In the smallest of instant Mikael concentrated his everything into Sangrelia, accumulating and mixing Sword Intent, Purple Lighting Lunar Qi, Purple Lighting Burning Vitality, Physical Strength and far more into a single strike.
And then…he swung.
Purple Lighting Mode – Moonpiercer Sword Art – Fifth Movement: Celestial Moon's Embrace.
A wave of multicolored energy, majoritarily purple, translucent and bloody red came flying toward Tharvonis at insane speed and carrying with it a power so immense that even a Peak Stage Core Formation cultivator could only evade with their life!
The kind of power so titanesque that even a nuclear bomb was nothing before it, the kind that could sink a continent!
And this strike was coming right at Tharvonis and the worst was that he felt reality itself lock around him, making space 'harder' as he felt Mikael sword strike lock onto him, in a way that he instantly understood that evading wasn't possible.
'Sword Intent…' he thought grimly, finally understanding why those who mastered Intent were so feared, and it wasn't only because of Intent's miraculous properties but was in large part because of what he was currently experiencing.
The 'Sure-Hit' effects of Intent attacks, which made it so where evading was impossible, space and reality would bend and twist, in a way that no matter what you did you would be forced to endure the attack!
'He played me…' realized Tharvonis as during the earlier fight Mikael had utilized his Sword Intent 'Sure-Hit' effects but it wasn't even nearly a powerful as now, it only made it harder to evade but not impossible and he believed that was because of the difference in strength but now—
Now he realized was that while the difference in strength played a part, a larger part was because Mikael was purposely holding himself back so that he could take him off guard when he decided to go All In.
And with him being doubly taken off guard, combined with the increased power of the 'Sure-Hit' effects because of the large disparity of the current All In sword strike of Mikael compared to the 'casual' ones of before, he didn't have the slightest chance of evading it!
But… did this mean that Tharvonis would fall here, accept his fate, his defeat, and… his death?
"I AM A VARNARI AND I WON'T FALL HERE, NOT EVEN TO YOU, SAR'KHAEN!!!" roared Tharvonis, roaring his fear away and leaving behind only the excitement and the thrill of such an exhilarating battle where his very life was on the line!
A sound that was a mix between a roar and a laugh escaped Tharvonis as he suddenly stopped in place and violently clapped his hands together before roaring—
"Titanbone Combat Form Ultimate Art – Titanbone Aegis!"
Rumble.
For an instant the world shook as Tharvonis's ashen skin instantly morphed into an earthy brown tone that instinctively made one think of Mother Earth, while at the same time the proud Varnari's every movement suddenly came to a halt, leaving him frozen in place as if even moving an inch had become an impossibility!
And this wasn't an illusion but the genuine effect of executing his strongest defensive move—Titanbone Aegis—a terrifyingly potent defensive art that carried an equally severe limitation, for those using it were rendered entirely incapable of even the smallest movement!
Normally this would have been a crippling restriction—which was also one of the main reasons Titanbone Aegis was so powerful—but in the current situation, where no matter what Tharvonis did he would inevitably be struck by Mikael's world-ending attack, it was the perfect defensive art.
Crackle, rumble, shook!
The world shook and trembled as Mikael's wave of multicolored energy surged through space and, in an instant, reached Tharvonis who stood in an open posture, his only visible defense being the earthy hue of his body—signs that he had activated Titanbone Aegis—which before Mikael's overwhelming strike truly seemed like… nothing!
RIP! TEAR!
The already unstable space of the Secret Realm was ripped and torn apart under the passage of Mikael and Sangrelia's combined attack and then—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!
The moment Mikael's sword-intent-infused wave of multicolored energy touched Tharvonis, a terrifying explosion erupted, tearing and rending space apart as the Varnari genius was swallowed by a blinding flash of white light, his fate… unknown!
The white brilliance then expanded outward, covering dozens of kilometers in radius, leaving the fate of everything within to perish under a thousand cuts from that terrifyingly potent sword-intent strike!
Fortunately, Mikael wasn't within its area of effect, as the instant he had unleashed the multicolored wave he had already retreated, not intending to be caught by his own attack.
After all, even if he possessed a degree of resistance to it—considering it was his own strike—it didn't mean he would emerge unscathed, and he perfectly understood that if he were to be caught in the 'blast zone', he would at best walk away with grievous injuries!
Grip.
With a serious expression on his visage and without the slightest hint of glee of a winner having killed the opposing warrior, Mikael's gaze stayed fixed on Tharvonis's latest position, his senses fully extended and his guard raised, while his hand tightly wrapped around the handle of the spear that was still piercing his stomach!
This spear, by virtue of being a cultivator weapon and consequently containing immense power compared to a mortal one, was continuously releasing 'hostile Qi' into his body, gradually worsening his condition!
