*Argh!!!* screamed Alex.

Despite all the protection he added to his body, he still succumbed to the fatality of the attack.

He swung his fist at Jake but was met with thin air. In the next instant, he received his next attack, but this time, he blocked it with his bracers.

He had bought the bracers, especially for things like this. To him, it was a conventional shield that had his limits. He had envisioned himself using it when he could not evade an attack. However, he was now forced to using it every time as when it came to Jake's attack, there was no evasion!

Alex noticed that his bracers had cuts on them, and while it might not be enough to destroy it, when accumulated, it could permanently bypass the armor piece.

Trying to find a way to stop Jake's attack, he bizarrely thought, 'Sense. I need to sense his attacks on time, but it's too fast for my five senses. So, I need to overload the overload and attain the sixth sense.'

The [Spirit Essence] in the air was sucked into his body rampantly and went into the cores of his senses; his eyes, nose, ears, tongue, and skin.

His body underwent a transformation as it absorbed too much energy which was then trapped in his body.

As if to announce the insaneness of the transformation, Alex suddenly ducked and a sharp blade went past him!

Yet, he didn't relax. He made a series of evasion, even gifting in a few attacks. Every time he moved, he would be followed by Jake's sword. It was as if he could "sense" the sword before it reached him, and made drastic movements in less than a second.

Alex smiled as he tasted the full power of his technique. He had been warned by his parents not to go past the limits of their family technique, but now that he was forced to, he could take a few minutes to enjoy the feeling of superiority.

His now reddened eyes glinted and he began to move!

While his speed could not be compared to Jake, it was just a level behind him and he started to understand why many people adored the force of speed!

Every one of his movements, though unrefined, felt alive, as if he could control, down to the T, what direction he wanted to go to, but he couldn't.

While he was under feelings of liberation, he realized that he was still bound by limits. He was bound by the walls of air, imperceivable to humans.

By the time he got to Jake's position, the latter was nowhere to be found.

'Where is he?' Alex thought hard.

His temporary senses told him Jake was still there, but his other senses begged to differ!

He began to wonder whether something was wrong with his senses when his brain kicked in and he instantly threw himself away!

*Zing!*

Rolling on the floor for two seconds, he thought he was already safe, but he moved on instinct and jumped up!

*Zing!*

While in the air, he got a good look at Jake who seemed to have increased his speed topnotch. He also spotted the places he was previously attacked. A deep tiny dent was fixed into the stage floor!

He began to realize what kind of opponent he was up against!

...…

'Hmmm...' Jake glanced at his opponent who refused to descend back to the ground.

He had previously noticed that Alex had done something to his body and had gained an ability similar to Jake's sixth sense.

However, the upgrades that his opponent had were still not enough to severely threaten him.

Firstly, the newly acquired abilities were strong but were not being effectively utilized in Alex's hand. It was like giving a plethora of weapons to a baby.

Secondly, Jake had not revealed his hundred percent(100%), not to talk of his two-hundred percent speed(200%).

These were terms Jake used for the different levels of speed he could currently go at. They weren't definite and would change every time Jake attains a new level or surpasses his current progress stage of the [Sword Drawing Technique].

Normally, Jake always used fifty to eighty percent(50-80%) of his speed during battles, but, it was not like he had not gone full power before.

For example, the masked men he fought in the tunnel had witnessed his optimum speed which could not be described using numbers. It was simply him using his absolute limit he could harness, not the limit his body dictated. That was also why Jake's body cracked under the force of the speed.

However, in this match, Jake had used his eighty percent(80%) speed to injure Alex. He couldn't go further due to the injury inflicted on him by Alex, which he was also healing while fighting.

As soon as Alex came down, Jake initiated another round of attacks.....

Watching the match between two adversaries, one would think why, even though they were both at the hidden stage, they didn't use their elements.

However, those that knew that was battle-experienced understood. Jake and Alex had techniques that didn't align with their elements. If there was a name for such individuals, they would be called, "Pure Warriors."

The current them could only attack with [Spirit Essence]. If they decided to use [Elemental Spirit Essence] for their attacks, they would spoil it.

Still, it was not as bad as it seemed as while they could not compare to the destructiveness of cultivators who frequently utilized their elements, they were classless when it came to close combat.

Plus, they could further refine their manipulation of energy, which would prove useful to them when they fully switch to [Elemental Spirit Essence].

Jake had decided that as soon as he got a technique that aligned with his element, he would learn it. It was better to use a technique than to carelessly experiment with an element.

.......

*Zing!*

After about hundreds of exchanged attacks, Alex's armor became riddled with cuts and seemed to want to fall off.

Jake also wasn't without injuries. His leather combat light armor got battered in the process and failed to absorb the venomous impact of Alex's attack.

Nonetheless, it wasn't that exaggerated. Jake was on the winning side and was pressuring Alex to his limits.

He continued to count the time it would take for his injury to heal.

Jake had to say, Alex's technique wasn't something to scoff at.

It kept him at minimum strength, and every time he tried an attack, he was reminded of the horrendous pain he ignored.

While in thought, Jake sensed an attack and ducked.

He swiftly extended his leg and tripped his opponent, who had not expected the speed of the attack.

Getting back on his feet, he proceeded to dominate his opponent for a while, before Alex forcefully backed off to gain breathing space.

His muscles burned at every expense of energy and he found himself reaching his limit, but he did not give up.

'Limits are illusionary,' Alex chanted to himself.

He couldn't repeat the chant as Jake gave dashing at him with an improved speed.

He didn't have any choice but to block it with his bracers, which became worn off in just one fight.

Within the span of a breath, Alex realized that the first attack was just a feint, and he had totally fallen for it as the other attack punctured his armor.

He was gradually losing efficiency and becoming dreary.

However, he wasn't even given a choice to decide whether to forfeit or not due to the beastly attack of his opponent.

Together, they danced around the stage as sparks flew into the air.

"Beautiful," commented those among the crowd that had lost sight of the two opponents.

All they could see were blurs and igniting sparks.

By the time the movement stopped, they saw Alex bleeding from his orifices and Jake holding a sword at him.

"Match 1, End!"