Back to the battlefield where Austin and Edwen should be fighting.
Austin was looking at the dark red sinister energy that was engulfing Edwen which increased the pressure he emitted earlier. Austin increased his pressure to resist and push it back but then suddenly the dark red sphere of energy that was surrounding Edwen disappeared along with the pressure.
"!!!' Austin became surprised as he noticed his aura disappeared out of blue as if it was cancelled.
'Things are getting more troublesome, aren't they?' He muttered as he looked at Edwen's form now.
His hair became white and long but still spiky, his skin became red metallic with a black armor that covered only his shoulders reveling his toned six packs and some of his chest.
There was a black mask with glowing red eye in the middle, the mask covered his whole face with long spikes resembling a crown protruding from the top of the mask.
Both his arms were covered with the same black material like the armor but it was at the shape of lines that tightly fitted him.
He was wearing wide leather pants with black metal plates on both sides of his hips and waist.
In his hand a long Nodachi that has a black blade and black handle with sliver hue.
The Edwen in front of him at the moment was very much different from the Edwen of before. His aura became so sharp that the air around was being cut around him.
But there was something that was confusing.
He wasn't exuding any pressure of some sort but the air around him and his aura made Austin feel uneasy.
His instincts were screaming on top of their lungs that there was danger in front of him and he should escape as fast as possible.
But then before he could even think or say a word, Edwen vanished from in front of him without leaving a trace behind, not even a bit of energy.
Austin looked around in an attempt to find him but to no avail, nothing could be found. His presence disappeared and he couldn't even detect him using his magic.
But then suddenly...
*Thrust*
A sword came from Austin's back penetrating his chest to the other side. Looking at the black blade Austin felt so much pain but that wasn't important at the moment as he gritted his teeth before jumping away from his place with the blade coming out of him.
He clutched his chest before using his healing magic to heal his wound preventing his situation from getting worse.
Then with his expression getting serious, he focused his mana on his eyes making him perceive the world in a different light. It was a world that was flowing slowly.
Then without much wait he dashed at Edwen in a blinding speed surpassing the sound barrier in the process.
Once he reached Edwen he attacked with his sword using all of his strength creating a very powerful slash, but then Edwen blocked it easily with sparks flying out of the point of connection.
Austin widened his eyes for a second before narrowing it again and sending a kick enhanced with spiritual energy at him.
BAAAAAAAAAAM!!!!
The kick connected with his body sending him back crashing in the pillar of marble breaking it the process.
But Austin wasn't satisfied with that kick, he knew that this would happen but no harm of trying.
His aura was nullified upon contact with his body so he used all of his strength to kick along with the aura.
Austin didn't wait for Edwen to come back as he dashed at him and engaged with him in a battle of swords that was very fast and unpredictable as every slash that Edwen sent was random, following no pattern which made it hard for Austin to predict the next attack beside, his proficiency in sword increased by several degrees as if he became a master of sword.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sounds of swords colliding echoed through the hall with sparks flying everywhere.
Austin knew that neither magic not aura would do anything to him, so he relied on his martial arts and sword techniques.
He is still stick to the original plan which is reaching the Grandmaster level while fighting as he felt his proficiency increasing with each connection of their swords.
He used all he could use from Taekwondo to Muay Thai to Sword while fighting Edwen but nothing did damage to him.
Only some scratches here and there, his armor was too tough and even his skin that was also metallic like real armor but Austin knew that this was a skin not an armor.
Cuts and wounds appeared on Austin's body making blood flow out of his wounds and staining his shirt and pants.
He was breathing heavily, so he kicked Edwen sending him back several meters to make a distance between him and Austin to heal his wounds and replenish his stamina, but then something suddenly happened.
His spell were cancelled.
He tried to use the healing spell again but to no avail, he couldn't. He couldn't use even a bit of mana as if something was blocking it.
With his eyes widened, he looked back at Edwen to see him extending his left hand in front of him and that hand had black energy surrounding it.
'What the— so he could use his Nullification that way too?! He blocked my mana and my spiritual energy so I can't use them! Now I'm fucked.'
'Seems like this new form gained him a higher control and proficiency over his Nullification. Fuck FUCK!'
Austin cursed inwardly while thinking of a way to deal with him, but nothing came in hand. All of his routes were blocked.
Although he could rely on his martial arts and swords skills but he would die in the end as the difference between them increased by several levels surpassing Austin himself.
Due to the mask he couldn't see Edwen's expression if he was mocking him or pitying him. Even after his transformation, he didn't utter a single word which was weird.
And his sudden increase in sword proficiency was hella suspicious. He was sure that Edwen wasn't that proficient in swords or martial arts, he didn't need a proof to know as he could figure it out from the way he fought and how his body moved. Even if the one was pretending, there had to be some habits that the one couldn't get ride off.
And Austin didn't find any of it, then that led him to one single conclusion.
Edwen is being controlled by someone from afar and that 'someone' Austin guessed it to be the foreign being that Marjaana talked about.
It was like that being wanted Austin dead. But why didn't that being do it itself?
Maybe because something was preventing it from doing it?
Then everything connected, that being wanted Austin dead and it used Edwen, the final boss of the this world, to kill him.
But there is one more question.
Why did that being want Austin dead?
Nothing came to mind.
But that wasn't of importance right now as Edwen suddenly vanished and appeared in front of Austin in a lightning speed as if he ignored the space.
Clang!
BOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!!
Austin blocked the sword in the last moment but he was sent flying back in incredible speed crashing into a wall breaking it in the process.
"AAAAAAGH!! *Cough*" Austin groaned loudly in pain as there was no barrier nor aura to protect him from the attack. His body's internal organs were damaged and bones were broken making him cough large amounts of blood.
His body became a bloody mess just from that single attack.
This made Austin realize that without his magic he was nothing or Edwen was just that strong.
He knew himself very well and how strong he was without using magic or aura, his body was enhanced to the limit and he strengthened it beyond that limit with his harsh training, beside his mastery over weapons that reached the Master level.
But even with all of that, he wasn't match to Edwen who became on a whole different level. He figured that there was no pressure coming out of him because his Nullification nullified his own aura so no pressure could be released but did that mean that he couldn't use Demonic Energy?
His answer came when suddenly a jet of ice bullets was shot at him.
Austin widened his eyes before with the sword at one hand blocked and deflected most of the bullets coming at him, but that didn't prevent all of them as two bullets escaped and penetrated his shoulders.
"FUUUUUUCK!" He screamed in pain.
But he gritted his teeth enduring the pain.
'So he can choose the energy he wants to nullify and where to nullify, that's a bullshit.'
He thrusted the sword on the floor and used it as a support to stand up although he was struggling hard.
He was sweating buckets and blood stained his white shirt making it red, wounds were scattered on his body at different places but one thing for sure.
If he didn't do anything right now, then he is fucked.
But then he felt something, something that made him widen his eyes so hard and his body tremble while his heart beat loudly that he could hear it in his ears. Tears streamed from his eyes unconsciously.
He felt a connection disappearing.
'L-Lya?!'