Chapter 72
The Clash of Brothers Begins
The frozen air of Antarctica cracked as Draven vanished in a burst of speed, appearing directly above Shiki with his Jörmungandr Blade telekinetically ripping itself out of the frozen ground. The sword shook violently, the ice around it splintering and cracking as it whipped through the air, soaring towards Draven's outstretched grip.
WHOOOOOSH!
Draven's fingers clenched around the hilt as he twisted his body mid-air, raising the massive blade before slamming it down with godlike force.
BOOOOOOM!
The ground shattered upon impact, a shockwave of ice and debris blasting outward, but Draven's blade met nothing but empty air.
Shiki had already disappeared.
A dark blur manifested several meters away, standing calmly with a stoic expression.
The Black Step.
Draven's eyes flickered toward him, rage burning like an inferno in his pupils.
"Stop running, you coward!" Draven roared, his feet digging into the cracked ice before he lunged forward again.
A Storm of Blades and Speed
Draven closed the distance instantly, his sword swinging with deadly precision, each slash slicing through the icy air with a deafening WHOOOSH.
SLASH! Shiki dodged left.
SWOOSH! He sidestepped right.
CLANG! The blade met Shiki's forearm, but his skin was like reinforced steel, causing sparks to fly from the impact.
Draven twisted his grip, spinning on his heel, bringing the sword around for an upward diagonal slash.
SHING!
Shiki barely ducked, the blade whizzing past his face, cutting a few strands of his silver hair.
Draven snarled, pushing his advantage, raining down a flurry of relentless strikes.
SLASH-SLASH-SLASH-SLASH!
BOOM! Shiki suddenly planted his foot, shifting his weight in a fraction of a second, his hand gliding forward in an elegant motion.
CLANK!
His palm struck the flat of Draven's blade, diverting its trajectory just enough to send it flying out of Draven's grip.
The Jörmungandr Blade spun through the air, glimmering beneath the cold moonlight as it tumbled toward the ground.
Before Draven could react—
BAM!
Shiki's foot collided with Draven's ribs, sending him rocketing backwards like a meteor, his body slamming through the air with tremendous force.
And just before the Jörmungandr Blade could hit the ground, Shiki's foot snapped forward, his heel striking the sword's hilt, launching it even further away—fifteen meters out of Draven's reach.
Draven landed hard, his feet skidding across the frozen tundra, leaving deep gashes in the ice as he caught himself. He looked up, laughing, his breath visible in the frigid air.
"You really think you've won already?" Draven sneered, rolling his shoulders. "I was just testing you."
Shiki raised an eyebrow. "Testing me?"
FWOOOOOSH!
Without warning, Draven's mouth stretched open, his lungs expanding as massive flames churned inside his chest.
BOOOOOOM!
A colossal sphere of fire erupted from Draven's mouth, a roaring inferno of destruction that tore through the icy terrain, melting everything in its path.
WHOOSH!
Shiki narrowed his eyes and activated The Black Step, instantly disappearing from his position, gaining distance in a mere blink.
But Draven had planned for this.
Steam and Lightning
As Shiki landed, his palm pulsed with energy, and he expelled a massive surge of water, the torrent shooting forward like a high-pressure cannon.
KRRRSSHHHH!
The water met the fireball head-on, and as both elements collided, a violent explosion of steam engulfed the entire battlefield.
The fog was thick, rolling in heavy waves, completely obscuring everything in sight.
CRACKLE!
Shiki's eyes widened as red lightning began flickering through the mist, snapping and crackling from all directions—front, back, above, below, left, and right.
"What's that ?" Shiki muttered.
Suddenly—
ZAP!
A bolt of red lightning shot out from the steam, and Shiki narrowly dodged, flipping sideways—
But at that exact moment, from the opposite direction, something else was coming.
WHOOOSH!
The Jörmungandr Blade, controlled by Draven's telekinesis, flew directly toward Shiki's chest, perfectly timed to strike as he dodged the lightning.
SLASH!
Shiki landed on the ground, his chest exposed, his shirt ripped apart from the blade's attack.
The dust settled.
Shiki looked down.
A thin red line ran across his bare chest.
No blood. No deep wound.
Just a single, small cut.
Shiki chuckled.
"Impressive. But I should tell you something…"
His fingers traced the barely visible line on his skin as he smirked.
"My body is as hard as diamond. Your blade won't be enough."
WHOOSH!
Before Shiki could say another word, he blurred forward, his speed breaking the ice beneath his feet. His palm extended, aiming for Draven's throat.
Draven's instincts screamed at him, but before he could react—
FWWOOOOM!
His white arm moved on its own.
The entire limb expanded, morphing into a massive tree, its bark thick as steel, blocking Shiki's palm with an earth-shaking impact.
BOOOOM!
A deep shockwave rippled outward, sending cracks spreading through the ice as Shiki's strike was completely nullified.
For the first time, Shiki's eyes flickered with surprise.
Draven glanced at his own mutated arm, thick wood branches striking downward on Shiki.
Shiki leaped back, dodging as the massive tree's roots slammed down, nearly crushing him on the spot.
He clenched his fingers, feeling the raw, unnatural power coursing through it.
"This ability… This was gifted to me by Huey."
Draven's lips curled into a smirk.
"Huey has done more for me than you ever have."
His Shen exploded, his fury boiling over, and he slammed his palm onto the ice.
"JÖRMUNGANDR!"
The ground began to quake.
Something massive was coming.