Ascension of the immortal Asura

The fourth form of the Divine Reaping Scythe was intended to be used by Heaven Tribulation cultivators, although John had forcefully managed to comprehend its initial stages due to his monstrous comprehension talent, as well as freakish essence dantian. However, this had resulted in him learning the attack slowly, all while not fully understanding the underlying fundamentals behind the attack.

He had only unleashed a handful of fourth form Divine Reaping Scythe's thus far, and had never stopped to inspect the attack. However, the lightning warrior's reaction had changed that, as John closely inspected the outcome of his attack for the first time. Much to his surprise, a spatial energy lingered at the site of the attack, blocking the healing abilities of the lightning warrior. The spatial energy separated the two halves of the arm, making it so that the warrior needed to erase its power before healing fully.

John's mind raced as he observed the wound, while his thoughts shifted back to the first time he had started to train the technique, and had read the description of the Divine Reaping Scythe that the creator of the attack had left behind..

'Severing All Creation. Reaping All Divines'

The words had echoed in his mind like a drum at the time, its profundity far too high a level for him to comprehend. He could tell there was a meaning behind the bold words, but could not tell what the meaning was exactly. However, now he could start to get an idea, at least in regards to the first part.

'I had figured the creator of this attack had made a claim too bold to be true, but maybe there is some truth to it after all. 'Severing All Creation'...'

John replayed those words, a thousand thoughts flooding his mind.

'What's the point of claiming to sever all creation, if it can just be healed instantly. Only a permanent severing could boast such words with such arrogance…and confidence.'

John's eyes lit up as an idea of how to defeat the lightning warrior had finally appeared. To heal the severed arm, the warrior had expended far more energy than before to slowly erase the lingering spatial energy. In fact, the energy used to heal that singular wound had been similar to the energy used to heal all the previous wounds.

John's scythe raised once more before slashing forward, as he wasted no time at all to unleash another attack. While the essence Qi requirement of this attack was beyond monstrous, John had decided the cost was worth it. It was the only way to stop the warrior, who could no longer fully ignore John.

Another Divine Reaping Scythe slashed forward towards the warrior, whose lightning lance thrusted out to meet the attack head on. It no longer took his attack's head on, as lance and scythe image collided.

The scythe image cleaved into the lightning lance, and severed it after a moment of struggle. However, the monstrous energy of the lightning lance exhausted the entire scythe attack, as the attack failed to reach the lightning warrior.

The lightning lance in the warriors hand disappeared, and was instantly replaced by another. Unlike the warriors body, the lance was actually a condensed bolt of tribulation lightning, which could be discarded while another was made instantly. While this too used up energy, it was less energy than what it had used to heal its severed arm.

"Tch!" John clicked his tongue in frustration as he prepared to unleash another attack. However, aware of his monstrous attack now, the lightning warrior ignored John again as it rushed towards Iris, with even more urgency in its movements.

Divine Reaping Scythe!

John unleashed a third Divine Reaping Scythe, his face paling slightly as the Qi expenditure started to add up, even for him. The black and red scythe image reached the warrior in an instant, who turned and blocked the attack with its lightning lance once again. John watched in frustration as the lance withstood most of the attack, while the remaining portion was not enough to damage the warrior further.

"Shit…what do I do?" John cursed as he flashed forward, appearing before the lightning warrior once more. His scythe slashed out, as the warrior moved to block the attack again. While John was not using the Divine Reaping Scythe for this attack, the lightning warrior seemingly took no risks anymore.

Scythe and lance collided, creating another explosion of lightning as both fighters were knocked backwards. John quickly stabilized his footing, his frowning gaze lingering on his scythe blade. A large chip had been formed on the blade, as his Pseudo-Heaven Tribulation grade scythe was not able to withstand the force of the lightning lance.

'Shit…just a few more attacks like that and my scythe will be destroyed…then I can't unleash any more Divine Reaping Scythes.'

John's mind raced as he tried to think of what to do. At the same time, his battle continued with the lightning warrior in the sky, his scythe taking more and more damage. In the middle of his battle, his eyes lit up with an idea.

'Kirii! Take over the battle for me!' John instantly communicated to Kirii through their soul-connection.

Roar!

A deafening roar boomed out as Kirii heard John's words, its fighting spirit instantly ignited. IT had watched John battle the lightning warrior from below, and had been eager to join against his natural opponent. However, he had obeyed John's instructions to protect Iris, but now had the chance to prove its lightning supremacy. Even the heavens were not worthy in Kirii's eyes when it came to lightning.

Without hesitation, Kirii flashed up into the sky, appearing before the lightning warrior in an instant.

Bang!

Kirii's head slammed into the chest of the lightning warrior before it could react, its horn piercing into its chest. The horn exploded with a lightning attack, as the lightning warrior was overwhelmed from within by Kirii's lightning attack.

Boom!

An apocalyptic lightning explosion radiated outwards in the sky, while John rushed down towards Iris, who was still focusing on healing.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Thunderous explosions continued to blast overhead as Kirii and the lightning warrior battled against one another. John landed next to Iris, who couldn't help but look at him with a completely dazed expression. The battle between John and the lightning warrior had been beyond anything she had witnessed, and his bloodied yet heroic aura washed over her, filling her with both wonder and a sense of safety.

John's fierce gaze shifted to Iris, which softened a little bit. He had appeared next to her to ensure no attacks from the lightning warrior reached Iris, but knew she was about to feel pain, and by his own hands. However, his next actions were needed to have a chance to end this battle.

"John!" Iris called out softly, unable to think of what to say.

"How much Qi have you restored?" John asked, getting straight to the point.

"I…about twenty percent," Iris replied.

"That should be enough," John said as he inspected Iris's body. It had healed somewhat as well, which should allow her to withstand what was to come. "I'm about to use something that will overwhelm you, and kill you in your current state unless you use all your power to protect yourself. I can't afford to have you leave and be attacked, so staying behind me is the only way through this. Are you ready?"

Iris stared at John for a moment, before her face hardened, and she nodded her head.

"Do what you need to do…I trust you," Iris replied, a smile forming on her weary face.

"Good," John replied as he nodded his head. "Now use all your Qi to wrap around your body, and don't leave anything back. If you do, you'll die."

Iris once again nodded her head, as her Qi flared out, wrapping around her body. She held nothing back as she focused everything on defense. John nodded his head at her, before his gaze shifted upwards towards Kirii and the lightning warrior. The battle between the two raged on in the sky, with neither party winning out. However, the lightning warrior was slowly but surely making its way towards John and Iris, at which point it would no doubt explode with absolute power, killing Iris in the process.

John's rage-filled gaze locked onto the lightning warrior, while his aura steadily began to climb.

'Tch, I didn't want to have to use this already, but I have no choice. I need to unleash a Divine Reaping Scythe so powerful that even this asshole can't heal…and there's only one way to do that….'

John took a deep breath and prepared himself for what was to come, before his aura suddenly exploded out with power far greater than anything he had used in the battle thus far. Iris felt herself nearly overwhelmed by the explosive aura, as she struggled against it with all her might. Shock filled her body as she realized that she truly would have died from John's aura alone if she had not been prepared for it.

John's aura continued to climb as it towered into the sky, like a raging bonfire that stretched into the heavens. His grip tightened on the shaft of his scythe as his eyes locked onto the lightning warrior above.

'Bloodline Ability…activate!'