The arena fell into a short silence before it erupted in full of cheers and applauses. It was such a great fight. Most of the audiences believed that this should be the peak fight and the final match of the tournament. It was really a pity that the girls met in the quarterfinals. There should not be much suspense now, Erza would most likely become the final champion.
They were finding it hard to measure Erza's aura. They did not know whether she was an early level Knight or a mid level one. However, her true strength surely surpassed a mid level Knight.
In her fight with Elsa, Erza was forced to use almost all the power at her disposal. Thanks to her Time Magic, she could keep getting up regardless how many times Elsa knocked her down. 'Rewind' was such a cheat skill. She had also used 'Double Acceleration' on numerous occasions and in the end she was forced to use one of her trump cards 'Time Paradox' to defeat Elsa.
Deep inside Erza's heart, she was happy with her friend improvement. The stronger Elsa was, the more she could help her in her path to the throne. Of course, she liked Elsa as a friend due to her personality and character, however she also believed that there was nothing wrong to use her connection to get what she wanted.
After a group of Elders fixed the arena, the tournament continued with the second match of the quarterfinals.
There was not much suspense in the second match. Tom Cruz defeated Lance after an hour match. Honestly, both fighters were evenly matched, however Tom managed to beat Lance in the end due to his rich battle experience. Their fight was actually quite exciting, however compared with Erza and Elsa fight, they were still way behind which was why some audiences felt bored.
Next, it was the third match of the quarterfinals between Ling Men and Mozart. Of course, the match could only begin after the team of Elders fixed the broken stage. It was always done after every matches. Time, Earth, Metal, and some other attributes treasures and abilities were used to fix the fighting stage in the shortest time possible.
Ling Men was the first to walk onto the stage. His pace was steady, calm, and his entire being exuded a murderous aura. The snow that fell towards him was blown away by this aura; not a single snowflake landed on his body.
Mozart took out his crimson red double daggers and made his way to the stage.
The two stood 100 feet apart, silently gazing at the other. The surrounding airflow around them was disturbed by their presence, as if an invisible vortex had been summoned. Billowing snow recklessly covered the sky.
"The rules will not be repeated. Match, begin!"
After the referee Elder announced the start of the match, the two of them on stage had not even moved. Mozart's right hand gripped the long dagger outwards, while the left short dagger was ready for a follow up attack. Ling Men had his heavy sword in both hands, the hilt pressed against his chest.
Although they hadn't moved, the two of them were slowly beginning to gather their momentum.
Ling Men's murderous aura was formed from his countless beheadings and massacre since his childhood. The accumulated experience created a demon in Ling Men's heart, but it also developed a unique will which Ling Men called it 'Ashura' martial intent.
If a weaker practitioner was to directly confront Ling Men's murderous aura, it would be the same as if an average man was standing stark naked in a frozen world of snow and ice. They would only be able to use half of their strength, and those whose minds weren't as aware, might even be directly struck by dread and forced into defeat without having done anything.
However, Mozart was not an ordinary practitioner. He was very calm and sharp. Unlike his usual baleful aura, this time his spirit was unexpectedly like a billowing flame that reached the clouds. An ordinary person might not feel anything strange, but if a practitioner that cultivated dark arts or techniques involving the usage of evil spirits approached, then they would feel as if they were in a blazing inferno. Any ghosts or demons that drew near would be immediately returned to nothingness.
Ling Men's icy cold murderous aura and Mozart's aura of purification engaged in an airborne battle. One was freezing cold and the other was burning hot. As these two forces met, they would battle. Ice would not coexist with fire!
But eventually, Mozart's billowing will of fire overcame Ling Men's murderous chill. Ling Men could even clearly hear his murderous aura being chipped apart by Mozart's power of purification.
"I never thought that you would be able to suppress my Ashura murderous intent! I thought that we were alike. Surprisingly, you have the power of purification."
It was actually not only him who found it strange that Mozart had a purification power. As someone who had been sparring with Mozart in these past few months, Erza was totally bewildered. How could someone, who excelled in Dark Magic, had the power of purification?
Ling Men's expression became more dignified. He instantly converged all of his murderous aura, condensing that murderous essence onto the surface of his body in conjunction with his heavy sword. At that moment, he was like an insurmountable existence in the eyes of all present.
"Meet my sword!"
As the word 'sword' was said, the murderous aura that was concentrated on Ling Men's body began to flow into the black heavy sword. This five foot long heavy sword began to emit a piercing cry!
*Cha!*
It was as if space itself was torn asunder. A peerless sword wind shot forwards like a dark rainbow, piercing towards Mozart's chest.
The entire area was swept up by the aftermath of the sword wind; even the tiles cracked and exploded under the pressure. Countless broken stones that were crushed by true essence was thrown into the wind. From afar, Ling Men's blade was like a missile that left the ground shattered in its path; it was simply unstoppable.
'Playing with Yin aura in front of me? What a joke!' Mozart chuckled inside his heart.
'Inferno!'
