Chapter 1413: Test [1]
The Four Seasons Sword Technique did not belong to Void Palace.
Instead, it was the unique skill of the Krone Clan, a comprehensive representation of their understanding of Time Laws.
It was, as its name implies, split into four techniques, each with a power different from its peers.
Spring was the first of those techniques.
It represented the season of rising. A season of birth, a season of light, a season of life.
Spring was the start of the cycle, the blooming of all things that grew.
In relation to time, spring represented the way time allowed living beings to flourish.
The concepts were vague. They didn't really represent Time Laws in the way most people viewed them, but it was absolutely powered by time.
The surrounding flora came to life, growing and thriving as if they'd been given loads of vitality they had never possessed before.
'Interesting...'
Damien didn't have a hard time comprehending it. Time was one of his main laws along with space. Even before he started pursuing the entirety of existence, he'd been looking to reach the peak of it.
'Is it being accelerated? It seems like it should be more complex than that.'
Damien could see how the environment was being affected by the technique. He completely comprehended how it affected other things, but he didn't really get it.
'This doesn't seem like an offensive technique.'
Damien himself wasn't being targeted by the effects of the acceleration. If he was, it would have helped him rather than harmed him.
So what was the technique supposed to be used for?
'Oh?'
It seemed Damien didn't have to search very hard for the answer.
Within seconds, the area was filled with massive plants grown by the sword wind Dominic produced. These plants were far larger than their peers, and the powerful aura they radiated was beyond anything a plant without sentience could have.
Those plants were soon taken apart by the sword wind and incorporated, becoming a part of its power.
That was when the attack truly began.
'A blossoming wind...'
'I see.'
Damien smiled in understanding.
It was all an illusion.
The grandiose scene he was witnessing only existed to fool the enemy.
'While you sit around and wait, wary of the storm around you, the flora that is touched by accelerated time becomes a range of weapons that will attack you from the shadows.'
That was Spring.
It was the beginning of the year, a time to understand how the remaining seasons would be.
It was a probe. If the enemy fell for this technique, they weren't worthy of facing the remaining seasons. However, if they could see through it, then the time they took to do so and the way they responded could be used to determine how future combat would be done.
'Smart. He knows he has to go all-out against me if he wants to stand a chance, but he refuses to rush in without any information. My last attack didn't give him anything besides a rough overview of my power, so he's using this to gain more information in that direction.'
Spring wasn't a weak technique. Just because it was illusionary didn't mean it couldn't kill.
The sword wind that swirled in a tornado around Damien was filled with sharp blossoms of sword energy and Time Laws that could cut down any weaker enemy. If they were struck by the laws and had their time accelerated, their balance would be thrown off and Dominic would gain an opportunity to make a decisive move.
Unfortunately, Damien wasn't going to fall for any of it.
He dissected the technique and understood its essence.
'But since I'm testing you, I'll give you what you want.'
Unless the enemy was someone Dominic couldn't hope to defeat, they wouldn't react like Damien did, so it was better to see how Dominic would react if his plan succeeded.
VOOM!
Damien allowed his aura to flare, becoming a shield around his body.
His usual existence was somewhat separated from reality. Dominic wouldn't be able to strike him unless he allowed it.
Therefore, when the shield became material, Damien was finally incorporated with the imaginary world.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The explosions were instant. Damien was finally being struck by the sword wind. The shield was sliced and scratched by countless petals of sword energy, and the longer Damien stood in the midst of the storm, the more energy that assailed him.
Since space and time were the basis of Dominic's strength, Damien used those two laws to counter.
He separated Spacetime, pulling apart reality and banishing the sword energy into the void.
The storm began to die down, but before it could, Dominic had already rushed in.
'Attack.'
That was his thought.
Since Damien could block and banish his sword energy, it was useless to keep pushing with it, but he had to attack regardless.
This was the only opportunity he'd have, and he'd use it to set up an opportunity to unleash Summer.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The ground was blown to pieces first. Damien's vision was immediately obscured by dust, and Dominic's aura disappeared.
'Sword of Severance.'
Once again, the Sword of Severance appeared.
BANG!
Massive fluctuations of space and time crashed against Damien's shield, making it wobble and become unstable,
'Sword of Hephaestus.'
Rather than a sword, the 5th of the 16 Swords of Heaven was more like a hammer, as per its name. It did blunt damage, shattering anything it came in contact with into thousands of pieces.
Dominic appeared above Damien, in his blind spot, and slammed his sword down with all his strength.
BOOOOOOOM!
Damien's shield instantly shattered, leaving him prey for the countless forces trying to kill him.
However, Dominic didn't keep pushing inward.
He took a step back and prepared his blade once more.
'Four Seasons Sword Technique: Summer.'
The time had come for the second season.
Unlike spring, summer was a time when everything was in full season. It was a season of heat and vitality, and to follow up on spring's acceleration of time, it bent the law and created a strange time flow that not many could survive in.
VOOOOOOM!
The sword was unleashed. The storm created by spring didn't disperse, but it changed subtly, gaining a certain aura that couldn't be pinpointed.
When Damien took down his natural protections to feel the effects of the attack, he was swamped by a feeling similar to heatstroke. His mind went numb, and his body became heavy.
'But if you see it as something simple like heatstroke, you'll die.'
It was another illusion, but this time, it was used to hide a hidden blade.
The "heatstroke" feeling was actually a dissonance in the soul caused by the strange time flow he'd been encompassed in.
If he wasn't able to solve it, his soul and body would be forced into disharmony, and if he didn't die to the Time Laws assaulting him from every side, he'd become a sitting duck for Dominic to behead.
'This isn't how I'm used to seeing time be used. Even though the Krone Clan specializes in time manipulation, they've created a sword technique where time is actually more of a supporting element rather than the main one.'
It was truly a sword technique, not a time technique. Damien respected the ability to separate the two and know which should be prioritized at what moment.
'Most people would be dead by the time these two techniques are finished.'
Dominic's sword was extremely powerful, and he was more than just adept at concealing the true intent of his techniques, which would catch most people by surprise.
If he was out in the world, he would be uncontested as a great genius.
'But we're not going against geniuses.'
Damien wasn't judging Dominic's techniques. Dominic was a good practitioner who didn't skimp on his training, so there was no need to judge him too heavily in that aspect.
The question was...
'...how will he do in a war situation?'
Damien was satisfied with Dominic's cautious yet domineering performance thus far, so he only had one more thing to test.
VOOM!
He instantly dispersed everything Dominic had thrown at him thus far.
And his body separated into countless clones.
A situation where Dominic had to fight against armies on his own...
How would he fare when facing it?