Chapter 242 242 This can't be happening

Chapter 242 242 This can't be happening

A line of sweat broke out on his head- dripping down to his brows. The cold wind sweeping racing across the hill sent shivers down his spine- or was it fear?

Chest puffed out- and blaring nostrils, he jerked his head in the York girl's direction- questioning her with a loud commanding voice;

"Stacy! What the hell is it doing?!" he thundered; "Where's my damn sword?!!"

Stacy's mouth was opened in awe. Her round eyes gazed upwards- too shocked to answer Nexus a damn thing.n//OveLbIn

As frustration crept up on him, and as the sensation of incoming disaster continued to increasingly tug at his senses, he jerked his head back and lifted his neck upwards. With confusion set in his eyes, he watched askance- as the army of curling tentacles, threaded each other- tightening in knots till his sword disappeared completely.

The reflection of the wormy sight played out on his irises- like scenes from a horror show. All the hairs on Nexus' neck stood on its ends.

With bulging eyes, and with a damning sense of calamity looming over the terrain, he immediately unclenched his fists- trying to call out his sword out of the clouds of darkness- and out of the entangling web of tentacles.

A moment passed.

Two moments passed.

And Nexus swallowed.

Time seemed to slow down. In his rib cage, his raging heart thundered violently- thumping like a war drum- drowning out every other noise in the background. He swallowed again. And for the first time, fear flickered in his sturdy black eyes.

Still in a state of shock, he muttered to himself in unbelief;

'My sword. . .it's gone–?! HOW?!'

Dazed- he staggered on his feet- eyes glazing in confusion and shock as his mouth, tongue and throat went dry. Above, the floppy sounds of half a dozen tentacles slipped through the whole air- echoing his fears;

The connection with his sword was gone! It had simply vanished- disappeared- gone without a trace! Just like that- into thin air!

'Impossible. . .' his eyebrows curved together- 'This can't be happening. . .'

His mind zapped back to his home planet- back to the books he had lived and breathed;

'Flying sword technique is absolute. . .NOTHING can stop it. . .nothing should be able to sto–'

In the background- he heard a familiar sound calling him from a mile away

'Master!'

It sounded dream- lazy, lulling, from below the water;

'Master!!'

The heavy fog began to lift over his mind- and finally- his mind began to ascend. The roaring of the octopus echoed in bouncing reverberations- resonating through the rocks. And in between each roar, Stacy's voice came hurtling at him;

"MASTER!!!" Nexus whirled his head leftwards; "The sword!! It's gone!!!"

His blank eyes bloomed in his eye sockets- softening at the confirmation.

Stacy yelled further; "It wrapped its tentacles around it- and broke it into pieces!!"

Nexus' heart sank in his chest as a pain- almost physical- tore him up from the insides. This had never happened before! He snapped his head back to the monster hovering above in the distance- eyeing it with hostility in his eyes.

The octopus was powerful. More powerful than his flying sword.

'Well then,' he sighed inwardly; 'Guess its on to the next one. . .'

Exhaling, he heaved his shoulders- and spoke in an ice cold tone;

"Flying sword," Nexus chanted; "Activate."

Once again, from behind him, between his shoulder blades, a mighty sword ascended out of the system's space. Hilt up, and silver blade facing down, it rose upwards from behind Nexus' black clad form- riding up the length of his spine like an upside down cross.

Until all five feet of its glorious form soared into the air- hanging just above Nexus' head- waiting for his command.

Nexus- eager for a second showdown, trembled with excitement- feeling the electrifying surge of new power crackling from the blade above him. This second sword had was bigger- bolder, and a lot sharper- reflecting Nexus' growth from all the dual cultivation.

His eyes lit up like strobes of light- and as his fist was about to clench again, the system's voice came pouring through.

---------------------------------

[SYSTEM ANALYSIS IS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD.]

[TO RECEIVE,

[ISSUE VERBAL COMMAND PROMPT- 'RECEIVE.']

Slightly irritated at the interruption, Nexus grunted the word; "Recieve."

[AFFIRMATIVE.]

[STAND BY.]

[BE ADVISED, YOU ARE TO STUDY THE MONSTER'S TACTICS.]

[INCLUDING ITS ATTACK AND DEFENSIVE STRATEGIES.]

Nexus' eyes gleamed for a moment.

Of course! Stacy had said it earlier.

[LOCATE AND ISOLATE ITS CENTER OF GRAVITY.]

It was its Qi! That was the key! That was the turning point!

[THIS IS A BATTLE OF NOT JUST STRENGTH.]

[IT IS QI AGAINST QI.]

His eyebrows furrowed- curving as they huddled together.

[INFUSE YOUR QI INTO YOUR ASSAULT WEAPON.]

Nexus' eyes sparked.

[THIS WILL EXTEND YOUR CONTROL BEYOND THE THREE DIMENSIONAL LIMIT.]

[THE WEAPON'S FLEXIBILITY WILL BE ENHANCED.]

[AS WELL AS ITS FLUIDNESS IN THE AIR.]

[AND OF COURSE- ITS HARDNESS AND SHARPNESS.]

His heart burned in his chest- picturing the outcome.

[WEAVE YOUR QI INTO YOUR DEFENSE TACTICS.]

[BE SMART. BE DANGEROUS. BE AWARE.]

[SYSTEM LOGGING OUT.]

Standing there- in the dark, with the howling wind flapping through his coat, and his feet planted firmly in the ground, Nexus could almost hear his own heart thumping away. His blood pressure soared as excitement rippled through him.

The system's words echoed and echoed in his heart;

'Qi against Qi. . .Qi against Qi. . .'

Understanding streaked through his eyes- as a blooming confidence blossomed in his heart;

'My flying sword technique is about to get a whole lot dangerous. . .'

He rubbed his palms excitedly against each other;

'That damn system. . .you couldn't have told me this earlier? I had to lose a whole damn sword because of that! I got just two left!'

On his chest, he merged both hands- pressing both his palms against each other. And silently- slipped into a state of meditation.

The hum of this breathing slowed down his soaring blood pressure- numbing his excitement. Like a beach surfer, he rode the calm predictable noises of his wheezing breaths, slipping deeper and deeper into his subconsciousness.

Until he no longer heard the arrogant roaring of the giant octopus.

Its hissing noises, the flopping sounds of its slithering moist tentacles, and the splintering of the soil underneath its feet suddenly faded away into the distance.

Outwardly, on his face, a blooming cloud of red began to streak across- from his forehead, to his sunken cheeks, and his pointed nose- filling him up with the color he had lost due to the ensuing panic.

Slowly, he began to tap into the flowing sea of qi.

It was like peeing- or breathing- or even walking. It came with an effortlessness- that also somehow required a certain level of focus.

About fifteen feet to his left, Stacy's lips twisted in an upside down smile- watched her master with beady eyes- occasionally darting her gaze back to the octopus above- and then back at her master.

'What the hell is he doing?!'

Suddenly- Nexus' eyes flipped wide open. It came with a suddenness that made even Stacy jump back in surprise. Under the soft glare of the crescent moon, the air around her master seemed to shimmer.