Starforce Warriors

Asuka immediately rolled to the side, dodging swiftly while gripping three white spheres between his fingers. He flicked them forcefully in front of him.

Bang!

A dazzling white light erupted as they hit the ground. Three thick clouds of smoke rose, shrouding half of the arena. This was a common diversionary tactic in Jiepeng's ninja techniques.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The sound of sharp objects slicing through the air echoed as several kunai shot forward, aimed directly at Daoist Sanjue's face.

"Hmph, such petty tricks. How dare you flaunt them before me?" Daoist Sanjue sneered. His longsword slashed horizontally and vertically in a graceful yet precise motion, effortlessly deflecting the incoming kunai.

At the same time, he lightly brushed his left hand across his short robe. A gift in kind was only fair. A dozen thin, sharp needles shot out in an instant, covering the ten-meter radius ahead of him in a lethal barrage.

Hidden within the white mist, Asuka swiftly swung his short sword and deflected six or seven of the flying needles while evading the rest. As he moved, he also threw four shuriken in rapid succession.

Daoist Sanjue smirked. His movements remained fluid and composed. He created an impenetrable defense with a flick of his Azure Frost Lightning Soft Sword. The weapon moved like a blur, weaving through the air and effortlessly knocking away Asuka's concealed weapons.

At that moment, he raised his left palm and slowly tucked it under his left armpit. Then, with a sudden twist of his wrist, he unleashed a powerful palm strike forward.

Boom!

A surge of force blasted outward. The palm force howled like a raging storm. It instantly dispersed all the white smoke lingering on the arena. The moment Asuka's figure was revealed—

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Dozens of flying needles pierced through the air, hurtling straight toward him.

Clang!

Asuka's sword unsheathed with a sharp ring. The longsword spun rapidly in his palm, rotating like a wheel. A series of crisp metallic clinks rang out as it deflected the incoming needles with unerring accuracy. At the same time, he threw out three Thunder Smoke Bombs.

Boom!

White mist billowed across the arena once again. Asuka disappeared into the haze.

"You cowardly clown, always hiding." Daoist Sanjue let out a cold, disdainful laugh. He struck forward with his palm once more, sending a mountain-like force that instantly dispersed the thick fog. In that split second—

Whoosh!

A shadow flashed. Asuka descended from midair, executing a powerful aerial slash.

Daoist Sanjue chuckled softly and took a single step backward, effortlessly evading the devastating strike.

The moment Asuka landed, his blade swung upward in a diagonal arc, forming a gleaming crescent of light as he closed the distance. He was launching a relentless barrage of close-range attacks within a meter of Daoist Sanjue.

Daoist Sanjue moved elegantly, nimbly avoiding the strikes. At the same time, his Azure Frost Lightning Sword shot forward and the blade split into nine dazzling streaks, unleashing a burst of icy brilliance.

It was like a constellation blooming in the dark night.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Blades clashed and a storm of metallic collisions rang out in quick succession. Sparks burst through the air like golden fireworks, flickering briefly before vanishing into nothingness.

Both warriors attacked and countered at blinding speed. They were so fast that they surpassed the limits of ordinary human perception.

In an instant, the exchange was over. Asuka was sent flying backward and landed unsteadily on the ground. He planted his longsword into the floor for support. His expression was stunned as he looked up at Daoist Sanjue.

Blood oozed from three fresh wounds on his body: his left shoulder, right abdomen, and right thigh. His close-combat techniques, once considered unbeatable in Jiepeng, had failed to withstand the relentless and seamless speed of the Great Xia Daoist's sword. It was like liquid mercury, slipping through every gap in his defense and striking with surgical precision.

Blood continued to seep from his wounds. The searing pain caused his entire body to tremble slightly. He couldn't understand. How could his swordsmanship, which had been nearly invincible in Jiepeng, be so easily dismantled by some random Daoist whose origins were unknown? The psychological blow was far worse than the physical wounds.

"I thought the so-called sacred swordsmanship of Jiepeng would be impressive," Daoist Sanjue sneered. "Turns out, it's nothing more than the pathetic tricks of a clown."

