Tasha pulled her hand out of Dukeramâs chest and then gathered red energy.
âIâll crush you all!â
All humans besides Kang Oh were her enemies.
Blood red energy exploded from her hand, and pushed forward like a wave.
Dukeram quickly swung Max Cain and sliced the energy in two equal pieces.
Then, he unleashed a barrage of powerful attacks. Dukeramâs strength was beyond compare with Invincible Emperor active.
In an instant, he hit her five times. Tashaâs body accrued wound after wound, and eventually returned to her demon sword form.
Since she was defeated, it would take a long time before Kang Oh could call her out again.
Of course, Kang Oh didnât twiddle his thumbs while Dukeram was attacking Tasha.
The ice-horned demon swung Sarahoff at Dukeramâs neck.
Dukeram responded immediately. He tilted Max Cain and blocked Kang Ohâs attack.
His purple blade expelled bitter cold energy, which spread outwards.
Dukeramâs hair, eyebrows, the tip of his nose, and Max Cainâs blade began to freeze.
Sand crawled along Dukeramâs feet and spread across his body, protecting him like armor.
Only a small portion of Dukeramâs body was frozen solid. The rest of his body was covered by sand. Dukeram then swung Max Cain.
Kang Oh felt as though a frozen snake was lunging at him from behind.
His Hyper Intuition was warning him!
Red shards of light burst from his back. Unfortunately, he hadnât been able to dodge it.
However, Kang Oh didnât just sit there.
Ubistâs wide blade slammed into Dukeramâs body.
What little ice was on Dukeramâs body sloughed off, and he was pushed back.
However, he didnât take much damage; Invincible Guardian significantly raised Dukeramâs defense.
Then, the sand was carried off by the wind.
Although Invincible Guardian significantly increased oneâs defense, the sand hardened, so it also limited oneâs mobility. Thatâs why heâd turned it off.
Kang Oh retrieved Blood and forcefully threw it.
The effects of âEternal Springâ caused his MP to regenerate extremely quickly. Plus, using Gluttony on the SS-rank Hellfire Greatsword gave him unlimited Stamina.
There was no reason to save his secret moves, which cost a ton of MP and/or Stamina.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
Blood, which fiercely spun through the air, possessed incredible power. Even so, Dukeram didnât even try to dodge it.
Blood slid off of Max Cain and fell into the soft sand.
Kang Oh didnât let up. He immediately rushed at Dukeram.
He repeatedly swung his jet-black and purple blades!
Dukeram stomped on the ground, forming a wall of sand that separated the two of them.
However, a sand wall wouldnât be able to stop Kang Oh.
He immediately crushed through it.
However, the sand wall had been nothing more than a diversion.
Dukeram charged straight at him like a drill amidst the scattering grains of sand.
Dukeram repeatedly thrust his sword at him.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Demon Sword Ubist and Demon Sword Sarahoff versus the legendary Max Cain. The three blades continuously clashed, emitting a constant âclangâ in the air.
The more he swung his sword, the faster he would become. That was Mad Windâs Sword.
Steel Rain worked similarly. The power of his thrusts would become stronger and stronger.
Mad Windâs Sword was like a raging storm, while Steel Rain was like a meteor that cut through the world.
Both Kang Oh and Dukeramâs attacks became even stronger, but neither of them backed down. They actually slightly, very slightly, advanced.
The more they did, the more intense their attacks became.
It was like the Wind God and Thunder God were doing battle!
Countless shards of light fell from their bodies.
How much time had passed?
Kang Oh and Dukeram kept attacking each other.
It was due to this mysterious, psychic ability that he gained from a sudden automobile accident that he was able to dodge and find weaknesses faster than Dukeram.
At some point, Dukeram was unable to block Kang Ohâs blades.
Kang Oh slashed, cut, and stabbed Dukeramâs body again and again.
Red and black shards rose through the air like a fire show. Dukeramâs HP quickly dipped to critical levels.
Kang Oh managed to stab Dukeram in the chest with Sarahoff.
However, Kang Oh didnât look happy in the slightest.
Dukeramâs face was contorted due to the effects of âAwful Painâ, but it wasnât the face of a loser.
Both were well aware that this wasnât the end.
Dukeramâs Tarsonis Armor glowed brightly.
Dukeramâs HP, which Kang Oh had worked so hard to lower, had been fully restored. Not only that, but his MP and Stamina had been restored too.
Then, he began his counterattack.
This skill significantly increased the power of any sword-related skill, and maximized the potential of a swordâs item effects!
Dukeram had used this secret move against Burkan, so it had been on cooldown this entire time.
However, it had become usable during his intense back and forth with Kang Oh.
âHuahk!â Dukeram yelled, and activated Max Cainâs special ability.
It was amplified by both Invincible Emperor, which quadrupled his abilities, and Enlightened One, which drew out the full power of his swordâs item effects.
Kang Oh had been hit before his Hyper Intuition could even warn him.
It was just that fast. It was even faster than Swift Diak, which was regarded as the fastest monster in Arth.
Max Cainâs glittering blade pierced Kang Ohâs stomach.
Kang Oh lost a ton of HP instantly. He was even at risk of dying.
However, he couldnât afford to die and revive himself.
