Chapter 52: Percy vs Tang Chen
The Slaughter King sat on his throne as he looked ahead. His hand clenched into a fist was lightly supporting his cheek as his elbow was on the armrest of his throne. His long, grey hair fell over his shoulders as his armor gleamed slightly. His blood-red eyes did not move away from the large doors, as if he was waiting for someone to enter.
He felt much calmer today than other days. His mind, which seemed to split at times and at other times lost in evil, had calmed down a little as he recalled the power that descended upon the Slaughter City a short while ago. He, Tang Chen, as a previous Asura God inheritor, knew the feeling. He had never received a god-bestowed spirit ring, for he was already a titled douluo when he found the Asura God inheritance.
In those years, he had traveled with an old friend and rival, Qian Daoliu. They ended up on the Sea God Island and met Bo Saixi, a woman who was incredibly beautiful, but who was also just as powerful as the two of them. It was said that he, Tang Chen, was invincible on land and Qian Daoliu was invincible in the sky. Bo Saixi, on the other hand, was invincible in the sea. The titled douluo woman had a special martial spirit, after all.
The two of them fell in love, but Bo Saixi had rejected them, saying that she would only serve a God. Tang Chen, in his quest for power and acceptance from the woman, sought out and found a divine inheritance. Sadly, his trials were corrupted by the Rakshasa God, causing him to become the King of Slaughter as his mind slowly degenerated over time.
BANG!
Tang Chen, slightly lost in thought and looking at the ground, raised his gaze slightly to the front. The doors had been forcefully pushed open as Percy, the bloody tyrant, entered the throne room. Tang Chen's red eyes contained a bit of anger, but mostly curiosity. The young man in front of him couldn't be older than thirty, but the intensity of his killing intent and the pressure of soul and spiritual power were undoubtedly powerful, even a bit suffocating.
"I felt the power of the Asura God…" Tang Chen calmly commented as he slowly stood up from his throne. "Are you the new heir?"
"You're much calmer than I thought," Percy commented as he held Anaklusmos, his God-slaying Saber.
Tang Chen decided to smile, it wasn't a big smile, but the curve on his lips was clear.
"My mind is much calmer. I usually have moments of calm, but now it's much better than all these years."
"… So you're more dangerous."
Tang Chen's smile grew a little wider upon hearing that. It seems his opponent was smart. He knew he would have to fight the current heir. He didn't know what missions/tasks he had completed, but Tang Chen was clear that at some point, if the Asura God were to gain another heir, they would have to fight. He, after all, had the god's divine armament. He could barely use the Asura Demonic Sword, perhaps he could use it a few times, but it wouldn't be to the full extent of its power, and he would possibly end up dead after that.
The Asura Demonic Sword was an ultra-divine weapon, so the requirements for using it were too many.
"How many tasks have you completed, heir?"
"Seven," Percy replied.
"Seven... I see... I have no idea what kind of tasks they were, but if they were anything like the ones I completed myself, then you are not someone I can underestimate," as he spoke, a black light appeared on the right hand of Tang Chen, the King of Slaughter. The black light immediately transformed, leaving behind a large, imposing hammer of the clear sky.
Percy's eyebrows relaxed a little, as if he was tired. He knew who Tang Chen was, it was information he received just like Qian Daoliu, but he never knew that the man was the Slaughter King.
"Another member of the Clear Sky Clan," Percy muttered before letting out a sigh.
"Oh? It seems you have fought against my clan members."
Percy's eyes looked at Tang Chen's blood red ones and he nodded: "I killed the exiled Tang Hao, then his son, Tang San and the former's brother, Tang Xiao. Ah, I think there was also a clan elder."
"I think they were directly related to you… grandson and great-grandson?"
Tang Chen frowned before shaking his head. It didn't make sense. At least, not to him. Regardless of the outcome of this battle, he would still end up dead after a few years, perhaps it would happen in less time. He had already completely stepped away from his clan's affairs; he had left everything to the next generation.
And as the King of Slaughter, it wasn't even worth talking about.
"Are you ready?" Percy nodded at the question.
Tang Chen moved at that moment; he took a step forward before his figure disappeared and wind swirled around his previous position. Percy swung his sabre and clashed against the towering Clear Sky Hammer, blocking the blow. For a moment, only the clash of martial spirits could be heard, but then the ground creaked and split in all directions. The ground completely gave way as they fell from the top of the throne room.
The imposing structure they were on trembled completely as they leapt between the falling pieces of ground. The two of them moved like ghosts, leaving only traces of wind behind them. A saber capable of cutting through everything and a hammer capable of crushing everything clashed before separating and meeting again, again and again.
The people in the building immediately moved away, and the two fighters only had eyes for each other. Each of their blows ended in huge cuts and craters everywhere. The rumbling sounds shook the inhabitants of the city of slaughter as the battle moved outside the now destroyed castle.
