Soul of Blades - Chapter 65: System User vs Cultivator (Patreon)

Panic rose in Alex’s chest, but he swallowed it down, forcing a calm exterior. Beside him, Mei had dropped into a low, defensive stance as she backed away, fear and worry evident in her eyes as she watched the two combatants.

"What do you want?" Alex asked, not breaking eye contact. If a fight was unavoidable, he'd rather face it head-on.

"Nothing much," the cultivator, Jun Li replied casually. "I'm just curious about the anomaly that's been causing such a commotion in My Realm."

Alex frowned, processing the information. Anomaly. Unwanted attention. Could he be the anomaly the cultivator was referring to? It made sense, His appearance in this world and Pyra was abnormal, and the glitched system notifications could very well classify him as an anomaly. And his class, it’s very naturewas anamalous. If anything was a cause for concern, it would be the class he currently held, and whatever further classes awaited him at his next class selection.

Alex steeled himself, suppressing his suspicions as he gripped his sheathed sword’s hilt and settled further into his stance. He observed as the cultivator inhaled, he sensed the mana chest and lungs shifting into movements that signified an impending exhale—

Swift as a shadow, Jun Li vanished.

Alex’s eyes widened at the sudden disappearance.

Then pain exploded in his chest.

He gasped, stumbling backwards, only to find Jun Li reappearing behind him, feet planted firmly on the ground, a cruel smile on his face. Alex was thrown, landing hard on his back. His vision blurred from the impact. Jun Li was fast. Faster than anything he had encountered so far. It was the speed of a cultivator. Overwhelming.

Still flat on his back, Alex's hand moved on instinct, reaching for the hilt of his sword. It was his only hope. He leapt up, sword slicing through falling leaves, but Jun Li wasn't there.

There was a gust of wind, a blur of motion, and then Jun Li was in front of him, his hand shooting out like a striking cobra. It struck Alex's chest, throwing him backward. Pain exploded in his body as he landed. The ground seemed to tilt and spin.

“You do realise I’m holding back?” Jun Li sneered before shaking his head. “All this effort, for nothing. For a worm.”

The cultivator moved with blinding speed, covering the distance in a single bound. He landed beside Alex, his foot lashing out to kick him square in the ribs. Alex gasped, feeling something crack. Pain, bright and sharp, shot through his body.

Alex clenched his teeth, pushing through the pain. He rolled to his feet, wielding his sword with shaky hands. He rushed at Jun Li, his sword flashing in a blur of motion.

Alex unleashed a dao empowered attack, the Ephemeral Strike. His head pulsed threateningly at the overuse of his Dao as the air seemed to warp around his blade, a distortion of reality fuelled by desperation. It was weaker than he had intended, the strain on his mind being too much to bear.

Jun Li only sneered at the incoming attack. The manifestation of his Qi condensed further around his blade. The silver blade pulsed, radiating an intense cold. A wave of his hand and the incoming attack was negated, nullified by the raw power of cultivation. It was clear. Alex was no match for him.

He had trained in Kendo, Battojutsu, koryu, and Kenjutsu his entire life. His grandfather had insisted his sword foundations be rooted in killing, and in sword styles made for deathmatches. But for Alex, Kendo had been his main focus, his true passion, and his driving force. It was a style that allowed him to completely embrace the sword and all of the its tenets. He knew his movements were crisp, precise. Each stroke was carefully calculated, honed through years of practice. But against Jun Li’s superior physicality, they were woefully inadequate.

Jun Li evaded his strike with a swift sidestep, an effortless motion that made Alex's charge seem clumsy in comparison. The cultivator blurred from one state to the other, leaving an afterimage. He retaliated, his hand lashing out in a blindingly quick jab that struck Alex squarely in the chest as Alex moved to parry, too slow.

The force of it sent him sprawling. The sword slipped from his hand, clattering uselessly to the ground.

Jun Li, in his confidence, sneered at the injured Alex. "Is this all the anomaly has to offer? Is this the great threat that caused such a fuss?"

