Chapter 1376: Like water

"WHAT?!" Draco cursed out loud. The blood spikes in his shoulder guards were starting to sweat, losing its form and its protection.

Michael stood in front of him, hands spread out. "You made nature bleed for your own purposes. You were only able to do that because nature cannot fight for itself.

But what if they could? So, I made it so that these trees, this ground that you’re standing on, evolved so that they could take back what was stolen from them."

This was the power of his Nascent Spirit! Adaptation!

"KURGH!" Draco cursed. His strongest attack, his very trump card, was nullified just like that! "Impossible! We’re supposed to be at the same cultivation levels!"

They were both in the 3rd stage of the Nascent Spirit realm. In a battle between their Nascent Influences, their powers could not overpower each other.

This meant that whoever used their Nascent Influence first meant that they would usually have the upper hand. That was because their opponent wouldn’t be able to overpower that Influence due to their same level of cultivation.

But what Michael just demonstrated was a complete and utter destruction of Draco’s Nascent Influence!

This meant only one thing. Michael’s Diva was simply that much more powerful than that of Draco’s.

Michael used his Quantum Step to shatter the distance between him and Draco.

His opponent immediately used his spear, rotating it in his hands to create a shield to protect himself. He’d been hit by that Quantum Strike so much that he was basically traumatized by it.

Draco instinctively tried to protect himself, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to react to Michael’s movements.

But Michael didn’t even use his Quantum Strike this time.

He simply moved in melee range with Draco, raising his Unity Saber in challenge.

And it was at this point that an angry nerve bulged out of Draco’s forehead.

Michael was challenging him to a battle of weapons! He was being underestimated!

Draco could accept being defeated due to the difference in Aubility Power. Michael had proven himself the more talented one between the two, so Draco could accept it.

However, it had been proven in this very fight that Michael wasn’t that proficient with his weapon!

Draco would have been able to defeat Michael if it weren’t for his golden nanoparticles protecting him from harm. His spear mastery was so much more perfected than Michael’s own use of his Unity Saber.

So, when Michael didn’t use his Quantum Strike and simply challenged Draco in a good, old-fashioned clash of weapons, Draco’s pride was hurt.

"You’ll regret not finishing me when you had the chance!" Draco shouted, arming himself with his blood spear once again.

Draco unleashed a fury of thrusts, each one creating more and more drops of blood that created more and more spears in the air.

With his immense mastery of the spear, Draco was able to weave his strikes and his thrusts perfectly with Michael’s very own weakness in his posture and his stances.

Every hit was achieved. Draco proved himself superior in their exchange of weapons.

Michael performed normal defenses. But against Draco’s mastery, it seemed like he was just floundering his Unity Saber around. He would be able to defend himself with some strikes, but leave himself completely vulnerable in ten more spots.

It was a vicious cycle that would eventually wear down on Michael’s golden nanoparticles.

"HAHAHAHA! You’re not going to outlast... outlast... out—"

Draco’s words began to falter as he realized something.

Michael was starting to move... weirdly. Gone were the rigid and the perfunctory stances that he used. Gone were the middling execution of normal defenses.

Instead, he was just moving and bending his body in abnormal poses.

Draco even realized that Michael didn’t even look like he was focusing on the spears that were coming his way.

Instead, his eyes were only half-open, as if he was struggling to keep himself awake!

This should have been the final nail in the coffin for Michael. Draco should have been able to batter Michael’s Nascent Armor with spears that it would finally wear down his impenetrable defense.

Except, that’s not what happened.

More and more, Michael started to dodge the spears. At first, he couldn’t even evade a single spear thrust. But as time passed, each of his weird body movements were perfectly avoiding two or more spears!

A sense of dark foreboding began to creep into Draco’s heart.

Michael’s body movements were starting to get sharper and sharper. It was as if he was perfecting his movements the more that he was avoiding those blood spears.

"Is he... is he..."

Then, Draco finally realized the truth. Michael was using this opportunity to create his own weapon mastery! He was starting to realize his own path!

This was dangerous! More than that, this was perilous! Not just for him, but for the very opponents that were trying to defeat the Reborn company.

After all, if Michael was able to master that kind of swordstyle, then he’d basically be able to finally shore up the weakness that had left their company vulnerable this entire time!

He was starting to awaken a Way!

"Curse you and your talent!" Draco shouted, eventually retrieving his blood spears. He didn’t want to help Michael perfect his swordstyle any further than that.

But in doing so, Draco left himself completely vulnerable. He turned around to seek comfort in his own army.

At that moment, Michael appeared in front of him using the Quantum Step.

Draco tried to defend himself, focusing all of his blood into an ultra thick protective shield that blocked out everything in front of him.

Michael swung his sword.

The crescent of power unleashed from his Unity Saber, seemingly headed straight towards Draco’s shield.

It crashed towards the blood shield, destroying much of its surface. But it held on, much to Draco’s delight.

But then, the Unity Crescent didn’t disappear.

Instead, it began to wrap around the curved surface of the shield and eventually whipped towards Draco’s vulnerable back, which was completely devoid of any Nascent Armor.