Karsha hadn''t intended to kill Khinux with his stabbing attack; he was just testing out a new variation in his ongoing quest to remodel Nedin''s and Khinux''s battle styles. But when Khinux''s aura exploded and he didn''t get knocked back, Karsha felt an immediate sense of danger. At that exact moment, Khinux''s voice rang out in his mind, filling the space with a menacing threat.


    "Void sh!" A wave of dark, arcane energy shot out from Khinux, pulling the battlefield along with it. Stones and debris were sucked in as the attack surged toward Karsha. Readtest chapters at empire


    "Titan Wall!" Karsha summoned tenyers of seven-meter-tall titan walls. He didn''t hold back, knowing he could create hundreds of these walls with his current mana pool. But he was out of time, so he only managed to create ten. The walls stood tall and formidable, gleaming like diamonds.


    BOOM!


    The dark energy collided with the diamond-like walls, shattering the first sixyers. Karsha sighed with relief but immediately sprang into action. Khinux was right behind his attack, and when the six walls shattered, his sword sliced through another three, frightening Karsha.


    He quickly used Tempest Flicker, barely fast enough to avoid the sword that nearly cut him in half. Fortunately, the Tempest Flicker variation of his eight-movement technique kicked in just in time. Karsha swiftly put some distance between himself and Khinux.


    "Hey, watch where you''re swinging that thing! You nearly sliced me in half!" Karsha''s anger red, but he held it back, opting to make a light-heartedment instead. Without missing a beat, he dashed back at Khinux, ready to continue the battle.


    The [Void sh] Khinux used was powerful, but Karsha could tell it wasn''t the true form of the skill. It reminded him of how he used his fire beam skill—just testing the waters. Even so, the results were clear: Khinux was strong, and Karsha struggled against the attack.


    ''This guy is a beast,'' Karsha thought, frustrated that he hadn''t gained even the slightest advantage since the battle began. Khinux''s massive body and equally huge sword blocked his every move.


    ''At least my brain is still working,'' Karsha mused. He had alreadyprehended about 30% of Khinux''s swordy and had managed to remodel his own battle style by 20%. He was still far from countering Khinux''s attacks, but at least he was managing to stay alive—barely.


    In less than two hours, he hade close to dying four times during the most dangerous moments. And that wasn''t counting the countless other close calls—he''d nearly lost his hand over thirty times.


    ''Alright, demon, time to turn up the heat,'' Karsha thought, channeling 10% of his fire essence and sending a fiery arc at Khinux''s head. Khinux raised his sword and shed down hard on the fire beam, causing it to explode with a loud boom.


    The force of the attack pushed Khinux back ten steps, showing just how powerful the skill had be. That attack could have killed a Tier 6 Terror Mutant and even seriously threatened a Tier 7 Dark Mutant. Yet, Khinux had simply cut it in half using brute strength.


    Karsha quickly closed the gap, preventing Khinux from using any more skills. The more they fought, the more patterns Karsha could pick up. He only used the asional fire beam attack to keep Khinux''s adrenaline pumping, hoping to force him to reveal more of his skills.


    ''It''s working, sucker. Keep trying to kill me so I can steal your battle style!'' Karshaughed inwardly. Everything about him felt like a cheat—from his mind to his skills. The "Imitate" passive skill was just too broken. The ability to steal someone''s skills simply by fighting them was nothing short of amazing.


    "Void sh!" Khinux unleashed another dark beam at Karsha, but this time Karsha was ready. He created only fouryers of defensive walls, but they were much sturdier than before, and he had also activated his Tempest Flicker variation. Karsha wlessly defended against the now slightly more powerful attack.


    "You''ll have to do better than that, old man," Karsha taunted, not giving Khinux a chance to retaliate as he quickly closed the gap between them. Lightning danced around his body as he rapidly shed at Khinux. Karsha''s grasp on the battle style was improving—he had now stolen about 45% of Khinux''s swordy and had remodeled his own by about 38%.


    BOOM!


    Karsha was sent flying back as Khinux began to take him more seriously. Initially, Khinux had viewed Karsha as an easy target, but as the minutes ticked by, he realized that Karsha was only getting stronger. Khinux knew he had to step up his game, so he unleashed his wild aura.


    The entire battlefield was suddenly flooded with a dense, chilling aura. Karsha could feel its weight pressing down on him, much denser and thicker than his own aura. But when it came to pure bloodthirstiness, Karsha''s aura was far superior. Even so, he didn''t panic, nor did he unleash his own aura in response.


    Instead, an ordinary-looking sheath appeared on his back. The dual sword sheath he had been using was gone, reced by a single sheath holding a legendary rank sword. The moment it appeared, Khinux''s aura was cut in half, continuing to dwindle as Karsha stood his ground.@@novelbin@@


    Perhaps it was because of the helmet, but the grave look on Khinux''s face spoke volumes. He had never expected Karsha to handle his aura so effortlessly. However, he didn''t dwell on it for long. With Karsha momentarily pushed back, Khinux seized the opportunity to charge his sword.


    "Void Vortex!" Khinux shed his sword, and a vortex of dark energy materialized, pulling everything toward it. Karsha''s expression darkened as he felt the intense tug of the Void Vortex pulling at his body.


    "Fire Beam!"