Daoist Sanjue's words were venomous and deliberately taunting. He was provoking his opponent. He wanted Asuka to lose himself in rage and recklessly launch another desperate attack. That way, he could seize the perfect moment to end him.

As expected, Asuka was utterly furious. He stabbed his short sword into the ground with a sharpclang. His right hand slowly reached back to grip the hilt of a crimson tachi[1].

It was the sword that Takano Kumagawa had given him in the corridor. A cursed sword. The moment his fingers wrapped around the hilt, Asuka felt an overwhelming surge of power unlike anything before. It was as if the blade had its own will.

A violent, bloodthirsty exhilaration poured from the sword, flooding into his body through his hand. He suddenly lifted his head. His eyes had turned a deep, blood-red.

Clang!

He drew the tachi. The slender, blood-red blade shimmered ominously, releasing an eerie crimson mist that spread around it.

"I will kill you," said Asuka.

He swung the sword horizontally. An arc of crimson sword energy burst forth, cutting through the air and engulfing the entire arena in its deadly glow.

"What?!" Daoist Sanjue immediately sensed that something was wrong.

The moment Asuka had drawn his sword, he felt an overwhelming, malevolent aura surge toward him. And now, this slash; it was beyond human capability.

He reacted instantly with his lightness technique, leaping into the air like a wild goose in flight and narrowly avoided the oncoming crimson arc.

But his vision blurred and a shadow suddenly materialized before him, as if it had teleported. Asuka, now wreathed in a sinister crimson mist, looked like a demon emerging from the molten pits of hell, radiating an aura of absolute destruction. The cursed blade in his grip seemed to be burning.

Asuka slashed a second time. Daoist Sanjue, undeterred even in the face of death, gathered all the true qi in his dantian and channelled it into his azure soft sword. He unleashed his technique, Sword Opens the Heavenly Gate, with a decisive thrust.

A move designed for mutual destruction.

"Kekekekeke..." A chilling, inhuman laughter escaped Asuka's lips.

He caught the soft sword in a single hand. He squeezed, and the blade melted in his palm. At the same time, the cursed sword swung horizontally once more. The blade bit deep into Daoist Sanjue's waist.

My fate is sealed.The thought surfaced in Sanjue's mind.

He did not fear death. What he feared was having come so close to avenging his fellow disciples and master, only to fail at the final moment.

If I die, I will have no face to meet them in the underworld.

Yet, just as all hope faded, the searing pain of his waist being sliced through never came. Instead, he felt a strange force surging from behind, pulling him away from the brink of death and out of the realm of despair, and depositing him beneath the arena.

Steadying himself, he looked up. But the sight that greeted him sent chills through his soul. The Jiepeng warrior, Asuka, no longer looked human. His entire body burned with an eerie crimson aura, and he stood like a demon from the depths of hell.

His right hand had transformed. It was no longer flesh, but a monstrous, crimson beast-like claw. He crushed the azure soft sword he had seized earlier with that claw, effortlessly compressing it into a tiny metal sphere before casually tossing it away.

"I can still fight..." Daoist Sanjue refused to accept defeat.

He attempted to leap back onto the arena, but the moment he activated his true qi, his body rebelled. A searing pain erupted in his body. His energy channels were in chaos, and his internal forces completely disordered. Worse yet, a strange and terrifying foreign energy coursed through his meridians, its passage feeling like knives slicing through his flesh.

His vision darkened and he nearly lost consciousness. He nearly broke his teeth from gritting them in sheer frustration. Yet, he couldn't even lift his foot.

His body swayed violently, then he collapsed backward. Several staff members rushed forward, catching him just in time. They placed him on a stretcher and hurriedly carried him toward the resting hall.

Daoist Sanjue's face was ashen, devoid of all hope, as he lay there. He would rather have died in the arena than suffer such a humiliating defeat. Living in shame after such an overwhelming loss was unbearable. But one burning question remained amid his despair.

In that moment between life and death, what was that mysterious force that saved me. It appeared out of nowhere, without warning?

1. A tachi is a type of sabre-like traditionally made Japanese sword worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. ☜