Zar's lips pursed into thin, straight lines. Then the corners of his mouth curved, a cold smile replacing his impassiveness. "Who am I?" he repeated, his voice carrying a lethally sharp edge. "To have the gall to ask me that after what you did to me… Ha!"
Zar broke into a fit of deranged laughter, his hand hovering over his face, glowing blue eyes peeking through the gaps between his fingers.
However, as if it had all been a facade, his hand lowered, and his expression froze over. His killing intent surged, with his disposition having completely changed.
Then his hand blurred.
"I'll show you exactly who I am," he coldly uttered, his sword cutting through the air at the speed of sound. "Fight with everything you have, Lion kitty. Don't look away. Don't even blink. For if you do—"
"!!!"
'Fast!'
SHING!
"—You won't even know how you died."
[You have invested 500 years of Lifespan into the 'Gale Steps' (Low-Mortal)(Unmastered) Technique.]
[2 Years - (Unmastered) → (Partially Mastered)]
[5 Years - (Partially Mastered) → (Mastered)]
[15 Years - (Mastered) - Evolution! - 'Gale Steps' (Low-Mortal) → Lightning-Quick Galeless Burst (Late-Mortal) (Unmastered)]
[20 Years - (Unmastered) → (Partially Mastered)]
[30 Years - (Partially Mastered) → (Mastered)]
[50 Years - (Mastered) - Evolution! - 'Lightning-Quick Galeless Burst (Late-Mortal) (Mastered)' → Six-Stepped Wind Racer (Mid-Yellow)(Unmastered)]
[70 Years - (Unmastered) → (Partially Mastered)]
[100 Years - (Partially Mastered) → (Mastered)]
[150 Years - (Mastered) - Evolution! - 'Six-Stepped Wind Racer (Mid-Yellow)(Mastered)' → Shadowless Phantom Footwork (Peak-Yellow)(Unmastered)]
A footwork technique that Zar had picked up a while back but never bothered to upgrade from its initial comprehension state was now being force-fed Lifespan. The results of this investment rapidly assimilated with his body, causing a greenish force to flare before coalescing into black, finally transitioning into a purplish color, signifying yet another Evolution.
[250 Years - (Mastered) - Evolution! - 'Shadowless Phantom Footwork (Peak-Yellow)(Mastered)' → Purpledream Mirage Steps (Low-Black)(Unmastered)]
[325 Years - (Unmastered) → (Partially Mastered)]
[410 Years - (Partially Mastered) → (Mastered)]
[500 Years - (Mastered) - Evolution! - 'Purpledream Mirage Steps (Low-Black)(Mastered)' → Linear Jet Propulsion Footwork (Peak-Black)(Unmastered)]
'How is he becoming so fast!?' the Lion Therian internally exclaimed as he exchanged blow after blow with the unknown cloaked man. 'His speed is not only not slowing down, it's increasing at insane rates! What is this??'
SHA! SHA!
Two waves of flames suddenly sliced toward the Lion Therian.
Though he thought little of them at first, just like Zar's speed, their potency experienced abrupt and unexplainable evolutions. The flames shifted from orange to dark red, then to blue, and finally purple, becoming over a hundred times more lethal!
"What sort of sorcery are you using!?" the Lion Therian shouted as he was forced back by the massive impact of the flame waves. "Is this the highest form of Illusion Magic!? If so, then what's your real cultivation!? What you're showing now has already gone beyond the scope of the Core Formation Realm!!"
"You'd like to know, wouldn't you?" Zar remarked. "It's just too bad that I don't feel like telling you."
Veins bulged across the Lightning Therian's head as he forcefully dispelled the raging purple flames. The inferno went from encroaching upon him to razing a hundred trees to the ground. Residual flames spread even further, lighting the whole area ablaze. Violet embers drifted skyward, with smoke challenging the clouds above.
This sight finally snapped the three Grandmasters in Verndale out of their stupors. They quickly vanished from their spots, flying toward the clash of two overwhelming presences.
"Do you two know where you are right now!?" Grandmaster Nero sputtered, his eyes blazing with fury. "A-And what the hell are all those things!?" he blurted out, staring at the over 100 Core Formation Realm shadowy creatures standing like an organized army, awaiting an order.
Zar briefly glanced at the newcomers, paying a little more attention to the Panther Therian, Grandmaster Nero. "How interesting," he mused. "So these are the bigwigs. But I do wonder where the Mayor is right now?"
Unleashing his newly refined Divine Sense, Zar quickly found Mayor Verndale. The man was hiding in his lavish mansion, cowering from the terrifying auras that had suddenly appeared.
"What trash," Zar cursed, his speed and attack potency still reaching the limits of their corresponding Cultivation Techniques. "You're not like him, though, are you?"
The Lion Therian, who had been constantly put on the defensive, found himself incensed by the icy taunts of the unknown cloaked figure. Finally unable to take it anymore, he let loose, unleashing the full extent of his cultivation base.
OOOM!
The Nascent Soul Realm Unleashed!