Epic Of Ice Dragon: Reborn As An Ice Dragon With A System

Chapter 2265: Clash Of Wills

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"Heh, you damned barbarian... I will slay you this very instant!" Niwa roared, leaping from his vast army of specters as he charged forward with millions of Yokai Soldiers at his side.

"CHARGEEEEEE!"

Fortune smiled viciously, his eyes glowing brilliant gold. Rushing forward without waiting for the army to intercept him, he resembled a thunderbolt, blitzing through the Yokai Soldiers in a mere second.

That was all it took.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

Thousands of slashes tore through the Yokai Soldiers. The radiant light consumed them, and as they screamed in agonizing pain, it burned them to ashes. Not even their souls were spared.

"...?!"

Niwa’s eyes widened as he witnessed the Venerable annihilate his army of one million soldiers in the blink of an eye. Swiftly swinging his swords to his left, he clashed against a massive golden blade.

Guided by sheer instinct, he barely intercepted the incoming attack.

But it availed him little against an opponent so overwhelmingly powerful.

CLAAASH!

No technique, only raw brute force. The golden sword shattered his katanas, splitting them in half with a single strike. As Niwa hastily stepped back to gain distance, he saw the Venerable leap above him, still smiling with pride, his blade aglow with light akin to the morning sun.

"Come on, struggle... Or it won’t be fun."

"Tch!"

Niwa clicked his tongue, swiftly channeling his Aura into his katanas to restore their blades instantly before swinging both upward.

It was a simple attack, yet it met Fortune’s heavy blade at that moment.

"{Foundation Strike: Kiban no Issen}"

Niwa Nagahide unleashed a swift, precise katana slash, releasing a structured, grid-like shockwave that swept through the Venerable’s golden aura and sent him soaring upward.

"Hm?!"

The Venerable’s eyes widened, caught off guard by the sudden force.

How long had it been since anyone pushed him back like this?

Not since before his ascension, when he faced over a dozen cults and guilds allied to thwart his rise to Venerable.

That battle, his bloodiest yet, had granted him the power and resources to ascend fully.

"Not bad."

Fortune closed his eyes and smiled. Abruptly, he pointed his hand at Niwa Nagahide, and a massive beam of light struck the samurai, hurling him backward.

BOOOM!

"Nngh?!"

Nagahide glared at the Venerable with seething hatred.

"Coward! Wasn’t this a battle of swordsmanship?"

"No, this is a battle for survival. Fight with all you have, or you’ll die..."

Fortune laughed, closing the distance to Niwa, punching his face, then kicking him downward. Reappearing behind him with blinding speed, he slashed Niwa’s back with his heavy blade.

SLAAASH!

"Aaaaggh!"

Niwa screamed. The pain sharpened his senses, heightening his reaction speed. He spun in midair, both swords surging toward the Venerable from the left.

The Venerable smiled wickedly, effortlessly parrying the swords with his heavy blade, wielded solely with his right hand. With his left, he struck Niwa’s gut, unleashing a deadly shockwave of divine power that forced the Samurai to vomit a mouthful of blood.

"Gaaagh?!"

"Not bad. A lesser warrior would have been torn apart by my blows, yet you endure them all...!"

Fortune lowered his guard, patting his foe’s shoulders with a smile.

Niwa seized the moment without hesitation

"{Symmetry Cascade: Taishō no Rensa}!"

He moved with precision, his katanas slicing the air beside Fortune, who was momentarily unaware of the samurai’s intent.

A grave error.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

Three slashes formed an equilateral triangle around Niwa, unleashing a tempestuous attack that tore through the Venerable’s Aura. A colossal shockwave engulfed him entirely.

"W-Wha...?"

Fortune was overwhelmed instantly, his Aura shredded as his flawless, muscular physique was marred by countless slashing wounds.

"Aaaagh!"

With a furious and painful scream, the Venerable swung his blade at Niwa, only for the Samurai to advance with his technique’s next strike.

Maintaining a steady stance and firm grip, Niwa thrust his two swords forward, harnessing the momentum of the storm-like attack to draw his foe toward him.

"What?"

Fortune’s heavy blade attack missed by a hair, cleaving only empty air. Niwa spun around, exploiting his smaller stature compared to the towering Venerable, and aimed both blades at his neck, delivering a lethal cleaving strike.

"TERYAAAAAA!"

"Bastard! What do you think you’re doing?"

CRAAASH!

Fortune swiftly raised his heavy blade to the back of his neck within a split second, deflecting Niwa’s blow. The accumulated force and shockwave of the strike triggered an explosion.

BOOOMMM!

Amid the smoke, both fighters emerged, covered in wounds. Niwa appeared more battered than Fortune, yet for a moment, they both smiled.

"You’re not bad... not bad at all... if only we could have met earlier."

"For a barbarian, your reaction speed and agility are impressive... I am overwhelmed."

"Hmph, yeah, but that’s not all you’ve got, do you?"

"..."

Niwa fell silent for a moment as his body surged with cursed energy. He began to grow larger and more monstrous.

"There it is..."

Fortune laughed as Niwa’s human form vanished entirely. Gray fur sprouted over his body, and his head transformed into that of a wolf, with longer, sharper ears, a keener sense of smell, and piercing eyes.

He had only doubled in size, perhaps among the smallest of the five generals... but that was inconsequential.

Niwa was a warrior who prioritized and mastered technique above all else. What he needed most to surpass his limits was not brute strength.

He required sharper senses, and his Yokai Transformation into a Gray Wolf Beast was precisely what he needed.

Neither spoke, only smiled.

And then...

FLASH!

They vanished, leaving only trails of energy in their wake.

Fortune blitzed through the empty air, lightning energy surging from his entire body, his heart beating faster and faster, a living engine that spread Thunder Elemental Divine Power through his entire body.

At the same time, Nagahide left behind a gray trail of his combined energies, and both clashed. Nagahide’s blades impacted Fortune’s heavy blade with a thunderous strike, shockwaves of energy erupting.

Fortune followed by stepping back, forcing Nagahide to rush forward, baiting him into a powerful kick in the jaw, followed by a slap on the face by his massive hands, and then his heavy blade rushing down towards his back, aiming to cripple him by piercing his spine.

All within a second.

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