Chapter 88: [Nirvana]
The second hammer struck down violently.
“Boom——”
The blast echoed once again.
However, this time, Nail felt his brows twitch slightly.
Because the expected crushing blow had not occurred.
Yam was half-kneeling at the edge of the deep pit, the consecutive blows of [Hurricane Stream] had deepened what was originally just a three-inch depression into nearly thirty centimeters.
He raised his head and stared at Nail. Although his face was pale, his eyes were filled with a defiant, unyielding fierceness.
Nail landed from midair.
Both feet stomped onto the ground, forming a shallow pit.
“I see.” With just a quick glance at the marks on the ground and Yam’s current kneeling position, Nail already understood. “Your reaction is indeed fast. You immediately figured out how to break the situation.”
Yam did not respond.
But indeed, after enduring the first strike of [Hurricane Stream], he had instantly realized the difference in the attack range, the sweeping blow in front covered a conical area of fifty meters and didn’t carry overwhelming lethality.
With his strength, he could escape with only minor injuries. However, when Nail smashed down [Hurricane Stream] from midair, the destructive force concentrated, and even with his strength, he had suffered significant shock injuries from the blast.
Yam was well aware that taking another hit could rupture his internal organs.
The third strike would surely take his life.
On the other hand, such a concentrated attack naturally had a much narrower range, only about twenty meters in diameter.
Hence, Yam easily moved out of the attack zone.
But the injury he had already suffered did not heal just because he exited the area.
He stared at Nail with a calm and steady expression.
Then he lightly wiped his mouth, brushing off the blood at the corner of his lips, and slowly stood up.
Nail lifted his heavy hammer slightly and shifted his grip, from one hand to two, his gaze cold and vicious as he stared at Yam. “In that case, I definitely can't let you live.”
The invasion of White Mountain Territory from the County of Fertile Plains had a single goal, to kill the lord of White Mountain Territory.
And at this moment, alongside the lord of White Mountain Territory stood Ion Soderbell.
Nail knew very well that once his family’s young lady got serious, Ion Soderbell would surely die.
That meant the Western Wind Territory had already sealed its hostility with both the White Mountain Territory and the Soderbell Family.
So the more talent and potential Yam showed, the more dangerous he appeared in Nail’s eyes, even though he had never planned on sparing Yam from the beginning, his attitude had nonetheless become more serious.
Another sweeping strike followed.
[Hurricane Stream] surged forth.
The raging air currents within the conical area destroyed everything indiscriminately.
Yam’s brows furrowed.
This time, the cone-shaped blast Nail released didn’t even come close to him, staying more than thirty meters away.
But Yam understood, every action of a Third-Tier Bloodline User carried significance. There had to be a deeper meaning he hadn't yet grasped.
The next second, Nail’s movements confirmed Yam’s suspicions.
As soon as Nail unleashed the cone-shaped [Hurricane Stream], he leapt into the turbulent wind range himself, most bloodline powers, once triggered, damaged everything indiscriminately, unless they were specially controlled, or altered by the secret arts of High-tier Battle Arts to avoid harming the user.
[Hurricane Stream] clearly did not belong to those exceptions, so Nail's dive into the heart of the storm was practically a suicide attempt.
Yet he did it anyway, clearly for a reason.
Yam’s pupils suddenly contracted.
While Nail was still airborne within the violent wind, the effect of [Aerial Suspension Zone] activated beneath his feet once again.
The surrounding airflow was instantly evacuated and converged beneath his feet, forming a stable platform.
Using the condensed [Aerial Suspension Zone] as footing, Nail bent his knees slightly, as if preparing to leap upward from that spot. Then in the next moment, his whole body launched like a cannonball, shooting straight at Yam.
“What…”
Yam let out an incredulous cry.
But even with his dynamic vision, he could only catch a glimpse of Nail’s massive frame arriving before him in an instant. His cry hadn’t even finished when he was already sent flying.
“Die!”
Almost at the exact moment Yam was struck, Nail halted midair. His burly, towering figure twisted with an agility far beyond imagination, executing a midair flip.
