"Sword Path—First Form: Endless Rain of Blades, Without a Single Gap."
His root magic was a reflection of the past—perfectly recreating everything that had already occurred.
…So that's how it is. A fighting style just like Kakashi's.
In an instant, four layers of impossibly dense, inescapable sword rain erupted around the white-haired, red-eyed youth!
Boom!
Slash!
But in the very next moment, another burst of sword light flashed—
And every single blade surrounding him was severed in an instant.
The boy's gaze sharpened slightly. The easy confidence and faint disdain from before receded.
"…Seems I underestimated you."
Bang!
In a flash, he appeared directly in front of Kanzaki Rei.
Rei didn't retreat—he advanced.
The Phantom Ring-Star War Spear thrust forward!
「Arcane Tempering Combat Art—Seventh Form: Stored Mana Convergent Kill」
The indomitable battle intent of Unyielding Heart merged with the ever-transforming combat will, surging outward!
For the briefest moment—
A flicker of doubt crossed the white-haired youth's mind.
…Could I lose?
「Sword Path—Second Form: Heaven and Earth Aligned in a Single Line」
A single, absolute slash!
Slash!
That streak of sword light seemed to cleave through space itself—dividing everything along its path!
He completely ignored Rei's chained assault—
And simply swung his sword.
That one strike cut through Rei's body.
It was as though he had been split cleanly in two.
And in truth—he had.
But at the exact moment his body was severed, the two halves had already rejoined, restoring themselves completely.
…What a terrifying slash.
This was the first time Rei had taken such severe damage. Even through layers upon layers of shields, the opponent had still managed to bisect him in a single stroke.
And yet—
Rei had suffered no real harm.
Meanwhile, the white-haired youth was struck directly in the chest by the spear!
Boom!
「Stored Mana Convergent Kill · Source · Piercing Thunder Core Detonation」
The source force surged instantly into his body!
「True Soul Explosion (4th Tier) (LV: 301) — Soul Sacrifice: 5,000,000,000」
A massive concentration of energy gathered within him!
The moment the attack landed, Rei's body transformed into a streak of light and retreated at extreme speed!
Hummm—
This was the first time Rei had sacrificed such an enormous number of souls in a single attack.
This opponent was even more troublesome than the War God.
The white-haired youth's body instantly collapsed inward—
And the space around him twisted and caved in!
BOOM—
Everything compressed—
Until only a deep void remained, burned into space itself.
Standing at a distance, Rei could no longer sense his opponent's presence.
Watching the aftermath of the explosion…
He muttered to himself:
"…Sword Saints really are everywhere."
In just one trip to the Forgotten Kingdom, he'd already encountered three of them.
More than the number of diviners he'd met.
Ridiculous.
But in the very next second—
A violent warning from his intuition erupted again!
Danger—behind him.
Yet his perception detected nothing.
Whoosh—
Rei's body instantly transformed into a streak of light, darting away at extreme speed!
But the sense of danger didn't fade—
There was no feeling of escape!
Rei immediately recalled his battle with Kiyomi.
An assassin…
This must be a lethal assassination technique—
Impossible to dodge.
Then…
I'll take it head-on!
"HA!!!"
With a roar, he sacrificed souls to strengthen himself!
His entire body hardened like black-glass steel.
At the same time, over a hundred layers of shields formed—each reinforced with a million souls!
A banner manifested above him, radiating light upon his body!
Two layers of armor encased him—inner and outer.
「Radiant Great Armor」「Earthroot Warplate」
His feet planted firmly into the ground—
Immovable!
The Earthroot Warplate, in its rooted state, amplified all of his defenses!
BOOM!
In the next instant—
Rei watched as his countless layers of shields shattered one after another—
A sword pierced straight through from the front!
「Sword Path—Fifth Form: Wrath of the Heart, Drawing the Blade to Slay All Gods」
BOOM!
The attack tore through layer after layer of shields—
But as each one shattered, new ones regenerated!
Eight layers of source transformed into thirty-two layers of incredibly durable root-magic shields!
Layer upon layer—
Breaking, regenerating, breaking again—
This single thrust effectively had to pierce through thousands of shields!
BOOM!
The furious blade drove deep—
But by the time it reached Rei's armor, its power had nearly vanished.
Only a residual force passed through—
Attempting to shatter his internal organs.
