Dio stood in front of the wood spirit and his army with a wide smile on his face.

"Let's try again."

He raised his arm and pointed towards the wood spirit's neck.

A thin pink aura began to surge through all of Dio's pores, his aura was growing steadily by the second.

"Blood Ripple Phantom-"

"Let's not."

The wood spirit said, multiple saplings threw a myriad of 'Explosive Seeds' towards Dio.

Upon exploding they released a dark green substance which corroded Dio's Strength Phantoms.

"Grah."

Dio tossed a bit of blood.

"Make no mistake, previously I allowed you to hit me with your technique I was assessing your means, after all, even if you defeat this mirage of me this poses no real threat to me as a whole.

However, after witnessing your technique once, I could notice many easily of its flaws.

But that's natural, as you said this is a brand 'technique', such novelty tricks may be useful against paltry amateurs or imbeciles, but not an expert like me.

Fights of our level are not won by who holds the most 'powerful' technique nor by who is the fastest, rather, they're won through who holds a better battle system, resources, Gu's and Killer Moves.

At my level people focus on supplementary Gu's which are deemed as 'weak', for example a Fire Gu master uses a 'Move Fire Gu' to redirect their flames.

This method holds no improvement on the overall strength of any Killer Move, but grants 'precision' and perfection which if are well used can decide victory or defeat.

And what methods you use to claim victory?

Trump cards and spectacular moves.

They're powerful, yes, but they are poorly connected, what is the core of your techniques what is your main method or technique?

How well-balanced between offense and defense, attack and retreat or other various methods your combat system is?"

Dio looked at his opponent with a bitter smile, he was saying the truth.

"He's right, but this is not essentially my fault.

Is due to my absurd high talent and creativity together with my Vampiric and Gu powers that I could create a myriad of techniques on the blink of an eye.

As my strength improves and my familiarity with Gu's increases I create more and more comprehensive battle techniques, but this leaves many gaps.

Because I improve daily on both techniques and strength that my methods are constantly modified or improved, I can focus on just on one aspect nor I can use a 'core' for my techniques, as its always changing.

He, however holds an obvious main 'core' Gu, which is Explosive Seed Release.

My opponent used it to make the ground tremble, to increase the strength of his soul-ray to create a corrosive poisonous method to destroy my own, to create his Mini-Forest Wall and other Killer Moves.

Due to his years of experience he could find a suitable 'core' Gu which had little or zero exploitable flaws to supplement, aid or improve other techniques, with this proper framework the foundation of further techniques is relatively easy.

Sigh, I'd wish to find my 'core' Gu or technique, and comprehensive Killer Moves which have few flaws and which complement each other.

If I had one I could crush him to pieces.

Is for this reason that I must create one battle system in this same fight."

Dio closed his eyes and inspected his aperture.

"And the key for it, is going to be Flesh-Bone Gu."

Of course, even though Dio said this, he knew that the chances of this working were slim, and the 'battle system' he imagined was simply to diffuse, even now he only had a vague intuition in his heart.

Ma Yan Luy which was hiding on a pile of corpses, sighed, finally she gave up her hope on Dio.

Even if that meant becoming a traitor she flew away by using her 'Feather Levitation' technique to leave forever far from both the wood spirit and her tribe.

Whilst the 'Earth Champion' elder possessor of the Body Mantle Gu was hiding beneath the ground, both to recover his energy, heal his wounds and to find a way to sneak attack that wood spirit.

As for Ma Shan Hu, he was currently avoiding the attack of many wooden statues, with some difficulty as he was still dizzy from the earlier Killer Move.

The wood spirit glanced fixedly at Dio.

"Of course, I may be wrong, hah hah, so, just let me see how just how many trump cards you still have!"

A tiny Gu with the form of a tiny chilli appeared on the 'mouth' of the creature.

"Dry throat, Chilli Flame!"

From its mouth, the wood spirit shoot powerful flames towards Dio, whilst with his left and right hand he prepared other Killer Moves.

"Space Ripper Stingy eyes!"

Dio pointed just right on its open mouth, by using this chance he managed to slash the creature in half.

"Thanks for asking, I still have a few."

He shrugged calmly, now that his mind had cooled down he felt ready to strike back.

