The shock that engulfed Alvis's entire body was incredibly palpable. The figure in front of him was definitely radiating the aura of a master-rank. But what the hell was this power?
'A grandmaster-?'
Alvis's gaze became so cold that the temperature around him dropped. Regardless, he was in the grandmaster+ rank. He couldn't imagine a scenario where this attack could hurt him.
A black aura engulfed his arm as he reached out towards the azure-turned-crimson crescent slash.
To Alvis, this was one of the greatest mistakes he had ever made in his life.
The sound of flesh being sliced resounded across the area, followed by a spray of blood through the air.
The number of battles Alvis had been in throughout his life was so staggering that he had long since lost count. Many had been so intense that he had almost lost his life.
Reaching the grandmaster+ rank was a monumental achievement, a peak that one couldn't reach without leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. The experience gathered through this journey was hard to fathom.
However, despite all of these facts, the utter absurdity of the current situation made Alvis pause to think.
In Eldoralth, only a Grandmaster-rank weapon could ever think of cutting or harming a grandmaster rank. Their bodies had evolved beyond the comprehension of many, their skin and flesh tougher than the most lethal materials.
And yet, an ordinary-looking katana was currently cutting through him?
In Eldoralth, the mana that an individual radiated was directly tied to their rank, and rank was strictly tied to the power output one could reach. It was impossible to deceive or show a rank that wasn't yours. The only option was to completely hide it, and only paragons had such power.
And yet, this figure in front of him radiated a master- rank aura and was currently unleashing a strength well into the grandmaster-rank?
What the hell?
The speed at which Alvis was thinking was incredibly fast, shifting through different thoughts with blinding speed.
This entire introspection took mere nanoseconds in reality, but the crescent slash had already sliced through Alvis's left arm vertically, just inches from reaching his elbow.
The reality of the situation set in, and all the experience he had gathered over the years rushed into his mind.
Alvis's earlier green eyes turned into an intense shade of black, and with a deafening roar, the unsettling pitch-black aura around him exploded into the skies.
The shockwave that followed was so intense that the earlier crescent slash, which was about to cut him in two, met an impenetrable wall, pushing it back along with its creator.
Atticus was sent flying with intense speed, struggling to regain control of his body and momentum.
The shockwave carried him along with it, spreading out and destroying the inner section of the massive building along with the outer buildings.
The members of the battle force in the outer sections were all dragged along with the wave, unable to resist the overwhelming force.
A single release of his aura had caused so much damage.
This was the power of a grandmaster+ rank.
"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?"
A voice boomed, sounding as though a divine being had just spoken. Alvis, with his entire body coated in a thick pitch-black aura, fixed his eyes on Atticus.
In the next instant, Alvis became a streak of black in the sky. A sonic boom resounded, followed by a vacuum forming as he moved.
One moment, he was a blur in the distance; the next, he materialized before Atticus, his form solidifying from the remnants of his own afterimage.
Atticus felt the crushing pressure of Alvis's aura, as though the sky itself was bearing down on him.
'So fast!'
However, Atticus wasn't given time to react. Alvis's fist drew back for a punch, dark energy coiling around his arm like a serpent before rocketing forward with intense momentum.
The air in front of his fist warped and distorted, creating a shockwave that radiated outward even before the punch connected.
Atticus's gaze widened beneath the red shroud; he could feel the force of that punch despite it not yet hitting him.
He only had time to cross his arms over his chest before the punch impacted him.
The impact was so violent that it seemed to freeze time for an instant, the sheer power compressing the air between them into a visible shockwave.
A deafening boom echoed across the area, as if a mountain had been split in two.
Atticus's entire body convulsed from the shock, his arms buckling under the colossal force.
His body was sent crashing through the air at terrifying speed, the world around him becoming a blur of motion as he was hurled hundreds of meters away, plowing through trees and rocks alike, each obstacle shattering into debris as he smashed through them.
Atticus's flight continued until he slammed into the side of a cliff with the force of a meteor impact. The cliff face exploded on contact, massive chunks of rock dislodging and tumbling to the ground.
Before Atticus could even catch his breath, Alvis streaked through the air like a thunderbolt, closing the distance in an instant. His fist slammed into Atticus's midsection, propelling him like a missile through the mountain's rocky face.
The mountain shuddered and split open as Atticus's body tore through solid rock, leaving a gaping tunnel in his wake.
In a blink, Alvis reappeared in the sky above the tumbling Atticus, his aura blazing like an unrelenting dark sun. Mercilessly, he descended like a falling star, his fist driving into Atticus's back.
Atticus plummeted from the sky, his body colliding with the ground in a bone-shattering impact that left a massive crater in its wake. The earth split and crumbled, dust and debris exploding into the air.
But Alvis was relentless. He hurtled down from above, his fist striking with the force of a divine hammer, driving Atticus deeper into the ground.
The earth beneath them gave way, sinking into itself as a new, larger crater formed, swallowing everything around it.
Atticus had no time to react as Alvis unleashed a torrent of punches. Each strike was like a cannon blast, reverberating through the ground and making the earth tremble.