Mortal Face-Off!

The incoming sword was successfully blocked and even deviated as it flew in an arch backwards up into the air. But 2 of their long knives bounced off from the clash and fell to the ground with their flat sides hitting the ground first head-on. On the other hand, the sword that was blocked and deviated so harshly got quite a few considerate cracks on its edge, but while everyone was gladdening on the successful life-saving grace of their comrades and of themselves…

Phhshk!...

Ciemnosc used his left arm to suddenly stab at the right side, under the ribs of the guard that was to his left. While his right arm became coiled on the tube of the sword that was flown back away without any power left in it. The left-handed sword went up to the inside at the breast section of the guard. He couldn’t even scream out in pain or terror as he was lifted by Ciemnosc’s sheer raw powerful arm holding more than 4,000 kg - just so that he wouldn’t accidentally crush his whole upper body with the strength of double that amount.

On the other hand, the sword that was already breaking and flown away was the pride and source of inner cheers from the guards and Oscar suddenly made its way back as soon as they saw the tubes become tense once again followed by the sword itself returning towards them!

Following with their heads the direction it was now going, as it was clearly different to that of the one from before where all 3 of the guards in front of Ciemnosc would’ve suffered an unfit death. It was then that they saw their fellow guard in such a fearful state, being lifted up like a simply skewered delicacy in just a larger size than ordinary meals.

And the incoming almost broken sword was coming right at him!!

However! They couldn’t move to intercept the sword with just 1 long knife, and definitely not by risking their lives for just another guard! The pair which were closest to the impaled guard was now even rapidly stepping backwards before hesitatingly charging forwards once again, but in synchronization to those behind Ciemnosc yet slower.

Swiiivff- PHHSHK.

Now, they could all see how the guard’s fingers stiffened in their crooked stance, his arms fell to the sides, hanging in the air and partially on his own torso while blood trickled down the neck - for the whole head semi-exploded the moment the flying sword penetrated through it.

Unlike before, because of how almost-broken the sword itself was, it began shredding its whole body apart as it was just in the middle of stabbing through the brains of the guard, resulting in a gruesome imposition between the sword’s shredded blade and the so soft and vulnerable organ having a sudden and fiery dancing party without any notice beforehand.

Only some part of the head was all that was left, with whatever was left from the hyoid bone having some flesh that was directly pushed towards it from the explosions, and even some hair attached to the skin of the guard’s scalp; was all that remained from the head while the neck’s skin only remained from the lower section - which was from where the blood trickled down nonstop.

“...” In just a moment, Ciemnosc was captivated at the sight of blood, it rained on his face and some fell on his nostrils and lips, which he didn’t uncover when he licked and when his nostrils flared up and closed a few times in a row. Towards this, however, only Oscar managed to see it as the guard had its whole head blown up. “!?!”

Whoosh- thud. Step, step- cuh- swish- clank clank, swish- clank clank.

Ciemnosc didn’t stop there. He threw the semi-headless body backwards as it forced those behind him to stop in their tracks, jump backwards and then run sideways yet again to chase after him. Ciemnosc himself had already reached the back of a bent over the guard who was grabbing his remaining top notch quality long knife on the round.

Ciemnosc’s sword was already about to land with a sweep towards the guard’s butt and inner thighs. But the guard that never lost his long knife and had even picked up the one from the felled guard just now went over to kick his comrade and at least saved this one this time as the latter flew a couple of meters with the kick having been empowered by Power Energy.

As a result, cutting through nothing, Ciemnosc ended up at a slight disadvantage, as on his back were 3 figures who were already throwing themselves from the center, the right below and in a jump to his left from his back, stabbing their long knives towards his heart, spine, and groin from behind!

Both his hands went into half the low stance he invented, not lowering his body but his swords quite aiming downwards, before first sending the right-handed sword that was once again taken from the device on his back, holding a total of 6 swords only; now.

