The Snowdrifts gripped their weapons in alarm as cold sweat rolled down their faces. Especially Kairos, Jim, Edward, and Alan, the four of them are ready to jump in at any time. Even if the promotion trial fails, they must save their sworn brother.

Besides them, the Frosthral soldiers are just as riled up.

It’s impossible to stay indifferent when the majority of them had pinned their hopes on Tommy succeeding, if he failed now then things will revert back to before and there will be a battle to the death.

They looked with trepidation as Tommy struggled against the invisible power purely with the strength of his body. Even under the effects of the defensive technique Eternal Empyrean that temporary boosted his resilience, he was barely hanging on.

On the side, the one who caused this situation, Red Blade, fared no better as he whizzed in exhaustion.

*KAH!*

The next moment, Tommy coughed out a large mouthful of blood as his face turned paler by a few shades.

However, an unexpected shout came from within the Frosthral ranks, “Good! Hurry and die, you Saint Empire vermin!”

It was a dry and crackling voice and without much strength, but it carried the words to everyone’s ears.

“Who said that?!”

Before the Snowdrifts reacted, an angry roar erupted from the Frosthral frontline troops.

Kairos and his brothers also turned their eyes at the source of the voice and in an instant they found someone lying on the edge of the battleground looking half-roasted half-charred but with a wide smirk on his face.

He was the one that pushed his comrade forward to test Tommy’s strength but was scorched by the black plasma previously.

Although he still couldn’t move an inch with his body in this condition, he had recovered enough to shout. The recovery strength of an External Practitioner cannot be underestimated.

“Wiiii heh hehehe… Hahaha,” blackened by soot and blood flowing out from cracked scabs, he laughed unreservedly.

“What’s so funny?” the Frosthral barbarian that shouted angrily at him turned grim and stared at this person who had become unrecognisable yet still not forgetting to stay impudent.

A murderous intent stirred in his heart.

“Why? Did I do anything wrong for laughing at you? All of you are laughingstocks! You support an invader of our lands. Do you not feel shame?”

The words struck home and quite a few turns pink-faced quiet at his rebuke.

“But he said… he will lead us to unite the world?”

“Ridiculous! Utter nonsense. Are you children who believes in fairy tales?”

Hearing these words, everyone in the crowd suddenly have something to say. Some of them believed in what Tommy said and refused to think otherwise. They might be brave men who are fearless in battle, but given a chance to live, who would want to die?

A few still have reason about their heads. They know that Tommy had not promise them anything ridiculous – not even guaranteeing their lives or the lives of their families. He didn’t pretend he wanted to stop the war, nor did he say he will represent their new feudal state.

Instead, what he said was very believable, and his aim was admirable.

They might be barbarians, but that is their way of living and it doesn’t deprive them of a brain.

By now it is famous that the Devilheart family had taken over Saint Empire and are targeting the Snowdrifts. Because of this, the barbarians felt that the ambition to unite Gaia was no lie.

Of course, if anyone else had told them that, they would laugh off their teeth, but Tommy had proven his mettle in battle and had promised with the Snowdrifts’ name.

Who in Gaia had not heard of how the leader of the Snowdrifts went deep into the Silent Lambs Empire with a few dozen companions and nearly crippled the entire country?

Even if they didn’t, what about the frightening formations and the strange weapons they faced first hand?

At the very least, they had experienced the stalemate between Esley and Daichin at the frontlines, until the Snowdrifts arrive and overturned the situation, delivering the utter defeat to the Frosthral Feudal State.

The rest of them are either neutral, because they didn’t care or didn’t understand what’s going on, or they were taken in by what the charred man said.

“Fools! Whether to believe him or not is up to you, but remember I warned you. This man is a charlatan who will make all of you traitors! No doubt even his identity is a sham, the real child from Avalon must’ve died long ago.”

“He’s right, this might be their plot.”

“Those Saint Empire curs!”

More than a few were stirred by his words, and they quickly helped him up.

One of them took out a healing pill and offered him, but he stopped the hand, “I am a true barbarian, bound by honour and the traditions of our ancestors. More importantly, I am one of you! I shall not leave this trial until the last of us steps of the field, therefore this one humbly declines your generosity.”

“He’s a true warrior.”

“Even in this condition, he wouldn’t budge. Those that wanted to give in should be ashamed.”

There were grunts of approval over what the charred man said, and voices of opposition become smaller.

The two other groups are not so obstinate as to protect what they thought as if it was their beliefs.

Everything happened in full view of the Snowdrifts.

