Chen and Kazehito momentarily stared at each other before Chen disappeared into thin air. To Kazehito's surprise, he was barely able to block Chen's attack aimed at the back of his head with his [Atmos Dome], such was the speed of Chen's strike.

To make matters worse, Chen didn't remain stationary, moving haphazardly as he delivered blows in rapid succession from all directions, Kazehito barely keeping up with no opportunity to counterattack. After all, his sensory abilities from [Atmos] simply couldn't follow Chen's speed.

It was only a matter of time before the first attack went through, as Kazehito was struck hard in the waist. This broke his concentration as his defences were lowered temporarily. However, this temporary lapse was sufficient for Chen to capitalise on, raining deadly blows on Kazehito with the intention to kill with every strike.

This was Chen's rage, which only grew in fervour for each strike that landed on his cursed opponent. He was going to make Kazehito pay for all those grievous wounds he had inflicted on his partner. Chen ended his rampage with a fierce kick to Kazehito's chin, sending him hurtling into the air.

Without giving his opponent a chance to recover, Chen focused all his Mana into his right leg as he aimed for Kazehito's head with a drop kick. Kazehito was sent plummeting rapidly towards the ground, crashing resoundingly as a few trees were desecrated from the impact.

Chen landed slightly further away, as his [Limit Break - Level 2] instantly wore off. The physical strain of his technique immediately caught up with him, but he was now better able to move and respond than before. After all, his training wasn't for naught as he raised his physical endurance against the drawbacks of his technique.

Chen's eyes widened in horror when he saw a figure levitating out of the crater where his opponent should be. It was Kazehito, whose body was covered with a shiny aura. Kazehito tilted his head slightly as he sought to massage his stiff shoulders, appearing only slightly hurt despite Chen's fierce barrage.

Kazehito commended Chen, "I'm impressed with your success in circumventing my [Atmos Dome], but I have another trick up my sleeve in the event this technique failed. Behold, the full body elemental spell [Gale Force]! Using my Enigma Ability, this spell can be upgraded further into [Atmos Force] which is far stronger in offense and defence!"

Chen immediately realised that Kazehito's [Atmos Force] must have been responsible for his apparent lack of damage, having minimised the impact of all his blows including his last attack. Chen cursed under his breath at the sturdiness of Kazehito's wind magic armour, while racking his brain furiously for a solution to disperse that repulsive wind around him.

Kazehito grinned before declaring, "It's now my turn to return the favour, I guess!" as he disappeared into thin air immediately after completing his statement. Chen gnawed his teeth in annoyance as Kazehito's laughter reverberated throughout the forest, accompanied by strong gusts of wind that blew from all directions, hindering Chen's ability to pick out his enemy.

Finally, when Kazehito was satisfied with his display of power, he swooped in for the kill, easily catching Chen right in the gut. Still weakened from his technique, Chen could only endure the relentless, rapid barrage from Kazehito, who taunted him incessantly as he declared, "I'm going to slowly wear you down to see how long you can last! I hope you don't disappoint me!"

In essence, Kazehito literally mirrored Chen's combo pattern, striking at the most random of places from his upper torso to his face and even his limbs. Chen tried to defend at least his face and his chest with a simple frontal guard, but that left his legs vulnerable as Kazehito immediately exploited this opening with a sweeping kick to trip Chen, ending with a kick to the chin to sent Chen soaring uncontrollably into the air.

Chen had tried his utmost in minimising the damage received with his Mana armament, but Kazehito's blows still stung considerably. As Chen slowly opened his eyes when the glaring sunlight was no longer shining directly into his eyes, he was horrified to discover that Kazehito was above him, blocking the sun while priming himself to land a drop heel on Chen's torso.

Kazehito laughed, "Now, THIS is how you finish a combo, [Atmos Blade - Nodaichi]!" The wind instantly gathered around Kazehito's right leg, forming an intense and sharp blade of wind around it. Kazehito then brought it down relentlessly on Chen's midline, intending to bisect him in half. Chen reacted instinctively, concentrating all his Mana into his core as he took Kazehito's blow head on.

