142 Backed Into a Corner

"What. The hell. Did you do to me?" Growled Mesa between clenched teeth and clenched his fists so tightly that the tops of his fingers went white.

"Only what you deserve." Answered Fen Duanhun and he and Fen Moji launched themselves at Mesa.

Taking out a shield from his inventory, he managed to weather the blow, but Mesa quickly found himself on the back foot. Realizing that this was a lost cause, Mesa backed off to create some distance between him and Fen Duanhun and Fen Moji, who kept the pressure on him, and put the shield back in his inventory and took out the cursed spear 'Gáe Bolg'. Instead of fighting an empowered Fen Duanhun and Fen Moji, Mesa would attack the ones that are empowering them with the cursed spear.

Waving his arm, Fen Moji conjured the Burning Heaven Blade and shot a 60m (197 ft.) long tongue of purple flame at Mesa. Fen Duanhun shot both hands forwards and launched a humongous 40m (131 ft.) dragon of purple flames at Mesa. With both flames combining into each other to make a bigger dragon made out of purple flames, Mesa stood there and watched as it collided into him with an enormous explosion.

Seeing that their attack had collided with Mesa head-on, the Burning Heaven Clan celebrated couldn't sense Mesa's Profound Energy anymore and where thus convinced that Mesa was no more. Fen Moji, however, was cautious after everything they went through and was certain that this couldn't have been this easy, which Fen Duanhun readily agreed to.

As if to answer their concerns, from the billowing smoke, they saw Mesa dash through at great speed and jump way up in the air holding his red spear over his head and hurl it downwards at the group of Burning Heaven Clan members that were keeping the Heaven's Fire Suppression Formation and the Nine Dipper Profound Formation active. Dismissing this attempt, the Burning Heaven Clan members operating the two formations had many more members in reserve standing by to jump in and keep the two formations going in the event of one of them being taken down.

GÁE BOLG: SOARING SPEAR THAT STRIKES WITH DEATH

To their great and very infuriating surprise, Mesa once again blindsided them when the Gáe Bolg he threw had suddenly split into multiple spears and came down on them with great speed like a carpet bombing. Rushing back to secure the two profound formations, Fen Duanhun and Fen Moji used all their power to attack the rain of spears, but were powerless to prevent most of them from reaching the Burning Heaven Clan members that kept the two profound formations running. Coming down with a terrible force and an explosion that rocked the Burning Heaven Valley, Fen Duanhun was enraged to once again be blindsided by Mesa. Once the dust had settled, it was clear to see that though the two formations were still active due to reserve Burning Heaven Clan members jumping in to keep the formations active, Mesa's attack had caused the greater part of those keeping the formations going to be slaughtered.

They had concocted this whole plan to finally fulfill the Burning Heaven Clan's destiny to become the dominant power in the Blue Wind Empire and lure the bane of their existence that was Mesa Uchiha into a trap that would leave him powerless and at their mercy. Only for their arrogance to bite them in the ass once again when Mesa once again flipped the tables on them and showed them why he was the bane of their existence.

"I wanted to be magnanimous and grant you a swift death if you had submitted to me." Fen Duanhun said in a calm tone but with cold unending rage seething in his voice and his fists balled so tightly that blood starting to seep through the crack of his fingers.

"You filthy, disgusting little reprobate!" Growled Fen Duanhun with neigh inhuman rage at Mesa. "I will not rest before I rip you apart and bring you unending death even if you surrendered to me now!"

In response, Mesa give him a cocky smirk that belied nothing but contempt for him and his ilk that further infuriated Fen Duanhun as he said. "What makes you think you worthless wretches are capable doing that at all. Even when you have empowered yourselves and shackled my powers, I have still outsmarted you and shown you what your misplaced arrogance will get you."

Shooting forwards like a comet, Fen Duanhun and Fen Moji rushed Mesa. But just as they were about to hit him, he suddenly disappeared and reappeared a dozen yards away smiling and saying to himself. "Good. Looks like I can use Trick Dodge."