While Tommy struggled to protect himself, the man tried to draw support from the others.

He treated Tommy as his stepping stone and in fact it is his idea to do so after all, if he managed to get a group to follow him, then he might finally get both prestige and status.

Jim was the first one to jump out.

“I’m gonna beat his ass!”

“Hold on,” Alan grabbed the arm of his brother before he could do something wrong, “He looks plenty beaten up already.”

“His mouth doesn’t look crooked enough for him to continue sprouting those nonsenses!” Edward said jumping out after Jim.

“Wait,” Alan said as his hand shot out grabbing Edward as well.

Kairos nodded secretly at his friend. The once super easy-going Alan had matured and become sensible. They couldn’t disrupt the promotion trial lightly. Not when Tommy is suffering to succeed.

“Don’t hold us back! I’m gonna knock him unconscious!”

“And I’ll tear that mouth off!”

Alan smiled gently without budging, “You guys don’t understand that it’s a good thing he could still talk.”

The two guys turned and look at their brother for meaning.

“Because… he can scream for mercy when I get him! I’LL GO FIRST! Watch out for my evildoer decimation KICK!”

Alan leapt into the air feet-first towards his target, however…

*AIYAH*

Somewhere behind the charred man was a flying kick that was intercepted by another flying kick.

The speed was so fast that others only briefly saw two figures flash across the sky and then Alan landed right back where he had jumped out from except, he was headfirst into the ground.

Meanwhile, Kairos’ figure flickered into view as he dusted off the sand he stirred up, “This is how a real decimation kick looked. Anyone else need a demonstration?”

Edward and Jim quickly shook their heads.

Kairos smiled widely and nodded, “Good, then let’s continue observing without spoiling the promotion trial.”

*ARGAhahaheuhaurarhuharhuhahuuhaa*

Another ear-piercing scream reverberated the surrounding.

Alan, Jim, and Edward couldn’t help but shiver: “Are we still in observation mode when he’s making those dying-pig-squeals?”

*HUA*

As they were talking, whatever was harming Tommy suddenly exploded into a sudden blast of wind that smashed into Tommy like a hammer.

He flew in a seemingly random direction, but another earsplitting scream escaped from his throat as he twitched and struggled with excruciating pain in mid-air. In this moment Tommy felt as though countless blades were trying to turn him into mince.

The pressure is smaller this time, but every part of his body was being shredded.

Fortunately, a wave of life energy was drawn out from the Yggdrasil fruit hidden in him and he felt instant relief as a cooling sensation flooded his body.

A few breaths later, this invisible pocket of torture exploded and sent him on another random trajectory but as expected, he encountered another attack halfway.

This time, his mind finally had a moment of clarity amidst the pain.

Tommy could tell that his foe is stronger than even the Barbarian War Lord, Daichin. The reason that such an exceptional individual had remained unknown is a mystery. Furthermore, he is confused by the identity of the phantom attacks, but he just isn’t in the condition to figure mysteries. External practitioners are quite unlike Internal Cultivators at being limited in their modes of attack.

“What in DAMNATION are these freaking phantom attacks?! And why is it so painfullll!”

No doubt for someone with a Dharma Constitution it is like an instant defence boost but if given a choice…

Tommy gritted his teeth as the wind lashed out at him like countless whips while he thought of a way out.

After reaching S rank, he could drift across vast distances using his Ki, but to twist and turn in the air in order to avoid invisible booby-traps is still out of his league.

Although the damage is something he could cope with his Titan Physique, the agony is paralysing. And, if he takes a few more hits from this strange attack, even the resilience of his physique would crumble.

As a Titan ranked fighter himself, Red Blade knows intimately that there are not many wounds that could bring down a fighter like Tommy and resorted to slowly whittling down his defences.

A third blast occurred as expected and Tommy felt himself carried away by a heavy blow, but this time he was ready.

He struck downwards with a Ki-infused punch and forcefully altered his flying trajectory with a flip. However, the next phantom attack was placed closely, and his right leg was still caught as he fell to safety. It got him at a bad place turning his leg numb.

He looked down and saw blood pouring out of the countless cuts on his leg, as though a butcher had been trying to severe his limb, but all he felt was relief.

“You’re at the fourth form of Blade mastery?” Tommy asked as he struggled to keep himself standing. “Fourth Stage Blade Master,” Red Blade corrected in between deep breaths.

“I see, and those phantom attacks were your blade intent?”

The Red Blade’s silence was his answer. Tommy looked around without daring to take a step. He had felt when they clashed previously that Red Blade is far more dangerous than Swordy and Sword Slave’s combined might, but he had contributed it to his foe’s higher cultivation and the blade’s characteristics.

