"To think that you would actually be able to decimate my Domain of Darkness." Byron said with a hint of praise and dread at the same time.
*Swoosh*
In the next moment, a slash suddenly broke through!
'Star Crossing Sword, Starlight Piercing The Night!'
*Badump*
A blinding sword slash that approached at the speed of light was sent towards Byron and Yumi.
'So fast' Yumi was startled as she had been caught off guard.
Byron countered with an " Advent of Darkness"
The bright sword slash and the explosion of darkness met!
*BOOM*
Both attacks were of equal strength so they both cancelled out each other!
But this was shocking as only a few minutes earlier, Victoria was overwhelmed by the very same attack and had to retreat. Yet, she was now able to meet it with the exact same power now.
He scanned Victoria's cultivation. It was now stronger and more stable. He shuddered at the thought that in mere minutes, she was actually able to do that.
Typically, cultivators of this level would need a few days or even weeks to fully stabilize their cultivation realms. It takes time to refine their energy to the point where impurities are mitigated, if not fully erased, to ensure smooth progression in future cultivations.
It was also to make sure that they have fully digested their newly gained comprehensions for their new realm.
But Victoria was able to do this within a couple of minutes. Not to mention, she successfully refined the mass of energy she received into her very own energy, holistically reformed her body and truly comprehended her enlightenments.
He thought, 'A peerless genius... Truly, the heavens play favorites. I watched young Yumi and believed her latent abilities to be utterly monstrous—a freak of nature with her ability to command the dead. But compared to the Princess? No. It is not just Yumi who is eclipsed. In all my thousand years of treading this world, watching empires rise and stars fall, I have never witnessed a talent of this magnitude.'
Victoria gained more confidence as she saw the strength that she now has, 'I can defeat them!'
"Heavenly Cross. First Sword - Night Sever"
With even greater speed than before, Victoria seemingly teleported in front of Byron as all he saw was blinding flash of light that accompanied by countless intersecting sword slashes.
"Umbral Blink"
"Byron" and "Yumi" were seemingly cut into a thousand pieces!
But they faded into darkness... Byron and Yumi were now actually displaced in a place that was not too far from Victoria
This was the movement technique that Byron previously used to evade the countless attacks that Victoria launched earlier.
'They appear roughly ten meters away from their original spot. So, it's just as I thought this ability may allow them to evade my attacks but they can only teleport within close proximity...' Victoria deduced as she launched another attack.
But upon lunging, she felt like he movements were being restricted!
'Threads?'
It was Yumi's Hell Threads! Yumi and Her Hell Puppeteer has also mostly recovered from the damage from Victoria's attacks due to the Restoration Pill. Now, she wanted to get her revenge!
"Hell Spider's Nest"
There were countless threads that bound to each other making them stronger and more durable. They weaved together into what seemed like a spiderweb and bound unto Victoria's entire body.
They were constricting as though the more Victoria moves, the more likely that these threads would cut through her skin!
"Yumi, it appears we must suppress her as soon as possible." Byron said.
"I agree. This bitch keeps getting stronger the more the battle progresses." Yumi agreed.
*Badump*
Victoria shouted as sword energy burst forth from her, "Star Crossing Sword Variant, Twin Shooting Star!"
The sharpness of her aura managed to cut through the Hell Threads! This showed that she was now far stronger than Yumi despite being in the same realm!
She disappeared from where she was at and reappeared in front of Yumi and Byron with a trail of white light behind her. Her two swords were now once again by Yumi's throat!
'Two swords?!' Yumi remembered that she was clearly a single sword user but now she's using two swords?
Shooting Star used to be a single sword sword-drawing technique but now Victoria modified it into twin sword sword drawing technique! She was holding the two swords in her hand parallel to each other!
But this time, Yumi anticipated this and she created a shield from dozens of layers of Hell Threads in an instant. She did not aim to fully block the attack seeing as her Hell Threads were easily snapped just now.
She skillfully manipulated her Hell Threads to create a flow towards her left side. Once Victoria's sword got caught up in the first layer, the flow redirected her swords by a few millimeters.
Each layer of the Hell Threads the two blades went past they were being displaced by a few millimeters! Though the shield made from the Hell Threads was destroyed easily, it was parried successfully!
With that, Yumi was able to evade certain death!
However, the residual sword energy from the sword path of the Shooting Star attack particularly the sword energy from the fused Star Crossing Sword and the Heaven Crossing Sword still penetrated through!
It cut a portion of Yumi's shoulder off! Blood splattered once again.
However, Yumi did not mind the pain as she focused in using the scattered Hell Threads and created mini Hell Arrows!
'Die! Hell Arrows Variant: Hell Needles!'
Typically, she would have to forge them through twisting them before shooting them. But in order to successfully launch this attack in the same instant, she made it so that she was twisting the arrowhead first before the entire body while they were travelling their trajectory.
With dozens of these tiny Hell Needles shooting towards Victoria in all directions, Yumi successfully set up a surprise attack!
'She's attacking now?!'
Victoria was surprised that she was being attacked now. However, her swords were already at the end of its sword path and the needles were already near her face.
'My hair! Sword Law!'
Thus, she decided to twist her neck and used her Innate Energy to strengthen her hair! Each strand of her hair now exuded the presence of a true sword!
With the brush of her hair, the hair destroyed the Hell needles that were directed to her entire upper body!
'She deflected with her Hair?!' Yumi could only look at her incredulously.
But Victoria was still hit by the Hell Needles that were aimed at her legs and limbs!
"Ugh!"
Despite the injuries, Victoria did not relent as she twisted her body in order to launch another attack!
'Die!'
