Sacred Arts

8. Amon Versus Matthew

Amon unleashed a barrage of energy blasts towards Matthew, who quickly realized the blasts were faster than he expected. "There's just no way his attacks are this fast." Matthew thought astounded, as he narrowly managed to evade the blasts. "Maybe I can't underestimate him after all," Matthew muttered with a smirk on his face, while withdrawing his hands from his pockets. "Alright I'll take you serious," Matthew declared, assuming a fighting stance. Both Matthew and Amon charged at one another, exchanging punches with equal force, resulting in a deadlock.

"Are we evenly matched?" "There's just no way," Matthew thought. Recognizing their strength was on par with one another, Matthew took a step back to unleash a devastating energy blast at point-blank range towards Amon. "There's no way he can block this attack, the majority of my power was put into that blast," Matthew whispered to himself happily. This blast, fueled by about ninety percent of Matthew's power, posed a far greater danger than the one he had previously struck Jess with. Jess, witnessing the terrifying attack, starts to tear up at the thought of Amon not surviving this attack.

"This is supposed to just be a sparring match." "Why would he attack with such power?" Jess wondered curiously. Overwhelmed by fear, she knew she couldn't block the blast to save Amon even if she tried. Reacting just in time, Amon activated his "Whispering Wind" technique, evading the oncoming blast. Despite its speed, Amon remained calm and unaffected. "That was an amazing display of power, but a little much for a sparring match, you think?" Amon said mockingly. Matthew, shocked by the depletion of his energy and Amon's ability to evade such an attack, gazed at Amon with a mix of fear and confusion.

"I was so sure that the last attack would have ended this fight," Matthew muttered angrily. "You will not be so lucky this time!" Matthew declared, preparing to launch another blast. But in an instant, Amon vanished, leaving Matthew wide-eyed and bewildered. "I couldn't see where he went." "What did he do?" Matthew nervously wondered, desperately searching for an answer to the question that plagued his mind as he looked all around the battlefield.

Amon appeared behind Matthew, laughing and grabbing him by his collar. "Looking for me?" Amon said, mocking Matthew. With a swift motion, Amon lifted Matthew into the air and hurled him forcefully into the sky. Matthew, unable to stabilize himself, looked up in horror as Amon appeared high above him, bringing his foot crashing down onto Matthew's chest, sending him towards the ground at lightning speed. The impact created a resounding boom, causing dirt and debris to fill the air.

Amon, after executing his fierce attack, looked down at the field and witnessed Matthew lying in a crater slightly bigger than his own body. "My bad, I still haven't fully mastered control over my strength yet," Amon admitted. "Have I been foolish this entire time?" Jess thought, astonished by Amon's newfound power and Matthew's current condition. "When did Amon become this strong?" "More importantly, how did he gain such strength?" Jess wondered with wide-open eyes and a gaping mouth. Meanwhile, Matthew, barely managing to get to his feet, stood hunched over with his hands on his knees.

"There's no way you are capable of this!" Matthew yelled, filled with anger. "You must be using some trick," Matthew shouted. "How else would you have reached this level of power?" Angrily, Matthew unleashed his monstrous aura, determined to end the battle once and for all. "You can make excuses all you want," Amon said calmly. "If I recall correctly, you already lost one match." "This is our second one, because your back was just buried in the ground," Amon said grinning.

Mutually agreeing to settle the fight once and for all, Amon and Matthew emitted massive auras. The auras met in the space between the warriors and clashed, with both trying to dominate the other. Matthew gathered all of his remaining strength in his fist and unleashed a colossal energy blast, surpassing all of his previous attacks. The destructive force of his blast tore through the ground as it hurtled towards Amon at a great speed. At the same time, Amon concentrated all of his power into his fist and launched his own attack, meeting Matthew's blast head-on.

The collision resulted in a deafening boom as Amon's blast engulfed Matthew's and continued its trajectory towards him all the while picking up speed. Fear consumed Matthew's face as he realized the immense destructive power of the energy blast rapidly approaching him. He knew evading it or stopping it was impossible for him, which left him with no options. Meanwhile, Jess, her hands covering her mouth, stood in tears, witnessing Matthew's impending danger. "There's no way this fight has reached this point," Jess whispered quietly, trembling under the overwhelming force of Amon's attack.

"It's like they are really trying to kill each other," Jess thought. "No!" Matthew yelled as the blast made contact with his body, propelling him backward dozens of yards. Dust and debris once again filled the air as suspense filled Jess's heart. "Matthew, Amon," Jess yelled. As the dust began to settle, Jess spotted Matthew in a heap and rushed to his side. Concerned for his well-being, she knelt down beside him as he laid motionless on the ground.

"Don't worry he'll survive," Amon reassured Jess, smirking. "I only used around half of my strength, while that fool exhausted all of his," he continued. Approaching Jess and the unconscious Matthew, Amon opened his divine dimension. After retrieving some healing pills, he tossed them to Jess, instructing her to feed them to Matthew so he could recover quickly. "How did you become so powerful?" Jess asked curiously. "To be honest, nothing but hard work and a lot of luck," Amon replied, laughing.

Jess lifted Matthew onto her back, thinking hard about what Amon said. "You're powerful too, Jess." Amon said. "Just continue working hard, and I'm positive you will surpass us in no time," Amon continued enthusiastically. "Don't flatter me,"Jess ordered, annoyed. "I fought Matthew and didn't stand a single chance and yet you easily overpowered him without breaking a sweat, and your cultivation isn't too far away from mine," she continued with frustration evident in her voice.

"Jess, all you need to do is focus on yourself," Amon responded calmly in a friendly demeanor. "Like I said before, you are already powerful, just keep up with what you're doing," he added as he smiled at Jess. "I guess you're right," Jess said sighing, as she calmed down. "I promise you, not only will I surpass Matthew, but I will become an even stronger warrior than even you," Jess declared determinedly. Jess turned and walked away in the direction of her home with Matthew still on her back so she could tend to his wounds when they made it there.

Amon returned home to rest, feeling even more satisfied with his hard work and dedication to his training. The next day, Amon decided he was going to spend three weeks in the "Forbidden Forest" to train, and he would come back home to cultivate the week of the tournament. The journey to the forest took a fraction of the time it took before due to Amon's strength and speed being greater than they were last time he made the trip to the forest. Amon entered the forest already sensing all the dangerous beasts that reside there. "I'll fight every beast I encounter and salvage their remains for resources," Amon thought as he trained.