Chapter 162: Chapter 160 - An Old Battle 2

Suddenly, the massive black swords began to crumble.

The arena fell silent. Every eye refused to believe what it was seeing. Those swords were no simple thing — they were raw, overwhelming power. The pinnacle of the Fourth Rank. A concentrated, wide-scale attack. An attack capable of tearing apart most of the masters present in this tournament. And yet...

The cracks began to spread across them. One crack. Then another. Then hundreds, until they covered the black swords entirely.

In a single moment, the black swords exploded. They dissolved into black dust that scattered across the sky.

But that wasn’t all. The small black swords belonging to the Master of Killing Eyes had already arrived. The hidden strike that no one had noticed — the one that had struck the massive swords from within.

In the stands, the eyes of the Master of Black Lightning widened. Then he whispered under his breath: "It seems he’s finally mastered it."

As for Forest Sparrow, she stood watching the arena in silence. She hadn’t fully understood what had happened. But she understood one thing — that attack was not normal.

At the top of the arena, the Master of the Ivory Mask had gone completely still. The mask concealed his expression. But behind it, his eyes had narrowed.

*"So this is it,"* he whispered inwardly. *"This is why everyone feared him."*

---

Slowly, the atmosphere in the arena settled. The black dust faded. The small swords vanished with it.

The battle returned to zero. But something was different this time. The heavy armor that the Master of Killing Eyes had worn — it was gone. Its thick plates dissolved one by one, until his body reappeared. A white cloak. A powerful frame. And a bald head gleaming beneath the sunlight.

Then he raised his palm toward the sky. Slowly. Calmly. And pointed his finger at the Master of the Ivory Mask.

Silence reigned. Even the commentator stopped speaking.

In the next moment, the Master of the Ivory Mask felt something break. Not his body. Not his energy. But his sense of balance. The air around him shifted. The blades carrying him lost their alignment. His body tilted without warning.

*"Hah?"*

His eyes sharpened behind the mask. He tried to regain control. Tried to rebalance the blades. But it was no use.

He kept falling. Faster. And faster. And faster.

*"What’s happening?!"* one of the masters shouted.

*"He’s falling!"*

Thirty meters. Twenty. Ten.

Then—

**BOOM.**

The Master of the Ivory Mask slammed into the ground with brutal force. The arena shook. Dust and gravel exploded in every direction. A web of cracks spread outward from the point of impact.

As for the Master of Killing Eyes — he remained standing exactly where he was. He hadn’t moved a single step. Hadn’t attacked. Hadn’t rushed forward. He simply lowered his arm slowly, then spoke in a calm voice that reached every corner of the arena:

"Now..." His eyes narrowed and fixed on the cloud of dust. "Let’s see how you fly again."

---

*"Tch..."* I growled inwardly. *"What kind of ability does this bastard have?"*

I had barely finished the thought when his footsteps were already close. My eyes narrowed. I moved fast.

In his hand, a sword had formed from compressed steam — a sharp, triangular blade.

*Swoosh—*

I leapt backward. Behind me, a large crack split the ground and stretched for dozens of meters.

*"Strong,"* I murmured.

He lunged again. I retreated. His movements were fast — but not as fast as mine. The gap wasn’t large. But it was decisive.

He kept pressing. Strike after strike. Lunge after lunge. But gradually, something began to show in his movements. A hint of impatience. A hint of anger.

I smiled inwardly. *"Are you trying to bait me? Your experience in this world won’t make up for what I’ve spent inside the training dimension."*

I kept retreating, while my mind continued analyzing. My previous attack — the black swords — that was not something a master who relied on environmental control should have been able to stop. And yet he stopped it. Erased it completely.

*"The armor..."* I murmured. *"Was the armor the reason?"*

Finally, he stopped chasing me. We stood apart, watching each other.

Then I drew a wind sword and charged directly at him. He moved toward me as well. He raised his steam blade and drove a straight strike forward.

I raised my sword.

**Clang.**

The two swords collided with force. The air trembled. Another strike. Then a third. The blows kept coming — neither of us gave ground. Every collision was an open challenge. Every impact shook the earth beneath our feet. It went on for several moments. Then we both stepped back.

*"It seems the wind sword can’t be shattered..."* I murmured.

The question from the start of the fight still gnawed at me. *"Was it really the armor?"*

Suddenly, I raised my hand. Dozens of blades shot upward into the sky. Then hundreds. Then thousands. I kept pushing — more and more — until the count reached ten thousand blades.

