Chapter 257: Church of the Preserver [1]

Chapter 256

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Episode 65 - Church of the Preserver [1]

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"Domain Creation."

".....!"

The Class 8 villain closed the distance in an instant and appeared in front of me.

Then, he muttered the words I had honestly been expecting.

The way a true Eight-Star Awakened, or a Class 8 villain, fought was essentially a battle to see who could devour their opponent by dragging them into their Domain.

’I can’t oppose a Domain.’

A Domain was the one thing I couldn’t escape from with my current strength.

Moreover, within a Domain, its owner had absolute control over everything, almost as if they were a God within it.

’Now that I think about it, that old man from the Inquisitor Order never used his Domain.’

I hadn’t realized it back then, but when I fought that old man at the Academy, he had naturally been an Eight-Star Awakened, someone who had created his own Domain.

However, he hadn’t used it.

"...."

At that moment, a thought crossed my mind.

’So someone destroyed his Domain, and that’s why his strength fell so drastically.’

Fighting an Eight-Star Awakened while I was still at Five Stars was supposed to be extremely difficult.

To the point that I would have had to use Eyes of the End just to fight within a Domain.

In any case, my current opponent was truly an exceptionally powerful Class 8 villain, even without having exchanged a single blow.

Boom!

The world around me changed in an instant. After deploying his Domain, he dragged me into it in less than a second.

Thus, the surroundings transformed into something completely different.

"What a unique place."

The smell of blood flooded my nostrils. In my vision, covered in white lines, the surroundings began to take shape.

Enormous rocky peaks stretched out in every direction. It was like a desert valley drenched in blood, with gigantic rock formations rising toward the sky.

There was something particularly interesting about every person’s Domain.

That was because each Domain reflected its owner’s Personality and the things that inherently constituted their true self.

In the case of this Domain...

It reflected loneliness, but also the madness of fighting to the death.

The blood was a result of the countless people he had killed, and for that reason, it was a reflection of his true self.

The desolate landscape, covered in enormous rocky peaks, reflected not only his loneliness but also a perfect space, free from anyone’s interference, where he could enjoy a fight to the death.

"My Domain is perfect for someone like me."

At that moment, the deep voice of the Class 8 villain echoed from all directions.

"That seems to be the case, but can you tell me what colors make up this place?"

The man’s voice echoed almost immediately.

"It’s a place of a single brown color, mixed with gold. There is no red, but the smell of blood is refreshing and pure."

I crossed my arms and said:

"And I suppose you used your Domain so no one could interrupt us, right?"

"That’s correct. After seeing how you fought in close combat, I was amazed by your Martial Art. What is it called?"

"Imperfect Heavens Art."

"Imperfect, huh? Calling it Heavens is clearly arrogant. It implies a Martial Art that no one can surpass, but adding Imperfect means it can still be reached or defeated. A good name, though somewhat arrogant."

"....."

’Actually, I came up with the name on the spur of the moment. I didn’t even think about what it meant.’

I shrugged as the thought naturally crossed my mind.

"Enough with the useless talk. I speak with my fists, and above all, I always use my full strength. That includes my Domain."

"I never said we should fight using only Martial Arts."

"Hmph, I don’t care whether you want to use Martial Arts or a sword, but I always use my full strength without holding back. Then let’s begin."

"....."

Boom!

I assumed my combat stance and muttered the instant my senses detected something.

"Imperfect Heavens Art, First Stance: Art of Imperfect Deceptions."

Whoosh!

Space trembled as a fist appeared out of nowhere.

Bang!

The fist slammed into the ground, causing it to explode within a thirty-meter radius.

’There’s no doubt about it. His physical strength is incredible.’

He seemed to be equal to me, or perhaps even superior, in physical strength. After all, he was a Martial Warrior, and his physical capabilities were extraordinarily high.

Whoosh!

I kicked off the ground and, using my footwork, moved rapidly while dodging the countless fists that appeared out of nowhere.

The air and space twisted as a thunderous sound rang out with every punch.

Then, I sharpened my senses and counterattacked.

Boom!

I moved my arms and legs and exchanged blows with the Class 8 villain. Within seconds, a barrage of attacks was exchanged between us.

Crack!

The air thundered violently as I deflected and struck each of his punches.

"Imperfect Heavens Art, Second Stance: Art of Dimensional Spaces."

My body shifted, and in an instant, I appeared in front of his main body.

Time around me became extremely slow, and I attacked.

Boom! Whoosh!

Mana flooded into each of my limbs in massive quantities, strengthening them and making them harder and faster.

Clank! Clank! Clank!

I landed a blow against his chest, sending his body flying.

"Imperfect Heavens Art, Third Stance: Art of Imperfect Chaos."

Using the Second Stance, I shifted my body and appeared behind the man. Then, taking advantage of the opening, I employed the Third Stance and attacked with all my strength.

