RUMBLE!
The land shook. It may very well have been the end of the world for the people in that region given its intensity. The dark heavy clouds that formed in the skies above the region were ominous as well. The storm that had risen out of seemingly nowhere was a source of great terror to the mortals that were, unfortunately, enough to be in the region.
Yet none of them compared to the forces at the epicenter of all the maelstrom. A blade made up of wind rested in the skies as if it belonged there. It was an unbelievable sight. If the residents of the region focused hard enough, they could swear that they caught an image of an elderly woman through the illusion, yet it was difficult to say.
It didn't help that their attention was divided between it and the opposing fortress in the sky.
None of them understood what was happening.
No, they could only helplessly pray that the gods ceased their wrath.
Master Uma inhaled deeply as she activated a breathing technique, before timing her exhalation with seemingly strange arm movements. Her arms churned against the wind drifts that her powerful breath created, creating countless sharp blades of wind that coalesced to form what resembled a hurricane in its totality.
One moment, it merely loomed over them. A moment later, it surged towards Master Deivon as though it had come to life.
Yet he was unfazed.
His eyes narrowed as he straightened his stance, shielding himself with arms with balled fists while his legs planted themselves into the sky, unyielding.
BOOM!!!
The attack crashed into him, generating a mighty wind blast that spread as far as the eye could see. The sheer force of the generated wind blasts shredding everything within a five-kilometer radius.
Had they not elevated their conflicts to the skies high above them, it would wiped out all life within a certain radius. Yet the two Martial Masters abided by the unspoken rule of the higher Realms to not tangle ordinary humans into their conflict. It was beneath them.
The dust cleared and the outcome became evident.
Master Deivon's stance had not so much as budged. Had Rui been there he would have recognized the stance as the Sanchin Kata, a stance in many styles of Karate that focused on stability of defense. Back on Earth, it was a stance that was only suitable under highly specific circumstances and was obsolete in the UFC, but here in Gaia, Master Deivon had made it the foundation of his defensive Shackling Fortress style.
Master Uma narrowed her eyes with a displeased expression. She had not expected Master Deivon to be able to withstand that attack that well.
"It appears that I underestimated you," She murmured. "The gap in our status within the Theocracy is greater than the gap in our Martial prowess."
"Flattery isn't going to get you anywhere." Master Deivon coldly remarked. "You're going nowhere. You will remain here, as long as needed to ensure that the boy is completely out of your reach. I will personally hold you here even if costs me my life."
Master Uma stared at him impassively as she considered her circumstances.
It was unfortunate, however, that she was at a disadvantage when it came to the Virodhabhasa.
She was confident that she could defeat Master Deivon by the end of their battle. There was no doubt about this, they both knew that she was stronger. The issue was that this was not a Martial Contest. She did not give a damn about winning against him.
She was there to collect His Godship and isolate themselves as she maximized his potential and molded his mind to match the Virodhabhasa, even if it came at the cost of his current self.
He was fighting to prevent that from happening. The inevitable outcome of the battle did not matter to either of them. What mattered most was whether she would be able to overcome him in time to catch His Godship.
'I won't... Not at this rate...' It was frustrating to admit, but Master Deivon was more than strong enough to prolong the battle for quite some time. She estimated that it would be quite some time before she overcame his defenses and put him down. As Martial Masters, they tapped into power beyond merely the body, they could on for much longer than Martial Artists of the Lower Realms.
This was a highly undesirable outcome.
With every step that Rui took away from her, the area within which he could be increased exponentially. If she took too long to overcome Master Deivon, then by the time she began chasing after Rui, the possible areas within which he could be at the moment would have far exceeded what she could realistically search and hope to find him within.
She had seen the speed at which he sprinted away. If he could maintain even half that speed for even a portion of an extended fight, then the area within which he could possibly be would exceed that of multiple large countries put together.
She had already tried taking down Master Deivon with powerful extravagant attacks, but his defenses were solid enough for him to ignore the wounds. She did not want to test his ability to be a meatshield all day long.
Instead, she chose the more pragmatic approach of simply bypassing him altogether.
BOOM!!!
A powerful hurricane made up of slicing wind converged into Master Deivon once again, releasing an extraordinary wind blast.
Yet Master Uma didn't even care to register the outcome.
She immediately activated her greatest maneuvering and supplementary techniques, accelerating to speeds that exceeded even that of lightning itself.
And yet...
BAM!
Master Deivon speedily appeared before her, using her own momentum to inflict damage on her as she crashed into him.
She glared at him in anger. "Get out of my way!"
"Hehehe..." Master Deivon grinned wildly. "I'm afraid not. My Martial Art is centered around the concept of an oppressive defense. Hard to hurt. Even harder to get rid of. I shackle my foes with my defense and take them down after I have thoroughly worn them down."
Master Uma gritted her teeth as she unleashed an onslaught of power to take down the tenacious Martial Master as quickly as possible!
The battle scarred the region as it escalated in intensity.
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