Chen plummeted swiftly to the ground, but instead of a crater, a divide emerged instead as Kazehito's downward swiping kick generated an aerial blade, tearing through the earth on both sides of Chen. Chen himself could only mitigate the damage, as he earned a wide gash across his midline.

When Kazehito realised that Chen was not dead but rather incapacitated, he was rather amused before turning grim, deciding to end the battle once and for all as he drew a kunai from his sleeve. After coating it with Wind magic, focused to a point, Kazehito dived down towards Chen in an instant, ready to plunge his weapon through Chen's skull.

The resultant crash created an omnidirectional shockwave that caused some trees to collapse, clearing the vegetation in a small radius around the point of impact. As the dust cloud settled, Kazehito was surprised to discover that his blade sank deep into the ground, with Chen out of sight.

Kazehito immediately understood what could have happened, as he quickly turned his head to where Viper was resting previously. His suspicions were confirmed when Viper was missing. This could only mean that she had used her Enigma Ability to whisk Chen away to safety before he could land the finishing blow.

Kazehito chuckled to himself, "I hadn't expected that the girl could extend her ability for others to use, interesting…Now then, what should I do next?"

Meanwhile, Chen found himself encased in complete darkness, as he wondered out loud, "Is this how the netherworld looks like? I imagined it to be a lot brighter, hahaha." To his surprise, he heard a female voice reassuring him, " You aren't dead yet, so quit spouting such rubbish."

Chen instinctively asked, "Is that you, Viper? I can't see anything in this pitch black darkness. Where are we exactly?" The voice replied softly, "Yes, I'm Viper, and you're in my [Shadow Realm]. I apologise for not speaking all this while even though I ain't mute."

Viper revealed, "I didn't speak in school or throughout the mission because I've been taught that the tongue is extremely capricious. Thus, I kept silent in order to avoid any possibility of giving away any sensitive information and secrets when I operated as "Viper", which is merely my codename. As it's an emergency this time, I'm willing to make an exception just this once, out of necessity in lieu of the fact that you can't see me."

Chen enquired, "Okay, surprises aside, what's our next course of action? Staying hidden here isn't a solution to our current predicament, with Kazehito still lurking outside and possibly leaving to reinforce the enemy, making it difficult for our comrades."

Seeing that Viper remained silent, Chen took in a deep breath before declaring adamantly, "We have to stop Kazehito right here. It's our responsibility to prevent any foes from breaching the forest entrance to the village. Furthermore, it would be disastrous if someone of our opponent's calibre linked up with the other raiders currently engaged by our teammates, tilting the scales of battle to their favour."

Viper nodded her head in agreement unbeknownst to Chen but reminded solemnly, "Chen, given our current combat ability, even if we worked together, Kazehito would probably still emerge victorious. The odds of victory is zero, unless you still have a trick up your sleeve?"

Chen affirmed, "Yeah, you're right, I do have one final ace. I need an additional 5 minutes of rest though, to recover from the backlash of my technique earlier. Thereafter, we only have one shot at defeating Kazehito, as I'm not certain how long I can last when using my trump card."

Viper smiled before replying coolly, "So long as there's even the slimmest chance, I would make it transpire. Just wait for my signal to launch the counteroffensive, which would be the second opening of this portal after my exit." Viper then prepared to leave her [Shadow Realm] through her portal from which light shone through, allowing Chen to have a glimpse of her figure.

Chen questioned, "What do you intend to do in the meantime? Don't tell me -" Viper interrupted him before assuring, "I know what I can and must do. I would buy the time required for you to recuperate by delaying Kazehito's advance. May the Goddess bless us in our endeavour."

Chen swore that he saw Viper smile under her face mask before she swiftly exited the realm, closing the portal immediately after leaving and causing the world around Chen to return to darkness.

Kazehito was about to head towards his rendezvous point when he sensed the sudden entry of a human presence before turning in that direction. To his delight, he realised that it was Viper, who was still in a battered state. Kazehito ridiculed, "You're indeed a fool, little girl. Fancy showing yourself when you can simply hide in the shadows and wait things out. You're rushing to your death, lass!"