Dizziness clouded Alex’s vision as he instinctively reached for his sword. His breath came in short, ragged gasps. He could taste blood in his mouth. Alex tried to rise, but his body wouldn't respond. The talisman pulsed, struggling to maintain his endurance and stave his impending unconsciousness. He had to get up. He needed to fight.

He staggered and fell, clasping to the hilt of eclipse was if it was his lifeline

He could see Jun Li standing over him, a triumphant smirk on his face. "Mo Ye was right", the cultivator spat. “How humourous”.

There was a flash of movement, and then pain. Agonising, all-consuming pain. It tore through him, drowning out all other sensations.

His vision blurred, then went black. The last thing he heard was Jun Li's derisive laughter echoing in the darkness. Then everything was silent.

Alex had lost.

He had been beaten, crushed by the cultivator’s strength. His body felt like it was breaking apart, his senses fading out one by one.

The world spun as he realised the cultivator had raised him into the air in one hand, and now held him aloft in the air by his throat. Suspended in the air, the ground a tantalizing touch away, he was as good as shackled.

The forest roared back to life as Alex hung there, suspended in the cultivators grasp, too weak to move. Alex was barely able to stay conscious, in the merciless grip of Jun Li. His throat constricted under the vice-like grip, as he gasped for breath. His grip on his sword was failing, teetering on his fingers edge. The blade skimmed the ground beneath, its dark edge shearing the grass below as it swung idly.

Birds fluttered frantically, a flurry of colours in their hurried escape. The trees seemed to sway away from the impending clash, the earth trembling beneath their roots.

Alex didn't hear any of it. His world had narrowed down to this moment, to one strike. He had to retaliate, somehow. Would it even hurt the man? He didn't know, but he had to try.

He had to stick to the plan.

Through gritted teeth, he sought refuge in the dao. A profound truth that existed in everything, rooted in impermanence, change, and karma. His mind rang with a mantra of transition, of constant flux.. in constant change - so different to the stillness of his current predicament. He focused, his mind turning both inward and outward, drawing on the inexorable force of karma. He connected to the dao, the universe’s truths becoming his own.

And without another word, Alex launched the attack.

In one heartbeat, his sword was at his side. In the next, it was inside Jun Li. Not through motion, but through state change, a metaphysical leap that bypassed the laws of time and space. It was as though one moment simply slipped into the next, the blade finding its mark without a hint of transitory movement. His sword, once idly hanging, barely scraping the earth below, now barely pierced Jun Li's shoulder.

It was as if for the briefest of moments, the universe bent to his will.

[Dao: ‘True Immortality’ - Progress 0.11 > 0.16%]

The hardiness of the cultivator's bare skin, had somehow chipped the tip of his blade, a shower of sparks erupted as the blade suddenly appeared inside the cultivator, drawing a thin trickle of blood as the blade lay resting inside the slight, dao empowered wound.

Jun Li's gasp of surprise was sharp and mirrored Alex’s own, the shock palpably written on both their faces. Neither of them had expected something like this. Jun Li’s brows then knitted in further shock as the sharp bite of the blade flared in his wound. The shock painting his features soon morphed into a grotesque mask of rage as he move to extricate the blade tip from his shoulder.

Alex himself was unsure of what had just transpired. A surge of his dao, the truth of flux that exists in all things, had surged forth. He felt as though the Dao had touched upon time’s infinite tapestry, too, searching multiple realities. It was as if the world had taken a deep breath and in the next exhale, everything had changed. But it had not changed his predicament. He was still a marionette suspended in mid-air, tethered to his adversary now by both his own weapon and the hand around his throat. Jun Li continued to remove the blade, Sparks erupting from each movement as the blade chipped and cracked further, damaged by the hardiness of the cultivator's very skin.

Alex's arm lifted, every muscle straining, as his fingertips reached towards Jun Li’s hand. The effort drained him, his movements a slow, sluggish crawl, reminiscent of a beast's last breath before succumbing to the inevitable, or the futile resistance of a dying man.

