This sword had its origins in the northern parts of the continent and was generally referred to as a ‘kaskara’ similar to [Swift Blade’s] name. Clearly his parents had been sword enthusiasts given the name they gave him. As he pulled the sword from the sheath, it radiated a violent piercing aura that momentarily tore a hole in the sky! The clouds were parted and for a few seconds, no rain fell around Kaskara and Kasi.

Kaskara did not waste any more time and with a swing, a thick wave of sword energy arced towards Kasi as if a thunderstorm descending from the sky. Kasi quickly blocked this blow with his conjured energy sword but he was pushed back a great distance until he was out of the dry circle causing the rain fall on him once again.

“What strength?”

“Can I even block that?”

“Is the old man in trouble?” Several exclamations rang from the sidelines. At this point most of the weaker assassins had already been taken care of. Warriors below the [Sky Body realm] were not a threat to most of Kato’s followers.

As Kaskara and Kasi exchanged blows, their vast experience in single combat was immediately clear. Each attack seemed to lead into the next amplifying the power and effectiveness of subsequent blows. All the accumulated power converged in their last clash where Kasi was pushed back once again. He was at a disadvantage!

“Will you still keep battling with an energy blade? Do you take this battle seriously at all? Let me see your true sword!”

Kaskara’s sword was indeed a major reason he held an advantage over Kasi. This ‘kaskara’ sword was named the Demon Extermination Sword. It was forged from the bones of a rare demonic beast occupying the Great River, the North River Dragon Crocodile; an ancient crocodilian beast that had the bloodline of dragons. The sword’s forgers also used Meteorite Genium, a metal that fell from the heavens, to supplement this sword.

The meteorite containing this metal landed on Mt. Rono, a Ghost Mountain in the Northern lands, and this in turn contaminated the Meteorite Genium metal. Therefore, both of these materials were considered to be of an ‘evil’ nature. The sword contained the boundless hatred of the Dragon Crocodile towards its killers and the endless coldness of the Mt. Rono Ghost Clan within it.

This sword was also referred to as the Sword of Extermination because of its effect in battle. This was a sword that could shave off lifespan even through a minor scratch. The combined ‘evil nature’ from the Ghost Clan’s and the Dragon Crocodile’s influence would devour the opponent’s life force once they were struck by this blade. This was the second major reason Kasi found himself at a disadvantage.

Although the old man did not accurately remember his age, he could approximate it to at least 200 years old! This was a man who had seen and lived through Muwawa’s golden age alongside Kagona. However, even he could not avoid getting some minor cuts during the countless blows exchanged with Kaskara. These small cuts shaved away at Kasi’s remaining short lifespan. In his old age, Kasi’s body had naturally slowed down. He was no longer untouchable.

He could not compare to his prime where many labeled him a ‘Speed Demon’ for his fast speed.

“Sigh, I have really gotten old.”

“Young man, what sword is that? Seeing its strength, it must have an illustrious name!” After momentarily lamenting about his state, Kasi seemed a little bit interested as he asked about Kaskara’s sword. This was the first time in the battle that Kaskara saw the old man show some form of interest.

“Old man you are still being stubborn? You don’t want to use your true sword? You won’t be able to ‘see’ my blade in your current state. This sword’s will is invisible and undetectable making it harder to block until the last instance. It’s an ‘evil sword’ made from demons to slay demons, the Demon Extermination Sword!”

The Demon Extermination sword was sheathed in a special shield due to its corrosive properties that most warriors could not defend against including the user. However, there were some special physiques in this world such as the Demon Descent Physique and the Holy Demon Slaughtering Physique that would allow one to wield the Blade of Extermination and use Demon Slaying techniques without being corrupted by the sword.

“Hooooo, the Demon Extermination Sword.” Hearing the old man’s relaxed tone, Kaskara felt the annoyance at being underestimated that even made his neck itchy throughout the fight burst out in full fury.

“No more games!” With a shout, Kaskara decided to unleash his true power on the old man.

“3 Sword Steps of Demon Extermination: 1st Step – The Step of Belief.”

As he finished those words, Kaskara’s sword clashed against Kasi’s. He had moved only one step yet he covered the dozens of meters separating him and Kasi. As the sword came down towards Kasi and even before the two clashed, everything in the 50 meter region around the two fighters was turned to ash. Once the swords clashed, even Kasi had to use both of his arms to withstand the blow but he still found his feet sinking deep into the ground. This was followed by the ground itself turning into a concave shape as a deep hole the width of a large field formed with both the combatants located at the center.

“2nd Step – The Step of Calling.”

With a sideways swing of his sword, a river of sword energy poured upon Kasi decimating everything in its path.

“No way! What strength!”

“Is the old man going to be okay?!”

As the spectators watched, they were shocked by each of Kaskara’s blows that seemed to change the terrain greatly. Each of his sword swings dug wide gullies into the earth changing the terrain to almost look like a valley. Following the 2nd Sword Step, a wide channel formed in the earth extending away from the deep hole. The sword energy overturned the soil and split the earth forming a massive crack in the area that continued on into the distance all the way to the waters at the shores of the island.

On the other end of the channel, the water from the lake poured into the channel forming a temporary river that flowed all the way from the lake to the deep hole. This small river was already over a kilometer long illustrating the might of Kaskara’s sword. Kasi could not be seen anymore but as the smoke, dust, and mist cleared, a blue circular force field could be seen in the water.

Within the bubble of energy surrounded by the lake water, Kaskara could see old man Kasi holding a writing brush.

“Is he joking! Does he intend to use a brush to fight?”

“3rd Step – The Step of Devotion!” With a shout Kaskara shot off like a missile towards old man Kasi and launched himself into the water aiming at the energy force field.