"You should feel honored." Bai Zemin gave the woman in front of him a smile that was not a smile. He narrowed his eyes dangerously and said in a low voice, "You will be the first victim to fall before my sword…. I guess that taking the blood of a powerful Third Order warrior belonging to another world will be a good rite of passage, don't you think?"
Glineira frowned slightly and said nothing. Although it was hard for her to believe, the reality was that for some reason she suddenly felt a little uneasy; unease that was born from the young man's right hand in front of her …. No, rather; unease that was born from the hilt of the giant sword to which he clung.
Glineira was a warrior who had lived more than two millennia and despite being a proud fighter she would never let that pride go to her head; even less so considering that the young man in front of her had already killed another Third Order existence not long ago and that judging by what she could see, he was in perfect condition.
However, just as she had planned to lunge forward and begin combat without giving her enemy time to unsheathe the source of her discomfort, a huge hand of blood came out of nowhere to which Glineira responded with a defensive stance and prepared to counterattack.
But far from attacking her, the huge blood hand latched onto the hilt of the weapon and with a swift movement drove the tip firmly into the concrete floor in front of the otherworldly youth.
Bai Zemin reached out again with his right hand and with a strong tug pulled the sword out of the stone.
"I hope you know how to dance, beauty….. It's been a while since I last had such an exciting battle!" Bai Zemin laughed and the mana in his body began to go crazy.
At the same time, the weapon's records flashed across his retina.
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[Crimson Thunder Dragon's Last Words –
[Two-Handed Sword.]
[Rank: 3]
[Physical Attack Power: 10,000]
[Options –
[1: Weight increases by 50% when it meets resistance and decreases by 50% in the hands of its creator.]
[2: Releases flashes of lightning with each swing that have the ability to numb the enemy.]
[3: The creator can use mana to draw Crimson Thunder Dragon's Last Words towards him.]
[Durability: 9,000 / 9,000]
[Description: A weapon that was forged by a blacksmith that slowly begins to be worthy of being called by that name. The soul and desire of the creator of this greatsword seem to have the will to destroy everything and his desire was granted when he used the power of a Second Order Soul Stone belonging to an existence focused purely on physical strength.]
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"Don't worry, the dance will be over soon." Glineira sneered and without further words dashed forward as gusts of crimson fire surrounded her spear.
Bai Zemin also wasted no more words and instead, he activated Lightning Movement before dashing forward to meet Glineira head on.
Even if the weight of Crimson Thunder Dragon's Last Words decreased by 50% when Bai Zemin wielded it, considering that it previously weighed around 6 tons and taking into account that the Oblon world's gravity was 2 to 3 times higher than Earth, the weight of the greatsword was something that Bai Zemin could not underestimate.
With each step, he felt the ground shudder and the cracks spread out as if a dinosaur from pre-history were walking around. Moreover, even after activating Lightning Movement, Bai Zemin's movement speed seemed to have only increased by half of what it really should as a result of the weight of the giant weapon.
Glineira was undoubtedly faster than him at this point. She was the one who closed the distance between them the fastest and while stopping her body in its tracks she took advantage of the remaining momentum to stab forward with her spear.
Glineira's spear technique was fierce and direct. It didn't seem to have any fancy techniques like the ones Bai Zemin had read about in light novels or seen in fantasy movies; it just looked like a normal stab.
His greatsword was behind him and when Glineira stopped he stopped as well. Like her, Bai Zemin harnessed the strength of the remaining momentum of the movement, and as the muscles of his arms expanded he slashed forward with all his might amidst a fierce roar.
Even before the weapons met face to face, the piercing power of Glineira's spear easily split the air into two halves and Bai Zemin's greatsword caused the atmosphere to continuously blast in loud explosions that caused the surrounding houses to shudder.
The temperature of the fire surrounding the tip of Glineira's spear caused Bai Zemin's face to heat up and the flickering lightning on the surface of his greatsword caused Glineira to feel as if every muscle in her body itched.
All this happened even before the two weapons clashed.
Finally, the giant sword enveloped by lightning and the elegant spear engulfed by flames connected.
For an instant time seemed to stop flowing, but the peace did not last long.
First, the ground began to shake before cracks began to spread and rocks began to fall away. Then, a huge sphere of massed air gathered with both fighters at its center and the skies began to rumble.
Rumble…
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
An explosion that could only be described as cataclysmic shook the entire city.
The huge sphere of concentrated air over 500 meters in diameter exploded ferociously outward and the buildings that were one kilometer around the core of impact were turned into dust.
Those buildings within a two kilometer range collapsed, becoming nothing more than rubble that crushed everything in the surrounding area.
The flames surrounding Glineira's spear exploded outward and the lightning that crackled wildly around Bai Zemin's great sword surrounded the flames. Both elements became entangled in their own combat without allowing their masters to be injured.
Glineira felt as if her hands had been struck directly by a giant mace and while still feeling her fingers numb the crimson energy spear broke out like a soap bubble.
She could not believe it! She couldn't believe the terrifying power and strength of the person she was facing!
When the giant sword hit her spear, Glineira had to make use of her great fighting skill to force as much force as possible to her feet and then to the ground, which caused her legs to sink hard into the shattered concrete; otherwise, she would not have been released with some numbness!
However, Bai Zemin did not break free intact either.
Just after destroying the enemy's spear and preparing to continue attacking, he suddenly noticed that the woman before him turned 360 degrees and lifted her leg at a strange angle. Bai Zemin's Special Forces Soldier skill immediately did the job and as he released his left hand from the hilt of the greatsword, he hastily raised his arm to block.
But to his dismay and surprise, Glineira made a strange move that Bai Zemin had never seen before and her kick connected against the left side of his body; just below the ribs.
