Ascension: Online

"I welcome everyone back to the finals of the Annual Qilian Regional Competition!" Zhen Yuhan announced. "We only have two contestants left in the running — Ling Tian Yu and Igarashi Kaze! Who will be the champion? Please come onto the stage!"

Without any hesitation, I brushed past the crowd and walked up onto the stage. Ling Tian Yu was already waiting there.

"Oh, what's with the hate in those eyes?" he asked, seemingly genuinely confused. "Did I do something to you before?"

Ignoring him, I turned to the mayor. "Mayor Zhen, I have a question."

"This late in the competition…? Well, so be it. Go ahead."

"Regarding contestants who are killed… what happens to their spot?"

"Are you talking about Sakura Hina? Worry not, her spot will not be given to anyone else. This means that only three contestants will be be guaranteed a spot — you, Ling Tian Yu, and Chiaki Furuwa."

"Oh? But what if she's still alive?"

"As in… revived?" the mayor fell into thought. "Indeed, that is possible with certain artifacts and arts, but only few people are in possession of such powers. Of course, if they do end up getting revived, naturally, the spot will be theirs."

So the word of 'players' still has not gotten out yet in the world. Interesting.

"I see. In that case, I thought I should let you know — Sakura Hina is still alive."

At this, Ling Tian Yu's eyes widened. "That girl I killed earlier? She got revived, this quick?"

I snorted. "She got resurrected right after you killed her."

"Wha…"

"I do indeed see her in the audience. I would like to ask how she was revived and the identity of the master who accomplished this act, but I won't, since we shall begin the battle." the mayor said. "Is that all?"

"That's all," I replied.

"Very well. Then, without further ado… I will begin the countdown. Both contestants, prepare yourselves."

I took out Dokujin and adopted my combat stance, ready to get this fight started. Ling Tian Yu similarly drew his broadsword, ready to battle.

"3, 2, 1-"

I tightened my grip and in my mind, pre-cast an art.

"-Go!"

'Vanishing Clouds.'

My dash was instant — I had started the process in the middle of the countdown, so there was no activation delay for the skill.

Ling Tian Yu's eyes widened as I closed in on him immediately, but it was already too late. The battle was over right after it began.

I slit open his throat as blood spewed out of the wound, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough to get the kill, only draw blood.

Unfortunately for him, however, I wasn't using just any dagger. I was using Dokujin, powered by the wrath of Corruption.

I immediately dashed back away as he tried to hit me back with his broadsword. It was far too easy, given the over-100 gap in our AGI stats.

Then, I snapped my fingers.

Immediately, Ling Tian Yu's body knelt down on the stage, frozen and agonized.

I stepped forward and kicked him across the face right as I released my control on him momentarily, causing him to fall over to the ground. I immediately regained control of his body once more.

"You had such a smug look on your face when you killed my sister… where is that look now?" I spat on his face, my eyes filled with dark hatred.

"N-No… not today…" he suddenly whispered, voice quivering as if he was cold. "… NOT HERE!"

My eyes widened. "Wha-"

"BOOK OF FORTUNE, COME!"

Instinctively, I took a couple of steps away from him. His body began glowing golden as he slowly stood back up.

Corruption… it's not working?!

As he broke the chains of captivity I placed on him, his whole body illuminating a grand radiance, he rose his sword and cut down towards me at an astonishing speed.

I quickly dodged backwards, just barely managing to avoid it.

This guy… he just boosted his own speed by about 100, at the very least.

Ling Tian Yu continued to chase me down as the tide of battle slowly shifted in his favor. I couldn't even get close to him — the only thing I could do was keep running.

'Vanishing Steps.'

Taking a gamble and turning invisible, I tried sneaking around behind him, but his golden eyes stared straight at me as I attempted to launch a sneak attack.

"Tch…"

I quickly backed off, once again just barely managing to avoid getting cleaved in half by his now-glowing sword as well. As things were not looking good for me, I began thinking of desperate measures.

Is there really no choice but to use… that?

There was no time to hesitate.

I suddenly jumped up into the air, as high as I could, right as Ling Tian Yu cut the floor beneath me. And there, I let out my most devastating attack yet.

Recalling the movements shown in the book Ming Hong had compiled, I mimicked them. I crossed my two arms in an X-shape, making my hands into finger-gun gestures, then raised my right arm high up into the air as I said the art's name.

"Advanced Umbromancy Art — The Dragon's Shadow."

As I cut the air in front of me, bringing my arm back down, a dark, black tornado suddenly appeared and enveloped Ling Tian Yu inside. It was enormous, piercing the heavens, and nearly wide enough to reach the audience as well. I felt myself levitating in the air — another one of the art's side effects.

