Chapter 122
The world had slowed to a crawl while Aris scanned his surroundings, though his focus never left the semi-cultivator Voss standing before him.
His Ore was working so intensely that everything around him seemed to move through honey, and each approaching threat reached his awareness as if he were seeing a few seconds into the future.
[Ore Senses: Full Extension]
The guards moved at him without a word, and Aris had already enhanced and reinforced his body while coating his katana with mana using the same layered spells embedded in the blade.
The incoming force consisted of several Copper stage fighters, a handful of Bronze stage warriors, and two Iron stage cultivators who hung back near Voss.
Aris locked himself into the moment, and the Bronze stages tried to cast their spells, but none of it mattered because the moment he drew his sword, they were already dead.
In terms of raw combat power, he was a 3 Star, though he could also fight 4 Stars and still win as long as he faced the weaker ones among that rank.
The Copper stages were not even equal to a 2 Star, and the same went for the Bronze stages, so the only people Aris was watching for were the two Iron stage fighters whose combat power would match a 3 Star or 4 Star, as well as Voss himself, who by a single look seemed equal to a 5 Star or even a 6 Star.
Aris killed every single guard who entered his range in quick, efficient motions while moving at around twenty meters per second and striking with enough strength to destroy a wall.
Then the two Iron stage fighters began moving toward him, but before Aris could clash with them, Voss appeared beside him even though he had been standing still just a moment ago.
Aris had seen this possibility coming through his Ore, but no matter what he tried to do, he could not react in time as Voss came at him with a fist covered in roaring flames.
[Fire Spell: Fire Fist]
The impact sent Aris flying backward through the air, and Voss moved again at around forty-five meters per second, though his speed increased even further when he cast two other spells in his mounting anger.
[Fire Spell: Body Enhancement]
[Fire Spell: Reinforcement]
Once Voss reached nearly sixty meters per second, Aris found himself beaten like a punching bag that could neither dodge nor move against attacks coming from every direction at once.
Aris was already on the verge of blacking out when Voss started stepping on him against the ground, and the stone beneath them cracked from the tremendous force of each stomp.
"You killed my son for a piece of slave trash," Voss snarled, his voice ringing out across the courtyard. "I don't care if this makes an enemy of your stupid city, but I will kill you today."
Voss also knew that nothing would come from the Hidden City of Sky regarding consequences, and he was not foolish enough to openly offend them.
He was only able to act this way because Aris was just at the Bronze stage, and cultivators at that level were considered endless and expendable within the Hidden City.
A Silver stage cultivator in the Hidden City who only had their second pathway open could move at around fifty meters per second without mana, and with their mana they could reach eighty or even ninety meters per second.
Others who had their third pathway open could move at around eighty meters per second naturally, and when using spells their speed could reach anywhere from one hundred to one hundred and twenty meters per second.
Without even putting things in terms of strength, Voss would be killed by a single punch from any of these cultivators even if they did not use their speed or any special techniques, because his body would be destroyed by a full punch that could destroy half a hill without spells or an entire hill for those with their third pathway open.
Voss was just a semi-cultivator, so outside the Hidden Cities he was considered strong, but inside one he would be weaker than even a moderately strong Iron stage or the strongest Bronze stage.
Aris lay bleeding on the ground as Voss finally stopped his assault and looked over at Liana, who was sitting in a state of frozen terror while staring at Aris's broken body.
Voss started walking toward her and said, "You wanted to save her, right? Let me kill this slave before your eyes to remind you of what you have done today."
Liana could feel his killing intent bearing down on her, and she begged, "Please, no, please stop. I didn't do anything wrong."
But Voss only smiled wider as he rushed forward to punch her, holding back a great deal of his strength because he did not want to kill her but only wanted to heavily damage her instead.
Aris watched through his fading vision as Liana was punched over and over again, and he thought that maybe Ezra had been right about him being weak as he prepared to accept his death.
But just before he gave in completely, he heard what Lucas and Ezra would say to him in this situation.
Lucas's calm and practical voice was heard. "When you're in danger, don't think about winning, don't think about death, don't think about anything except to realize that you can still breathe and walk. That means life isn't done with you, so stand up."
Ezra's aggressive and prideful voice came next. "If you're going to die anyway, die fighting. Don't give them the satisfaction of looking down on you. Be a fucking man, Aris. You are the one who said you wanted to become the strongest swordsman. Where is your drive?"
Aris opened his eyes that couldn't see anything, but for the first moment, he could see—not everything around him, but himself.
His Ore scanned his surroundings and knew that if Voss kept going, Liana was going to die, and he would lose his chance of going home and showing the idiot Ezra that he is strong enough and his drive is greater than before to become the greatest swordsman.
Aris tried to stand, but his body was too broken as he kept falling to the ground.
He fell again, again, and again. Before he screamed in his head, 'Listen to me, goddammit.' Then Aris was able to stand up on his feet as he looked at Voss and shouted, "Stop."
Voss looked back and let Liana down as he smiled. "Are you ready for a second round of beating?"
Aris chuckled—slowly, then greatly, like he was crazy—which confused everyone because he was the one who was surrounded and too weak to do anything. "I was about to say the same thing," Aris said and added, "I am going to become the greatest swordsman."
In that instant, his Ore moved around him, driven by his will. His Ore—which was already greater than everyone else's—came to strengthen his body, his mind, and his sword.
Aris felt his strength increasing, and the pressure surrounding him was different.
Voss didn't know Ore and couldn't even sense it.
He moved at his peak speed to kill Aris as he was getting annoyed with him, but before his fist—which had flames connected—could land, Aris dodged below Voss's arm and moved his katana, which cut Voss's chest, leaving a mark on him as blood came out in all directions.
[Ore: Body Enhancement]