Chapter 397: Cross Slash
Han Shuo was fully aware that when one trained their fighting aura to Karel’s level, its power would be extremely frightening. Besides, Han Shuo had intended all along to test his strength against Karel, hence he did not hold back.
Demonic yuan energy rushed into the Demonslayer Edge, activating the power of the violent spirits within, causing it to suddenly burst out with killing intent. With the Demonslayer edge as the core, the killing intent rippled out into the surroundings.
The waves of killing intent appeared material, the friction with the atmosphere producing a peculiar ‘chichi’ sound as it rippled in the sky. A sinister and ruthless aura could no longer be contained as it flowed out from Han Shuo’s body.
Sacred swordmaster Karel was visibly moved, his snow-white brows tightening as his abstruse eyes brightened. As Karel was able to reach the level of sacred swordmaster, it naturally showed that he had outstanding talent. Over many years of fighting, he had seen countless experts as he watched over Lancelot Empire with his rich fighting experience.
Karel could clearly sense the Demonslayer Edge in Han Shuo’s hand bursting with frightening killing intent. The killing intent that had spread all around had a hint of viciousness, as though containing a violent explosive force, causing Karel to truly be startled.
Within the Profound Continent, most experts gradually realised the importance of imposing themselves before battle. However, there has never been anyone who could transform this vigor into strength during battle. This was similar to Bollands’ use of killing intent to destroy a person’s willpower. However, Han Shuo’s killing intent was more material. Karel understood that this sort of aura truly existed, unlike Bollands’ killing intent which could only intimidate a person’s spirit.
As sacred swordmaster Karel was staring at Han Shuo, Han Shuo swung the Demonslayer Edge filled with demonic yuan energy toward Karel, unleashing the ‘Bloody Radiance of Ten Thousand Cuts’. The Demonslayer Edge suddenly revolved rapidly, the bloody radiance resembling the petals of a blooming flower.
With every rotation, a quill-like blood light was formed. Midway through the ‘Bloody radiance of Ten Thousand Cuts’, the blood colored light have already formed a hedgehog-like ball of quills, containing dense killing intent and giving off a sharp whistle as it flew at high-speed toward saint swordmaster Karel.
“Mystical martial technique!” Karel suddenly praised loudly, suddenly raising the longsword in his hand, gathering a golden colored fighting aura and sending a sword thrust toward the approaching blood colored ball of quills.
Golden fighting aura was something only sacred swordmasters and sacred knights were able to use. This was the appearance of fighting aura at peak concentration. Han Shuo could clearly sense the destructive power it contained. Although the golden fighting aura was different in nature from demonic yuan energy, it similarly contained formidable explosive strength.
As Karel raised his longsword, it emitted lustrous golden light. As his raised arm drew circular arcs, the tip of the longsword suddenly shot out waves of crossed-shaped swordlight. The crossed-shaped swordlight were arranged from small to big as they struck Han Shuo’s blood colored ball of quills in succession.
With the moniker of ‘Cross saint swordmaster’, Karel was indeed befitting of his reputation. The various sword lights all formed crosses as they shot toward Han Shuo’s ball of quills, rapidly grinding away at the demonic yuan energy contained within the Demonslayer Edge.
The tyrannical ‘Bloody Radiance of Ten Thousand Cuts’ was neutralized by the cross-shaped sword lights even before reaching Karel. From start to finish, Karel had a relaxed expression, clearly yet to use the limits of his strength.
When the blooming Ten Thousand Cuts were all obliterated and revealing the Demonslayer Edge’s original appearance, Han Shuo acted. The Demonslayer Edge which had been shooting towards Karel in a straight line suddenly froze in midair, before suddenly following a mysterious curved trajectory as it slashed toward Karel.
“Oh? Interesting!” Karel exclaimed softly, raising his head to watch the Demonslayer Edge’s downward chop as he struck out with his sword to brush away the approaching Demonslayer Edge.
Han Shuo who was originally watching Karel with both eyes suddenly shut his eyes, fully concentrating on controlling the Demonslayer Edge, using the ‘Law of Activating Magic’ to unceasingly slash at Karel from all directions.
