challenge that could be uttered.
Instantly, the body of Maximus straightened, and his chest puffed out. You spoke the wrong words, he said. I was planning to delay, but now I have to crush you.
The winged knights that were uselessly flying around Jack, unable to approach, dissipated like dust in the wind. However, the divine radiance that rained down from the heavens persisted, and it began to gather around Maximus, surrounding him like motes of light.
Prepare yourself, he said, for you are about to witness my supremacy.
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