To Kazehito's surprise, Viper replied verbally for the first time, declaring, "I would be worse than a fool if I allowed you to hurt my friends because of my incompetence." Kazehito roared with laughter, before grimly stating, "I take back my words regarding your proficiency as an assassin, since your current behaviour is not befitting of one.

After all, true assassins never compromise their own safety unless necessary to fulfil their mission. Even when they do risk their lives, they attempt to minimise that risk by limiting exposure to danger. However, right now, you had literally thrown yourself into the fire by engaging in direct confrontation with an opponent you absolutely have no chance of defeating, hahaha!"

Viper replied calmly, "I understand my predicament clearly, and yes, I agree that direct combat isn't my expertise. However, right now, I don't have the luxury of choice and the only feasible option left is to stop you right here at all costs. Even if I have zero chance of defeating you, that doesn't mean I can't keep you from reaching the rest."

Kazehito was about to remark sarcastically when darkness began to envelop Viper's body, surprising him slightly. Kazehito swiftly directed an [Atmos Blade] towards Viper but she evaded his technique in an instant before retaliating with a couple of [Dark Shuriken] which Kazehito easily defended with his [Atmos Dome].

Kazehito was shocked to discover that Viper had transformed her body entirely into darkness as she slithered rapidly towards Kazehito, dodging all his ranged attacks with her increased fluidity. When Viper was directly under him, she launched herself towards Kazehito as she materialised partly, ready to slash him.

Kazehito instinctively decided to act first to gain the upper hand, using [Atmos Force] to accelerate past Viper while bisecting her in the process with his [Atmos Blade] around his kunai. Confident that he had struck her down since he had ensured that his blade was coated with Mana armament which was the only effective means to hurt those with "intangible" bodies, Kazehito turned around unhurriedly only to widen his eyes in horror.

In Kazehito's momentary lapse of concentration, Viper instantly closed the gap between them, as she crouched down below Kazehito's reach. If not for the speed and protection afforded by his [Atmos Force], Kazehito might not have escaped with his life, the huge diagonal streak across his chest evidence of his close shave as it bled profusely.

Despite his folly, Kazehito had to give credit to Viper on 2 occasions. Firstly, her success in avoiding his otherwise lethal strike and secondly, her ability to tear right through his formidable armour with her tanto. Bear in mind that this was the very same armour that withstood Chen's ferocious onslaught earlier, yet Viper shredded through it as though it was paper.

Kazehito's question was answered when he stole a glance at Viper's blade, as its surface was coated by intense dark energies equivalent to a [Void Blast] which streamed through the blade like a chainsaw. The weapon was further wrapped by intense black Mana armament, testament to the amount of power Viper was investing into it.

Kazehito instinctively understood that getting struck by Viper's weapon was no laughing matter, even his impeccable [Atmos Force] was no match for it. However, he wasn't too concerned about it, at least when compared to her ability to avoid his attack when he was certain that he had struck her cleanly. After all, Viper's limited range and inferior speed meant that Kazehito can easily steer clear of her blade but if he didn't find a way to land a solid blow on her, the battle might develop into an uneasy, drawn-out stalemate.

Though he was focused on his battle all the while, Kazehito had noticed the unnaturally large lightning bolt which struck near his comrade's location. Worried about Ikari's safety, Kazehito intended to wrap things up quickly with these kids, but things weren't progressing as smoothly as he had desired. Viper's sudden dash towards him shook Kazehito out of his stupor, as he resolved to concentrate on his task at hand.

Kazehito easily flew out of Viper's reach, but the lass was persistent as she immediately dissolved into darkness, pursuing him like a relentless hound. Even with Viper's slightly enhanced speed in her shadow form, Kazehito was simply too fast for her to catch as he weaved through all of her attempts to cut him down.

A sudden wave of inspiration rushed through Kazehito, as he realised that he should exploit his far swifter speed against his opponent. Viper was taken aback by a strong gust of wind which blew outwards from Kazehito but before she could recover, all she could sense was the howls of raging wind as Kazehito began his ruthless onslaught.

