During the 3 months of training, Atticus had learned a lot of things about the second art.
From what Cedric had taught him, whenever he released a burst from his core, it would flow in all directions throughout his body, and he had to focus more of the burst on his legs, arms, and Katana to perform the art.
But this had a flaw; some of the burst would be lost.
Atticus had also discovered that his speed depended on the amount of the burst he focused in one place.
Then it suddenly clicked: what if he released a burst for each part? One burst for legs, one for arms, one for the Katana. Three bursts in immediate succession to each other. Wouldn't that increase his speed even more?
But then he came across a problem: how would he make sure that each burst released would only go to the required place?
After brainstorming for a while, Atticus created something that, if Cedric had learned that he did it, he might have had a heart attack.
Atticus had created pathways that connected his core to the rest of his body. These pathways, depending on the part he wanted to send the burst to, had different pipe-like paths that would contain the burst and direct it to its required place instantly.
In simple words, he had created a pipeline.
But, as with all things, it wasn't perfect. He had used his mana to build the pathways, and it wasn't permanent. It required constant attention so as not to crumble.
Cedric's eyes might have disconnected from his eye socket if he had found out what Atticus did.
It wasn't that it was revolutionary or new; quite the contrary, what Atticus did was what he would eventually have to do in the future after he had reached a certain level of strength.
What would have astounded him was the fact that the only way Atticus could maintain the amount of concentration needed to keep the pathways from crumbling while fighting at the same time was if he had already awakened his perception.
A 10-year-old at the Intermediate+ level who had already awakened his perception? He would simply jump into a well at the absurdness of it all.
Atticus immediately started creating his pathways as he was fighting, still countering each of the enigmatic man's slashes. After one minute, he was done creating his pathways.
They looked like two blue pipes situated above and below his mana core. The one above traced from his core upward and divided into two, one going to his right hand, the other to his left.
The one below traced from his core downward, dividing into two as well, going to his right and left leg.
Depending on where Atticus wanted to utilize the burst, the respective pipe would swiftly envelop the mana core and return to its position after the burst release.
The man once again vanished from Atticus' vision, and he immediately saw the man's katana descending down on him in a devastating arc on his left. He rapidly released three bursts successively, each going to his legs, katana, and arms, unleashing an incredible surge of speed that defied comprehension.
At this astounding pace, Atticus slashed upwards with his katana, intercepting the strike with blinding swiftness.
The momentum hadn't even transferred to the sword before Atticus unleashed another five bursts in rapid succession. Two surged through his legs, one through his katana, and the remaining two through his arms.
The air itself seemed to change around Atticus as if it anticipated what was coming.
Sensing the shift in atmosphere, the man decided to get serious.
The world seemed to slow down as both their kimonos billowed, katana held with both hands.
They locked eyes and spoke simultaneously, their voices oozing with gravity,
""Katana Series, 2nd Art: Endless Blade.""
Both their hands flexed, and in an instant, blue streaks filled the air at an incomprehensible speed, a thousand clashes occurring in just 0.5 seconds.
Both figures stood three meters from each other, their bodies blurring at a speed that defied belief. Their velocity so intense it appeared as though twenty different figures were fighting at once, each side relentlessly releasing slashes upon slashes. Neither side was willing to yield.
Atticus's entire body was aching, continuously using the bursts was taking a huge toll on his body. He knew he couldn't go on like this for long, but he refused to give up.
Meanwhile, Cedric was completely silent, as if any sound he made would disrupt the beautiful scene he was witnessing.
Five hundred slashes countered by five hundred slashes, a thousand countered by a thousand, 1,500 by 1,500, the numbers increasing every second with no end in sight.
In the vast hall, only the sound of metal clashing filled the space.
Atticus was at his limits, every fiber of his being strained to the extreme. With each burst released, it seemed to make the pain worse, sending searing agony through him.
Each time he released a burst of mana to his legs for a burst of speed, it felt like his joints were grinding against each other.
He was gradually giving in to the relentless assaults of the man, slashes already appearing on his form, making his pure white kimono getting soaked in blood.
Despite the excruciating pain and the toll it was taking on his body, Atticus refused to give in.
He knew what was at stake, and he needed power, a lot of power. There was only one way he knew to gain that power; by pushing himself to the limits.
Sweat poured from his forehead as he gritted his teeth in sheer determination, unwilling to yield to the pain. He refused to give up!
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh," he let out a loud roar as a palpable red aura started surrounding his form. The aura seemed to boost his power to unimaginable levels.
Focusing inwardly, Atticus released three bursts in rapid succession, the red aura empowering each burst, making them burst like small explosions, making the air quake.
At a speed beyond his initial speed, Atticus figure blurred, unleashing 2,000 streaks of red slashes in an instant that cut through the air toward the man, each slash making the atmosphere tremble in fright.
The man also swiftly released 2,000 slashes to counter, but as if a rock meeting glass, each of the man's slashes shattered.
The red slashes continued onward towards his form, passing uninterrupted through the man, as though even the heavens couldn't stop them.
The man's lips seemed to curl up as he smiled at Atticus before his form suddenly fragmented, and he was cut into thousands of pieces.
