Hi guys, chapter 5 is out! If you have any ideas to improve this novel or anything you wanna tell me, write into the comments.

Chapter 5 Ricks

Dan couldn't help but lift his brow hearing the words of the Death crown leader. It seemed that this fellow expert didn't even care for the lives of his subordinates and only saw them as mere tools to use. it made him feel troubled, as this kind of people, this madmens were the most troublesome.

They didn't care about any problems their moves could cause to anyone except themselves. They couldn't be pressured throught their faction and they practically had no open weakness to strike against. They were practically beasts, monsters that only cared for success and rise in their own martial power.

Shifting his attention back to Dan, the man suddenly seemed to have remembered something.

"Oh, how impolite of me. I haven't introduced myself yet, have I?

You, you are already a name in the city. Dan, the Emperor of Devils. Dan the blood demon.

Mighty names indeed!

The Ruler over the outer city and nemesis of thousands. Hundreds have died at your hand and more will follow. Awe inspiring, truly!

Your name echoes throught the whole city and everyone will freeze under it's might.

But I, I'm still unknown to you and the other guys in the city, right?

My humble name is Ricks Jellen. Future ruler over this beautiful city and strongest fighter that ever existed in this part of the country, It's a pleasure to meet you."

A grin escaped the man's lips as he made a courteous bow that could if anything only taken as sarcasm or insult to anyone. The ambition hidden inside of his words, as well as the hidden meaning made Dan tense up and anger well up within him.

Standing on the other side, his eyes became sharp. He was quite sure what this man, Ricks Jellen intended with all this and no matter how he saw it, it wasn't good for him. The ambitions this man had were dangerous, dangerous to him and any other person in this city!

Not keeping up any of the 'politeness' Ricks had shown him he kicked his tongue.

"Drop the shit talk and get to the point. Why has your Death Crown attacked my Emperor's rule? I don't remember to ever have a conflict with you in the past!"

Dan's blunt advance didn't surprise Ricks in the least.

"So no more acting? Fine with me!

You know why I'm here, to test out the person that is called strongest in Surn city and to eliminate this group of kids that is called Emperor's rule. I will show this fools that there is only one strongest in this city. Me!

Also why so surprised? We both know that there is no need for any explanations or reasons for a war between fractions. Eat or being eaten. You and your faction are an eventual obstacle I will have to get rid of anyway. So why not kill you and show the world what I, the boss of Death Crown is cable of?

Never offended? No conflict? Who cares! What matters is this city and the opportunity to rule it!"

"So you want to tell me that you have to get rid of Emperor's Rule to get control over Surn city?"

Dan asked.

"Exactly!

Killing you, the most famous martial artist, the most feared cultivator in the whole city, what could be better to establish my own reputation in this city?"

It was as Dan had feared. Ricks was the kind of person that had a dream, an ambition to fullfil and was fully controlled by it. Someone that becomes a monster in order to fullfil his own desires. Someone just like himself. Well not entirely, there was one difference.

He wanted to create and leave behind.

His dream was to leave something in this world, to build up fame that would carry his name into the future and don't let it fall into oblivion.

Ricks on the other side only surpressed, killed and didn't allow anything to exist other then himself. He didn't care about the future, to him only the present played any importance.

For this goal he would do everything, kill everyone, give up on everything he builds up in his live. For him things like factions, troops, friends and even lovers didn't matter as long as they didn't boosted his own, personal strenght.

This kind of person,

Dan despised him.

Nevertheless he continued, suppressing his urge to get away from this hateful person. He suddenly straightened up his face hardening. A faint feel of disgust was visible in his cold grey eyes.

"Then what are you waiting for?"

He was here for one reason, to check out this newly emerged thread. Reasoning was useless, so why hesitate?

Ricks wordlessly got up from his chair.

"I wonder… why was I even waiting?"

Swoosh.

Simultanously both their bodies started to work, muscles contracted and expanded as they blurred. Two blurry figures, only barley seen by the few level two experts, flashed through the room meeting in it's middle. A clang echoed throught the room as two metallic objects collided with each other.

Mid air Dan and Ricks were confronting each other, both pairs of eyes focused on the others face. Between them, a 20 cm steel needle and a 30 cm black titanium knife slashed against each other, trembling under the greate forces that both sides put into the attack.

They stayed like this for a brief moment before Dan retracted his steel needle and making a strange movement technique reached behind Ricks, his needle aiming at the others spine, more specifically at the small gaps between each vertebrae . One successful blow against this place would at least cripple, if not kill the other.