Clashing against their long knives’ blades, the guards used their left-handed long knives to do their best to not block but ‘slash’ directly at the sword in question, it ended up being rather painful to them, but it still worked on creating some tiny scars on the sword. And that could be all they needed to break it in a conjoint effort either block or attack one of Ciemnosc’s attacks or himself.

Still, their left wrists hurt so much and were twisting so impossibly intensely that they had to acquiesce and lift their left arms up diagonally towards the left in order to not lose their grasp on their now life-saving treasures.

Then, Ciemnosc swept at them with his left-handed sword, almost broken as already as well, and while it successfully forced the pained right-handed wrists of each guard to uncomfortably cross their right arm in front of their chest - towards their left.

The left-handed sword, even then, still broke after clashing with the last long knife from the guard farthest to the left. Yet, that simple breaking of the sword had enough power in it for the guard to be sent flying, blown away for more than 10 meters, not just from the clash of top notch quality weapons but also from the sheer raw bodily power of Ciemnosc!

Swish swish swish.

But then, 3 swords came flying away from the back of Ciemnosc, leaving only 3 remaining swords on his back, from which he even took another one with his left hand and then only 2 remained there - but there were still more than 100 in his Covert Space bags anyway.

The 3 swords that were flown away from the device on his back, however, moved in accordance to where his mind looked, which was exactly 4 meters behind him where the other 2 guards were coming towards his back, intending to impale him just like he impaled that guard just now.

Seeing the 3 flying swords, the 2 guards ran away instead at the next couple of seconds, for more than 10 meters before daring to look back, only to see bloody terrifying scenes in front of their very eyes.

The moment they had turned around, Ciemnosc flashed his left and right-handed swords in a cross and pushed his movements towards the 3 guards in front of him. At the same time, the 3 guards felt that their bodies were fully swept about by…’something’. They were too unused to Spirit Sense, so they couldn’t tell that they were just locked on by a much more powerful Spirit Sense, and one that was the strongest yet seen before in the entire world!

And so, all they could see as they defended themselves with their long knives placed to their front and clashing against the 2 swords made into a cross ‘attack’ pushing at them, they could only hear the familiar ‘swishes’ sounds, and their eyes widened to a full. Then, they looked at each other while struggling with the double swords, before nodding mentally to each other and deciding on a move.

However, while Oscar was the only one looking at this scene from another point of view, he wasn’t able to see how from Ciemnosc’s right hand, a dark ‘tube’ suddenly came out from the back of his hand and had already begun encompassing the torsos of those 3 guards like a snake having selected its month’s prey and meal.

Swish…clank…

As such, when the 3 guards tried breaking off, they suddenly felt as if they were encompassed by the most negative feelings in their lives, and they felt like the entire world was against them, as if they were weakened by their sudden depression. However, with how their Power Energy flow was rapidly and powerfully moving and working its magic inside their bodies, they could tell that they weren’t weakened in the slightest; they were just impossibly entrapped out of nowhere!

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Swish swish swish!- Phhshk! Phhshk!... … …

“HEH HEH HEH…” Giggling with great satisfaction, Ciemnosc’s fangs suddenly scared of the 3 guards, who didn’t even seem to notice how 2 of them, namely those 2 at the left and right flanks, had their chests penetrated by 2 of the flying swords. They were only looking at Ciemnosc’s face, and his mouth, which seemed to grow bigger and bigger in their eyes and minds like the most terrifying, dark nightmare!!

“Aaah~, heh…”

“Uoooghh~~...” - “Aaaaawwhhh…” Both guards were impaled on their chests, the blood around them wasn’t even coming out, but the ‘tube’ that came out from Ciemnosc’s back of his right hand was instead seemingly trembling in contentment. And Ciemnosc himself let out a satisfied groan from his nostrils…as the 2 guards’ bodies shrunk a few sizes…

Swish~~, crreeshhk crreeshhk. Swish- clank- crushhh.

On the other hand, just as Ciemnosc threw his elbows up to the sky and made a cutting motion with his swords cutting the necks off from the 2 guards’ shriveled-skinned bodies, their heads fell to the ground almost noiselessly, as even their bones had been reduced to the size of a child’s bones and mass.

