No Match

With a single thought the dome of darkness that had protected Shura disappeared. The earlier bright blue sky was nowhere to be seen, it was now dark with innumerable stars in the sky. A pale moon hung high in the heavens. The earlier sea of vivid red sands was now subdued and dark. The air was cold to the touch.

"I can now feel that only a few hours had passed. I am still here, that means I haven't been eliminated yet. But where is everyone else?"

Shura looked around as far as the horizon itself. He could even if there weren't any moonlight, but he failed to find anyone at all. Any signs of battles were now long gone. No tracks in the sand existed either.

Shura did not want to think about his newly-arrived guest, but he could not deny that she was here with him. For the time being neither of them were a threat to the other, so he would leave her be. He didn't know how to remove her either. It was different from the situation with that annoying old man.

As if were a response to his abrupt appearance, the ground beneath him suddenly shook. The sands vibrated. The wind blew and a storm of sand suddenly appeared in every direction all at once. The sands coalesced into forms, some bestial, some humanoid. Mysterious red lights shone from their eyes, it made them look eerie. There were many such sand monsters and they were all converging on Shura.

"I feel like I've been left out of something important here, what am I supposed to do now? Where did everybody go? How's the status of the competition?"

These monsters were nothing to Shura now that he was taking it very seriously. He cut them down with ease, turning them into nothingness when his blade touched them.

Throughout the night these monsters attacked Shura nonstop. Wave after waves of these creatures tirelessly attacked him. But he survived the onslaught. If he didn't, he would be dead. And what about it? There was nothing but death in death.

What if he survived, and he was wounded, or some sort of misfortune befell him even when he repelled the attacks. If that happened, then what? There was no need to think about such things though because it didn't happen. It wasn't a challenge, the sand monsters were quickly slain and Shura didn't even get scratched even once this time.

…

The sun was had risen and it was now bright.

"The final phase of the competition will now commence, all remaining participants are to proceed to the designated area,"

On hearing the word of the announcer, Shura knew that all was still well and this was his cue to continue. A lone pillar of light lit up on the far horizon. The light engulfed the flying structure he had first seen when he was teleported here. The meeting place should be directly under the structure.

Everyone time he heard the announcer, he felt that it was very out of place as if it were something unnatural and artificial. It was, it was a 'competition' made by people. But was that what it really was?

Shura immediately set out for the location of the light. He didn't find anyone on his way there at all this time. It seemed that a lot of people were eliminated during the time that he was incapacitated.

Finally, Shura arrived in the area. There was nothing here but sand like everywhere else. There were ten people already there, among them was the woman with vibrant red hair.

The familiar voice of the announcer rang out from the sky: "Now that the final contestant is here-"

"Silence!" Shura suddenly shouted. The sky immediately darkened as his voice reverberated throughout heaven and earth and pierced through space.

Arya was surprised and momentarily frightened by Shura's abrupt shout. Although they were two souls in one body, she really couldn't anticipate or understand what had provoked Shura's outburst.

Shura walked toward the ten other people as he unsheathed his blade.

"All of this is ridiculous. Only one person can obtain 'it'? Go here, go there? 'Rules'? 'Competition'? This is all bullshit and unnecessary. Let's get this over with. Fight, kill, overpower. If you have the power to overpower others and take the ultimate power, now is the time to act. Weaklings and unrelated people should be silent and get lost."

"Where is the 'thing' that can transform a Truesoul into a Supreme Truesoul? How does one obtain it? I don't know and I don't care. I'm assuming if I eliminate you all the answer would become clear. And this 'tournament' and whoever it is that's in charge of it, I'm sure it's not within your ability to command or give me anything either."

Shura vanished into a dark mist. An instant later he appeared next to someone, and then he vanished again. Someone lost their head as a result.

One person lost their head, another had their core and heart destroyed, the third had both their core and heart destroyed and head severed. They vanished in a flash of light afterward.

"It is this simple. So why drag it out so long and be so longwinded about it all with 'do this' and 'do that?' Shura mocked.

Shura's entire body transformed into a thick mist that exploded out and covered the entire area.

One of the contestants who touched the mist was instantly corroded. Their body immediately vanishing without a trace. Not even their soul was spared. No lights had come to take them away to safety.

This scene repeated until everyone but three were dead. These three people were impervious to Shura's mist.

"Isn't this much simpler?" Shura said to the three remaining people.

"Impudence! How dare you ruin this competition organized by the-"

"Shut up!"

Shura slashed his sword toward the sky. A long black arc shot through the air, into space, and sliced the large travel ark into two. The Dark Void appeared over the ruin of the travel ark and then engulfed the remainder of the wreckages and survivors.

Shura amplified his voice so it would reach the furthest reach of the heavens: "Whoever has a problem, they're welcome to come here and spar with my blade."

"Now, since the 'outsiders' have been dealt with. How should we settle this? A free for all, or perhaps a duel?"

There was silence now.

The silence spoke enogh of what was happening. Shura made his move and he attacked the remaining three people.

Shura concentraded his eveything into these sword strikes. The whole physical power of his body, imbued with every ounce of his strength.; It wsn't just his physical strength that went into these attacks, he had also imbued it with his internal energy and soul strength.

Shura flew through the air, his blade guided him toward his opponents. The blade came upon one enemy and before they could react the blade went through them and they quickly disppaered into thin eye as they were corroded by darkness.

The other person was also dispatched in a similar manner. Only the girl was left.

Not once had Shura's opponent been able to act or offer any resistance. This was not because they were inept, but it was because they were vastly superior to them. In a moment when they were still processing what was about to occur, Shura was already upon them.

'How is this possible?!' Arya watched everything happened with disbelief. How was this person so powerful? He didn't show any sign of such powers before. Where did his strength come from?

"There's only you left," Shura said to the woman with red hair.

The moment he finished his sentence Shura disappeared and reappeared in front of the women. He slashed his blade at her.

The woman vanished before Shura's blade made contact with her. Shura immediately looked around to find where she went.

Shura couldn't see her or sense her with his soul either. She was gone, yet he knew she was here. Was it only that he couldn't sense her?

Shura suddenly sensed danger and turned around to defend himself with his blade.

The woman had reappeared in midair, her sword aimed for his head. Her appearance was accompanied with such velocity that Shura didn't know where it came from. She appeared and shot at him at an insane speed.

The tip of her sword was blocked by the body of Shura's blade. The instant the two weapons made contact Shura felt an unimaginably powerful force transmit through the weapon. His internal organs felt a great impact and were gravely injured. His blood vessels and meridians exploded. Even his soul was damaged from the contact.

The woman's strength was very unexpected. If Shura had met that blow head-on… he literally would have no head left to do anything with afterward.

The woman didn't let Shura let, she lunged at Shura, her blow was faster than his and even more vicious.

Shura knew that he was not her match in a direct confrontation. He would have no chance at all if he were to foolishly confront her. He decided to fleer.

Before her sword could touch him Shura exploded into a black mist that shot outward in all direction and then proceeded to converge midair.

The mass of black mist shot through the sky and headed for the floating castle in the sky.

The woman below instantly vanished as well. Shura knew she was hot on his trail. He needed to get away from here. Perhaps the castl ein the sky could act as a refuge.

Shura's heart was beating very fast and he was very nervous. He didn't look behind him at all but he knew she was closing on him and gaining distance. He needed to make it, he had to make it!