Suddenly, Percy's gray left eye lit up brightly. Tang Chen narrowed his eyes before letting out a loud growl. His spiritual power had kicked in, preventing Percy's mental attack from going too deep into his mental sea. But it had entered nonetheless, causing a bit of a headache and confusion in his surroundings.
At that moment, a two-colored glow erupted from Percy's feet. Nine spirit rings surged out as he released all the pressure of a titled douluo.
Black, black, black, black, black, black, black, red, and red.
At the same time, Tang Chen had done the same, showing that he had eight black spirit rings and one red one.
Percy's ninth ring lit up before the eighth one did so a second later.
"Eighth Spirit Ability: Devouring Saber!"
Percy's saber was covered in a red aura due to the ninth spirit ability before a black line emerged from its edge due to his eighth ability. Space twisted beneath Anaklusmos's blade before Percy slashed forward. At that moment, space completely gave way and opened up into a trench that traveled forward, swallowing rocks, walls, and everything else.
"Eighth Spiritual Ability: Destroying Hammer!" The Clear Sky Hammer left Tang Chen's hand, spinning through the air before it slammed into the ground. Under the power of the Clear Sky Hammer and its eighth ability, the earth rose up, destroying everything in its path. The ripples of space twisted once more as the earth and the entire Slaughter City constantly trembled as if a magnitude 9 earthquake had occurred.
Percy leaped up and flew, as a titled douluo, he could fly without restraint. And as he approached, he released his Death God Domain. The atmosphere became completely insane and murderous as a white light encased everything around him.
Tang Chen smiled, showing his teeth as he unleashed his own Death God Domain. Both domains collided causing the wind to howl like ghosts of people tortured in the worst of hells.
Percy once again activated his ninth spirit ability and charged forward, releasing unholy black flames that burned the ground and anyone who had stood by to watch the battle to ashes. Muffled screams could be heard before a hell of black fire filled the city of slaughter.
Tang Chen frowned, having seen Percy's ninth spirit ability, but he still didn't understand what it did. The power behind each attack and ability of his opponent was truly incredible, but there were no clues about his ninth spirit ability.
"Is it an ability that accumulates something?" he thought carefully. "Or is it an ability that increases some parameter?"
"But this kid really is amazing. His movements are fine and careful, leaving him with no openings. On top of that, the sharpness of his martial spirit and saber intent makes it not easy to use the nine absolutes of the clear sky."
Tang Chen was brought out of his thoughts when he heard a buzzing sound. He once again saw Percy's saber being surrounded by a red aura, evidencing the activation of his ninth spirit ability. At that moment, the buzzing sound clouded all other sounds and the saber intent flooded the city, causing the hairs on the back of Tang Chen's neck to stand on end.
Suddenly, without him realizing it, he was watching everything in front of him being split in half.
"So it really is a skill that accumulates power!" Tang Chen exclaimed as he swung his Clear Sky Hammer forward. Percy's slash stopped, as if there was an immovable, uncuttable wall in front of him.
"Sixth Spirit Skill: Splitting Hammer!"
Tang Chen disappeared from his position and approached Percy while swinging his hammer. The martial spirit lit up with a black light as wind swirled around him. The air seemed to tremble as the earth split completely. The weight behind that strike seemed greater than that of the splitting hammer, but the attack was straight ahead.
Percy tightened his body muscles and blocked the strike. However, he was blown back, crashing into a wall and destroying it in the process. Tang Chen followed, his hammer struck once more and Percy blocked again while nailing his feet to the ground.
"Tch…" Clicking his tongue, Percy realized what Tang Che was trying to do. And he definitely had to stop him. Tang Chen was not like Tang Hao. If he didn't stop him and used the Wind Splitting Hammer Disorder Technique, he would continue to increase his striking power and he didn't even know if he could stop it.
Percy's second spirit ring activated, causing a red light to appear on Percy's body. At that moment, hundreds of lights appeared above Tang Chen as they spread out like an unmatched, dead-end net. The ground began to cut apart like butter and Tang Chen raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Of course I would know…" Growling, having forgotten that his opponent fought against members of his clan, Tang Chen used his fifth spirit ability. His Clear Sky Hammer released a black light that attached itself to the center of his chest before it spread across his entire body like a slightly transparent armor. The lights that formed the God-killing Net had already reached Tang Chen. The power of each attack was extreme, causing wherever one struck, the armor lost effect, but it still protected Tang Chen so he could move.
Percy closed in at that moment; his fourth spirit ring activated and slashed towards Tang Chen. Confident of his remaining defense, Tang Chan leaped forward. But when Percy's attack came, his eyes widened as he felt the saber cut into his chest and blood sprayed upwards.
Absolute Edge! Percy's fourth spirit ability, capable of ignoring any defense to cut through the enemy. Percy didn't stop, taking advantage of his opponent's surprise, he activated his first spirit ability: Bloody Edge and slashed once more, causing his enemy's speed to be reduced by 50%.
