"Venerable elder, why do you insist on never taking a step back during a fight?" The young Phenex asked after losing another sparring session against his half-master, Vasco Strada.
He couldn't understand why the powerful man chose to run through his flames to catch him rather than take some distance and find another path to victory.
"That would definitively end in a horrible way for people like us. We are cowards, after all."
"Cowards?" The idea of the Sword Sovereign calling himself a coward was too strange for him to feel insulted.
Shaking his head, the tall man sighed and offered the young devil some water.
"Despite what some younger members of the church want to believe, my own talent for fighting is only above average. I became this strong because I was forced to fight almost every single day of my life and happened to be either lucky not to die or smart enough to hide when necessary. As a weak human without a sacred gear, cowardice is a must."
Hearing the strongest sword calling himself a talentless coward was not something the devil expected. Part of him wondered if he was currently hallucinating due to a concussion.
"Then, why shouldn't I step back?"
"There is nothing wrong with feeling fear and realizing that escaping is an option, since that means that you value your own life, but letting that fear control your actions can be worse than dying sometimes. We are not men with an unbreakable will, so if people like us step back even once, then we will try to convince ourselves to do it again and again, until there is nothing left to fight for. We aren't stepping forward because that is the best course of action, but because cowards like us can't afford other options."
Young man, cowardice is a luxury reserved for the truly brave.
.~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~.
When I decided to face that over-glorified evil lizard all those months ago, each step I took felt like walking through one immeasurable natural disaster after another, each one of them more lethal than the one that came before. And while this second-rate MC, who can admittedly kill me if he aims his spear qi beams well enough, isn't exactly comparable to Crom Cruach, I still feel apprehension as I move closer to the arena. My duel with the evil ancestor had been, mostly, by necessity while I am currently doing this by choice.
Why am I doing this again?
That's a very good question, one with surely a very profound and satisfactory answer that I will share with Valerie and my family when I am forced to explain to them how I ever reached this point.
It certainly isn't because I enjoy it, that's for sure. I may love winning and bullying the weak, but I utterly loathe pain. Only masochist morons like fighting at all. Although I don't believe that my life is in any risk, there is no doubt that facing the rarest and most powerful Dao Bone in existence will be a – hopefully – figurative pain in the ass.
I move forward.
Clutching a piece of cloth that didn't match my pristine robes at all, I stand just outside the barriers covering the ring. Valerie asked me to hold it for good luck when I told her I reached the finals. I deliberately didn't include the part that my opponent possesses the most dangerous weapon in existence, but I am fairly confident she won't be too angry once she learns about that. It is silly, but the torn piece of cloth does offer me some kind of comfort.
The audience is oddly quiet today. There are a few people cheering for me, Junior Sister Kunou and that stupid monkey among them, but I can't afford to pay too much attention to them if I want to maintain my image as an aloof and calm young cultivator far above the masses.
I take another step forward, leaving an intimidating trail of flowers behind me.
-Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the final round of the First International Senjutsu Tournament. These kids...no, these two warriors have shown a talent for Senjutsu that deserves our deepest respect-
-In one corner, we have an individual boasting of unmatched spear techniques who has won every single one of his fights with apparent ease. The peerless spear master, Cao Cao.-
The Chinese MC's healthy appearance bothers me quite a lot. Since the guy is apparently staying inside a pocket dimension, likely maintained by his personal fatty, instead of paying for a hotel like anyone with money would do I was unable to bravely poison his food before the fight.
His cold gaze soon falls upon me, his emotions badly hidden behind a faint, polite smile. Those are not the eyes of someone who is planning to play nice. There is too much scorn and disgust in them for such a thing to be a posibility.
-And here we have the devil who has mastered the basics of Senjutsu and reached the finals against all odds. The Vermillion Dancer, Riser Phenex.-
Uh, that's a title worthy of myself, but unfortunately there isn't enough time to enjoy it.
-The First International Senjutsu Tournament's finals will now start- -
The moment the announcer finishes his speech, Cao Cao immediately tries to stab my throat with a perfectly performed text-manual thrust. Although he is slower than physical powerhouses like Garou and Bikou due to his average human bloodline, the finesse of his technique makes his speed appear impressive, quality over quantity. I dodge by simply stepping aside and slapping the head of the spear away with the sleeves of my robes.
The smirk on his face upon disengaging is utterly infuriating. It's as if he were telling me that was merely a cordial greeting and not an attack aimed at my throat.