Using his immense speed, Kazehito flew haphazardly towards Viper from all directions as he launched a tirade of innumerable slashes against her body. Kazehito hypothesised that Viper was somehow able to manipulate the volume of her body, so by cutting faster than she can mould her body, he should be able to get at least one strike in.

As Viper's body was torn into shreds, with wisps of darkness fading into the oblivion, in an instant, a burst of void energy emerged from a speck of darkness towards Kazehito, catching him off guard. Kazehito's assault ended immediately, as he looked down in horror to see a blade sinking deep through his left gut.

It was Viper's tanto, as the female assassin slowly materialised from the diminutive speck of darkness starting with her right hand which firmly grasped her weapon. Before Viper could twist her blade and bisect him, Kazehito frantically repelled her weapon out of him using his [Atmos Dome], which blew Viper a considerable distance away.

Kazehito coughed out blood as he checked his wound. He was fortunate that the blade missed his vital organs, though it was a deep wound nonetheless. However, Kazehito grinned under the intense pain, for he had learnt a valuable lesson about Viper's spell.

Kazehito remarked, "Seems like I've sorely underestimated you, lass. Your mastery of the full body elemental spell [Dark Spectre] is indeed commendable, just like that weapon of yours. To think that you would be able to shrink your real body to the size of a speck of dust in an instant, leaving your false body of darkness as an illusion to distract me. Thereafter, all you had to do was to time your attack accurately when your eyes were adjusted to my speed, splendid indeed."

Kazehito was hoping to instigate an emotional response from Viper by revealing the secret of her technique, but he was disappointed as Viper gave him a blank, stoic expression. In truth, Viper was immersed deeply in her thoughts about her next move.

"Okay, I just need to delay him for another 2 more minutes. Things are going more smoothly than I thought, with [Dark Spectre] working perfectly despite my incomplete mastery over it. After all, I've only been practising it for a couple of months, and it probably won't last much longer, given how greatly it taxes my mana reserves. Not to mention my [Void Sabre], another immense burden on my mana capacity, though I had to thank the Goddess for its effectiveness-"

Viper's thoughts were disrupted when her ears picked up a high frequency screech which hurt her eardrums. Returning back to the present to identify the source, Viper was aghast to discover that the origin of her acoustic duress was a small disc of rapidly revolving wind above Kazehito's left palm. No, it wasn't a disc, but rather a shuriken which emanated promises of obliteration with its high-pitched song of death.

Viper understood intuitively that her [Dark Spectre] wouldn't protect her from that shuriken, however small it appeared to be. Viper immediately took action, as she became one with darkness before pouncing straight towards Kazehito, intending to cut him down before he could complete his spell.

To Viper's surprise, Kazehito calmly performed a horizontal sweep with his right leg, creating a [Atmos Blade - Nodaichi] with it as the blade of wind tore through Viper's body. Or more specifically, the body of Viper's [Shadow Clone] as Kazehito snickered, "As an assassin myself, do you think I would fall for such a simple deception?"

Swiftly turning around, Kazehito launched the tiny shuriken from his hand towards Viper, who had intended to strike him from behind. With her sharp reflexes, Viper was barely able to dodge the shuriken as she twisted her body in midair out of harm's way. Or that was what she thought until Kazehito exclaimed, "Be gone, [Atmos Storm]!"

The compressed mana within the tiny shuriken exploded outwards with unbridled fury as Viper didn't even have time to exclaim in surprise, turning her attention to shrinking her real body as much as possible to minimise the damage. The blast radius wasn't small, as it spanned at least 50m.

Kazehito barely avoided getting caught in his own attack, as he heaved a sigh of relief. Kazehito was most cognisant of the aftermath of his own spell after all, as he grinned upon witnessing his masterpiece. Before Kazehito lay a crater, finely eroded by the microscopic wind blades of his devastating spell.

In the centre of the crater was a body scarred by innumerable cuts. It was Viper, as she was barely clinging onto life, having protected her vital organs at the last minute when she realised that her "intangibility" wouldn't work against an attack of such fine detail. Viper literally couldn't lift a finger, as her tendons and muscles were all severed by Kazehito's brutal spell.

