Dark Magus Returns

705  A New Generation

Ricktor was beginning to understand the gap between him and Crine, a clan leader of one of the top five clans. Becoming a middle-stage warrior had closed the gap, but only by a fraction of the difference between them.

'Both Murkel and Crine's control over their Qi, it's as if their visual Qi has actually become a part of their power to be used, rather than just focusing on certain moves and techniques. Both of them have focused on the powers their Qi can bring them.

'Murkel with learning the deep properties of the Dark Qi and using it to attract attacks like some type of gravity, and then Crine with his use of his visual water Qi. Neither of these is something that I will be able to learn and apply in this fight, so how am I supposed to win this?'

Not only was he trying to come up with a way to win, but he was still in the middle of the fight with Crine. He was looking at the steps on the floor and he could see areas bubbling.

As the water moved, he reacted at the same time, swinging his sword, crashing through the water before it raised from the ground. Another pillar of spiraling water had come out to hit him, but he swung his sword right through the center, blocking that as well.

'If I keep moving, then it will be hard for him to hit me, and then I might find an opportunity!' Ricktor thought as he started to run in circles. He didn't get far until a wave of water exploded right in front of him.

He had stopped in time, stepping back, but from the side, another large spiral of water had come out. He blocked it with his sword but wasn't able to strike through the water this time.

As he was hit, his legs were being dragged through the water, and they had created a type of wave with the water splitting in two halves by his feet. When the water rose in the air, it looked calm until it stopped as if frozen.

Ricktor noticed it as the attack stopped pushing him back, and he was surrounded by water on either side. He looked ahead at Crine.

"You were never once worried about me, were you?" Ricktor said as he saw the water creeping in.

"Not one bit," Crine said as he closed his hands as if he was clapping them, and the water followed.

It gushed in on Ricktor from both sides, hardening and spiraling in multiple places. It was like several fists coming out right at Ricktor. He blocked around two of them, but he was pounded strongly by the water exploding on his body as it hit.

With each pound, he protected himself with as much Qi as possible, and eventually, the attacks stopped. Ricktor stood there looking strong until he let out a small cough, and blood slipped out from his mouth.

He quickly wiped it away with his sleeve and looked at the red mark left behind.

"What a disappointing sight, seeing my own blood." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Mada was still off to the side, watching everything while on his knees. He hadn't even realized, due to the fight between Ricktor and Crine, that the water spread across the ground no longer reached him. The edge of the water could be seen around a meter ahead.

He couldn't feel the Qi directly, yet his body was still not able to move.

'So it wasn't because of the Qi… it had to be my own body, it just got like that when I felt it… what is wrong with me?'

'Back then, Ricktor had been training so hard every day, and he had finally reached the middle stage, an achievement that not everyone could make, especially at his age. He was so determined to go up against his father, that was what pushed him, and I thought I was the same.'

'Yet now he's the one helping me, he's the one fighting my father, and I'm here doing nothing.' Mada tensed his fist so tight the white of his knuckles could be seen and the veins running up his neck.

His fist quickly unclenched as he started to think of the reality of the situation.

'But what can I do? Even Ricktor, who had managed to reach the middle stage, was unable to do anything against my father. I wasn't able to reach the middle stage like Ricktor, so even if I joined this fight, it would be useless,' Mada thought.

Ricktor, seeing Crine up ahead still in his relaxed state, could tell that even though one might think something like this took up a lot of Qi, it wasn't. Which was why he was still relaxed.

'If anything, he's just swinging his Qi around, he's not even attacking physically. If this is just how painful his visual Qi is, I wonder what his direct attacks are going to be like. I guess he was right when he said I should have put everything into that first attack.'

Ricktor started to gather Qi in his foot and was twisting it in the water. Using his own Erupting Fist Clan's powers, he could see that the water evaporated around the area slightly, but the water was still spewing around him.

'Visual Qi is certainly a very interesting thing that I haven't been able to fully grasp.'

"If you're just going to stand there, then I guess I will have to finish you off. I will then help Murkel get rid of all the others as well." Crine lifted both of his hands and several pillars of water were raised around Ricktor.

There looked to be at least twelve of them, and at the very end, they started to bend inward and were looking down at Ricktor like snake heads from above that had locked onto their prey.

Seeing this, Ricktor reacted as he bent down, lowering his stance, and he placed the sword around his side.

11:30

Mada couldn't believe the situation he was in. He was surrounded by devastating amounts of Qi, and he felt like there was no way he could survive, yet he could see that Ricktor was still trying to fight.

The water all came down toward Ricktor at the same time, and he exploded from his feet. He spun his body, and his sword stayed by his side, slashing all areas of the water Qi. Exploding strength occurred, cutting the water and causing it to fall back to the ground.

Only a few bits of the visual water had hit the top of Ricktor's head before he landed back on the ground again.

"Very good, but I can tell that took a lot out of you," Crine said as water raised from the floor again and was coming right for Ricktor as he had dropped his guard just after finishing his attack.

The water was going through the air and then started to slow down, and stopped falling back to the floor. The water attacks had disappeared, yet the water Qi on the floor and around was still there.

"It took you long enough to finally make a move," Ricktor said as he saw the ripples in the water and could see Mada approaching him.

"I can't do much," Mada said as he was intensely concentrating while walking, similar to as if he was cultivating. "But the two of us come from the same clan, so if there is something he can do, I should at least be able to do something on similar grounds, right?"

Mada was imitating his father's visual Qi and was doing it in a way to at least suppress his father's attacks. He couldn't spread his Qi as far and wide and huge, perhaps couldn't cause attacks to appear like his father could around his opponent.

What he could do was at least use his Qi of the Flowing Force Clan to suppress the visual water Qi around them from being activated.

This is what he was currently doing, creating his own area of small visual Qi, which was stopping his father's work that was so spread out.

"I don't know how long I'll be able to stop him for, and if he uses his attacks, I'll stop them again, so you just need to concentrate on taking my father out," Mada stated.

"You mean you don't want to be the one to do it? I guess this will count as both our handiwork since we couldn't do it alone," Ricktor replied back.

"Hey, save your strength, because after we're done with him, we still have to get rid of your father as well," Mada replied.

"Ha!" A loud chuckle came from Crine. "This is all you can do, my useless son has joined the fight, and now he thinks things have suddenly changed. Just how naive you are. Soon you will be back on the floor. I brought you into this world, and now I'm going to take you out of it!"

"No," Mada said as he readied himself. "Both of us won't fall here. We are a new generation. Everyone on this arena floor is here to get rid of the old and make a change!"

Ricktor looked at Mada. He could tell that he had gained some confidence. He didn't know where from, but it was good to have. There was one thing that always bothered him: Mada had no clue how special he was.

He didn't realize that what he had just done, as an initial stage warrior, in using visual Qi that way, was an amazing feat.

"Let's do this!"