At the beginning, the Demonslayer Edge wasn’t very fast. However, Han Shuo slowly increased its speed, causing the Demonslayer Edge to gradually become a lightning-like phantom. He also incited the violent spirits within the Demonslayer Edge, causing an endless resentful aura to spread out.
At first, saint swordmaster Karel was still able to effortlessly deal with Han Shuo’s attacks. However, his expression became serious soon after. Bright golden light enveloped Karel’s body, as crossed-shaped sword lights shot out. On one hand, he had to use his longsword to resist the Demonslayer Edge’s high speed slashes while on the other, he has to concentrate his mental strength to withstand the demonic aura emitting from the Demonslayer Edge.
It must be said that sacred swordmaster Karel was indeed exceptional. As Karel who was able to stand proudly at the peak of Lancelot Empire faced Han Shuo’s all out tempest, he had never given off the slightest indication of defeat, appearing as calm as before.
When Han Shuo had exhausted half of his demonic yuan energy, he saw that Karel still hadn’t shown any weariness. Han Shuo then poured mystical glacial spellfire into the Demonslayer Edge, causing blossoms of red and purple spell fire to shoot out with every slash of the Demonslayer Edge. Extremely cold and extremely hot energy constantly shot out, causing much inconvenience to Karel.
Afterwards, twelve mystical demons became corporeal, becoming malevolent ghosts as they attempted to enter Karel’s body. Karel gave a gasp of surprise before suddenly exclaiming, “Truly mysterious. This martial technique is indeed different from any training method in the Profound Continent.”
Facing numerous attacks, Karel still had the opportunity to shout. Shortly after, the longsword in his hand suddenly exploded in resplendent golden light as a giant cross-shaped sword light emerged abruptly, carrying a ravaging force as it spread in all directions, unexpectedly causing a sudden explosion.
The boulder he was on was the first to be unable to bear the impact as it broke into pieces with a bang. As rubble flew about, the ground actually started to cave in, as though a enormous force had bombarded the ground, crushing everything in the surroundings.
Han Shuo was shocked, rapidly recalling the twelve mystical demons and soared into the sky and landed next to Karel in a flash. The Demonslayer Edge that had been attacking constantly flew back into Han Shuo’s hand, the remaining demonic yuan energy frantically pouring into the Demonslayer Edge while the killing intent and the wrathful energy from the violent spirits within the Demonslayer Edge converged to form a seven meter long blood colored edge which violently slashed in tandem with the Demonslayer Edge toward Karel’s astonishing giant cross-shaped sword light.
A fierce explosion spread out from the point of contact, causing the barrier that enveloped the area to collapse. The vast space suddenly regained its original appearance, revealing the original form of the wide stone room. When the barrier was destroyed, a fierce ripple simultaneously spread out, causing the ground to tremor in its wake.
An astonishing explosive force suddenly rushed through the Demonslayer Edge, rushing through the sword hilt into Han Shuo’s body. Han Shuo’s descending body couldn’t resist flying backward at high speed before finally crashing into the rock ceiling and forming a three meter deep indent.
“What’s going on, what’s going on?”
“Is there an earthquake?”
“Ah, the bed is still moving!”
Within the Rose Garden above the two of them, nobles who were in the process of seeking pleasure with beauties suddenly felt the tremors under their feet. They were all shocked and started talking about it one after another.
A few of the guards watching over the Rose Garden were surprised as well, not knowing what had happened as they aimlessly attempted to find the cause of the earthquake.
Just at this moment, the fierce looking Bollands suddenly appeared among the guards of the Rose Garden, chiding coldly, “What are you panicking for, it’s just a small earthquake. We are at the heart of Ossen City. Apart from some alteration to nature, what else can happen.”
Bollands was a true fiend in the eyes of these guards. When Bollands spoke, all the guards quietened down, following Bollands instructions to console the fearful nobles. The majority of the nobles calmed down upon hearing the guards’ explanation.
However, there were still a few cowardly nobles who immediately abandoned the beauties in their bed and hurriedly fled the Rose Garden, afraid that there would be a few more tremors from below the Rose Garden, causing them to leave their precious lives in this place.
