Dark Magus Returns

704  The Strength of the Top (Part 2)

Ricktor would be lying if he said he was optimistic about the fight that was about to take place. After stepping into the water and the range of Crine's visual Qi, he felt even less so.

The fact of the matter was, Ricktor knew they would have to fight to get out of the situation sooner or later. It was why he had been training so hard. He just wished it wasn't against the opponent in front of them and hoped for something else as well.

Mada, who was by his side, a fellow student and a main disciple of the five major clans, had fallen to his knees. His whole body was shaking, and it was visibly seen in his arms.

"I'm sorry," Mada said as he looked at Ricktor. "I don't know what's happened. I don't understand. My body, it's not listening to me."

Mada was unsure if it was an effect of the visual Qi or just an effect of what had occurred before in the Dark Faction viewing room. He thought he had overcome this, but due to feeling the Qi directly produced by Crine, he was now in the current situation he was in. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"I just hope if it looks like I'm about to die, you can come and help me," Ricktor said, drawing his sword.

He walked through the flowing water and then stood directly in front of Mada.

"What a foolish mistake," Crine commented.

Crine started to walk forward, and so did Ricktor. When they were both around five meters away from each other, Ricktor took a step to the side and began circling, and it looked like Crine did the same.

"You are calmer than I expected. I thought you would be rushing off trying to attack me, but it looks like you're looking for a chance," Crine commented and suddenly stopped.

"Well, here's your chance." Crine opened up both of his arms. "I promise you, you won't get a better chance than now, in the first attack, so give it your best shot."

Crine's words felt like bait. Ricktor knew this, but this was how clan heads acted. They were overconfident about how they treated others, and in Crine's eyes, Ricktor was nothing but a student.

"Very well." Ricktor gathered his Qi in his hand and charged forward. With each step, explosive power could be seen like a rushing volcano.

Part of the visual water Qi was also reacting as steam was coming from his steps. Then he charged forward with his sword thrusted. It was powerful, and Ricktor did as Crine suggested; he used his most powerful strike. Erupting Strike, and thrust his sword forward.

Crine still had his arms by his side, but as the strike inched closer, the water from the floor erupted like a wall. It stood in front of the two of them and went to stop the strike. For a moment, Ricktor's strike had been stopped, but with his Qi, it had pushed through the waves.

"Interesting, you have grown, but it's not enough." The wall of water started to swirl around, and on the other side of the wall, it had wound around Crine's fist. He then reached out and pushed against the sword.

The visual Qi of the water wrapped around the sword, then hit Ricktor directly, pushing him back and extinguishing his entire Qi. Ricktor was seen skidding across the floor.

"You have no idea who you are going up against, or what a person like me or Murkel can do, do you? Right now, you are in my domain. A fight between just us two, there is no chance of you winning," Crine stated.

Crine still hadn't moved from his position, but he was moving his hands, and as he was doing so, Ricktor noticed what was occurring next to him.

The water that he stood in, the water that surrounded him, started to rise up just as Crine raised his fist. Then, when Crine swung it in the air, the water moved and went straight for Ricktor.

He had no choice but to raise his sword and deflect the attack. It was extremely powerful and heavy, and Ricktor quickly rolled through the water. As he got up, another piece of condensed water rose and went to strike him from the front.

'The water is extremely heavy, and I can feel the Qi still surging through it. Isn't this similar to a form of projectile Qi that only the Divine realm users can use?' Ricktor thought to himself.

As he thought about it more, he came up with another conclusion though. It was just how far and spread out his visual Qi was. Only the area around where they were had the water spread on the floor, and since it was all Qi that extended out from Crine's body, he was able to use it freely.

That was why the water was so heavy in its strikes as well. Because it was all pure Qi rather than water itself. What was even trickier was how the strikes from the water flowed like water as well, and Ricktor was about to learn that the hard way.

The water raised as if a snake had been created and went forward to strike at him. Just like he had been doing before, he was ready to deflect the strike with his sword. As he swung it, the strike missed because the water swirled and changed direction, going under his arm and striking him right in the stomach.

It was a clean hit that sent Ricktor to his knees, but he quickly got up from the ground again.

"Right, I almost forgot," Crine said. "I saw your performance before. You are now a middle-stage warrior like me. But I'm here to show you that within the middle stages, there are huge differences between the two of us.

"Even though you are a direct disciple, you have not been through the same things as us. You are not the same as us!"