Then, just as his feet touched the ground, the heavy hammer swung fiercely, smashing down onto Yam and blasting him away like a cannonball.
Watching Yam, whose body seemed completely shattered, slumped in a pit of broken rocks, Nail didn’t advance recklessly. Instead, he kept a distance of more than fifty meters.
A Third-Tier Bloodline User already held an overwhelming advantage over a Second-Tier Bloodline User. Under normal circumstances, the chance of being counterattacked was nearly nonexistent.
But Nail never forgot Molly’s reminder and warning. Especially after witnessing Yam’s instinct in battle, he became certain Yam possessed the ability to hurt him. So he simply refused to give any chances, and even now, when Yam seemed to have no means to retaliate, Nail stayed at the furthest attacking range.
“It’s over.”
Nail gripped the hammer handle with both hands and once again swung it fiercely.
[Hurricane Stream] raged out once more!
...
Robin let out a soft sigh.
From within the sword, he had witnessed the entire battle.
Even he had to admit, the gap between a Second-Tier and a Third-Tier Bloodline User was simply immense. Unless the Third-Tier opponent had completely exhausted both stamina and spirit, a Second-Tier could only hope for victory through carelessness or gifts of opportunity.
But once the opponent became vigilant and gave no opening, the battle would become as it was now, almost entirely one-sided.
Almost.
Looking at Yam, whose body had multiple fractures and wounds, his blood nearly filling the shallow crater into a bloody pool, Robin could feel Yam’s blood flowing into the sword he resided in.
With a hint of regret, he glanced at the gray droplet of blood containing the [Ghost Fox] bloodline ability, then reached out and crushed it.
“Pop—”
A faint sound, like a bursting bubble, was heard.
In the next moment, all the blood previously absorbed through kills by Yam boiled at once, rushing forth like a blood river to converge into that shattered droplet of true bloodline essence. A surge of overwhelming power burst out instantly.
Within the world inside the sword, it transformed into a pillar of blood shooting to the sky.
Almost at the same time, the blood pool beneath Yam ignited like fuel set aflame, and scarlet flames roared to life.
The stormy currents rushing toward Yam were forced back by the sudden burst of flame.
In fact, the flames surged along the current, turning and rushing in reverse.
A sea of fire rolled back against the conical blast of [Hurricane Stream].
Like a blooming crimson lotus.
Flames blazed over Yam’s body.
Yet under these flames, his fractured and broken bones began to heal at a visible speed; though the blood did not reverse, all the wounds closed completely under the burning, not even leaving a scar.
If not for his tattered and ragged clothes, leaving him appearing disheveled, no one could tell that he had been on the brink of death just moments ago.
And now?
His aura surged powerfully, nearly on par with Nail.
[Nirvana].
The new ability Robin had obtained after the sword hilt was restored.
This ability allowed the wielder to sacrifice half of their blood and forcibly exchange it, using the stored bloodline power within the sword to gain a temporary power boost while also fully healing all injuries, provided there was at least one drop of true bloodline essence in the sword, along with enough blood.
However, due to the current state of the sword’s completeness, Robin could only call forth Third-Tier strength.
Moreover, this power wasn’t a full Third-Tier transformation, as it couldn’t mutate Yam’s [Flame Stream] or grant him new bloodline abilities. What it did grant was a body on par with a Third-Tier Bloodline User and significantly enhanced [Flame Stream] effects.
...
“What?!”
Nail’s expression changed for the first time as he saw Yam rise from the flaming lotus with calm, unwavering eyes.
At this moment, Yam’s hair had turned entirely orange-red, with fire-like liquid flowing through it.
Countless tiny flames clung to his previously gashed body, making him look as if he wore a coat entirely made of fire.
Unlike Nail’s shock, Yam understood the transformation the moment it occurred.
“So this is... [Nirvana]?”
Feeling the endless new power surging within him, Yam took a deep breath and gripped the hilt of his longsword tightly.
He knew this power wasn’t permanent, it was temporary.
So he had to kill Nail before the effects of [Nirvana] faded!