Chapter 380: Battle of Supreme Swords... Part-5.
Chapter 380: Battle of Supreme Swords... Part-5.
*Clank* *Clink*
Rio and the clones' swords hit each other again and again, making noises that resounded throughout the empty hall.
The swords that the clone is using is just an extension of its body, and if it were someone else's clone, Rio could have directly used his 'Soul Splitting' the moment their swords touched each other.
However, because this entity is Rio's clone, it possesses 'True Immunity', meaning that many of Rio's potent abilities will not affect it.
'Moreover, it's currently completely ignoring defense and is going for full offense...'
Rio literally killed all of its allies right in front of it after all; the clone is a bit angry over that matter.
'I guess I will also be quite a bit angry if my friends get killed right in front of me... Also, I will become as reckless as this clone...'
'I wonder if I can actually fill this weakness though...'
As long as you have even the smallest amount of emotions left, you will still get affected by the demise of your friends and close ones. This is a weakness that all creatures are born with from the very beginning.
'I guess the reason why reaching 'Perfection' of 'Sword Intent' is a path of elimination of all weaknesses from yourself... and having these emotions is also seen as a weakness, I guess?'
Let alone Rio; even if it were Ashtel Rex in this situation, even he would have gotten angry if his son got killed in front of him, which means not even SS-rankers, literal demi-gods, are immune to this weakness.
'Some say that your emotions are your strength, not your weakness... I wonder which path is correct...'
Rio shook his head and backstepped a bit to avoid the three continuous sword swings.
'It's starting to use space type and time type more now...'
Rio has been fighting the last clone for about five minutes now, and the other party's offensive just doesn't seem to have an end.
[Sword Intent!]
[Elemental Sword Art: Thunder Type: Golden Thunder Coiling Dragon!]
As if a thunder dragon had manifested on Rio's sword, it opened its jaws wide as Rio swung his sword to attack the other party.
But the clone didn't even flinch; it immediately countered Rio's attack with another attack made up of golden thunder called 'Redirecting Dragons!'
'D*mn! This clone is already using techniques that I only just came up with now...'
Rio has insanely high sword aptitude; every time he fights and uses his skills, various new ideas and inspirations come to his mind at every moment of the battle.
New ways to counter the opponents and his own skills come up like a tsunami, and they are unstoppable.
Just now, when Rio used the coiling dragon skill, he immediately came up with a way to counter it automatically, and the clone literally used that technique to counter the skill.
'This means that this clone can still keep upgrading itself along with me... This is getting a bit tedious now...'
The fight between Rio and his clone is all about who will cause a mistake first.
As both have pretty much the same skill set, the victory and defeat only depend on a very few things, like the sword intent.
'I need to find an opening to land my 'Sword Intent'... Only that can make some difference...' *Boom!*
Rio jumped back immediately to avoid the attack.
The clone turned the sword into a massive claymore and tried to squash Rio with it in an attempt to surprise him.
'I already know that my sword can turn into various types of swords... Do you really think I will be surprised by the sword's length and size increasing all of a sudden?'
The sword of the clone turned into an excessively long sword; it was so long that the clone looked smaller in height compared to the sword itself.
'Now you are just embarrassing me... I never use that kind of swords!'
But one thing was sure: the clone was really being too desperate in that situation. As nearly all its attacks were not working and its chances of winning were low, the clone was feeling disappointed in itself.
Its allies were killed in front of it, and it still couldn't take revenge for them, which was a great shame that it couldn't bear.
'Ugh... The more I fight this guy, the more awkward I feel... I can see myself in its place... fighting a strong foe that harmed his friends, sigh... So this is how 'Villains' feel like?'
Rio dodged those desperate sword swings that had lost their precision and didn't counterattack; at that moment, Rio could feel the intense emotions that the clone represented.
He could see himself in the other party, and he couldn't stop himself from saying. "Idiot, you won't be able to avenge anything if you are stuck in so many dilemmas in your own heart... Without a clear heart, your sword will lose its luster..."