The wood spirit frowned lightly, upon his current predicament.

"Mini-Wall Forest.

Pine Needles Rain.

Muddy ground.

..."

On the blink of an eye it created layers and layers of defensive and offensive Killer Moves to ensure its own safety, then when it felt safe enough it glanced at the Gu at the center of its body.

It was a new branch of a Gu, a Gu he had created personally.

This Gu was also the 'core' of his current projection.

Corrupted Soul Wood Charm Gu rank 4!

The Gu had many tiny cracks on its figure of 50 centimeters, the Gu had received a lot of permanent damage which could only be alleviated by an specific bath of materials.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

The wood spirit glanced at Dio again, thinking.

"I got too carless, even though as I said my opponent is a mere youth with a disorganized system of Gu's he still cannot be taken lightly.

However, how I should deal with him?

My strongest offensive methods are from 'Soul', 'Blood' or 'Poison' path.

And that youth holds an terrifying soul foundation which is high enough that I can't inspect it clearly!

On each of my inspections I feel a backlash due to the excessive strength of his soul.

He's also proficient on Blood path, and hence my 'Blood handprint' and other methods are not viable either.

As for poison path, due to his control of his own blood's flow he can expel the poison with ease."

The wood spirit looked at him coldly.

"I'm on awe with your diverse methods, unfortunately is due to this same talent that you must die today, so no one gets on my way.

Earth Combat Gu!"

It activated a rank 4 Gu which was similar to Battle Space or Blood Battlefield Gu's, this Gu's function was to isolate two persons, who would fight to death on a reduced space.

This Gu can only cease its activation without suffering any backlash until its effect ends or until one of the two die.

On the case of this Gu they're caught on an isolated earth dome.

After settling this battlefield, the wood spirit extended its numerous roots across all the dome, whilst he did his roots resonated with the aura of multiple Gu's such as 'Earth Veins' or 'Wood Veins.'

Dio's eyelids twitched on the act.

"Just what kind of Killer Move he's planning to use now?"

Whilst his opponent also felt similarly pained.

"Sigh, I'm going to use the equivalent of a 110% of True Gold Essence of an aperture for my next Killer Move."

110%.

That's right, the 'wood spirit' didn't store his Primeval Essence on a traditional way, instead of an aperture it held and stored the Primeval Essence on multiple Cactus Essence Gu's.

...

Despite his situation looked dire, Dio smiled triumphantly.

That was because while he fought, he was nourishing his aperture which was already showing signs of cracking down.

He had broken through!

And after his breakthrough his muscles became slightly more vigorous, his veins were bulging and his reflexes and time perception became even faster.

That and the 'feeling' of wonder he felt as his vision expanded made Dio feel an elation comparable to when he absorbed Joseph Joestar's blood.

Upon receiving such sensation Dio wanted more.

"Destiny Gu, burn my luck to amplify the effect of this Relic Gu!"

Dio immediately activated one of the Relic Gu's on his aperture.

His now rank 2 Destiny Gu was being nourished by his Stand aperture, whilst the other aperture was constantly nourishing his Primeval walls.

Just after the activation of Destiny Gu, its burning luck effect made Dio feel 'warm', and a dense layer of an orange-red spectral magma was surging through each of his veins.

Somehow, he could feel that due to the mystic effect of luck even his own blood circulation had improved.

Whilst he was dazed by this, his opponent snorted coldly.

"Hmph, on your next life, pay more attention to your adversary!"

"Wood Scissors!"

It activated yet another Killer Move.

But from its insides, another Gu it held from within its body was triggered by both its natural resonance with the Killer Move that the wood spirit hadn't noticed and because of the threads of luck between them.

Due to this, the Gu 'joined in' the activation of those Gu's, but both due to the incompatibility and due to the lack of Primeval Essence injected, the Killer Move failed.

The wood spirit twitched one of its 'extensions' which shoot the residue of his scissor attack towards one of his own roots!

"The fuck?

Wait, don't tell me is this the mystical effect of the Children of Fortune and Disaster from the Legends of Ren Zu?

...Has this fellow received the inheritance of Giant Sun or one of its descendants to know so much about Luck path?"

