Shin’s fingers moved like a conductor directing an orchestra, threading and weaving about with fluidity that would make seasoned professionals cry with shame. Water spheres all turned into tendrils, and icy spears continued to rain down from the skies. Junius raised the Hofuku, sending mana into the pristine jewel that laid at its centre. A solid emerald bubble emerged from the blade’s hilt, creating a dense layer of protection for the struggling Brahmin. Like effervesce, Shin’s attacks all dissipated into nothingness once they had come into contact with the powerful barrier.

The Prince of Water furrowed his brows, evidently annoyed by the pesky barrier that had foiled his plans so many times before. Even back when Shin faced Junius at the Payirci, the Hofuku was the main reason why the seven heroes had such a hard time beating Junius. However, it wasn’t Shin if he hadn’t come up with a counter for the pesky barrier. Radiant, white light beamed out from the floating shard, enveloping many of the ice spears with intense, explosive spiritual energies.

That’s right… Shin had long mastered the capability of merging the power created by his partially ignited shard into the structures that he’d created. Swirling forms of endless explosive energies were hidden within the sharp confines of the deadly spear. It seemed capable of detonating at any given moment, bringing all kinds of death and destruction towards its targets. And well… That was Shin’s goal in the first place…

BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!!

Endless explosions broke the air and sent embers flying all about. The emerald barrier shook thousands of times, as billowing smoke rose to the surface of the shield. In no time at all, Junius’ Hofuku found itself losing a tonne of spiritual energy within seconds and the Brahmin was forced to insert more of his own mana into the aether crystal.

However, Shin had long anticipated Junius’ plans. With two snaps, thousands of rapidly spinning orbs crashed into one another, as if mimicking a planetary disaster. The residue water droplets slowly congregated into a blob, gradually forming into a massive spiralling sphere which screamed out terror to any who laid their eyes upon it. At the same time, Shin fully ignited the shard and raised both his hands up towards the near fifty metres wide sphere. The young man’s shoulders started to tense up as if he were trying to lift up the entire world in his arms. However, Shin didn’t care. Reciting some verses from the Hymn of Origin, Shin masterfully incorporated his mana into the spinning water orb.

Junius dropped his jaw, and the grip on the Hofuku loosened. It was one thing to go against the explosive power of the shard, but if it were evenly distributed into such a vast area… There was simply no dodging the ultimate variant ability that Shin had created.

‘Flow-Style Technique… PLANETARY DEVASTATION!!!’

BBBBBBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!

The earth turned mushy as the world trembled in complete fear. Endless amounts of spiritual energies swirled within the atmosphere. There was no possible defence that Junius could possibly bring out to protect himself against Shin’s most forceful attack. In the end, all he could do was gape in awe as the shattered remnants of Hofuku’s aether crystals fell silently onto the floor.

Not wasting any opportunity, Shin leapt forward like a leopard stalking its prey. Another ice spear reappeared in his hands, this time taking the colour of a vibrant mossy green. It was the variant poisonous form of the Spear of Aiglos, the Spear of Visam. After taking some classes with the Shenshe Clan a few months back, Shin had figured out the best possible poison to deal with a durable Spirit Lord or King. Mixing the venom of the Divine King Serpent and the potent poison of the Tositaxi Mushroom, Shin had concocted the perfect brew, just to deal with Junius.

Just one pierce would be sufficient to bring Junius face-to-face with the King of the Netherworld. Moving in like a serpent locked on his prey, Shin danced around the white flames created by his explosive attack and was soon just inches away from touching the Brahmin.

Immediately coming to his senses, Junius turned one rapid round, creating a ring of water to protect himself. Mixing in a good portion of his mana, Junius had instilled a sharpness capable of breaking down the hardest metal in the world and slicing through the toughest bodies that Gaia could have conceived. It was another one of Junius’ signature spiritual abilities… Elemental Ring.

First taught to him by the Instructor, Junius had modified the ability into a deadly force that severed heads faster than the blink of an eye. Just like Sword Partner and Pierce, Junius relied heavily on this ability to roam the battlefields that the Black Masks made, solidifying his place as a dominant commander in the syndicate. Unfortunately…

SPLAT!!!

Just like ‘Pierce’ before it… Elemental Ring used water to propel its deadly nature. Against Shin, the Prince of Water, Elemental Ring was as good as falling raindrops that were smoothened by a parasol. Before it could attempt to take Shin’s blood, it had already burst into millions of water droplets, some of them evaporating into vapour as well.

Junius, once again, was alarmed by the ineffectiveness of his spiritual abilities. Three of them failed so beautifully that it was a complete waste to cast them in the first place. With his back against the wall, Junius was forced to raise both his two swords up, in anticipation of Shin’s physical onslaught. The Spear of Visam was first parried away by the Hofuku, forcing Shin to retract his spear thrust. However, that didn’t mean that the Prince was done attacked.

A pivot to the ankles and Shin was back within Junius’ striking zone. Back during his fight against Shizen, having a foe within two-metres of his body was already a given victory for the Brahmin. However, against Shin, it was anything but a win. Shin expected that Junius would rely on his dual swords to fight from the very beginning and had trained tirelessly with Yeunghi for this very same reason. In no time at all, the Spear of Visam already slipped through a small crack in Junius’ faltering stance and was headed straight towards his upper torso.

Junius, no, the Blade of Death’s swordplay focused entirely on fluidity. To control the body of oneself as well as the motions of his opponent. When Shin slammed the Planetary Devastation upon Junius’ broken Hofuku barrier, he had taken the momentum away from Junius and had gained the momentum all for himself. Now, Junius was forced to play according to Shin’s movements.

