The System Awakens: Rise of the Champion - Chapter 55

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: An Intense Battle – 2

Damian’s dual swords clashed against the Heavenly Sword Demon’s katana, producing an intense metallic clang as a small shockwave rippled outward.

Damian’s eyes narrowed.

He could feel the immense strength of his opponent through that exchange.

This man was undoubtedly on the same level as him, if not stronger.

Though Damian hadn’t used his full strength, he had still exerted considerable power in that strike.

Yet, the man known as the Heavenly Sword Demon blocked it with ease.

His stats were definitely superior.

Damian pushed forward, then leaped back to create distance between them.

“You’re strong, but I suppose that’s to be expected. After all, you’ve been challenging the Hell Mode trials,” the Heavenly Sword Demon said with a grin, clearly amused.

Damian didn’t waste time listening.

The moment he gained distance, he used it to accelerate, building momentum before launching himself at his opponent once again.

“Feisty, aren’t we?” the Heavenly Sword Demon chuckled, standing his ground, choosing to meet the oncoming attack head-on.

Damian gripped his swords tightly and unleashed a powerful slash with both hands, putting his full strength behind the strike.

As their blades collided once more, the Heavenly Sword Demon felt as if a massive boulder had struck his katana.

The sheer force of the blow sent painful vibrations through his arms, momentarily numbing his hands.

Yet, he managed to withstand the attack without breaking.

However, he was forced back several meters.

“You’re stronger than I thought… but you’re not going all out, are you? No, this won’t be enough to—” the Heavenly Sword Demon muttered through a pained expression.

“Dude, can you just shut up and fight? Why do you keep blabbering?” Damian snapped, irritation creeping into his voice.

He was beginning to miss the peace he’d enjoyed during the months spent clearing the trials.

“Not much of a talker, I see… but that’s fine.”

“Oh yeah?” Damian raised an eyebrow, sensing a sudden surge of pressure from the man before him.

“Yes, because I won’t be holding back anymore.”

An explosion of aura erupted from the Heavenly Sword Demon’s body, extending to his katana and enveloping it in thick, violent Qi.

“If you don’t wish to die, I suggest you do the same.”

His figure blurred, moving faster than Damian’s eyes could follow.

Yet Damian’s expression remained calm, showing not a hint of concern.

This unbothered demeanor made the Heavenly Sword Demon scowl, his irritation deepening.

The Heavenly Sword Demon was one of the most feared figures in all of Murim.

He had slaughtered countless swordsmen, cultivators, mages—even real demons.

And yet, this low-level awakener dared to face him without an ounce of fear. It was insulting.

Murim warriors were naturally proud, and none were prouder than the Heavenly Sword Demon.

“You’re asking for death!” the Heavenly Sword Demon roared.

[Heavenly Mirage Dance: Sword Technique Activated]

[Heavenly Shadow Step: Movement Technique Activated]

[Heavenly Tyrant’s Body: Body Strengthening Technique Activated]

The Heavenly Sword Demon’s aura exploded into a razor-sharp force, and his figure transformed into a blur of blue light.

He flashed from place to place around the arena, each step shattering the ground beneath him.

Deep sword slashes scarred the earth with every strike, his katana slicing through the air in rapid succession.

Damian’s eyes began to glow with a neon blue light as he activated his innate ability, [Eyes of Clarity], allowing him to track his opponent’s every movement.

His swords rose in preparation, intent on defending.

Blades of light split the air, converging on Damian from every direction.

The relentless barrage crashed into him, resulting in a series of deafening explosions.

His figure was blasted backward, slamming into the arena wall with a sickening impact.

As the smoke cleared, Damian’s body was embedded in the wall, as though fused into it.

Deep sword wounds covered his body, and blood poured from him like a mountain stream.

“That’s what you get for looking down on me, you arrogant brat,” the Heavenly Sword Demon sneered in satisfaction, though it didn’t last long.

Damian slowly rose to his feet, his face calm and unconcerned despite the blood flowing from countless wounds across his body.

It was as if he had been bathed in a rain of sharp swords from every direction.

Yet his expression, especially those piercing blue eyes, showed no fear.

There was only arrogance, as though he still believed he could defeat the Heavenly Sword Demon.

And the demon didn’t like that one bit.

He was accustomed to seeing fear in the eyes of his enemies.

Watching Damian look at him as if he were nothing more than an obstacle infuriated him, striking a nerve that was already fraying.

“You bastard!” the Heavenly Sword Demon roared, his fury igniting once more.

His aura flared violently, waves of intense energy rippling outward as raging Qi enveloped his form.

With a burst of speed, he dashed toward Damian, his katana burning with concentrated sword Qi.

Appearing before Damian in an instant, the Heavenly Sword Demon unleashed a relentless barrage of slashes from all directions.

Every strike sent devastating waves of energy crashing through Damian and tore apart everything behind him.

Blood splattered through the air, staining the ground in all directions.

