Among York's sword skills, Mad-monster Hacking was his most powerful move.
The refinement technique he practiced had some attributes of wind, since his martial arts emphasized being quick, hard and violent.
As he wielded his machete in preparation to hack Zen, whirlpools appeared before his black-blue antique machete. A sharp coldness could be felt from the consequently formed spinning currents.
The intents of blade, sword, and spear
were extremely difficult to grasp.
For even just coming to understand a bit of blade intent, York was already an amazing warrior. No matter what martial arts move he used, the blade intent greatly multiplied its power.
The only problem was that York was incapable of covering the whole machete with the blade intent, so he could only apply a little blade intent to the revolving aura on the blade before trying to hack Zen.
Given the situation, York actually felt that his use of the blade intent was enough to beat or even kill the man.
"How can you resist this?" murmured York with narrowed eyes.
A cold smile appeared on his face as he rushed towards Zen with the Mad-monster Hacking technique.
As his opponent dashed towards him, Zen squinted at the machete in the other's hands.
He could feel the blade intent flowing through the black-blue antique machete.
Be that as it might, the blade intent wasn't enough to hurt or even threaten Zen.
It hadn't been long since Zen started to feel and create the sword intent himself--he was already capable of using the intent at will. It would cover more than three square meters surrounding his body and if anybody attempted to enter his circle of defense, he could easily snap his fingers and they would be torn to pieces.
The blade intent, which York was so proud of, was nothing to Zen.
Before York's hacking technique could even reach Zen's body, Zen's eyes began to glow. His sword intent suddenly formed and immediately smashed York's blade intent to bits.
Because the real strength and power of Mad-monster Hacking lay in the blade intent, once it was destroyed, he was basically harmless to Zen.
"What the fuck?"
Zen's counterattack left York shocked and paralyzed.
The blade intent which he had taken a great amount of his effort and time in mastering disappeared in the blink of an eye.
'Impossible!'
The blade intent was formless and his understanding of its nature was profound and unforgettable.
It was indestructible unless Zen had created his own intent, be it sword intent, spear intent or others.
'Has he come to understand some kind of intent on his own?' Doubts began filling York's mind.
The lack of refinement in his attack made York let his guard down. Zen's counterattack was so swift and he withdrew it even more quickly, leaving York clueless as to why his blade intent disappeared.
Due to the doubts in his heart, his Mad-Monster Hacking technique began to sway unsteadily.
A capable warrior should have a strong heart and mind no matter what was thrown in his path. If he was swayed and began to doubt himself, he would find himself losing the fight.
Anyhow, Zen was already certain that York was no longer a threat after losing his blade intent.
Bang!
When Zen pounded at the blade of the black-blue machete and applied great power on it, York could no longer hold his weapon, causing him to back up quickly. Moments later, he freed himself from Zen and stood there, panting heavily.
Although he was well capable of finishing York off quickly, Zen didn't intend to defeat his opponent in a single move. Instead, he smiled at York and said, "You'll fail. You know that, don't you?"
"Fail?
Are you kidding me? My technique didn't work well today, that's all. Don't get cocky. I'll show you my real strength," York replied with heavy breaths, sounding rather desperate. Lifting his machete to wield it again, York intended to start another attack. All the while, he thought he failed due to his insufficient understanding of the blade intent. The idea that Zen was merely able to smash his blade intent didn't even occur to him.
"Ha! You have poor memory," Zen laughed with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Poor memory?" asked York, puzzled. "Didn't you tell me you would lose if you couldn't beat me in three moves?
You seemed so confident about that. Where's that confidence now, huh?" Zen chuckled as he taunted York.
His words made York take a nervous gulp.
After hearing Zen's remarks, York seemed rather embarrassed.
Because he underestimated Zen's ability to resist the Mad-Monster Hacking technique, York boasted of his skills in martial arts, certain that he could defeat the disciple of Drizzle Peak easily. However, things didn't go as well as he thought they would.
When he tried to use the third move of his technique, York realized that his blade intent suddenly disappeared. If he intended to keep his previous promise, it would mean that he had already lost.
However, he was standing where he was for the All Peaks Competition, not for a personal fight. If he lost the fight, he would lose any chance to compete with the other participants. It was too shameful for someone like York, so he refused to admit defeat or leave the arena.
On the other hand, though, he would be considered a promise-breaker if he refused to give up.
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