However, Junius didn’t climb his way to the top of the Black Masks without facing any hardships in battle. Losing the upper hand was fine, as long as Junius was able to slow the pace of the fight, he could easily enter his flow-like state, controlling Shin with the sword dance that had mesmerised many who stood before it.

But…

Clink!!! Clank!!! Clink!!!

Shin wasn’t backing off in the slightest. In fact, the Spear of Visam moved far more ferociously after Shin had gotten control over the tempo. Junius’ swordsmanship prides itself for its fluid and unhittable nature. All moves would be parried in accordance with Junius’ will, and it relied heavily on counter-attacking. However, Shin wasn’t allowing Junius to gain control of his much-needed pace. The Brahmin was still trying to recover from the shock that the Planetary Devastation had caused and eventually…

SLLLIICCCKKK!!!

The Spear of Visam had hit its mark after the fifteenth move. An opening showed itself the moment Junius attempted to parry away Shin’s terrifying spear. Hitting straight at the man’s left shoulder, the mossy spear unleashed a colossal ripple, completely disorienting Junius’ perfect swordsmanship. Blood splattered all over the place as the Brahmin nearly lost his wits.

“Hmph!” Shin snorted and finally retreated for the first time since the battle began. Throwing a relentless assault was the way to beat Junius, but even Shin wasn’t able to maintain that rapid pace against the Blade of Death’s fluid swordplay. However, the deed was done.

Green fluids replaced Junius’ blood, and the Brahmin’s consciousness immediately turned hazy. The poison that Shin had explicitly prepared for Junius was able to affect the swordsman instantly. Disoriented and weakened, Junius had to bite down his lower lip, just to maintain control over his consciousness.

Everything… Everything that Junius did was beautifully countered by the man called Shin. To some extent, one could call Shin the ultimate counter to Junius. Shin examined every single detail about Junius’ abilities, martial arts, strategies… All just to take him down one day…

Leaving nothing to chance, once Shin had regained a large portion of his stamina, the young Prince just leapt back in. Junius was weakened, and it was time to capitalise. The Spear of Visam danced around in the cold, misty breeze, pushing away the Blade of Death’s two signature swords with ease. With his mind muddied, Junius could only move on instinct, rendering him utterly defenceless against Shin’s masterful martial arts.

SCHLLICCKK!!! SCHLLICCKK!!! SCHLLICCKK!!!

The Spear of Visam continuously found openings within Junius’ posture, drawing blood with each attack. Junius’ two blades attempted to parry the spear, but Shin had all the answers to the Blade of Death’s fluid swordsmanship. Compared to Dalgeom Sect’s Yeunghi, Junius’ movements were far more sloppy and crude. Furthermore, each time Shin damages Junius with his signature spear, more and more poison would be transferred into his system.

From the very beginning, Junius stood no chance against Shin’s masterful control over the fight. Junius wasn’t a genius like Shin, and he wasn’t able to plan fifty moves ahead. However, there was one thing that Junius had that could match up to the indomitable Prince any day of the week… And that was, his resilience…

“ARGHHHHHHHHH!!!” The Brahmin wailed in agony as he desperately swung his blades.

Even after being brutally countered at every turn, being damaged and poisoned beyond repair, Junius was still able to barely hold on to his consciousness. The noble and majestic swordplay of the Blade of Death was replaced with a marauder’s uninspired technique. There was no beauty in his movements, just pure, unadulterated, brute force.

[Junius…]

At that moment, a voice called out in the deep recesses of Junius’ mind. On the exterior, the Brahmin had turned into a berserker that had lost his calm, ready to reap the lives of any who stepped foot before his blades. However, on the inside, Junius still retained his sentient mind. That authoritative voice which oozed majesty… That mana that put fear into all living beings… There was only one man who possessed both those traits.

“Allfather...” Junius ‘opened’ his eyes. Inside of his Spectre Soul, a dark-robed figure, highly-reminiscent to that of the Grim Reaper himself, levitated just a few inches away from the tall and hunky Brahmin.

[Junius,] the Allfather wasted no time and held out his palms towards the young man. [I’m going to send my mana to overflow your systems. That way, you can purge the poisons in your body and gain a significant boost. You may not be able to live through this ordeal but at the very least… Kill Shin Iofiel.]

The hooded figure laid down the order as dark smoke emerged from his palms and entered Junius’ Spectre Soul. It was a deed that the Allfather had done countless of times in the past. Overflowing his subordinate’s mana to give them a temporary boost in power. However…

[Huh?]

The Allfather raised a voice filled with confusion. The amount of mana that he had supplied all disappeared the moment they entered Junius’ body. No, disappear wasn’t the right word... The Allfather had lost all connections to the mana he’d given to Junius.

“Allfather… Oh, great leader of mine… How have I waited for this very moment...”

“Junius...” The shadow realised that something had gone awry. His connection with Junius, the link that he’d had fostered with all who were baptised by his mana… It was slowly crumbling to dust. As the connection was severed, Junius could hear the Allfather’s voice for what it truly was… It wasn’t some otherworldly voice that called out from the depths of hell. Neither was it an Immortal’s calling that charmed everything. It was instead… A regular, old human’s voice…

“Junius, what have you done?!”

The Allfather panicked. Over his long years, he’d never seen anyone capable of breaking his connection. Junius looked at the fading shadow, who had turned into a blob of pure mana for him to absorb. The Brahmin… No, Junius… He’d been waiting for this moment for far too long.

“I’m just… Ending it all...”