Chapter 167
He took a deep breath and exhaled.
In the next instant, he moved, slowly at first, to his right but then back to his left.
His movements were slow and easy to see.
‘A footwork?’ Oliver narrowed his eyes as he saw Daniel moving in an unrecognizable pattern.
Oliver tightened his grip on his katana, readying himself for the next attack. The air between them grew thick with tension.
He observed how his speed started to increase as he kept moving from one position to another.
‘Interesting…’
Even with his enhanced senses, he was starting to get confused by Daniel’s movements as Daniel sped up.
Of course, he was not using his special eyes at the moment but normal vision.
Soon, it started to become harder and harder to keep up with his movements.
“This technique is called [A Thousand Provisions]; it gives the opponent a taste of a thousand sword moves all instilled in a single strike,” Daniel’s voice came out as he moved faster and faster.
“Get ready to have a taste of my favorite sword art.”
Oliver’s eyes wavered slightly. The name of the technique sent a shiver of excite down his spine, but he remained focused, every muscle in his body taut with anticipation.
Daniel circled around Oliver, who was watching closer than ever. His steps were unordered and weird as he ran in circles around him.
‘No… can’t find the pattern at all.’
Oliver had a thoughtful look on his face as he could not find a specific pattern in Daniel’s movement to exploit an opening.
‘It won’t work like that.’
He calmed down, relaxing his posture. He straightened his slightly hunched back.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Oliver’s lips, a rare show of confidence.
Daniel, who was waiting to find a spot to attack, narrowed his eyes as he saw the sudden relaxed posture Oliver had taken. He was a bit confused about what the latter was doing in such a critical moment.
It was then he heard Oliver say something.
“Do you know? I happen to have a footwork technique as well.”
Daniel’s brows furrowed when he heard that.
‘So this guy had been hiding a footwork technique too. Just how much is he holding back!?’
Oliver, on the other hand, looked at the running figure in circles as he took a stance as well.
He was going to use a technique he had mastered a long time ago.
While incomplete, he had enough mastery over it to make up for it at the moment—at least for this duel.
The memories of countless hours of training flashed through Oliver’s mind, grounding him.
Daniel’s frown deepened when he saw Oliver moving in a familiar foot pattern.
‘[Six Thoughtful Steps of the Spirits],’ he was instantly able to recognize the familiar footwork given the number of techniques he had learned since he was able to walk.
‘Why is he using that basic foot technique right now? Does he think he can best me with such a basic technique?’
Daniel observed deeply while maintaining his own movements and speed.
‘My technique is clearly superior, so why… why is his figure turning distant?’ Daniel pondered as his heart raced.
The world seemed to blur around Daniel as he struggled to keep his focus solely on Oliver.
With every moment passing by, Oliver’s figure turned into a blur until it finally vanished from the spot.
‘What!? Where did he go!?’
He panicked, and his eyes darted around, trying to immediately search for him.
‘Where is he?’
The moment he thought that, a familiar voice echoed in his ears from behind.
“Are you looking for me?”
Clang!!
Daniel heard the voice and did not hesitate; he swung his sword down, a tremendous force behind that strike.
He utilized all his power to execute the [Thousand Provisions] technique.
However, contrary to his high expectations, what happened next shook him to the core.
Oliver did not dodge it but blocked his strike with his katana.
The impact reverberated through the air, the sheer force of it making the ground beneath them tremble, spewing dust cloud all over.
“Crazy…” His voice leaked out subconsciously, impressed by what he saw.
The force behind that strike was extraordinary. It specifically brought out his body’s inner strength in that move.
Oliver had to be at least thrice as strong as him physically to even dare to block that attack.
‘Just how strong are you…?’
He looked into Oliver’s calm eyes and felt his own eyes tremble.
They were as calm as water and as deep as an ocean. At this moment, Oliver truly felt like a mountain stretching towards the heavens.
‘I have to surpass him.’
However, even in the face of that realization, Daniel’s resolve stood unshaken. He was going to do whatever it required to surpass that mountain reaching the heavens!
“Arrrgh-!” Daniel groaned and forced himself as he swung down the sword again.
This time Oliver did not delay any longer but instead directly punched Daniel in the stomach.
“Kuh-!”
Daniel coughed hard as he was sent flying back.
Bam!
He crashed straight into the stone wall behind them before he fell down.
Oliver had won. However, at this moment, he was looking down at his wrist; it was trembling hard.
His gaze trailed up to the fallen boy who had caused this, and a smile appeared on his face.
‘Not bad.’
He had never felt like this. At that moment, his heart felt excited as he took Daniel’s sword attack.
It was a feeling he had not felt since he had fought with the pair of siblings back then.
‘He has a lot of potential.’
Oliver made a note.
‘If he is allowed to grow stronger, he could become quite useful in fighting against demons in the future. Perhaps Evelyn might not have to suffer as much as she did alone?’
An array of possibilities opened up in his mind as he imagined such a future.
But for that to happen, they would need to survive the perpetual plane. Only then would they have a chance.
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