The soldiers and guards, scattered across the mountainside, gathered around to watch the spectacle. They had witnessed Sorah's power, his defiance against their superiors, and they were curious to see how he would fare against the combined might of the Vice-Marshal Commander and the Warden.
"Which one of our Kana is stronger?" Kahless asked with an air of arrogance. "Your ZenFlow or my TerraFlow?"
Sorah responded, "We shall see."
Whoosh!
His ZenFlow Kana surged, enveloping him in a swirling aura of amber-white energy. The wind danced around him elatedly.
Rumble!
Kahless's TerraFlow Kana ignited, his body radiating an intense emerald-white glow. The ground beneath his feet trembled as he channelled the power of the earth element.
“Let’s do this!”
The two warriors charged towards each other like a rocket.
Kahless threw a punch with the force of a mountain behind it. Sorah ducked under the blow and countered with a swift jab to Kahless's ribs.
Pow!
The impact sent a jolt of pain through Kahless's body, but he barely flinched. He retaliated with a spinning back kick that connected with Sorah's shoulder, causing him to stagger backwards.
Bam!
Sorah regained his balance and lunged forward once more. He and Kahless traded blows under a super lens of speed, their fists and feet were striking with lightning-fast precision.
Their movements were a chaotic ballet of grace and power, a whirlwind of punches, kicks, and blocks that left the onlookers breathless. They destroyed rock statues and shattered ancient formations with the shockwaves from their attacks.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The outside of the temple echoed with the sounds of their battle, a symphony of grunts, shouts, and the clatter of fists against flesh.
The Sand Devils and Pyro Warriors, still recovering from their earlier ordeal, watched in awe and disbelief. They had never witnessed such a display of martial arts prowess.
“These movements…”
“They’re unreal!”
“I can barely follow them!”
Poahf with her eyes glued to the fight, felt a flicker of admiration for Sorah. The old man was more than just a skilled warrior; he was a true master of his craft. But that admiration was quickly extinguished by her burning desire for revenge.
‘No matter how skilled he is, he will not defeat Kahless. The Vice-Marshal Commander is too powerful, too ruthless.’
…
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
For about two minutes straight, Sorah and Kahless battled fiercely. Their strikes were like thunderclaps as they moved with a blur of yellow and green. Neither man gave an inch, each blow met with an equally powerful counter.
“Gah!” Sorah kicked Kahless’s chin while flipping backward, but at the same time, Kahless landed a powerful punch to Sorah’s back.
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Both fighters skidded across the courtyard until they came to a stop.
Kahless, his TerraFlow Kana still burning brightly, brushed his chin thoughtfully. "You're stronger than I anticipated, old man. But I got this strange feeling you’re still holding back."
Sorah stopped beside his staff and gripped it tightly. He could feel the truth in Kahless's words. He was holding back the Sage Curse because he didn’t want it to burn through his life force. But he would keep on using his ZenFlow Kana to buy the others more time.
He glanced at the tip of his staff where a small, swirling sphere of air had formed. It was the Air Break technique, the same one he had used to shatter the Rock Coffin and the steel dome. He had been secretly charging it during his battle with Kahless by drawing upon the power of the wind.
"It is ready," he whispered hoarsely.
“Huh! That is…?”
Behind Kahless, Poahf's eyes narrowed as she noticed the strange energy emanating from the tip of Sorah's staff. It was the same energy she had witnessed at the prison.
"Kahless, watch out for his staff!" she yelled, but it was too late.
Sorah dashed towards Kahless, swinging the staff forward, aiming for Kahless's chest.
“Kuhahaha, come on!” Kahless laughed and crossed his arms before him, thinking that his TerraFlow Kana barrier would be enough to protect him.
"You're a fool, old man! Your attacks are useless against me!"
But Sorah ignored him and slammed his staff into Kahless's crossed arms.
"Air Break!"
Crack!
A series of spiderweb cracks appeared in the air around Kahless, as if the very fabric of reality were shattering. Then, a powerful blast of air erupted from the tip of the staff, striking Kahless with the force of a hurricane.
The shockwave rippled outwards, shattering the nearby rocks and sending debris flying in all directions. Even the Cerberus Titan which was present behind Kahless got knocked away!
Boom!
Loud rumbles rang out across the mountainside, echoing through the valleys and canyons. The soldiers and guards who had gathered to watch the battle were thrown to the ground as the shockwave washed over them.
They gasped in shock as they witnessed the aftermath of Sorah's attack.
Kahless stood firmly in place, his body still shrouded in the aura of TerraFlow Kana. He was laughing hysterically like a madman who had just conquered the world.
“Kuhahahahaha!”
But something was wrong.
As the dust settled, the true extent of Sorah's attack was revealed. Kahless's arms were gone, blown to bits by the force of the Air Break. Blood spurted from his shoulders in a crimson fountain, staining his armour and the ground beneath him.
“What the…?”
Even Warden Poahf was stunned into silence. She had never seen anything like it. Kahless, the invincible Vice-Marshal Commander, the master of TerraFlow Kana, had been maimed.
Despite his injuries, Kahless continued to laugh with a manic glee. "Well done, old man! WELL DONE!" he cackled as his body trembled with exertion and blood loss. "You've forced me to reveal my true power!"
Sorah frowned, confused by Kahless's reaction. 'Why is he laughing? His arms are gone! He's lost!'
But then, something incredible happened.
Aether Steam, swirling with an intense emerald-white light, poured from Kahless's wounds. The steam condensed and solidified, forming new arms that grew at an alarming rate. Within seconds, his arms were fully restored; his skin and muscle tissue was rejoicing in the sunlight.
“Kuhahahha!”
Sorah stared in disbelief. 'How... how is that possible?' He knew that TerraFlow Kana enhanced the user's physical and healing abilities, but he had never heard of it being able to regenerate limbs so quickly.
Kahless raised his newly regenerated arms and flexed his fingers. "The Earth's embrace is not easily broken, old man," he spoke with a newfound power. "It grants me strength, resilience, and the ability to heal from even the most grievous wounds. Kuhahaha!"
He turned to face Sorah with his eyes blazing with a predatory hunger. "Now, you will witness the true power of a TerraFlow Kana Master! Combustion!"
Rumble!
The entire mountain peak trembled as Kahless uttered the word. The ground beneath their feet cracked and buckled, and the air crackled with energy. A massive vortex of emerald-white Aether Steam erupted from Kahless's body, swirling and expanding until it engulfed the entire courtyard.
The Sand Devils and Pyro Warriors, sensing the impending danger, turned and fled in terror. They had seen Kahless's Titan Avatar before, a colossal behemoth that could level mountains and shatter the very earth itself.
"Retreat!" one of the soldiers screamed.
"He's going to unleash his Titan!" another added in panic.
Staring wide with fear and excitement, Warden Poahf scurried backwards down a sloping path. She had to get out of here, to find a safe distance from the epicentre of the impending blast.
'This is it,' she thought, her heart pounding like a drum. 'This is the true power of a Vice-Marshal Commander.'
Boom! Boom!
As the vortex of Aether Steam reached its peak, a colossal figure began to emerge from its depths. It was a Titan Avatar, a monstrous behemoth that towered over the Rendil Temple in a slithering upward spiral. It boasted an ominous aura as an earthen dragon comprised of dirt, wood and blazing emerald steam.