Slashing at his neck, several of Lord Samus' protective layers shattered. With a single layer left hanging by a thin thread, until Kang-Min would be able to slice into his bare nape.
However, Lord Samus countered as a palm blew his old foe back, a few meters. Kang-Min didn't relent as he let loose multiple blue Qi slashes, flying towards him in a rush again. Both men at the peak of the mortal realm fiercely clashed, time after time, as they turned the unnatural dark sky into a hazardous light show.
After exchanging a torrent of attacks for a set period, Lord Samus encountered another instance that felt odd. Pushing onward, his inclination was beginning to show merit as he gradually gained the upper hand.
"I don't know why you decided to stick your nose into my affairs, but is it just me, or have you gotten weaker since we last fought?"
He chided as Kang-Min stayed quiet. Paying his attempt to provoke him no mind only made Lord Samus more suspicious. Eventually, he broke through Kang-Min's defenses, smashing him into the dirt. Immediately afterwards, an extended hand squeezed Kang-Min, lifting him high into the sky.
" Now, answer me! What brings you here?"
Lord Samus shouted as the two were now face to face. Finding himself in a helpless situation, Kang-Min unexpectedly started to laugh. Displeased, Lord Samus' grip became much tighter, demanding an explanation on what he found so funny. Yet, Kang-Min didn't respond, still choosing to laugh hysterically instead.
"You insufferable fool! Fine, have it your way!"
Fed up, Lord Samus opened Guanyin's hand as his old rival sank into its large golden palm, leaving only his head and torso exposed. His hand then phased through Kang-Min's chest, attempting to search his soul.
Using a high-level technique that could view the entire history of a person if done correctly. Now it was his turn for maniacal laughter as he was finally about to deal with the thorn in his side. However, in this instance, there was nothing to be found as his initial pleasure soured.
" Your soul, where is it!?"
Lord Samus asked frantically as Kang-Min finally spoke with a cryptic response,
" Until we meet again..."
With that said, he seamlessly reverted into a lifeless puppet. Dumbfounded Lord Samus was at a loss for words. Enraged for being duped, he crushed the wooden figure, letting out a blood-curdling roar that could be heard and felt for km's.
Taking in a few deep breaths, Lord Samus regained the composure that came alongside being a Stage 5 Grandmaster. Looking down, the Blood Sanctum remained standing. With the majority of the damage nowhere to be seen. Since most of his output was wasted in the Kang-Min illusion.
' It must've occurred when we first locked eyes.'
Lord Samus reflected on the moment they first encountered each other, after a century of purposely avoiding one another. Concluding that he prepared the illusion before setting out onto the battlefield. There were still pieces missing that he couldn't quite connect. Leaving his gripe with an old foe for another time, he was ready to finally put an end to Zeke.
However, Lord Samus didn't sense Zeke inside the Blood Sanctum anymore. Long before Zeke was even conceived. Lord Samus had implemented a system where any of his offspring would be born with a meticulous tracking seal, only known to him. Gazing into the horizon, Lord Samus quickly obtained Zeke's trail. To his surprise, Zeke had traveled an unbelievable distance in such a short period.
' You little rat, no matter how far you go to the ends of the earth to escape me. You'll forever be under my watchful eyes.'
Deactivating his ultimate technique, which could only be properly utilized once he was stationary. Lord Samus then sped off alongside his vigilant teal orb.
Meanwhile, above the clouds, a Griffon was flying at a staggering speed with someone wearing a tattered red and black robe. Having short black hair, golden eyes, and bronze skin. Zeke clutched tightly onto its backside.
Heading towards the Northern region, not deviating from his original plan. It had been at least 3 hours since Zeke left the Blood Sanctum. Once Lord Samus broke free from Kang-Min's trap, he mistakenly assumed that no more than several seconds had gone by in the realm of reality.
His assumption stemmed from immediately being met with an opportunistic attempt on his life after snapping out of it.
Yet, in all actuality, one second inside the illusion equated to a minute in the outside world. Meaning that Kang-Min had intentionally halted his blade until his target regained consciousness, buying some much-needed time.