As soon as he said this, Mesa had to use Trick Dodge again to dodge Fen Duanhun and Fen Moji who were relentlessly hunting him. After using Trick Dodge a few times, something happened that threw a wrench in his plan to utilize Trick Dodge to dodge their attacks. Mesa suddenly felt another pulse of power flow through the collar and cuffs of purple flame around his neck and wrists indicating that the Heaven's Fire Suppression Formation is suppressing yet more. So to play along, Mesa lowered his Profound Energy from level 10 to level 9 Earth Profound Realm. And to sell it even more, as the suppression was taking place, Mesa was just about to use Trick Dodge again. But instead of teleporting like usual, Mesa instead disappeared and immediately reappeared a few feet away whilst stumbling over his feet and falling to the ground. Seeing their chance, Fen Duanhun and Fen Moji were immediately on him and attacked him.

In the nick of time, Mesa managed to teleport away again. As the dust settled from Fen Duanhun and Fen Moji's attacks, they saw that Mesa wasn't there. Looking around they saw a bloody and burned Mesa stand a few dozen feet away with his right arm hanging limply from body dripping blood on the ground. Obviously, their last attacks had hit him and had he not teleported away, their attacks would have been worse. As they were watching him, they saw steam rise from the wounds on his body as they quickly healed.

"Good, your regenerative abilities are still working just fine I see." Said Fen Duanhun seeing the wounds on Mesa's body heal. "You won't die so quickly and I can take my sweet time torturing you until you're truly dead."

"We'll see about that." Said Mesa through clenched teeth and immediately used Trick to teleport towards the group that was keeping the two profound formations active.

Aware of Mesa's target, Fen Duanhun and Fen Moji rushed towards the two formations on an intercept course of Mesa, but unfortunately were unable to get there in time as Mesa in front of the one of the people keeping the Heaven's Fire Suppression Formation active and ready to plunge the Gáe Bolg into his heart. But at the last second Mesa was suddenly blown away with great force right into the wall of one of the training halls and straight through it. Seeing who it was that knocked Mesa away from the people maintaining the Heaven's Fire Suppression Formation, Fen Duanhun, Fen Moji and everyone else of the Burning Heaven gave a respectful bow to Clan Grand Master Fen Yijue and Grand Elder Fen Ziya.

"Grand Clan Master, Grand Elder, you grace us all with your presence." Said Fen Duanhun reverently. "Pardon my impertinence, but there was no need for you to sully your hands with this wretch. We had this situation under our control."

Grand Clan Master Fen Yijue ignored what Fen Duanhun said and instead kept his gaze focused on where Mesa was, a cold and seething fury present in his eyes. In his stead Grand Elder Fen Ziya answered Fen Duanhun. "Our illustrious Burning Heaven Clan is at the precipice of achieving what we have always dreamed of even since our founding when the heavens have blessed us with Fen Chu and helping us take control of the Blue Wind Empire. With him by our side we can suppress the Mighty Heavenly Sword Villa and the rest of the Blue Wind Empire easily. Our only remaining obstacle right now is that filthy rat Mesa Uchiha. We had been watching this entire time and even with you two being strengthened by the Nine Dipper Profound Formation and him being weakened by the Heaven's Fire Suppression Formation he still managed to trick you and directly attack the Heaven's Fire Suppression Formation. And not just once, but twice had we not intervened."

Listening to the scathing criticism of Grand Elder Fen Ziya, Fen Duanhun and Fen Moji kept looking down in shame at their performance so far and silently swore to themselves to right this wrong and save face in front of the Grand Clan Master and Grand Elder. Just as Fen Duanhun was about to make a vow that he will not make this mistake again and save the face of the Burning Heaven Clan, Fen Yijue piped up finally all the while not looking away from where Mesa had landed.

"Do not bother Duanhun'er. Fen Ziya and I did not come out of our solitary cultivation solely to admonish you. We have come here to ensure that Mesa Uchiha truly dies. And even if our presences here may be excessive, I care not for with our clan's goal at our fingertips I will not take any chances to let it slip through our fingers."

Breaking his stare towards Mesa, Fen Yijue made eye contact with Fen Duanhun and continued on with what he wanted to say. "Mesa Uchiha has shown time and time again that he is not one to be underestimated and so I will not underestimate him. With the four of us, we will make certain that he is truly dead."

"Oooohhh man… did I just get hit by a train." Came Mesa's voice from shifting the rubble of the wall that he was blown through as he made his way out. As Mesa came out of the rubble and saw who it was that put him there in the first place, he only had one thing to say.

