Not only that, Atticus control over the azure slashes also increased as time passed. He was able to insert more mana into them and unleash even more slashes in record time.
Just like that, Atticus spent the entire three months Cedric had mentioned was the normal time it took to learn the art, training.
“You do know that although I said three months was what it took to learn it, you’ve surpassed that level, right?” Cedric pointed out.
“I’m aware. But you said three months means two seconds outside, right?” Atticus replied.
Cedric sighed. They were both walking out of the small white building, and he had been trying to convince Atticus to train for longer.
“Two seconds is a very long time, especially for a grandmaster+. I need to get outside,” Atticus insisted.
Cedric didn’t say anything else and watched as Atticus walked toward the man seated on the grand throne.
“I want to challenge you,” Atticus said firmly.
The man slowly stood up before descending and landing a few meters behind Atticus, who immediately turned and faced him.
‘Is it me, or did he get even more powerful?’ Atticus thought as he clenched his fist. It seemed as though the man’s aura had increased even more than before.
‘It doesn’t matter, I have to use that,’ Atticus resolved.
He took a deep breath, the entirety of the hall descending into silence. Both Atticus and the man’s attire fluttered, the latter staring at Atticus with a completely expressionless face.
‘Let’s do this,’ Atticus thought as two voices echoed throughout the hall:
“”Katana series; Third art: Vopal Nova.””
Atticus’s eyes snapped open, and his body instantly blurred. It was as though he had practiced this set of movements for generations.
His katana erupted from its sheath, and a staggering amount of azure slashes filled the space in front of him before converging into a blinding crescent slash larger than any he had ever formed.
Atticus’s katana descended, and the crescent slash shot forward with immense force.
However, it didn’t reach far before it collided in a monumental clash with another crescent slash in the middle of the hall.
The two slashes met with an explosive force, the collision releasing a shockwave that rippled through the air like a sonic boom.
The sheer power of their meeting created a violent vortex of energy, sending gusts of wind roaring through the hall and causing the very walls to tremble.
The ground beneath them cracked and splintered, the force of the impact so immense that it seemed to distort the space around them.
The brilliant azure and crimson lights of the clashing slashes illuminated the hall, casting eerie shadows as the two forces struggled for dominance.
However, a change soon showed itself. Atticus’s eyes narrowed as he saw his attack about to crumble. But he didn’t panic; he had already expected this to happen and had planned accordingly.
A crimson aura erupted from Atticus’s figure as his eyes turned an intense shade of red. The tiny azure mana thread still connected to the crescent slash began to shift in color, transforming from azure to deep crimson as it reached the crescent slash.
The blinding azure crescent instantly became a searing crimson, and in the next instant, it erupted in a fiery blaze that completely engulfed and consumed the opposing crescent slash.
The empowered crimson slash continued its path, phasing through the katana avatar on the other side of the hall.
A few seconds passed, and the hall was plunged into total silence. That silence was soon shattered as the ground in front of Atticus suddenly split open, forming a chasm as wide as a canyon, many times larger than the one the katana avatar had formed before, tracing a devastating line through the hall.
“Your crazy willpower never ceases to amaze me, you monster child,” Cedric said, all smiles as he approached and patted Atticus on the back. Atticus flashed him a small smile in response.
But Cedric’s tone suddenly changed, growing more serious.
“Looks like this is the end of the road for me. Now listen carefully…”
…
“Who are you?” Alvis demanded, his intense frown deepening. He had been feeling extremely confident about the disciple he had acquired after Astrion’s death.
The young man had been incredibly talented, with immense potential. But now, that very disciple was dead? It was hard to accept!
The unsettling aura around him intensified as he stared down at the figure clad in a black suit and a red shroud covering his face.
Two seconds passed, and he remained completely still and quiet.
“I will not repeat myself again!” Alvis’s aura exploded, encompassing the entirety of the area. The remnants of the massive building shook before collapsing, unable to withstand the immense pressure.
However, just as the crushing force was about to press down on Atticus, his eyes beneath the red shroud suddenly snapped open.
His mind worked at lightning speed, analyzing the situation in nanoseconds.
His next move was instant and without hesitation.
“Katana series; 3rd art: Vopal Nova.”
Atticus moved with blinding speed, his figure a blur as he whizzed, flashed, blurred, and slash, everything done seamlessly and swiftly.
He settled into a firm stance, then moved again with relentless speed, slashing, slashing, and slashing again, releasing arcs upon arcs of energy at maddening speeds.
The air seemed to slip and shatter before him, snake like cracks forming all around. He moved with precision, each strike building more pressure.
Thousands of azure slashes appeared around him, each one devastating and blinding in its intensity.
The final slash gathered all the energy, converging into a single, blinding crescent slash. It shot forward with the force of a cataclysm, a blinding arc of destruction.
The ground trembled, the air vibrated, and the very fabric of reality seemed to shatter under its might.
The crescent slash tore through everything in its path, leaving a trail of destruction as it closed the distance, appearing in front of Alvis in mere nanoseconds.
