The general tide of the battlefield instantly changed. The two armies had been relatively even at the start, but as a few powerful soldiers and Sword Masters drank the vials, they began to attack with explosive strength and speed.
Sword Master Gargantuan pushed his two opponents back, finally putting them on the defensive.
Skybelle pushed back a rank three Sword Master who had been her opponent since the start of the battle.
This change occurred for every single one of the Faceless Empire's Sword Masters. Their allies did not have access to these vials, but with the Sword Masters of the Faceless Empire pushing their opponents back, the morale of their side was boosted to new heights.
On Sword Master Shang's battlefield, he managed to begin resisting Sword Grandmaster Tianzhao without receiving any heavy injuries, just an occasional scratch or poke that produced a bit of blood.
Sword Grandmaster Tianzhao frowned. "Fine then. I suppose enough is enough."
He jumped in the air and swung his sword. However, he was far away from Sword Master Shang, so this movement seemed completely illogical.
However, Sword Master Shang instantly dodged to the side, his eyes widening in excitement. "This is it."
He had been waiting far too long to see this again.
He had once been defeated by this very Sword Grandmaster when he was younger, merely a true 1st rank Sword Master.
Seeing his potential, the Sword Grandmaster of the Ancient Empire decided to show him what truly lied beyond the horizon.
This was his second time ever seeing it.
Despite being far away from Sword Master Shang, his slash seemed to continue outwards, glowing with a white light.
Sword Master Shang barely dodged, but more swings followed.
This was the difference between the Sword Grandmaster level and the Sword Master level.
It was known by many names. Sword Aura, Sword Intent, Sword Qi.
It was unknown when or where these names came from, but they all represented the same thing. The mortal turning into the magical.
Any person could swing a sword, but only a Sword Grandmaster could do this.
Sword Master Shang's position once again turned completely disadvantageous.
He was not even able to fight back this time as tens of sword slashes shot at him from afar, moving so fast he could barely react.
After around a hundred sword slashes, Sword Grandmaster Tianzhao stopped. It was clear that doing this left even him exhausted.
However, Sword Master Shang was in a far worse state than being exhausted.
His left arm was gone, and one of his legs was hanging by a thread. Blood covered his body, but his eyes stared directly at Sword Grandmaster Tianzhao.
"You truly are incomparable. At your age, I don't think I was so strong. Given time, you would most likely become a Sword Grandmaster even stronger than I. Unfortunately, your Empire got needlessly aggressive. All hope was foolishly put onto the possibility of you defeating me. But now, it is all over." He said.
Sword Master Shang did not speak. It was hard to do so, but eventually, he did.
"The world doesn't move but the sky still rotates."
Sword Grandmaster Tianzhao tilted his head. "Did I beat you silly?"
Sword Master Shang laughed uproariously. "You think that all of the hope was placed on me. No, merely a small percentage. Do you know what that term means?"
Sword Grandmaster Tianzhao looked as if he was giving Sword Master Shang his last words. "I don't."
Sword Master Shang, despite his numerous injuries, sat down on the ground cross legged. "Then allow me to give you an explanation."
Sword Grandmaster Tianzhao simply looked at him for a moment before shrugging his shoulders and sitting down.
Sword Master Shang began. "It all starts with Fate…"
—----------------------------------------
Skymender shot towards the Serpent Master at an extraordinary speed. His speed was close to that of a 2nd rank Sword Master after consuming the contents of the vial.
The Serpent Master was on guard. He backed away quickly, a large snake appearing under his feet and slithering into the distance.
Despite being constantly attacked by snakes, Skymender was able to keep up with the retreating figure.
—----------------------------------------
"When the Emperor was born, the clouds parted and a golden light filled the sky. Singing was heard in the sky, as if angels above were welcoming his grace. This may be seen as mystical, but few saw it in the small area he was born in, and it was later viewed as some sort of mass hallucination."
—----------------------------------------
Sword Master Gargantuan swung his sword fast, decapitating one of the two Sword Masters fighting against him. In a moment of pressure, he received inspiration and became a rank one Sword Master.
His other opponent could not resist long, soon being smashed into the ground, his head dented beyond repair. He was no doubt dead.
—----------------------------------------
"One wouldn't think of the Emperor as some sort of diving being descended from the Heavens. He was born ordinary. He did not have much physical strength, and his talent in just about everything was average. Even his talent for learning was only slightly above average. What was unique above all else was his luck, or his fortune. Everything he wanted to do happened successfully. If this were to happen to any other person, they would grow arrogant and conceited, believing that nothing they did could go wrong."
—----------------------------------------
Sword Master Yi Shuzanhao cut off one of his opponents arms. In just a minute afterwards, his opponent was killed.
Sword Master Zhao Shugang forced his opponent to retreat.
Skybelle's opponent was forced to flee as well.
Skymender killed the majority of snakes around the Serpent Master, forcing him to retreat with a sorry figure.
"Why is everything going out of control?" He mumbled as he retreated towards the distance with a few remaining snakes.
—---------------------------------------
"But the Emperor did not grow conceited nor arrogant. He put all of his effort into everything he did and every plan he made. His luck merely added on to it. So, do you know why this battle has already been lost?"
Sword Grandmaster Tianzhao tilted his head, amused. "Please explain it to me."
"Because every single opening, every single falter or hesitation, every single accidental accomplishment, every single chance of inspiration, every single possible exploitive thing, even a sword breaking due to age in a critical moment, will occur in the favor of the Emperor."