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nIt was now late evening, and the sun had started to set. The flowery ground had now turned into a river of blood.

nThe high resistance of the bodies of the warriors and their high cultivation made them extremely hard to kill, and therefore, for a war of this size to be terminated in a few hours, was impossible. This had forced the battle to go on all day.

nAbout half of Der's army, and a fourth of the enemy army were still standing. Der was only able to employ his knowledge of war to impact the conflict before it would reach of point of all out physical battle, and now that the remaining warriors were fighting in the mud and blood, there was nothing he could do but to take part in it like any other fighter.

nWhile the war's course was going favorably for Der's group, there was something which he could not deny regarding the other general. The champions he had chosen to fight for him were extremely talented fighters, and each of them had cut through the warriors of his army, as if nobody who could stand in their way.

nThe high morale that Der's army had obtained in the successful early stages of the war was now starting to run low, and became lower the more the enemy champions were allowed to fight freely.

nThe tall and thin man with hand claws was amongst the biggest problems within the battlefield. His fighting prowess was impressive, and his skills allowed him to target one fighter after another, and tear them apart before anybody could come to their rescue. Many times had the warriors of Der's army made an attempt to suppress him or killò him, but whenever he was in a dangerous situation, he wouold use one of his own companions as a shield, and escape a moment away fom death.

nWhile his tactics were vicious, his death count was a lot higher than the loss he caused to his own army.

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"That guy is pretty capable.

" Said one of the elite members of the Dominion of the War God to the rest.

nAnother warrior shook his head in disagreement, then said,

"I think he is the weakest of that camp. His strategy is appropriate in the context of war, but we don't fight in armies. What will he do when he'll run out of cannon fodder?

"

n

"I agree with him.

" Said a third warrior while pointing his head at the one who had just spoken.

n

"If that is all there is to him, then I would agree.. But let's watch, something interesting is about to happen.

" Said the first warrior while turning to look at the teenager in simple clothes and armed with brass knuckles, who was dashing through the clashing warriors like an eel in between corals.

nBack in the battlefield, the champion of the enemy's army was dancing through his enemies, cutting one fighter after the other, until something unexpected happened. As he was about to slash the neck of the umpteenth soldier, a fist moved past the terrified warrior who was about to be killed, and reached for his head.

nThe thin man was barely able to deviate the attack by moving his claws in front of his face, before the powerful punch crashed agaisnt them, and pushed him back for ten meters. The impact had forced the claws to be pressed agaisnt his own face, and sink deep enough into his skin to cause three bloody stripes to appear on it. However, that was not the end.

nThe moment the thin man was pushed back, the young warrior pulled his fist back against his chest before moving his feet to an unbelievable speed, and stepping past the soldier whose life he had just saved.

nWith a speed that matched the retreat of the thin man, the young warrior followed his first punch with another one directed at the man's stomach.. but before it could hit, he was forced to pull his punch back in order to avoid the thin man from cutting his hand off with the downwards motion he had forced his right hand to follow.

n

"Such a sneaky weasle.. Your parents should have put a bell on your neck.

" Said the thin man, after licking his blood off of his split lip. His main way to fight was to distrupt the concentration of his enemy, and use his ability in melee fighting to gain the edge. Unfortunately, it appeared that his enemy used the exact same strategy, but that isntead of making use of taunting, simply relied on his impressive concentration.

nInstead of reacting the way the thin man wanted, the young man raised his fists, and placed them in front of his face, leaving only a chink in between them for his eyes to see through. The nerves of his feet tensed only for a few moments before he began to take small leaps in the direction of his adversary.

nOn another part of the battlefield, the two twin knights were engaging against the warriors of Der's army.

nThe original tactic of the two twins was to cover each other's back at any moment. Their coordination was so impressive, that instead of fighting like two warriors, they fought like a single being with four arms, and eyes that covered their bodies. Anyone that had tried to approach them had been slaughtered without exception.

nThat was until the Alesia and Gai'ha had met them in battle.

nThe two of them had immediately guessed what the weak point of the twin knights was. Their coordination was seamless, but that was only thanks to their ability to predict the attacks of their enemies.. An ability they had developed through the hundreds of years of watching out for their sibling.

nUnfortunately for them, Alesia's and Gai'ha's abilities were beyond that of any of the ki warriors that the two knights had ever faced.

nAfter engaging in battle against the two knights for a few seconds, Alesia had been able to separate them through the use of her ranged attacks. These ranged attacks were unavoidable, and distrupted their sight and hearing enough to convince them to separate, and engage on a one versus one battle with the two girls.