"Oh… crapbaskets."

"Oh, you say that too." Came Ophis' response from inside the Sky Poison Pearl, causing all the Mesas to try and keep a straight face and not snicker like children.

Looking at the two new faces joining them, Mesa said. "If I'd have to wager a guess, I'd say you two are Grand Clan Master Fen Yijue and Grand Elder Fen Ziya."

"Indeed." Was all Fen Yijue said before he and Fen Ziya launched themselves at Mesa, sword and spear blazing with purple flames.

Using Trick Dodge, Mesa teleported away and behind them whilst recalling the Gáe Bolg back to his hand from the Gate of Babylon. Before he was able to initiate his attack against Fen Yijue, Fen Duanhun came from behind him with a decapitating swing. With his Observation Haki warning him just in time, Mesa narrowly teleports away, only for Fen Moji to attack him and Mesa having teleport away again. And this was how it kept going, Mesa unable to initiate any attack on them or go after the groups that kept the two profound formations active because these four kept the pressure on him constantly. Only through strenuous use of the Sharingans and Observation Haki was he able to stay just ahead of them. But for them, they couldn't land any decisive attack on him because he kept teleporting away. The most they got were glancing blows that were only enough to either cause bruising, burns or flesh wounds that would all heal mere moments afterwards.

"Why don't you just stand still and DIE!!!!" Roared Fen Duanhun burning fury, mirrored by the others.

'Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! This is going fucking nowhere!' Cursed Mesa under his breath at his current situation. 'I have to find some way to defeat them!'

For a brief moment, he considered just unleashing his full power and just being done with this. But just as quickly as that thought came, he dismissed it, because he wanted to push himself to become better and relying on sheer overwhelming power every time he was in a situation as this was not indicative of pushing himself to become better. And so, he started to think of other measures he could take. Shadow clones he dismissed, because he knew Xuanyuan Wentian was watching them from a distance and he didn't want show him what he was all capable of. Showering them with the weapons stored inside the Gate of Babylon or using his greatest treasures he similarly dismissed because of Xuanyuan Wentian watching them. The Boosted Gear and the Divine Dividing he dismissed because he finds using Ddraig or Albion's powers against these losers to be humiliating to them and also an easy way out.

'No, no, no, no, no.' Said Mesa to himself dismissing these options. Already at this point the Heaven's Fire Suppression Formation had 'suppressed' his powers all the way down to level 1 Earth Profound Realm.

'I have to be faster. I must push myself to become faster. Be faster!'

Like some kind of spell that he has just initiated with the right words, something did happen. Having to teleport away from attacking the group maintaining the Heaven's Fire Suppression Formation by Fen Ziya, something peculiar happened. Reappearing a few dozen feet away from Fen Ziya, he saw Fen Moji standing there and swinging his sword right at his neck. The peculiar thing was that he was going slower than usual. Sparing just a quick glance past Fen Moji, he saw that not just he, but everything and everyone was moving slower than usual.

'Did it work?' Said Mesa to himself.

'Alright, let's put this to the test.'

Instead of teleporting away, Mesa rushed towards Fen Moji and saw that he was indeed faster than before. Bringing up a Rasengan in his right hand, he went for Fen Moji's right cheek. And of course seeing this happen in front of him, Fen Moji corrected course and swung towards the approaching Mesa. Putting his full strength in this one attack, Mesa hit Fen Moji in the right cheek and like a rag doll being blasted out of a cannon, he flew away, the bones of the right side of face broken and the sheer impact of the force snapping his neck and killing him.

[ Hello my dear readers. It's so good to once again write a chapter. As you may have suspected, incorrectly I might add, this story was dropped. It was more like bad case of writers block. This chapter sat in writer's limbo for months on my computer and I didn't know how to finish this one particular chapter while I had a lot of ideas for subsequent story lines after this one. But I tackled my writers block by writing something, anything and than letting the creative juices flow out themselves. And like that I finally managed to finish this chapter and I can finally tackle the rest of this fanfic and put the story ideas I have on paper for you all to enjoy. Thank you for reading and do make sure to vote for my story so that more people can enjoy it. Thank you.]