s.h.i.+zen took this moment to regroup. Junius was still too high up in the air for the Adivinar Tree to prove any effectiveness. Furthermore, just like the Spirit Lord, the Freak of the Dundlewoods had expended a great deal of mana. Heavy pants escaped out of his mouth, and his entire robes were drenched with thick, smelly sweat. If not for the severity of the battle, s.h.i.+zen would be tempted to fall to his b.u.t.t and take a sweet, long rest.

However, since that wasn't possible, all the young nature boy could do was take quick breaths and absorb what little spiritual energy he could. s.h.i.+zen was in poor shape, but he was nowhere near Junius' current predicament. Mandrained and severely wounded. If nothing was done, the Blade of Death was certain to fall this day.

'Hah… Hah… d.a.m.n it!!! This is getting annoying!!!' Junius cried inwardly.

As a Rank 50 Spirit Lord, the man should be capable of dispatching s.h.i.+zen with relative ease. Unfortunately, just like his bosom friend, s.h.i.+zen was a force that could dominate anyone above his own realm. Particularly against martial artists like Junius, who relied on close-combat and outmanoeuvring their opponents. s.h.i.+zen had far too many control-type abilities that counter Junius' strengths. The vines that absorbed mana, his domain, the Adivinar Tree phantom, thousands of flying razor leaves… There were just too many abilities that neutralised Junius. So, instead of teaching the arrogant young man a lesson, it was Junius would give up first blood.

'This can't continue anymore!!!'

Afraid of being attacked if he got too near, Junius flew up a dozen metres higher and glared down at s.h.i.+zen. At this height, everything seemed to become as small as an ant. Adding on the illusory mist generated by the Tree of Illusions, and s.h.i.+zen had practically camouflaged himself with the area. There was no way for Junius to strike down his wrath with pinpoint accuracy… but he had to try.

PEEEEEEWWWWW!!! PEEEEEEWWWWW!!! PEEEEEEWWWWW!!! PEEEEEEWWWWW!!!

Countless of elongated water blades flew down from the skies, slowly eroding the mist that blocked Junius' vision. The attacks were wild and random, but that didn't mean that they weren't dangerous. Each 'Pierce' entered the bedrock underneath s.h.i.+zen like a hot knife through b.u.t.ter. If s.h.i.+zen were hit by any of those attacks, shattered bones would be the least of his concerns.

So, the Freak of the Dundlewoods had to be exceedingly careful. Utilising the little martial art footwork that he possessed, s.h.i.+zen was able to sidestep many of the attacks, while those that slipped through were blocked by his Adivinar Tree. This stalemate continued on for quite some time. Junius attacked from the skies while s.h.i.+zen dominated the ground. The next error that they made would be their last. Thus, neither of them was willing to make that next mistake.

'The Mind-Elements are crying out...' Junius carefully observed his surroundings as well as the Tree of Illusion's movement. It was merely waving from side-to-side, wholly uninterested in helping its champion. However, as if it was excited, the Tree of Illusions released even more of its mana, creating a far denser field for the two cultivators to fight.

'The Mind-Elements… They're going wild...' s.h.i.+zen made the same observation. However, instead of feeling frustrated, the nature boy couldn't help but release a beautiful smile. The Mind-Elements increasing in the area could a.s.sist s.h.i.+zen in blocking Junius view even more. Right now, there was no need for the Freak of the Dundlewoods to overcommit. Junius was mortally wounded, and in just a few more minutes, the temporary bandage that he'd plastered on himself would be rendered obsolete.

So all s.h.i.+zen needed to do was to bide his time while recouping his lost mana. Defence was the key to winning this battle. As long as he could last for the next few minutes, Junius was bound to succ.u.mb to his injuries and finally, lose his position as the Tree of Illusion's champion.

Relying on his blessing, s.h.i.+zen utilised the Mind-Elements to create a few more 'figures' of himself. They moved around haphazardly, trying to confuse the flying Junius even more. And the funny thing was… It worked.