Even with the protection of his armor, Bai Zemin felt as if his bones were about to turn into powder. To avoid injuries that could give him trouble on the battlefield, he accompanied the movement of the enemy kick and at the same time as his body was sent flying he felt the blood inside his body flutter.
Bai Zemin did not struggle this time and instead of stopping the blood with his Blood Manipulation skill, he allowed himself to cough up a mouthful of fresh blood. A glint of cunning shone in his gaze and as he was sent flying several hundred meters in an instant he activated Blood Manipulation.
Glineira felt like she could finally relax a bit but just then she felt every hair on her body stand up similar to those of a cat in danger. She barely managed to make out a dark red glow flying in her direction and realizing that she couldn't completely avoid the incoming attack she used every ounce of her combat experience gathered over the years to tilt her body back and then to the side in the last second.
Swoosh!
A small but extremely hard and sharp blood arrow pierced past Glineira's leather armor just at the level of her left shoulder and without difficulty pierced her skin and flesh, entering through the front and exiting through her back.
Bang!
The blood arrow continued its flying before finally hitting the ground and breaking out in a bloody puddle that remained there as if it were the only rose in a destroyed garden.
Glineira was secretly relieved as well as scared as a second later and that arrow would have pierced her throat!
Bai Zemin unhappily clicked his tongue as he saw his attack miss and as his feet slid across the ground leaving two ditches of several hundred meters he had no choice but to stab his sword into the ground to finally stop recoiling.
That blood arrow had been shaped using over 100 points of his Mana after all!
A grimace of pain momentarily crossed his face at the sudden movement and he unconsciously leaned to his left to relieve the piercing pain that still lingered after being hit by Glineira.
"What a surprise… It really is unbelievable." Glineira looked at the young man in the distance with undisguised surprise and then looked at the giant sword with flashing lightning with strange eyes. "That sword, where did you get it from?"
The power of that giant sword actually gave her a similar feeling to the power of the scepter her husband Emperor Thannath used but to a slightly lower degree! It was beyond belief that a First Order existence could wield that thing so easily and even crazier to believe that he could get his hands on something of such magnitude!
However, remembering the previous clash, Glineira felt that it was no longer so surprising that the young man in front of her had such a good weapon. After all, with his strength, it should be possible to obtain another warrior's weapon.
During the previous clash, Glineira felt the bones in her hands and fingers almost break just by clinging to her spear so it was difficult for her to estimate how high the attack power of the enemy's weapon was and even worse how heavy it was.
Little did Glineira know that Bai Zemin's weapon was at the top of Rank 3 weapons and as if that wasn't enough it had a crazy option that increased its natural weight by 50% when it met opposition in mid swing!
Bai Zemin wiped the trail of blood from the corner of his mouth and as he clutched the hilt of his sword with his right hand, allowing the weight to rest on the shattered ground. He looked at Glineira and asked in a mocking voice, "If I tell you where I got this sword from you tell me what's going on with that move from before?"
When Glineira kicked him earlier, Bai Zemin was sure that with his combat experience gained through the Special Forces Soldier scroll he would be able to, at least, partially stop the enemy attack. But nothing could be further from the truth; he actually failed to see the enemy's movements and technique!
"My ability has been honed through countless battles. Furthermore, my passive skill Super Warrior boosts all my knowledge and all my melee techniques to new heights." Glineira didn't hide anything. She suddenly seemed to like the young man before her so she sincerely extended her hand as she said, "Young warrior from another world, how about joining us? Why limit yourself to following the paths that this so-called Soul Record forges without even knowing where they will lead you when you can forge your own, a path to supremacy. That is what our asura race has always desired."
Super Warrior? Bai Zemin's senses sharpened at that word and his vigilance towards the woman in front of him spiked. As she continued to chatter, he silently activated Blood Manipulation and sent a mental command.
"Join you guys? Sure! But I want to be the emperor." Bai Zemin said in a mocking voice.
Glineira's face turned a little ugly upon hearing this. This young man sure had the mouth of a lion and the stomach of an elephant! To think that he would immediately ask for something as crazy as the emperor's seat; and before her, the wife of the current emperor, no less!
She realized that it was apparently impossible to come to an agreement. Just at that moment, her expression changed abruptly, and as she looked at the bloody wound on her shoulder, panic crossed her eyes for an instant before her gaze changed to one of resolve.
Glineira extended her right hand and golden lightning crackled in her palm. Then, she fiercely struck her wounded shoulder and a grimace of pain appeared on her face as the flesh was burned and the blood evaporated.
"What a pity… That was close."
Glineira glared at Bai Zemin and was about to say something when she saw the young man raise his giant sword. She too decided there was no need for further chatter, so, with a nimble movement, she recreated another crimson spear and prepared to attack.
Bai Zemin opened his legs slightly and bent his knees a little. He raised his giant sword with both hands with the tip pointing skyward but slightly tilted forward and looked at Glineira beyond both sides of the weapon as he slowly said:
"I'm sorry, beautiful lady. But I'm not interested in joining any group. But how about we end our combat here and you close the rift that leads to my world, so I can leave peacefully and without causing any more havoc?
Glineira took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a brief moment. When she opened them, eternal coldness appeared in her gaze. She spoke no additional words and as the burning flames danced around her body she charged forward at lightning speed.
"What a pity…" Bai Zemin repeated the same words again, this time in a whisper that only he could hear. However, those words did not reflect the arrogant and happy smile on his face.
He silently circulated the mana within his body and for the first time since he had obtained it, he used the second activation of his Second Order Blood Manipulation skill.
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Really thank you very much to all those who send gifts to the novel and support with valuable Golden Tickets. I hope we can all keep it up <3
