At that moment the hint of a smile appeared on his lips, a smile that disappeared the very next instant as he made a mistake.
Clang.
He successfully blocked one of Mikael's strikes, but in a way that left him wide open for the follow-up attack!
His expression twisted into horror, horror that only deepened as he caught sight of Mikael attacking with a powerful slash infused with Qi and Sword Intent.
But then—
The spearman's expression shifted into a mocking one as he thought, 'Got you!'
"DIEEEE!!!" Kuangshi's scream resounded as the injured Core Disciple jumped back into the fight with a big move.
He mobilized his Fire Qi in a way that two ten-meter-wide Flame Fists came crashing down toward Mikael's current position, and with Mikael mid-motion and caught off guard, he had no way to evade, leaving him defenseless!
And with these falling Flame Fists, which looked strong enough to flatten a mountain, it was clear that Mikael was in dire straits!
At that instant a vengeful and satisfied smile spread across Kuangshi's visage as he saw Mikael falling into the trap his friend—Tieshan—had created.
Hsssshhhh.
The two Flame Fists burned the air as they neared Mikael, but just before they could enter a 'critical range,' Mikael acted!
Because while the two Core Disciples thought they had cornered him, in truth it wasn't so much Mikael being cornered as it was him allowing them to believe he was!
And Mikael intended to use this to his advantage to inflict the maximum amount of damage…
'This can't drag on any longer, while these two can and will fall to my blade if the fight continues the thing is…'
'That if it goes on for too long, or I am simply unlucky, a Core Elder or somebody stronger could stumble upon the fight, and then the situation would take a drastic turn for the worse!!!'
These were the thoughts that led to the following action—
Ferocity Mark III – Blood Ignition
BOOM!!
The air bent under the aura that Mikael released as, in a single instant, his skin took on a reddish hue while his aura climbed far higher.
All of his stats increased, with EVERYTHING surging as though he had CURRENTLY reached the 2nd layer of the Spiritual Foundation Realm.
Of course, that wasn't exactly the case for all of his 'stats,' as his physical strength increased far, far more—reaching the equivalent of what he would currently obtain if he had stepped into the 6th layer of the Spiritual Foundation Realm!
Whoosh.
Moving earlier than what would have been possible if he had truly been caught by surprise, and faster than ever before, Mikael flew out of the Flame Fists' path.
Using his maximum speed, Mikael appeared behind Tieshan in an instant, and before the latter could even begin to understand what had happened, Mikael struck him with a heavy kick.
Thawck.
Sending him flying directly into the Flame Fists' path, but of course Mikael didn't leave it at that, as to accompany Tieshan in his 'hot bath' he sent a powerful Celestial Moon's Embrace directly toward him.
And considering that it was powered by Sword Intent, and coupled with the Flame Fists, Mikael was sure that he would enjoy this 'sharp hot bath' offered by his and the other Core Disciple's joint efforts…
"AHHHH!!!!!"
"Tieshan!"
If both Core Disciples' screams, one of pain and the other of shock, were to be believed, it was clear they both loved this surprise…
The next instant Kuangshi stopped supplying his Qi into the Flame Fists while eyeing Mikael with a mix of horror and wariness, which was why Mikael didn't attack him and simply offered a faint smile as he pointed toward Tieshan's location.
At that instant both massive Flame Fists disappeared, revealing who or to be more precise…what lay behind.
Tieshan or what was left of him was there, his body only had slight burns as he had pushed his Qi to the limit to endure the fire of his good friend but unfortunately—
Because of that he was left relatively defenseless against Mikael Celestial Moon's Embrance who then cut him in two.
His lifeless body stayed floating for a moment more before he slowly fell downward and amidst the last embers of the Flame Fists he continued his course before finally hitting the ground with a small thud.
All of that happened under the part-guilty and part-horrified gaze of Kuangshi as he watched his friend die, 'He's dead… just like that?' he thought in horror and guilt.
The next instant his horror took center stage in his mind, multiplying by an untold amount as he caught Mikael giving him a 'gentle smile'.
A smile that in his eyes looked more horrifying than anything else, as this… devil smiled at him!!
And his horror only deepened as Mikael opened his mouth and spoke in a slow and gentle tone of voice, "Now, it's your turn… but don't feel bad, you will soon join your friend…"
30 seconds.
Following the previous scene, that was the time it took for Mikael, 1st layer Spiritual Foundation Realm, to slay Kuangshi, 1st layer Core Formation Realm!
And even with the numerous factors that made Mikael so dreadful and powerful for his realm, and with Kuangshi already seriously injured, it still shouldn't have happened in such a short period of time!
After all, cultivators have high vitality and are far harder to kill than a mortal…
The previous times during this brief fight where Mikael achieved an 'instant kill' was because of him using clever strategies and sneak attacks, but this time there were no strategies, only brutal frontal combat.
Consequently, the fight ending so rapidly was strange, but that wasn't taking in count 'Mikael's trump card'—and this trump card was… Kuangshi's mental state!
With Mikael's previous display of power, the killings, and the 'horrifying' actions he took at the end, Kuangshi's mind was in a horrifying state, and he was terrified of Mikael.
A terror that the sword cultivator used to his full advantage, forcing him into error after error and allowing him to achieve this fast kill.
Stumble.
Mikael stumbled and nearly missed a step at the same moment as the reddish hue, a sign of his burning vitality, disappeared, his skin regaining its previous white color.
"Argh," he grunted while bringing a hand to his head before shaking it, "The aftereffects aren't that bad… I can go on!"
A determined glint passed in his eyes, "Of course, even if it was bad, I would need to endure and get the fuck out of here!"
