Soul Duel (II)

Vlad and Ion gazed at each other, and the massive angel was the first to move. His bastard sword moved like the wind despite its size, crashing with what could only be described as crushing momentum.

Thanks to the constant improvement in his Sea of Consciousness, Vlad's speed of thought greatly enhanced, allowing him to perceive the angel's movements, but reacting to them was much more challenging.

'Block!' 

The thought appeared in Vlad's mind, but he immediately discarded it, jumping back just in time to avoid the crashing sword.

"¡Boom!" 

A small blast echoed across the terrain as Vlad dodged the sword. Instead of acting like a sharp object, it was as if a massive hammer had struck the ground. The bastard sword was not designed to cut but to crush, and its form allowed a maneuverability that no hammer could equal.

Vlad's eyes narrowed as he saw that power, but the technique terrified him most. It became clear to him that Ion's swordplay was superb, and a single mistake could lead to his death. 

Ion's striking power matched that of the gargantuan Hippopotamus Monster, and unlike the beast, he could deploy martial skills that pushed his strength to a whole new level.

Luckily for Vlad, no buildings restricted his movements, and he was full of energy and stamina for this fight. Not to mention that his body had grown much more powerful after all that Origin Force poured into his flesh and blood, and he consumed the Hippopotamus Monster's heart.

Ion had just unleashed that attack, his eyes showing nothing as the sky-blue Force in his leg expanded, allowing him to move forward at a shocking speed. He appeared in front of Vlad the next second, and now his Force concentrated in his arms. The angel raised his bastard sword with all his strength as he performed the final move of his Force skill.

"Whoosh!" A mighty gale of wind that could send a small car flying emerged from the bastard sword, showing the immense physical power behind it. 

That attack could have cut the head of a Champion Monster in half, but Vlad managed to move at the last second, dodging the blow and moving to the side.

Coldness appeared this time in Ion's eyes as he saw that Vlad survived. The skill behind those moves was something he had trained for years, so seeing a young man dodge it was infuriating.

However, Ion did not lose focus and waved his massive bastard sword to the side, aiming to cut Vlad at his waist, bisecting him. Yet the young man thrust his body into the ground just in time, making the bastard sword pass a few centimeters above his head and roll away before rising and adopting a battle stance.

Ion's eyes narrowed, but he counted it as luck and attacked again. But as he turned toward Vlad and focused on the young man, he froze. There was a sense of shock in his eyes as he saw that Vlad no longer wielded his sword, and it seemed that the young man wanted to fight barehanded.

"You dare!" Justified rage appeared in Ion's eyes as he saw that Vlad had discarded his weapon, making the angel think he was being looked down on.

Vlad saw that his actions had enraged the angel, but he was not looking down at Ion. It was just that those sword strikes carried too much power, and just blocking one of them would leave him in a serious condition and unable to fight properly. Since that was the case, he chose to save his sword so this one would not hinder his movement, and he could focus solely on evasion.

Vlad did not have much time to think as Ion's Force output increased significantly, and the angel flashed toward him with more power, intending to crush the young man to a bloody pulp.

"¡Boom!" "¡Boom!" "¡Boom!" "¡Boom!" 

Explosions echoed across the battlefield as Ion's bastard sword clashed with the ground repeatedly. Though Ion was a trained warrior, he was also incredibly proud, and feeling an ant was looking down on him made him act rashly. The angel did not worry, as his level and physical power were much higher than Vlad's, and he would definitely win.

Everybody who saw the battle, even those who sided with Vlad, could not help but worry as they shared the thought with the giant angel. Although Vlad constantly dodged those blows, he always did it at the last second. It was like watching a butterfly in a tornado, dancing with majesty and avoiding danger, but it only took one wrong step to fall.

Orin, the beautiful angelic woman, watched everything from the sidelines, her face calm, showing nothing. Even if she did not want this Soul Duel, she could not go against the custom of Heaven, and part of her was glad to see the young man die.

She was sure that Ion would win since even if Vlad always dodged all blows, he could not connect an attack himself, as that would leave him open for Ion's counter. If things continued like this, the young man would exhaust himself first, as there was no way his stamina would be greater than Ion's.

Vlad's eyes were laser-focused as he dodged to the side, avoiding the bastard sword at the last moment before moving back. It would be a lie to say he was not in extreme danger, but he had a plan to win.