Viper cursed inwardly at her plight and her failure to uphold her share of the deal with Chen, since 5 minutes weren't up yet. Viper could still avoid death by using her Enigma Ability now to flee, but that would have made all her effort earlier for nought. Viper felt extremely indignant and resolved to complete the mission successfully, even at the expense of her own life.

There was still a chance, however slim, of accomplishing her mission. Given Kazehito's arrogant disposition and strong compulsion to kill all his prey, so long as she could signal that she was still alive while remaining immensely vulnerable, Viper could possibly lure Kazehito closer to her to finish his deed. There, she would spring her Enigma Ability and pray that Chen had finished his preparations.

Mustering all her strength, Viper clawed at the ground, trying to make as much noise as possible to attract Kazehito's attention. Successful she was, as Viper could hear the sound of footsteps approaching her, the wind becoming stronger as the sound of footsteps became more audible. It wasn't long before Kazehito stood right above Viper, looking down at her with a scornful gaze.

Kazehito sneered, "Hmph. I can't believe that you actually managed to survive, though you are all battered and defenceless. Guess it's time for me to wrap this up once and for all." Kazehito twirled his kunai expertly in his left hand before gripping it in an ice pick fashion. Coating the blade with sharp wind, Kazehito thrust his blade down mercilessly towards Viper's exposed nape.

Without warning, a chill shot down Kazehito's spine just as Viper activated her [Shadow Realm] which consumed her into its confines. As Viper's presence disappeared from Kazehito's detection, another made itself known strongly in an instant. However, before Kazehito could react, a lightning quick palm struck his chin, the power of its impact sending him rocketing through the sky as though a gigantic pillar was suddenly raised from the ground…

Chen sat upright with his legs crossed and eyes closed, resting his hands on his thighs as he attempted to clear his mind, focusing solely on his breathing and recovery. However, despite his best efforts, Chen couldn't keep his memories from flooding the void of his mind, immersing gradually within them…

It was another ordinary, carefree day spent training with his Master, Jonathan in the vast open fields. As Chen demonstrated the forms of the [Scalpel Palm Style], he noticed that his master was staring into the horizon, deep in thought.

Concerned, Chen quickly wrapped up his practice and asked gently, "Master, is something bothering you? If there's something you need to attend to, don't hesitate and just go, I can practise alone."

Chen's words shook Jonathan back to reality, as the slightly older man replied, "No, I'm sorry. I was just reminiscing the past and thinking how fortunate I've been to survive and achieve my current position. Come, let us spar, there's something I want to teach you."

Chen nodded and readied himself. To Chen's surprise, Jonathan charged at him with such blistering pace that Chen was immediately placed on his back foot. Though they had sparred countless times, Chen had never seen his Master pressure him so aggressively before, often using their sparring sessions to correct his technique and posture slowly.

Eventually, Chen's defence was overwhelmed as he bashfully surrendered. However, to Chen's horror, Jonathan was not only not stopping, he was aiming a lethal strike at Chen's chest with his [Scalpel Palm - Severance Strike].

Chen was rudely awakened from his complacency as he immediately took a great leap backwards away from his Master, who clearly emanated the desire to kill. Chen stuttered in fear, "M-Master, what's going on? Why are you doing this?"

Jonathan, whose expression remained stoic, replied coldly, "Come at me with all you've got, Chen. I know that even though you lack the fine control necessary for the [Scalpel Palm Style], you have acquired your own hidden technique from it. Now, if you don't take this seriously, don't blame me for what happens to you."

With his hand forced, Chen activated his [Limit Break] as his power and speed was boosted immensely in an instant. The 2 exponents went toe to toe for several minutes, as Chen's superior speed failed to overcome Jonathan's skilful defence.

Finally, fatigue set in for Chen as his speed waned momentarily, gifting Jonathan an opportunity to disable him with a few pinpoint strikes to his mana circulatory points which effectively wrapped up the duel.

Chen panted, "As expected of Master, even with my enhanced speed using my [Limit Break], your defence is still too resolute for me to break. I guess my technique is indeed lacking and for that, I sincerely apologise, Master."

