One side looked calm and composed while the other was a mess of negative energies and emotions. Fueled by the blood essence and soul power of his sacrificed disciples, rationality was long since lost from One Strike's mind.
He only had a single thought, and that was to kill everyone around him and reap all the benefits that he could. Unveiling his blade, his figure flashed and reappeared behind Dan as a cold gleam swept past the latter's body.
Peng!
Sparks flew and both fighters turned into a blur each clad in the aura of their techniques. One looked like the God of Lightning while the other looked like an Asura from ancient times.
Nevertheless, those who remained never dared to approach their vicinity and retreated will all of their might, instead. Annie's expression looked indescribable when she thought about the rollercoaster of emotions that she just felt. In just a span of an hour, she never liked, hated, liked, then hated someone before.
When she found that Dan belonged to their side, her indignance and anger from his earlier actions flared up. Staring at his blurry figure, she bit her lower lip and inwardly swore that she will definitely make him pay once they return back to the Paradyne Academy.
Senior Brother Kwydin's gaze focused on the battlefield, especially at One Strike as he knitted his eyebrows in deep contemplation. It was strange since Kwydin wasn't even that bothered about the fact that One Strike just sacrificed his fellow disciples, but now, he was focused on his figure as if wanting to engrave his image in his mind.
"This strange flow of energies and harmony with the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth...He gives off the same sensation as Sword Master BlackInk..." Kwydin compared One Strike's movements with the strongest sword wielder of the Paradyne Academy, BlackInk and found that it looked quite similar.
Dan's eyebrows locked, his perception sensed the strangeness with his enemy's attack, but he couldn't comprehend it with his current knowledge. In each exchange that they spent, Dan found it harder to fend off his enemy's attack and after about a hundred exchanges, a reversal occurred.
One Strike forcefully broke through his defenses of lightning arcs and pierced through his left arm, leaving a gaping hole the size of a man's fist.
Hua~
Gnashing his teeth, Dan made his retreat and One Strike madly chased after him. Glancing at his enemy, Dan activated the System's Simulation Function as he mumbled under his breath, "System, Simulate a three-dimensional holographic image of my enemy's weak points, label everything accordingly..."
[System Simulations Initiating; 50%]
[System Simulation Completed!]
A holographic image of his enemy's figure manifested in the air before he flicked it at his peripheral vision and kept his retreat.
"Just what is going on here? Why do his attacks feel slippery and hard to dodge?" Dan thought in his mind and stopped his retreat. With eyes flashing in resolve, he engaged in an effort to uncover more knowledge about this peculiarity.
"Wait, why is he engaging once again? Does he not know that his enemy possessed Sword Intent?" Kwydin murmured in the air, engaging in a frontal battle against someone who comprehended Sword Intent was a foolish endeavor.
Dan disregarded everything and entered a state of utmost concentration. With both of his daggers, he stared at the point of contact and observed every minute changes that occurred.
As sparks flew from the clash of their weapons. Dan saw that One Strike's sword made a minute vibration which dissolved most of the force from his attacks. The vibration was so insignificant that if Dan didn't enter a state of complete concentration, he wouldn't notice it.
Peng!
With a sharp cry of metal, Dan flew backward with complicated emotions decorating his visage. Now, he finally understood why most of his attacks couldn't even scratch his enemy. That's because his enemy comprehended one of the Grand Five Daos, the Dao of Intent, or more specifically, the Sword Intent!
Those who managed in comprehending a Grand Dao would be undefeated within the same realm. In other words, Dan had to adjust his mindset and think that his enemy wasn't a human, but a beast instead! Sacrificing his fellow disciples for the sake of his own benefits, other than a beast, there were no fitting words to describe him.
A person with such an unscrupulous character like him would definitely use all sorts of diabolical means to advance. Dan decided that he won't let such a person live. Or else, it would be akin to planting future problems for himself.
Adjusting his mindset, Dan condensed everything that he had learned so far and engaged with his enemy once more as both fighters suffered injuries upon collision.
"Anger of the Lightning God!" Dan screamed and his muscles bulged in an inhumane manner. Clenching both of his fists, one could faintly hear thunder reverberating inside the former's flesh as his strike descended on One Strike's body.
Using his brute force, Dan was met with resistance from the sword beams that surrounded One Strike. Both of Dan's arms were torn apart, revealing ghastly white bones and the pain almost made him collapse on the ground. However, his several days of body tempering gave him enough resistance to grit his teeth and endure.
Both of his arms were now wasted but his enemy didn't go scot-free. One Strike's chest caved in and despite the recovery power that his Demonic Art bestowed upon him, the wounds didn't heal and it looked even worse.
The nemesis of all Demonic Arts under the heavens was lightning. And a collision with Dan's lightning Qi while using such an Art was something that could easily be imagined.
Both parties suffered severe injuries and the battle reached the point where the one who had the stronger mind would win. Holding their breaths, the two looked pale and bedraggled.
Controlling his lightning, Dan activated the first stance of his Divine Art and manipulated the Lightning around his body, sending it towards One Strike's direction as the latter frantically defended with swings. One Strike's eyes flashed in graveness, he understood that he could never kill his enemy with his current state.
And if he cannot kill his enemy? What would he do? Of course, he would flee!
Darting his gaze around, his eyes flashed with a critical light as he pounced directly at Dan's direction. The latter expected the former's movements and had already prepared a ball of lightning. Sending it towards One Strike's direction, the air itself whizzed as a deafening roar enveloped the entire area.
