The Achievement Junkie

Chapter 479 Tyres vs Jin

Blades clashed as the Sword God and the God of Discipline began their long-awaited rematch. Neither surrendered initiative, dashing into each other with full-force.

Their first few strikes were plain and simple. No energy or special tricks were showed. Both swordsmen wielded their swordsmanship in the purest form as they traded blows. It wasn’t common by any means among battles between gods but it was the common beginning to each of their duels.

"You’re too slow!" Tyres shouted, boasting his superior level while quickening his step.

The Sword God’s movements hastened yet remained perfectly balanced. He weaved through Jin’s attack and prepared a harsh slash against the samurai’s torso. But he never made contact.

For a moment, Tyres thought Jin broke the custom, something that Jin had always maintained till Tyres grew tired of the prolonged fight. But Tyres realized that Jin had effectively dodged the attack and was already preparing his own in response.

Jin’s reply was a similar slash attack, only it was even quicker than Tyres’s attack!

The Sword God was astounded and startled as he finally activated some energy to quicken his step and avoid the blow.

"Again... You lose again," Jin stated with a smirk.

Tyres eyed Jin in anger. "What was that? There’s no way you’re that much quicker than me..."

"Guess again." Jin repeated the attack, proving to Tyres and both of the spectating gods that he indeed had out-sped Tyres with no additional energy.

"Impossible..." Frowning deeply, Tyres released more energy and covered himself in wind. "I’m sure there must be some trick to your attack. You were barely quicker than me while at the same level, yet now that I have an advantage and you’re even faster?!"

"Say what you want but I don’t seek tricks. I seek results and will work hard to bring out my fullest potential without shortcuts," stated Jin.

"Then explain to me how you’ve gained so much speed."

"That’s the thing, I’m not the one who got faster."

"Huh?" Baffled, Tyres reasoned, "If you won’t explain your speed, then there must be a hidden trick. Why else would you not tell me?"

"Because I have my reasons. But like I said, I’m not the one who got faster. That’s my explanation." Jin readied himself to receive Tyres’s imminent attack.

"Then I’ll have to force you to share your secrets!"

Along with the wind around Tyres’s body, fire and lightning gathered around his swords. The Sword God lunged forward with incredible speed that could match Rikko’s nimbleness. One flaming sword and one electrifying sword each swung toward Tyres’s friend turned foe.

Jin kept his gaze fixed as both blades neared him. The God of Discipline used one of his katanas to lightly parry the flaming sword while he leaned to the side and allowed the shocking sword to whiz past his ear, almost giving Jin a haircut it was so close. He then slashed toward Tyres’s chest, still not using energy.

With his magic gathered around him, Tyres easily dodged the ordinary strike and counterattacked.

Jin focused on evasion as both of Tyres’s longswords narrowed brushed past his torso and neck. All the while, Jin refused to use energy until absolutely necessary. Due to his persistence in daily training, Jin was the first to discover his upgraded strength and abilities after Jack had purchased skill upgrades three days ago. And the moment Jin learned that his skills had grown stronger, he refused to be unaware of his new limits and trained to rediscover his newly heightened senses. Now, Jin was pushing those limits by remaining as close to Tyres’s attacks as possible while still avoiding any type of damage.

"You’re technique hasn’t improved at all..." Jin critiqued. "If anything, it may have gotten worse."

"That’s enough!"

Not taking kindly to Jin’s newfound abilities and taunts, Tyres added wind and lighting magic to boost his speed all the more. This finally forced Jin to use energy and forcibly deflect the strikes, the scenario that benefitted Tyres.

"How has he grown so much without leveling?" Kylon asked Eedaj.

Replying, Eedaj shrugged, "When all you do is train every day all-day-long for a thousand years, wouldn’t it make sense for him to get better?"

Kylon squinted and shook her head. "But such a drastic increase should be impossible without leveling... What has he done recently?"

"Jin spent the last two months searching for Tyres but ultimately failed. We came here because we knew Tyres had arrived, something that Jin could never ignore," mentioned Eedaj.

"But that doesn’t explain his growth..." Kylon added. "Though Tyres was the lowest leveled holy god, he has every reason to be stronger than Jin. Tyres is an astounding swordsman with three magic types that increase his speed and fighting power drastically. Jin is the only god with zero affinity for magic and relies purely on trained skills, standing an entire level lower than Tyres. Explain to me, how he could overcome such an overwhelming gap of potential?"

With a smile on his face, Eedaj replied, "Never underestimate the power of hard work. I know no other, mortal or immortal, that is as diligent and disciplined as Jin, hence his title. Though Tyres arose to godhood first while Jin was rejected by both Skaryn and Halmut, Jin never gave up and eventually joined us neutral gods. Even after ascending, Jin would rather miss meals and rest than to avoid his rigorous daily training."

"And?"

"And what?"

Insisting to hear more, Kylon asked, "And what else has transpired that allowed Tyres to grow stronger against the logic of the world?"

"His patience and diligence are what won out in the end. By remaining patient, he ended up joining us rather trying to impress either Skaryn or Halmut after their rejection, like what Tyres had done. Instead, Jin sought his own path. And now, even at lv. 91, you admire his skills and even compared him to a high-level combatant, didn’t you?" Eedaj replied.

Kylon smiled. "True... I believe he has earned his right to be a god and has proven himself. But that doesn’t explain anything new. Jin’s strength already defied common logic, yet now it seemingly defies how this world functions, by level. What has he found that can be better than leveling?"

"I see... So you want to understand him not for the sake of their duel but for yourself. Then you can attempt to gain that strength in hopes of pairing that boost with leveling," stated Eedaj, finally getting Kylon to admit to her own thoughts which he had read all along.

She eagerly nodded, waiting for Eedaj to say more.

"I’ll say this. As a holy god or even as a chaotic god, this boost in strength is impossible to gain," admitted Eedaj, not daring reveal its true nature or connection to Jack.

"No holy or chaotic god... Then do all neutral gods have this boost?" Kylon asked with a stunned stare.

Eedaj said nothing, only maintaining his typical smile. He kept Kylon in suspense as Tyres was forcing Jin to use more and more energy, a thoughtful strategy.

Since Jin had no magic affinities, his way of wielding energy was by using the raw mana within his body. Unlike using spells or skills that boasted magical properties, Jin’s skills weren’t aided by the use of the world’s mana. It was for that reason that Jin created his unique techniques that were low mana cost and easily sustainable with no flashiness whatsoever.

As Tyres was already hammering away at Jin with nothing held back, Jin was forced to give up practising his swordsmanship on Tyres and rely on his skills.

In comparison to Tryes’s relentless speed, Jin activated his illusory arms and now wielded twelve blades. This was his way of countering Tyres. If Jin couldn’t evade his enemy’s attacks, he would grow enough arms to deflect them all and keep up the hard way.