"Hmph, kid, you'd better focus! With your current mindset, you can't possibly be my match. If you don't want me to take your life with a single stroke, you'd best concentrate. Sword Saint Musashi Miyamoto once said: only by facing challenges with a heart of stone can you forge your soul!" Martin Oniin said coldly, his hand raising the blade of "Oblivion" ever so slightly. His entire presence was steady, like a statue carved from stone.
Shawn Young had never seen anyone who could control their aura so perfectly, but he knew very well that Martin Oniin was the strongest opponent he'd ever faced—even more formidable than the Iga Hawk Hayato Falcon. And with the Iga Ninja Clan members who had come with Martin Oniin, each one a martial arts expert equipped with advanced gear, it would be extremely difficult for Shawn and Rachel Sasaki to leave this place unharmed.
Seeing the situation, Shawn immediately focused his mind and gathered his energy, determined to strike first. He quickly formed a Tai Chi Seal with his hands, raising his Celestial Essence to its peak, and chanted: "Five Emperors, Five Dragons, Five-Star Radiance, Five Organs of the Dark Nether, Five Thunders Converge, Five Blades of a Thousand Cuts, Destroy the body and spirit—by decree, release!"
He then raised both hands to the sky, instantly gathering a dark violet cloud crackling with thunder overhead. Shawn summoned all his strength and swept his hands toward Martin Oniin's position. Instantly, violet light erupted all around, the earth shook, sand and stones flew, and the sky changed colors as a blinding violet bolt streaked down from above like a racing thunderclap...
"Boom!" The violet bolt struck straight at Martin Oniin's head. This was Shawn's full-powered "Celestial Thunder Curse," and its destructive force was terrifying—Martin Oniin was completely engulfed in the violet light!
As the violet lightning crashed down, Martin Oniin's previously motionless body suddenly twitched. Shawn saw him move just a little, and a peerless black light burst from his body. The violet lightning from the sky was split in two by that black light, scattering into two dazzling violet bursts that shot to either side, shaking the ground and raising a cloud of dust...
Before the dust could settle, a clear voice rang out: "Infinite Mind Severance!" Shawn saw a black blade shadow chopping straight down at him—the jet-black blade like a viper, silent and deadly. It looked ordinary, but radiated a terrifying killing aura, one that seemed to devour the world! Martin Oniin had split the violet lightning with his sword and was now swinging an even more fearsome blow at Shawn!
Shawn tried to dodge, but the blade clung to him like a shadow, impossible to escape no matter which way he moved. He felt as if he was sinking into endless darkness, and a sense of despair crept into his heart—a feeling he'd never experienced before...
At that critical moment, words from Master Sage echoed in Shawn's mind: "Deep down, what people truly fear isn't savage beasts, betrayal, or even pain and death. What terrifies the heart most is the unknown! When you can't predict what will happen next, that's when fear truly takes hold. And the only way to conquer that fear is to face it head-on—with all your courage!"
With that thought, the jet-black blade was less than a centimeter from Shawn's scalp. With nowhere left to run, Shawn steeled himself and, instead of retreating, surged forward. In a flash, he focused all his mind and spiritual energy, tensed his body, and raised both hands—meeting the descending Oblivion blade head-on, clapping his hands together with a fierce crash...
Shawn caught the descending Oblivion blade with a thunderous move—his palms clapped together, barely managing to stop the sword and withstand that terrifying strike!
"Hmm..." A flicker of surprise flashed in Martin Oniin's eyes, but he quickly shouted, "Ha—Doombringer Slash!"
With Martin Oniin's roar, a surge of force sent waves of killing aura crashing like a raging sea. Even with all his strength, Shawn couldn't hold onto the blade—if he tried to resist any longer, Oblivion would have sliced his hands clean off. He made a snap decision, released his grip, and darted backward at top speed.
Martin Oniin seemed to have anticipated Shawn's move. As soon as Oblivion broke free from Shawn's grasp, he shifted his stance, turning the slash into a thrust—the sword became a streak of black light, stabbing straight at Shawn's throat.
The distance was far too close—Shawn knew he couldn't dodge. Steeling himself for a desperate gamble, he stomped the ground, twisted his body, and unleashed the fiercest move of the "Half-Step Breaker"—the "Titan's Breaker"—ready to go down with Martin Oniin if necessary!
"Bang..." In that split second, a dazzling white light shot out from the direction of the villa, exploding in midair between Shawn and Martin Oniin. It transformed into a powerful barrier, forcibly separating the two fighters.
Both Shawn and Martin Oniin froze for a moment, then simultaneously roared and launched their attacks at each other through the barrier.
"Boom!"
"Pfft..."
Two different sounds rang out at the same time. Both fighters were blasted backward, almost simultaneously dropping to one knee on the ground.
Shawn felt a searing, bone-deep pain in his left shoulder. Turning his head, he saw that his shoulder had been stabbed clean through by the blade—the terrifying sword energy of Oblivion had pierced right through! Blood spurted out, instantly soaking his clothes...
Martin Oniin wasn't much better off. Shawn's devastating "Titan's Breaker" had struck him square in the chest—even through the barrier, the force of the "Flash Strike Force" slammed into him, drawing a dark red trickle from the corner of his mouth. His face turned ashen, and he coughed violently, nearly dropping the Oblivion blade from his trembling hands.
Martin Oniin stared at the equally wounded Shawn, took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and stood up, gripping Oblivion tightly as he slowly advanced toward Shawn.
Shawn, however, was badly hurt by Oblivion's sword energy and couldn't get up. He could only watch as Martin Oniin approached, his mind racing to figure out how to survive the next deadly attack!
"Ah! Watch out!" Rachel Sasaki, who'd been fighting the masked woman nearby, cried out in alarm. She lunged at Martin Oniin, flinging several Eightfold Shuriken at him with a flick of her wrist.
Martin Oniin didn't even look back. With a flick of his body and a sweep of Oblivion, the blade became a streak of black light—"Clang! Clang! Clang!"—shattering every Eightfold Shuriken aimed at him. The deadly sword energy sliced off a few strands of Rachel's hair; fortunately, she'd already activated her protective barrier, or she'd have been killed on the spot!
Without breaking stride, Martin Oniin continued toward Shawn. He knew full well that if he didn't kill Shawn now, Shawn would surely become his most powerful enemy in the future...
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