Naturally Ricks reacted to this by shifting his body to the side and also using a movement technique to fully turn around. His black titanium knife reached the steel needle and slammed it away, keeping it from it's body. At the same time he used his momentum and threw a kick against Dan's back.

The other quickly used his arms to block, but still was blown away. His body uncontrollable made a small ark through the air before he managed to turn around and get a hold with his legs.

Once again he blurred, his leg that was making a step forward suddenly disappearing.

He, as well as Ricks were using movement techniques to accelerate themselves and freely move mid air. This techniques were the same as cultivation techniques, ancient techniques that had been forgotten for hundreds of years, but reappeared together with the appearance of the 'Others'.

They normally just accompanied the cultivation manual a person was using and were practised alongside the cultivation technique.

With this movement techniques cultivators above a certain level could use the movements of their legs to make use of natural laws like air resistance, friction and even gravity to move in the air, change directions and even 'walk' on the air.

Of course this also had a downside. The use of this technique was very taxing on the body and quickly tired a person. Because of this only experts at the third level of the body stage were able to efficiently use them in battle as anyone else woudln't be able to sustain it for more then a few moments.

Using his own movement technique Dan was once again rapidly closing in onto Ricks and his steel needle hissed throught the air as he threw it onto Ricks.

The other easily deflected the flying weapon and also blurred as his legs executed the strange movements.

"Good movement technique!"

Ricks mocking prise reached Dan's ears. Then they once again met in the air.

"Shut up and fight!"

A second needle, similar to the first one appeared in Dan's right hand. This time he didn't tried to attack Ricks from behind like he did before. Instead he started attacking from the front slashing and stabbing with his needle. Ricks easily evaded all the attacks, dodging and blocking some and started counterattacking with his knife.

A blow came, was evaded and related. A stab almost reached the belly before blocked by a knife.

Hundreds of attacks were exchanged in seconds and thought each was vicious and aimed at the others live, none succeeded.

Seeing that not a single of his attacks succeeded Dan suddenly changed his attack pattern. A second needle appeared in his hands and he began to attack different parts of Ricks body.

Up till now he had focused at the lethal parts of the body, the lungs, the throat, the eyes, the hearth, the guts all places that would be a one shot once he made a single hit against them. But now he changed this. He avoided the heavily guarded lethal points and slashed against the wrist, the arms and the legs, trying to affect the others movements.

Noticing the others change of attack pattern, Ricks naturally also reacted and tried to defend against this attacks while still not leave any lethal part of his body unprotected. But as the range of attacks had suddenly grown much larger he didn't manage to completely avoid every single attack aiming at his body and soon blood flowed from his left wrist and leg.

But as this applied to Ricks, it also did on Dan and he too had suffered quite a few small scratches and injuries from the counterattacks thrown by Ricks.

------------------------------------

At the same time.

Southern district.

Jake was directing some men with boxes to a part of a street.

"Speed up ya bitches, if the other street is still standing in one minute it will be your fault!"

They were on the street next to the one Dan was fighting with Ricks in and unlike the other street were shots were continuously raining down onto both sides there was no fighting in this one. Only a troop of multiple tens of men were running around carrying explosives and granates over to the houses.

"Three minutes"

Jake mumbled to himself.

"Screw them."

-------------------------------

Outer district.

"Are you sure?"

Mike asked into his phone. ( Mentioned in chapter 2)

"…….. this will be problematic….. yes do this. Thx."

Troubled Mike, one of Emperor Rule's big shots closed the call. Turning to the Rean ( same as Mike ) he said.

"Take three hundred men and immediately fortify our borders to the eastern and central district!"

----------------------

Back to Dan vs Ricks

Finally Ricks couldn't take it anymore. With a roar he suddenly made a turn in the air and threw a roundhouse kick against Dan's side. The later was fortunate enough to be able to use his movement technique to quickly move backwards and barley avoid the powerful kick.

Ricks who suddenly seemed to have snapped and gone crazy started to laught.

"I never imagined you to be this powerful.

Sorry but I originally underestimated you and thought I could beat you without fighting for real, but it seems I was really wrong. So please take my apology."

His eyes flickered and his expression was filled with an indescribable emotion that made even Dan feel cold sweat going down his back.

"Take my apology…

and die!"

The aura around Ricks suddenly started to change. If before it could be described with the words vicious, disregarding life, dangerous and cold, it now became even colder and even evil. It was as if the temperature in the room suddenly had gone down by a few degrees and every light had been replaced with a depressing grey.