To Chen's surprise, Jonathan sighed and said slowly, "Hhhm, it's just as I feared. You think the primary reason for your loss is your poor technique. Let me tell you, what worries me more is your resolve, Chen."

Chen gave a confused look as Jonathan explained, "I don't have any qualms with your technical ability. Even though I can't say that you've mastered the [Scalpel Palm Style] due to your poor fine control of inner mana manipulation, I'm not that concerned with your combat proficiency, judging by your ability earlier.

Instead, your determination to fight is my key issue. Even after I had displayed such a strong intent to kill, I can still tell that you're taking the duel casually despite activating your hidden technique. You're not going all out to try and kill me, and don't give me the excuse that you're afraid of hurting your teacher grievously, for you were nowhere close to even grazing me."

Chen hung his head in shame as Jonathan continued, "Sigh, I don't blame you for your lack of resolve, after all, just like me, you were brought up in a rather peaceful environment with no real experience of how it's like to fight with your life on the line.

You may not understand this now, but just remember, though technique is important, the most essential ingredient for survival is grit. When it comes to combat proficiency and technical ability, there would always be someone better than you. However, when it comes to willpower, the playing field is level.

Just like how a mother hen, however inferior to a hawk, is able to defend her chicks from a seemingly superior predator when the need arises, having true grit would see you through the toughest of foes. In every duel, always fight as though your life depends on it, if not, you simply don't deserve the right to keep your life.

I learnt this lesson the hard way when I nearly relinquished my life 2 years ago to a formidable opponent named Cold Steel. Complacency and arrogance in the superiority of my technique nearly cost my life, and I don't want you to follow in my footsteps. Is that clear?"

Still befuddled by his Master's cryptic speech, Chen merely nodded out of respect, unable to relate to his Master's words.

Back to the present, Chen muttered to himself as he smiled, "I understand what you were trying to teach me now, Master. Against a stronger opponent, the only way to emerge victorious is to have greater fighting spirit, to struggle so long as I still breathe. To transcend my limits, I hereby stake my life if it means vanquishing my enemies!"

Fuelled by his strong emotions, Chen's mana pressure started rising, slowly picking up pace as the veins all over his body bulged with exertion. The amount of mana flowing through Chen's mana circulatory system was of such great amount that the mana circulatory system under his skin became conspicuous, forming stripes all over his body.

Sensing that Viper's [Shadow Realm] was opening once again, the cue for his turn to take over, Chen slowly opened his eyes, which were brimming with mana as he mumbled softly, "[Limit Break - Level 3: Life Expiration]." before he disappeared in an instant.

Despite the protection afforded by his [Atmos Force], Kazehito nearly lost consciousness with the strike to his chin, as the air pressure generated from the immense attack sent him spiralling uncontrollably into the sky.

"Heavy…" Kazehito muttered as he spat out blood, his upward flight showing no signs of stopping. Just as Kazehito recovered his senses, he was horrified to see a figure with blue marks all over his body right above him, who looked poised to deliver another palm strike.

It was Chen, who looked anything but human at this point, his eyes seemingly devoid of life. Before Kazehito could defend or counterattack, Chen thrust his palm downwards mercilessly, muttering, "[Rend Pillar]."

Chen's strike was so fearsome that it cracked the air before him, which was followed up shortly by a gigantic invisible pillar of air that smashed into Kazehito. Given that the earlier attack on Kazehito that sent him flying into the sky had yet to pass, Kazehito was literally squashed between two shockwaves.

Struggling to keep his senses, Kazehito focused all his efforts on defence as he concentrated his [Atmos Force] around his body in an attempt to break free. Unfortunately for Kazehito, before he could escape, Chen had already launched a multitude of similar strikes from all directions, keeping him in place while crushing him further. This was Chen's final technique, [Rend Vice].

Finally, an implosion resulted from Chen's technique, shattering both Kazehito's armour and body as his limp body fell from the sky and crashed into the ground with a sickening thud. Likewise, with his mana circulatory system completely spent, Chen who had already landed safely before his mana had expired, fell headfirst into the ground as the world around him descended into peaceful darkness.

A smile could be seen on Chen's face despite the young man losing consciousness, for his fight was finally over.