Chapter 136: Rite of Passage [7]

The spears flew toward Josh at high speed, crossing the forest in a matter of seconds before reaching him.

The first spear was aimed directly at his head.

Josh tightened his grip on his katana and swung horizontally.

Clang!

The spear was knocked away.

Click.

One stack.

The remaining spears descended upon him from different directions.

Josh let mana run wild through his body, enhancing his speed as he twisted and moved between them.

Another spear came toward his chest.

He swung his katana.

Clang!

The spear was deflected.

Click.

Two stacks.

A third spear came within inches of piercing his thigh.

Josh stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding it, then immediately cut down a fourth spear that came toward his chest.

His hands blurred as his katana moved left and right, cutting down the incoming spears one after another.

By the time the last spear fell, the ground around him was covered with the broken remains of Yves’ dark constructs.

The fragments slowly crumbled into nothingness.

"So this is your gift?" Josh asked curiously. "Using spears as projectiles?"

Yves stared at him with a blank expression.

Then he shook his head.

"No. This is part of a technique, not a Gift."

Josh was genuinely surprised.

He had been expecting Yves to possess some kind of physical enhancement Gift because of how fast and strong he was.

He had originally thought Yves would be eliminated almost immediately after the Rite of Passage began.

Yet here he was.

Fighting him head-on.

So the confidence Yves had displayed wasn’t baseless.

What surprised Josh even more was how strong Yves had become in only two months.

It was a ridiculous rate of growth.

Even their older sister hadn’t achieved something like that.

His swordsmanship had also improved immensely compared to when they used to spar as children.

That brought another thought to Josh’s mind.

If Yves hadn’t failed his awakening and had awakened at the same age as the rest of us...

How strong would he have been by now?

Josh didn’t even want to think about it.

But he already knew the answer.

Let’s not overestimate him.

That technique probably consumes a huge amount of mana. He can’t use it endlessly.

Josh shook his head.

His plan was to end this fight with a four-stack counter—or even a five-stack counter if he could manage it.

But his mana was already running low.

He had fought multiple opponents throughout the Rite, including several people who had attacked him together, and the accumulated battles were beginning to take their toll.

Dragging this fight out wasn’t worth it.

He still wanted to win the Rite of Passage, and it wouldn’t be easy with the twins and his other younger brother still alive.

So he would continue parrying whenever he could, avoid taking any direct hits, and finish Yves with one powerful attack.

I’ll force him to waste his mana.

Once he can no longer use that technique, I’ll finish him.

"So, Yves," Josh said. "How many times can you use that technique?"

Yves tilted his head.

"Why are you asking?"

"Nothing. I just want to know."

Josh shrugged and began circling him from a distance.

Yves remained silent for a moment before resting his katana against his shoulder.

Then he smiled coldly.

A chill suddenly ran down Josh’s spine.

What the heck?

"Oh, I see what you’re trying to do."

Yves’ smile widened.

"You want to know how much mana that technique consumes, don’t you?"

Josh’s expression changed.

Yves continued.

"Which means your mana reserves are already running low."

Josh’s eyes narrowed.

"You wouldn’t be asking me that question if you still had plenty of mana."

How did he figure that out so quickly?

Josh hadn’t given him any obvious clue.

Unfortunately for Josh, Yves had already spent enough time watching him fight to notice the subtle signs of fatigue.

"Unfortunately for you," Yves said, "I have far more mana than an ordinary Ascended."

He paused.

"So I can spam the same attack about ten more times."

Josh stared at him.

Ten more times?

How does that make sense?

"You’re lying," Josh finally said.

"Is that so?"

Yves raised one hand.

"Then let me show you."

He snapped his fingers.

Dozens upon dozens of dark spears suddenly formed behind him.

Josh’s eyes widened.

"How is this—"

"I told you guys, didn’t I?"

Yves’ smile disappeared.

His expression became cold.

"I will win and show you that I’m no longer the same person."

The spears hummed with power.

Yves pointed toward Josh.

"You better use your counter if you don’t want to become skewered meat."

The spears launched.

Josh immediately dashed sideways.

The spears followed.

His eyes widened.

"They can follow me?"

He clicked his tongue and continued running.

Once some of the spears drew close, Josh maneuvered around the trees.

The spears pierced the trunks instead, carving deep holes through the wood.

Others tore through the bark and shattered branches as they continued their pursuit.