What a bastard! Doing something this dishonorable during a friendly competition.
.
Rule 61:
Sucker Punching your opponent is always a valid, and even encouraged, tactic for Young Masters. In the unfortunate case your opponent survives the attack, you are allowed to claim that you were merely testing them.
Just be sure to smirk as arrogantly as you can, so they don't realize your initial failure.
.
I was the one who was supposed to be doing the cheating!
Not only did he refuse to be poisoned before the match, but now he is following the Holy Book's teachings that are reserved for Young Masters. A third-rate MC like him should be happy to be given a beatdown, so he can call himself the underdog.
Maybe I was wrong and he is a shameless two-faced MC rather than an avenger MC. Of course, I don't bother to say that aloud since I am pretty sure he is fully aware of the fact that talking isn't a free action during a fight.
Breathe in.
The air inside the arena shimmers, becoming drier and hotter as I flare my wings, both to show off in front of my opponent and to prepare my next move.
Feeling the danger approaching, Cao Cao's smirk fades from his face as he raises his spear, pointing it toward the dangerous-looking arrow of superheated air taking form in my hands.
Breathe out.
Naturally, this is all a distraction, and the real attack comes from below.
The floor under us collapses, and my opponent loses his footing. Thick roots infused with my own Qi erupt from the ground and attempt to impale him as he falls, giving me time to aim before I shoot the heat arrow. The resulting explosion shakes the whole arena, but the protective barriers manage to hold, albeit with a few cracks in them that are almost immediately fixed by a group of awestruck Yokai.
My gaze never leaves the smoke cloud on the other side of the arena for even an instant because I am, sadly, capable of feeling his qi. Once the smoke dissipates, I see the MC floating in the air with seven dangerous-looking orbs and a literal white halo behind him; his smug smirk still on his face, only that this time he isn't trying to hide his anger toward my existence.
Maybe it is time for a strategic retreat. Sure, there is a chance I can survive being stabbed by the True Longinus because of my regeneration and what Valerie did to my soul, but I would rather not be tempting the Heavens when I know for a fact they hate me.
...But self-aware cowards can't afford to have common sense.
I calmly take a step forward and start using the air as a stair until I am looking down on my opponent.
And the fight resumes.
Flames and ashes soon fill the arena, not leaving a single spot unscathed. Hurricanes of fire approach Cao Cao from all directions only for them to be redirected toward me when one of those cursed spheres starts shining with holy light. I am, of course, not hurt by this, but allows him to shoot lasers of pure light from his spear without being punished.
I gracefully dodge the light beams in the air, controlling the wind currents to accelerate myself toward my opponent, only for him to teleport away before I can knock him out with a fire kick.
Up until now, he has used four abilities besides basic touki reinforcement: floating, barriers capable of redirecting ranged attacks, holy lasers, and teleportation. And each time he uses one of those abilities, the spheres behind him shine or move.
Each of those seven spheres must possess at least one ability of their own, but I wonder if my opponent is capable of using more than one ability at a time. The fact that he is currently floating in the air without a flying sword suggests that the answer is yes, but it's also possible his flying is merely a creative application of his other abilities or merely a technique unrelated to those spheres. For now, I will assume he can use more than one sphere at a time and act accordingly.
No, I am focusing too much on those spheres. For all I know, they could be merely a red herring, and the True Longinus can activate its abilities without using them as a medium. Besides, he could easily still be hiding other weapons and treasures.
There are too many possibilities for me to realistically be prepared for all of them. There is simply too much I don't know about my opponent. Regardless, while I should still be wary about a possible trick under his sleeve, I can't allow myself to hesitate during combat.
I should maintain a positive mentality. The fact he isn't spamming those abilities means that there is a cooldown for him to use them, or he can't afford energy consumption. Also, some of those spheres may have abilities that are simply not useful or too conditional for a fight like this one. It could also be the case of him not wanting to use his strongest techniques to have a chance to torture me.
Based on what I have seen until now, my physical prowess and raw Qi reserves are above his, therefore I should attempt to take full advantage of them. Ranged attacks proved to be ineffective – I will throw a few weak ones that I safely take on every now and then either as a distraction or just in case one happens to land – so I will force him into close quarters while using other more indirect attack methods in the meantime.
Yes, that is my best course of action at the moment.
(This whole analysis took place in around 0.02 seconds inside of Riser's mind)
The shimmering haze produced by my body becomes increasingly hotter until even the audience outside the barrier starts to sweat, some of the weaker ones even faint due to the intense heat. The flames still burning inside the ring start dancing once again with an intoxicated fervor, begging to be fed.
