Sword Against Dagger
Sparks flew as Zain countered Henry's sword, yet the essence within still reached his body—slashing his skin and drawing blood.
Despite the pain, Zain didn't flinch - or rather, the new title he had gained didn't let him flinch.
The open wounds closed at an incredible speed as he stepped forward, pushing against Henry's sword.
"...What the hell are you?" Henry asked in disbelief.
A man who had merely been at the peak of the Essence Zone… No, Zain was no longer at that level. He had broken through.
He had entered the Master's Zone!
To be able to infuse his essence into his weapon and wield it freely—that was a feat only those in the Master Zone could achieve.
Yet even then, it shouldn't have been possible to block Henry's sword—Henry, who was at the threshold of transcendence. And yet, here Zain was, parrying all of Henry's attacks as if he could see them before they happened.
And that was the truth.
Zain's second crest ability was called Code Foresight.
He had known little about it, as it only activated when at least one of his codes was in action. Until now, he had none. But with the manifestation of his first code, Foresight was now showing its miracles!
Vague paths illuminated in blue guided his movements, predicting the course of Henry's attacks. By moving before the strikes landed, he could keep up with Henry's onslaught!
But Zain wasn't done yet.
His determination had not faded, and the Providence spoke again.
[Manifesting the second code...]
[Second Code: Oath of the Guardian has been created.]
A sudden surge of power coursed through his veins. His stamina began recovering at an incredible pace. He glanced at his own bulging muscles—immense strength beyond his imagination now flowed through his body.
[Oath of the Guardian]
[Description: You are the shield that never breaks, the sword that strikes only in justice. No harm shall come to the helpless while you still stand. Through darkness and peril, you shall protect—unshaken, unwavering, until your last breath.]
[Effects: When protecting someone, stamina rises exponentially, and all active codes are strengthened.]
He felt it.
For the first time since the battle started, Zain took a step forward!
And Providence roared.
[The Knight of Codes has been born!]
Sword clashed against dagger once more.
Sparks flew again.
But this time, Zain pushed Henry back.
"...!!"
Shock was evident on Henry's face, but he had no time to react as Zain followed up with an upward slash!
The attack connected.
Blood splashed as a deep wound was carved into Henry's body. Just as Zain thought it was over—
"I need to ask for more compensation…" Henry's voice rang out.
Zain's eyes narrowed.
"I thought this would be an easy task, man… to think I'd need to use this."
The blood that had gushed from Henry's wound suddenly halted in mid-air instead of spilling out. The air around them grew frigid as Henry straightened his posture.
"You guys better prepare yourselves," he said coldly.
A sea of killing intent surged from his body as he stood tall once again.
Blood oozed from the corpses scattered around them, rising into the air—forming spikes, each one aimed at Zain and the group.
"The price of drawing my blood isn't cheap…"
Henry's Blood Crest—Blood Manipulation—was in play!
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Renard's face gleamed with what could only be described as pure joy.
The Knight of Codes had awakened!
His gamble had paid off—more than he had expected. Zain was far more formidable than he had anticipated.
To fight against a man on the cusp of transcendence, while Zain himself had just broken through to the Master Zone, was no small feat. More so, considering Zain wasn't even familiar with his abilities, which had awakened in the midst of battle.
But as Renard had suspected, Zain seemed to defy the very laws of the world.
His body had been strengthened beyond comprehension, his recovery abilities had skyrocketed, and his spirit—it seemed unbreakable.
Zain's Providence State, which had been visible before the battle, had now turned blank—a testament to how much he had grown.
He had started pushing Henry back at some point and even managed to land a devastating blow.
Just when Renard thought everything was going well—it happened.
Blood rose from the bodies surrounding them.
Life was drained from the corpses as spears of blood hovered in the air—each one more menacing than the last.
"The Blood Art?!"
A forbidden, cursed technique of blood manipulation!
It was a technique exclusive to demons.
And yet, it was now being used before his very eyes.
"Fuck!"
Renard cursed as the spears pointed toward them.
To be able to wield Blood Art Crest, there were only two possibilities.
Either Henry was a Demonkin disguised as a human.
Or—
"A Half-Demon…!"
A halfling—born between demon and human bloodlines.
Whatever the case, at this moment, Renard realized one thing.
He had messed up.
Big time.
Neither Sara nor Zain was powerful enough to block all the incoming blood spears.
And as for himself… he didn't even need to consider it.
To fight a Demonkin wielding the Blood Art, even if he is an halfling…he truly had messed up this time!
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