    "Crescent Arc!"


    Two deadly arcs shot toward the vortex, the fire arc slicing diagonally and the ice arc cutting horizontally. They moved with incredible speed, and their sharpness was lethal. Thebined attack tore through the vortex, destroying it instantly. Without hesitation, Karsha charged at the towering snake-like humanoid, unleashing a relentless barrage of attacks. He had entered a new battle mode.


    Perhaps it was because of the battle style he was developing, but the current Karsha was fiercer, his sword strikes almost surgical in their precision. The deeper he delved into the fight, the more savage his attacks became.


    But despite his ferocity, he was still far from cornering Khinux. The gap in their strength was evident, and Karsha began to sustain injuries. Khinux was just too strong for him—at least for now.


    ''Come on, show me more!'' Karsha thought, frustrated that Khinux was still holding back his true power. The moves Khinux had used so far were already ingrained in Karsha''s memory, and he had sessfully copied them. But without new techniques, Karsha couldn''t progress further in creating his own battle style—he was stuck at 48%.


    ''Fine, if you won''t get serious, I''ll force you to!'' Karsha decided. He tapped into his lightning element, channeling lightning essence throughout his body. He then focused on a Tier 14 lightning skill he had acquired just a few hours ago.


    "Storm Surge!" Karsha called upon the third ability of the skill, summoning a lightning bolt from the heavens. For a brief moment, Khinux was locked in ce, his massive form bracing for impact. He raised his sword in defense, but he hadn''t anticipated what came next.


    SLICE!


    Karsha''s ive sliced past Khinux''s leg, cutting through the metallic armor and drawing blood for the first time in their fight. The lightning bolt struck Khinux dead center, forcing him back several steps.


    ''Eat that, you bastard,'' Karsha thought, immediately dashing forward to capitalize on the opening. But before he could close the distance, a sudden burst of Khinux''s aura exploded outward, pushing Karsha back. The sword sheath on Karsha''s back absorbed 50% of the aura, but the remaining pressure still left him feeling the looming danger.


    "Die!" Khinux''s deep, sinister voice boomed, sending chills down Karsha''s spine. In an instant, Khinux was right in front of him, his sword swinging toward Karsha''s head with terrifying speed.


    BANG!


    The impact sent Karsha flying, mming him into a tree and shattering it instantly. The force behind Khinux''s attack was overwhelming, and Karsha coughed up blood as he struggled to stand. The pain was intense, but Karsha''s resolve only hardened.


    ''This is it. Now he''s serious.''


    ''Finally, you''re showing your true colors. Come on, show this young master what you''re made of!'' Karsha''s excitement surged, and with a wild grin, he charged at Khinux. Their swords shed, sending sparks flying in all directions. The symphony of metal striking metal was both musical and tormenting, each sh echoing with deadly intent.


    Once again, Karsha was sent flying, this time crashing into the ground with such force that it created a massive crater. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but his determination remained unshaken.


    "Again!" he roared, charging at Khinux without a hint of fear. Though he had sustained some damage, it wasn''t enough to make him feel helpless.


    BANG!


    Karsha was thrown back once more. "Die now, human!" Khinux bellowed, unleashing a powerful dark beam aimed straight at Karsha.


    "Titan Wall!" Karsha summoned twenty diamond walls in an instant. The dark beam tore through them, shattering twelveyers before finally being stopped.


    ''He''s upped his game. Fine, time for you to taste some of mine,'' Karsha thought, his eyes zing with intensity.


    "Crescent Ring!" He unleashed a massive ring-shaped ice arc from his sword, spinning with lethal precision. The attack struck Khinux''s sword, the force of it so powerful that it sent Khinux tumbling back five meters.


    ''Powerful. Again.'' Karsha''s relentless assault continued as he sent another wave of icy attacks toward Khinux. The air around them chilled, forming an icy domain that pressed in on Khinux with each strike. Karsha wasn''t sure if Khinux was out of skills or just holding back, but the answer soon became clear.


    "Void sh!" This time, the pressure was immense, descending upon Karsha like a mountain.


    "Fortress!" Karsha reacted instantly, using the second level of his Titan Defense Art. He channeled 200,000MP into it, fortifying the walls of his defense.


    BOOM!


    The attack collided with the fortress, creating a massive explosion. Inside, Karsha smiled as the mechanisms he had set up began to activate. Another Void sh hit the fortress, but with Karsha feeding it more mana, the structure held firm, disying only minor cracks.


    "Time to take back what you gave me," Karsha muttered, a smirk forming on his lips. At the peak of the fortress, a dark orb, the size of three basketballs, began to form. "Eat that!" he shouted, and the orb shot forward like a hypersonic missile, mming into Khinux with a resounding explosion.


    When the dust settled, a worn-out Khinux stood ring at Karsha, his eyes filled with murderous intent. The fortress had absorbed part of Khinux''s attack and transformed it into a powerful retaliatory strike. The mechanism Karsha had integrated into the fortress was proving invaluable.


    "Die for me, human!" Khinux roared, his patience exhausted as he charged at Karsha, his murderous aura ring.


    "Finally..." Karsha whispered, a dark excitement brewing within him as he prepared to meet Khinux''s full fury head-on. This was the challenge he had been waiting for.