Reborn as the Last van Ambrose

The air between them crackled with energies as the two combatants faced each other.

Xùyán's white and silver fur gleamed, the dark mana corruption having bleached his coat while enhancing his natural coloring.

His seven tails swayed behind him, each one crackling with the mixture of silver and purple.

"Let's see how long you last against real power," Xùyán said.

The battle erupted without further warning. Xùyán gestured sharply, and a dozen illusory copies of himself materialized around the clearing, each one solid enough to cast shadows and leave footprints.

"Celestial Mist: Ethereal Mist," Grim whispered, as thick fog began to seep from his body.

But Xùyán's enhanced perception cut through the concealment easily. Fire erupted from multiple directions as the copies attacked in perfect coordination, their flames burning with silver and purple edges that seemed to devour the mist itself.

"Celestial Mist: Drifting Steps," Grim called out, his form becoming partially incorporeal as he moved through the fog.

His enhanced footwork allowed him to avoid the worst of the flame barrage, but the corrupted fire was relentless.

A copy appeared directly in front of him, claws extended. "Celestial Mist: Cross-Cut!" Grim shouted, his blade creating an X-shaped slash that should have bisected the illusion. Instead, the copy reformed around the attack, dark mana making it far more resilient than before.

"Too slow," Xùyán's voice echoed from everywhere at once. "My illusions aren't bound by normal limitations anymore."

A copy appeared behind him, silver flames wreathing its claws. Grim spun and parried, but the impact sent shockwaves through his arms. The corrupted Xùyán was physically stronger than before, each strike carrying the weight of the realm's fundamental forces.

"Too slow," the real Xùyán laughed from somewhere among his copies. "You're fighting yesterday's enemy."

Dark energy lashed out like whips, forcing Grim to retreat as the attacks cut through his mist techniques with ease.

One tendril caught his shoulder, tearing through his clothes and and skin. Blood ran down his arm as the wound burned black.

"Celestial Mist: Thousand Paths," Grim said through gritted teeth, his blade moving so fast it seemed like the wind itself was cutting through the dark tendrils.

Multiple strike lines appeared simultaneously, creating a barrier of slashing attacks.

But Xùyán's enhanced speed let him weave between even these impossible strikes. "My turn," he said with a grin. "Dark Flame: Consuming Pyre."

The entire clearing erupted in silver and purple fire. Grim barely had time to call out "Celestial Mist: Serenity's Ascension!" launching himself upward to escape the flames.

But the fire followed him into the air, forcing him to twist desperately to avoid being consumed.

He landed hard, his mist already dissipating under the corrupted flames' assault.

The heat was beyond anything he had experienced.

It was burning his flesh and attacking his spiritual channels directly.

The damage to his flesh wasn't as severe as it could have been if it wasn't for the contract he already had from the sea realms.

"Celestial Mist: Seven Sword Strike!" Grim shouted as Xùyán's real form appeared through the flames.

Seven separate attacks launched in the span of a single sword movement, each one targeting a different vital point.

Xùyán's laughter filled the air as dark energy armor deflected most of the strikes.

Only two connected, leaving shallow cuts that healed almost instantly. "Is that all the famous Celestial Mist can manage?"

Xùyán's laughter filled the air as his copies closed in from all sides. "Run all you want. I have all the time in the world to hunt you down."

Water rose from a nearby stream as Grim raised his hand.

The corruption was interfering with his natural recovery, making each technique cost more mana than it should.

"You don't understand," Xùyán continued, his voice coming from everywhere at once. "I'm not just using fox spirit magic anymore. The dark mana has shown me techniques that predate your pathetic Sword Dao."

Dark tendrils erupted from the ground beneath Grim's feet. He tried "Celestial Mist: Death's End!" slamming his blade into the earth to disrupt the attack's foundation. The technique shattered the ground around him, but the dark tendrils simply emerged from new positions.

One wrapped around his ankle, sending the corruption racing up his leg. Grim cut through the tendril with a desperate "Celestial Mist: Cleave!" but the damage was done. His left leg was partially numb, the dark mana disrupting his circulation in that limb.

The damage to the ground sent Grim back into the air.

"Celestial Mist: Serenity's Fall," he called out, attempting an attack from above to break Xùyán's defensive position. But his damaged leg threw off his timing, and the fox spirit easily sidestepped the descending strike.

But Xùyán didn't need sight. The corruption in Grim's body called to the dark mana flowing through the fox spirit, creating a connection that revealed his exact location.

"Found you," Xùyán said with cold satisfaction.

A massive claw of pure energy materialized inches from Grim's chest. He twisted desperately, but the attack caught his ribs, tearing through his clothing and leaving deep gashes across his torso.

Grim staggered backward, blood flowing freely from the wounds. The corruption in them prevented normal healing, leaving him weakened and increasingly desperate.

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"What's wrong?" Xùyán taunted, his true form finally revealing itself as the illusions faded. "Not so confident now?"

His appearance had changed dramatically. The dark mana had enhanced his physical form, adding muscle mass and increasing his height until he stood nearly as tall as Grim. His claws had grown longer and sharper, while his teeth had taken on a predatory appearance. They extended out of his mouth and went down to his chin.

"I'm just getting started," Grim replied, though his labored breathing betrayed the toll the fight was taking.

"Are you?" Xùyán asked with mock concern. "Because from where I stand, you look like a beaten dog."

The insult hit home, but Grim forced himself to remain calm. Anger would only feed the corruption and make his situation worse.

He raised Echo, trying to find an opening in Xùyán's defenses, but the fox spirit's enhanced speed made him nearly impossible to track.

Silver and purple energy swirled around him like a living storm, deflecting attacks while preparing devastating counters.

"Dark Flame: Spiraling Inferno," Xùyán called out, sending a tornado of corrupted fire spinning toward Grim's position.

"Celestial Mist: Cleave," Grim responded, raising his sword and channeling more mana into his sword arm. The mist dissipated and the strike cleared the tornado into two.

As he emerged from the fire tornado, Xùyán was already there waiting. Claws wreathed in dark energy slashed across Grim's chest, opening new wounds that burned.

Grim stumbled backward, his vision blurring from blood loss and spiritual exhaustion. The dark mana in his fourth heart was responding to the external corruption, making it harder to maintain control over his own power.

"You should have stayed in your human lands," Xùyán said with genuine hatred. "Now you'll die in ours, and no one will mourn your passing."

Another barrage of dark energy forced Grim to his knees, his defensive techniques finally failing under the sustained assault.

"Any last words?" Xùyán asked, dark flames gathering around his claws for a killing blow.

Before Grim could respond, a new voice cut across the battlefield with absolute authority.

"That's enough."