When One Strike collided with the ball of lightning, he purposely infused a part of his Spiritual Qi so that the shockwaves of the attack would affect everyone who observed their fight. The resulting bright light temporarily dazzled everyone and One Strike took advantage of this opening as he ran towards the Ape Vampire Count's carcass and deposited it inside his Spatial Ring before turning around to flee!
However, how could Dan whose mind was in the highest alert levels only rely on his sense of sight? With the help of his sense of hearing, Dan tracked the direction where One Strike retreated and sent waves after waves of Lightning bolts towards his figure.
"Hmmph! As if that would hit me!" One Strike sneered in his heart and waved his wrist behind. A strange energy fluctuation washed over everyone's body as their weapons came to life and floated towards the skies. Even Kwydin's treasured sword flew in excitement as Dan's eyes stared in shock before the unique phenomenon that unfolded before him.
"He summoned all of our weapons to do his bidding? He's already that proficient in Sword Intent?!" Kwydin mumbled in his mind, as someone who sought the sword's peak, he was familiar with Sword Intent and knew about the Realm of Sword Calling.
With a flick of one's wrist, one could summon a fleet of swords to defend or attack with him!
Clearly, One Strike attained such a realm!
"Wait, shit, he surrounded us!" Kwydin violently cursed when he noticed that the swords covered everything around them. If they dared to make a single movement, these swords would slash them apart.
With indignance in their hearts, they could only watch as One Strike's figure gradually disappeared from their sight. Dan stared at the latter's back with complicated emotions on his face. Wryly smiling, Dan's Qi Reservoir wasn't enough to chase after him. However, he had vowed in his heart that he would never let him go.
Gritting his teeth, Dan understood that if he wanted to subdue his enemy, he had to be more ruthless than him! Preparing his mind, Dan leaped towards One Strike's direction as the swords that surrounded him screeched and slashed on his figure, injuring him in the process.
"What the hell is he doing? Is he trying to throw away his life?" Kwydin lifted an eyebrow as he stared at Dan's bloodied figure, the blood that he lost every second made him weaker as time passed by. Kwydin knew that Dan would collapse before he could even reach One Strike's body.
The question was, was it worth it to stake his life just for the sake of some materials? Clearly, it wasn't.
Dan momentarily glanced at the figures behind him and thought that it was a good moment for him to clear his name. Stretching his neck behind, Dan said, "All of you fellow disciples must be asking why I am doing such a thing, right?"
His voice contained an attractive force which garnered their attention. Annie stared at Dan's bloodied and bedraggled figure with complicated emotions in her heart.
"As someone who belonged to the same Academy as you, I cannot bear to see someone who caused such damages to us, run free and without paying any price. He must suffer his due punishment, even if I am injured in the process." Dan's expression hardened and his eyes gleamed in a light that looked like he was reminiscing about his fellow disciples that miserably died under One Strike's hands.
The calmed down figures of his fellow disciples ignited in fury once again as they remembered the time when they suffered under One Strike and the disciples of the Thousand Swords Sect's hands. Gnashing their teeth, they lifted their heads and Dan could see the burning fury in their eyes.
"Let me ask you this question, are you willing to let that guy run free without suffering any punishment from us?" His critical voice echoed in the air and everyone shook their heads and shouted in unison, "No, we will never let him go!"
"That's right, that's the spirit, that's the reason why I am willing to suffer these injuries, I am willing to suffer for as long as I can capture that bastard and tear his body apart before feeding him to the dogs!" Dan screamed and his heroic voiced pierced through the hearts of the remaining disciples who also shouted with fervor in return.
Staring at his excited fellow disciples, Dan's eyes shone in a peculiar gleam, "Now, most of my bad reputation should be replaced by now..." Shaking his head, he turned towards One Strike's direction before lifting his lips in a smile.
Even if One Strike escaped to the ends of the world. With the help of the System, Dan could still find him, wherever he was and whenever he wants!
"Men and women, fellow disciples of the Paradyne Academy! Summon your might and follow me, your Senior Brother for the quest of that bastard's head!" Dan pierced his dagger towards the skies before running through the swords that One Strike left along with his fellow disciples who suffered the same injuries as him.
Somewhere in the distance, inside a hollowed tree covered in vegetation. One Strike laid down in a fetal position. His eyes shone in a light of excitement because of his success and his lips lifted in disdain when he thought about those ants from the Paradyne Academy.
Before he arrived inside this tree. One Strike placed the carcass of the Ape Vampire Count at the opposite direction so that he could mislead Dan's search. Holding the warm beast core inside his palms, One Strike couldn't help but smirk when he thought about his imminent breakthrough.
"Hmmph! Once I reached the realm of the Divine Soul, even if the Sect finds out about what I did, they will never think too much about it and when that time comes, I will infiltrate the Paradyne Academy and kill those bastards myself!" One Strike formulated his goals and embraced the Beast Core tightly in his arms.
Bang~
Bang~
Bang~
The earth itself trembled and One Strike knitted his eyebrows, just what is going on here? Why is it so noisy? I even purposely chose the territory of a Divine Soul beast so that no stray beast would come to my place and bother me! He thought in his mind.
Sticking his head out in curiosity, One Strike's eyes widened in shock when he saw a group of bloodied disciples staring at his direction with bloodshot eyes. Dan sneered at the sight of him as he mumbled, "Oh, there he is...Everyone, drag him out, we shall not let him die without experiencing the peak of torture..."
One Strike's body went cold.