2 Young Grandmaster Vs Old Grandmaster
The Horn form of John's ancient style of martial arts was unlike the one he used before. The knife-hands he made by joining his fingers were like spears that focused solely on one opponent.
Alex, unlike before, didn't step forward to meet John's strikes. He instead stepped back and used his wrists to redirect John's sharp attacks. The knife-hands John shot forward were always hit by their hilts before being masterfully redirected somewhere else.
'What is this defence?' John was astounded as this was the first time he had ever experienced such a magnificently crafted defensive stance.
Once again he was reminded that Alex's talent was no despite the fact that he discarded his martial arts and created a new one straight from scratch. Was there a need to say more?
If the reason John had been chosen to be the successor of the Chaotic Dragon's Demonic Horn style was due to his amazing physique then the reason Alex was chosen was his sheer intuitive understanding of martial arts.
John's extreme measures uncovered Alex's talent at a young age and despite how he had always berated his student for having no 'heart' in his way of using martial arts, he still respected his potential. There wasn't anyone other than his disciple who could make him feel inferior to someone else's talent.
Especially now that he no longer had his innate edge like he did in his prime.
'This will not move me...!' He accepted that Alex was more talented than him but that didn't mean he admitted defeat. His pride wouldn't allow him to do such a disgraceful act after so long...
The clash between these techniques created a type of paradoxical cycle.
Alex was like a unbreakable shield while John was like an invincible spear.
They squared off with each other for an unknown amount of time as one party attacked while the other blocked.
'How nostalgic.' Alex thought as he reminisced on how he was able to defend against a spear user the same way as he was doing right this moment.
Some people say that a paradox between the sword and shield meant none of them obtaining victory. The fact that both weapons were unbroken in the end was a testament to the fact that none of them bested the other.
However, Alex would have to disagree.
In the legendary duel between the most invincible spear and the most indestructible shield, the winner was obviously the shield in his opinion.
After all, a shield isn't meant to kill or harm, in fact, the only goal a shield needs to achieve is to protect its user.
This is the mindset he had while creating the fourth form of his hybrid martial arts by the name of the Harmonic Dragon's Angelic Halo style.
Compared to John's instinctive unpredictability in his strikes that made it hard for others to figure out where his next attack would come from, Alex's intuitive reactions seemed less strange and more predictable.
It was indeed predictable as even John could see his telegraphed movements from a mile away, but that didn't mean he had any way to counter his defence.
Oddly enough, despite having similar strength and speed to his disciple, he was still unable to break through Alex's defence, making him feel enraged!
This was the strength of Alex's hybrid style of martial arts. He didn't train his instincts but literally programmed his reactions so that he would act to thoughtlessly parry John's strikes before it could hit his body head on.
This is why John's unpredictability had no effect on Alex. His master may be able to make other Grandmaster martial artists confused towards how to parry the strikes, but that didn't mean Alex would go down the same way.
If he couldn't even defend against this barrage of strikes then he could forget fighting his master head-to-head.
'Fall over and die!' John's aura was turning heavier as his skin was visibly turning red from the stimulation his emotions was having on his physique.
'Damn it! Just tire out already!' Alex was shocked as he felt his master wasn't going to stop striking any time soon. Even his hands were in pain from the constant barrage of precise strikes!
If this was a battle between two weapons, their fight would have gone on forever, but both of them knew that they were made of flesh and bones.
Alex had an upper hand in this battle of attrition due to his youth. His body was still in its prime unlike John's which had already fallen from its peak.
John's breathing was heavier than Alex's but his ruthless eyes seemed unmoved by the state of his body. Even his previously enraged state calmed as he fell into some sort of scary trance...
Although Alex wasn't intentionally trying to attack him, there were still times he had no choice but to beat his master down whenever his life was put in danger. A fist landed on John's face as he was once again pushed back.
'Sorry...!' He inwardly apologised while really not believing John would stop attacking unless his limbs broke...
John's eerie eyes were becoming less composed as time went on. He knew Alex was holding back because each strike that hit his body didn't damage him the same way it normally would.
He had fought Alex before and had a great understanding towards anatomy so it wasn't hard for him to figure that out. He felt as if Alex was mocking him using his superior talent in martial arts.
'Are you looking down on me?' John thought and played along to get a better grasp of Alex's attack patterns.
The rhythm of John's attacks changed abruptly as his movements suddenly became more barbarically savage.
'Got you!' A clear vision of his disciple's next move appeared in his mind as he kneed Alex's stomach with full strength. The unbreakable shield finally faltered since Alex was incapable of partying such an attack.