Yet Rei's physique held firm. His insides trembled slightly—but no real damage was done.
"You're still alive?"
At the same time as he questioned this—
Over sixty layers of prisons formed instantly!
Dark binding magic, death confinement magic, soul cages, holy restraints, ice seals—
Flash!
Boom!
The moment they formed—
They shattered just as quickly!
The white-haired youth retreated instantly, widening the distance.
…Fourth-tier magic?
Why does he know so many fourth-tier spells?
Until now, Rei had mostly used second- and third-tier magic.
Aside from that, only two fourth-tier spells had been used—
The Piercing Thunder Core Detonation…
And that one devastating attack capable of destroying him.
"…Your magic is quite something," the white-haired youth said, his tone finally calm, arrogance fading.
Observing carefully—
This spear-wielding boy's magic shields were far stronger than ordinary ones.
"You possess the indomitable battle will of the War God… yet you're also a root mage."
"And you've even developed your own combat philosophy."
"And…"
His gaze shifted to Rei's spear, wrapped in countless souls that constantly reinforced it.
"A Death Priest as well."
"…You're the most interesting opponent I've ever encountered."
Rei replied evenly:
"I'm more curious how you survived that just now."
"Heh…"
"After living nine lives, how could I not have a few survival tricks?"
He sneered—but gave no explanation.
Rei sighed faintly. Usually, people loved talking. Now, suddenly, he wasn't in the mood.
"If Sword Saints are so common, as you say…"
A staff appeared in the youth's hand.
"…Then let me show you something beyond swordsmanship."
"Third-Tier Destruction Magic."
At the same time, Rei leveled his spear.
"Third-Tier Root Magic."
「Source · Reflection of the Past」
Flash!
Mirrors appeared behind the white-haired youth—
Hummm—
Sixteen instances of 「True Soul Explosion」 formed once more!
The youth's expression darkened.
How many times is this guy going to use my own root magic against me?!
BOOM!
Space collapsed instantly!
Without even attempting a counterattack, the youth vanished.
Rei raised his hand—
His peripheral vision locked onto a location where the youth had yet to appear.
「Source · Future Law」
…Oh.
He'll appear there.
So—
Rei placed True Soul Explosion into the future at that exact point.
In that future timeline, the spell had already completed its preparation—soul sacrifice and release included.
Flash!
Half a second later—
The white-haired youth reappeared exactly at that location!
And the moment he did—
BOOM!
Space imploded violently!
The explosion detonated instantly!
But in the very next moment—
Rei spun, spear raised in defense!
A hundred layers of shields formed!
BOOM!
The youth had already appeared behind him again!
In an instant—
Their techniques clashed wildly!
Spears, swords, shields, magic—
Everything collided head-on!
Shockwaves exploded outward, sending elemental turbulence rippling through the hall!
"Didn't you say you'd show me something beyond swordsmanship? Why are you still using a sword?"
"Who said I didn't?"
A warning flashed above Rei—
He looked up—
And saw that, at some unknown moment, the sky had filled with floating cannon-like constructs.
Futuristic floating turrets—
Completely out of place in a world of swords and magic.
「Level 3 Mechanist」
So this is a Mechanist…
In Loren, he'd almost never seen one.
Though allowed, there were no trainers for the class locally.
To become one, you'd need to travel to another continent.
The floating cannons multiplied—
One became two, two became four—
By the time he reacted—
The sky was filled with them.
All barrels—
Aimed at Rei.
BOOM!
A rain of beams descended!
Rei endured the barrage—
Some beams pierced even his shields and struck his armor directly!
"…Tch."
Whoosh!
The temperature plummeted instantly!
「Source · Forbidden Cold Art—Age of Absolute Ice (4th Tier) (LV: 301)」
Crack—
In an instant, the entire battlefield froze over!
The floating cannons stiffened—
Then froze solid—
Before crashing down like massive hailstones!
"Church forbidden magic?!"
"You know this too?!"
The youth was visibly shaken.
This… wasn't ordinary forbidden magic.
This was a fourth-tier enhanced version.
LV: 301 vs LV: 100—
Entirely different tiers of power!
BOOM!
Extreme cold ravaged everything!
Ice, storms, lightning—
All elements churned violently!
You like running?
Then I'll freeze the entire battlefield.