Death... and me

2947  I Finally Found One

*clang, clang, clang, clang!*

Rean and the woman clashed several times. No doubt, she was the toughest opponent so far. Her Fourth Stage of Sword Intent was as almost concentrated as Rean's, showing her utter dedication to the sword. Let's not forget that Rean is, in fact, hundreds of times older than her.

*Clash!*

The swords clashed against each other another time, forcing both Rean and the woman back. Rean looked at his sword, which had several chips and already began to crack. "Even though this is just a normal iron sword, I'm impressed you managed to bring it to this state. Say, what's your name?"

The woman took a deep breath and straightened her body. "Tomoe Gozen."

"Tomoe Gozen?" Rean narrowed his eyes. He was pretty sure he had read about someone with this name somewhere a long time ago. "Oh! The Japanese female samurai!"

Tomoe showed a confused expression. "Japanese? Samurai? What are you talking about?"

"Ah!" Rean quickly shook his head. "Sorry, forget it. You just so happen to have the same name as someone I heard about in the past. You don't even use a Katana. Hahahaha! Anyway, let's continue."

However, Tomoe raised her hand, gesturing for Rean to stop. "Not yet."

"Hum?" Rean stopped, puzzled.

Tomoe then looked at the hack of swords. "Take a new sword. Don't misunderstand me. I consider all swords to be amazing. However, there is only so much an Iron Sword can accomplish. I don't want to win because your sword suddenly broke in the end."

Rean faintly smiled and shook his head. "Oh, there is no need to worry about that. If this sword of mine breaks, then I will take it as my loss. I had already decided it before we started this fight. Besides..."

Suddenly, Rean's Sword Aura changed, now emitting a sword intent even stronger than before. Rean and his sword seemed to become one as the air around him became heavy. What Rean was using was still the same Sword Aura as Tomoe. Yet, any sword cultivator could tell the difference between his Sword and Aura and Tomoe's. They simply weren't on the same level. "You earned the right to see a little bit more of my strength."

Tomoe's eyes opened wide, not expecting Rean to take a step further. She thought he had shown everything and was only being limited by the quality of his sword. Now, she understood that Rean still had a lot to show. Tomoe's hand began to tremble a little, and a smile appeared on her lips for the first time. "Nice..."

Rean smiled as well before his body leaned forward. Several veins popped out around his legs, and he shot forward with immense speed and strength.

Tomoe understood Rean's intention and did the same. All Sword Cultivators of the World Splitting Sect must also have Body Cultivation Techniques. Only a strong body can allow a Sword Cultivator to display his sword's real abilities. The two met at the center of the platform in a split second, two swords performing a strike at different angles. This confront would be decided here and now.

*Zwinnn! Swish!*

Rean and Tomoe passed by each other and stopped a few meters away.

*Cling... clang, clang...*

*psht...*

*Drip, drip, drip...*

Half of a sword fell to the ground, bouncing twice as blood began to fall on it. Tomoe then kneeled to the floor, looking at her companion of many years split in two. The deep cut in her chest meant nothing to her. Even if she died there, she wouldn't have any regrets.

"Hum?" However, she quickly understood that although her injuries were deep, they avoided all her vital organs. As long as she received treatment, she would eventually make a full recovery. With the World Splitting Sect's resources, a few days should be more than enough.

Tomoe then looked at Rean and his Iron Sword. It was still brimming with Sword Aura, and there wasn't a single extra crack or chip on it. "In the end, I'm still a long way to go."

Rean's sword aura disappeared, and he took a deep breath. "You did great, you know? This exchange just now opened my eyes and gave me many ideas." Well, the same went for Roan, who even glanced at Rean's arena for a moment. He was seeing Rean's memories, but he had to watch that final clash with his eyes. So far, only Rean and Roan have achieved the Fourth Stage of Sword Intent back in Lisan Universe. Luan was still in the Third Stage while the system sect had quite a few Second and First Stage Weapon Intent users. Because of that, Rean and Roan only had each other to exchange moves while using the Fourth Stage of Weapon Intents.

Now, however, they arrived at a place where many others can use the Fourth Stage. A woman in the Peak Stage of the Nascent Soul already had it. Rean's 'Master,' Kuslau, could also use it. That's what they needed, more experience, and this last clash served this very purpose.

Tomoe faintly smiled as Spatial Powers began to envelop her body. The formation in the platform obviously considered her to have lost, so it was going to teleport her out. However, just as she was about to be sent out, she left a few words behind. "I've always been looking for a worthy man, and I think I finally found one."

*Zush!*

Finally, she was gone.

Rean was surprised for a moment before laughing out loud. "Hahaha!" He then looked at the other members of the World Splitting Sect, who seemed to look at him with different expressions. "Tell that beautiful lady I'm already married, will you? Hahaha!"

Everyone found that exchange of words extremely weird. First of all, Rean didn't look to be more than twelve or thirteen, while Tomoe was already near her thirties. But even weirder was to hear from Rean... or Asterix... that he was already married. Just what was wrong with this world?

And as always, any Golden Tickets and Stones are welcome. ;)