Timeless Assassin

For the next hour, Leo and Dumpy clashed a total of ninety-five times, yet in every single exchange Leo emerged victorious, ending each bout in half a minute or less, as he proved himself unquestionably superior despite being a freshly ascended Transcendent.

'Aura mastery coupled with a superior body really is a broken cheat code. One man shouldn't be able to move this swiftly—' Leo thought, as it became clear to him that his dominance did not come merely from stepping into the Transcendent realm, but rather from being a Transcendent who had already mastered the art of aura control.

The ability to perceive attacks before they landed granted him precious windows of foresight, allowing him to evade and counter his enemies' attacks, before they themselves had a chance to fully execute them….

Meaning that in battle, he was always one step ahead, dictating the pace of it rather than reacting to it.

This razor edge of anticipation, coupled with the agility of his new body, made him an overwhelming force, a truth only magnified by the steady support of his fundamental techniques.

As with techniques like [Enhance] reinforcing his every movement and [Parallel Processing] ensuring flawless execution in the most critical moments, his body reacted with such lethal precision to his neural commands, that mistakes were no longer a part of his battle equation.

'Its like, I've become the perfect war machine!'

Leo realized, as he felt as if, when he put everything together, he became a dominant force to be reckoned with, that finally had his own unique style of fighting.

*Clap* *Clap* *Clap*

Veyr clapped from the sidelines, after observing Leo beat Dumpy for an hour straight, as at that point, it was him who jumped into the training field, to get in on some of the action himself.

"You have bullied the beast long enough Cuz…. What do you say you and me go a few rounds?" Veyr asked, as Dumpy frowned deeply at his question.

"Mongrel human…. If I can't stand up to Lord Father, what makes you think you can?

You're not the smoking man….

You're just another weakling." Dumpy retorted, as Veyr nearly lost grip of his own sword listening to Dumpy's comments.

"I completely forgot about this one's temper…." He muttered to himself, before giving Dumpy an amicable smile as he said, "Noble beast, please allow me a spar with Lord Shadow Dragon here…."

As Dumpy simply snorted in response and leapt off to give them space.

Leo tilted his head slightly, his lips curving into a faint smile, as he lowered his dagger into position once again, while Veyr stepped forward with his blade already drawn, his golden eyes narrowing as his aura flared just enough to show he meant business.

"Cuz… don't hold back on me," Veyr said, as Leo's smile only deepened, his stance loose and deceptively casual, yet every fiber of his being coiled in readiness.

*Step* *Step*

Veyr circled once, analyzing every inch of Leo's footing, before lunging low with a sweeping slash toward his cousin's leg, which he thought was the best way to create an opening and assert control.

'Cousin's weight is on his back foot. If I cut low here, he'll be forced to shift backwards to dodge, which will let me step in and thrust with my second strike—'

Veyr analysed, however, the outcome shattered his expectation, as Leo slipped not back but forward, his dagger flashing up like a streak of light, stopping a breath away from Veyr's throat before the latter could even transition into his follow-up.

Veyr froze mid-step, his thoughts scattering in disbelief.

'What? How… I hadn't even finished my swing, yet he's already countered? Did he read my mind or something?'

Leo simply chuckled, lowering the blade, his gray eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Again?"

He asked, as Veyr jumped back, resetting his stance before lunging forward again, this time feinting high with a quick thrust at Leo's chest before pivoting sharply and slashing for his ribs.

'If I bait him high, his guard will rise, leaving his side exposed. Once I land this, I can drive him back against the wall and keep the pressure going—'

*CLANG*

The strike met steel, but not in the way he expected. Leo had angled his dagger with surgical precision, redirecting the blow effortlessly, his movement so fluid that Veyr's sword was carried harmlessly aside, as a second later the dagger's edge hovered near his wrist.

'Impossible… he didn't just parry, he dismantled my entire sequence before it even began. Why am I the one losing ground from the very first move?'

Veyr growled low in his throat, then unleashed a flurry of strikes, his sword lashing out in arcs and thrusts, fast and relentless as he tried to overwhelm Leo with sheer volume.

Yet every slash ended the same way.

Tap at his chest.

Tap at his throat.

Tap at his wrist.

Leo weaved around the blows like a phantom, always there and yet untouchable, his blade appearing where Veyr least expected, his counters flawless, his rhythm unbreakable.

"Damn it!" Veyr spat, his breathing heavier now, sweat beading at his brow.

'Why is it like this? Every time I think I've cornered him, he's already there, unraveling me before I even commit. It's not just speed… it's as though he sees the fight two steps ahead.'

Leo tilted his head slightly, his tone calm yet commanding.

"Come on, cousin… show me the pride of the Dragon."

He baited, however, Veyr no longer dared to move recklessly.

By this point, he had already realized that no amount of pride could bridge the impossible gap that now stood between them, as now that they were on the same tier, his cousin had become simply untouchable.

From his perspective, although his cousin was smiling and this was just a casual spar, he couldn't help but feel like he was a tiny ant trying to move a massive mountain, one grain of sand at a time, as no matter how hard he tried, it seemed like an impossible process to complete.