Until the moment his finger made contact with the cultivators nigh impenetrable skin.

When his skin grazed Jun Li’s, a jolt of intention surged through him. His senses narrowed to a pinpoint, his entire being focused on the contours and dimensions of Jun Li’s skin. He reached deep into the sensations of his muted Inventory skill, searching vague impressions of mana he could barely feel, for a very specific item.

Alex snapped the Gloves of the Artificers Pact over Jin Li's hand.

Pulled from his Inventory with the inhuman precision of a snake striking its final, desperate blow, his fading senses placed the glove perfectly over the cultivator's skin as the man extracted Alex’s continuously damaged dark blade.

The glove conformed to the cultivator's hand, clinging tightly as if drawn by a force beyond what either could perceive.

It began to rob Jun Li of his life force.

But slowly. Too slow. Far too slow to make a difference. It seemed Jun Li had years to spare.

The cultivator's face morphed into a mess of emotions as his eyes widened. It was a slight reaction, but Alex noticed. The cultivator jerked, moving much slower than before. The drain on his lifespan appeared to have rooted him to the spot, causing his movements to appear… hindered. The man quickly recomposed himself, but Alex didn’t miss the brief second of shock and disbelief strewn across his features— how his movements had become slow and hindered and how for the briefest of moments, an ant had halted an elephant and a mortal had chained one who thought themself a god.

Jun Li stood as if unbothered, his back straight and composed with an air of regality, his shock long forgotten. His sneer to returned, much stronger than before, as met Alex’s gaze with a disdainful squeeze of his choking fingers.

"A scratch. Pathetic." 

Alex, despite being in a great amount of pain, smirked.

"You!..." Jun Li seethed, rage churning like a violent storm in his eyes. His gaze was fixed on Alex, disbelief warping his features. His fingers moved, hindered by the gloves draining pull as he clawed at the handle of the sword, the metal biting ineffectually into his palm as he began to remove the intrusive blade, inch by hindered inch.

With a frustrated tut, Jun Li flexed his gloved hand, splaying his fingers with the sound of cracks and pops, all to tear the glove at the seams. And the glove— it tore as paper would before his slow might, removed of its connection to the skin that empowered it.

The glove fell to the ground in pieces, tattered and broken.

The man had shattering his bonds as easily as storms broke the chains that bound seas, as if tearing through a spider's web.

Like a lion he stood, torn away from his restraints, draining the life from his anomalous foe with a squeeze from each of his fingers.

Despite the false bravado he'd displayed, Alex felt desperate. He was out of options. His plan had failed, his oxygen and blood was restricted, and he was suspended, being choked to death by this stranger. He was going to die. His head pounded, a ringing wave of agony that blocked any further attempts to activate his Dao. His last attempt had overused it beyond the boundaries of his capabilities. And his skills, each one more useful than the last, were out of reach.

He reached out nonetheless, a desperate plea to the system, his efforts met with the frustrating silence of a cooldown.

[2 hour mana cooldown in effect. Skill unavailable]

Boundless dodge.

Phoenix Leap.

Mana Blade.

Sovereign Clone.

Mana Burn.

[2 hour mana cooldown in effect. Skill unavailable]

Hell, he even tried to activate Inventory, and attempted to tap into his passives, anything to help him escape his imminent death. But all of his most needed skills were inert, devoid of mana, and shackled by the system.

All but one.

