Chains Of Heaven

Enkidu's P.O.V.

It was time for the finals. Before me was my final opponent.

Wangqian Fugui.

He stood there, tall and imposing with a sword in hand and a blank look to his face. I feel a certain pressure from him, like he can certainly challenge me going forward.

I take out my spear, and prepare myself.

In the stadium, I know that teacher and the others are watching. This actually includes Cai'er who is looking at me in wonder and curiosity.

Let's give it everything we got. It is fighting time! (I felt a bit like Monokuma there, thus the internal joke)

... I feel a bit stupid now, for some reason.

"Ready?" The judge ask as everyone in the bleachers went into silence. His sword started releasing a strong sword energy which I answered with a spear might and earth/wood energy that matched him. That actually makes sense considering he is above me in cultivation, already at the peak of the Earth Profound Realm in the threshold to the Sky Profound Realm and I am not even in the Earth Profound Realm.

I focus, this might be an actually difficult match.

"BEGIN!"

As soon as the judge said so I moved, my spear moving to a jab which he avoided like the guy yesterday. I used the Pulse of Nature to shock him but he moved his sword before, cutting through most of the energy of my attack and the rest was absorbed by the robes in his body.

A defensive Profound Artifact, interesting.

I guess defeating him will not be quite so easy.

///---///

3° Person's P.O.V.

After the first strike, the two moved again.

Fugui launched multiple strikes with his blade, all of which Enkidu blocked with his spear and redirected away from him easily enough. Enkidu tried to send a punch at Fugui who twisted his body away from the strike and sent a palm strike at Enkidu's arm.

The palm was glistening in gold, it was a palm art known as pushing rivers palm, and it had an incredible amount of power. However, Enkidu countered it by twisting himself too and launching a kick based on the Heaven's Path kick art, the two strikes meet in mid-air and a shockwave could be felt as both, who were in bad positions due to the twisting of their bodies, now were both pushed back.

Not long after the two moved at each other again, this time Enkidu used his Ars Magna: World Embrace with his spear to launch two 20 meters tall snakes made of solid rock right at Fugui. At once Fugui also moved, but unlike Enkidu, who had many tricks, Fugui moved naturally, his body twisted and turned, his sword flashing in unpredictable manners, and the two rock snakes were cut to pieces while Fugui himself managed to give a cut at Enkidu's shoulder.

Enkidu, seeing his shoulder be cut, did not panic. Instead, he turned at his opponent and smiled brightly, but despite the smile and the gentle look of his face, a heavy pressure could be sensed, as if he finally found something important.

Fugui did not care. He moved again, but this time it was not two rock snakes that went at Fugui. Instead, he pulled the whole terrain up as if two sides of a sphere with Fugui at its center and smacked both of them together. Fugui moved his blade again, his sword is extremely sharp as if cut a way out for him. Not being satisfied Enkidu moved and released the same wave of power he used the day before to completely crush the fiend of the day before.

Fugui saw the attack and prepared himself, his energy became even sharper as he focused on it.

The two released their attacks. Enkidu launched one strike with all his power while Fugui launched his best sword strike.

The two attack hit in mid-air and an explosion ensured from the two's energies. The stadium cracked completely in it's center with a crater appearing there.

However, neither Enkidu, who now had pure glee in his eyes, nor Fugui, who was enjoying the moment where each of his choices defined what would happen next, cared for this since both continued to press on.

This time it was Fugui who pressed forward. His sword was like rolling water, it moved in unpredictable patterns as it approached Enkidu who observed the attack cautiously. He knew he could get all the information about this technique Fugui was using and his weaknesses if he were to look at Fugui's book, but he did not even consider that. It would be unfair to Fugui who was here to compete fairly and to Enkidu who would not get this excitement.

He liked a challenge, deep down it is true that he did enjoy challenge himself, that is one of the reasons as to why he enjoyed medicine, no matter what there is always a chance of failure, so one must always be serious and do his best. For fights, if he were to look at the books of others whenever he fights, he would end up never feeling a challenge, it would either be him simply winning or facing someone he never had a chance against, to begin with.