Fortunately, this worsening was relatively slow since it was only the 'basic' power of the spear at work and not the combination of Tharvonis's attack and the weapon's full might, but even then…
Even then, Mikael knew better than to leave it here, so after having secured a firm grip on the handle, he firmly pulled and took it out.
Squelch.
"Ugh!"
A groan that was a mix between pain and consternation escaped Mikael as his gaze grew heavy, 'It's stuck!' he instantly realized, feeling that even as he extorted a non-negligible amount of strength, the spear refused to move.
'Varnari killing weapon… fuck!' he grimly realized, understanding that his previous plan was flawed because he didn't know about this information.
'Fuck! I should have guessed that it was a Varnari killing weapon, Tharvonis as a Varnari primarily fights Varnari so it's logical that his weapons would be adapted to fighting and countering them!'
The main way to counter a Varnari was to possess an Art, Intent, or other ability capable of impairing or slowing their regeneration, but since such methods were often too complex to obtain or master, the second-best option was to wield a 'Varnari-killing weapon'.
These weapons were special in the sense that once they embedded themselves into a Varnari—or anyone else—they would become stuck, far, far harder to remove compared to any 'normal' weapon.
And this doubly countered the Varnari, as not only was their regeneration slowed down because of the continuous damage, but even more important was the fact that the weapon remained in their body, making it so that regenerating this part of them was completely impossible!
Mikael should have expected and thought about this, but it was the first time he had fought a Varnari, so it slipped from his mind, leaving him to make his first error of the fight.
Squelch.
Nevertheless, not wanting to leave such a hidden danger within himself for the rest of the fight—he didn't believe, not even for a second, that the previous attack had killed Tharvonis; he knew it would never be so 'easy,' even with his well-thought-out plan—he decisively chose to use a greater amount of strength to pull the weapon out, even if it meant further injuring himself in the process!
But—
"!!!"
Mikael's eyes widened in shock as, while his focus was primarily fixed on the 'blast zone,' warily watching for any sudden counterattack from the Varnari genius, his senses suddenly caught something rapidly approaching from behind!
This 'something' was what remained of a hand that had been crudely severed at the wrist, its once-ashen skin having turned into a charcoal hue while numerous deep cuts marred its surface, two fingers already messily cut off and another hanging loosely, seconds away from falling.
In the palm of this severed hand that was flying toward him was held a dreadfully sharp sword, its blade aimed directly at his left arm—the currently most defenseless part of his body!
'I won't be able to evade in time!' The realization flashed through Mikael's mind in less than an instant; he didn't stop to wonder how Tharvonis's remnant had ended up behind him when it should have been in front, nor how it managed to approach so close without his notice, nor even how it could move so fast…
No, he didn't have the time to think about any of that, all of his mind was entirely fixed on finding a solution to his current predicament!
Thoughts flashed at light speed through his mind before he realized that no matter what he did, he wouldn't be able to entirely evade it, so he decisively gritted his teeth and—
Ferocity Art Mark III – Stage 2 – Left Arm 1000%
An instant before the sword reached his left arm, the red aura surrounding it suddenly multiplied by more than 10 times, and then—
Squelch.
The sword cut through Mikael's left arm like a knife through butter, the limb being severed cleanly at the shoulder in a single, fluid motion, sent flying in a shower of blood and torn flesh, a gory display that reflected the sheer savagery of the moment.
Burn.
Even after the left arm was cut off from Mikael's body, the red aura didn't fade; on the contrary, it flared even stronger, its glow intensifying as the arm's energy rapidly surged while its form grew more withered and thin with every passing moment. The Ferocity Art Mark III was pushed further than ever before, not only burning vitality but—burning the arm itself!
Swish.
The tattered, severed hand clutching the sword suddenly changed direction just after slicing through Mikael's arm—it didn't continue on its path but instead turned sharply, executing a perfect 90 degree arc toward Mikael's neck, attempting to decapitate him in a single slash!
Of course—
Whoosh, Kick.
It didn't work!
Earlier, Mikael had been caught off guard—the attack had been fast, near, and unexpected—and even with all those factors, the only reason it had succeeded was because it struck a non-lethal point; otherwise, even under such conditions, he would have sensed it and reacted in advance.
So now?
With him no longer caught off guard, the sword that sought to decapitate him didn't stand the slightest chance of success, and this was proven true when, an instant later, he reacted with a lightning-fast tilt of his body, moving his neck just out of the weapon's path before counterattacking with a powerful kick.
One that easily connected with the tattered hand sending it and the sword flying… flying right onto his cut off left arm, who at this moment looked nothing like usual, resembling the left arm of a 80+ years old man.
A fierce glint passed in Mikael's eyes as he saw them about to collide, 'You took my left arm it would be… impolite not to respond!'