Chapter 177: Growth Under Pressure

Growth Under Pressure

Sparks flew as Xander retreated whilst deflecting the Centaur’s spears away from his body, each one shooting out and aiming at his vitals with deadly accuracy, their speed causing them to leave visible afterimages in the air.

Moreover, the spears were tipped with the purple Void fire which left a trail of erasure in the air wherever they passed, forcing Xander to constantly deflect or slice through its path to keep Abscinde from taking any damage. Though it was doubtful the weapon really needed that specific bit of assistance.

That being said, for an undead creature, it was evident that the Centaur had some skill with its weapons. It wasn’t on the same level as true spearmanship, Xander would know. However, it’s likely that it was a powerful being when it was alive, one that wielded those spears regularly. And while it lacked the technical mastery meant for spears, the way it incorporated them into its entire style, both with the Void fire and its general build, made it quite a difficult opponent.

It’s entire body was a weapon. Even when Xander avoided the spears, its front legs could still kick down with the force of a mountain, occasionally bathing the area in the Void fire and causing area denial.

But the most troublesome thing, though, was its Core Concept.

To be clear, the two weren’t just stationary as they fought. Rather, the Centaur was constantly charging at Xander at blinding speeds. Moreover, the longer it moved, the faster its charge seemed to become, and in just a short time, its speed became utterly absurd, to the point where Xander was now using Vibration Traversal constantly just to keep up and retreat whilst defending.

As for why Xander didn’t just move out of the way when it charged like a bullfighter, that’s because apparently the Centaur couldn’t care less about inertia. It didn’t matter how fast it was moving, the moment Xander tried to move out of the way of its charge, it would instantly change direction without losing its speed at all, ensuring it was constantly on him no matter what he did.

’Momentum, huh?’ He thought as he saw the paths representing its Core Concept wrapped around its body in an intricate yet dense web.

It wasn’t just its travel speed, either, as even its attack speed was gaining momentum too. Xander was keeping up due to being able to read the paths, but it wouldn’t be long before he was unable to react in time and get hit.

’It’s certainly troublesome.’ He thought. Compared to the assassins he’d killed, the pressure he felt from this Centaur was on a completely different level, and he immediately judged it to be superior to the Wyvern, too, in numerous aspects. Be it the usage of its concepts, durability, and skill.

’Makes me wonder how strong it was when it was alive.’ His eyes narrowed. It made sense, really. Mythical creatures were mythical creatures for a reason. And he was a human. A being that naturally started in a much lower level compared to many other creatures.

So realistically, the fact he was trading blows with this Centaur, even an undead one, was impressive. Something only a handful of other humans would be capable of.

And yet...

’It’s not enough.’ It was a strange thing, really.

Back on earth, Xander had actually been ’too fast’. His talent for the sword taking him ahead of everyone else so quickly that it soon became redundant to face anyone else. That was the whole reason his psyche had been a sword grave before his passion got rekindled.

Yet now, he realized that even with his rate of growth, it wasn’t enough.

There was this Centaur, but there was also Keir and Mary. There were Behemoths. There was this Void Demon that was keeping them on their toes without its main body even being there. There was Archmage Bellion and Xavier. And somewhere at an impossible height, there was Mia.

And with the incoming disaster, one so extreme that even Hell began to forward their plans, one fact was made to be painfully clear.

Xander was weak.

Sure, he was above average. But there were at least 4 people in his close circle that could kill him if they fought. Two of whom could do it with minimal effort.

His growth rate was impressive, sure. But was it really enough?

The answer was, painfully, a resounding no.

And yet, Xander wasn’t disheartened by that. Far from it, actually, he was elated.

Was this not the thing he’d gleefully said when he spoke with the ’him’ back in Landor? The first time he lost consciousness? About how Tatonia offered so many more possibilities? How the ceiling for his growth was virtually nonexistent?

This was it, wasn’t it?

That obscene, suffocating pressure that came from those that could end him with a thought always lingered. Yet it also outlined an undeniable fact.

Those beings. At least some of them, had to start from somewhere to reach their levels. They weren’t just born that way. They worked for it.

And what exactly was Xander doing?

’... Heh.’ His lips curled up slightly.

Abscinde clashed with the spears at an extreme speed, deflecting strikes that the wind pressure alone decimated the direction they moved in, but the damage was, for now, kept away from Xander.

But at this point, it was clear that the Centaur was now outspeeding him. It pushed him around the massive basin in a black and purple line, and Xander was only barely keeping up.

And yet, he was smiling.

’I keep talking about how this world allows me to grow as much as I want without fear of hitting a ceiling. About all the possibilities and Paths. But with that said, have I actually been pushing it?’ A real question.

Because for all his talk about the limitless possibilities Tatonia offered, had he truly been pushing himself to test those possibilities?

Sure, he’d developed the Garden of Myriad Paths and explored more of its functions while deepening his comprehension of concepts, unpacking certain epiphanies, and so on.

But a lot of that was mostly horizontal. Sure, Xander was undeniably stronger now than he was before the time dilation training. There was no question there. But realistically, most of that time was spent unpacking and comprehending the tools he possessed. So while quick, his growth curve was still fairly gradual.

So it made him wonder, what happened to the version of him that would improve of the tip of a hat?

Back on earth, his ascension had been scary. From the moment he picked up a sword, the speed at which he improved was, frankly, unprecedented.

Because one has to remember. Xander had mastered virtually every sword and the styles they had, both common and esoteric, to the point where he even started dabbling in other weapon arts and fighting styles just because he could, and he STILL got good at those too.

And he died at the age of 23.

’Yeah... that’s it. Just like that.’ His smile grew as he and the Centaur continued to clash, but something strange was happening.

It was stated multiple times how Xander was only barely keeping up, yet that barely had been persisting for a while now, even though the Centaur’s momentum had only gotten faster.

No matter how fast it grew, it was finding it hard to strike Xander. He was like a turtle, his defense airtight.

But then that’s when something shocking happened.

They clashed again, but as the Centaur raised its front hooves for a follow up strike, several cuts appeared on the Obsidian bones on its upper half and front hooves.

The purple flames in its eyes blazed as it noticed this. The speed of Xander’s counter had been unprecedented, far faster than what he’d done before.

Xander swung Abscinde again, the blade covered in a strange haze that caused it to warp, and shift oddly, and the Centaur positioned its spears to block, but right as the two weapons were about to collide again, Abscinde flashed across its ribs, slicing through several as the spear that had been ready to block... might as well have not even been there!

’I always use Incandescent Haze to fool people’s eyes. But I can deflect concepts now. Why can’t I make it fool one’s perception too? The concept of it, rather?’ Xander thought with a grin, and the Centaur attempted to stomp him.

Yet Xander shifted to the side, Abscinde striking out as they clashed again. Yet unlike before, Xander came out on top with each exchange, more cuts accumulating on the Centaur’s body.

But that didn’t make any sense. Forget harming it, how was Xander even reacting fast enough to counter? He hadn’t used any boosting skill of the sort and simply used Channeling, Mana Breathing, and raw physicality. Yet now he was keeping up with the Centaur on equal ground. It made no sense, right?

Well, Xander had switched things up at that point.

Taking inspiration from his technique ’Return Path’ which utilized an opponent’s paths, and therefore attacks, against them, Xander had adapted the skill on the fly.

So now, the concept of Momentum that the Centaur utilized was getting used against it. Only, Xander wasn’t sending it back. No...

He was utilizing it himself.