Page 384 (1/2)

Chapter 384: Nine Strikes of Taiji

He recognized the strength of their opponent’sthe Eether And yet, one single Adept bested theain Annoyance was etched in the lines of his tired face He had thought of everything Everything, except the Eel He his body was almost completely recovered frorown sharper He had his own suspicions about who it h, it was all conjecture Besides, the victim was most important

Metatron headed toward the Inquisition officers A rattling sound followed as the Lord Archangel let his wings unfurl Twelve spectacular wings spread wide, and he gloith a golden aura that outshone the sun The piercing blaze burst out in all directions, enveloping the dungeon in golden luhtest details revealed!

An iure, black and white For half a second, no one ed suddenly He raised his hands to the apex of his head and pressed theh the air A hundred thousand voices booelic chorus The whole foundation shook as the weight of the whole Cathedral caure was Lan Jue He had gone as fast as he dared toward the exit, but Metatron was no slower They eons

Set reckless

Metatron was more than worthy of his position as second-in-command By speed alone he could outstrip any of the other Archangels Only Michael was able to keep up Constantine, who’d had yet to recover fro haze, was last to arrive

Lan Jue had ed to slip the , so he didn’t worry about his identity His next movement was fluid and al load ca down He sank lower, but more like a cat ready to pounce His hands feel toward his waste like sinking through a puddle before gently pushing out from his abdomen 1 The space before his hands shimmered with black and white power before they swirled in to one another They spun to create a vortex which forced the focused rage of the Lord Archangel to either side of him Michael, who’d tried to flank, was blasted away by the errant power

Beco one’s understanding of self and i becaeable with one’s own Discipline The result was quicker iards to coht that it was best to use the eneainst them There is iron in softness Artists of the craft perfected their own skills which, while not as directly powerful as the Three Canons eon, were especially suited for their guile and wide application All together, the moves were called the Nine Strikes of Taiji

He’d used one to obliterate the runic cross in the dungeon moments before, a move called Deflect and Strike 2 The second he used noas called Parry Block and Punch

Parry, Block and Punch was the only one of the Strikes that was pri the master to redirect a foe’s attacks while created an opportunity to strike

Jue Di had used this skill in his battle against the army of Adepts It’s defense was so perfect as to make him practically invincible His y, able to create a Domain by this power alone It ca of one’s place in the universe, and thus was sorasp

Metatron felt like a void had opened up between them, and watched helplessly as his poas deflected aside Lan Jue recognized the opening, and pressed his right hand out toward Metatron’s head The dual powers swirled o around it like a black hole

Metatron fought to keep himself under control, both eet careless in the face of this stranger’s powerful attacks He dropped in to a low squat while thrusting his right fist forward

Lan Jue and Metatron’s strikes el expected to find fierce resistance, the strange power fell away like punching through a wet paper bag The energy became a soft breeze that caressed his face

Lan Jue’s wrist went li it to slide around Metatron’s fist like water Metatron, expecting resistance, was stu around at just thiswith the full brunt of Metatron’s own forward th hidden in weakness! Metatron’s els His body was cultivated to near-peak forht fist flailed limply forhile his left ars

All twelve of his ht shone froht collided with the center of Lan Jue’s fist

Another ely opaque, like an illusion Under the swirling vortex’s guidance, the beam arced away and flashed just passed Lan Jue’s cheek and behind hiain

With Metatron distracted by his left hand, the ignored right hand cael tried to block, but it was too late Wielding opposite and co Metatron’s own ht hand rose eht elbow The expulsion of opposing powers tore through the space between theain in the split second before reaching Metatron

“Booel soared backward toward the stairwell, but at his level of strength remained relatively unharmed

This was the Third Strike; Fist Under Elbow!

Lan Jue originally disdained using this strike He felt it less than honorable After hanging around Fatty Tang for a tiels, by now, had gathered together for an assault Gabriel, Sariel and Ra off escape

They looked on in confusion as the masked man did the opposite of what they’d expected, and chased after Metatron

His gait becae Each stride swiped fro pattern 3 The whole area around the of all things swapped, a skill not unlike protogenesis

The absence of a Paragon gave Lan Jue confidence, especially at his current rank The fact that these angels had never experienced soave him the opportunity he needed

Lan Jue took seven strides, but they wereqi within him caused his strides to extend Each one took hi energy