Alex was caught off guard as he once again tried to knock on John's jaw with his fist. However, what awaited him was the most barbaric counter he had ever experienced in his entire life!
'Ugh...!' A grunt left his lips as blood started dripping down his knuckles.
His eyes widened as John used his teeth to bite into his hand before ripping out the muscles of his palm.
Alex didn't scream, but his face paled in agony. A decisiveness appeared in his eyes as he no longer tried to avoid beating his master. He retreated his steps before secretly switching to the Harmony form of his personal hybrid style, a intangible stance that focused on the manipulation of physical force.
'Eat this!' He took the opportunity when his master had miscalculated what he'd do in reaction to getting his hand bit and tensed his leg muscles.
He dodged a kick that was aimed for his temple before pushing it and using the force of the attack to turn his body.
He coordinated all the muscles in his body to step heavily on the the grassy soil beneath him while throwing an uppercut towards John's chin.
John was taken off guard by Alex's sudden offence and was only able to use one arm to defend against the oncoming fist. A numbness enveloped his muscles as he felt the nerves in his arm had been severed by Alex's fist.
The momentum of Alex's fist was so strong that slamming into John's elbow caused both of parties to receive serious injuries to their limbs. Blood spayed out and dyed the plants beside them as both of their arms broke.
'Finally getting serious now...? No, he's still holding back.' His eyes sharpened despite the pain of his broken arm. He wasn't that bothered about the pain unlike Alex and could actually think clearly as if the injury didn't exist.
Alex didn't even notice John's gaze to the agony he was feeling after having another hand broke in such a short span of time. He didn't expect his master would be ruthless not only towards him but also towards himself!
'I need to change strategies.' He then understood he could no longer play fair and decided to scheme against John.
He used the remaining force of his revolving body to jump kick John's head without holding back his strength.
'Endure...!' John felt his world spin.
John felt a headache as his mind spun from the concussion. He refused to let his body fall and stood to gaze at Alex.
"I don't want to kill you." Alex suddenly said as he put his broken hands in his pockets. He felt unimaginable pain but acted off his injuries as nothing serious.
"You're the one who's going to be killed if you keep holding back!" John roared back. He gritted his bloodied teeth as he forced himself to keep on going. He may not be able to balance himself temporarily but that didn't mean he didn't have the willpower to continue.
Although Alex wasn't pulling his punches, he was still not attacking with deadly force. His fists only aimed for non-lethal bodily acupuncture points.
John felt that the elbow he used to block Alex's fist had been completely shattered, giving him no choice but to utilise only one of his arms. He wasn't someone who'd be affected by mere broken arm anyway so he put his one arm behind his back while keeping his other arm pointing towards Alex.
This time, it was Alex who took the initiative to attack. He hoped that if he beat down his master hard enough, the thick-headed old bat will finally open his eyes and see the light. He was fine if John reflected on his actions after being subdued by his martial prowess.
'Let me test if this works.' Alex gave up on regular combat since there's no way he'd survive if John was able to grapple him despite only having one arm. The difference in physical strength was just that large and he really didn't have enough pain tolerance to fight back.
He was no longer able to use his hands to redirect oncoming forces. It was a pity he was now unable to bring out the potential of the Harmony form but that didn't mean he was at a disadvantage.
He took his hands out of his pockets in order to balance his body since his most physically taxing form he named the the Angel form was one that heavily relied on careful footwork and balance.
Both his broken hands were in pain but he used pure willpower to force himself to rely on his arms to balance his body.
The first stance of the Angel form needed him to be able to stabilise his body under any circumstances. One wrong move and the damage he's trying to throw at his foe will rebound and hit his internal organs instead.
'Success!' Alex inwardly celebrated as he stepped towards John before lunging his body like a swift eagle.
John's pupils contracted as his eyes were unable to keep up with Alex's movements. A foot appeared out of nowhere and hit his chest before curving to slam straight onto his back.
He fiercely initiated his Dragon form in order to counter Alex's kicks but was unable to even see their shadows. Lots of bruises appeared on his body as a result of his powerful and fast kick.
It was not that Alex's movement were deceptive but that they were just too fast! Although an orthodox martial artist like Alex wouldn't be able to variate his attacks like John, he would still have the advantage in speed because the attacks thrown were practiced to the point of ingraining themselves into his flesh, making it so his physical body was moving to attack faster than his mind could process.
His elbows knocked John away when he was too close and his legs used the strength hidden within them to attack.
