Refining the Heavens (炼天)

B2, Chapter 23: The Black Forest (Part 3)

The bats engulfed everything. At first, the boys could fend them off, but suddenly they stopped running and held their head in pain.

*VOOOOON*

Though they could not hear the sonic waves hammering down on them from the bats, they could feel the incredible mental strain it caused. The pain was enough to paralyse them, and as the seconds go by, blood started trickling down their noses.

As their eyes turned bloodshot, a bright light shone through amid the darkness.

At the source, Kairos had clad upon himself a beautiful sparkling white barrier. His Ki formed a pair of wings made of light and a crown upon his head. This is the Ki barrier that he had obtained at attaining D rank.

Though it provided no protection for his mind against the illusionary arts, with the coating covering him, the sonic waves could not overwhelm him as quickly.

Normal C ranked combatants would be able to withstand this barrage of sonic waves from the bats, or at least they could hold on until they retreated from the forest. Unfortunately, the boys could only look at their captain with envy. They too have entered D ranks, but this is only because of the effects of the fruit. While they instinctively know how to cast this barrier of Ki on themselves, it is a technique they have yet to practice and could not throw it up in time like Kairos did. Oftentimes, unfamiliarity begets delay and delay begets death.

The sound attacks focused on Kairos, and his Ki barrier started flickering weakly. It will be a matter of time before they break his shield, seconds even. Without hesitation but just as calmly as before, Kairos spread out his arms wide, turning one palm towards the skies and the other towards the earth.

Then he cried out, "Bagua formation #2: Yin-Yang array: The extreme of the extremities. Tai Chi!"

On his left-hand rests a sphere of pure darkness that takes in all light, and on his right hand is a pure white sphere that casts out all shadows. He stretched out his arms and spun on his position. His long-sleeved robes fluttered in the wind, and the orbs turned into a grey circle from the speed. As he spins, the sonic waves could no longer affect him. Then the boy stopped, but those spheres in his hands continued spinning.

*TSSSSSS*

He brought them closer together, the powerful darkness represented the purest Yin, while the incredibly bright light represented the purest Yang.

When his hands met, the two spiralled into one, forming a symbol of harmony. The Taichi.

The glyph flew upwards and quickly expanded, covering the treetops becoming the same Yin-Yang array that made Calculus go bald.

Just like before, every living thing froze. It was only for a moment, but the results were incredible.

The bats that halted in mid-air crashed into the trees or dropped out of the sky. The wolves were not spared either. They were chasing in a mad dash, and the sudden stop caused their legs to tangle. Many stumbled abruptly or crashed headfirst into the ground painfully. In a moment, there were squeaking bats and whining wolves all around.

This time when using the array, there was no pillar of light and darkness that struck anyone, yet it was enough that Kairos nearly knelt over from fatigue.

"As I thought, using the formation by myself is too tough."

He had activated it using the meridian points in his body with each point representing a person's position; however, the amount of strength that drained out of him nearly killed him. If he could improve in his Ki control, he can probably activate it with less strain. His Secret Art could also immobilise his enemies, but it doesn't work on so many enemies.