Junius' face had turned crimson with veins being shown all over his forehead. Blood flowed out from his wound and the white cloth that held his body together had been utterly dyed red. The desperate attack from the heavens had exacerbated his injury. Junius was now living on borrowed time. His vision began to blur, and his mana was rapidly depleting. The Blade of Death had to do something and do it quick.

The Black Mask's eyes darted around, looking for an opening to launch his final struggle. The Sword Partner that he'd created charged forward into the mist, executing a plethora of deadly sword moves and clearing out the forest. Junius didn't care if his Sword Partner's mana was exhausted. All he needed was one opportunity to strike.

The same could be said about s.h.i.+zen. He could sense Junius' urgency. At a distance, s.h.i.+zen's illusions were far more potent, and Junius couldn't identify which was one of the 's.h.i.+zens' was real or fake. Thus, Junius needed to come closer to the ground to land an accurate blow onto the nature boy. s.h.i.+zen knew that once Junius touches the ground, it would be the most perfect moment to throw a deadly counter.

One was waiting for the perfect opening to strike from the heavens. The other was waiting for the ideal moment to land a counter-attack. Both were seeking different things, but they had one similar thought…

'The next move will end the duel!!!'

s.h.i.+zen's eyes never left Junius' body for a single second. The vines from the Adivinar Tree were evenly spread around the Tree of Illusion's domain, and his soul was acutely sucking in the spiritual energies from his surroundings. Seconds pa.s.sed like a decade. s.h.i.+zen could hear his own heartbeat as if they were the only sound on earth. The green smoke that s.h.i.+zen had created by burning his life essence was also covering the young man's tracks.

"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHH!!!"

With time ticking down and no options left, Junius finally struck. A threatening roar echoed through the valley as the Blade of Death fell face-first onto the ground. His dive was far faster than any falcon's and ten times more potent than any other aerial creatures. Junius used all of his mana to strengthen his body and Obsidian Water Blade. When there were no other options available, there was only one thing that a fighter could do. Trust his body in the toughest of situations.

s.h.i.+zen's Adivinar Tree automatically reacted. The vines that it created moved at breakneck speeds, covering places that Junius trajectory was expected to land. However, even with his injury, the Black Masks was unG.o.dly fast. Years of battle experience had honed the man's body to react to danger with a supernatural sixth sense. Even without turning his head, Junius could count the number of vines that were rus.h.i.+ng towards him, what direction they were coming from and even their differing speed.

Like a ballerina, Junius danced through the vines as if they weren't even there. Careful not to touch any of them, the Kshatriya managed to speed through five metres of s.h.i.+zen's domain. He continuously ducked the vines, even though his body was screaming at him with every turn. If not for the bloodied cloth, that had been drenched through, no one could tell that Junius had been severely injured.

'If vines don't work then!' s.h.i.+zen's left arm was raised, and thousands of razor leaves gushed out from the Adivinar tree. With the leaves all positioned so close to one another, the attacks were far harder to evade. Junius slashed the air, creating a vacuum of water that sucked in the bloodthirsty leaves. Alas, that was far from enough…

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Slllicckkk!!! Slllicckkk!!! Slllicckkk!!!

Blood splattered everywhere, staining the ground and everything within a two-metre radius of Junius. Every single part of his body had been damaged. Cuts were riddled all over his torso, and his skin had been reddened beyond belief.

However, Junius still pressed on.

The Blade of Death had turned into the Blade of Tenacity. Nothing was stopping him from achieving his goal. Even if half his body were torn apart, the man would still run through the field of thorns just to defeat s.h.i.+zen. In no time at all, Junius was fifteen metres away from the Freak of the Dundlewoods.

s.h.i.+zen panicked immediately. The green smoke that the Adivinar Tree produced had doubled in force, all while his domain grew to a staggering degree. Countless attacks. .h.i.t the advancing Kshatriya, but s.h.i.+zen had tried to mow down an unstoppable force. The Obsidian Water Blade moved automatically, creating a dozen water currents from Junius soul.

Ten metres…

Junius was already ten metres away from s.h.i.+zen. Every single fibre of his being was screaming out to Junius… 'PLEASE STOP!!!' It was just that painful. His body was willing to give up the fight, allowing s.h.i.+zen to become the ultimate victor of the sacred duel. However, Junius' mind was far from ready to give in just yet.