âI canât let Gluttony turn off.â
If he revived and came back, then all of his buffs would disappear. Without Gluttony, he wouldnât be a match for Dukeram.
Dukeram pulled out his blade and attacked Kang Oh again.
Supersonic Strike was a chargeable move, so he couldnât use it consecutively.
Max Cainâs blade flashed, and came flying at Kang Ohâs neck.
This time, however, Kang Oh defended himself in time.
His necklace glowed and a full moon barrier shielded him.
Max Cain couldnât penetrate the barrier. However, he would only have to wait three seconds for the barrier to disappear.
After three seconds had passed, the barrier cracked like an exploding watermelon!
However, dark red energy came out like seeping fruit juice.
Dukeram tightened his legs and swung his sword downwards.
Enlightened One had greatly increased the power of his skill.
Dukeram planned to bisect the red energy in a single strike.
The power contained within the blood red energy was far greater than he couldâve imagined. Dukeram was swept away and fell to the floor.
Awful Pain followed. However, Dukeram wasnât so weak that heâd let a little pain beat him.
He used Max Cain to support himself and quickly stood up.
Kang Oh had transformed into the Dual Demon, with Blood in hand rather than Sarahoff, and demonic horns on his head and dark red wings on his back.
A giant hourglass embellished with gold and a draconic ornament appeared above Kang Ohâs head.
This was the effect of his Dragon Treasure Belt, âDragonâs Hourglassâ.
A magnificent sound rang out, and the sand began to move.
The sand fell, and the hourglass radiated dim light onto Kang Oh.
The Dragonâs Hourglass could either accelerate time, reducing all of his skillâs cooldowns, or slow down time, increasing the duration of all his buffs.
Kang Oh chose the latter.
[You have summoned the Dragonâs Hourglass.]
[You have slowed down time, increasing the duration of all your buffs.]
[All MP has been consumed.]
[Gluttonyâs remaining 3 minutes has been increased to 33 minutes.]
[Blood Emperorâs remaining 25 seconds has been increased to 30 minutes and 25 seconds.]
[The duration of Ederâs Secret Medicine has increased from 10 minutes to 40 minutes.]
Kang Oh had consumed a drug heâd gotten from Eder when he was protected by Moonâs Protection. It increased his Physical stat by 40, and also increased his HP and Stamina regeneration.
âBlood Emperorâ, which launched an Emperorâs Strike soon after its activation, only lasted for 30 seconds, and increased his attack power, speed, and the demon swordâs life steal significantly.
However, all of his buffs had been extended by 30 minutes.
Kang Oh used Demonâs Roar. It was as if he were saying, âCâmon!â.
However, he was actually thinking the opposite.
âDonât attack me right now!â
Blood Emperor cost him half of his HP. Thus, his already low HP was now teetering on the brink.
Plus, Dragonâs Hourglass had consumed all of his MP.
Although Eternal Spring was quickly regenerating his MP, he still needed some more time.
Therefore, not fighting was the best move for Kang Oh right now.
He had roared and exaggerated his movements.
âCmon! Câmon!â It was as if he were beckoning to him.
Dukeram couldnât move hastily.
He didnât know the effects of the hourglass, and the provocation made it seem like he was walking into a trap.
It was too obvious of a trap though.
It wasnât like Kang Oh at all.
Thus, he wanted to jump right in. At the same time, he knew he shouldnât.
âWhatâs he planning?â
Kang Oh was wearing a beast mask, so he couldnât see his expression.
He didnât know what to do.
Dukeram harassed him from afar using sand. However, it was completely ineffectual.
Ultimately, Dukeram kicked off the floor and rushed at Kang Oh!
There were times when you had to go in, even though you knew you were walking into a trap. That time was now.
He only had 22 minutes left on Invincible Emperor.
Even now, his sand soldiers were disappearing.
Without Invincible Emperor, Dukeram had no hope of beating Kang Oh. It also hurt to see how many forces he lost at the cost of the buff.
Thus, he had to finish this battle as soon as possible.
âDie!â Dukeram yelled roughly. However, his sword was anything but rough.
Dukeram unleashed sharp thrusts at Kang Oh.
âTch.â Kang Oh inwardly clicked his tongue. He didnât use any special abilities and just protected himself with his twin demon swords.
Dukeram kept attacking him, and Kang Oh did nothing but defend himself.
âIs heâŠ?â Dukeramâs eyes gleamed.
Kang Oh was being overly defensive. He didnât counterattack, and focused completely on protecting himself.
âHe doesnât have much HP left. Heâs waiting for his HP to go back up.â
He was trying to buy time.
If thatâs the case, then he had to take him down now!
Dukeram kept up his assault. His thrusts continued to gain strength.
Kang Oh gritted his teeth.
There would be no point if he died here.
His MP, which had gone up to about 1/3, didnât go up anymore. Any MP he mightâve regained was spent using Mad Windâs Sword.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of metal upon metal repeatedly rang out.
However, neither side could block the otherâs attacks forever. Kang Oh and Dukeramâs bodies were filled with small, superficial wounds that bled with shards of light.
Things were worse off for Kang Oh though. His HP would go down to 0 before Dukeramâs did.
He was losing more HP than Blood could restore.
âI guess it canât be helped.â
If he wanted to win against Dukeram, then he would have to bet it all.