So, right now, as his face got a slight cut in the cheek that almost reached the one while he managed to punch Fugui's left arm shoulder, breaking it completely, was simply exhilarating.

This, for Enkidu, was a good fight. both sides are equal and there are no true stakes here beside the risk of death. But, Enkidu long since noticed that Fugui did NOT wish to kill him nor did he wish to kill Fugui. They only wanted to enjoy this moment.

However, after a time and as both stood bloodied to the sides, Enkidu's face twisted in annoyance and anger.

He understood the truth about his opponent, and he hated it completely.

'He is naturally free-spirited, he clearly enjoys fighting, so why is it that whenever his eyes land on that part of the stadium his style turns stern and without emotions?' That was a doubt on Enkidu's mind until he noticed with his senses how the auras of some of those people in that area were similar to Fugui. His expression turned even colder as he realized what was going on.

Fugui, like himself and Cai'er, were tormented by their original families. He was tortured for the crime of being different, Cai'er suffered immensely and was crippled by her family to the point that now she did not remember anything about her past, and Fugui clearly was suffering someway as well.

That infuriated Enkidu, he more and more firmed the idea that there was something horribly, horribly wrong with this society.

Taking a calming breath Enkidu began his next assault. This time about twenty portals opened all around him, all of which released chains aiming at Fugui.

Fugui wanted to escape, but the earth on his feet changed and locked his feet firmly where it was.

As he saw the chains approaching he felt it for the first time, for the first time he felt this sensation and it at once scared and excited him immensely.

The d.e.s.i.r.e for victory.

It was his first selfish d.e.s.i.r.e that he felt he could fulfill that was unrelated to his obligations to the sect. When he realized this he remembered a piece of jade that he found when he was three years old. To this day he used it in his neck for some reason and when he realized his first selfish d.e.s.i.r.e something happened with that jade.

A slight pulsation of energy echoed out from it and everything froze to Fugui's eyes.

It was like the world entered in a standstill as a figure materialized walked to the front of him.

"Not bad, you seem barely acceptable. You may call me Darknorth, Daoist Darknorth. You and I share a karmic bond, I answer you then. Would you be my disciple?" The figure spoke and Fugui could sense insane sword energy coming from this person, it was all-encompassing and Fugui was completely unable to begin describing how impressive it was.

However, he did not immediately accept.

"Senior, this junior apologizes but I do not know enough about you to simply accept like this."

"Understandable," Darknorth said. "I am the one who has the highest accomplishments in the Dao of the Sword across all time and space, my sword dao and heart is absolutely perfect and if you follow me then I am sure my teachings will let you grow much stronger. Even now, if you receive them, you will certainly have the chance to win this fight."

"... If by accepting this I instantly can win this fight then I refuse it." Fugui said, making Darknorth raise an eyebrow. "This is a fight where me and my opponent are putting our all. We are doing our best, and I respect him. How could I basically cheat to win like this? I apologize, but could you wait until after this fight before I accept you as my teacher?"

Darknorth heard this and was quiet for a moment. He stayed quiet for a little while before exploding in laughter.

"Good, good boy! You certainly have guts to just refuse me like that and for a righteous reason no less. Yes, you should do nicely." Darknorth then calms down before talking. "I understand, and don't worry. If you just accepted like that I would have still made it possible for you to receive my full inheritance but I would have made it a tad harder for you later on in exchange for helping you more now. As you don't wish for that I will accept it, as such you will take a bit longer to learn more for now but that should help your Sword Heart to develop better. Remember, you should aim for a perfect sword heart above all else."

Fugui nods his head in understanding as he processed all this. Reaching a conclusion he goes down on his knees.

"Student Wanqian Fugui acknowledges teacher Darknorth from this day to the end of my days." He says firmly and the figure nodded.

"Good. As a teacher I will leave you with three life protection powers made of my own power as ways to save your life if needed. Each of them can protect you once for anyone, but there are only three of them so if you waste them it is up to you. I also changed them to make them only strike down what is threatening you and not to cause untold destruction. Also, I am transferring to you my understandings of the Sword Laws. It will be up to you how you will use them or if you will copy my techniques or not." As Darknorth said that a wave of mysterious energy went from his head to Fugui's, the younger boy closed his eyes as he went into a momentary daze while the information was being implanted directly in his soul.

