"It's no good, my heart hurts so much, it feels like it's about to explode..."
Ren clutched his chest, a pained expression on his face, while using his Nichirin Heavy Sword to support his body and keep himself from collapsing.
"It seems you have also reached your limit," Kokushibo murmured, observing Ren with the Transparent World.
"Your heartbeat is ridiculously fast. Although I do not know how you achieved this, there is no doubt that it places a tremendous burden on your body and will even shorten your lifespan."
"However, that is not an issue, because your life ends here. Without being able to unleash the Thunder God's Heaven-Slaying Slash, you cannot possibly be my opponent!"
"Besides, you must be in so much pain that you can barely move, correct? Even the Mark on your face has faded."
Just as Kokushibo said, the Mark on Ren's forehead had receded. Immense pain and exhaustion swept from his heart to his entire body in an instant.
Muscles all over his body, especially in his calves, were twitching uncontrollably. If he hadn't used the Nichirin Heavy Sword to prop himself up, Ren likely wouldn't be standing right now.
"Hmph, whether I'm your opponent or not, why don't you come over and test it out?"
Ren stared at Kokushibo and sneered, "Just don't blame me for not warning you. If I accidentally chop off your head in a moment, you'll suffer quite a bit! After all, just a moment ago, you were only a hair's breadth away from saying goodbye to this world, weren't you?"
Upon hearing this, a look of displeasure instantly appeared on Kokushibo's face. Rage burned in his heart, and veins bulged on his hands as he involuntarily tightened his grip on the Kyokokukamusari.
But soon, the anger on Kokushibo's face vanished, replaced by a wave of composure.
"Still stubborn as a dead duck, I see! If you still had the strength to cut off my neck, then why not come over and try? After all, you were quite aggressive just now, nearly obliterating me right here!"
Kokushibo had been observing Ren with the Transparent World the entire time. He could see that Ren's heartbeat was gradually slowing down.
Although the frequency was still far beyond that of a normal person, it was no longer as absurd as before. He chose to trust his judgment.
The current Ren was an arrow at the end of its flight—completely spent!
'Crap, he saw through it...'
Thinking this, Ren furrowed his brows tightly. While clutching his intensely aching chest, he gripped his Nichirin Heavy Sword, bracing for Kokushibo's attack.
"Refusing to speak? It seems I hit the mark. However, true knowledge comes from practice. Didn't you just ask me to come over and test it? Then I shall test it."
As he spoke, Kokushibo began to walk slowly toward Ren. His pace then accelerated continuously, and the killing intent radiating from his body shot straight into the clouds, creating a terrifying sense of oppression.
"Moon Breathing, First Form: Dark Moon, Evening Palace!"
In a flash, Kokushibo drew his blade, slashing abruptly toward Ren's neck with the blade-covered Kyokokukamusari.
But as if to mock him, Kokushibo deliberately used the weakest form of Moon Breathing, the First Form. Furthermore, despite not being adept at close-quarters combat, he took the initiative to close the distance on Ren!
However, his daring to engage in close combat suited Ren perfectly. In close-quarters combat, Ren's strength and speed could be utilized to their maximum potential.
Even without using the Mark or Lightning Combat Techniques, he was confident he could slay Kokushibo.
"Bring it on!"
Seeing the Kyokokukamusari slashing horizontally toward him, Ren also gave it his all, taking a deep breath and swinging his sword with full force.
In an instant, the two blades, carrying imposing might, collided abruptly in the street. A deafening boom resounded through heaven and earth.
Invisible sword qi swept out in all directions, completely stunning Hantengu and Gyokko who were nearby.
Gyokko exclaimed in amazement, "Is that kid really that powerful? After fighting for so long, he can still unleash such strength? No wonder he nearly killed... ahem, no wonder he could push Lord Kokushibo to this extent!"
Low emotional intelligence: Nearly beat Lord Kokushibo like a grandchild!
High emotional intelligence: No wonder he could push Lord Kokushibo to such a state.
"Too scary, too scary..."
Compared to Gyokko's amazement, Hantengu's main body was cowering behind the porcelain pot, weeping, looking utterly terrified.
"Hmm?!"
After exchanging blows with Ren, Kokushibo was not at ease either. He hadn't expected Ren's physical strength to be so immense. Not only did the shock make his body ache, but it also nearly severed his blade once again.
"Your strength is actually this great?"
"Heh, how about that? Didn't expect it, did you!"
Ren sneered. In fact, ever since he started fighting Kokushibo, his basic attributes had been constantly increasing. This was the reason he dared to engage Kokushibo in close combat.
"Upper Rank One, since you took the initiative to come seek death, then I won't be polite!"
Before his voice had even faded, Ren's Nichirin Heavy Sword was already slashing diagonally, aiming straight for Kokushibo's neck.
"Earth Combat Technique: Meteor..."
However, right at that moment, a wave of intense pain swept through his body again. The heart-wrenching agony felt as if a dagger had been stabbed into his heart and was being continuously twisted, nearly causing him to faint from the pain.
'Although I can still move, using Combat Techniques is still too forcing it.'
Because of the pain in his heart, Ren was momentarily unable to move, but Kokushibo would not let such a good opportunity pass.
"It seems this is your limit. Moon Breathing, Second Form: Pearl Flower Moongazing!"
Seeing Kokushibo about to unleash dozens of crescent moon slashes, Ren forced himself to endure the pain and leaped backward, simultaneously swinging his sword to block the menacing technique.
Clang, clang, clang...
The sound of cold weapons colliding rang out incessantly. Although Ren blocked the vast majority of the slashes, no defense is perfect; he was unfortunately hit in the abdomen by four or five tiny moon blades.
Blood dripped immediately, the crimson liquid splashing onto Kokushibo's clothes, dyeing his kimono red.
'No good. In my current state, fighting Kokushibo puts me at too much of a disadvantage. Plus, there are two other Upper Ranks nearby. The only plan for now is to fight while retreating. There's only a little over an hour left before the sun comes up. As long as I can hold out until that moment, I win.'
Thinking of this, Ren continuously maneuvered backward, opening the distance between himself and Kokushibo. Kokushibo instantly realized his intention and shouted.
"Stand still! Are you going to run away like a coward?!"
"Bullshit, you make it sound like you're some kind of warrior yourself? If not for those two ugly freaks sneaking up on me from behind, do you think you'd still be alive right now? You guys are allowed to fight three against one, but I'm not allowed a strategic retreat? Don't be so double-standard, alright? Let me tell you, haven't you heard that Heaven never seals off all exits? As long as I want to leave, the road is right under my feet!"
"Is that so? I would like to see if I can stop you! Moon Breathing, Sixth Form: Perpetual Night, Lonely Moon - Incessant!"
Kokushibo swung his sword continuously, unleashing wave after wave of powerful crescent moon slashes. However, at this point, the two were separated by hundreds of meters. These slashes not only failed to harm Ren, but he actually used the kinetic energy of the attacks to accelerate his retreat.
Just as Ren was preparing to break away from the battlefield, the sound of a girl crying suddenly rang in his ears.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]