Bang!

I swung my fist and struck his back. Instantly, his skin twisted into a spiral as his Power of Chaos spun inside him like a tornado.

".....!?"

Boom!

His body was sent flying and crashed into several stone peaks.

"Imperfect Heavens Art, Second Stance: Art of Dimensional Spaces."

I moved at incredible speed, altering my perception of time and accelerating my movements.

In the blink of an eye, I reached the Class 8 villain, and just as I was about to land another punch...

Bang!

The world around me twisted, and suddenly, countless stone peaks erupted violently from the ground.

However, that wasn’t all.

The ground inverted, and countless gigantic stone peaks came crashing down from the sky.

At that moment...

"Gravity."

I deflected and manipulated each of the enormous stone peaks while moving my body at high speed, leaping between them and dodging them.

"Imperfect Heavens Art, Second Stance: Art of Dimensional Spaces."

The space around me became extremely slow as I analyzed the terrain.

Then...

Whoosh!

I moved, and in an instant, appeared in front of the Class 8 villain.

"You’ve got good senses, don’t you, bastard?"

At the Class 8 villain’s words, I simply smiled and attacked.

"Imperfect Heavens Art, First Stance: Art of Imperfect Deceptions."

I moved my fists and palms while the world around me itself became a weapon and attacked me.

The Class 8 villain responded with punches and kicks while manipulating his Domain.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

I kicked a colossal stone peak and launched it toward the Class 8 villain. Then...

"Imperfect Heavens Art, Second Stance: Art of Dimensional Spaces."

I moved my legs and, in an instant, appeared behind the Class 8 villain. Finally...

"Imperfect Heavens Art, Third Stance: Art of Imperfect Chaos."

I struck him from behind, sending his body flying directly toward the tip of the stone peak I had launched from the other side.

Bang!

The Class 8 villain used his Domain and destroyed the enormous stone peak. However, in the blink of an eye, he disappeared.

"....!"

Boom!

A barrage of punches appeared out of nowhere and struck me from every angle.

Each blow felt as though tens of tons of force were crashing directly into my body.

Crack!

The bones in my body creaked, and some even broke. Then...

"Imperfect Heavens Art, Fourth Stance: Art of the Perfect Nine Heavens."

"....?!"

In an instant, absolute silence spread throughout the entire Domain.

Then...

Bang!

The Class 8 villain’s body twisted from every angle, as if countless invisible fists were pounding into him without rest.

"Imperfect Heavens Art, Second Stance: Art of Dimensional Spaces."

I moved my body and attacked at the same time.

As I attacked, the Class 8 villain’s Domain also reacted. However...

"Gravity."

By using Gravity, I deflected and controlled the trajectory of each stone peak.

Making all of them change direction and head toward the Class 8 villain.

In the blink of an eye, the battle completely changed after I used the Fourth Stance.

"Imperfect Heavens Art, Third Stance: Art of Imperfect Chaos."

However, I didn’t stop. I combined all Four Stances to continue attacking the Class 8 villain.

In response, the Class 8 villain counterattacked as well, sending my body flying and crashing into countless stone peaks with his overwhelming strength.

Because of his resilience, I had to use not only all of my physical strength, but also a colossal amount of Mana.

For several minutes, I moved back and forth, appearing and disappearing in different locations as the entire Domain was ravaged by our clash.

Sweat and blood covered my body, but the Class 8 villain wasn’t in any better condition.

Finally, after exchanging a few final blows...

"Aah..."

We both stopped and began gasping for breath. Blood dripped onto the ground as the terrain around us had become completely unrecognizable.

Then...

"....?!"

The Domain began to tremble violently.

"Cough...!!! L-let’s finish this in one blow."

Hearing his words, I took a deep breath and nodded.

"Heh, I agree... A-ah...!"

"....!"

".....!"

Neither of us moved for several seconds.

Then...

"Imperfect Heavens Art, Fourth Stance: Art of the Perfect Nine Heavens."

"Imperfect Heavens Art, Third Stance: Art of Imperfect Chaos."

"Imperfect Heavens Art, Second Stance: Art of Dimensional Spaces."

"Imperfect Heavens Art, First Stance: Art of Imperfect Deceptions."

I employed all Four Stances, switching between them and utilizing the best characteristics of each.

Then, the Class 8 villain and I exchanged blows at a blinding speed. At that moment, I added Inverted Mana to my attacks.

With every blow I managed to land, his body was gradually torn apart from the inside.

And finally...

Whoosh!

With the tips of my fingers, I pierced through his chest, passing through his heart and emerging from his back.

The next second, the Domain shattered like glass, and the space around me disappeared, replaced by the streets and houses of the Slums.

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Author’s note.

Honestly, when I finish this novel, my third novel will be about martial arts. 😅😅