As Darknorth did that he felt something peculiar around him. He turned around and noticed Enkidu not far away. His eyes shined even brighter than before.

"Interesting, how very intriguing. To think that two such unique races would join together and actually result in this boy. A pure natural energy of this level and such a potent and natural sword heart that is being tempered but refuses the sword, it is almost a waste that I can't have him as a student of my own too, if only to make him use a sword. He should have at least as much potential as I had in his age to sword arts, if not more! Truly a shame he refuses to use it and doesn't seem to even acknowledge it and refuses the very concept of it. Well, while not the same I guess some small push to the right direction will not hurt, if he ever picks up the sword I am sure this will help. Consider this good karma, I suppose."

After Darknorth said that a wave of similar energy to the one that had just entered Fugui's mind went to Enkidu. The amount of it was around 50 to 60% but it still was surprising. Especially when it did NOT enter Enkidu's soul and instead was 'devoured' by the Magic Cube instead.

That made Darknorth's eyebrows to shot up even higher.

"That, that is a very interesting treasure. Ah ahh, it is truly a shame I can't examine it better. Oh well, it is fate as well." He then turned back to Fugui. "Listen here, Fugui. I sealed the information I gave you in your mind as it is just too much. If I let you take it all in as you are then our soul would collapse in itself quite easily or you would simply be unable to practice your own sword arts and simply become a pale copy of me. Instead, you will feel the seals weaken the higher your cultivation rises, use that which I gave you as reference for your own powers. Some of it will be accessible right away, now go forth and do not sully the name of Daoist Darknorth."

As he said that the shadow of Darknorth began to vanish in front of Fugui until time began moving again. The chains began drawing near again but this time Fugui moved his sword with even more fluidity than before, his sword energy soared even higher as his understandings of the sword increased naturally from the information in his head.

The knowledge from Darknorth could be divided in just five techniques, from what little he could grasp of each of them Fugui used the one most appropriate in his mind.

"Soleheart Stance" As Fugui said so he moved his swords and the chains aiming at him were almost s.u.c.k.e.d to his sword and redirected at another place.

Enkidu did not stop. If anything he simply increased the number of chains being sent and tried something new. Instead of letting his attack spread evenly everywhere he would focus it in a much narrower area. He then released it from his spear mixed with his spear intent, the two mixed into a powerful blast that Fugui barely blocked.

Enkidu could sense his energy dropping, he did not have much Profound Energy left in him anymore, but so was Fugui's condition.

The fight would be a fight of attrition from this point forward, only for it to abruptly end when Fugui could no longer maintain his defense and was pierced by Enkidu's chains.

Enkidu quickly stopped his attack when he realized that Fugui passed out, the boy had spent all his soul force, not only the combat was intense but the fact he had just received the inheritance of Darknorth put too great a strain on him.

Thus Enkidu won the last fight, but unlike the crowd that was widely cheering, he just went to his downed opponent and started to treat him. As someone who also suffered in the hands of family, Enkidu felt like he should do at least that. Besides, he did not trust the family members of someone who looks to have a similar past to him, the chance of them screwing over with Fugui were far too high and Enkidu did not want that.

He rarely felt as alive as he did during this fight, it was as simple as that the reason as to why he chose to help Fugui.

A minute after, when people were going to take Fugui away, the boy slowly opened his eyes and spoke.

"You name, what is it?"

"My name? it is Enkidu, a p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to meet you." Enkidu said calmly even as the many cuts created by Fugui continued to release blood.

"... It is strange, I just heard your name and we never talked to each other before, but I feel I know you better than I know even myself right now." Fugui said, mostly to himself as he was being taken away, in his mind this explosive meeting and fight would remain for a long time.

Thus a rock is thrown into the still pond which was Fugui and his entire life. If the waves created would die down or turn into something bigger remains to be seen.