It is a well known fact that, compared to a person's arms, usually one would have legs that are bigger and stronger.
John tried to fight back but found himself outmatched by Alex's extreme speed. His heart could only inwardly marvel at the power of Alex's form.
He had never thought that there would be someone in the world who could suppress him in such a way.
Even if an enemy he encountered on the battlefield could best him physically, it was still impossible for him to suppressed to the point of not being able to see his opponent's figure.
In John's long life, he was always the one who'd suppress others so being unable to even mentally keep up with his opponent was a first for him.
Alex didn't give John time to think as he made sure to use a series of combination strikes that hit all the acupuncture points needed to bring him down and restrain his spirit.
John was kicked about for a full two whole minutes like a rag-doll until he finally realised how weak the strikes were compared to his own. He knew these kind of attacks would only weaken him without threatening his life, so he ignored the pain and blocked Alex by calculating his next move.
He swiftly switched to the Horn form once more as he ferociously attacked Alex's legs. His fingers were like iron spears as they clashed with Alex's legs.
He had hoped to stop Alex by interrupting his disciple's battle rhythm, but found no opening.
He could see Alex's every move and predict his next attack, but his reflexes could barely keep up with Alex's speed.
John couldn't find a way to fight back against the barrage of kicks aimed to temporarily incapacitate him, so his only option was to take a risk.
He completely abandoned blocking the strikes and initiated the unpredictable Chaos form. The swift kicks that were accurately thrown towards John barely grazed his skin as he dodged.
John took a deep breath to regain some of his composure before going on the offensive once again. He instinctively kicked towards the place he felt Alex would pass in order to stop him from in his tracks. John's guess was spot on as his leg stopped Alex in place by slamming both legs into each other.
That one opportunity was all John needed to force the leg that was locked with his to bury itself into the ground through redirecting its momentum.
"What I say before?" John ridiculed hoarsely with madness in his eyes.
Alex's skin crawled as he saw his master's expression, his other foot that was lifted off the ground to attack hesitated as he watched him approach.
He knew he wouldn't be able to recover his stance in time so struck John's chest by mimicking a crane. A barrage of hammering kicks hit John's chest yet he seemed unfazed by the pain.
"You're going to die if you don't stop going easy!" John continued with a roar. He lifted his undamaged arm and slammed his elbow into Alex's kneecap.
Two hardest joints of the human body smashed together. Then they both retreated away from each other while panting in exhaustion. Alex lost most his limbs and was only left with one leg to keep him from being totally helpless while John was on his knees, both his elbows were broken as he was left with no stamina to keep the fight going.
The only thing John he could rely on to keep standing was his will. He still had both his legs, unlike his disciple whose kneecap he shattered moments ago.
There was no time to waste as Alex could regain his strength if he was given the time to recover his stamina.
It was then that he faintly heard something drop on the floor...
He looked forward and saw Alex had almost exhausted himself to death on the floor, his limbs bloodied like his own as blood unceasingly spilled out.
"I don't want to kill you." Alex repeated resolutely with ragged breaths. Even though blood was seeping out of the wounds on his leg and arms, he still thought of them as nothing serious.
Technology nowadays could heal even the gravest wounds as long as they were given time. In his heart, he still held on to the delusion that John would have a change of heart.
There was just so much he wanted to do after surviving this battle. Like introducing John to his family, training his disciples together and mentoring his students to be stronger martial artists. To him, the man before him was still the fatherly figure he admired.
'He's just lashing out. He'll understand how stupid this is when he finally calms down.' He thought inwardly.
It was only after hearing John's next words were his illusions shattered like glass. His heart almost broke as he heard his master's hysteric roars.
"People like us are destined to die in battle. I can clearly tell that you agree with that statement. If not, there's no way a guy like you wouldn't have started a 'real' family in my absence.
Do you think that you can change your nature now? Is that why you formed a family of disciples to fill your empty heart? We are martial artists! Fighters born to die in battle!" John roared in derision as he glared at his disciple's fallen figure. He knew too well how soft-hearted and disgustingly bias his disciple could be towards his actions.
The memory of that boy who always made excuses in his stead was still vivid in his mind as he lost control of himself. His aura became more threatening as his thoughts surfaced.
"Don't hold back or today will be your death anniversary! Get a grip on yourself and kill m-" Just as John was about to lunge toward, he noticed a stream of liquid rolling down Alex's cheek. His eyes were confused as he looked at Alex who serenely stared at the clouds with clear depression.