Five metres…

At this distance, all Mind-Elements were rendered obsolete. Both Junius and s.h.i.+zen were blessed by the Tree of Illusions. At this range, they were able to cancel each other abilities out. Right now, the Freak of the Dundlewoods and the Blade of Death were both stripped bare. They couldn't rely on another's blessing. s.h.i.+n wasn't here to boost s.h.i.+zen, and neither was the Allfather's mana capable of strengthening Junius. They were both going to fight… Man on man…

Three metres…

Junius torn body was on the verge of collapse, but somehow, the man was able to push through all of the adversaries. s.h.i.+zen was in no better shape. Even though he was completely clean of injuries, s.h.i.+zen had just entered the strike zone of a martial arts specialist. With one clean strike, Junius was able to cleave off s.h.i.+zen's head, giving him the win indefinitely. s.h.i.+zen had to use everything in his power to prevent that. The life essence that he'd burnt continued to attack Junius and the power of the Freak's soul increased all of his vines speed. No matter how agile Junius was, there was no way that he could counter all of those deadly attacks that flew into his area.

Two metres…

The Blade of Death was now close enough to launch one final 'Pierce,' claiming s.h.i.+zen's heart as his own. However, there was no possible way of him doing that. The Adivinar Tree's vines had drilled numerous holes through Junius' body, draining him from even more crimson life essence. Even though he wasn't of sound mind, Junius' instincts had prevented s.h.i.+zen's attack from damaging any of his vital organs.

"JUNIUS!!!" Ao screamed once more. It was painful, watching his protege get injured time and time again while he sat back and watched. Venerate Maurice, on the other hand, was grinning from ear to ear. s.h.i.+zen had won! He had trapped Junius in his vines once and for all! No matter how resilient Junius was, there was no coming back from this one. The Kshatriya had fallen.

One metre…

The battle had come to an abrupt end. Junius was now trapped by s.h.i.+zen's domain as well as the vines that stuck out of his body like a porcupine. Panting heavily, the nature boy raised his palms, bringing the motionless body closer to him. At the same time, a dozen vines erupted from the Adivinar Tree ready to pierce through Junius' heart. However, before s.h.i.+zen ended the duel, he wanted to have one final look at the man who caused s.h.i.+n so much pain.

"Junius… Oh, Junius… Your reign of terror ends today..." s.h.i.+zen wore the face of the victor. "Let me… Do the deed that s.h.i.+n could never do… Today… The Blade of Death… Dies!!!"

"Y-You… F-F..."

"I what?" s.h.i.+zen allowed Junius to give his final words before he ripped the heart out of his body.

"Y-You… Forgot… Something!!!"

Just as Junius said those words, a rich line of obsidian erupted out of s.h.i.+zen's left breast, splas.h.i.+ng red crimson blood all over the already tainted floor. The nature boy's face was riddled with shock and fear, as everything in the world seemingly turned white. There was no pain, and neither was there any sound.

"W-What?" s.h.i.+zen's fearful voice echoed through the valley. He turned over his shoulder, hoping to figure out the ident.i.ty of his a.s.sailant… and as it turns out… The Freak of the Dundlewood really did forgot something… Something important…

"Y-Your sword… Your Sword Partner..." At the end of the Obsidian Blade, was the pesky replica of Junius that s.h.i.+zen had ignored just moments prior. He focused all of his attention on Junius and failed to notice the Sword Partner creeping upon him from the shadows.

Junius was ghast and on the verge of certain death. However, he could still break out in a smile. "Like I said..." Junius moved his Obsidian Water Blade from his right hand to his left. With the added s.p.a.ce, the man stabbed through s.h.i.+zen's eye and devouring the light from within the man's soul. Nothing remained of s.h.i.+zen's intelligence as it faded into the abyss. The man couldn't even harbour one final thought before he died.

It was done. The sacred duel was over.

"Like I said… I'll kill you for that..."

✵✵✵

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