The Prince of Heaven's Gate - Last Stand At World's End

Grand Void.

This was the sword skill that Keane’s Master had perfected over the years.

The first form of this skill was called Splitting Trees. The moment that his thumb pushed the hilt of his sword up, and allowed his blade to peek out of its sheath, trees would be split apart in half.

The Second Form of this sword skill was called Splitting the Land.

When the blade left its sheath, a deep gash, that ran dozens of meters in length and several meters deep, would appear in the ground in front of him.

The Third Form was Splitting The River. With a single, quick slash, the raging water of the river would be cut in half, creating a passage that would allow anyone to traverse it.

The Fourth Form was Splitting a Hill, this attack would effectively slice a hill in half, in any way he’d like to have it cut.

These were the four Basic Forms of the Grand Void Sword Style. What followed next were the advance forms namely, Splitting the Clouds, Splitting the Mountains, Splitting the Sea, Splitting the Firmament, Splitting the World, and lastly, Splitting the Void.

Keane’s Master could do all of these, which had allowed him to walk the lands unhindered, even though he was only a High-Ranker and not a Saint.

His Master had also earned a title among the High-Rankers. His peers called him “The Void”, out of respect and fear for his insane sword skills.

When this powerful individual chose Keane to become his disciple, he was amazed because not only was the boy a genius in the way of the sword, he was also capable of analyzing any sword art and fusing it to his own.

Keane had even formed his own sword style which he called “Universal Peace.”

Keane said, with as much seriousness as a seventeen-year-old could muster, that the moment he perfected this Sword Style, a Universal Peace would fall upon the world.

Keane’s Master had no doubt that his disciple would surpass him in the future. A part of him was even looking forward to the completion of this Sword Style, which would usher in a new era of peace upon the territories that were under Keane’s protection.

“Let me give you a warning,” Gilmore said. “My sword has the chaotic attribute. I know that you are now feeling its effects, which dampens the circulation of your mana and blood flow. Even though it’s not life threatening, it can still put you out of commission for several months if you have a weak constitution.

“So, if you plan to go all out, now is the right time for it. In a few minutes, I will assure you that you will be unable to raise that sword that you wield in your dominant hand.”

In all honesty, Gilmore didn’t have any obligation to tell Keane one of the attributes of his Pseudo-Legendary Weapon. The reason he told his opponent this was because he had recognized Keane as a Master Swordsman.

As someone who was also treading the path to become a Sword Saint, Gilmore didn’t want his opponent to think that he used dirty tactics to win against him. A sword was just a sword. It was a means to an end, and it was a weapon bestowed upon him by his father, the King, on his eighteen birthday, as recognition of his strength and abilities.

“Thank you,” Keane replied. “I will also give you fair warning. I am going to get serious. I will apologize in advance if I accidentally kill you.”

Gilmore smiled and nodded his head. He knew that Keane wasn’t lying. This was another reason why he recognized him as an opponent that he wanted to defeat using all of his might.

Keane’s vision was starting to become blurry because of the chaotic mana flow and blood flow that was rampaging over his body. He was hurting all over, and he understood that he needed to end the battle in one swift strike that would defeat the strong opponent in front of him.

The skinny teenager returned his sword inside its sheathe in a quick, and elegant manner, like he had done countless times in the past. His aura surged around his body, making the ground under his feet shatter, causing dirt, and rocks to rise upwards.

Gilbert held his sword with both of his hands and took a striking pose. He also unleashed his aura and prepared for one last strike that would end this battle.

The blonde Swordsman’s sword style was called the Azure Sky Sword Style. It was a sword style that relied on quick and deadly attacks to end his opponent. Seeing that his opponent wanted to end the battle with his finishing move, Gilmore decided to pit his own finishing move against Keane’s, to prove to himself that he was stronger than him.

The audience quieted down as tension filled the air. No one dared to disturb the two fighters who were about to end the battle any moment from now.

Even the chatty boar had closed its lips as it focused its eyes on the skinny Swordsman, whom it called Little Swordy.

Judge Dredd, Bruno, as well as the other Rankers and High-Rankers in the Coliseum watched with great interest for the final outcome of the battle between two peak Swordsmen of the young generation.

Lux took out a coin from his pocket and flicked it towards the arena. For some reason, he felt like the two swordsmen were waiting for a signal to unleash their attacks at the same time, so he decided to be the one to give them what they wanted.

As soon as the coin fell on the ground, Keane unsheathed his sword, while Gilmore slashed down.

“Brilliance!”

“Spectral Slash!”

The moment these two attacks were unleashed, the entire arena was covered in a blinding light, forcing those whose Ranks weren’t high enough to see through the radiance to cover their eyes.

The Boar and Lux reluctantly covered their eyes because the brilliance was too piercing, even for them. Both of them felt that if they continued to look, even a moment longer, a sword would stab their eyes and make them go blind due to how sharp and powerful the two attacks were.

When the light receded, only one young man stood in the arena, while the other was on the ground, lying in a pool of blood.

With a silent victorious roar, the young man raised his sword towards the heavens, as if declaring his victory.

On that day, two swordsmen fought, and only one emerged as the winner. It was a battle that would be remembered as one of the greatest highlights of the Lionheart Tournament for many years to come.