Initially, Zeke intended to have Kang-Min go for the kill right away but decided differently when informed of his drinking buddy's limitations.
" Zeke, that sounds like a solid enough plan, considering your limited options. However, illusions aren't exactly in my usual wheelhouse. So, the moment I launch an attack, he'll notice a discrepancy within. Or he'll automatically awake to defend, once his first protective layer is cut into."
Zeke recalled the words of the Stage 5 Grandmaster, whom he abruptly summoned. Having a sizeable collection of unique and powerful divine artifacts that spanned over his 141 years of living. Accessing his spatial pouch. Zeke had prepared a rare level 5 divine scroll, capable of instantly summoning any consenting signatures from its enchanted parchment. Kang-Min came to mind, being the most powerful and dependable contact that he could call upon.
Signing a binding Oath Mantra between the two after winning a drunken-fueled bet against him, years ago. The sworn oath would burn the soul of whoever didn't uphold their side. This sole reason was why he could rely on such a fickle man, after being backstabbed by his sect.
The Griffon he now flew was one of the few that could be relied on without any strings attached, known as one of the fastest mystical beasts. It was about 6 times faster than traveling underground, using the Earth Dragon technique. After a change in plans, Zeke decided it was either now or never when it came to summoning the Griffon he named Blue.
The downside lay with how External Energy spread like a wildfire in the open air, making it less ideal for a covert escape.
After a while, another hour went by, getting closer to reaching one of his secret bases, tucked away at the Northern border. The sun had almost completely set, with Zeke taking a second to admire the fusion of orange and blue fading out into the cloudy background. In that slight instance, all his present worries and doubts became muted.
Yet, he couldn't help but think about the future as an eerie premonition crept to mind, sending a chill down his spine. Feeling a bad case of DeJa'Vu, Zeke immediately reacted by popping a greenish pill called Devil's Miracle admis trying to deactivate his summon of Blue.
A maelstrom of fireballs parted the clouds from below, clipping Blue's left wing. Forcefully tearing the pair apart, while Blue desperately tried to extinguish the burning flame. Free-falling, the pill he swallowed started to take effect instantly.
Soon, a surge of internal energy flooded Zeke's spiritual root. This caused a wave of crimson aura to involuntarily leak out as his inside felt like an overblown balloon about to burst. Bursting through the ceilings of Disciple and Master, Zeke miraculously vaulted into the upper echelon of Grandmaster.
However, this so-called miracle drug could only keep the user in this heightened state for a minute at best. Accompanied by the major side effects of possibly permanently damaging the meridian veins, leading to Qi deviation or crippling a martial artist's cultivation base in the worst-case scenarios.
Following up on his first attack, Lord Samus rocketed from the clouds into his line of sight. Twisting in the air, Zeke pulled a black and silver scabbard from his spatial pouch. Separated by only tens of meters before they collided. Zeke held onto the hilt, gathering all his newfound power into the sheathed samurai sword.
" 8th cycle, Crescent Moon."
Zeke whispered, unsheathing the white colored, divine sword, in one quick motion. The surrounding clouds dispersed as he sliced nothing but air before unleashing a blinding white light.
Caught off guard, Lord Samus stopped in his tracks, attempting to cover his eyes. However, it was too late as the enormous Qi slash hit its mark horizontally. While Lord Samus was barely able to shield himself with his two hands pushed outward. As the unrelenting energy threatened to send him crashing downward while he struggled to hold his ground in the sky. Caught in a stalemate, Zeke floated above. Swiftly, his drawn sword blurred, tracing the outline of a large circle.
"1st cycle, New Moon."
Resembling the technique's name, a large circular beam of Qi shot down like a cannon, effectively combining with the 8th cycle. The back and forth allotted between them was soon broken as Lord Samus finally relented under the magnitude of sheer pressure.
" You, mangy mut!"
Lord Samus yelled, plummeting to the earth as the combined attack maintained its deadly form. Becoming nothing more than a twinkle in the night as the sun finished setting.