Boom!

Boom!

The spears refused to stop.

No matter how far Josh ran, they continued following him.

He had no choice but to destroy some himself.

A spear shot toward his neck.

Josh swung his katana.

Clang!

The spear split in two.

Another came from below.

Josh jumped over it, twisted in midair, and brought his blade down.

Clang!

The construct shattered.

His hands continued to blur as he cut down spear after spear.

There are too many.

Josh shifted his momentum and spun around.

One spear was already behind him.

He timed his movement perfectly and parried it just before it pierced his back.

Clang!

Click.

Three stacks.

Josh immediately moved again.

The remaining spears continued chasing him.

He enhanced his legs with mana and jumped onto the trunk of a nearby tree.

Before the spears could reach him, he began running upward.

The spears struck the trunk instead.

Josh leaped onto a branch and continued moving from branch to branch, heading directly toward Yves.

There was no point in running anymore.

The spears would simply follow him.

So instead, he would bring them back to their owner.

Five spears approached from different directions.

Josh kicked off the branch.

He flipped backward and twisted his body.

The spears passed through the gaps between his limbs.

Josh immediately twisted again.

His katana flashed.

Clang!

Click.

Four stacks.

Josh landed on another branch.

The spears that had missed him curved around and continued their pursuit.

There were only a handful left now, but Josh’s breathing had become heavier.

His mana was running dangerously low.

I don’t have enough left.

He looked toward Yves.

I need to finish this now.

Purple mana gathered around his blade.

It compressed until it wrapped around the katana like a second layer of skin.

But this wasn’t ordinary mana.

The air around the blade groaned.

The trees nearby trembled slightly.

This was something different.

Sword Aura.

Josh closed his eyes.

The remaining spears were already approaching.

He remained completely still.

Then his eyes opened.

His sword swung horizontally.

A massive purple arc erupted from the blade.

BOOOOM!

The Sword Aura collided with the incoming spears and devoured them instantly.

The purple arc continued forward, slicing through the tops of several trees before finally dissipating.

Josh immediately leaped from the branch.

He descended toward Yves.

He pulled his arm back, positioning his katana behind his neck.

His remaining four stacks surged through his body.

"Counter Edge: Fourfold Reprisal."

Immense strength flooded his body.

The aura surrounding his katana intensified.

The air distorted around the blade.

Josh’s body blurred.

BOOM!

He shot downward with such incredible speed that a thunderclap erupted from his movement.

Yves pressed his feet against the ground.

Dark energy spread beneath him.

Dozens of dark spears erupted from the ground and shot upward toward Josh.

But Josh cut through them.

One after another.

The spears shattered against his blade as he continued descending.

He was almost there.

Almost within striking distance.

And then Yves calmly spoke.

"Shadow Step."

Josh’s eyes widened.

"What—?"

Yves disappeared.

Josh’s attack slammed into the ground.

And the forest exploded.

BOOOOOOM!

A massive purple explosion erupted from the impact.

The ground was torn apart.

Trees within dozens of meters were shattered into splinters, while those farther away were uprooted and sent flying.

The shockwave tore through the forest.

Contestants hundreds of meters away heard the explosion.

A massive cloud of dust and purple mana rose into the sky.

For several moments, nothing could be seen.

Then the dust slowly began to settle.

The devastation was enormous.

A huge crater had been carved into the forest.

Trees had been completely destroyed.

The ground was covered in broken earth.

And in the center of it all stood two figures.

One was standing.

The other was kneeling.

As the dust finally cleared, the result became obvious.

Josh was kneeling in a pool of blood.

Yves stood in front of him.

Unscathed.

Not even a scratch.

"I... can’t believe this."

Josh struggled to breathe.

"I actually lost."

He couldn’t believe it.

His youngest brother—the child everyone had called useless—had actually defeated him.

Josh slowly raised his trembling head.

"How—"

He coughed violently.

Blood spilled from his mouth and stained his shirt.

He wiped it away with a trembling hand before looking back at Yves.

"How did you awaken such a Gift?"

Yves rested one hand on the hilt of his sheathed katana.

"I don’t know."

Josh looked down.

A dark spear had pierced through his stomach and protruded from his back.

Blood continued spreading beneath him.

"I see."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

Then the shadows beneath him began to rise.

They wrapped around his body.

Before he was teleported away, Josh looked at Yves one final time.

"You are a monster."