Infinite Regeneration In The Apocalypse-Chapter 106: Battling The Divine Son II

Xander realized that obtaining such treasures during the trial required either incredible luck or incredible skill. The only reliable way to acquire relic weapons was by killing one of the legendary creatures present in the trial dimension and hoping they dropped valuable loot upon death.

Which meant Vogue had probably killed at least one legendary creature already. And if he had managed that feat, it also meant Vogue’s actual combat strength wasn’t limited to what he had shown so far. He was likely holding back significant power and had deeper reserves of abilities than Xander had initially estimated.

At that exact moment, the shield finally gave out completely.

The barrier exploded into thousands of fragments of transparent energy that dispersed into the air. Vogue’s blade continued its path forward, no longer obstructed, slashing directly toward Xander’s exposed neck.

Xander reacted with impressive speed despite the surprise. He calmly sidestepped to the right, his body moving with practiced efficiency. The blade passed within an inch of his neck, close enough that it actually cut a few strands of his golden hair that drifted slowly downward.

But Vogue wasn’t finished with his assault.

"Time Stop!" Vogue activated his temporal ability immediately.

The world froze. Color drained slightly from everything as time came to a complete halt throughout the area. Xander’s body became motionless mid-sidestep, frozen in time just like everything else.

"Time Step!" Vogue activated his second technique on top of the first.

With both abilities working together, Vogue became the only thing moving in a world carved from crystal. He closed the distance to Xander in a blur of motion, positioning himself for a killing blow.

"Severing Moon Blade!" Vogue called out the name of his technique.

A massive surge of blade energy rippled outward through the frozen air, creating visible distortions in space itself. The technique was one of the four moves from his Sky Grade combat style, and its cutting power was devastating.

Vogue thrust his blade forward with all his strength, driving it directly toward Xander’s skull. The weapon moved through the stopped time like a spear aimed for a fatal strike. The blade’s tip was mere centimeters away from penetrating through Xander’s forehead and destroying his brain.

But just as the blade was about to make contact, traveling the final centimeter of distance, Xander’s voice suddenly echoed through the frozen world.

"Break!"

The Time Stop domain shattered instantly like glass being smashed by a massive sledgehammer. Time snapped back to normal flow with violent force. The temporal barrier that Vogue had created simply ceased to exist, destroyed by nothing more than Xander’s spoken command.

"Blast Off!" Xander spoke a second command immediately.

Vogue suddenly felt as though he had been struck directly in the chest by a moving tank traveling at full speed. An invisible force slammed into him with devastating impact, completely arresting his forward momentum.

He was blasted backward like a cannonball fired from a cannon, his body tumbling through the air completely out of control. He flew dozens of meters, unable to slow himself or change direction.

Meanwhile, Xander calmly touched his forehead where Vogue’s blade had nearly penetrated. When he pulled his finger away and looked at it, he saw a small amount of blood on his fingertip. The blade had actually managed to cut the surface of his skin by about a millimeter before time resumed and his defensive technique activated.

Xander stared at the blood on his finger for a long moment. Then his eyes literally began to blaze with golden aura, energy pouring from them like flames. When he spoke, his voice was filled with genuine rage rather than his usual cold indifference.

"You made me bleed. You deserve to die a thousand deaths for such an insult," Xander declared, his voice trembling with barely controlled fury.

"Parallel Speed!" he activated one of his movement techniques.

He suddenly took a single step forward, and his body seemed to split into multiple overlapping images. He appeared to be moving through several different positions simultaneously, as though multiple versions of him were occupying the same space.

Then he was simply there, standing right beside Vogue whose body was still tumbling through the air from being blasted backward. Xander had crossed the distance in literally zero time, arriving before Vogue could even perceive the movement.

Vogue managed to slap his hand against the ground as he tumbled, using the contact point to stabilize his rolling body. He flipped himself upright and landed on his feet, though his momentum caused them to drag across the cracked pavement and leave long furrows.

But his face changed dramatically as he caught sight of Xander from the corner of his eye. The Divine Son was already right beside him, far closer than should have been possible.

"Golden Dragon Fist!" Xander roared as he launched his counterattack.

His fist became wrapped in brilliant golden aura that condensed into a tangible form. A snake-sized golden dragon materialized around his wrist, coiling up his arm with its head positioned directly on his clenched fist. The dragon construct was made of pure energy and radiated devastating power.

Xander wasn’t just using his powerful innate talent. He was also activating a Sky Grade combat technique that had been passed down through his family for generations. The combination of his enhanced abilities and the legendary technique created an attack of truly frightening magnitude.

"Die!" Xander shouted as he thrust his dragon-wreathed fist toward Vogue’s chest.

Vogue’s face changed as he felt the genuine aura of death looming over him. This attack was on an entirely different level from anything he had faced during the trial so far.

Fighting Xander felt similar to when he had briefly confronted Jessica’s ancestor through that phantom projection. The overwhelming power, the absolute confidence, the sense that this opponent was operating on a fundamentally higher tier of strength.

Xander was significantly stronger than anyone else Vogue had fought so far.

But Vogue wasn’t going to simply accept death.

"Supernova!" he roared desperately.

He gritted his teeth and activated the fourth and ultimate move of his Revolving Star-Moon Blade Technique. This was his most powerful offensive ability, the technique that had allowed him to slice through an entire falling building.

Energy drained from his body at an alarming rate as it poured into his blade. The weapon began glowing with such intensity that it became painful to look at directly. The light grew brighter and brighter until it resembled a miniature star being born.

"KA-BOOOOOM!"