Chapter 171: The Parts of a Domain

Five Hours later, Howard and Oclen had both moved roughly 10 steps.

Howard's body had been completely covered with scars from head to toe while Oclen seemed to be suffering an even worse fate. Because his leg had just recovered, every step he tried to take brought out the most terrifying pain he had ever experienced. Even getting his torso cut in half by Aremcolith hadn't been as difficult to deal with. At the time, he had been under pressure, and the endorphins he released had naturally kept him from feeling the pain.

However, right now, every single movement was like getting stabbed a million times. You really had to commit to move a single step because if you didn't, the Ghost Domain would shoot you back1

'This is ridiculous! How is Howard smiling. Why is he happy?! Doesn't he feel like his insides are getting completely eviscerated? Shouldn't he be frowning."

One thing that bothered Oclen the most about Howard in the last few days is that Howard seemed completely certain that he'd be able to overcome any obstacle. Oclen, growing up, had always done his best to sneak around obstacles and win by cheating.

To be honest, when him and Maclan were in the forest when they first hunted Authoritarians, he knew the parent of the Lizard Authoritarian would attack them because of a trail of her blood, so he had ample time to prepare for her ambush. There had been some blood droplets of a Lizard Authoritarian, and because of his mother, who was an Authoritarian Keeper, he was able to identify the type of blood and realize what it meant.

When he saw the baby lizard authoritarian in their reaches, he asked Maclan to attack in order to draw out the mother Authoritarian so his teachers could see his courage, and realizing she was already injured attacked with a simple spear attack. If not for this information, he never would've surpassed Maclan and gotten the most important spot for a youth in all of Arthraku Nation! In fact, Maclan probably would've been the one to catch the Eighteen Eyed Authoritarian! He would've been the person that died against Howard instead of Maclan! However, he always felt inferior to people like Howard because he was so sure of himself! He was one of those who didn't have to cheat the world to get what they wanted.

'Even with the wife I wanted, I had to trick her father into getting her to marry me,' Oclen grinded his teeth while he tried to take a single step. His tears fell from the side of the eye while hundreds of Ghost Hands from the domain pushed into him. 'Damn it! I'm so tired of having to be one step ahead all the time! Wait, a single step? Is that what he's doing?'

Howard was technically a single step behind Oclen when he stepped down, but he seemed to be smiling. It's like he was mastering some strange skill, and Oclen instantly realized he wanted to master it as well.

'The skills to enter into the SS rank are all about layering different principles on your body. The eyes of life and death for instance are about understanding life and death! However, is he trying to master something that has to do with his body? Isn't that the hardest and final step of entering into the SS rank. Layering something on your body?"

What Oclen was talking about was how each part of the body had to be completely understood in order go enter into the True SS rank. Those who mastered the six barriers were technically considered to be in the SS rank, but those who entered the true SS rank had principles of Ki stored in every part of their body.

'Ugh, such a pain! If he keeps getting stronger, I'll have no choice but to retreat when Harkel finally lets us leave! Now that I've recovered, I have a 60 percent chance killing him once Armecolith is dead, but it's going down to 50 fast!'

"Hehe, what's wrong?" Howard said, "Oclen, I'm going to catch up to you?"

"Shut up! I'm not losing to you! I'll outsmart you at every turn! Even in this!"

Harkel smiled and finally felt a large explosion in the distance. He could tell Waxel had just taken some serious damage from Aremcolith, but the other party wasn't doing well either.

'Hehe, Howard, you'd be happy to know Waxel had a card up his sleeve, hahaha! What a cheap shot! I guess Waxel really might live to see another day! His odds of dying are down to 70 percent!"

###

Waxel's Ice Emperor Chariot had sixteen horsemen on it that were different forms of Ki Projection.

These Ki Projections eventually would be what was needed to turn into a domain. For instance, Harkel had over 1000 Ghost hands that made up his domain that were all just extremely advanced Ki Projections! They could attack by his will and disuade any enemies from entering!

