Bastian had failed to notice Mark's fire attribute. This was quite unexpected for him.
Ever since he got e-vision, Bastian had never noticed another cultivator who had two or more elemental attributes. Bastian used himself as a reference; he constantly had fire and water attribute World Energy around him. Thus, he assumed that other cultivators were the same.
Kenshin did nothing and merely observed the situation, staying true to his word. Although Bastian was puzzled, he was still focused. Martial Techniques, especially ones with a long range attack, took a long time to prepare.
Bastian wanted to use that time wisely. He ran toward Mark at the fastest speed he could muster. He had previously fought without putting his Dao knowledge into his straight forward movements. He had only input that knowledge into his attack movements. After getting used to it, he tried applying the knowledge to his straight forward movements.
Be it in movement or in attacking, application of the Dao was an odd sensation for Bastian. He did not really feel like he knew what he was doing but at the same time, he also knew what he was doing very well, at a subconscious level.
Bastian had not done any training as a warrior. He had always intended to train as a mage, which lead to him not to take advantage of the knowledge Kenshin had given him.
Now that he was put into a situation where he had to use this knowledge Bastian started to truly realize its value.
Bastian likened it to understanding a mathematical principal. Even if one understood it that did not mean one could solve the problems that required the use of that principle. Such a skill required time and practice for the average person.
Talent in the Dao was far, far rarer than talent in mathematics. So Bastian understood one important fact; without Kenshin's perspective, he would be unable to do anything with the knowledge.
That knowledge was the result of Kenshin's hard work. It was suited to his body. Even with Kenshin's perspective, Bastian's body was not Kenshin's body, and Kenshin was not Bastian. So Bastian still had to adjust the information to his own body and to suite his needs.
That required a little bit of trial and error. So, when Bastian input his knowledge into his movements, it was a far cry from Kenshin's own movements but it was more than enough to help Bastian in his situation.
His targets were the warriors between him and Mark. In a swift manner, Bastian beheaded the warriors one by one. As he was getting closer and closer to Mark, more warriors had fallen. Formations, teamwork, experience, all of that was moot in the face of true strength.
Those in Bastian's way did not have the time to run. Those who were fortunate to not be in his way, were still killed if they were near because as Bastian beheaded these warriors, he would throw the swords he had taken from them, giving his victims more company in the underworld.
Qi could bolster one's defenses but no one here had the ability to cover their entire upper body with Qi. Be it heads, throats, hearts and other organs, Bastian would find a way to kill these men without fail, with a simple flick of his hand, a flick that was endowed with Kenshin's genius.
The last two people that were in Bastian's way were beheaded, but their weapons were not thrown. It was not because there were no people to kill, as there were still a quite a few warriors left. Not to mention others were arriving, attracted by the commotion.
Bastian kept the swords in his hands and went straight for Mark. By this time Mark had already prepared his technique. An indistinct arrow made of flames was strung on his flaming bowstring. It was aimed at the incoming Bastian.
Mark released the arrow. With a whistle like noise, the arrow flew straight toward Bastian. The arrow was incredibly fast, and it caught Bastian as he was only a dozen meters away, squarely on his chest.
*Boom!*
With a loud noise, Bastian's body was thrown back with incredible intensity. The arrow's momentum made Bastian crash into quite a few trees. Bastian's body kept flying back until it was out of Mark's sight.
A long trail of broken trees and disturbed greenery which led straight to where Bastian had fallen allowed Mark to sigh in relief.
Bastian was a truly frightening foe for Mark. From Mark's perspective, Bastian was a warrior who had run out of Qi, yet had been so fast he had been able to dispatch over a dozen Fighters almost effortlessly with no sign of fatigue even showing.
To warriors, Qi was their source of survival. Over time a warrior's body gets used to using Qi as its main energy source. So when a warrior runs out of Qi, their body feels powerless, to the extent that moving their limbs could be very difficult.
Yet Bastian, who was covered in injuries, was moving as if he was normal. As time went on, Mark's mind started racing.
There is no way a warrior out of Qi could move like that. Even if he was still keeping some in reserve, he should at least still show signs of fatigue.
Mark was an archer by nature, thus his eyesight was very astute. Bastian's condition was as plain as day for him.
Yet he was perfectly normal. None of those injuries even slowed him down, even if there were none that were life threatening, some should have at least limited his movement.
Only a person who has Qi to support their body can move like that when covered in that many injuries!
But he shouldn't have any Qi. If he does then-
"Look out! He's alive!"
A shout and some screams interrupted his thought process. He looked around and his eyes met with what was his worst nightmare. Two warriors, who were nowhere near each other, had swords embedded in their skulls.
The warriors who were observing this were filled with dread. Some legs started shaking and some warriors started looking around in a panicked manner.
Some immediately tried to flee. They could no longer take it. As the first warrior was about to make a move, Kenshin's cold voice rang out, "The first man to run will be the first man to die by my companion's hand. Whether or not you believe me shall be your choice."
Kenshin's words made all the expressions on the faces of these men ugly. Even Mark himself could no longer help but to look worried.
The reason for this was simple. Bastian had survived!