Then they fell upon him like a raging flood. A deadly metallic rain, pouring down from every direction.

He didn’t move at first. He raised his sword, and the steam blade began spinning like a massive fan, deflecting the blades one by one. A blade. Then another. Then dozens. Then he leapt sideways and deflected another wave. Then another.

But gradually, his movements began to tighten. Ten thousand blades were not something that could be handled with a single sword — not even by an elite master.

*"Does he not have the ability to cancel them?"* I murmured.

I raised my hand again. Thousands of new blades surged from around me and began to merge. Once more, the sound of fusion rang through the sky — a sharp screech, a violent grinding. Below, the Master of Killing Eyes continued to dodge and deflect. Above me, the massive silver blades began taking shape again. One. Then another. Then another. The entire crowd had gone silent. No one shouted. No one spoke. Everyone watched.

In the sky, the silver blades fused — until the first black sword formed. Then the second. Then the third.

And finally, six enormous black swords settled behind me. Larger than before. Denser. Heavier in the pressure they cast over the air.

I exhaled slowly. *"I’ve lost fifty percent of my accumulation."* But it was worth it.

I directed my hand toward him. The six swords launched forward — black meteors tearing through the air, devouring the distance between us at terrifying speed.

In a single instant, they arrived. The air exploded. The ground split. The crowd held its breath.

Then — the Master of Killing Eyes raised his hand. Just... raised his hand.

My eyes went wide with shock. All six swords... stopped. Stopped as though time itself had frozen.

Then they began to crumble. Piece by piece. Fragment by fragment. Until they became black dust.

Then they were gone. Silence fell.

And I stood there, staring at him. Then my eyes widened all at once.

*"Hah..."* I growled with fury. And in that single moment — I understood.

*"He tricked me."* He hadn’t been stopping the swords. He hadn’t been destroying them. He had been waiting from the very beginning. Waiting for the moment I spent half my accumulation again.

---

*"Alright..."* I murmured, my gaze fixed on the Master of Killing Eyes from across the arena. The initial shock had passed.

*"He must have a shattering ability."* My eyes narrowed. *"But is it limited — or not?"* 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

I couldn’t know. Because from the very start of this battle, I had only used blades. Wind blades. Wind swords. Black swords. Everything had come from the same origin.

*"If I want to test him..."* I murmured. *"I need to use a weapon."*

I extended my hand. A new wind sword formed.

Then I charged directly at him.

He didn’t retreat. Didn’t maneuver. He only raised his steam sword.

Then—

*Swoosh—*

The wind sword shattered. It vanished before it even reached him, dissolving into scattered particles in the air. Nothing remained in my hand.

**Boom.**

His steam sword struck my shoulder. I was thrown back several steps.

*"Tch..."* I grunted — but I didn’t stop. I recovered my balance immediately.

But the Master of Killing Eyes was faster. One step — and he appeared before me.

*Swoosh — Boom.*

Another direct strike. This time into my side. I was thrown back with clear pain. I leapt away — dozens of meters, then dozens more — until I finally stopped.

I was breathing hard. He remained standing where he was. He didn’t follow. He didn’t try to press the advantage. He simply stood there, watching me. As though he already knew I was thinking.

I raised my head toward him and slowly steadied my breathing, until my pulse returned to normal.

Then — I laughed. Without meaning to. A short, strange laugh that even I found unexpected.

"It seems the blade ability has become useless," I said aloud.

Silence fell over the arena. The Master of Killing Eyes said nothing.

"For the first time..." I smiled behind my mask. "My offensive power has become worthless."

I raised my hand — then lowered it again. No blades. No swords. Nothing.

*"Alright..."* I murmured. Then I straightened where I stood, and stopped thinking about blades entirely.

---

In the stands, the eyes of the Master of Black Lightning widened. The Master of Frost grew sharper in his focus.

Because they all understood what had just happened.

The Master of the Ivory Mask had relied on blades since the very beginning of this tournament. Every battle. Every victory. Every plan — built around them. But now, facing a opponent capable of shattering them, that card had become worthless.

Or so it appeared.

Then the Master of the Ivory Mask took a slow, deep breath. He raised his head and turned his gaze toward his opponent.

"Fortunately..." his voice came out calm. "I am no longer the person who relies on only one ability."

And in the next moment — a red flame began to dance above his right arm.