The demon’s assault was merciless, his katana hacking away like an axe against an ancient tree.

His strikes came faster and harder, as if he were a madman consumed by rage.

Yet no matter how many times he struck, no matter how much blood Damian lost, his expression remained unchanged.

He didn’t flinch, didn’t falter.

This only deepened the Heavenly Sword Demon’s fury, twisting his face with rage.

“You… you bastard!” the demon howled, leaping back to create distance.

He stared at Damian, who looked as though he had been struck by dozens of trucks in rapid succession.

Damian was drenched in blood, lying broken on the ground.

Yet, his face showed no pain.

No fear.

Slowly, Damian began to rise, his indifferent gaze fixed on the Heavenly Sword Demon.

“Is that the best you can do? So much for the great Heavenly Sword Demon,” Damian sneered, somehow managing a smirk on his battered face. “I thought you said you were going all out. That was clearly a lie, wasn’t it?”

The Heavenly Sword Demon said nothing.

But the veins bulging on his forehead, the blood pulsing beneath his skin, and the way he bit down on his lip spoke volumes.

Then, an incredible aura exploded from him, sending shockwaves of energy in every direction.

Even Damian could feel the crushing pressure weighing down on him.

“You are dead,” the Heavenly Sword Demon muttered darkly.

His figure blurred and vanished, reappearing in the sky, cloaked in a blazing aura.

He raised his katana high above his head.

Damian watched with a smile. “Come on, bring out the good stuff.”

The Heavenly Sword Demon’s face contorted further. “This bastard… he’s still smiling…”

Everything the demon believed in felt like it was crumbling.

His pride and his dominance all seemed meaningless in the face of Damian’s defiance.

For the first time in his long, blood-soaked life, he felt a frustration he couldn’t describe.

He had slain thousands, and every one of them had died in fear and agony.

Yet Damian smiled, even after being brutalized.

And the demon wanted nothing more than to wipe that smile away.

[Heaven Shattering Sword: Sword Technique Activated]

“Try and smile through this!” the Heavenly Sword Demon roared, slashing his katana downward with a single, decisive motion.

The blue sky turned crimson.

The air grew unbearably hot as an immense ray of sword Qi erupted from the blade, tearing through the sky and crashing down toward Damian.

The ground quaked violently as the beam struck, splitting the earth and sending dirt and dust exploding outward like a bomb had gone off.

The arena shook, and silence followed.

When the dust finally cleared, Damian lay at the center of a massive crater, shaped like a colossal sword slash.

A deep, gaping wound stretched from the top of his head to his waist, grotesquely exposing torn flesh.

Blood poured endlessly from the wound, dripping from his mouth and nostrils.

“That’s what you get for showing me arrogance and not fearing me,” the Heavenly Sword Demon sneered, a dark grin spreading across his face.

“Now you’ll die a pathetic, painful death. You didn’t even get to enter the First Tower Realm.”

He laughed coldly, staring at Damian’s seemingly lifeless body sprawled in the blood-soaked dirt.

Then suddenly, the cold laugh on his lips stopped midway, and his eyes widened in absolute shock, seeing something unlike anything he had witnessed in his thousands of years of life.

“How can you still be standing after all that?” The Heavenly Sword Demon’s entire being trembled as he watched the man who was supposed to be dead standing tall, holding swords in both hands.

His face showed no concern or any sign of pain.

“Do you not know pain?” the Heavenly Sword Demon asked, his voice shaking.

“Oh, I know pain. I’m just so used to it,” Damian shrugged.

Then, he reactivated all the effects of his constitutions, which he had deactivated before the battle began.

He also prevented his body from healing any wounds.

As soon as he reactivated them, the elemental essences [Fire Essence], [Wood Essence], [Water Essence], and [Earth Essence] coursed through his body, rapidly healing his injuries.

His vitality was already through the roof, and on top of that, the healing effects provided by the elemental essences, especially the [Wood Essence] whose primary effect was healing, accelerated his recovery.

Within a minute, all his wounds closed, his broken bones reconstructed, and he returned to peak condition.

The Heavenly Sword Demon watched with shaking eyes as Damian’s injuries vanished.

Suddenly, Damian’s aura shifted.

A pressure unlike anything the Heavenly Sword Demon had ever felt descended upon him, making it feel as though something was crawling under his skin.

The air grew so thick he could hardly breathe.

“By the way,” Damian spoke, opening his eyes to reveal them glowing in a neon blue hue.

His mind, boosted by his talent [Rumination Clarity], processed a massive amount of information he had just gathered.

“Thanks for the techniques,” Damian muttered as a series of notifications flooded his mind:

[You have learned the sword technique, Heavenly Mirage Dance.]

[You have learned the movement technique, Heavenly Shadow Steps.]

[You have learned the body-strengthening technique, Heavenly Tyrant’s Body.]

[You have learned the single-slash sword technique, Heaven Shattering Sword.]

[You have completely learned the Heavenly Sword Art.]