The Dawn of the New World

It truly did live up to its name, a skill at the level of being labeled a "God Killer".

When the Great Ice Blade started its descent it felt like the heavens themselves were falling on top of him. It was a move to end all of creation within its area of effect and he could feel it the moment he saw it.

It felt like a thousand hands were reaching down from the firmament and trying to push him into the ground so he wouldn't even be able to move.

Hao Xuan would be lying if he said he didn't feel desperate and unsure at that moment. His life hung in the balance and having experienced death more than two dozen times already, he was not a fan.

But thanks to that he wasn't as nervous as he should have been in such a situation. There was no place left for him to hide, no tricks to pull, and certainly no way to avoid this.

Many people including Princess Ceni, Ensis, and Monk stood up from their seats in awe and fear of the absolute power that was hidden inside that blade. It almost seemed unfair.

For the first time since the beginning of the battle, Ensis appeared to be concerned. His confidence wavered in Hao Xuan's ability to survive this. The person he regarded as his savior, as his one and the only reason to live was at stake now.

But while all the others were focused on the battle, half his attention was focused on Dai Zhi. He was the one behind this and if something happened to Hao Xuan then Ensis was willing to do whatever it took to get revenge. Even if it meant going against Dai Zhi right here and now.

A barely discernable wave of killing intent leaked out which only two people noticed, Xue Meng and the Abysswalker. And although the Abysswalker couldn't seem any less interested, Xue Meng's eyes narrowed for an instant.

His right hand rested on the hilt of the old saber laying by his side. Dai Zhi couldn't die as long as he was under his protection.

Ensis, as sharp as he was, noticed that too. His eyes turned cold as he turned around to face Xue Meng. This was a day of many firsts. Ensis had never been this incensed before. To him it felt like Xue Meng was directly challenging his resolve, his dedication and commitment to the one he served without question.

All the ill feelings that he had been hiding under that mask of apathy were pushed out at this moment. He was a clone of a God Fiend and it would take a lot more than this to scare him into submission.

In Xue Meng's eyes, Ensis didn't appear to be human at all. His killing intent was so...pure that he could feel his body being pricked by needles just by staring in his direction.

But to someone like him that lived for the thrill of life and death battles, it only pushed him further into that state. A sword and saber faced each other right under everyone's nose and no one was the wiser.

The result of the Hao Xuan and Stasa's battle would signal their battle, and neither of them was intending on dragging it out.

**

Back on the battleground, Hao Xuan's blood had almost frozen solid within his veins because of Stasa's laws which started to affect him through his bloodline.

He held the glaive over his head and waited with eyes closed. He didn't need to see it to know how close it was, it was giving off enough pressure to announce its location to everyone.

The Great Blade drew near. Princess Ceni looked for as long as she could before looking away, praying with all her heart to any who would listen.

People waited for Hao Xuan to try something, do anything really but that never happened. He maintained his stance until the almost 200-meter long ice blade was less than 5 meters from him.

His frozen lips slowly parted and uttered the words, invoking a technique that should have never been created, at least not in this timeline.

"The Last Strike of Samsara: Sunder!"

He combined two of the most mysterious techniques at his disposal into one.

Sunder the Heavens, the one he still had no idea where it came from. And the Last Strike of Samsara which was given as a gift to Hao Xuan by the being that had brought Zhurong to him.

He finally moved, or rather one of him. His upper body became hazy and like one image superimposed upon another separated from the main body to strike forward, connecting the glaive directly with the Ice Blade.

The time came to a standstill as the second image separated from the main body and struck from the left. A third struck from the right and finally, the main body moved one by one gathering all the superimposed images back into him as it struck.

Time moved again and when the glaive hit the ice blade for the final time it cracked from the center shattering the ice blade in its entirety while a surge of that same energy carried forward into the air and to cut Stasa cleanly in half.