But even more shocking then this sudden change in aura and it's influence on the surrounding was what Dan saw now. The light around Ricks suddenly intensivied, becoming brighter and brighter. Soon it completely eclipsed anything Dan had ever seen before.

Soul stage!

This was genuine soul stage!

Dan instantly reacted and retreated, sweat gathering at his body. He was completely panicked!

In the same instant as Dan had started to retreat Ricks also grinned and charged forwards chasing after the retreating Dan. His speed has almost doubled compared to before and it was easy for him to catch up with Dan.

His blade slashed towards Dan as his grin broadened and his eyes viciously shined.

He was totally sure that he would kill Dan with this stoke of his knife. After all the difference between body stage and soul stage wasn't just for show!

But just as his blade descended upon Dan he suddenly felt mortal danger. His instincts told him to immediately get away from this spot!

Without any hesitation Ricks instantly used his movement technique and seemed to disappear from his former position. But although he almost disappeared a needle managed to scrape his skin and leave a bloody mark on his shoulder.

Then Ricks reappeared ten meters away holding his right arm. Shocked he stared at Dan who was still standing at his former spot, holding his wrist. Blood flowed from a one finger deep knife sound that was inflicted there. It was obvious, that even through Ricks had pulled back he still managed to at least injure Dan!

But this small achievement didn't content Ricks in the least. This was because of two reasons.

First of all Dan's wound was on the wrist. But he had aimed for the others chest! This mend that Dan actually managed to protect his body with his arm! Even if Ricks had pulled through and not retreated he would at most only have cut of the others arm!

To be unable to one kill Dan despite using his whole advantage as soul stage both injured Ricks pride as expert and made him unsure about this person he was fighting.

Could a level three expert really fight a soul stage expert?

The thing that bothered Ricks second was his own injury. Dan had actually managed to injure him despite him pulling back. This mend that if he hadn't reacted fast enough he would at least be seriously injured! Also this showed that in a fullout fight Dan actually was able to cripple him if he was willing to exchange his life for it!

In a world were something like miraculous regrowing arms and legs didn't appear, for an expert it was even worse to be crippled then to die! After all if they lost for example both their arms, or one arm and one leg they wouldn't be able to fight ever again!

Ricks could only shocked stare at Dan. He had throughoutly underestimated this opponent! Then he suddenly gasped.

"So this is the power of your initial skill!"

He suddenly exclaimed.

Dan's initial skill.

It was pretty much publict knowledge that Dan was cultivating a superior cultivation technqiues and possesed a initial skill and while the normal folks didn't know what exactly this initial skill was, most of the big brasses in Surn actually knew about it.

Emperor's eye, the ability to directly see every movement in the others body!

This was Dan's initial skill he had acquired throught his cultivation technique. It was akin to a X-ray vision he could use while fighting. He could clearly see every single muscle, the enemies heart, lung and tendons.

Because of this he clearly saw any of the opponent's lethal and weak spots, but more importantly could predict all of their movements judging from the muscles they used. In practise this mend that he could predict any attack and movement Ricks would make against him and already act in advance!

Dan's usually grey eyes now had a red shine to them. His breathing was rough and his body in a terribly condition. This one attack just now had cost him quite a lot. Even thought he had Emperor's eye and could to some extent predict Ricks attack, it still took a lot of energy to counter in time. He gritted his teeth glancing on the clock on his other wrist.

Ricks on the other side naturally also saw the state Dan was in and his frown changed into a vicious smile.

"Let's see if you can pull this of again!"

Once again he vanished, his blade pointing towards Dan. But before the blade even reached Dan, the later suddenly grinned.

"10"

Dan instantly used every once of energy left in his body, activating his movement technique, dodging the blade and blurred. Pushing his movement technique to the max he completely vanished, leaving behind Ricks.

Schwuuuuuuuu~

Blood splashed onto the wall as twelve corpses fell to the ground, their heads pierced by long steel needles.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

Ricks endangered roar followed behind Dan who was already exiting the brown house. Sweat was forming beads on his forehead as he forced his legs to go full speed. His mind was full of dread. Just now, if he hadn't reacted in time Ricks would have been able to kill him!

But even as he was flustered an totally disturbed about this near death experiences he had to execute his movement technique on full speed.

His mouth moved unnoticeably as he crossed the street and saw how the men on the southern side of the street quickly departed from their positions on the windows.

"Three"

He jumped onto a house facing the southern district.

"Two"

Crossing the roof he jumped, seeing a few hundred grenades being thrown into his direction.

"One"

He landed on the street behind the house.

Booooooooom

Everything behind him was swallowed in the burning flames of the explosion.