Austin regained his consciousness a few seconds later
and found himself back in the square he had been in before.
The woman was still standing opposite to him, a cheeky, playful look on her face.
'Did that really just happen?
That was simply amazing.
With my strength, I was defeated in one single move. But how?
How on earth is this woman so powerful?' Austin wondered in shock.
He had never experienced anything like this.
'I... I was defeated before I even had the chance to react!'
"Well... It seems you're much stronger than I had anticipated,"
Austin said, swallowing his pride and surprise, trying to push past it.
"There is no rush for you to fight me again.
Take your time. Think about the move I used. I will be waiting,"
the woman said disinterestedly.
"All right,"
Austin replied, nodding in his embarrassment.
He had been defeated with a single strike and had lost the nerve to continue the fight anyway. His
confidence had been quite clearly shaken.
Austin did as the woman had said. He sat cross legged and began recalling the move she had just
used on him.
'So that's how she created that move. It's so strange, so brilliant, so wonderful...'
Austin had finally come to the realization that passing through the sixth floor of the pagoda would be
much more difficult than the previous levels.
This mysterious woman was much too powerful!
Or perhaps it was more apt to say that the sixth move of the Reincarnation Sword Skill was much too
powerful.
Austin was frustrated, but deep down in his heart, he was excited as well.
If he were to learn such a powerful sword move, he would be able to vanquish any opponent that
challenged him, no matter how powerful.
'That's how she did it...'
On the sixth floor of the pagoda, Austin could still be found seated, with his legs crossed and his eyes
shut, deep in meditation.
He knew he needed patience to properly comprehend the move.
The more anxious he got, the longer it would take him to achieve success. He knew this, so he did his
best to steer clear of rushing the process.
He concentrated his mind and focused his energy, quietly meditating on the woman's move.
After five days, he had gained a rough understanding of the maneuver.
'Hmm...
I have a general understanding of what she did.
This time, I will attack first, the second the battle begins.
I wonder if that'll work.
It seems I have only grasped the sixth move of the Reincarnation Sword Skill's form, and not yet its
spirit. There is still much more to learn.
I should fight again before going any further, perhaps that would help.
After all, I won't actually die here!'
With his mind abuzz, Austin stood up, took a deep breath and looked to the woman.
"Let's go again,"
Austin called out.
"Oh?
Are you sure?" the woman asked as though she did not think it was a good idea.
She looked graceful and elegant herself, but she glared at Austin with distaste and a trace of disdain in
her eyes.
She shrugged and added, "You know, I really don't understand how you've managed to make it to the
sixth floor of the pagoda.
I'm afraid, with your strength, you'll never beat me on your own.
I've only mastered one move of the Reincarnation Sword Skill left by my master.
Yet you can't even pass my test. What chance do you think you have beyond this?"
the woman asked in a tone full of mockery.
"Enough talking. Let's do this..."
Austin replied, pretending to be impatient and waving his hand dismissively. When he opened his eyes
and looked up, a faint killing intent was brewing in them, slowly bubbling up.
"By the way, what's your name, madam, if you'd be so kind?"
he asked curiously.
The woman before him was too strong to be some nobody.
And yet she was willing to stay on the sixth floor of the pagoda as a reincarnation slave. Austin was
intrigued and very curious about her.
"What?"
The woman was stunned for a moment by Austin's question, but soon a smile stretched across her
face.
"My name?
I suppose telling you makes no difference.
Since I submitted to my master, my name has been 'No. 6',
on account of the fact that I've mastered the sixth move of the Reincarnation Sword Skill..."
Before she had even finished speaking, Austin darted at her and attacked.
"Take this!"
he growled as he charged over.
He delivered the strongest blow he could!
"Haha...
These cheap tricks won't work on me. It's useless even trying.
I can use the reincarnation skill to turn back time. Your little sneak attack is pointless,"
No. 6 revealed, bursting into laughter.
In what was barely a split second, her delicate body flashed ever so slightly and dodged Austin's
attack.
She reacted immediately, pointing her fingers together and releasing a strange beam of sword-light that
flashed past.
"Bang!"
Once again, this sword move succeeded in smashing Austin's body to pieces.
"You must be dreaming if you think you can defeat me with a lousy, high speed sneak attack! I'm really
quite disappointed."
These were the last words Austin heard before he once again faded out of consciousness.
Austin awoke, back to normal,
in the square on the sixth floor once more.
He had come back to life.
'What do I do?
Even my strongest attack doesn't faze her!'
Austin was at a complete loss as to how he was going to overcome his current predicament.
'She's too powerful' he thought, sighing on the inside.
He felt somewhat helpless and frustrated. He did not know what his next move should be.
However, he was not one to give in easily. He sat back down, crossed his legs and began thinking
intently, considering every angle of the move and the actions he would take.
"This is my test from the god of chaos who owned the second pagoda of reincarnation,"
Austin murmured softly to himself, trying to reassure himself that he would get through this as he had
everything in the past.
Suddenly, an idea sparked in his mind.
"I bet Master Sousa wants me to hone my skills and develop myself further. He wants me to master the
sixth move of the Reincarnation Sword Skill while challenging this woman,"
Austin said loudly, his mind racing as he chugged along this train of thought.
"That's it!
I understand!
If I want to defeat this woman, I have to learn the sixth move of the Reincarnation Sword Skill right here
and now.
Then I can use the same methods against her and take her down with the sixth move! Fighting fire with
fire, as it were."
Austin had finally discovered the key to making it past this woman!
He concentrated hard and summoned his energy as he recalled the sword move when the woman had
done it.
He began practicing rigorously, pointing his fingers like a sword.
As Austin recalled and practiced, a trace of supreme sword aura was produced in the air.
A strong aura of reincarnation began spreading as well. This was looking promising.
After half an hour, Austin opened his eyes and sword-light fluttered within them.
"I feel as though I've pretty much grasped the basics of the move. Although I do still need to watch it in
action a few more times..."
Austin said nodding, continuing his deductions and contemplations.
This provided valuable insight,
as things changed and he learned more after being killed dozens of times in a row.
In the space of the sixth floor,
Austin pointed his index and middle finger together and swept across the air.
A perfect sword move was produced, shooting through the air at a perfect trajectory.
This move almost integrated with the truth of nature. The sword aura then condensed and shattered
the space around into tiny shards.
"That is exactly like the woman's move!
I've done it! I've mastered it fully! I can now use it as I desire, while all I lack is a little experience using
it in actual combat."
There was nothing left to do but challenge the woman again, and so Austin did.
This time, he fought with much more ferocity, keeping the woman on her toes.
He made his sword move, finally putting his practice into action. In the end, the woman killed him again
as his strike was marginally slower than hers.
"Again!" Austin yelled with steely determination.
He analyzed their previous battle and seemed to gain a deeper understanding of the Reincarnation
Sword Skill. The more he fought, the braver he became.
"Bang!"
Austin was killed again, but he had almost managed to kill the woman with his sword move. He was
getting closer.
They clashed again and again and Austin's swordsmanship became more and more proficient, while
his accuracy increased greatly as well.
Eventually, he was able to contend with the woman. They were at a stalemate, fighting as equals.
The speed and trajectory of their moves were almost identical.
Austin was confident their next fight would be their last.
Whoosh...
Whoosh...
He and the woman burst towards each other at the same time.
His sword move was even better and faster than the woman's in every aspect this time. Finally, he
struck the woman first!
"I did it!"
Austin heaved a huge sigh of relief. The deed had been done.
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