[Skill A̷̶̵̴̲̳̱l̸̢͉̗̣̑͐͛à̸̶̵̴̶̷̶̺̥̮̯͇̲̳̱̼̲͒̈́̈͛͋͐͋͂ͅͅ ̷̷̶̴̵̶̷̸̴̶̷̵̢̳̮̲̳̱͉̗̣̲̳̱̏̄̑͐͛͝͠Ω̴̵̶̷̲̳̱ ̶̶̯͇̼̲̈́̈͛͋͐͋͂ͅ ̷̷̶̴̵̶̷̴̶̷̵̳̮̲̳̱̲̳̱̏̄͝͠g̵̶̷̴̲̳̱e̸̪̟͇͕͂e̶̷̵̴̲̳̱E̵̴̶̷̶̵̴̶̷̷̸̸̢̲̳̱̼̲̲̳̱̟̮̙͚͉̗̣̺̥̮͋͐͋͂̔̑͐͛̀͒ͅͅ ̶̷̶̴̵̶̷̯͇̲̳̱̈́̈͛ ̷̸̴̶̷̵̳̮̪̟͇͕̲̳̱̏̄͂͝͠M̷̶̵̴̲̳̱m̸̵̴̶̷̸̷̸̴̶̷̵̢͉̗̣̲̳̱̪̟͇͕̟̮̙͚̺̥̮̲̳̱̑͐͛͂̔̀͒ͅ ̶̯͇̈́̈͛ ̷̸̶̢̳̮͉̗̣̼̲̏̄̑͐͛͋͐͋͂͝͠ͅO̷̟̮̙͚̔o̶̼̲͋͐͋͂ͅᾯ̴̵̶̷̵̴̶̷̷̸̸̸̢̲̳̱̲̳̱̟̮̙͚̪̟͇͕͉̗̣̺̥̮̑͐͛̀͒ ̶̯͇̈́̈͛ ̷̶͎̠̠̖̼̲̿́͋͐͋͂ͅ ̷̳̮̏̄͝͠ ̷̶̴̵̶̷̵̴̶̷̴̶̷̵̲̳̱̲̳̱̲̳̱ Activated]

The glitched skill was not as dormant as he believed. And neither was it purely passive. It stirred, a low hum that built into a crescendo as the reality of his situation sunk in.

A final notification appeared, its panel glitched, buzzing, and blood red.

[Ὧ̴̵̶̷̵̴̶̷̷̸̲̳̱̲̳̱̟̮̙͚̪̟͇d̶̷̸̯͇̟̮̙͚̪̈́̈͛̔͂ ̶̵̴̶̷̶̯͇̲̳̱̼̲̈́̈͛͋͐͋͂ͅD̸̺̥̮̀͒ͅn̶̯͇̈́̈͛e̷̷̸͎̠̠̖̟̮̙͚̪̟͇͕̿́̔͂ ̶̵̴̶̷̶̯͇̲̳̱̼̲̈́̈͛͋͐͋͂ͅ E̸̪̟͇͕͂Ὧ̴̵̶̷̵̴̶̷̷̸̸̲̳̱̲̳̱̟̮̙͚̪̟͇͕̑ ̷̶͎̠̠̖̼̲̿́͋͐͋͂ͅ ̷̳̮̏̄͝͠ ]

Then, a surge.

The agony the glitched skills activation brought was catastrophic, a searing surge of Pain erupted from his navel, a blazing torrent that scorched a clear path from his navel to his heart, then to his arm and then his sword. His vision swam, scarlet droplets of blood falling from his lips to the ground below in a crimson shower.

The surge of energy from the skill ended at the point of his sword lodged in Jun Li. At the swords point, reality warped, twisting, writhing. A swirling maw of cosmic energy blossomed, the contours of their world warping in its presence. Its gravitational pull yanked debris, all that surrounded them, into its strange depths.

Alex’s arm tore, the muscle splitting under the ungodly force of the vortex that sprung from the activation of his skill. Grass and shrubbery bent in grotesque shapes, being pulled towards the vortex, their green leaves bleaching to an ashen grey before disintegrating into nothingness.

Alex could only watch as Jun Li's form, the parts of the cultivator immediately around the vortex became a distorted.

The vortex had sprung into existence at the blade of his sword, exactly where it had pierced Jun Li. His sword, eclipse, went flying in a spin, tearing through Jun Li’s shoulder and slicing off several of Alex’s fingers as it was flung from the energies forming the portal.

The two combatants screamed in unison.