Then, he lowered his arms once again and looked at the only guard who was saved from being stabbed in the chest by the flying sword the guard couldn’t tell what happened to it. Ciemnosc planned to do the very same to it, but this time both his swords’ blades cut the neck of the guard at the same time like a pair of lovely birds doing some work together, in love.

Yet, just as Ciemnosc’s swords were coming close to the neck of the guard and his face was holding a grin from his lips that terrified the guard with darkness clouding his eyesight as his throat’s adam’s apple danced up and down prior to being killed off with his connection being shut down to his own body - another whole blade that glinted a ¡certain steely glow from it came to his rescue and destroyed both swords aimed at his neck!

Puh- whoosh.

Right after, without having the chance to open his eyes to see what was happening literally right in front of him, the guard felt his right shoulder and the upper section of his breast hit by the sole of someone’s foot, someone stronger than him but different to Ciemnosc’s prowess. He was sent flying backwards but out of safety and rolled a few meters further away before stopping, opening his eyes, and looking at the scene from where he was standing just a few seconds ago…his heart, body, and ‘soul’ having never chilled so out of this world.

The guard didn’t even notice how there was no longer any ‘force’ stopping all of his full-out yet powerless struggles to whatever was keeping him entrapped; the only thing he could see…were the figures of 2 ‘men’ facing each other even just half a meter away but not one of them making any more against the other, simply looking at each other.

Ciemnosc had already retracted his back, and 2 little idiotic guards from behind were sneaking up behind his back, but his eyes were locked onto the long blade in Oscar’s right hand, pointing leftwards and merely 1.5 inches wide, about 0.3 cm thick yet 1.5 meters long. Ciemnosc’s eyes moved to look at the far left, almost behind where his head could allow him to look without turning it or without using his Spirit Sense.

There, fragments of the 3rd flying sword lay on the ground, scattered on a line that was just 2 meters long consisting of the blade’s and handle’s shards, which was destroyed just 3 meters away from reaching its target that had now even been blown away for his own protection.

Returning his gaze at the long blade with steel colored glow coming from it and then to its owner’s face, Ciemnosc wasn’t any shy as he looked directly into Oscar’s eyes and kept them locked in them with his serene, darkest but ultimately cold eyes.

Step- trrrghh~, swish, cu- cruuushhhh~~...

Just as 2 idiotic guards had closed in enough to Ciemnosc’s back, as the latter had his eyes on the otherwise stern-faced and apparently ‘heroic’ Oscar. Ciemnosc lowered his whole body to the ground. Dirt flew about up to 3 meters high by the drifting of his right foot in the direction of Oscar, helping his body rotate leftwards for a 180 degree turnaround.

His left leg was fully folded, and his foot supporting his entire body as he turned around to face the 2 guards who just felt their hands missing, not only the obstruction from entering someone’s body but also of their hands being so free of any heaviness after stabbing someone alive that the skin of their hands felt no clothes or muscles, let alone bones or blood.

Yet, next was the sight, from below, of how a pair of extremely well practiced swordplay, one tip beside the other as their flat sides were just 4 inches apart from each other, and coming towards the neck of the guard on the left. While the guard on the right from Ciemnosc’s back just now gained as much bravery as any human being could achieve in this situation and charged forwards!

However, before even the guard on the right could, in his head, force Ciemnosc to withdraw his swords from killing off his fellow guard away to save his own life or to not suffer serious injuries that can even directly kill him or end up becoming his deathly wounds - a steel glowing blade came to intercept, just to block, the tips of the swords… Breaking them apart along with the rest of their bodies as they become smaller pieces of steel with Ciemnosc pushing them upwards all the way!

Ciemnosc’s swords were then consumed by the edge of the saber-looking but not a saber - blade. He became totally helpless and unarmed, it was the perfect moment to be attacked, as he was being so with the guard still with the 2 long knives from which he took the other one from the felled guard with almost his whole head exploding and jumped towards Ciemnosc to stab his neck from the front and back with said long knives!!