Flash.
Just as he murmured these words his Qi flared as he used it to do something.
The next moment he suddenly moved like a drifting cloud and vanished from his initial position, then, just as he was about to enter a nearby forest, his figure flickered and in the next instant became nearly imperceptible, the only thing partially visible being a small distortion in the air…
With all precautions taken Mikael didn't waste a single instant before beginning to make his way out of the Savagefang Mountain Range, and he didn't let his 'easy' kill of Core Formation Realm cultivators blind him to the truth.
The truth of how DIRE the situation could instantly become if he was found by a Core Elder, or even worse… somebody stronger!
Because of that he didn't waste a moment before beginning his escape from the Mountain Range while operating his Stealth Technique to the maximum.
Of course, he wasn't stupid, so he knew that the bodies he left in his track could bring some kind of clues that might potentially point toward him, but for that he had already made some preparations—
Swish.
A demonic beast emerged from behind a rock and cautiously approached the cultivators' battle scene. Normally it wouldn't dare approach a battle zone of this level, as its instincts would warn it of the danger, but this time—
'Weirdly' enough, the battlefield of these Core Formation Realm cultivators didn't feel like one. It was as if the traces of their power had been erased, with the only thing left behind being the enticing scent of the Core Formation Realm cultivators' bodies!!
Crunch, squelch.
The demonic beast began to joyfully devour these highly nourishing bodies, its bloodline showing faint signs of evolution as its aura grew stronger by the second.
Soon enough other demonic beasts were attracted, and this place devolved into another battleground, with the cultivators' bodies being devoured piece by piece by these battling demonic beasts.
With the help of these demonic beasts, Mikael made sure that no traces of his battle were left…
***
5 hours later, in an isolated part of the Savagefang Mountain Range.
More precisely, it was in an isolated and darkened part of the Mountain Range, under the canopy of multiple large trees, where a 'meeting' between… survivors was happening.
All of these survivors were the previously powerful and majestic-looking cultivators of the Flame Sovereign Sect, but now they were all in a pitiful state, and notably, some were missing…
"Cough, cough…" The silence was broken as the bloodied Sect Master, with only his left arm remaining, coughed blood before speaking through the pain, "On my side I've found no further traces of the Thunder Vein Dew, nor… L-Lei'er, or even Colt and his team…"
The Grand Elder, in tattered Taoist robes and with a deep gash spanning the entirety of his chest, exchanged a glance with the old Core Elder at the 6th layer of the Core Formation Realm, whose pale composure clearly signaled that he had suffered internal injuries.
"..."
Both old men kept quiet as they looked at the ground with clenched fists and gloomy expressions.
"I see…" murmured Sect Master Qin as he fell silent, his gaze also lowering to the earth beneath his feet.
Whooosh.
The wind howled in the three men's ears while the sun rose, bringing with it a gorgeous spectacle, but none of these cultivators were in the mood to care.
Even though the rising sun illuminated their location, it wasn't enough to dispel the terribly gloomy atmosphere.
Because at that moment the atmosphere was gloomier than a funeral—it was almost as if they had lost friends they had known for centuries, promising disciples, and even a son…
The three men remained in silence for a while longer before Sect Master Qin once more broke it, asking with a strained throat, as if he were holding something inside, "You really didn't find anything more, except what we already know about what happened, or… where is Lei'er… and Colt and his team?" His voice was broken, but inside he already knew the answer.
"No, old friend…" sighed the Grand Elder.
The only Core Elder left answered through gritted teeth, "Nothing beyond what we already know!"
"It's clear that while we thought our plan was clever, there was someone else who heard about it and acted on it, and in the end everything we did and sacrificed ended up benefiting this person!"
"All we did, whether it was the Ancient Ruins plan to use the baits to draw the Azure Thundergryph's attention or our subsequent whereabouts, was all under this person's eyes, and in the end we even… even helped him steal the Thunder Vein Dew!"
"It's clear that the distortion in the air wasn't Young Master Qin but this person! He took his place and acted like him, and we helped him steal the Thunder Vein Dew, and then he escaped while killing the three promising Core Disciples in his escape, it's just—"
The gloominess on his visage deepened while confusion took center stage, "I just don't understand how it is possible that somebody knew of our plan, and even more, how did Young Master Qin answer just before we drew the Crimson Pyrogryph's attention."
"Was he still alive and killed just after, did this person have a way to answer as Young Master Qin would have? And even more, how did they know not to take our Core Disciples' bodies, leaving them to be eaten by demonic beasts, because of that—"
"We can't even track this person, which is even more true as he didn't touch nor take their storage rings, and because of that we have no way to track this murderer and bring him to justice!!!" spat out the Core Elder, his heart overflowing with fury and helplessness.
"..."
Neither the Grand Elder nor the Sect Master answered. The Grand Elder was lost in how devastatingly this expedition had gone, while the Sect Master wasn't really listening.
Author Note:
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———
Kinda liked writting this fight, it has been a while since I wrote a 'true fight'(one including Mikael and 'serious' which meant that last a certain time).
This one in particular was one where it was as much a battle of pure power as one of wit, strategy and psychology.
With both sides using strategy to gain and advantage at the place of doing a display of 'I punch harder than you so I win'... we also saw Mikael use psychological warfare to gain an advantage and reduce the risks…
The only things I aren't really satisfied is the end where we saw the Core Elder explain what happened with Mikael actions, it's saw far too much like him informing the readers(which is what he is doing but still…)
But it was needed to explain more clearly what happened so that it's less vague with what Mikael exactly did.
———
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— End of Chapter —