A New Contender

At this point, the arena had changed from the fields of the forests to the darkness of the cave systems below us. We had broken up the area so that we were several layers below surface levels. And the caves provided the best thing for me to continue the fight.

The spell that rushed out from my blade was intertwined with the second half of the last attack. Saltwater and fire clashed through the area as I found the opening thread to take Bryan down. The Element of Darkness helped spread the power out to every zodiac symbol.

Even Bryan's second scythe wasn't strong enough to stop me as I took the stab right in the side. The Words Of the World nullified the pain for me, and I could heal while the wound was being made. Unfortunately, this act gave the illusion that my flesh was impenetrable. The Slayer was caught by surprise.

"No way! My scythe should have pierced your flesh by now! How strong is your body?!" asked Bryan as he witnessed the blade bouncing off.

These several explosions and clashes shook the entire forest, even if we were underground. And the noise caused the guardians of the area to arrive. Both of us were caught off guard as a prominent figure appeared before us.

I could only see a cloud of dust in my vision before being launched away. Even Bryan got pushed back. But both of our spells are still active, as flames, light, and water streams were dancing around the area. So I was still dodging the zodiacs while Bryan was busy dodging the streams of darkness.

And now, we had to deal with this new individual. I couldn't make out who was this busybody was, so I tried my best to get away from the figure. But unfortunately, the area was pitch black, and the voice had activated my night vision. The figure was of plump body size and curly, short hair.

The man had tanned skin and was armed with a belt full of Kunais. His face was still obscured as his fringe was covering his eyes. But as for the true identity for this entity... Again, I'm relying on you, Words Of the World!

"Very well. Commencing Analysis of the new signal."

"You've taken things too far. Time for your timeouts, kids," spoke the figure, stopping Bryan and me concurrently.

Wait, what?! Did... Did this oversized man catch both of our blades at once? I was swinging my blade with everything I had to destroy the Libra Zodiac, and that dude grabbed my sword out of nowhere! I wanted to curse so badly as I got thrown off balance.

And it seems that Bryan wasn't doing any better either. And when the Slayer got a clear vision of who had grabbed his blades, I could see Bryan's face lose all color. I didn't know Bryan could be paler than his normal complexion. I saw the Slayer's mouth open for a moment.

After grabbing our weapons, the unknown man slammed our weapons into the ground. This sudden movement forced both of us down onto the floor. It wasn't enjoyable for me but more so for Bryan since his arm was twisted in a way not humanely possible.

Hell, I felt the pain for him after seeing his body contort in such a manner. And to top it all off, the guy had slammed Bryan's body downwards. I swear I could've heard his spine snap! Bryan was instantly knocked out cold. I was now worried because this enemy was still unknown to me.

Sparkling dust began to appear from the opponent's hands, and all of us were engulfed by a massive blanket of light. My vision was blinded as a colossal beam of light appeared. When we came to, I found that I was the first to wake. I quickly summoned my sword to fight the guy.

My breathing was rapid and heavy as I scanned the area to look for the guy. However, I couldn't see anything. It wasn't because the place was too dark. It was the opposite, and bright lights were blinding me. As I turned off the night vision and several notifications, I was in awe.

My jaw dropped as I looked around the vicinity. It was so beautifully mesmerizing. A dark blue blanket had covered the area around us with small holes for the light to shine through. This place was so trippy as both the land and sky were the same.

And there were several streams of dust dancing about the area. I felt that I was in some science fiction movie. Or like those galaxy-themed backgrounds back in my previous life. As I continued gazing at the area, I lowered my blade.