"A sword is an emotionless tool meant for destruction and death... Don't lose the 'Flow of your sword's intentions'... That's what you promised yourself..."
Although Rio was saying those words in a calm tone, the clone heard them perfectly, and Rio himself felt solemn after saying those words out loud.
Rio raised his sword and pointed it towards the clone before saying,
"Let's end this battle... This battle between supreme swords has taught me a lot. I appreciate your help a lot... But it's time you get your long-deserved peace..."
As if the clone could understand Rio's words, it also raised its sword and pointed it at Rio.
"Heh, so you are still going to challenge me till last breath... That's so like me..."
Rio took his stance and stopped using his shadow robe to hide himself; the clone did the same; it also stopped using the shadow robe, and both became vulnerable to damage. "Good choice; no need to hide behind tricks; let's end this farce right here..."
Rio learned a lot from these clones and figured out a lot of his own habits that could one day cause his demise, so he has some respect for these clones.
He wants to give the other party a proper end, and for a swordsman aiming for the 'peak', there's only one honorable way of dying...
[Sword Intent: Maximum Output!]
... and that is to die by the sword of someone who has been acknowledged by the very 'Law' of
the 'Sword' and has mastered 'Sword Intent'.
In this final attack, Rio poured nearly all his remaining mana into 'Sword Intent'.
The clone doesn't have 'Sword Intent' so it's using 'Space type' this time.
Both attacks are lethal, and they both can hurt each other fatally if they manage to land it.
This was a last attack that will decide who will be the winner and who will be the real
'Supreme Sword'.
'Farewell, good friend...'
Rio poured so much mana into his sword intent that if he didn't have the 'Imperfect Sword
Heart' it would have been completely impossible to control it.
The sword swelled in length and width like crazy and became extremely big; it seemed as if it
wasn't even fitting in Rio's hand at that point.
But Rio didn't feel much of a burden; the sword's heart is enough to bear this burden.
*BOOOM!*
Rio swung the sword in a downward motion while the clone swung his sword in a horizontal
motion.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Both of them carried out the attack at nearly the same time.
Rio's immensely powerful 'Sword Intent' completely overpowered that the clone used and
then directly headed towards the clone.
*Crack*
The clone tried to block it with his sword, but the sword also shattered, and the clone was
sliced into two pieces by the insanely strong 'Sword Intent'.
A smile of relief appeared on the face of the clone before it exploded and turned into
nothingness.
Seeing that scene, Rio sighed and felt a bit dejected at the clone's death.
"Phew... that was a tough battle..."
Rio used up nearly all his mana in that final attack, and if it hadn't worked, he would have been in a lot of trouble, as he only has a few more mana recovery potions left in his space ring.
'When I go back, I will have to stock up on these potions again...'
Rio didn't have many tricks left up his sleeve at the moment that could help him forcibly kill the clone, so he had to resort to the good old 'Talk No J*tsu' to get his work done. 'Although I ended up manipulating the other party in the end... I need to consider that someone can use this tactic on me too, so I need to be prepared about these scenarios...' Although the battle with the clones was intense, it was worth fighting it; if Rio had just left without the fight, he wouldn't have gotten the chance to figure out so many weaknesses of his
own.
'Come to think of it... how did I enter this arena in the first place? I definitely tried to leave and was going to head back, but then there was suddenly a shift in the space-time fabric, and I
found myself standing here...'
'That's so bizarre... That's something only SS-rankers can do; these clones likely weren't the
ones who teleported me here all of a sudden...'
Just when Rio was confused, the vague calling that was asking Rio to come towards it
suddenly appeared in his mind once again.
Now it was targeted towards the floor of this hall.
Author's Notes.
Yo! It's your beloved author here!
Would you be able to figure out your own weaknesses like Rio did?
(Tell me your thoughts in the comments)
By the way, don't forget to use those power stones!!