Soul of Searing Steel

“You’ve come.”

Upon seeing the golden-haired swordsman that was charging from afar stopping on a spot ten meters from where he stood, the man that remained still and calm like a statue took a step forward. He was trying to move his stiff body. His expression that was cold as steel on his face began to turn gentler. He seemed happy at the moment. “Truthfully, when I suddenly received your short message knowing that you wanted to duel with me before you traveled back to the Impercial City, I was very glad.”

“For so many years, this is the first time I’ve received an invitation to duel. In the past, it was always me who would challenge the others… Brandon, I’ve never thought that you would actually challenge me to a duel. This is totally unpredictable, even for me.”

“I’m not blind, Joshua.”

Upon hearing what the warrior wanted to say, Brandon grinned. Even after he was charging at full speed, his strength was still barely used. Currently, the golden-haired swordsman was looking quite excited as well. “From the beginning, I knew you wanted to battle me. You did not know how to conceal your true intention. Back then on the wall, I can tell that you’re a battle maniac—if it wasn’t because of the Dark Tide coming at the fortress, if it wasn’t because the black dragon was still lurking in the shadows, you would have challenged me to a duel on the spot.”

“So it was so obvious from the looks of it.”

Joshua chuckled unconciously. “However, I’ve not thought about hiding my intention about that.”

After all, the name Brandon Kaos represented one of the [Legendary Champions] on the whole Mycroft Continent in the future. This was one opponent that he could not triumph over easily even when he was a legendary warrior in the previous life! The desire to battle with strong opponents… was that really something one would want to conceal?

With his both eyes locked on the golden-haired swordsman before him, Joshua revealed a smile of a hungry wolf that craved for blood long ago.

Charging into the dark abyss, breaking through the traps set by twenty-seven demon generals! Leading a party to raid Tear Valley Fortress! Annihilating six Legendary-tier demon lords! Lastly, when the party was out of ammunition and rations, he charged in and slew Goliath, the Demon Lord of Gluttony in the second expedition into the dark abyss and ended the battle in the Dark Abyss!

To be able to battle with such a strong opponent, that was the main reason Joshua was striving to become stronger. That was the purpose and the joy for him to live on.

Even though Brandon was not yet that legendary holy swordsman, however, Joshua was not yet that number one warrior in the entire world as well. Of course, although that wasn’t really fair to begin with, however, the word ‘fair’ would not really have anything to do with a battle!

After being locked on by his opponent, Brandon did not let his guard down even for the slightest moment. He was also fully prepared to enter his combat mode. He was very vigilant against the possibility that his opponent would attack him.

Speaking of which, the man before him could potentially be the most gifted and most powerful warrior in throughout the entire history of the Imperial City since the city existed itself… Even the Emperor who became legendary only reached Gold tier when he was twenty-five-years old. Furthermore, if they were battling against each other with the power of the same tier, it would be difficult to tell who would win by the end of this battle.

No, it would be difficult to tell who would lose… Even if it was the Emperor himself, although he would be extremely powerful, however, his power level would still be within the imagination of human beings. Meanwhile, Joshua’s performance in the battle with the Dark Tide had exhibited that he was no longer a human being. That destructive power and that durability of stamina he had on him were far more monstrous than any monster in the entire world!

Facing a younger man standing right before him, the golden-haired swordsman could feel a presence that he had never felt before. He took a deep breath. Brandon’s both arms were trembling with excitement, not fear. Then he put his grips from both his hands onto the hilts of the two swords that were hanging by his waist. He could feel that the blood within his body was boiling right now!

Regardless of how powerful his opponent could turn out to be, he would only know after the battle began!

Speaking of confidence, he would never admit to being second place, ever. After all, he, Brandon Kaos had managed to rely on his Gift to persuade the Kaos family who managed to nurture a legendary mages in the past into supporting him to be a swordsman instead of a mage. He was a true prodigy!

The atmosphere around the two men was getting more intense than ever. The red Combat Aura and the dark-green Combat Aura were wrestling against each other in mid-air. Meanwhile, the air became as heavy as a heavy rock.

