There were a lot of legends and stories about Asher. He was said to be more than a hundred years old, but he still looked like a young man. There were rumors that he wasn't even human, and some believed that he was actually a phoenix in disguise. Another legend suggested that he had been born aware of his inner power and how to master it. Whatever was said about him, though, it was said mostly in whispers. No one wanted to risk offending him.
On wings of pure energy, he dove toward Alex, his eyes shining brightly. His wings were like blades that could cut through anything.
With another vicious kick, Alex sent Reagan sprawling again while countering one of the Fool's spells. He tracked Asher's dive and leaped straight into its path, his fist glowing with a green light. His jump took him almost twenty feet into the air, where he collided with Asher with an ear-splitting sound like an iron hammer smashing against a steel blade.
Asher's mastery of his inner force was much greater than Reagan's. Instead of using it to surround his physical body like Reagan's lightning, he infused his entire being with it. His muscles, his skin, and even his internal organs pulsed with light. The next level of skill would be close to being an actual god.
Alex could feel his fist move through Asher's light and make contact with flesh. They grappled in midair, and Asher tried to use his wings to cut into Alex's back, but to no avail. Alex aimed a second, brutal punch at his chest through the shield of light. Asher shouted with surprise as the blow sent him spinning through the air while Alex landed on his feet like a cat. His shirt was torn where Asher's wings had raked across his back, but there wasn't a mark on his skin.
Shocked, Asher tried to regain control of his flight. Nothing should be able to touch him when he was in this form. Bullets bounced off his skin when it was infused with his power, and his wings could cut through the armor of a tank. But the Great One had almost broken one of his ribs, and his wings hadn't even left a scratch.
He's even more powerful than me, Asher thought, with a hint of jealousy. He was starting to worry that Alex might be a natural talent.
There were two paths to immortality. The first was training. Martial artists had to train and practice, usually starting at a very young age. Step by step, they had to ascend to the divine stage, knowing that they were unlikely to ever attain actual divinity. But there were also natural talents.
They were incredibly rare individuals who were born with the ability to harness and use their inner essence as easily as a child learns to walk. Naturally, they still needed training and practice, but they could use their inner power to perform wonders like Asher's wings and Reagan's lightning. The goal was to merge the body and the spirit completely, creating a divine body they could maintain indefinitely. Reagan could only manifest his spirit body for short periods, while Asher could hold his for almost a full day.
Asher could tell that Alex had already begun awakening his divine body. He can't be older than twenty, he thought bitterly. How could he not be jealous?
On the ground, the Fool called up a human-shaped giant made of mud that lumbered toward Alex while Reagan continued fighting hand-to-hand. Alex casually punched Reagan aside, sending him flying, while dodging the giant's clumsy blows.
The mud giant swung an enormous fist, but Alex stepped into the giant's reach and plunged both hands into its chest. The giant exploded in a shower of mud and stone, and Alex moved toward the Fool, ready to end this duel.
The Fool glanced at the sky, and Alex followed his gaze in time to see Asher diving again in a kind of controlled spin, his wings stretched wide. Hundreds of feather-shaped blades of light flew from them like a shower of arrows. Alex instinctively built a shield of energy to block them, but he was forced to stop moving forward. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Fool blink out of sight.
"Invisibility won't help you," he warned the man. His eyes started to glow again, cutting through the illusion. But Asher's dive was nearly complete, so Alex had to engage him first. Moments later, they began to trade blows.
Asher was as dangerous on the ground as he was in the air. He was incredibly strong, and each hit he landed rattled Alex's teeth. Asher pressed the attack—he only had to keep Alex busy long enough for Reagan to flank him.
Reagan was not as strong as Asher, but he was faster, so he could evade Alex's attacks, leaving him open to Asher. The Fool dropped his invisibility spell and dogged Alex from a distance. Facing all three immortals at once, Alex finally seemed to be fighting rather than simply playing.
The spectators were dumbfounded. It was astonishing that Alex still had the upper hand. The triune was throwing everything they had at him, but he still blocked or dodged each attack. Even when they did manage to land a hit, he seemed to barely notice.
Valentina shuddered. "How strong is he?" she asked. "He can beat magic, martial arts, and brute strength at the same time. He's on a whole different level. What if they can't beat him?"
"We should all attack together," Cadel said. "If we can't get past him, then we won't get the tricolor flower. Some of us could even die here."
His fellow immortals hesitated. Living for a very long time made people wary of risk, but Cadel was right. If this didn't end soon, they might not survive. So they nodded. It was time.
They fanned out into a ragged line and started making their way cautiously forward. There was no point in denying that Alex was too strong for the triune. The only way to beat him was for the immortals to work together.
Louis watched them prepare to ambush and yelled, "You call yourselves immortals and grand masters, and yet you plan to fight twenty to one?"