Atop the rubble, on one of the floating islands, a squirrel could be seen digging through the ruins; a feat a normal squirrel could only dream of pulling off. On close inspection tho, one could see the abnormality stemming from its claws. Black steam-like gas could be seen leaking out of the tips, making digging through the rubble like it was nothing.
One might ask why and how a squirrel was doing this and the answer lay under all the rubble. The [CameraMan] activated an X-ray function on his camera, allowing us to see that under a few meters of rubble was an intensely vibrating acorn.
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[Reader]: Heeeeeeeey... A squirrel chasing an acorn inadvertently finds itself in crazy situations... isn't that-*Before the [Reader] could continue, [Author] invoked a timeout resulting in a,
-[Reader]'s chatting privileges have been restricted for the duration of this chapter_
, to appear.
[Author]: Close one...
* * *
The air was filled with tension as imaginary sparks flew when the two gazes clashed with one another. The battle intent rising from their bodies conveyed the intensity of what will be proceeding in the coming moments.
Martial Master Lei gripped his spear tighter as a deranged smile appeared on his face. Demon's Stride!
Like a flash, Martial Master Lei managed to cross hundreds of meters, appearing in front of Han Sen with the intent to kill.
*ZWOSH*
In one fluid motion, he wielded his spear and slashed at Han Sens's neck. But Han Sen reacted quickly as he swayed his head back before spinning around and delivering a devastating roundhouse kick to the head.
*Tsk*
Having lost the first blow, Martial Master Lei clicked his tongue before sending a barrage of spear thrusts toward Han Sen's vitals, all delivered at the same time.
'I can dodge two, maybe three of them but not all of them!' Han Sen thought, but he wasn't going to take them all lying down. Right before the attacks could land, he went into a horse stance before stomping his right leg. The ground, not being able to handle such harassment, cracked! The force seemed to reverberate into the ground, before suddenly reversing its direction and returning back into Han Sen's body. That same instant, the spear landed on his body causing a ripple-like effect to materialize a hair's width away from its intended target. As the moments passed, the ripples intensified causing the spear to be flung to the side.
Martial Master Lei gripped the spear harder, not allowing it to be freed from his grasp. Seizing this opportunity, Han Sen quickly changed his stance; landing three quick blows on Martial Master Lei's solar plexus; the third attack pushing him back three steps. It would have been more if not for him breaking his retreat by driving his spear through the ground.
Lei's eyes widened in discomfort as he thought, 'Damn bastard... he's strong!', that same smile creeping onto his face as he finished his thought. He wasn't really threatened by Han Sen as he himself had only shown off his taijutsu but having been pushed back he couldn't help but be impressed.
Regaining his stance, he let go of his spear before slowly taking off his top and tying the sleeves around his waist. Now shirtless and his abs in full display, he whispered, "Demon's Stride!"
Han Sen who had been observing him sternly suddenly narrowed his eyes as Martial Master Lei disappeared from his sight!
He turned left and then right, but it was too late; a kick had connected with his head and sent him flying. Before he could recover, Master Lei appeared in front of him, throwing a right hook and punching him into the concrete ground.
Not allowing him to recover, he stomped at Han Sen's head; fortunately, though, he rolled away in time. Quickly back on his feet, Han Sen got into a fighting stance waiting for Martial Master Lei to make his move.
Demon's Stride!
The former Sect master appeared in front of Han Sen in a heartbeat, throwing a jab right at his face. Han Sen dodged to the right before countering with a punch of his own. The two seemed to have agreed on hand-to-hand combat as they transformed into professional boxers, throwing hands, blocking, and swaying...*Imaging Creed 1, final fight scene.... of course, change it up for copyright reasons...* Some punches landed whilst others were blocked making it seem like a fair fight... but it wasn't!
Martial Master Lei had a clear edge when it came to landing punches even If he didn't block or dodge as much as his opponent. Han Sen on the other hand was also landing punches, mostly targeting the same location; the solar plexus. It was evident that targeting the same area was paying off as a visible sign of discomfort appeared on Martial Master Lei's face.
*Tsk*
Clicking his tongue, Martial Master Lei dodged the next attack before getting low and sweeping his leg towards Han Sen's feet. Jumping back, Han Sen was just about to land when suddenly, Martial Master Lei slammed the ground with both his fists while uttering,
Rippling Earth!
Just as its name had indicated, this technique made the earth ripple like water with himself as the epicenter. Han Sen was caught off guard by the lack of stable footing and fell on his back. But before he could stand up again, he saw Martial Master Lei in the later phases of his jump; now with his fist ready to connect with his head.
*BOOM*
Due to the force of the punch, Han Sen's head collided with the ground below causing it to crack and him to get dizzy! Martial Master Lei punched again and again, laughing maniacally as each hit landed. Blood colored his knuckles making him look more barbaric than he already did. Han Sen tried many times to defend himself but had his defenses broken through each time; giving him no choice but to take all those hits. His face was entirely covered in blood even to the point that it seeped into his hair, dying the roots of his snow-white hair red. It didn't seem like he would be getting his revenge in this lifetime...
Martial Master Lei seeing Han Sen stop all movement ceased his laughter with a disappointed look on his face.
"Can't believe he just up and died like that... I didn't even get the chance to really let loose! Tsk, How disappointing!"
Getting off the lifeless body, he walked towards his spear as he reflected on all that had happened. 'He had a good run though, I'll admit that...'
Grabbing ahold of his spear, he was just about to pull it out when suddenly he felt a sense of crisis fall upon him. Everything seemed to have turned red as creepy murmurs sounded out. Feeling the deathly sensation behind him he turned towards Han Sen who was now standing. His posture seemed like that of a zombie with his head tilted low, his hair consequently covering it.
Behind him stood afloat the Demonic Lotus, bathing him in its ghastly presence. Black, sand-like matter raised from Han Sen's face, the same kind that appeared when the wraiths were injured, and when he finally raised his head his face was seen sporting no injuries or blood.
'Ah, the demonic treasure foretold by the prince's divination must be this, I presume." Martial Master Lei observed the Demonic Lotus with glee and interest whilst simultaneously getting into a fighting stance.
Round 2 has now been initiated!