...

No matter, Luck emphasizes on variables, against an absolute force even good luck falls behind."

His dark blue eyes shone, a blue beam was shoot towards the center of the dome, which condensed into a blue sphere.

"Dual formation Meteoric burst + Wood engraving stardust."

The wood spirit sighed solemnly.

This Killer Move wasn't actually of its own, at least not the 'Wood Engraving stardust' part.

The Killer Move was actually the creation of Blood Sea Ancestor.

As he had received one of its inheritances which covered many of its experiences of Cultivation, practices, tricks and techniques among them there was the Killer Move 'Blood Engraving Stardust.'

The Killer Move mimicked the property of 'Star path' and meteors, with their main property of 'adhering' to materials.

After all, an 'Star path' Killer move normally used numbers to compensate for a lack of strength, one star gets 'engraved' into the body, which is triggered again by the impact of another fragment of stardust.

Hence, by each 'added' fragment of star the Killer Move is amplified.

The modified version of Blood Sea Ancestor was made to create a move which would amplify the effect of 'Blood Handprint' and other Blood path Gu's on the target.

Finally, there is the last version created by that 'wood spirit.'

This version complemented the other half, by engraving pieces of wood nailed on the target, which would not only amplify Wood path Killer Moves but also Fire path Killer Moves.

And here it is when the 'Meteoric Burst' comes to motion.

By using multiple Earth Path Gu worms and a few copies of 'Starfriction' Gu.

This Gu increased the friction of anything non-related to star path, through the friction of earth and stars fire and heat would come.

Another Gu inside this Killer Move was of course 'Seed Explosive Release' Gu, which would be activated only when the meteor hit the ground, after hitting the ground it would detonate and explode releasing a myriad of flying burning stones.

which would be amplified by the 'Wood stardust' in the air.

This was truly a comprehensive method, and after settling this method he once again engaged on combat.

A myriad of roots were shoot towards Dio who merely focused on evading, currently his mind was mostly focused on breaking through yet again.

"My Ripple Phantoms, protect me."

Dio glanced at the wood spirit.

"Charcoal Fireworks!"

He raised his hand, upon activating this technique the wood on the air around him began to burn, which further increased the temperature of his explosion and triggered a chain reaction.

"Hmph, did you think I was going to be defeated by a move I already saw, you're simply too naive!

Redirect Wood!"

Those chain reaction of explosive he shoot were redirected to him, and were amplified by the second.

"Isolate air!" Dio shouted, he isolated the wind currents, preventing them to approach to even 2 meters close to him.

Quickly, he managed to extinguish some of the flames, but he hadn't time to finish what he started, as a meteor was getting dangerously close to him.

A thin layer of a multicolor explosive aura surged as Dio retreated.

"Boom!" The meteor fell, and left a dense starstream, a new pathway appeared which pointed towards Dio, this was yet another of the wood's spirit techniques.

Dio turned his back and threw a flurry of hits while retreating.

"Come on, come on, I need to breakthrough if I want to stand a chance."

"Pine Needles Rain!" "Icy grass barrage." "Perpendicular Flower Boomerangs."

More and more Killer Moves were activated.

Despite Dio's efforts, most of the impacts had truly fallen on his body.

He looked like a porcupine due to the amount of needles which pierced his flesh, and the knit together icy grass was forming complex threads around his muscle tissue, freezing his bones.

A part of his face had been burnt due to the collision of one of the meteors and its tiny fragments had created many holes on Dio's left arm where blood continuously flew out.

Poison was also flowing through his lungs and bloodstream which was coming at a faster pace than the one he healed at.

If Dio wasn't so busy Cultivating, he'd surely be able to deal with all those issues at once, unfortunately he wasn't given the times nor means.

"Huh?"

The two turned their heads, the sound of a drill resonating across the dome made their ears tingle.

"Finally, that 'Earth Champion' truly took its time to appear, hah.

And Ma Shan Hu, hah, it pains me to say it, but I require their help to defeat the opponent before me."

The wood spirit snorted coldly.

"I won't allow anyone to interfere, Earth Combat, create another dome!"

He ordered this to another copy of this same Gu he had on his possession.

"..." Dio.