Face was an important factor for those who lived in the Sovereign Continent. For cultivators, especially warriors, face was even more important. Mages were more liberal in their behavior and would often resort to any means to win a battle. Warriors on the other hand, did not have such a luxury.By the time Ruka had come to, Bastian had already wiped out every warrior before her. To Bastian, most of the battles that day were like a blur. He had fought for so long and had fought so many battles that he was then essentially fighting on a subconscious level. He was still clear headed but he had realized long back that Kenshin's experience was more effective, the less he thought about it.It was similar to walking. If one had to think about where one would place his or her foot consciously with every step one took, then walking would be a very arduous process. Bastian already had Kenshin's experience, so the process was already somewhat familiar to him. All he had to do was

"You are only delaying the inevitable! Stop running like a coward and face me!" bellowed Mark as he chased after Bastian's figure frantically. "It's not running. It's a strategic retreat." said Bastian with a snicker.Mark had grown tired of chasing Bastian. For the past ten minutes, he had covered countless meters going for Bastian, only to have the latter dodge him at the last moment. He felt like someone who was about to eat, only to have their meal taken right in front of their eyes.Mark was a patient man but this was pushing his limits.He won't be able to keep this up for long, I've almost got him. I don't know why he is also becoming faster, but my rate of improvement has become faster than his. It is only a matter of time before I end him!At first, the two were both improving but Mark's rate of improvement became higher than Bastian's at some point. With every second, with every movement, Mark was consolidating his cultivation base and getting u

Ruka started despairing. She knew from the way Bastian had acted that he was not a person who showed mercy upon his enemies, this thought was further cemented by looking at Mark's corpse. She was barely able to tell that the corpse was even that of a human, but she had no doubt in her mind that it was Mark.She did have one more card to play, but it was a card she did not want to use, because the consequences of using it would be dire, whether it worked or not. Yet one more look at her companion's remains forced her to steel her resolve.Bastian on the other hand was cursing in his head. His was cursing himself for underestimating the power of his own technique. He had been caught in the blast radius and flung around like his body was weightless. The result was him injuring one of his legs, making it a hard task to even walk.Bastian was not even concerned about the fact that his gamble had paid off. His embarrassment outweighed his instinct for survival, especi