Jacob never had a great talent for cultivation. But his talent for swordsmanship was undeniable. It had been the one thing that had kept him going, that had let him believe he could somehow accomplish something. And that’s why he barely went anywhere without his sword even now. It was more than a weapon for him, it was what made it worth it to keep going forward, to keep pushing.

The new degree of synchronization he was experiencing was only possible through Kevin. The sword was indeed tempering the damage that would have otherwise ravaged his body.

HUMAN, YOU HAVE FIVE MINUTES!

Jacob knew he was on a timer. Even with a Soul Weapon, he could use this massive amount of power only for so long before his body was affected by it.

“Oh, Jaji-boy.”

Epagogia was more than satisfied seeing the new party trick Jacob had just pulled. This would even out most of the brunt of their difference in power.

“I hope you are ready.”

Acceleration

Jacob sprinted toward the woman covered by the thick, almost solid, Purple Aura.

“I hope that you are, human.”

The first impact tore away the tree closest to them, literally eradicating it. The shockwave splintered multiple branches off other trees and went on as they were already crossing paths for the second blow.

Jacob twisted out of the Purple Qi Claws’ way and squatted so low he almost touched the ground, dodging the strong and mortal swipe. If he had been hit directly, he would have been put out of commission. His body was much weaker than Epagogia’s, and his Sword Aura didn’t make it more resilient, just more conductive for power.

And it was power that now Jacob used.

Blade Tyrant Martial Style, 1st stance – Cut

When he had developed his personal Martial Style, Jacob had never been one for flashy moves. He preferred substance over form, efficiency over showing off. However, just because his Martial Style had very plain names for its stances it didn’t mean that they weren’t strong. In fact, the 1st stance had cut even Dragons!

Epagogia realized she had overextended and immediately started backpedaling as she saw Jacob’s red Aura move to form a sharper edge on the blade.

“Shit,” the woman crossed her claws in front of her chest to cushion most of the blow.

Kevin flashed with red light and bit into Epagogia’s Qi-covered claws. And it bit deep.

In his past life, they had sparred multiple times to keep each other sharp, just for fun or because Epagogia had gotten angry with him. At their level, it was hard not getting hurt if one went all out, which meant that Epagogia never really understood the difference between their styles.

Jacob’s Blade Tyrant Martial Style wasn’t made to hold back. He had developed it with the sole purpose of exterminating Demonic Beasts. There was no room for soft feelings in the Style’s stances; and it wasn’t much of a practical thing rather than a philosophical one. Styles were created by people with great insights into a specific domain. In Jacob’s case, the sword.

Even simple moves like the 1st Stance had been created thinking of killing the opponent. And when a Style is geared toward something like that, it cannot be nearly as effective as it should if the intent is misplaced. Different Styles contained different intents; some were made to dominate, some to embrace more power, like Epagogia’s personal Martial Style and Aura.

But that was not the case for Jacob.

No.

His Martial Style had been made for one thing, and one thing only.

Killing.

Even the moves that were not directly geared toward killing were developed thinking of how to better get to the final kill.

So, there was a very important component that Jacob had never instilled in his blows in his past life’s spars with Epagogia.

Killing Intent

It came rushing, as high as the Heavens themselves, enveloping both of them from head to toe, mixing with Jacob’s Sword Aura and pushing Kevin deeper and deeper, until it licked the flesh of the Devil Queen.

She narrowed her eyes and roared. Before she could disengage completely, the sword had gnawed deeper in her flesh, leaving a deep gash on her forearms.

Epagogia looked toward him with mild shock. She had not expected that Jacob would be able to cut her, not even after using more of his Sword Aura.

The difference between them was supposed to be like Heaven and Earth at this moment, or so Epagogia had thought. She had always believed that they were not that different in fighting power in their past life. But if Jacob could just push her back like this while being one entire Realm apart, then what would happen if they had been at the same level?

Epagogia pumped all the Purple Qi in her veins through her Meridians, deciding she would no longer pull punches. This time, it was going to be more of a fight between masters than a simple spar.

And everyone knew that fight between masters, unlike what most people thought, would not last for long. Sure, there would be a long time to study each other with simple moves and blows, but the true battle would be fought in under a second.

Jacob felt Epagogia’s intentions and nodded toward her, gripping the sword with both hands and falling into a reactive stance, with wide legs and relaxed shoulders.

They both sprinted in the next second, bringing the battle to an end with the next blow.