These two totally opposite tempos, when merged together, can give birth to a blade made of air.” Linley continued to pursue his goal of using his sword to create the ‘Dimensional Edge’ type of attack.
This ‘Tempos of the Wind’ was a single-target attack.
Although its power was far inferior to the ‘Dimensional Edge’ spell, which was so terrifyingly powerful that it could cut through the walls of reality itself, the power of the ‘Tempo of the Wind’ had already exceeded that of the ‘Rippling Wind’ technique.
This was especially true in one-on-one combat.
“This second stage of the Profound Truths of the Wind, the Tempos of the Wind technique, should be capable of posing a threat to peak-stage Saint-level experts.” When Linley had sparred with McKenzie, he had gained a better understanding of what peak-stage Saint-level experts were like. “However, this ‘Tempos of the Wind’ technique is most likely one of the more basic mysteries of the Laws of the Wind that I have gained some insight onto.
Linley had to admit that the Tempos of the Wind was an extremely powerful technique.
But the ‘Tempos of the Wind’ could only be considered the most basic, rudimentary level of the ‘Dimensional Edge’ spell. It was still a material, physical attack, which the opponent could use battle-qi or armor to defend against.
But the resonating vibrations produced by the ‘Profound Truths of the Earth’ was clearly a higher level of attack. Those vibrations didn’t need to break the opponent’s armor; it could simply bypass it and attack the internals directly.
“To an ordinary Saint-level expert, using Bloodviolet should be enough.” Linley chuckled. “Unless, of course, I encounter some particularly powerful peak-stage Saint-level experts.”
Peak-stage Saint-level experts had varying levels of power as well.
For example, Stehle and the Holy Emperor were both peak-stage Saint-level experts, but Stehle was much weaker than the Holy Emperor. After all, the Holy Emperor trained in Oracular Magic.
Or for example, the Monolithic Sword Saint, Haydson, reputed to be the most powerful Saint-level in existence. To date, not a single expert had been able to overcome Haydson.
Of course, there were people who had never competed against Haydson, such as the Holy Emperor, or the Dark Patriarch. They didn’t dare compete against him, because their exalted statuses meant they simply couldn’t afford to lose. Unless they were totally certain of victory, they wouldn’t compete.
………..
The fifth day on the ship, at around noon, just as Linley and the others were eating lunch and chatting casually, suddenly….
“Boss, come quick!” Bebe’s urgent voice rang out in Linley’s mind.
Without hesitating slightly, Linley immediately began to run towards Haeru’s private room. “You guys, keep eating.” He instructed as he entered Haeru’s room.
Closing the door, Linley stared in astonishment.
“Rumble.” It seemed as though beneath the Blackcloud Panther’s skin, there were small mice running around, as his muscles and flesh constantly twitched. A black light surrounded his entire body. His eyes closed, the Blackcloud Panther constantly moaned in pain.
At the same time, the patterns on the Blackcloud Panther’s body were beginning to change as well. Sometimes his four limbs would turn snow white, while later they would turn totally black. Sometimes, his entire body would turn snow white….
Bizarre.
The most astonishing thing was that the Blackcloud Panther’s head was covered with two circulating gusts of blue and black energy.
“Boss, Haeru’s been like this for a while. I don’t know what to do either.” Bebe said with concern.
Linley looked at Haeru.
“Haeru.” Linley said to him mentally.
“Ma…master. I’m fine!” Haeru’s agonized voice rang out in Linley’s mind. Linley forced himself to suppress his anxiety, just watching and waiting.
Linley’s attention was focused on Haeru’s head. The most important part of a magical beast was their head; their magicite cores were there, after all.
In the air above and around the Blackcloud Panther’s head, those two streams of blue and black energy continued to spin about at high speed. Sometimes, the black energy would expand, but then a moment later, the amount of black energy would decrease, and the blue energy would increase in amount.
This repeated over and over!
And then, those two gusts of energy suddenly emitted a terrifying amount of force. Even Linley was shocked. If these two gusts of energy were to explode, most likely the entire boat would be transformed into rubble.
“Rumble.” Linley’s body immediately became covered with a layer of black scales. Without hesitating in the slightest, Linley immediately transformed into his Dragonform.
If he wasn’t in his Dragonblood Warrior form, if these two gusts of energy were to explode, Linley wouldn’t be able to take it. Linley’s remorseless, dark golden eyes stared at the Blackcloud Panther, his gaze as sharp as daggers.
Suddenly, those two gusts of blue and black energy returned to their earlier state of calmness as they directly entered the Blackcloud Panther’s skull. And then, the Blackcloud Panther’s body grew calm as well, and the patterns on his body stopped changing.
Linley let out his held breath.
Right now, the Blackcloud Panther’s body was covered with beads of blood. That transformation just now had been a transformation in both physical and spiritual terms.
The Blackcloud Panther opened his eyes, staring with grateful joy at Linley.
“You succeeded?” A hint of a smile was on Linley’s lips as he immediately returned to his human form. Only, his upper body clothes were ruined once again.
“Yes, Master.” These growling, cold words in the human tongue came forth from the Blackcloud Panther’s lips.
A faint gust of blue light appeared on the Blackcloud Panther’s body, gently wiping off all of the beads of blood, restoring him once more to his normal, glossy black color.
“Not bad.” Bebe floated over to the Blackcloud Panther, chortling. “It’s a good thing that you didn’t waste that Saint-level magicite core. Otherwise…”
Haeru looked away.
He could guess that if he had failed, Bebe would have given him a thorough beating.
“Enough. Let’s all head out.” Linley said after changing into another set of clothes.
Because of how his Dragonform transformation ruined his clothes, Linley had stored over a hundred set of clothes in his interspatial ring. But of course, to the current Linley, the amount of money it cost to buy clothes was a miniscule amount.
….
On the sixth morning they spent on the boat, the boat finally reached the harbor they were headed towards.
“We finally arrived.” Rebecca, Leena, and Jenne, the three ladies, all stared excitedly with bright eyes. But just at this moment, from the rear deck, the sound of loud, explosive, excited laughter could be heard.
“Hrm?”
Linley, Zassler, and the others both turned to stare at the rear deck, where Barker and his brothers had been training this entire time.
“Barker, the five of you, hurry on over. We’re about to reach the shore.” Rebecca called out loudly.
“Coming, coming.” Barker and his brothers walked over, laughing loudly. All of their eyes were on Linley, and there was a look of irrepressible joy on their faces.
Seeing that look on the faces of Barker and his brothers, Linley began to wonder. “These five brothers….can it be…can it be that yet another has broken through?”
Right now, of the five brothers, the oldest brother Barker and the second brother Ankh had reached the Saint-level in power. The others, in their human forms, were still only at the peak of the eighth rank.
“Lord.” Barker’s face was filled with excitement. “Gates has broken through as well!”
“Gates has broken through?”
Although he had predicted it, Linley still felt a surge of joy and excitement. He couldn’t help but to turn and look at Gates. The usually loud and boisterous Gates was currently just scratching his head and beaming happily.
When they had left Basil and boarded the ship, Linley’s forces consisted of four Saint-level combatants; Linley, Bebe, Barker, and Ankh. But upon landing, Linley’s forces now consisted of six Saint-level experts.
Not a single Empire would dare be discourteous to such a terrifying force.
Taking a look behind at the Blackcloud Panther Haeru, then at the beaming Gates, Linley shouted with heroic gusto, “Haha, everyone, disembark! Let’s go! We are heading to the imperial capital!”
“Let’s go!” The five brothers also roared happily.