"APA?!" Draco mengumpat keras. Paku-paku darah di pelindung bahunya mulai mengeluarkan keringat, kehilangan bentuk dan perlindungannya. Michael berdiri di hadapannya dengan kedua tangan terentang. "Kau membuat alam berdarah demi kepentinganmu sendiri. Kau hanya bisa melakukannya karena alam tidak bisa membela diri. Tapi bagaimana jika mereka bisa? Jadi, kubuat pohon-pohon ini, tanah yang kau pijak ini, berevolusi agar mereka bisa mengambil kembali apa yang dicuri dari mereka." Inilah kekuatan Nascent Spirit miliknya! Adaptasi! "KURGH!" Draco mengumpat. Serangan terkuatnya, kartu trufnya, dinetralkan begitu saja! "Mustahil! Kita seharusnya berada di level kultivasi yang sama!" Mereka berdua berada di tahap ke-3 ranah Nascent Spirit. Dalam pertarungan antar Pengaruh Nascent mereka, kekuatan mereka tidak bisa saling mengalahkan. Ini berarti siapa pun yang menggunakan Pengaruh Nascent-nya lebih dulu biasanya akan unggul. Karena lawan mereka tidak akan bisa mengalahkan Pengaruh itu dengan level kultivasi yang sama. Tapi apa yang baru saja diperlihatkan Michael adalah penghancuran total atas Pengaruh Nascent Draco! Ini hanya berarti satu hal. Diva Michael memang jauh lebih kuat daripada Diva milik Draco. Michael menggunakan Quantum Step-nya untuk menghancurkan jarak antara dia dan Draco. Lawannya itu segera menggunakan tombaknya, memutarnya di tangannya untuk membuat perisai pelindung. Dia sudah terlalu sering terkena Quantum Strike itu sampai-sampai trauma karenanya. Draco secara naluriah mencoba melindungi diri, karena tahu dia tidak akan bisa bereaksi terhadap gerakan Michael. Tapi Michael bahkan tidak menggunakan Quantum Strike-nya kali ini. Dia hanya bergerak ke jarak jarak dekat dengan Draco, mengangkat Unity Saber-nya sebagai tantangan. Dan pada saat inilah urat marah menonjol di dahi Draco. Michael menantangnya ke pertarungan senjata! Dia diremehkan! Draco bisa menerima kekalahan karena perbedaan Energi Aubility. Michael telah membuktikan dirinya lebih berbakat di antara mereka berdua, jadi Draco bisa menerimanya. Namun, telah terbukti dalam pertarungan ini bahwa Michael tidak begitu mahir dengan senjatanya! Draco akan bisa mengalahkan Michael jika bukan karena nanopartikel emas yang melindunginya dari bahaya. Penguasaan tombaknya jauh lebih sempurna daripada penggunaan Unity Saber milik Michael. Jadi, ketika Michael tidak menggunakan Quantum Strike-nya dan hanya menantang Draco dalam pertarungan senjata kuno yang biasa, harga diri Draco terluka. "Kau akan menyesal tidak menghabisiku saat kau punya kesempatan!" teriak Draco, mempersenjatai dirinya dengan tombak darahnya sekali lagi. Draco melepaskan rentetan tusukan, masing-masing menciptakan semakin banyak tetesan darah yang menghasilkan semakin banyak tombak di udara. Dengan penguasaan tombak yang luar biasa, Draco mampu merangkai serangan dan tusukannya dengan sempurna dengan kelemahan Michael dalam postur dan kuda-kudanya. Setiap serangan berhasil. Draco membuktikan dirinya lebih unggul dalam pertukaran senjata mereka. Michael melakukan pertahanan biasa. Tapi melawan penguasaan Draco, sepertinya dia hanya mengayunkan Unity Saber-nya dengan kacau. Dia bisa bertahan dari beberapa serangan, tapi membiarkan dirinya benar-benar rentan di sepuluh titik lainnya. Ini adalah lingkaran setan yang pada akhirnya akan menggerogoti nanopartikel emas Michael. "HAHAHAHA! Kau tidak akan bisa bertahan... bertahan... bert—" Kata-kata Draco mulai goyah ketika dia menyadari sesuatu. Michael mulai bergerak... aneh. Kuda-kuda kaku dan formalnya hilang. Eksekusi pertahanan normal yang pas-pasan juga hilang. Sebaliknya, dia hanya menggerakkan dan membungkukkan tubuhnya dalam pose-pose abnormal. Draco bahkan menyadari bahwa Michael bahkan tidak terlihat fokus pada tombak-tombak yang datang ke arahnya. Sebaliknya, matanya hanya setengah terbuka, seolah-olah dia berjuang untuk tetap terjaga! Ini seharusnya menjadi paku terakhir di peti mati Michael. Draco seharusnya bisa menghujani zirah Nascent Michael dengan tombak sampai akhirnya pertahanan tak tertembusnya itu jebol. Tapi, itu bukanlah yang terjadi. Semakin lama, Michael mulai menghindari tombak-tombak itu. Awalnya, dia bahkan tidak bisa menghindari satu tusukan tombak pun. Tapi seiring waktu berlalu, setiap gerakan tubuh anehnya dengan sempurna menghindari dua tombak atau lebih! Rasa firasat gelap mulai merayap ke hati Draco. Gerakan tubuh Michael mulai semakin tajam. Seolah-olah dia menyempurnakan gerakannya semakin dia menghindari tombak-tombak darah itu. "Apakah dia... apakah dia..." Lalu, Draco akhirnya menyadari kebenarannya. Michael menggunakan kesempatan ini untuk menciptakan penguasaan senjatanya sendiri! Dia mulai menyadari jalannya sendiri! Ini berbahaya! Lebih dari itu, ini sangat mengancam! Bukan hanya untuknya, tapi untuk lawan-lawan yang mencoba mengalahkan perusahaan Reborn. Lagipula, jika Michael mampu menguasai gaya pedang seperti itu, maka dia pada dasarnya akan bisa menutup kelemahan yang membuat perusahaan mereka rentan selama ini! Dia mulai membangkitkan sebuah Jalan! "Terkutuklah kau dan bakatmu!" teriak Draco, akhirnya menarik kembali tombak-tombak darahnya. Dia tidak ingin membantu Michael menyempurnakan gaya pedangnya lebih jauh lagi. Tapi dengan melakukan itu, Draco membiarkan dirinya benar-benar rentan. Dia berbalik untuk mencari perlindungan di antara prajuritnya sendiri. Pada saat itu, Michael muncul di hadapannya menggunakan Quantum Step. Draco mencoba bertahan, memfokuskan semua darahnya ke dalam perisai pelindung super tebal yang memblokir segala sesuatu di depannya. Michael mengayunkan pedangnya. Sabit kekuatan dilepaskan dari Unity Saber-nya, tampaknya meluncur lurus ke arah perisai Draco. Itu menghantam perisai darah itu, menghancurkan sebagian besar permukaannya. Tapi perisai itu bertahan, yang membuat Draco senang. Tapi kemudian, Sabit Unity itu tidak menghilang. Sebaliknya, ia mulai membungkus permukaan lengkung perisai itu dan akhirnya mencambuk ke arah punggung Draco yang rentan, yang sama sekali tidak memiliki zirah Nascent.
Bab 1376: Seperti Air
"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.
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