Pillars of fire erupt from the ground below, spreading ashes that would make breathing difficult for most beings, never mind a human.
A scowl mars the MC's face as he notices that he is on a timer, but it almost immediately morphs into a smile as he points the True Longinus at me. One of the spheres fuses with the head of the spear and a giant laser wider than the whole arena is shot at me. Dodging an attack this wide inside the barriers is impossible.
I move forward.
"Void Step."
Movement implies something, while this technique is about nothingness. For a second I am no more. No mouth to speak, no body to break, no mind to think. This movement technique is the culmination of my understanding about the nothingness that Master Ophis yearns for. For that one second, I am not part of this noisy world.
Then, I am again. And the sound of my fist sinking into Cao Cao's guts can be heard.
I am forcefully teleported away by that technique of his in the next moment, only to almost immediately reappear in front of the bastard and slap him like his dead parents should have done more often.
Gritting his teeth, Cao Cao swings his spear with a fluidity that most martial cultivators would envy. His attacks flow like a calm, yet deadly river; each of his movements is followed by an after-image that seems to possess its own will. And yet, none of the techniques he has learnt and refined after year of great effort manages to leave a scratch on my body.
Countless featureless puppets are summoned by him to shoot a barrage of Holy Qi spears at me, but I avoid them with ease in the same way. He tries to predict where I am going to reappear, but that isn't how my technique works. Void Step isn't a teleportation technique or even a spatial-aligned art, but rather a movement technique that denies existence and allows the user to momentarily ignore the world at the cost of a portion of their Qi. His desperate attacks fail to land, while mine are bringing me closer to victory.
Only a miracle can save... and sadly, that's exactly what makes him an MC.
"Truth Idea."
The True Longinus is the most sought and powerful Dao Bone in existence, for it can rewrite the Heavenly Laws of the world, destiny, causality, and what is far beyond. A treasure that can create a miracle capable of piercing an emptiness that is not recognized by the world.
My opponent's lips twitch upward before a rotten smile filled with malice blossoms on his face as the sharp end of the legendary spear pierces into my chest just as I am about to punch him. All that smugness soon morphs into confusion when he sees that I haven't been vaporized upon making contact with the holiest treasure.
Apparently, being impaled by the most dangerous Dao Bone isn't enough to kill me. However, the ridiculously pure Holy Qi emanating from the artifact is disrupting the flow of my meridians and the circulation of my internal energy, thus temporarily sealing my natural regeneration. That, or the Grand Dao of Miracles is even more stupidly broken than I was expecting.
"You... are alive," He mutters in disbelief, almost as he were trying to convince himself that his mind isn't playing a trick on him
I move forward, letting the spear sink deeper past my ribs while grabbing the shaft so tightly that the divine artifact burns my hand with its oppressive Holy Power, even though I shouldn't be weak to it anymore. When I suddenly twist my torso, Cao Cao loses his footing since the bewilderment made him forget that his spear is still stuck between my ribcage.
I'm at my limit, but being a cultivator has always been about defying the Will of Heaven and surviving. Since I am failing the latter, I might as well achieve the former once more.
My free arm ignites with a new type of fire that should not exist i, burning with a brilliance beyond any flame I have produced in the past. I dare not give it a name, for it is far from reaching its complete form, but there is a profound beauty in its song, even in this nascent state, a muted harmony that encompasses the laws that govern fire, wind, violence, life, and nothingness. This is a flame that represents creation from nothingness, the struggle of life, and the inevitable heat death of the universe; a technique that seems to follow the natural laws dictated by the Heavenly Dao at first sight, but that actually violates its most basic precepts since all these events take place simultaneously. I do not believe this is supposed to be an offensive art, but that won't stop me from punching my opponent in the face with it.
For a moment, I stare straight into my opponent's eyes and see a newr emotion that completely overwhelms his previous hatred as my fist approaches him.
"Truth Idea!"
In that instant, the natural order of the universe is altered once again. Fate and causality are rewritten by the will of a powerful artifact. An idea that goes beyond mere notions such as death, time, space, and karma.
In that second, a second miracle takes place. The spear is now piercing my heart, yet the colorless flame still burns as if it were above the petty rules imposed by the divine relic. A true Miracle of its own.
It is a shame that moving is difficult when one is drowning in their own blood. The last thing I see before my losing consciousness is a pair of eyes filled with fear.
.