Ding*Ding*Ding*Ding*Ding*Ding*Ding*Ding*Ding*

  Endlessly moving my arm till they bled, my gaze held firmly on Julius attacking me along with his Dao swords. Feeling a few blades slashing and piercing into my body, I ignored the burning sensation of death at each turn.

  Arcane Gale was an old spear arte I created long ago, intending to have an arte capable of defending and attacking at a single moment. I had tweaked it over the years to allow Dao to flow better but now. Now it needed to evolve!

  Retreating from Julius' vicious carnage with a single shadow step, I made a bit of distance as a Circle carrying the Crest of Noctem appeared at the tip of my spear.

  "Shadow Barrier," I chanted as a misty aura showered my body, taking away a massive portion of my qi.

  Paling at the drain, my mind immediately became split just as Julius, with all his bull shit abilities, rushed towards me like a demon. Cleaving his blade towards me, the glint of hundreds followed, when all of a sudden time, suddenly accelerated.

  Moving a hundred times faster, I suddenly felt my very body begin to slow as the Dao of Time, something that should not affect me, swallowed me.

  "Die," He bellowed, rushing past the Spear of Noctem and into my chest where my heart should be. Yet just as he was to discover the missing major muscle, not in its place, the two hundred blades of various Dao's appear.

  Shadow Stepping without a step, I retreaded covered in blood with hundred of lacerations around my body. This was not a fair fight in the least? Why does the concept of time even work on me? I do not exist. Stuff like this should not affect me. To slow my body? Impossible.

  "Noctem!' Julius bellowed with a blood-hungry smile, "You are not special. Even if someone altered the state of your being, in the Abyss, we are the same. Here you exist, for we are past the fifth, sixth, seventh dimension. Here we are free!!!"

  Coughing up a mouthful of blood, I spat, narrowing my cold empty gaze. My Zero Arte removed all my emotion, bringing me closer to the dark and my devil bloodline. For this battle, there cannot be two demons.

  Julius, this fucking monster was at my cultivation, and it would only increase with each level. Yet, he was not this powerful last time. His skills were raw and without refinement the few times I came but now, now he is definitely ahead of me.

  Beaming through the darkness like a ray of light, he appeared with his entourage.

  Arcane Gale

  Ding*Ding*Ding*Ding*Ding*Ding*Ding*Ding*Ding*

  Zooming through the air, my eyes began to bleed as my muscles began to rupture and break at the intense combat. It simply doesn't make sense how powerful his body was to be able to keep up. His injures had already healed, unlike mine that was not healing for shit. If I didn't have shadow step— damn it, I'm an idiot!"

  Dropping my Zero Arte, a burning blaze began to grow even deeper in my body. Zero was there to help keep a clean and quick battlefield, but that shit was not working, not on him. I needed to adapt quickly, and for that, I needed my demonic bloodline who learns fastest in battle.

  Getting off the defensive, I pulled out a few Divine Pills, tossing them down my throat to heal my wounds before rushing headfirst into battle. My injuries were all but gone as my foot tore through the pavement, sending me off like a rocket towards the actual demon.

  "Come to your death!' Julius bellowed with lustful fire as we clashed.

  Creating a massive hellish battle of death, my entire mind became like a sea of chaos as random techniques and Dao's began to connect the longer we fought. But they were not what I was after. I was done with Dao—done with illusions, fire, lightning. Right now, I needed the darkness. I needed to integrate the vastness of the darkness into my spear.

  Ding*Ding*Ding*Ding

  Engaging in every arte and battle technique I had, a feral grin appeared upon my lips as Noctem of Destruction began to burn from my body. I finally understood why this Arte was called Noctem of Destruction, for this technique is one that draws upon all the power of destruction darkness is capable of creating, turning it into a cloak of death and destruction.

  Slithering up, my arm I could feel an intense darkness beginning to take root into my arm, turning darker than the night skies; as Julius and I continued to clash, my power began o rise, but so too did the injuries I held. Yet, in the midst of battle, it happened.

  Surrounded by his two hundred Dao blade, everything Julius included was suddenly blasted off their feet and into the ground.

  "Eh? What?" He uttered, shooting up from off his feet along with his Dao weapons.

  Arching my lips devilishly, my heart began to thunder as I looked down at my arm covered in a cloak of darkness.

  "What just happened?" Julius asked in a wary manner as my laughter began to echo.

  Covering in blood and gashes, one could see my very bones when the Spear of Noctem slashed, and with it came a river of blood as Julius' arm flew high into the air. His expression was that of horror and confusion as the very life of his began to pale.

  "Oh yeah, now this is fucking op! " I shouted, laughing aloud as Julius' expression darkened and paled.

  "I am going to kill—"

  Slashing my blade towards his head, from a few meters away, his leg suddenly fluttered about lifelessly as my eyes suddenly when wide and my face paled.

  Screaming in anger or pain, Julius glared as his body suddenly began to fade, "I see you on the next level, Noctem." he roared, fading as blood gushed from my very pores.

  "Eh?"

  Staggering, I watched that bastard fade away as I fell to my knees, watching all my souls and qi turn to dust. Coughing up a mouthful of blood, I shuddered as my vision became misty and bleak.

  "Shit, you're in really bad shape. An Almighty strike at such a young age. Impressive boy, but you are not ready for that. Only an Almighty attack can defend against an Almighty one. Implemented Shadow Step into the Spear of Noctem, to think you would give birth to one so quick." Said the devilish voice of Baphomet, appearing in a mist of hellish qi.

  "Hmmm!~" Groaning out of my control, I could feel my body beginning to convulse against my will.

  "Don't die, boy. Not yet anyway, that Almighty attack drained you, and you used far too much Soul Force."

  Dizzy and a little confused, I shook my head, looking down at the spear within my hand, still bleeding a powerful aura.

  "Noctem……" I called feebly, "I am remembering."