The former General exhaled sharply and moved his blade straight up. A whirlwind of black energy flared and leapt from his sword. Turning into a dome of pure darkness, it took Hadjar’s attack head on.
Hadjar pushed down with all his might, feeling Atikus’ defense resisting him. With a cry, surrounded by the pouring rain of black energy, the former General tried to keep all of Hadjar’s rage and power at bay. Long, deep cuts crept around him in the snow. Snowflakes were reduced to the smallest crystals. The trees turned into little more than splinters, and then into fine dust, but Atikus held out against the attack. It felt like he’d been struck by a giant and he started bleeding, but the former General was still alive.
Realizing that he wouldn’t be able to hold back the entire weight of the titanic blade for much longer, Atikus struggled forward, letting out a loud roar. Using inertia, the strength of his legs, and his experience to help him gauge the best angle, he managed to push Hadjar’s Technique aside for a moment. That was all he needed to jump back far enough to avoid the destructive attack, and then swing his own sword in retaliation.
The dome that had recently been defending the former General turned into a sharp, rotating disk and flew toward Hadjar. He didn’t have time to dispel his Technique, and was therefore defenseless against Atikus’ strike. The disc flew with such speed that it left behind a dark, smoky trail. It was like a buzz saw, cutting down trees in its path.
“Damn it!” Hadjar cursed.
Clenching his teeth, he cut off the flow of energy fueling his Technique. Practitioners rarely used this method because it had dire consequences for the body. As if to prove that point, Hadjar spat some blood out, but still managed to raise Moon Beam in front of him. The disk struck the blade. While it was unusually thin, it was nevertheless stronger than hot steel and sharper than a razor. Hadjar listened with growing horror as his sword started creaking and even seemed to be breaking under the strain.
When a fragment of Moon Beam struck Hadjar’s shoulder, the Mad General turned into a shadow. Using the ‘Ten Ravens’ Technique to the point he pushed himself to the limit, Hadjar managed to finally get out of the disc’s way. There was a long cut on his left side that was so deep it exposed his ribs.
The disc flew far into the Forest, cutting through almost a dozen trees. The battle, which had gradually turned the surrounding clearing into a lifeless, snowy wasteland, was a testament of the truth behind the sages’ words: “In a battle of the gods, worlds perish.” The echo of this kind of battle could’ve easily ended not just a mortal life, but even the life of a practitioner at the level of the Bodily Nodes.
“You’re right to not be afraid of sacrificing yourself, my Prince,” Atikus said while exchanging blows with Hadjar.
They were engaged in a brutal melee. Each time their blades flashed, lumps of snow and earth were torn up. Lights soared through the air. Every attack that found neither the flesh of the enemy nor the steel of the opponent’s sword would instead destroy everything around them.
“And how much are you ready to sacrifice?”
Suddenly, Atikus stopped. Hadjar’s sword went deep into the forearm of the former General, but this slowed Hadjar down a lot. Atikus immediately used that to his advantage. They were too close for the former General to use his blade. Nevertheless, he struck hard. A powerful kick sent Hadjar soaring through the sky, covering a distance of almost ten yards, and then he crashed down right onto the slope of a hill. He rolled down, desperately gasping for air. All the air had been driven from his lungs. Atikus ran after him so quickly that he almost didn’t leave any footprints in the snow.
Coming to, Hadjar pushed off the ground. He managed to launch himself upward just in time to avoid the next dark sickle cutting him in half. His clothes ended up being the only thing his opponent’s attack touched. This time, Hadjar was no longer afraid of being in the air while his enemy stood on the ground. Closing his eyes for a moment, he visualized the distant horizon before him.
There was no flash of energy, no echo of rage, no dragon roar. Hadjar’s feet didn’t even touch the ground before he launched the thinnest attack he could. The strip of energy was the thickness of a hair, almost imperceptible, and deathly silent. It left a long, clear trail behind as it cut through the snowflakes.
At first, Atikus didn’t understand what was happening. Then he suddenly felt the cold touch of death around his throat. He conjured the black dome in front of him, but the attack Hadjar had used went through it as easily as if Atikus hadn’t used his best defensive Technique at all. Only at the last moment did the former General manage to duck, letting the attack sail over him. It cut off a strand of his hair and then hit a hill, splitting it in half. Atikus fell to the ground. Blood was trickling down his forehead. Apparently, along with his hair, Hadjar’s blow had cut his skin as well.
“Never before, my Prince,” Atikus was breathing heavily and covered in blood, but he was still happy. After getting to his feet, he continued: “I have never seen anyone who stands as close to attaining ‘Wielder of the Sword’ as you do, my Prince. That attack could’ve probably killed many Heaven Soldiers of the Empire-”
Atikus didn’t get to finish speaking before a sharp pain in his back and
