Okan was beyond furious now. He felt humiliated as it seemed he had no chance against Storm, and he wondered how he could disgrace the valley like this.
When he activated his most powerful skill, the intensity of the black winds around him multiplied by at least a hundred times, perhaps even more.
His figure could no longer be seen as a sharp and corrosive black tornado had formed around him.
He had become a living natural disaster.
As the tornado began to expand as if it was trying to devour the entire stage, Storm's face stiffened, not out of fear, but because he realized that Okan was going all out, excluding the use of their trump cards.
"Going all out, huh? Well, I guess this is the all-out except for the use of our trump cards," Storm said.
He had a manic grin when he finished speaking.
His Valor, the special power all true national guards wielded, shone brilliantly. So brilliantly that its light alone stopped the expansion of the vicious black wind tornado, causing a temporary stalemate.
However, the stalemate didn't last long because the winds of the tornado were too powerful now, and the tornado began to corrode and shred away at Storm's brilliant Valor.
Storm decided to employ his advanced form of Valor.
In fact, Storm's father was the progenitor of advanced Valor.
He was a superb seal master who learned to use seals and the flexibility of Valor to create what they called advanced form Valor.
Storm was one of the only few to master the seals needed to create his advanced form.
When he employed his Valor's advanced form, the seal constricted like a viper and squeezed all of the brilliant light and his Valor into a majestic-looking armor that surrounded him.
The armor was much bigger than Storm, and it should be described as a giant five-meter guardian that he rested in the center of.
Storm's Valor also had many other properties and abilities, such as advanced healing and negative status dispelling.
His advanced form elevated those properties to an entirely new level, significantly enhancing all his abilities and energies by many folds.
When he wielded his valor, he simultaneously expelled immense amounts of aura while summoning his perfect manifestation.
Aura represents a higher, more condensed form of mana, and the perfect manifestation of one's aura can vary depending on the individual.
In Storm's case, it manifested as armor with a fierce expression, resembling the harbinger of disaster. Instead of appearing over his advanced form of valor, it augmented it.
His aura's perfect manifestation transformed his majestic golden advanced valor into something resembling a beastly fiend.
It was dark and pulsating with golden seals all over. The armor now resembled a beastly humanoid with saber teeth protruding from its mouth.
Blood-red eyes and pitch-black skin could be seen beneath the helmet. Pitch-black fingers with blood-red nails were visible from the tips of the gauntlets.
These same gauntlets extended and grasped the expanding tornado, squeezing it into a bear hug.
The tornado resisted his squeeze, producing the resounding sound that preceded valor meeting black wind.
It appeared as if the tornado was about to be dispersed until an eerie black glow emanated from it.
Okan began channeling his aura to enhance his ability.
The outcome favored him by a substantial margin.
This was because his aura was considerably stronger than Storm's, as Storm had recently ascended to the ruler stage while Plan was still in the middle ruler stage.
They only matched up because Storm possessed exceptional qualities and a physique.
The tornado became so viscous that Storm had no chance against it.
It gradually shredded his transformed advanced valor, and even as the seals brightened to resist the corrosion, they were devoured by it.
Storm realized he would lose at this point. He also understood that using his trump cards was futile because even if he defeated Okan, he wouldn't be able to overcome the stronger participants once he revealed more.
His only chance to advance further in the tournament was to grow and improve in this match.
As this realization dawned on him, a spark ignited in his eyes.
"Isn't a tornado a natural disaster? In my eyes, this isn't just any tornado; it's a special one. Oh, this is going to be exciting!" he thought.
He chose to embrace the ridiculous torture that came with his chosen path.
He dispelled his aura and only left his valor to protect him.
Valor is considered part of the physical body, and everything between it and the body is shared, except for pain.
His valor alone wasn't enough to resist, but the slight resistance his advanced valor provided bought him time.
This time allowed his divine body to experience this "disaster" through his valor.
As Okan's vicious black wind tornado shredded apart his valor at incredible speeds, his body continued to absorb the sensations through his valor.
His body began an unusual process that gave him a euphoric feeling. This was the part he loved. However, this process wasn't happening quickly enough.
The black winds reached his actual body in just a few breaths.
Now, he faced the torturous part. The black winds relentlessly devoured his body. He would be reduced to nothing if the host or judge hadn't intervened.
As Ezekiel glanced over to the national guard entourage, he received a nod from their captain, signaling him to allow the battle to continue.
Just as it seemed Storm would be obliterated, his divine body reacted.