Chapter 143 - Round 2 and 3

As Bai charged, lightning started flowing around his sword, his speed increasing a level. For his part, Paul answered calmly, a torrent of blood formed around his sword creating a whirlwind.

Both swords clashed, Bai's lightning being absorbed by the blood whirlwind, not being able to pass through it. Bai took advantage of his greater speed, swinging more times his sword trying to stop Paul's momentum that was increasing.

While Bai's sword seemed a blur of movements due to his speed, Paul's sword flowed calmly, seemingly to move at a slow speed, but somehow stopping Bai's barrage, each time with flowing and efficient movement without stopping. It seemed an attack of a raging beast against some dancer.

As Paul's momentum grew stronger, Bai started being pushed by him, his speed being unable to cope with it. White flames surged from Bai's sword in combination with the lightning.

Bai swung his sword downwards. Paul twisted his sword blocking the slash, the powerful blood torrent reflected Bai's sword and at the same time pushing himself gaining distance.

Bai chased again thrusting his sword, but each time was countered by Paul who was retracting. However, with each hit Paul was pushed less and less, his strength slowly surpassing Bai's.

Knowing that he couldn't keep this, Bai's sword roared, exploding in lightning and flames. Bai thrusted his sword more powerful and fast than before. Paul made a step back positioning in a guard position preparing to block Bai's attack.

As Bai's sword was approaching, suddenly, the flames and lightning disappeared, replaced by a transparent glow. A crack appeared in the space, Bai's sword tip passing through it and reappearing at Paul's back.

"Idiot" Paul whispered with scorn. Paul changed his hands position holding the sword, twisting his sword, forcing the flow of blood to invert its direction. "<Raging Fury>" All the accumulative momentum exploded, a raging tornado made of blood-covered Paul as he thrust his sword at Bai, completely ignoring Bai's attack.

Bai's widely opened his eyes shocked, receiving Paul's power attack while Paul only faced his weak and sneaky attack due to his low experience with Space, it was clear who would finish worst. Bai quickly retreated his sword, in his position he couldn't effectively block Paul, so he focused on his sword.

Bai pushed the debris aside showing his figure. He had a dense white aura covering him, he had used his Protection Intent in the last moment to stop the attack. Even with it, he had some light wound due to cuts from the blood, but they weren't much important as it won't affect his fighting progress. White aura surged from his wounds that instantly started closing.

"You're an idiot, Bai" Paul said looking down at Bai "You were never good at attacking, this won't instantly change even when you received some knowledge of the other personalities"

"Tch!" Bai clicked his tongue, how could he possible though of facing Paul like this. His new comprehension of the elements was powerful and in the future, it could become a great strength of him, but for now, he was too unfamiliar with it, he couldn't face someone like Bai with it.

White aura started covering Bai's sword "I hate it but you're correct" Bai's second ring shined as he positioned at a guard position, due to Paul's domain, he was unable to absorb his attributes but was able to take from the surrounding space "It would be a battle of attrition".

Paul's sword was covered by a black aura "Let's start round 3!". Black aura started condensing around his sword which became sharper. Paul dashed towards Bai, thrusting at him. Paul's sword lost its gentle and refined style from the water style being replaced by powerful and precise thrusts with sick killing intent.

Bai was pushed completely at defense. While Paul barrage of attacks didn't make any opening to attack, Bai's perfect defense blocked each attack. Even if Bai's speed had decreased, his precision, technique, and sturdiness had improved leaps and bounds.

Paul's black ring started shining, his muscles bulged. He slashed at Bai shooting a black sword qi towards him, this being increased by his skill.

Bai's rings shined, increasing his strength and defense. Instead of diverting the attack, he let himself be pushed by arriving at a near building, increasing the distance between both. In this fight, Bai strategy was made it last, if he couldn't damage his opponent, he would tire him out.

Bai focused spirit energy on his feet and started climbing the building.

"You!" Paul cursed "Stop running little shit!" Around Paul multiple black spheres appeared, each of it a condensation of Slaughter with high destructive strength. Paul swung his sword shooting all the black spheres towards Bai's position.

"Booom! Boooom! Boooom!" The black spheres exploded in contact with the building. Over Bai, a black ring was shining, increasing his speed, he quickly evaded each sphere as he climbed to the top.

"Like, it will be so easy!" shouted Paul as Bai found himself completely surrounded by black spheres, impossible to escape from their explosion's reach. Bai focused on his Mind Eye, grasping each information from his surroundings. He put strength on his feet, jumping to the sky. White aura covered his sword as he swung to a black sphere that instead of exploding, he deflected it upwards.

"BOOM!" The black sphere crashed with others, causing an explosion and an opening from the cage of black spheres. He didn't know if it was due to Paul's influence or simply due to characteristics of this space, but he was unable to use his spirit bones. However, this didn't mean that he couldn't 'fly'. A black ring shined and under his feet, a plain sword appeared. He put strength at his feet, stepping at the sword white flames surged from his feet. He jumped over spinning his body gaining momentum, he escaped Paul's attack and landed safely at the top of the building that kept standing even with its half-destroyed structure.

Even if Bai had used multiples skills, he kept it uses at the minimum, consuming the less energy possible. Comparing with Paul wasting with attack and his skill, Bai's expense was lower.

"So you're trying to tire me out, eh?" murmured Paul "Useless!". 5 black rings appeared surrounding his left hand. He approached his left hand at his mouth and murmured something while one spirit ring shined, two Double Stuff Oreos appearing in his mouth. He munched, swallowing them, instantly recovering his spirit energy. Not only that, but blood around the abandoned city was also being absorbed due to the Nine Treasure Sword 6th skill, recovering stamina, and even mental power, making Paul had greater energy.

A pillar of black aura surged from Paul's sword "Mmmm" Paul munched a White Fudge Oreo, the pillar becoming even bigger and stronger. Paul swung his sword sidely at the foot of the building "BOOOM!" the pillar over 10 meters wide cut through the building, a tail of explosions for is trajectory.

The building couldn't keep up and started crumbling, falling towards Paul's position. Bai's found himself falling with the building, surrounded by debris, making difficult to move.

"You're dead!" Paul held his sword with both hands and drawn it back, focusing all his might in it, an ominous black aura surged from him "Mmmm!" he munched two different Oreos, his aura becoming stronger "<Sword Heart: Slaughter>" the aura around his sword started raging "<EX-" he swung his sword upwards towards Bai "<-CALIBUR Morgan>!" an incredible powerful pillar of energy shot towards Bai.

This attack wasn't like the previous ones, it was a lot stronger, it was what was Paul capable after all his training and with the surrounding in his favor. The black pillar cut the air, all the debris in contact with it, disintegrating when they came in contact.

Seeing the attack coming towards him, instead of being shocked or scared, Bai smiled "I never expect to win over you by attrition. I will show you all my strength" White aura formed around Paul and started converging in the tip of his sword "Height favor, your destruction, and your strongest attack, I have it all"

A 7-petalled flower bloom from the tip of his sword "Embrace!" the flower instead of forming the usual shield, it grew bigger and embraced Paul's attack "Take all your damage! For the revenge is mine! <Sword Heart: Retaliation>" the petals started rotating while encompassing completely Paul's attack, stopping it. Bai thrust his sword forward "<Counter Stike>!" A powerful white pillar of energy, it impacted with Paul's energy and made it his own. This attack was the ċumulative destruction that Bai had protected from all this fight, plus his own power and Paul's technique, creating his strongest technique, capable of obliterating all of its surroundings, it was so strong that even crack started forming in the mind space.

Paul opened his eyes widely shocked seeing the incredible attack approaching him.