The Elite Gladiator League, this was the purpose of Kenshin and Bastian's fortnight of training. According to Kai, this was a tournament were the greatest fighters from all over Yani City came to show off their prowess.Yani City was a C rank city. Even amongst other C rank cities, it was quite large. It was a city where nobles of other nations often came to enjoy themselves and let go. One could even say it was one large resort.The main attraction in the city however was the Elite Gladiator League. It was hosted by the Mayor of the city, to entertain nobles and rich tourists. To qualify for the event, gladiators would have to win certain normal events, for example the Twin Rumble event Bastian was in, and then enter the qualifying rounds for the League.The tournament itself had two sides, the qualifying tournament and the main League itself. The qualifying tournament was quite a simple process, one that had been used for as long as most could remember.T
Mark's eyes were filled with greed as he saw Kenshin's pouch. He had no doubt that it was filled with the green pebbles necessary for qualification. Judging from the size and the noise coming from the pouch, whoever had that pouch by the time the competition was over would undoubtedly be qualified.The competition lasted for only a day, so time was of the essence. Mark saw that Kenshin was incredibly skilled, so he decided not to act rashly. He simply observed, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Ruka knew not to move without Mark's go ahead, and she was quite content looking at Bastian."Kenshin! For the last time! Tell me the key chant now! I'm about to die here!" shouted Bastian as he frantically dodged attacks left and right. Kenshin did what he does best, remain quiet. Bastian wanted to attack Kenshin right now, but he knew that would be a futile endeavor.This difficult situation all started this morning. The previous evening Bastian had gone to slee
Bastian found no joy in killing, yet it did not disturb him in the slightest. He did not see himself as a morally upright person, and this type of mentality had cemented itself in his mind the longer he stayed in the Sovereign Continent.He had no qualms with killing anyone who got in his way, thus all the warriors in front of him were walking corpses as far as he was concerned. To Bastian, mercy to one's enemy was cruelty to one's self, especially when the enemy killed for a living.One of Kenshin's conditions in the past was that Bastian should not kill anyone, which made Bastian's task significantly harder. Most people would assume that killing was harder than just fighting, but when there is a significant gap in strength between you and your opponents, it's much more difficult to fight a group of people weaker without causing injury. Not to mention Bastian's mind had experience that his body was unaccustomed to.So when Kenshin lifted the restriction on kill
Bastian knew that at times like these, it was best to strike whist the iron was hot. Without a moments delay, he picked out his targets let the swords fly. With a flick of his hands, the four swords left his hands and flew straight into the throats of four unsuspecting warriors. All of whom were not of the water attribute.Bastian not only knew how to use a sword, but he knew very well how to defend against one and how to disarm someone of one. That was the knowledge he had used against the first four water attribute warriors he had killed.Each swordsman has a particular style, and gain different insights into the Dao of the Sword. Kenshin was someone who focused on using multiple swords at once. His style often required him to throw swords away; so as to not waste a chance Kenshin was quite well versed in the art of throwing any blade, from daggers to long swords.Throwing four swords simultaneously was as easy as stretching for Bastian. Such a feat, to warrio
Bastian, like most human beings, was not fond of pain. He dreaded it. A harsh surge of pain struck him, it was the worst pain he had ever felt. Mark's flaming arrow only struck one spot but the pain instantly attacked every part of his body. Bastian had experienced, without a doubt, the most excruciating pain he had ever felt.Almost every movement he made caused him to grit his teeth. He wasn't sure how deep the damage was, but he was sure that one of his ribs had been broken. A sharp pain in his abdomen that made him want to scream was the only reminder he needed to realize one important fact, a fact that he not noticed due to his own negligence.I could die here...Angry at himself for being so careless, Bastian decided to take action. After standing up, Bastian examined his surroundings. He looked forward and saw the trail of destruction left behind by his body. Broken trees with trunks as think as cow's body were snapped in half as if they were tooth picks.
The might of late stage Foundation Building Cultivators was truly astonishing. Teachers and Scholars were feared throughout the Sovereign Continents as powerhouses. Not to say there weren't more powerful cultivators.Cultivators who were above the Foundation Building realm, rarely took part in matters of the continent itself. Or to be more accurate, matters that the public knew of. The continent was so large that it made sending and receiving information across it extremely difficult. For commoners, low ranked nobility and the majority of the populace, word of mouth and letters were the most reliable means of long distance communication.Sebastian Tirius himself was from a very powerful noble family. Due to this, he had been in contact with many powerful cultivators. Yet, despite the power and knowledge that was at his feet, the young Sebastian never took an interest in matters of cultivation. The only information he knew was what his family had forced him to learn.
The might of late stage Foundation Building Cultivators was truly astonishing. Teachers and Scholars were feared throughout the Sovereign Continents as powerhouses. Not to say there weren't more powerful cultivators.Cultivators who were above the Foundation Building realm, rarely took part in matters of the continent itself. Or to be more accurate, matters that the public knew of. The continent was so large that it made sending and receiving information across it extremely difficult. For commoners, low ranked nobility and the majority of the populace, word of mouth and letters were the most reliable means of long distance communication.Sebastian Tirius himself was from a very powerful noble family. Due to this, he had been in contact with many powerful cultivators. Yet, despite the power and knowledge that was at his feet, the young Sebastian never took an interest in matters of cultivation. The only information he knew was what his family had forced him to learn.
Bastian's attempt to affect the minds of those present had gone well. Mark's quick response however made things more difficult. The warriors became afraid of Bastian, that was evident, but they were even more afraid of Mark. Even as a quasi-Teacher, he was still far more powerful than all of them combined. Mark decided to harness that fear and use it to his favor.Mark's objective was to use these warriors to test Bastian. There were still quite a few warriors that were supposed to be able to get Bastian to act. At that moment Mark wanted to know as much about Bastian as possible."Everyone, attack the boy now. Either you die by my hands, or you take a chance and fight him. I give you 10 seconds to decide." As Mark spoke, his eyes were filled with cold killing intent, he no longer saw the people around him as fellow warriors but as tools for him to do as he pleased. Such was the fate of the weak; the strong could do what they wanted with them.As warriors, as gl