Daniel, still recovering his Holy Qi, watched Spirit Daniel extremely closely. Spirit Daniel hadn't made a move yet, just observing Daniel's recovery. Daniel decided not to let Spirit Daniel concentrate for too long—what if he was about to activate an ultimate skill or something extremely powerful?
He released his Holy Qilin, sending it to attack Spirit Daniel. However, Spirit Daniel didn't even have to dodge; he simply withered away and reappeared in different locations, leading the Holy Qilin on a futile chase. It couldn't harm him at all. Finally, Spirit Daniel made a move.
Holy Style: Holy Matrimony!
White lightning strikes rained down from the sky, forcing Daniel to halt his recovery and dodge the bolts. He recognized this skill as an ultimate ability from his inheritance. Earlier, he had pondered how Spirit Daniel would battle, but now it was clear: he was truly fighting himself.
As Daniel continued to dodge, his Holy Qilin attempted to attack Spirit Daniel, but all its strikes were ineffective. Then, Daniel had an idea. As the Qilin approached Spirit Daniel again, Daniel summoned his sword, Wyrmcleaver, and stabbed through Spirit Daniel. The sword flew back to Daniel's hand, and Spirit Daniel shrank in size, indicating damage.
Daniel quickly grasped the situation—physical attacks couldn't harm Spirit Daniel; only his Holy Style skills could. Wyrmcleaver, infused by the GEI with Daniel's Holy Qi, proved effective despite being a physical attack.
Seeing Spirit Daniel hurt, Daniel took advantage of the situation and activated his own skill.
Holy Style: Judgment Day!
Daniel, now with a towering Holy Knight overshadowing his body and wielding Wyrmcleaver in one hand and a shield in the other, charged at Spirit Daniel. Despite the dodging Qilin attacks, Daniel closed in on his spectral counterpart, launching a flurry of strikes in an attempt to end the battle swiftly.
Spirit Daniel continued to evade both Daniel's attacks and the relentless assaults of the Qilin. Cornered, Spirit Daniel teleported into the sky, preparing to activate his own skill. Daniel watched closely, ready to react to whatever came next.
Holy Style: Envoy Of The Light!
The immense Holy Knight commanded by Spirit Daniel loomed over Daniel's comparatively diminutive form. This overwhelming disparity in size made Daniel's Holy Knight transformation seem small in comparison, akin to a kitten facing a towering giraffe.
With a powerful stomp, Spirit Daniel's colossal Holy Knight dispatched Daniel's Holy Qilin in an instant, a legendary Sacred Rank Heaven Animal falling dead to the massive entity. Undeterred, Daniel lunged at the Holy Knight's leg, aiming to sever it, but his sword could barely scratch the armor of the giant.
As Spirit Daniel's Holy Knight shrank to match Daniel's form, its armor noticeably thickened. Spirit Daniel confidently declared his intent to end the battle, activating a new skill with determination. Daniel braced himself for the next onslaught, knowing he had to find a way to overcome this formidable opponent.
Holy Style: Sanctity's Mirror!
Despite the overwhelming onslaught from Spirit Daniel's multiple Holy Knights, Daniel refused to yield. As his defensive artifacts shattered and his protective skills failed, Daniel found himself helpless under the relentless assault. His spine and legs were broken, and his back was being mercilessly pummeled.
Through tears and agony, Daniel mustered the last of his strength, lifting his right arm with Wyrmcleaver in hand. With a desperate resolve, he swung the sword at the nearest Holy Knight, aiming to strike back even in the face of defeat. The Haven's observing eye began to close, signaling the impending conclusion of the battle and Daniel's struggle.
SLASH!
One of the Holy Knights cleaved Daniel's forearm, leaving him writhing in agony. Tears streamed down his cheeks, mirroring the cascading pain.
"Hahaha! Feel the torment of Jonathan Smith's death! Sense JacQuarius's agony when you took his right eye, and the Kawasaki Family's anguish after you killed them! You deem yourself a hero, but JacQuarius is the true villain—you're the betrayer!" Spirit Daniel's words lashed at Daniel as blows rained down upon him.
Daniel's consciousness wavered, overwhelmed by pain and the weight of his past sins. Blood loss and relentless assault pushed him to the brink. Amidst the chaos, memories of joy with family, friends, and Selena flooded his mind, highlighting the stark contrast to his current torment.
Recalling a tender moment with Selena on their first date, Daniel's thoughts grappled with the complexities of friendship and betrayal. As despair settled in, Daniel surrendered.
"I give up." Daniel's voice was a defeated whisper.
As the Eye of the Celestial Haven closed, Spirit Daniel's assault ceased.
"Congratulations, Daniel. You've passed," Spirit Daniel's words, tinged with finality, echoed in the aftermath.
Daniel didn't even hear him, he immediately blacked out.
Hours Later
Daniel awoke to find Spirit Daniel still present, a smile on his face. His severed arm had been tended to, stemming the flow of blood.
"Daniel, you've officially passed the test. Despite losing the battle horribly, you've still passed as you admitted your defeat. This test was never about a victory or defeat, it was a trial of courage and resolve, admitting your defeat was the most courageous thing you could have done in that situation, or else you would have died for nothing. Tons of cultivators have died here in the face of battle, few rarely realize the situation and admit their defeat. After all your enemy is yourself but with unlimited Qi, there was no possible way for you or the others to win, after all, I know all your tactics, skills, memories, etc. Now that you've passed, you can reap your rewards. Let me begin!" Spirit Daniel spoke before colliding with Daniel.
With that, Spirit Daniel collided with Daniel, unleashing a flood of emotions and knowledge. Daniel's mind raced to keep pace, overwhelmed by the deluge. Then, a remarkable occurrence transpired—a will materialized before him.
"My descendant, you have finally arrived! I knew the GEI would take you here eventually, after all, they had done the same thing to me countless years ago. Heed my words closely, DO NOT TRUST THE GEI! They are simply taking advantage of you and turning you into their greatest pawn, once they've finished turning you into their greatest weapon, they'll take anything that you deeply love and use it as blackmail to withhold you as their pawn. They did it to me, they took the love of my life and tortured her whenever I refused their commands! That's when I finally grew tired of it, and faked a battle with the Primordial Reaper, we actually teamed up in secret to wipe out the GEI! The amount of Legend Rank Cultivators they have in reserve is unbelievable. The first chance you get, escape from their clutches and hide all your family and loved ones or you'll regret it for the rest of your live. It's nice to finally see my descendant. I'll leave you a parting gift!" The will spoke before entering Daniel's mind!