Strongest Among the Heavens
Chapter 221: Stakes II

Chapter 221: Stakes II

The Eternal Emperor’s smile was unreadable. The superbly handsome genius was like a trickster god of legend, powers beyond understanding lay at his fingertips and a mind that was shrewd and ever changing. Kazi’s gaze settled on Genji, his descendent. A forgotten grandson.

Vaguely, Kazi got the feeling he and Genji were on the same level, despite drawing long, deep breaths and not of driving age.

"Let’s make it interesting," Kazi began, not breaking eye contact with Genji. "I will fight your grandson and if I win..." He pretended to think about it and then glanced at the Emperor with a smile. "Oh, I don’t know, I receive a full set of Hihi’irokane prosthetics?"

"Ooh, Stakes. I like it. He wins and you play a shogi match with me. Oh, and...hm, how about you tell me about your battle with Jack?"

So he knew.

’I should have figured.’

On the Emperor’s turf, on the Emperor’s terms, that was what the letter said and that was what was occurring.

"Jack...?" Genji repeated. "You...you were the new player that fought Jack the Ripper?"

"Haha, it wasn’t much," Kazi replied. "Equip."

Stormedge appeared in his left hand. The fourteen year old seemed shaken yet readied himself. Kazi calculated the length of the blade from base to tip. If his calculations were correct, then it was approximately seventy-five centimetres long, shorter than Sun-young’s Majin-ken. He took that into consideration as his mana flared up, nearing Advanced Flow of Mana levels. Genji was taken aback.

"W-wow...!" Genji gulped, fingers enveloping the grip of his weapon. His mana flared up as well, a semi-invisible blue aura surrounding him.

"Alright, begin!"

Emperor Toru’s word was law. Genji, shaky and nervous as he may have initially appeared, burst forward—and Kazi was actually forced on the defensive. Stormedge blocked the katana and Kazi nearly ended up on one knee, gritting his teeth.

’What the hell!? This guy...!’ Kazi read his movements. He predicted exactly how and where he was going to attack. Even with that knowledge, he barely managed to raise his guard on time. Genji’s two-handed katana weighed down on him like a rolling boulder. With every passing second, it grew harder and harder to resist. ’Mastered Flow of Mana—!’

Thick grey mana burst from his pores and he rose to his feet, pushing Genji back to the position he was in. Genji’s green eyes were full of fear; he didn’t expect this. He didn’t know what to do. "Super Ember Strike—!"

"Super Spark Strike!"

Their blades flared up; one electric, one fire. A clash of equals for the next five seconds until Kazi’s skill ended. He was putting so much focus on Mastered Flow of Mana that he was unable to maintain Super Spark Strike at the same time.

Genji did not have such weaknesses.

Advanced Flow of Mana coursed through his veins alongside a fully maintained Super Ember Strike. His concentration was at its peak and Kazi utterly ruined by slamming his foot into his side. He skidded across the courtyard, crying out in pain as his shoulder slammed into a red barrier. The Eternal Emperor had set this up in order to trap them inside and keep them from damaging the palace.

Kazi chased after him, swinging Stormedge with one hand. Genji parried, his stung shoulder preventing him from countering.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

His opponent’s confidence bubbled when he hauled back and attempted an overhand strike, but Kazi always prevented him from fully extending the technique.

’Judging by the look on his face, he’s not used to abrupt changes in combat. He’s all training and no experience.’

Kazi pressed his advantage. His feet shifted and he twirled to fake a slash. Genji parried it but was the light tap transitioned into a thrust, then another. The footwork was not his own.

’Something I picked up from a bullfighter in Spain! Great guy!’

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Phenomenal as his footwork might have been, Genji was not fooled. He was a student in the art of battle. His shoulders were forced back and his footwork was clumsy. His instincts made up for the lack of technical skill and the natural anxiety he produced from his character.

It was the greatest advantage training held: repetition and the ease of execution of it. Genji had been trained for this type of position and managed to duck under Kazi’s blade and throw a slash across his chest. Blood spilled out. A clean cut was formed and would have been made deeper if not for Kazi’s quick feet. Genji took one long step forward, both hands gripped tightly, and he came down overhead with a Super Ember Strike. No incantation was necessary, the skill flared to life on his silent command.

’Super Spark Strike!’

A clash of magical swords—and Kazi was losing. The katana in Genji’s hand was of equal quality to Stormedge. More importantly, the wielder himself was absurdly strong. He was but a boy yet his downward strike nearly brought Kazi to his knees again.

’Tch...!’ With one hand on the end of his blade, Kazi pushed—and failed. ’His eyes...the way they flare up when he does an overhead strike...he’s focusing quite literally everything on one strong slash!’ His knees buckled. ’It’s absurdly heavy!’

Kazi couldn’t last like this. He purposely weakened his pushback and Genji seized for that opportunity. In a practiced motion that Kazi failed to capture, the blade came down on him a second time, stronger than the last. ’Ultra Magic Barrier—!’

The Sorcerer Class, the third evolution of those that specialized in the realm of magic, granted three Class Skills: Sorcerer’s Whims, Ultra Elemental Manipulation, and Ultra Magic Barrier. The gray barrier manifested nearly as fast as Genji conducted his overhead strike.

"O Amaterasu—!"

The flames on his katana roared anew. The colour had shifted from hot red to a bright gold. An unbearingly bright flash of fire that weighed down on the Ultra Magic Barrier from its sheer presence.

"O radiant Amaterasu, mighty goddess of the sun..."

Shatter!

The three inch thick spherical barrier shattered upon contact and the flaming katana sliced down Kazi’s glorious face.

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