A sword is a gentleman’s weapon and will always be less ferocious than a blade.

Now he understands that it is also because his current foe’s weapon mastery is higher than the two Sword Masters.

When Red Blade was chasing him, Tommy had purposely avoided the attacks at right angles to prevent the long-ranged blade intents from cutting him down, but he did not realise that those attacks had lingered until he fell right into the midst of one.

Even though he couldn’t see anything, he felt surrounded by countless blades.

“The fourth form of the blade,” he muttered to himself as he realised something.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out what happened. The fourth form of blade is called Spirit Blade like how Sword Mastery is classified. After all, the two weapons are plenty similar.

The inner cultivation version of Spirit Blade allows the user to send out Blade Ki and retrieve it at will. For external cultivators who are not adapt at projecting Ki, they unleash blade intent with every strike at the third form - Soul Blade - while gaining the ability to let their blade intent persist after reaching the fourth form – Spirit Blade.

To be able to maintain so many amassed blade intents shows the degree of proficiency Red Blade has with his weapon; He is endlessly close to the fifth form of the blade.

Tommy looked at the huffing and bloodied Blade Master saying, “You don’t look like you can continue.”

“Enough to defeat you. But you still have a chance. If you can break through this mine field to me in time, you win.”

Saying so, Red Blade started gathering the leftover vestiges of his Ki into his treasured blade.

When this move is unleashed, he would’ve won. If Tommy could stop him before that, then he would lose.

“In that case…,” Tommy nodded.

He felt that the need for conversation is over and closed his eyes gathering his strength as well. In a moment, his Origin Energy coursed through his entire body filling him up with power.

He is in not much better condition than Red Blade, and both of them knows that the only chance at victory lies at ending this with a single blow.

The world stilled as a luminous white light warmly shone from Tommy as words flowed out of him quiet as falling feathers, yet everyone could clearly hear.

Spirits of nature dwelth within me.

I am the harbinger of the thunderous night, of the cold winds and of the frozen north.

Restrain my fists that cannot be contained by time and space lest all mortals perish by my wrath.

Lay waste to all creations for I am the West Autumn, Byakko

His poem brought them into a trance. Red Blade, the Snowdrifts, even the charred man, all who heard his words saw the image of a warrior god descend from the heavens accompanied by a furious blizzard. That venerable one held the power to destroy worlds in his hands as his hard gaze fell upon the unworthy. In that moment all who beheld him felt his urge for a fight and they were terrified.

Because, in his wrath none will be spared.

The strange vision disappeared like an illusion and they snapped back to reality.

Without warning, the weather had turned dangerously cold as thunderclouds rumbled from above.

Then, a clap of thunder brought about squalls of hail and lightning.

The might of the blizzard instantly forced those who were barely hanging on to be out of the trial.

Those helping the charred man stand were forced to let go and shield themselves. A black patch flew across the snowy fields and rolled into a giant snowball that continued its way.

Vision became impossible by this point, and the cold sapped the soldiers’ strength while the hail whittles down the rest of their Ki barriers.

An occasional lightning brought up the number of defeated, and its frequency is still increasing from a single strike per minute to a dozen. Pillars of forked electricity smashed those that were unfortunate and sent them flying. Every strike roared with fury causing those that managed to stay safe to shake in their boots, thinking that the next one might be them.

At the same time, Red Blade unleashed his own technique.

He hasn’t powered it to the maximum but seeing the condition around him he didn’t have the chance.

Like a furious whirlwind, he slashed downwards, aiming at Tommy from fifty paces away but whether this attack is enough will be left to luck.

Blade intent rushed out of his weapon like an unending stream. It weaved left and right like a serpent. When it touched the invisible pockets of blade intent in the way, it grew larger and more dangerous.

By the time it came close to Tommy it had grew as wide as a house.

Although it this not at his full power, the attack already reached the level of a normal Peak Triple S ranker.

Right before it struck, Tommy slowly opened his eyes.

There is no longer just a blue glimmer or a white light, but fully sparkling blue tiger eyes.

The black ink of a tiger that always appears with his Secret Art activation now looked so real that it looks ready to pounce at any moment.

“Gather!” he roared.

The terrifying blizzard obeyed like a hurried servant and turned into a crystal-clear sphere on top of his palm in an instant.

The rumbling of thunder and falling of snow carried on with the same intensity but was contained in such a small space.

At once, it was both majestic and beautiful.

And then the blade intent serpent struck.