Then, to both the audience's astonishment and my own, a soaring black dragon suddenly appeared in the sky, hovering around the tornado. It flew in and out of the clouds, its massive body blocking the sunlight and darkening us all with its enormous shadow.

"W-What is that thing?!" an audience member cried out in fear.

"I don't know! S-Should we run?!" another suggested.

"Amazing…" I muttered, observing this phenomenal power in wonder.

Then, the dragon suddenly coiled itself right above the tornado, before suddenly diving downwards, jaw opened wide. The wind generated by its immense speed nearly knocked me out of the air, but I managed to regain my balance and continue spectating the scene.

"You're done for now, Ling Tian Yu… even god himself won't be able to save you here, much less your bullshit luck."

But then, right before my immensely powerful attack was able to hit my target, it vanished.

The dragon, the tornado — it all disappeared to nothing, revealing a terrified and slightly confused Ling Tian Yu underneath.

As for me, I fell to the ground, out of energy.

"Ngh… this feeling…" I gasped, panting and groaning in pain. My muscles felt weak and my body heavy, as if I had came down with a fever.

The sickness came so suddenly, I had no idea what was even going on.

Ling Tian Yu, however, did.

"Ha… HAHAHAHA!" he laughed like a psycho as he slowly got back up from the floor. His golden glow had worn out by now, rendering him back to his usual self. "You ran out of Essence! It seems the goddess of luck is truly on my side!"

"What… Essence…?" I murmured faintly, struggling to even stay conscious, much less move. Dokujin lay a short distance away, but far out of reach.

In the corner of my hazy vision, I could see Ling Tian Yu pick up his weapon and slowly make his way over to me.

No… move… move, Kaze!

But I couldn't. My entire body was immobilized, as if someone had drained the living life out of it.

Ling Tian Yu stepped right in front of me, then raised his sword high up into the air. It was the exact same scene as when he killed Hina-nee. And now, I would die by his hands, just an hour later, in the exact same way.

I closed my eyes and accepted my death.

But I wasn't done… I have infinite lives… I'll come at you, over and over again… unt-

"Kaze-kun! You can't die!" a voice yelled, snapping me back to reality.

That's right… that's right… I can't go on with that kind of mindset… I have to treat every single life I had as my only one, even if I could respawn infinitely.

Only like this could I truly call myself a man.

"Go to hell, just like your cute sister," Ling Tian Yu sneered, and brought down his sword.

My eyes snapped back open as I pushed every single ounce of strength I had left into my left hand.

I raised it up, meeting his blade directly.

"Wha-?!" his eyes widened as his blade sank into my fragile skin, piercing directly through my palm and out the other side. I yelled in agony and rage, but the pain helped me wake up. The pain worked as a stimulant, re-energizing my body with a temporary rush of adrenaline.

"Ugh…. AGHHHH!"

I pushed upwards with all my might, sliding my impaled hand down the blade of his sword until I at last arrived at the hilt. Then, gritting my teeth in pain, I wrapped my palm around the weapon and tore it from him. With my other, I immediately grabbed his throat, pushing him to the ground and pinning him down as I choked him as hard as I could.

"SAY THAT AGAIN, YOU BASTARD!" I yelled in his face, which was red from suffocation. "I DARE YOU. SAY IT AGAIN!"

His throat made some gurgling noises as his disgusting saliva spilled out of his mouth and onto my hand, but I didn't care. I continued choking him, tightening my grip even further.

Then, with my left hand, still with a massive sword impaled in it, I reached for my pocket and took out a single pill.

I stuffed the hilt of the sword into his mouth, the pill along with it. Then, I let go of his throat with my other hand briefly, before knocking his chin up and forcing him to swallow it.

Immediately, his body began spasming, shaking violently. I quickly got off of him and backed away a few meters, watching on as he suffered.

His skin became bloody red, the veins and arteries beneath bulging. Slowly, his mass began growing bigger and bigger, white foam emitting from his mouth, until at last, his entire body imploded in a gruesome shower of blood and organs.

I panted heavily as I narrowed my eyes in agony and pulled his bloodstained sword out of my hand, throwing it to the floor near the large puddle of red liquid and human organs once known as Ling Tian Yu. A hologram appeared in front of my face, but I was in far too much pain to read it properly.

Under the gazes of hundreds, I slowly lumbered off the stage, my right hand clutching my left arm in pain, while leaving behind a trail of blood dripping from my mutilated hand.