BOOM!
"Before I go, I want to see how wide the gap actually is."
Damien smiled.
Bai Yumo's enthusiasm was infectious. For him who'd been stuck in No Return Pass without any good opponent, the thirst for a good fight was undeniable.
However, what Bai Yumo wanted wasn't a good fight, but a measure of their difference.
'Should I show him?'
If Damien used his clones it would be over in but a second.
But where was the fun in that?
'Let's go with the other method.'
Casualness.
Wasn't that the easiest way to tell the gap?
Damien watched Bai Yumo move. The man was cautious to the point of cowardice, not attacking even once after calling the battle.
Though, it wasn't his fault.
Damien was just standing still, his arms to his side and his poise relaxed, but he had no openings.
No matter what Bai Yumo could try, he was certain it wouldn't hit.
Honestly, this was enough to show Damien's strength, but Bai Yumo wanted more.
Haa!
He let out a fierce battle cry and rushed the enemy. Murky black Abyssal Mana filled the air and controlled the sky.
This place, No Return Pass, gave Bai Yumo a severe environmental advantage.
Because the entire sky was made up of Abyssal Mana!
WHOOOOSH!
He pulled his arms together like a certain web-slinger, and the sky followed his movements. A large wave of corrupted mana encroached on Damien's position without mercy, carrying enough force to instantly slaughter the Damien that existed before No Return Pass!
"You've really grown like crazy," Damien said, watching it.
Yeah, this wave was intense. It looked like a regular and low-effort controlling of mana, but that was a misconception that would kill anyone who faced it.
The laws laced in this wave, as Damien saw from the Saint King of the past, were a mixture of Spacetime, Samsara, and something more vile, a representation of the Abyss.
"You were raised to be my opposite, but you've taken these laws in a completely different direction than I did. It's respectable, really."
Unfortunately, it was too late for something like this to affect him.
And this time, he didn't have to hide the Void.
Whoosh!
Damien raised his arm, facing the wave head-on.
The rushing winds like a roaring tsunami filled his ears, and Bai Yumo's eyes pierced reality itself to watch his every movement.
"Break."
A single word flowed like clear water, banishing the impurities that polluted the world.
A sliver of Void Mana no bigger than a finger exited Damien's palm and entered the Abyssal tidal wave.
It happened in a single instant. No, it happened in a fragment of that time, so quickly it was hardly perceptible.
The Void Mana sunk into the tidal wave, and suddenly, the mana began to change.
The corruption was corrupted, turned into the Void's property, and because Damien willed it…
It froze into a massive iceberg and shattered.
Physical fragments of mana like crystals of snow rained down from the air, along with a shattering sound that was oddly pleasing to the ears.
"Would you like to see more?" Damien asked.
"Please," Bai Yumo responded with a strained grin.
The mental impact of such a scene was intense, but it only riled him up more.
He wanted to see what Damien could do!
Bai Yumo charged in again. This time, instead of focusing on a large area attack, he concentrated mana into his body and entered a peak form for physical combat.
"Ooh, fun."
Damien smiled and watched him approach without dodging or joining him.
As Bai Yumo's fist came flying towards him, he chose a more unconventional method of dodging.
Flash!
He teleported.
However, his body was not several hundred meters away.
He only moved slightly, just enough to completely avoid the punch.
"You…!" Bai Yumo exclaimed.
His eyes hardened. He tightened his fists and let off a true barrage of attacks.
Fists and kicks went flying through the air. His form was impossible to predict, and with the way he spread his attacks, he created a field in front of him that left no openings to survive through.
The key was that he wasn't always aiming for Damien.
He figured his opponent would continue dodging through teleportation as he'd done the first time, because this wasn't a real battle, but a showcase.
In that case, instead of aiming for the body, he needed to focus on the field that forced Damien to retreat instead of showing off!
"It was a good try, but we're beyond that now."
Damien's words were a bucket of cold water.
No matter how refined the attack technique was, his control was more precise.
His body was like a flickering mirage. He existed in reality, but why did it feel like he didn't?
His body would always move perfectly. Angular turns requiring a slight amount of movement that could be classified in the single digits of degrees were necessary to dodge both the fists and legs that came at him, but he was able to make them without trouble.
As this continued, Bai Yumo was able to understand the advantages of such a method.
Damien could move his entire body impossibly. More than position, it was about "orientation."
If he could manage that perfectly and switch from one angle to a completely opposing one in less than an instant, he could control his movements in a way impossible for a human body even after transcendence.
It was a beautiful maneuver.
Bai Yumo almost wanted to stop the battle there.
But…
…his opponent didn't seem to want that?
"Let me attack this time," Damien said with a grin, teleporting out of Bai Yumo's absolute field.
"Let's test your improvement."
Bai Yumo's eyes narrowed.
These were words a master would usually say to an apprentice, not words said by a man to his equal.
A wry smile appeared on his face.
"It's that bad, huh?"
However, Damien shook his head.
"It doesn't count. I have cheats."
"That sounds like a human term. You should be mindful of the other side before you speak."
"Ah, I figured you'd know something like this. Uh…well, let's just say I'm heaven-defying and leave it at that."
"Arrogant bastard."
"In the flesh."
The two grinned at each other and rushed.
No Return Pass was filled with a flurry of flashing lights and explosions that rocked its surface.
It became the floor for a beautiful yet deadly dance performed by the greatest talents of the universe and the Nox, a duo that should not have ever had friendly contact.
Yet, perhaps this very friendly contact was what would push them above others.
Perhaps, the destruction of boundaries to confront an enemy who surpassed them all was the answer all along.
It was a philosophical thought, one that neither of the two were entertaining in the moment yet both held in the back of their minds,
For now, they just smiled.
They smiled as they released the stress and exhaustion that had been piling up for so long as they fought their lonely battles.
BOOOOOOOM!
The sound of an explosion.
It was frightening. Most of the time, it was a terrifying sound that meant countless lives were being lost.
But this time…
Maybe just this time, it was okay to call it art.