Completely surprised, Tang Chen punched out with his fist, causing Percy to move his head to the side. That single punch, even if it seemed harmless, stirred the wind and its force traveled to the wall behind Percy, decimating the wood. If Percy had decided to block, then he would surely have broken his arm. If it had hit his head, then he would definitely have died.
At that moment, his ninth spirit ability activated once again. He slashed forward and shocked Tang Chen by its power.
At that moment, he realized. Percy had tricked him. His ninth spirit ability increased the power of his next attack, but he had been using it as a bluff to make Tang Chen think it was a buildup of power with each activation. The moment he had attacked with 400% more power, Tang Chen could no longer dodge or block. A gruesome wound opened up on the Slaughter King's abdomen as blood exploded forward before falling like a waterfall towards the ground.
He retreated a few steps, but his hand tightly gripped his Clear Sky Hammer and he stared ahead ferociously.
Percy was about to attack once more, but he felt a bad feeling and leaped into the sky, floating as a red light appeared on the Clear Sky Hammer. The hammer disappeared from his hand so that its giant shadow appeared behind Tang Chen, this time filled with endless killing intent. Strangely, the hammer disappeared soon after, as if it had completely melted. In the blink of an eye, the hammer was no longer there, but instead a giant sword over two meters long appeared.
The sword was blood red in color and shaped like a Dao sword.
At that moment, Percy gritted his teeth at the pressure exerted by that weapon alone. Everything around had turned a blood red color as the sword vibrated as Tang Chen took it in his right hand.
Percy's eyes widened in fear as Tang Chen raised the Asura Demonic Sword with both of his hands and swung it in a downward motion. At that moment, space froze, the sound disappeared, and the killing intent no longer seemed to exist. Suddenly, everything seemed to return to normal as a powerful beam of crimson light exploded from the sword and traveled towards Percy.
Percy's ninth spirit ring activated, followed by the seventh spirit ring. Anaklusmos was now in front of the attack, the character for annihilation emerging alongside the god-slaying domain. The slash that emerged from the spirit avatar of the God-slaying Saber crushed space and impacted the powerful attack of the Asura Demonic Sword. However, the ultra divine weapon's attack didn't split, instead it stopped as if there was a triangle-shaped wall before it began to split into two bit by bit.
Suddenly, an explosion engulfed everything. Red light filled the place after the split lightning bolt cut everything behind Percy. Tang Chen looked ahead, his face covered in sweat and pale, as if he had lost all his blood. His hands trembled as he dropped the Asura Demonic Sword to the ground. The sword touched the ground with the tip of the blade as it entered the ground almost up to the hilt.
Crunch!
Suddenly, Tang Chen froze as a sickening, piercing, and piercing sound filled his ears. A trickle of blood ran down from his mouth to his chin and drops of blood slowly dripped onto the ground. His shocked eyes slowly moved in tandem with his head, staring at his chest. There, right where his heart should be, was now a saber stuck up to the hilt.
"Fifth spirit ability…" Percy's tired voice sounded. Tang Chen raised his head slightly, seeing Percy on one knee on the ground. His right hand was extended forward with two fingers pointing at Tang Chen. However, he was not unharmed. His black robe was destroyed and there was a huge cut that traveled from his right hip to his shoulder, where there used to be a left arm. Blood filled the ground beneath him and trickled down from his shoulder and the wound on the front of his body.
There was no way he could dodge the previous attack, and blocking it without coming out unscathed was just an illusion. The best he could do was to resist as much as he could to gain an opening to deliver a fatal attack.
"Heh…" Tang Chen let out a dry laugh before spitting out blood. "Looks like we're both going to die…"
"I don't know why you accepted the task to inherit the position of the Asura God. I don't know you, but you must have a good reason. There are no people who simply decide to obtain the power of a god for the sake of power alone, they should have a goal for themselves. If they didn't, then they would only be disappointed to discover what the God Realm is like."
"Please… don't underestimate me so much…" Percy sighed in pain before speaking. But after his words, two dark golden wings appeared on his back. Tang Chen's blood began to swirl before traveling towards the wings and being absorbed. Tang Chen could see with the naked eye as the wound on Percy's forehead began to heal. His arm couldn't regenerate, but the wound began to close up soon after.
"I see…" Tang Chen looked up, cursing his existence a little. He would have liked to see the sky for one last time, but he couldn't in this place. After a few moments, he closed his eyes, letting out one last breath.
Percy grimaced as he stood up and heard the same voice in his ears.
"Eighth Trial of the Asura God: Kill Tang Chen as a level 91 titled douluo. Reward: 35% affinity with the Asura God, increase in age of spirit rings by 20,000 years"
"Ninth Trial of the Asura God: Take the Asura Demonic Sword. Maximum time: 182 days. Reward: Affinity with the Asura God, increase in age of all spirit rings by 50,000 years and two levels"
Percy sighed as he sat down and looked at his left arm with a grimace. He had lost a limb, again.
________________________