[Heavenly Cross - Second Sword - Twilight Blades]
While twisting, she powered up her attack. Once her body faced Yumi, she wielded her twin swords across her chest with her arms crossed. That familiar shine that broke the Domain of Darkness was now seen again!
'Those swords...' In Yumi's eyes, Victoria now seemed like an executioner that was after her head!
Materializing behind Victoria was an ethereal figure with its eyes covered by silk. Wearing the most beautiful dress like an immortal gracing the earth, she held twin swords like Victoria as well.
With the twin Heaven Crossing Swords in her hands, she seemed like a sword deity that descended to the mortal realm to cast judgment!
'That's going to kill me...' Yumi thought.
But before Victoria could, Byron stepped in and thrusted his staff that was cloaked in darkness forward to meet Vitoria's attack!
"Grim Reaper! Black Death!"
A phantom of a lich wearing a cloak made of darkness materialized behind Byron! A pitch black wave of energy exploded from the phantom as it swung its staff and clashed with the heavenly power of the Twilight Blades!
*KABOOOM!*
What followed was a stalemate of both attacks trying to overpower each other. One side was the image of a sword goddess with her two heavenly sword casting punishment to mortals while the other side seemed like an evil aberration that seeks to corrupt the world!
Yumi was blown away from afar but she managed to recover swiftly after tumbling in the ground from the force earlier.
Then, she saw Kaiden who was not too far from her and immediately went to capture him.
"I will never let you go this time!"
Yumi said as she used her Hell Puppeteer to create another cocoon to store Kaiden into.
Sensing this, Victoria wanted to change the direction of her attack and go to Kaiden but she was stuck in a deadlock with Byron right now.
'Excellent work, Yumi!' Byron noticed that Victoria's focus had waned so he made use of this opportunity to tip the favor of the clash to his side.
"?!" Victoria struggled as she also pushed forward but Byron was able to capitalize on the opportunity that was presented to him. Blood was dripping from the side of her mouth due to the immense strength that Byron suddenly used.
However, no one predicted that another person would step forward and attack Yumi!
"Soaring Cloud Sword, Ascending Torrent!"
Cloud-like sword energy appeared below Yumi and burst forth from the ground as an upward slash was seen landing on Yumi!
"Who?!" Yumi did not expect that someone would interfere this moment.
Being caught off guard, Yumi had a vertical sword wound that span from the torso to her shoulder.
Like a fleeting cloud, a figure appeared and was now carrying Kaiden in his shoulders.
It was on old man with a head filled with white hair and a beard. He was surrounded by cloud-like energy around him. He was adorned with and orange and gold armor with cloud engravings that was reminiscent of a sunset surrounded by clouds.
Yumi made sure to put some considerable distance between her and the attacker. She summoned her Hell Puppeteer and proceed to stand on-guard.
'Someone saved Big bro...' Victoria noticed the sudden shift in the battle and was thankful to whoever just entered the fray.
"Yumi?!" Byron looked over for a second, sensing that her disciple was injured.
'Now!' With the arrival of a new variable in battle, she also took advantage of the moment that Byron as she used another burst of energy to break off the stalemate! She pushed her twin swords forward and completed the sword path of the Twilight Blades!
*Boom*
"Ugh... Clever." Byron had no choice but to also retreat after losing that exchange. He found out that he was actually wounded. He had a cross like wound across his chest to which he quickly used, a Restoration Pill for the wound.
Victoria immediately took a step back and retreated to where the new figure that just arrived.
"Thank you for saving Big Bro Kaiden, sir." Victoria bowed. She made sure that she thanked and showed respect to the person who just saved Kaiden.
"I'm unworthy of a bow from you, princess. Please raise your head and save this old man some face. It is I who should greet you instead, princess." This was the old man that talked with Kris back at the watchtower. He calmly smiled and talked courteously while bowing.
"Mhm." Victoria nodded as this was a typical behavior that other seniors would show her. She then proceeded to ask with the same tact, "May I ask who you are, senior?"
"I am nothing but the humble City Lord of Soaring Cloud City, princess. I am Alistair Cloudsoar, princess." Alistair bowed as he introduced himself.
"I am Victoria Cross, second daughter and future Clan Leader of the Cross Clan. I greet the city lord." Victoria elegantly introduced herself back with a bow..
"The Soaring Cloud City has decide to intervene in the matters of the underworld, so it seems. I detected your presence some time ago, though I confess, I mistook your hesitation for mere cowardice. It appears I committed a rare error in judgment. I underestimated your resolve." Byron interjected and said while he walked towards them.
Yumi also chimed in, "I had no choice but to cancel the Army of Madness due to the onslaught of the sword princess. It should have taken a considerable time before you guys could come here with the trap that I set in the event that it is cancelled."
"But to think that a mere City Lord of a measly middle-class city wants to interfere with our mission. I hope that you're ready for the consequences of your action!" Yumi also added while eating another Restoration Pill.
As she was engaged in combat, she had no choice but to cancel the Army of Madness which she renders her immobile. However, once Army of Madness is cancelled, the undead troops would explode and cause a lot of damage to the remaining troops of the Purging army
But it was still too fast. The main army should still be reeling from the explosions she set currently.
"Indeed. The Soaring Cloud City hereby provides support to the Cross Clan princess." Alistair declared while exuding his power as an Early Half Saint Realm expert!
He added. "I was not part of the Purging Army. I made haste and travelled towards this place to aid the princess. Once I reached this area, the battle seemed like it was already approaching an impasse. Thus, I waited for the right moment to break it."
"But the reason how I got here does not pose too much importance. All that matters is that we secure the princess's safety.'