Chapter 246 - 45th floor: part 2

Jacob, being playful in the way he did things, did not want to give the man a good start whatsoever. Vayburn spoke of overcoming great adversity, and as such, if he truly wanted to win, then Jacob believed that the man could figure out a way to escape this trap.

Certainly, if this attack from both clones, headed towards him from both directions, were to collide with his face, his jaw would be smashed to pieces, and all his bloody teeth would be instantly scattered across the ground. While processing what had happened, he would probably be killed in an instant. Vayburn would not let that happen at any cost.

He had seen the brutality that occurred between two people in the tower, and as a result, had also had to unalive some of his opponents in some moments. The regret would forever stay with him, but the joy of fulfillment after finishing the tower would certainly overshadow that pain of regret... or so he thought.

...

The Weeping Goddess of Lust, Elyssara, as Jacob referred to her, and the Blade God, whose name was Romstad, watched on with different looks on their faces. Elyssara once again had that look of pure bliss etched into her facial expression, and Romstad had a look of shock, as he had never seen Vayburn easily put in such a compromising situation.

But the battle was far from over. Vayburn would never allow himself to be utterly humiliated in such a manner, without even managing to land a single hit.

...

There was a thunderous sound that caused the ground to rumble furiously. It came from the battle arena, where two of Jacob’s clones had struck their knuckles against one another, causing a ripple in the air as a result of the sheer force.

The man was no longer there. He had managed to wriggle out of the attack in the last nanosecond, and was nowhere to be seen.

A loud gasp echoed from the crowd, as most of them expected that moment to be Vayburn’s last of the tournament, but surely, this man was full of fighting spirit and was also evidently as nimble as a feather.

Vayburn also had another skill, which Jacob had found out about, and which was why Jacob knew about his current whereabouts.

The young man swiveled his head to face backwards and instantly backflipped to avoid an incoming horizontal slash from what was supposed to be his blind spot. Unbeknownst to Vayburn, Jacob had no blind spots, which made him very difficult to attack.

Jacob avoided another onslaught of sword techniques that Vayburn threw at him. He was very confused and frustrated, as he could not fathom why his skill had refused to work. He kept going regardless.

This was not as a result of Jacob plundering his skill. In fact, it was more deep-rooted. Jacob had the ability of Future Knowledge, and within the two-second time frame between Vayburn vanishing from the grips of Savant and Jirin, he had evolved it into Future Manipulation.

This meant that Jacob could now manipulate the future that Vayburn saw when he slashed with the sword. Vayburn slashed down with all his might, but Jacob merely evaded the sharp blade by stepping very slowly to the side.

Vayburn was starting to approach the thin line and get very impatient.

His eyes flashed red instantly, as though a protective cover materialized above his eyeballs. He could immediately see the future more clearly now, even though Jacob still had an edge by being faster. It was evident that this man was not going to give up.

"You really thought you could confine and defeat me like a little child," Vayburn said in a calm voice. His voice was gruff and harsh, the complete opposite of what his mental state was.

"That was only just the beginning." Jacob smiled as he continued to evade attacks.

Vayburn had begun to move rather erratically. He was able to move out of the clutches of Savant and Jirin and to the back of Jacob as a result of two skills that he had forged together through years of blood and sweat.

and .

Vayburn had become such a master at these skills that he now used them almost perfectly.

So when he was moving, it seemed as though he was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Jacob could tell the difference between the two. Although they were extremely fast and precise movements, it was not difficult for him to tell which was an afterimage and which was the true Vayburn.

As Vayburn attacked, Jacob did not bother to sidestep anymore, or even try to dodge the attacks at all. He let the edge of the sword hit him square in the chest.

But to Vayburn’s surprise, this young man was fully unscathed and unhurt. It was as though the weapon did not hurt him at all. Jacob was immune to physical pain and therefore would be unable to feel something as mundane as a sword strike.

The blade struck Jacob’s chest with enough force to send a shockwave through the arena, yet Jacob did not even move an inch. His clothes fluttered violently from the impact, but his body remained completely unharmed.

Vayburn’s pupils contracted.

Impossible.

He had put his entire strength behind that strike. Even a mountain should have cracked under the pressure, yet Jacob merely looked down at the sword as though it were an insignificant piece of metal.

Vayburn immediately pulled the blade back and swung again, this time aiming directly for Jacob’s neck.

Jacob tilted his head slightly, the crowd watched as the sword passed harmlessly beside him. Vayburn swing the sword again.

Then another. And another.

Jacob continued moving with almost insulting ease, making tiny movements that caused every attack to miss by the smallest possible margin. Vayburn’s breathing gradually became heavier as frustration began to build. Jacob, however, remained completely calm.

He could already see the man’s next several movements, his feet were firmly pressed against the ground.

In the next moment, Jacob vanished...