However, what really made something a domain was the willlessness of the Ki Projections. To be more exact, the sixteen horseman of the Ice Emperor's Chariot would be a domain if they were fully able to attack without Waxel giving them commands!

Of course, Waxel had been trying to create a domain for years just in case an event like this happened. Maybe he had been training others too hard instead of himself, but in the battle against Armecolith, when their two worlds collided, he seemed to have finally had a breakthrough.

"Ice Emperor Chariot Domain, Activate!"

"No you don't!" Armecolith's giant shadow warrior released a powerful Dark Ki before it slashed at Waxel. It's large hands turned into two sharp blades before thousands of laser beams seemed to manifest out of it.

Boom!

Waxel, who was completely covered with blood, smiled and pet the clean shaven hair Howard had given him as a joke. "I have the ultimate reason to get stronger! I finally met my descendent! I'm going to make you pay, bastard!"

"Hahaha! A sixteen part domain! Pathetic!" Armecolith's shadow giant slashed into the glowing ice circle that was spreading out in every direction. "So what? Most domains utilize thousands of Ki projections. So what if it got a little colder?"

Domains, as opposed to just normal Ki Projections, also changed the environment. This did a few things, one, it made a certain type of Ki more numerous. Right now, all the ice Ki in the air completely dominate the Fire Ki and even Shadow Ki!

Instantly, the tides of the battle slightly turned! Armecolith, who had just been about to kill Waxel, somewhat scoffed before thousands of black sabers floated behind him connected by a layer of chians.

"Take this, Burial Swordsman Ritual!" Aremcolith slammed his foot into the ground in anger before his thousands of sabers shot at the sixteen horseman merged with the cold in the air.

It looked like sixteen horses were in front of a completely transparent ice chariot facing thousands of sabers. The sabers had been what Aremcolith had been planning to use for his domain, but he hadn't completed it yet because he wanted to have a 10000 Ki Projection Domain. The second he formed a domain, it would become permanent, and no new Ki Projections could be added.

Of course, Waxel had no reason to stop forming his domain when he was on the edge of life and death. He smiled and watched his sixteen horseman turn into lines of light that instantly began to swat away the swords.

"I can always make a powerful Earth domain," Waxel nearly dropped onto one knee before he looked at 1000 Monster Valley. "Haha! Thank you so much, Howard! Because of you, even if I die, I got to see my most handsome grandson! My wives would be so proud! Now, final skill activate, Ice Chariot Storm! Activate!"

###

Two days later, 

Howard and Oclen had made it ten steps further.

They had passed the first obstacle course, the wheel of death, which was just a simple contraption with thousands of spikes sticking out of it.

However, the hardest part of the wheel of death is that if you stepped back once a hundred spears would stab you in the back! It took a lot of will to enter into the damn thing, and to have to deal with the domain.

Whatsmore, the worst part had to be that because of the domain, their normal powerful bodies had been stressed to the maximum and even a rock could hurt them! Because they had exhausted pretty much all their Ki after two days, their bodies were pretty much relying on thier will to push them forward.

Howard and Oclen both finally made it to the second part of the obstacle course and smiled. Neither of them would lose!

"And, that's where we take a break. You're both about to shatter your organs. Enough of the rivalry. It makes me happy to see you both want to crush each other, but I have news to tell you. The battle between Armecolith, and Waxel has just finished. Now come here, and don't complain! You can start the obstacle course again in the morning!"

"What? What happened?" Howard screamed and instantly went an entire three steps through the ghost domain. Oclen looked at him terror. What kind of monster was he dealing with?

'Was he moving slowly just to keep up with me?" Oclen shook his head. "That can't be! I can feel his Ki. There is no way that's the case! He got stabbed just as many times as me!"

"Can it be? He cares about other people so much that he gets stronger when they come to his mind! What a bastard! I can never be like him! I only do stuff for the good of my nation! The people I love can die if need be! What an idiot!"

"Not bad, Howard" Harkel smiled while a tear fell out of his eye. "However, you're not going to like this news. Either is your great grandfather, hahaha! Now, sit down and listen! There is only one thing we can do right now, and no one here is going to like it!"