As Kaskara's sword descended upon Kasi, the old man waved his brush in the air bubble within the energy force field writing several words: swift, shield, block, deflect, and overturn. Immediately the words seemed to take life before expanding to several tens of meters.
Kaskara's sword momentum was reduced by over half and his sword strike, 'The Step of Devotion', was halted in its tracks. The clash vaporized a large volume of water and an even higher amount of water was raised out of the lake and shot out into the sky like a vertical river at the point of impact.
This was the might of a brush.
As the battle continued, Kasi wrote many words to block or parry his opponent's blows: sword, shield, parry, block, swift, absorb, deflect, rage, overturn, etcetera. His brush could actually match the might of a sword!
Kaskara had always believed in the supremacy of physical might. He had always seen sayings like "The pen is mightier than the sword" as a joke but tonight, his worldview changed. However, this kind of battle frustrated him the most as he felt that he could not move forward. Finally, he decided to stop his attacks.
"You have many tricks. If we continue like this, this will never end. Old man, be prepared. I will use everything I have."
After saying those words, a long white candle that was almost half a meter long materialized out of thin air in front of Kaskara. The aura coming from the candle had an otherworldly feeling. It did not feel too powerful but Kasi immediately knew he was in danger.
"Holy Aura!"Kasi exclaimed loudly once he realized this candle had holy aura emanating from it. Kaskara did not waste any time and he proceeded to light the candle.
"Wrath of the Fire God!" With a shout, the candle was tipped towards Kasi and a golden river of fire flowed out from it covering the skies, waters, and the earth.
Suddenly, the entire region for several kilometers turned into daytime! Even the spectators did not have comments to make in response to this. Everyone was flabbergasted.
At this point, Kasi knew he would be risking his life if he did not use his full strength. His right hand dug into thin air and disappeared as if it had entered a separated dimension. It seemed as if a small opening to a pocket of space had formed. The old man then pulled a sword out of thin air!
"It's been a long time, sigh." He had finally been forced to use his weapon.
This was a weapon he had not drawn for over a century. This was because this sword required a sacrifice of blood every time it was drawn.
Although it only had a simple look with an ordinary silver color, this sword had a notorious reputation. It had been forged over 1,000 years ago and passed down through numerous generations. Both righteous and evil warriors had wielded this weapon. It was a blade that had drunk the blood of countless people. This was the [Sword of Sacrifice].
Immediately after it was drawn, the sword emitted a sword cry that was so loud that the rain in the entirety of Sese Island paused momentarily. It was if the sword was celebrating its freedom. The ears of many of the spectators who were nearby started bleeding and even those who were off fighting in the distance still heard it. The entire Sese town was awoken by the commotion brought by this sword cry.
Kaskara exclaimed in shock as the sword draw alone not only split the golden flame river attack in half but also cut deep into his chest drawing blood. The momentary brightness from the [Wrath of the Fire God] technique dimmed and was snuffed out like a candle as the night and rain returned fiercely.
A blood red light seemed to remain in the air as Kaskara's blood was instantly turned into vapor by the clash of both powers. However, the expression on Kaskara's face was not shock or fear but pure glee.
"Elder, you are finally willing to be serious." This was the first time Kaskara referred to Kasi as 'elder' showing his respect to him for finally putting his full strength into the battle.
"You said I wouldn't be able to 'see' your blade in my previous state. Young man, can you 'see' my blade in your current state?"
Kaskara did not answer him but proceeded to laugh before exclaiming, " Hahahaha, I can feel that my Kingship Aura will rise after beating such a high level opponent. Kasi the Invisible Blade, you are my doorway. Rejoice for your sacrifice today shall lead to the rise of a new King!"
Kasi did not reply to this. He disdained to reply. He did not think Kaskara could bear the weight of these arrogant words.
However, Kaskara did not give him time to doubt him further before explaining further, "I know you think I am arrogant, but what if I told you I could use the momentum from this victory to directly break past the next realm!"
"To all swordsmen you are a legend so I am naturally happy to face you, but that is not enough reason for me to risk my life. You kept asking me why I did not retreat. Well this is the answer. This is my true intention, my Martial Path."
With these words, Kasi immediately understood his opponent's stubbornness. It was related to his martial path. Once Crystal Warriors reached the Fusion Core realm, they would have to decide on their own unique martial path in order to advance further. No two paths were exactly alike but some of the more famous paths were: Indomitable Will, Sovereign Ruler, Paragon Ascension, Destruction, Just Payments, Illusory Obsession, Fate Reversal and Dream Desire.
Kasi could tell that Kaskara's path was one that involved ruling, kingship, and trampling over others in order to ascend higher. By defeating stronger opponents, his vigor would rise and in turn increase his martial strength!