Epoch: A Berserker's Rise

Although Baphomet was very strong, this body was a clone, and it mainly relied on it's mastery over the Essence injected in it to fight, so it's body was quite weaker.

Adam's surprise attack was too fast to properly react, and Baphomet was barely able to protect himself with one of his arms, but that arm was cut off, offering close to no resistance to the blade.

The blade then entered Baphomet's neck, this time meeting much stronger resistance. Baphomet had actually set the front part of his neck aflame, allowing those to stop the sword from crushing his spine and cutting his head off.

Those black flames were the flames of hell though, and they were known for their destructive power. Even Baphomet wasn't immune to them, and his injury would never be healed. With the massive amount of blood splashing out of his throat, he would take long to die.

However, to him it was still better than being beheaded and instantly killed, as this was only a clone. Although he would rather have his clone survive and return to the main body, his main goal was to kill Adam.

After dealing this severe injury, Adam hurriedly retreated, making sure to dodge every drop of black blood and those flames. Although he didn't know if the demon's blood was harmful, it was better not to take any bets.

Baphomet could regrow his arm if he wanted to, but since this clone would soon die it would be a waste to do so. Moreover, this clone's body was quite weak and had no chance against Adam in close combat.

Baphomet released a guttural roar as black lines started expending onto his skin, and black flames exploded out of his body. Adam sent multiple sword strikes at him, but the flames swallowed them all, dealing no damage to Baphomet.

Since it wasn't working, Adam manipulated the surrounding space to create a small space storm. Space storms were very dangerous as anyone entering them would be struck with thousands of space cuts.

A Legend may be able to resist a few of those, but being struck by thousands would hurt anyone. Hell's Fire was strong, very strong, but even it couldn't do much in front of space. The flames were quickly absorbed into the numerous rifts, whose exit points were between the several layers of space, where it wouldn't be able to hurt anyone.

Baphomet's body quickly turned completely black though, and as the numerous space blades were finished with the flames they struck his body. However, much to Adam's shock, Baphomet barely received any damage from them.

Baphomet then pointed his remaining palm toward the sky and a big ball of Hell's Fire appeared above his hand. In a second it turned into a fireball that was one hundred meters in radius. Adam tried to send many attacks at it, but as they hit the fireball they were absorbed harmlessly.

Blood started flowing from the demon's mouth, and black flames appeared around his body. Moreover, unlike earlier, they weren't here to buff him, but were instead consuming him quickly.

Adam understood this would be the last attack. From the size and power of the fireball, Adam knew escaping was not an option, so he had to face that attack. This meant it was his last chance.

Adam closed off all his senses, completely ignoring the fireball, the wrecked space around them and the howling Tazolos who begged Baphomet to spare him.

Adam's perception became void as he concentrated on the Sword, and only the sword. All his knowledge of the sword, around forty years of experience with it, of fighting, he swept through all of it to create the best attack he could.

Fusing his years of insights into one sword, one sword to cut a path, to cut Hell's Fire, to cut life and death. One sword, to cut the world.

While Adam was forcing a breakthrough, Baphomet was finally completely consumed by flames, and the fire ball had reached 500 meters in size. He threw the fireball as his burning body fell toward the ground. Still, he kept his Golden Idol, which had been badly burned by Hell's Fire, still on as he wanted to see whether he would kill Adam or not.

Although the Northman was his enemy, he was curious as to whether he would be able to use this fight to his own advantage and rise from it, or like countless talents before him, fall to his demise.

As the fireball fell toward him though, Adam didn't even know it was falling at him. His whole body, spirit and soul were focused on the sword. As the fireball arrived on meters in front of Adam, it suddenly disappeared. Meanwhile, Adam's eyes were no longer closed, but wide open, looking at the falling Baphomet.

Baphomet, who was now in the form of his Golden Soul, a strand of Hell's Flame, said "Amazing… Did you just slash time apart?"

Adam appeared next to the falling Golden Soul with extreme speed and caught it before he said "I did."

Meanwhile, in his head, next to his Soul, a sword suddenly appeared. That sword was quite small, but exuded absolute power. It felt as if it could cut everything in the world, if not the world itself. This was Adam's new Sword Essence. Despite being at the Early Level, it was already as a Late Essence.

Like Concepts, Essences were split in Early, Intermediate, Late, Peak and Absolute Mastery, or Apex. Of course, this was the name Adam had given them, maybe others had different names for them.

They were the equal of 1%, 10%, 50%, 90% and 100%.

However, for Essences, unlike Concepts, an Early Sovereign Essence wasn't as strong as an Apex Basic Essence, the difference in strength between the different stages of Essence was far wider than those of Concepts.

Now, Adam's Early Sovereign Sword Essence was as strong as a Late Basic Essence. But not all Essences were the same, and all their powers were different. Sword Essence was one of the essences with the greatest offensive power, but it wasn't good for movement, defence or many other things.

Admittedly, there were no stronger or weaker Essences or Concepts, as long as they were of the same rank, their uses were different, but their overall power were roughly equal.

The only thing that truly differed was how much others knew about it, and the situation the person was in. Someone who only cultivated the sword would have an excellent fighting power, but would suck in a race.

Anyway, it was a good thing Adam had managed to condense that Essence, as he now really stood as a Legend, as a being invincible to all those below his rank. Although his body wasn't yet at the level of a Legend, merely the peak of Heroes. However, his strong Sword Essence allowed him to match with new weak Legends.

But when he would go through his tribulation and reached the Gold Rank, then his body would enter the Legendary Rank too. By then, he would be even stronger than the new Legends.

But for now he had other things to do. He first grabbed Tazolos and crushed him both physically and spiritually, obliterating him from existence, and absorbing his Soul Energy. As he did so, a sphere appeared in front of him.

Adam's Qi surrounded it, and as he infused his spiritual energy into it, he confirmed it was the core of the dimension, the key to the dimension.

Adam quickly merged with it, grating him control over the dimension, and he felt the gate was still closed.

Now that the troublesome Tazolos had been dealt with, Adam turned his attention toward the Hell's Fire ember, Baphomet's clone Golden Soul.

Baphomet's voice came from the Golden Soul "While losing a clone will weaken me for some time, that was an enjoyable fight."