nThe only cultivator who was able to imitate Alesia's spiritual attacks on the enemy army, was the last of the five enemy champions.. A short man that emanated a thick spiritual essence that was drastically different from the ki of which the bodies of most other warriors present were filled of.

nThis short man was one of the most known individuals amongst Sand and Blood, and his fame was only comparable to his general, and Der's ability as a commander.

nThe reason why so many people were aware of his existence, was because he was a foreginer.. however, while foreigners were considered a good addition to any army, he was special. For the past thousand years, he had been an outcast of the spiritual faction. He had survived being hunted down by his faction, and once free, he had entered the Dominion of the War God.

nYet, his story was not the most impressive part of him.

nThe spiritual faction had, just like the ki faction, discovered a method to create cultivators made completely out of spiritual essence. After thousands of years of failed attempts, they had come to realize that the only way to allow an individual to cultivate the spirit beyond the ninth rank of cultivation, was to help them cultivate their spirit before their bodies finished forming.

nA person's spirit would be created much faster than a fetus, and before the body could become a trap that would limit the spirit, it was possible for the connection to the spiritual plain to be forced open by the immortal cultivators of the spiritual faction. This, unfortunately, had drastically decreased the birth rate within the spiritual faction's territory, to a point where many women had decided to hide their pregnancies from the faction.

nThese pure spiritual cultivators were deeply connected to the spiritual plain, and thanks to this, they were virtually immortal until the roots of their spirits within the spiritual plain were eradicated. Individuals like this short man were the reason why the fame of the spiritual faction had grown to a point where they were considered amongst the major factions.

nNaturally, that did not mean that their weak physical bodies were invulnerable.

nTo face him, was the dwarf's job. With his massive hammer he was able to counter the elemental attacks that formed as fast as those of an elite member of the elemental faction.

nThe dwarves were a special type of humans that were born with a special affinity to natural mana. While this form of affinity had, unfortunately, deformed their bodies at the moment it was formed, the effect that they would gain from that would allow them to become resistant to the elements, as well as comprehend them more easily.

nThe dwarf that fought as Der's champion was born in Sand and Blood, and therefore, was unable to develop his spirit. On the other hand, that had allowed for his resistance to the elements to develop along with his physical resistance. This had been enough for his kind to be extremely valued when against the rogue immortal cultivators that were employed in Sand and Blood.

nWhile Der and the female archer lead the remaining warriors of the two armies into their opponent's annihilation, the massive general of the enemy faction was facing the blue eyed man.

nThe two were looking at each other, and while on the enemy general's face was an expression of absolute seriousness, on the blue eyed cultivator, was a big and relaxed smile. In his hand was his flask, from which he took small sips while looking at his surroundings. In his other hand, was his unsheathed sword.

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"You were supposed to help me pass the trial of passage. After all I have done for you..

" Said the giant from beneath the thick helmet that made it impossible for others to see his face. His tone did not appear to be detached of emotions, and it was clear that the two shared a past.

nThe blue eyed warrior smiled at the giant, then responded by saying,

"That is true.. You have done a lot to help me grow.

" As he reached the end of this sencence, the smile on his lips detached from the seriousness of his eyes, which opened into two thin slits that accompanied the words,

"..but I have paid my debt. How many people have I killed for you?

"

n

"Tens of thousands.

" Responded the general with a hint of pride.

n

".. tens of thousands..

" said the blue eyed cultivator while looking back at his life. After no longer than ten seconds, his lips curved into another genuine smile, as he said,

"But I have found better company now. People that would rather have a drink with me, than to see me spill blood.

"

nThe general slowly took his massive sword from behind his back, then pointed at the blue eyed warrior, and said,

"You will drink together in the afterlife, after I will spill all of your blood.

"

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"So be it.

" Said the blue eyed man, as he took one last sip out of the flask-shaped spatial container that was filled with his favourite kind of wine, and placed it back on his waist. He then pointed his sword at the massive general, and said,

"One last toast.. to the good old days.

"

nThe fight on all sides enraged, and the champions and generals made the best out of their situation. To lead the two main armies while the rest fought in battle, were Der and the female archer, which sent one order after the other in hope to decrease the deathrate of their army enough to allow their side to gain an advantage in the long run.

nWhenever the female archer had a chance, she would support the warriors that Der was facing, by shooting one arrow after the other from any of his blindspots.

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"I like that girl.

" Said one of the judges while looking at the scantily dressed archer. However, the moment this judge noticed that the others were looking at him with odd expressions, he tried to clarify what he meant by saying,

"S-She clearly picked up from her previous battles that an army needs some sort of order.. Her ability with the bow is also perfect.

"

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"I am more interested in that girl.

" Said a woman covered in a grey pelt, while looking at Gai'ha.

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