Miles looked at the starmap that appeared in front of him all of a sudden.
“You advanced?” He saw Alex use it before, now that starmap was a lot faster and stronger than before.
“I am at the threshold,” Alex answered
“It is already a lot stronger.” Miles commended.
He got back on his feet and put the dagger orb away. His two hands turned into claws, and he vanished from where he was standing. Alex looked at where Miles was as his pupils constricted.
When he caught Miles’s movement, the latter was already in front of him. He wanted to step back, but two claw-like hands were moving towards him.
What Miles used was Frontal Rush. He barely learned how to use the technique in the last two days, and never executed it in previous battles. He was keeping it for the final battle. Now thanks to it, he was able to surprise Alex.
His ten claws moved to two sides of Alex’s ribs and were about to penetrate deep into his skin, then a flash appeared in front of Miles. Ignoring the eye-piercing light, Miles kept on attacking, but what his claws connected wasn’t flesh and blood but an ethereal starmap.
Miles looked at the air in stupefaction and realized Alex was standing where his ultimate was a second ago. Before he could think further, the starmap charged at his now in open body and shocked him.
Miles's energy was in turmoil. He collapsed on the ground and could hardly move. His muscle-brain connection was in chaos. He couldn’t even lift a finger. The lightning was wrecking his innards, while foams were coming out of his mouth.
He grunted in pain and tried to rise on his two feet by sheer willpower, but it was easier said than done. The attack was too strong. An ultimate was a form of attack at the peak of Form-Rank. Although Alex needed external help to fully charge it, it was still stronger than a low-tier fighter could do.
“Sorry, Miles. It is unfair of me to use your armor to perfect my ultimate, but I cannot hold back against you.” Alex said with a stern face.
Miles of course understood Alex’s sentiments. Neither side could hold back while facing each other, as that would be an insult. Miles was thinking the same, but he didn’t have a technique that would let him win in this situation.
Miles got back on his feet in pain, while the audience was in turmoil. What Alex said let them know the crafter of those weapons was.
“That young man is the crafter?”
“How can that be? Those items are so advanced. I was wondering which master forged them but it turned out to be a newbie.”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“Does he have a shop? We should visit his shop.”
“It says that he had just crafted his own brand and works only with orders. He custom forges items with the best alloys.”
“I wouldn’t have believed such arrogant words before, but after seeing them with my own two eyes, I can say, his alloys are really the best.”
“Was this your plan?” Miles with a smile, as he finally controlled the energy wreaking havoc in his body. He directed it to his muscles and bones. His body felt lighter as he felt stronger and faster. He activated the first level of Exaltedness of the Creator.
“I had to advertise this fine armor.” Alex grinned as well. He was staying on top of the starmap and was floating in the air. Miles felt his muscles were getting denser and explosive power was accumulating in his body.
He charged Frontal Rush once again and appeared in front of Alex, but the latter just floated higher in the sky while lightning strikes fell where he was just now. Miles dodged them while punching towards Alex.
The energy at the tip of his fist stretched out like rubber and grabbed onto Alex’s leg on top of the starmap. Miles grabbed the energy and pulled it toward himself. Alex felt the strange sensation grabbing onto his leg, but he was too late to counter it. When he wanted to charge his powers to destroy it, his balance was broken and he found himself flying towards Miles.
Miles punched with the second step of Royal Blood. Viscount Percival’s Mountain Fist!
The fist shone with orange light and illuminated the stage. The fist covered by the light seemed like a descending sun to Alex. He felt like a mountain was about to crash on him, but he knew it was only an illusion.
He crossed his two arms to defend. It was too late to switch places with his ultimate, and it required too much energy. He was able to use it last time because he was expecting the attack, but this time he was caught by surprise.
The fist connected with his arms, but the force penetrated his skin and bone, hitting his chest above his armor. Although he was able to negate most of the damage, Alex still felt his chest hit by a truck. A mouthful of blood filled his throat. His arms got the worst. He felt his hands were numb, while a cracking sound was able to reach his ears. Even the armor and his energy weren’t enough to defend fully.
Alex flew away with the force of the fist, but Miles wasn’t ready to let him go yet. He pulled the energy, and Alex yanked at him once again. He charged another fist, but this time his punch didn’t shine with the light. When Alex was just in front of him, it suddenly disappeared and the star map appeared where he was. Miles ignored the speeding starmap attached to his energy and jumped into the air. His fist was relaxed and a sword appeared in his hand.
“Mountain Cleaver!” He said with a deep grunt. Starmap was floating towards him, while Alex was looking with his face in deep shock. He charged the switching technique while Miles punched and was ready to use it when Miles attacked again, but to his surprise, the second punch was just a feint.
Alex tried to defend, but he was in the air, his movements were limited. He covered his body with lightning and dispersed the ultimate. All the energy accumulated in the ultimate flashed back to his body, and a lightning god stood in the air, his arms crossed.
Alex charged the lighting aura to maximum, and purple currents covered 2 meters around him in every direction. As if he was in a lightning sphere. But when he saw the approaching sword, the sphere protecting him didn’t give him any sense of safety at all.
The almost invisible sword shone with a golden hue just like the previous fist. It cleaved from top to bottom at the speed of sound. The air exploded, as the sword collided with the sword. Lightning reacted like a mad beast and clashed with the sun, but it got in pieces, as it could only let the sword move.
Sword then clashed with the energy mass that Alex was keeping in front of him. It stopped the descent of the sword for a short while, but it wasn’t enough. It kept on moving. After the energy barrier got destroyed, it sent Alex onto the ground. His body had many places leaking blood.