Weak.

Too weak.

This was the honest opinion of Jin after his first clash with this opponent. He wondered how such a powerless champion made it all the way here. To reach this far with this kind of ability... Just how much luck did one even need? He couldn't comprehend it. He pursued his opponent after sending him flying with the first impact.

Even though the residual pain remained, he could still manage to fight. He used all his techniques within that first strike, expecting more than a single exchange. This man was the owner of the gourd he needed so he didn't even think about probing him and went for the kill from the start. But that was because he expected fierce retaliation. He believed the one he would face would be just as strong him and his previous opponents. Yet he was not. Far from it. So far that it was disappointing.

Jin didn't want to waste any time on such a trash and decided to finish it quickly. That way he would have some time to recuperate some of his strength. Who knew if he would need it later? At least, his body was in the worst kind of state it had ever been. It was fortunate that as the corruption left, his body slightly healed. The process of purging his blood did help healing the rest. It wasn't much but it was enough for him to fight. He couldn't display most of his martial arts but he could activate his different energies just fine. Considering his opponent, he would not need to use techniques requiring him to twist his body and such. That was good.

And so, he planned to end it through a show of pure might. He pursued the enemy he sent flying and witnessed as he took out the gourd that had been at his waist. Was this the one? Yes. It was. Jin knew it from the fact that the man was trying to use it. With his eyesight technique active, he could see everything that related to the spiritual energy. He saw its flow within both the gourd and the sword. But he didn't expect the sword to be plunged within the gourd. Sarina had not mentioned that part beforehand.

Jin took an interest in it. It seemed to pair with the gourd. Though he wasn't certain on how, he knew it did. An instant later, as he approached, he saw how the gourd emitted light and its opening was pushed towards him.

He didn't even think before extending his corrupted arm forward, trying to reach and grab the gourd in a single motion. He didn't know how the gourd worked which was unfortunate. Sarina told him about the gourd and what it could do but not how it worked visually and practically. He couldn't blame her for it as she didn't witness it. That guy had been one of the lucky ones without an opponent for the first round and only bragged to the statues...

Light shot out from the gourd's opening. It was too fast for him to dodge, especially considering how close his hand was to it. He could only slightly alter his own movement so that it didn't hit the hand but another part of his body. It hit the forearm. He truly hadn't had much of a window to act. But the hand was close to the gourd and on its way forward.

Unexpectedly, and probably out of instinct, the opponent slashed at the coming hand. In the end, what Jin grabbed wasn't the gourd but the sword's blade. It cut sharply through his hand but he didn't have to mind it as it was the corruption element. It seemed to be slashed but it was only separated slightly. The two parts moved to stick back together, blocking the blade within itself.

Then, Jin felt like he couldn't move anymore. He tried to look and find the reason why but even his sight seemed blocked. Then, he saw, within his present line of sight, the reason. The beam of light seemed to have crystalized and expanded rapidly over his body and in all directions. It was closing in on the remaining parts.

He hadn't even noticed it happen...

He saw how the blade began to crystalize along with the last parts of his body that were made from corruption. His opponent cursed as he jumped backwards while letting go of the sword.

He was now stuck, unable to move at all. He could only see and hear what happened next. The opponent jumped angrily where he was and kept cursing loudly at the heavens and at him mostly. It seemed like he was raging about the loss of the sword. If one knew what kind of sword it was, it could only be expected.

The worst part that he would need to sacrifice ten years to erase the seal he put on Jin and free the sword. But not just the sword would be freed. Either he spent ten years to free both the sword and Jin or he gave up on the sword and kept Jin sealed. It was no wonder he cursed furiously for minutes.

Certainly, he managed to win easily and quickly without being hurt. But the loss was severe as well. That sword was more than half of his total strength. His entire battle strategy revolved around that sword in fact!

He was cursing and hating on Jin. Even sailors would be ashamed if they heard his words as they were simply too vulgar. Not a single ancestor of Jin was spared. Even his potential acquaintances and descendants weren't. That man was certainly thorough in his cursing.

But, in the end, he was powerless to change the situation.

He could only give up on his sword. He walked up to Jin and stated: "REDUCE!"

The crystal began to transform as Jin felt the surroundings grow in front of his eyes until the enemy became a giant. He noticed that he could now freely move within a small area. He was stuck in a round crystal no bigger than a marble, being even smaller than it obviously.

Jin looked at the sword in his hand...and he began to curse as well.