Mozart gave a loud shout and thousands vibrating fire essence filaments erupted outwards. Towards the surging tide of Yin essence that rolled towards him, the right-hand dagger was like a scarlet dragon, thrusting forwards with a grandiose momentum!
*Bang!*
The powerful impact formed a shockwave that was visible to the naked eye. The loose floor tiles were all sent flying backwards, and all the snow in a radius of a hundred meters was swept clean. The savage true essence continued to flood outwards. Being met with this rush of true essence, even a peak Apprentice or early Knight Realm practitioners felt as if they were mere leaves in a storm; they could be blown away at any moment!
Fortunately, the audience had the barrier which separated them from the two fighter, guarding them from the aftermath of the true essence collision.
*Peng peng peng peng peng peng!*
After Ling Men made his first move, he no longer stopped; following up his first strike with a series of attacks. The heavy sword carried an epic majesty as thick Yin true essence congealed into each sword strike. Every strike contained an immense potential, as if a mountain was crashing down!
Mozart unhurriedly and calmly danced with his double daggers. He steadily blocked each strike, slowly retreating backwards. But no matter how calm his expression was, every time he took a blow the stage behind him would explode, sending everyone watching into alarm!
Mozart took a step back after every strike and every time he stepped backwards, the stage tiles would explode into pieces. Then, Ling Men's sword wind would lift up all these fragments, before throwing them off the stage. In just a few moments of time, the entire stage had become very unseemly.
"This is too terrifying. Just the true essence that is scattered from their strikes already carried such destructive power. If one were to face them head-on in a fight, how could anyone possibly resist?"
There were some practitioners, that believed they were strong, watching the battle on stage. As they saw the match unfold, they were gradually filled with abject depression. They had been practicing for several dozens of years, but yet there was such a big difference between them and the two youths on stage.
"Ling Men's strength is at least equal to a normal middle level Knight Realm expert. He might even be able to compete with the late stage!" After the masters present made some comparisons, they couldn't help but draw this conclusion.
Erza listened to the arguments occurring around her and silently gazed at Mozart's figure. She was curious. Mozart should also be a hidden Knight, right?
'Mozart, who are you? What cards do you hold in your hands? And just what is the limit of your power?'
The battle on stage was becoming increasingly intense. True essence collided in the air causing deafening explosions, as if they were in the middle of a roiling spring thunderstorm.
However, during the fight, Mozart's face wasn't flushed; his heartbeat was normal. His blood vitality was vigorous, and his breath was long, he inhaled like a snake and exhaled like bellows. In such a calm state, a single breath was enough to let him fight for an incense stick of time.
On the other hand, Ling Men had slightly less stamina.
"Slaughter Aura!"
Ling Men gave a loud shout, and his Slaughter Domain broke forth. This was a specialized domain attack that he developed using his Ashura martial intent! When he had faced Qing Tian, Ling Men's sword had not even touched his opponent's body. This was because he had used the Slaughter Domain to defeat his enemy!
*Huooo!*
In that moment, Mozart's surroundings instantly changed. The audience vanished, all became quiet, and the stage under his feet disappeared; he arrived in a completely new and strange world.
The world was cast in a dim bleak gray. The sky overhead was coloured in a dull beige tones. Endless rocky outcroppings dotted the world, and behind these rocks were hiding countless Ashura Demons.
Between the giant rocks, there were bottomless pits that seemed to lead into an abyss, exuding a limitless yin cold. Ghosts constantly crawled out from this abyss. Their expressions were ferocious, and they hungrily gazed at Mozart with their empty eyes, trembling with greed and desire for human life.
This extremely cold feeling was like a freezing wind that could drill its way into a person's soul. Even though Mozart had exuberant blood vitality, in such an environment, he still felt as if he were being pushed down upon.
'Ashura? Interesting! A human could actually develop this level of ability.'
An experience, a will, an intent wasn't only used in practice; some could also be used offensively. It all depended on a person's utilization and comprehension, but also the inherent quality of the intent.
This Ashura martial intent was a martial intent that cultivated battle!
Mozart gave a cold snort, and both of his eyes turned into swirling crimson vortexes. Two rotating storms appeared. With Mozart's eyes as the centre, they indiscriminately swept out!
*Wu wu wu wu wu!*
The countless demons emitted heart piercing screams. However, they were unable to resist the pulling force of the tornado and were swept inside the vortex, shredded into fragments!
The gray rocks they hid behind disintegrated under the power of the vortexes; even space itself began to crack under the immense pressure.
'These are only Ashura Demons formed by a martial intent; how can it be equal to the demons in the Underworld?'
With a bang, the dark world collapsed!
The countless illusionary fragments were all swept into the giant swirling crimson vortex and completely vanished into oblivion.
Mozart appeared back on the familiar fighting stage. Across him, Ling Men gave a stuff cough and kneeled down onto the stage, supporting himself with his heavy sword, his face pale.
The audiences were baffled. They only saw Mozart pause for a moment, and then Ling Men fell to his knees as if he had been heavily struck. In this period of time, Mozart's daggers hadn't even touched Ling Men.
Just what was going on?