Black String of Fate

"Is that so? I'm not aware of any such action taken by me."

"You'll realize soon."

Saying that, Xavier dashed toward the heavenly demon and reached him in the blink of an eye, his sword gleaming with the intent to kill.

The heavenly demon brandished his own sword and blocked the hit. A loud sound erupted from the clash of the blades, audible from hundreds of miles.

"Not bad, you don't disappoint."

"I can say the same."

The heavenly demon counterattacked by gliding his blade, but Xavier twisted his body and threw off the momentum his opponent's sword was building up.

The heavenly demon was surprised as he hurriedly tried to step back, but it was too late as Xavier used the stolen momentum to land a roundhouse kick, infused with his Force.

*BOOM*

The heavenly demon flew back, his spit escaping his mouth. He crashed into a mountain, making a 100-meter-wide crater.

'His body is strong, way stronger than I even thought was possible for a human. I should not hold back.' The heavenly demon thought as he recollected himself, getting into a stance to strike back.

"Demonic Arts of the Sun Cult:

Nightfall of the Thousand Phantom Blades"

The heavenly demon rushed forward, his sword pointed straight towards Xavier. In Xavier's eyes, it seemd as if the world had dimmed, and that single blade split into thousands. He smiled, as he knew this technique very well, as well as it's counter.

"Demonic Arts of the Sun Cult:

Strike of the Holy Sun."

Unlike the dark, demonic nature of his Force, Xavier's blade shone with a bright yellow light, blinding all those gazed upon it. The heavenly demon was shocked to his core as he saw his technique dismantle and his illusions fading.

"How do you even know this technique?!" The heavenly demon screamed as he faced the recoil of forcefully stopping the technique and switching to another one.

"Demonic Arts of the Sun Cult:

Sky-Tearing Demonic Crescent."

He jumped up and gathered his energy at the sword, releasing a golden-black slash of force as he swung down. It might seem like an ordinary aura blade, but those who underestimate it as such don't live to tell the tale.

Unfortunately, Xavier never did underestimate it.

"Demonic Arts of the Sun Cult:

Stance of the Thousand Mountains."

Xavier planted his feet on the ground and blocked the crescent head on. He groaned as the power started to push him back, but his stance never broke as the force blade diminished in power.

Once the attack was over, the heavenly demon flickered in front of Xavier and stood without attacking. Xavier also stood still.

The heavenly demon, surprisingly, took of his mask for the first time in a long while. He felt as if he had to look at this opponent with proper respect.

He dashed in again, this time without fancy attacks. The only thing that was in his sword was the basic fighting style of demonic arts.

Xavier dashed in at the same time too, using that very same fighting style. The swords, infused with force, clashed for a hundred times in a single second, relentlessly trying to draw blood from the enemy.

"Fate sure works in strange ways, walker of the demonic path. I may never understand how you came upon these arts, but I can tell you're still not giving your all."

Despite the intense bloodthirst the two demonic supremes were going at each other, they were able to hold a conversation with a rational mind.

"I wanted to fight the creator of these arts my whole life. Never did I imagine that my wish could ever be fulfilled. Now, it's finally time to show you how I have surpassed these arts."

Xavier jumped back as he created distance from the heavenly demon. He changed his sword stance, preparing for the arts he could finally use at full potential.

"Supreme Demonic Arts:

Advent of Insanity."

The whole atmosphere around Xavier changed. Till now, with the both of them fighting with the same Arts, it looked like two martial brother under the same discipline fighting each other. Now, it seemed as if a primordial demonic monster faced a demonic swordmaster.

The heavenly demon smiled as he saw the transformation of Xavier. It finally felt as if he was facing someone unfathomable.

"...For the first time in many years, I'm glad fate guided me to such an opponent. Come, monster! Let's see who deserves to be the ruler of demons under the heavens!"

"Demonic Arts of the Sun Cult:

Awakening of the True Heavenly Demon"

The black hair of the heavenly demon started floating and a few strands turned golden like the sun. His eyes turned golden, embodying the flame his ancestors have worshipped for millennia.

With a newfound vigor, both dashed into each other. Their swords clashed and rung throughout the heavens, vying for supremacy. Every strike was met with a counterstrike, every defense was broken relentlessly, the momentum of the battle was ever-increasing.

"I'm gonna be disappointed if the heavenly demon is just this much!" Xavier said as he used his second technique of the Supreme Demonic Arts.

"Forbidden Bloodlust."

He felt the dark bloodlust building up in his mind as he became more wild in his offense. He started taking more hits with his body, but he didn't miss those chances to draw even more blood from his opponent.

The heavenly demon winced with pain as he fell back, unable to bear the tremendous amount of soul-wrenching pain that Xavier inflicted. He quickly steeled his mind as he took a stance once again.

"How is it, heavenly demon? How does it feel that your arts have been surpassed to such a degree? I hoped there would be more to you, but it feels like I don't even need to use the third technique."

The heavenly demon, contrary to Xavier's expectations, smiled instead of getting provoked.

"You know, ever since I came to this world, I believed I was unmatched. After all, when I crushed the mount hua and won against the orthodox faction, I thought I would forever stand alone at the peak, regardless of the world.

But now, I face you. One with talents far more overwhelming than mine, one with an arrogance greater than mine. My arts must've served only as a limit to your bottomless talent, hence you say my arts are inferior.

But that's not true. You might have surpassed the Demonic Arts of the Sun Cult for yourself, but you haven't surpassed my Demonic Arts of the Sun Cult.

Bloodline Awakening: Legacy of the Murim's Greatest, Cheonma."