At first, the silver-haired girl that was sitting by the side with an unhappy face suddenly felt danger. She gave it some thoughts and retreated back by tens of meters. Upon walking away for over 200 meters all the way up to a hillside, she sat herself down and looked at her master battling that golden-haired swordsman with a disgruntled look.

Brandon naturally sensed that as well. After that, he furrowed his brows and looked at Joshua’s both hands with a serious look on his face. The two fists were clenched up as solid as steel. Dark red Combat Aura radiance was surging around his fists, circulating vigorously. The fists looked like metal that was rock solid. They looked extremely dangerous.

However, no matter how solid those ‘metal’ fists were, Joshua was undoubtedly facing Brandon with bare hands!

“Joshua!”

With a raging roar, Brandon’s face was filled with rage. His handsome face was slightly distorted. “No weapons?! Are you trying to humiliate me?!”

“It would still be acceptable if you don’t wear any armor. However, if you really want to fight me, then you have to equip yourself with your Divine Armament at the very least!”

Moving both of his arms up to pull out the dual blades of Order from their sheaths, the blades of the two swords looked extremely sharp. Anyone that saw the glimmering flash of light reflected on the surface of each blade would definitely feel a chill up their spines. Meanwhile, the swordsman widened up his eyes. The light-green vortexes that were spinning vigorously in his eyes had an aura of death. “We should have a fair battle, you and I!”

However, the facial expression of the warrior did not change a bit.

“That’s not the case.”

Quietly listening to Brandon questioning him, Joshua put down the two fists right by his waist, boxing the heart of his fists upward. With his elbows close to his ribs, he adjusted his feet into a strange posture. He moved his muscles a little. Instantly, his rock-solid muscles on his back were bulging out. His body trembled and emitted out a powerful shockwave that was directed down towards the ground. The ground and the snow received an impact as if they were stomped heavily by the warrior. Then the ground began to tremble on.

Posing in that posture and charging up his power, the warrior grinned and laughed out loud, “You only need to know one thing—Brandon, you have mastered the skills in swordsmanship. Meanwhile, I know all of the methods and ways of battles.”

The warrior was trying to emphasize that his fists and his body were also his weapons, not only swords and blades.

Upon saying that, Joshua’s aura instantly loomed over a wide range of tens of meters in radius. His ferocious will to battle and his strong intention to kill were as strong as he was. He did not use his Combat Aura. However, the snow around him naturally got diverted away from falling onto him. Meanwhile, the snow on the ground also showed deep dent like it had been crushed by heavy objects before.

—Before Joshua transmigrated to this world, Joshua possessed the strongest [Assasination] technique in the entire world. The ancestors of these fists were heroes who had started empty-handed and calmed the world for over thousands of years ago!

The current master of this pair of fists had defeated all opponents in the same timeline in the previous life, claiming to be the most powerful and invincible martial artist!

With all his fingers clenched, he pushed himself to the limit. Although there was nothing in both of his hands, however, because of that, he had also accumulated all of the most ancient and most violent power that existed throughout the entire history of mankind—

“Brandon, I am fighting you empty handed not because I want to humiliate you. This is the true meaning of treasuring your strength!”

He was not kidding around!

Although it was really difficult for anyone to understand this with normal logic, however, Brandon’s instinct was telling him that what Joshua said was the truth- upon seeing Joshua in a stance he had never seen before, he actually felt an intense chill up his spine immediately. That was an intense chill that was colder than negative 40 degrees! That temperature was enough to freeze boiling blood. That temperature was known as cold fear!

So, facing the pressure that Joshua pressed on him like an avalanche was about to collapse onto him, the golden-haired swordsman tightened his teeth and raised the dual swords in each of his hands. With his dark-green Combat Aura burst out all around his body, a shapeless gust began to surge all around his surroundings. His entire body instantly vanished like a mirage. His breath had also vanished completely into the surroundings as if he never existed in the world in the first place.

If Joshua was described as steel that combusts in vigorous blazing flame, an avalanche that was pouring down from the peak of the mountain in an unstoppable, then Brandon would be described as a shapeless mist that went berserk, a tornado that could tear and slice anything into pieces.

Even if the flame was as hot as the lava from the volcano, it would never be able to hurt the strong wind, not even a bit!