Their screams were guttural sounds that merged with the winds around them, swallowed by the gaping maw of the vortex. Blood splattered the distorted light around them, drawn into the vortex like everything else. His arm screamed in agony, the torn flesh stripped further by the anomaly they were trapped in.

Jun Li’s struggles intensified, eyes wide and wild. "An abyss? Here? How did this...No!" He screamed in some strange realisation. His body convulsed, fighting against the relentless pull of the devouring maw of the vortex. Threads of his clothing unravelled, dissipating into the air like a thousand fragile strands. "Curse you, Alex!" he spat, his form stretching, distorting, being consumed. "You've doomed us both, you fool!" Jun Li yelled as he released him, and fought to escape the vortex consuming him. He had almost broke free, and clung to the ground using some strange technique, but his arm, now a bloody mess, was sucked, crushed, and warped into the vortex, elbow deep. Jun Li’s desperation as evident as he displayed a myriad of strange techniques, none of them freeing him from the portals clutches.

Despite being freed from his deathgrip, Alex was still somehow suspended in the air, unable to move, and quickly floating towards his doomed opponent and the all-consuming vortex. With panic Alex realised that he too, was being sucked into the vortex. “No…” He whispered. The word was carried away by the violent wind the vortex generated.

The vortex raged, tearing at the surrounding foliage, contorting it into grotesque shapes before swallowing everything whole. Light danced and fractured upon its swirling surface, casting an unearthly light that transformed the scene into a surreal tableau. The wind screamed in protest, whipped into a frenzy as it was sucked into the gaping void.

"Slave!" Jun Li bellowed, his voice nearly drowned by the cacophony of the vortex. "You...You will pay for this!" His form began to distort, and elongate as it was continually consumed by the relentless pull of the vortex. "You... won't... escape..."

Alex was too busy fighting for his own life to care.

The world blurred around Alex, the vortex consuming him, Jun Li, everything. The ground beneath them crumbled and disappeared into the void, trees uprooted and torn apart, their particles swirling in a macabre dance. The sky above seemed to stretch and twist, its light distorted into bizarre patterns.

Jun Li, in a fit of desperation pulled a strange golden orb from his robe, a treasure. It fell from his grasp as the vortex consumed them further.

Two enemies being pulled apart, consumed by the very void that was called upon them by Alex. Alex was filled with regret and desperation as he too sought a way out of this.

Screams roared, rage and pain intertwined as Jun Li fought against his inevitable end. His struggle was fierce but futile as he continued unravelling, reality shifting around him in the vortex's pull. He roared one final time, ”Y-You will not survive this either! You will j-join me in this doom! T-This is your end as well, slave! A f-fitting one!", but his words were lost, consumed.

Every detail of Jun Li and Alex, every crease, every strand of hair, every bead of sweat, began to stretch and twist, pulled inexorably into the vortex's maw. The fabric of Alex's robe fluttered wildly, an erratic dance of cloth and wind before it, too, began its journey into the vortex, its threads untangling, unweaving, until there was nothing left but a shower of particles.

All Alex could do was watch, suspended in time and space, as the world ended around them. Everything seemed to stop and stretch as as the vortex consumed them both. The pain was unbearable, his senses overwhelmed. As his form began to disintegrate, so did his consciousness, his world narrowing down to the gnashing teeth of the vortex.

Damn, he thought, with his final vestige of consciousness At least I took that arrogant fuck with me.

He smiled, or at least, he thought he did, as he winked out from existence.

Then he was no more.

Alex had triggered an event that wiped them both from existence.

And with a final, resounding rush of air, the vortex collapsed onto itself, leaving an empty space where two adversaries once stood, locked in a battle of wills and skill. Only the disturbed earth and fleeing creatures bore witness to the chaos that unfolded.

The vortex had devoured everything, leaving behind nothing but the raw, gaping wound in the forest.

And a tiny, steadily growing concentration of Qi, which soon began to coalesce, densely gather, and solidify in the center of the destruction.