Although Bollands calmed the frenetic mood of the guards, he was still restless, unable to understand what had happened. He had just brought Han Shuo underground and Bollands didn’t wish that anything happened to either his old master Karel or his newly recognised senior brother.
Yet, the fierce tremors was clearly caused by the exchange between the two of them. Bollands was aware of saint swordmaster Karel’s terrifying strength and also knew that Han Shuo was a reckless, unfearing character. He feared that the two of them had not reach a conclusion in their fight and after finally waiting for the people aboveground to settle down, Bollands hurriedly headed for the secret location.
The flustered Bollands had just entered the underground when he heard Karel’s bright laughter even before reaching Karel’s location. Once he heard Karel’s laughter, he suddenly relaxed yet was somewhat apprehensive.
A space archmage had deployed a complicated barrier around Karel’s wide practice chamber. Not only was it able to isolate sound and sight, once someone entered the barrier, they would have the feeling of entering a separate world. Currently, Bollands was able to hear Karel’s laughter even before nearing that area, which indicated a shocking fact.
The barrier has been destroyed!
Once Bollands verified this matter, he hastily entered the vast stone room. The scene that entered his eyes was beyond his expectations. The boulder which saint swordmaster Karel usually sat on had become a small stone, while Karel stood on an area which seemed to be the epicenter of the earthquake, smiling as he looked at an indent in the ceiling.
Within the indent, Han Shuo shook his shoulders and twisted his body within the deep indentation. The solid rock shattered and fell as Han Shuo similarly smiled as he leaped to the ground.
“Bollands, it seems like your choice is indeed decent. This brat’s martial technique is atrocious. In my many years of traveling the continent, I’ve never seen nor heard of such a martial technique. He had only trained for a few years and already possess such frightening strength. As time passes, I really don’t know how strong he would get. No wonder old astrologer Grace made such a prediction.” saint swordmaster Karel smiled as he look at the entering Bollands, showing his approval.
Bollands was very respectful as he faced Karel and said, “I’ve seen senior brother’s martial technique before and it’s extremely mysterious. He had long since proficiently use the thing that I have always bitterly studied yet have been unable to comprehend to a level that far exceeds my imagination.
Popping sounds emitted from Han Shuo who had just landed on the ground. As Han Shuo moved his muscles and bones, traces of blood and black colored radiance circulated through his skin like electricity. Han Shuo smiled as he creaked his neck and said, “Mister Karel’s truly deserving of his reputation. It seems that you still haven’t utilized your full strength. Hehe, I’ve truly benefited from this battle.”
With just a sword and golden fighting aura, Karel stood tall while under Han Shuo’s torrential attacks. At the end, his strike of explosive force possessed unparallelled ferocity, completely clashing with his elderly appearance of one past his prime. This caused Han Shuo to truly be amazed.
Wine truly gets better with age. Han Shuo understood that just with his demonic magic at separate demon realm, he shouldn’t be able to defeat Karel. However, if he used necromancy magic as well as summoned the little skeleton and the four zombies, he had confidence in beating Karel. From his previous visit to the other dimension, Han Shuo knew that the little skeleton’s strength was far from ordinary.
“I didn’t utilize my full strength, but you didn’t use necromancy magic either right? Hehe The undead creatures summoned by a grand magus necromancer would indeed be troublesome to deal with. Brat, you are pretty good, Phoebe really has good taste.” Karel smiled as he said, pausing for a moment before continuing, “Our spar has let me realize that your martial technique is extremely peculiar. It’s similar to the fusion of fighting aura and magic and looks like it is indeed suitable for Bollands to train in.”
Fighting aura only possessed pure destructive energy. However, Han Shuo’s demonic yuan energy was able to forge the body, treat certain illnesses and even influence an opponent’s soul, truly possessing all kinds of remarkable abilities.
Fighting aura was slowly formed by purely training the body. Demonic yuan energy could form a consciousness and a demon infant. Killing intent as well as the unique energy of Heaven and earth or even some herbs and strange items wera ble to enhance demonic yuan energy. From certain angles, demonic yuan energy was indeed way more mysterious.
“Bollands, wait outside with Bryan. I need to properly meditate. I’ve obtained great gains from this battle!” Karel smiled and instructed Bollands while Han Shuo was contemplating.