CHAPTER 2414  GRUELLING CLASH

The Martial Sages and Masters hardened as they glared at their counterparts. None of them had activated their Realms of power.

Each Realm of Martial Artists was in a different area entirely, with the Masters being closer to the battlefield than the Sages.

The defensive Martial Artists assumed the positions closest to the main battleground of the two Martial Masters. If one of the other Martial Artists tried launching an attack towards the main battle, the defensive Martial Artists would be able to intervene and prevent it from happening.

The fact that none of them had their Realms of power activated was part of the reason that everybody was extremely confident that they could stop any interfering attack.

The tension in the air was palpable.

The atmosphere tingled with peril as it wore down on their mental fortitude. It was almost more exhausting than actually fighting.

Yet, they gritted their teeth and stood with rapt attention, dedicating all their awareness to making sure that their opponents didn't try anything funny.

That was a lie.

In truth, they were also watching the two lone Martial Masters far away in the main battleground.

It couldn't be helped.

They were Martial Artists.

Their curiosity was more intense than even their animosity towards each other.

They wanted to know.

They wanted to know who was stronger.

They wanted to know who would win.

They wanted to know what the future held for East Panama.

And thus, they watched.

They watched as the two lone Masters faced each other in a battle that would define the rest of the war.

Rui's black, piercing eyes beheld their own reflection in the dark mirrors that were his opponent's eyes. He felt a tremendous amount of fear at the very core of Tokugawa Ieyasu's mind.

His eyes sharpened.

Could it be?

Could it be that Tokugawa Ieyasu was afraid of fighting Ru—

"Don't be arrogant." His tone was cold, reading Rui's mind with his Soul Eye technique. "You are not worthy of my fear."

Rui narrowed his eyes. "Then… what do you fear?"

It was a deeply personal question.

Yet, Ieyasu did not swat the question down immediately.

His deep, dark eyes reflected Rui and everything everywhere as they peered into Rui's eyes.

"I shall tell you if you win."

The smallest of smiles cracked at the edge of Rui's mouth for the briefest of moments.

The two stared at each other as the atmosphere boiled.

It boiled with sharp peril.

It was as though the face-off had developed its own gravitational field.

One that drew the attention of all those within its reach.

Every Martial Artist.

Every creature.

Every speck of life. All of them grew immersed.

They grew immersed in the battle that was about to unfold.

They grew immersed in the churning face-off.

A taut face-off that seemed to last forever.

Or so they thought.

It ended sooner than they realized.

BADUMP!!!

In the blink of an eye, their Martial Hearts blazed into power while their Martial Minds erupted in all their power.

The very foundation of their beings changed as their Martial Embodiments bloomed in all their glory.

A spherical fractal mirror emerged from the depths of Ieyasu's being, eclipsing everything in a kaleidoscopic caricature of the very world itself. Embedded in its reflection were countless other Martial Embodiments of many kinds, once belonging to other Martial Artists before Ieyasu's Martial Embodiment had greedily consumed them one after another, assimilating the countless Martial Embodiments into its depths.

It possessed endless depth and complexity, yet all of it converged into a single purpose.

The singular purpose of empowering Tokugawa Ieyasu.

An impossible Martial Artist with the power of countless Martial Artists at his behest. A man with the power to make all other powers his own.

At that moment, the Martial Sages and Masters absorbed in the battle couldn't help but feel that he truly was the Chosen One, if there ever was such a thing.

That was, of course, until they saw Rui's Martial Embodiment.

They had seen it many, many times.

Too many times.

Yet, each time they saw it might as well be the very first. The endless darkness roaring in the depths of his black eyes surged forth as his entire body flowed, changing at its very root. It surged forth, expanding violently as the limitless tsunami of darkness washed over everything and everyone.

An infinite void.

One that consumed heaven and earth.

Several Martial Masters watching the battle a great distance away froze at the extraordinary avalanche of information.

They couldn't move.

The sheer amount of information that was crammed into their minds with the passive hypnosis paralyzed them where they stood!

RUMBLE…

The infinite void surged forth and eclipsed the entire world as it eroded away at the fractal mirror.

In an instant, the superiority of Rui's Martial Mind was confirmed in the minds of the spectating Sages and Masters as his Martial Embodiment continued eroding the kaleidoscopic fractal mirror bit by bit. After all, the Martial Embodiment existed only in the eye of the beholder.

The dominance between Martial Embodiments generally translated to the dominance of Martial Minds.

"I thought I told you…" A faint whisper escaped Tokugawa Ieyasu as his eyes sharpened with endless willpower and determination. "Not to be arrogant, that is."

RUMBLE…

Heaven and earth quivered with fear as the greedy fractal mirror began consuming the infinite void.

Bit by bit.

Piece by piece.

The tiniest of fragments at a time.

Smaller than anyone would ever care to notice.

Yet, there nonetheless.

The fractal mirror changed in its appearance as it began assimilating morsels of the void into its grand kaleidoscopic tapestry.

The two Martial Embodiments fought a tug of war in the eyes of the audience. The infinite void and the fractal mirror eroded and assimilated each other even as the former retained its dominant position. The two Martial Embodiments ground against each other in a grueling tug of war.

The borders between the Martial Embodiments seemed to erode away as they blended together in the minds of the spectating Martial Artists.

Yet, before they could even parse what was happening, the true battle had already begun.

WHOOSH!!! Owned by .

Ieyasu appeared before Rui in the blink of an eye, blasting him with an extraordinarily powerful Flowing Canon.

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