Kingsley didnāt even hesitate; the moment he heard Klausā voice, he acted before Aaaninja could.
Law Defiance Field
A field ripped from his body, calmly unfurling outward and spanning kilometres in radius like an invisible tide swallowing the battlefield whole.
Previously, he had used this against Aura Nova, which prevented the use of any form of energy entirely, suppressing everything from mana to aura to even the faintest trickle of external power. He had heard of Aaaninjaās control over Time, meaning the guy would be a dangerous and troublesome opponent in battle, someone whose very existence defied conventional combat logic, and Kingsley had no intention of allowing such an ability even the slightest chance to manifest.
Aaaninja didnāt react as though he had already seen this moment before it even happened. He simply drew his blade and waited for Kingsley to come, calm and composed, his breathing steady, and in a blink, Kingsley was already upon Aaaninja as he moved to end the battle before it escalated into anything disastrous or prolonged.
Before, Aura Nova had escaped the Law Defiance Field by simply moving out of range. But Kingsley, after his loss against Aura Nova, simply went into his Sleep Training mode, and there, in that endless subconscious crucible, he upgraded the Law Defiance Field.
Before, it was a stationary zone, an anchored prison with limits he could not bypass; now it could move with him like a second skin. He could only use it once a day, but now he had eliminated that weakness too, breaking through yet another restriction through sheer repetition and refinement. He could also only keep the Law Defiance Field active for two minutes, but now, he could keep it going for about an hour.
He had only an hour to end this battle, and he wouldnāt hesitate for any reason. This was a race against time.
He punched towards Aaaninjaās side with the force of a meteor, the air compressing and howling around his fist, but Aaaninjaās eyes snapped towards that direction, his sword blitzing towards the punch as he intercepted it with flawless precision. With a titanic impact, fist met blade, the detonation ringing out in thunderous waves that rolled across the land like an exploding storm, shaking loose stones and cracking the earth beneath their feet.
Aaaninjaās face remained calm, Kingsley remained calm as well, and in a blur, they both vanished, their figures turning into streaks of motion as they moved, one golden, the other white, clashing and colliding again and again like opposing comets tearing through the sky.
Aaaninja wasnāt Aura Nova, who was overwhelmed by Kingsley during close quarters combat. Aaaninja possessed just as much battle experience as Kingsley, perhaps even more, so he reacted and kept up with ridiculous ease, matching the man as though it was the simplest thing he could do, as though this level of speed and violence was merely ordinary to him.
But Aaaninja knew something crucial; while he could match Kingsley, Kingsleyās raw physical strength surpassed his own, and so with that knowledge, he simply reflected Kingsleyās attacks to the side through refined control and a bit of borrowed momentum, redirecting rather than resisting, conserving effort while dismantling each strike with surgical efficiency.
It was a genius strategy for the moment.
His sword sang towards Kingsleyās neck, a sharp whistle slicing through the air. Kingsley moved to block, but Aaaninjaās sword changed path as though he had seen Kingsleyās block before it even happened. His blade curved unnaturally, carving towards Kingsleyās chest instead. Kingsleyās second hand moved in a burst of speed and blur as he stopped Aaaninjaās blade with the back of his palm, sparks scattering from the contact.
Without wasting a second, his foot tore off the ground as it shot towards Aaaninjaās stomach like a sledgehammer. Aaaninjaās reaction was instantaneous; he simply moved his left hand, using his palm to intercept the attack with frightening composure.
With a thunderous force, knee collided into palm, and although Aaaninja had blocked, the force still threw him upward. His body tore through the air like a launched projectile, but he didnāt mind; after all, he had taken no damage at all. Kingsley didnāt give Aaaninja any chance to breathe; the moment Aaaninja tore towards the sky, he followed without hesitation, his pursuit relentless and merciless.
His foot tore towards Aaaninjaās neck the moment he arrived, but Aaaninja simply stepped back midair as though the air was no different from the ground beneath him and Kingsley. The air and space exploded and shattered as Kingsleyās foot tore through where Aaaninjaās head had been, the shockwave rupturing the clouds above.
Aaaninjaās retaliation was immediate, his sword descending from above like dying fire as he moved to cleave Kingsleyās leg from the joint, but Kingsley, ever the martial artist, simply vanished as he dodged with a burst of speed. But Aaaninjaās eyes tracked him effortlessly; he kept up, his body following Kingsleyās motion, speed, and direction, his katana blurring forward yet again as he aimed for another decapitation with ruthless intent.
Kingsley, this time, caught Aaaninjaās sword between his palm with ease, the steel grinding against his hardened skin, but Aaaninja didnāt care. The moment he lost his sword momentarily, he switched to his leg, his knee blurring upwards towards Kingsleyās gut. But Kingsley already knew that was incoming; his own foot moved too as he blocked Aaaninjaās leg midair.
The air exploded between them as their legs met mid collision. Without missing a beat, Kingsley applied more strength into his palm, his veins snaking under his skin like coiled serpents, and with a deafening bang, Aaaninjaās sword shattered into fragments of metal that scattered like broken stars. Aaaninja stood stunned for a moment, surprised at the ease with which Kingsley had shattered his blade, and without needing to be told, Kingsley capitalized on that particular moment with ruthless efficiency.
His knuckles flew towards Aaaninjaās chest as he moved to tear through his heart. But Aaaninja wasnāt caught off guard; he moved and dodged regardless of that slightest bit of delay and surprise, his motion perfect and unblemished, like flowing water slipping past stone.
But he didnāt just dodge; he punched out, his own knuckles screaming towards Kingsleyās jaw, but martial arts were Kingsleyās domain, not Aaaninjaās. He dodged to the side as though it was the easiest thing in the world to do. As he dodged, his hand clamped down on Aaaninjaās shoulder from the side, pulling him inwards, his knee rising once more towards Aaaninjaās ribs with crushing force.
But Aaaninjaās palm rose once again as he blocked, the force running violently through his arms, but he didnāt care. He caught Kingsley by the leg, then moved to raise and slam him into the ground. But Kingsley wouldnāt allow that; the moment Aaaninja raised him off the earth, his second knee shot out with greater force and strength like a cannon towards Aaaninjaās chin.
Aaaninja didnāt hesitate; he immediately let go of Kingsleyās leg as he turned into a blur, dodging with blinding speed and motion, retreating just enough to reset the distance between them as the shattered air trembled from the aftermath of their exchange.