Swish swish -tuktuk PHHSHK PHHSHK. Swowowooosh~... …thud.

But as if it was all a joke without any ounce of comicality, the 2 swords from before that Oscar didn’t manage to intercept had been already flying around in the air for a bit and had come to Ciemnosc’s ‘rescue’, all too timely and as if waiting for it all this long.

In return, the guard that was already jumping at him with all the confidence in the world on taking him down…was impaled on the neck and the right shoulder, the kinetic force behind the flying swords sending his body flying away for quite a couple of seconds before his body fell flat on the ground, his head’s connection to his spine giving everyone, still alive, an anatomy class as it sprawled a few meters away from where the almost complete body fell.

As for the flying swords, they had halted at some point in midair, letting the guard’s corpse fly all he wanted into the distance, almost half a hundred meters away, quite a distance for just a pair of top notch quality swords stabbing from the side at the same time, not even a blunt weapon.

“...-eheheheh!” Ciemnosc looked at Oscar, who was defending and impeding Ciemnosc from going after the remaining guard beside the other one that was kicked before. Raising his shoulder, extending his forearms out, and cocking his head to his left, Ciemnosc finished the half-complete shrug by the time the guard’s corpse fell on the floor and his head rolled for a bit.

“!...” Oscar became really, really furious. He couldn’t imagine having those last 3 who were going to basically be his 3 extra lives kill this trashy, dumb kid without being killed instead or in the process of killing him suddenly dying in front of him despite having already taken his Mortal blade out. This was so seriously infuriating!

“Well, that was enough of having such precious, very few swords of mine getting destroyed,” Ciemnosc said, storing his device back into his Covert Space bags along with the remaining 2 blades he even had as if he really had just a few of those top notch quality swords in his possession. But, who could he fool? When he is such an impossibly talented, most unearthed talent in the entire world?!

“Cut the crup! Ciemnosc!” Oscar was raging too much as he shouted. The remaining guard that was kicked away came back to stand at his side and behind him to his left, just like the other guard already was but to his right. Yet, Ciemnosc gave out half a chuckle with his lips closed, coldly saying afterwards, “It’s ‘crap’ not ‘crup’, monkey.”

“!!!” Oscar, of course, heard those words and immediately felt the world ‘scramble’ all around him, his right-handed blade, a Mortal grade blade glowed a shin and fell down against Ciemnosc’s right shoulder - clearly planning to not kill Ciemnosc so easily even though he could. Because he obviously could!!!

Shin~...

Yet, Ciemnosc didn’t fall back down nor tried avoiding it. But just as Oscar was commending it to his fast, precise, and surprising attack that even Ciemnosc couldn’t even see coming, he saw from below the corners of his eyes how a glow harsher than that of his own blade went off. His eyes followed the source of the silvery glow and he could see a thin and somewhat short sword, but his eyes pained the moment they came into contact with it.

Suuugh, swish~- clank!

SWOOSH- swoosh~ swoosh~ swoosh~ swoosh~~...

Without the need for much strength, both steel blades clashed against one another, in that second, both felt a tremendous power emerge from the other as they could only see bursts of air come off from their sword and blade’s clash.

From another point of view, the 2 guards behind Oscar were shocked…as they saw their entire immediate surroundings, the grass, brushes, and even some tall trees all around being flung about by just this sudden and not all-out clash from the two!

They looked at each other, their eyes looking into the ‘souls’, their heads thinking without really knowing if they could even win anymore. ‘Is this really a Phrenic realm cultivator? How can he fight someone in the Spirit Gathering realm? When there’s too much difference between the stages of the Spirit Gathering realm?!’.

Even they couldn’t even feel at ease, as they were an entire stage below Ciemnosc’s, according to his prowess of being able to face Oscar, a Spirit Gathering realm 8th stage!!

…It was just too much to think of…to process…to accept!

…