2236 2236. Injuries

Ulpia was truly incredible, but Alexander didn't fall too behind. He had to give up on his idea of saving power and proving himself superior with his sole body, but that decision didn't affect his world.

Ulpia wasn't relying only on her body anymore. She was expressing the full power of her world, so Alexander could do the same to prove his superiority. Still, he had to accept that he couldn't surpass her techniques.

Alexander understood that Ulpia's hard work led to results far deeper than mere physical prowess. Her moves escaped reason. Her attacks were so fast and powerful that Alexander struggled to consider her only as a privileged cultivator.

Ulpia really seemed powerful enough to claim a spot at the sky's peak. She wasn't Caesar, and her influence didn't involve deep realms or meanings. Yet, her individual strength was genuinely unfathomable.

Alexander didn't think all of that. Ulpia didn't give him the time to study the situation thoroughly. Still, his instincts were incredible, so those considerations filled his mind as he focused everything he had on facing the incoming offensive.

The fast figure reached Alexander instantly, but the latter managed to follow it with his eyes. Ulpia became clear in his vision as she performed her battle stance to deliver a punch aimed at the center of his head.

The world in Alexander's eyes slowed down as multiple innate abilities fused to enhance his senses far beyond their normal limits. Tears of blood started to run down his cheeks due to his great effort, but his smirk never left his face.

Alexander didn't care if his body suffered from using too many innate abilities simultaneously. His incredible endurance could take care of those issues. He was happy as long as he could follow Ulpia and react to her offensive.

A dark spark exploded under Alexander's left arm and made the limb shoot upward. The detonation opened an injury on his forearm and elbow, but it also allowed him to intercept the incoming punch and deflect the attack.

Ulpia didn't hesitate at that time. Her leg shot toward Alexander's chest, but fire came out of his side and pushed him out of the attack's trajectory.

Ulpia's feet landed on the sky, but she followed with another quick attack. She used her other leg to deliver a circular kick aimed at Alexander's side, but winds shot out of the latter's shoulders to push him forward.

Alexander could barely follow his own movements, and he was even injuring himself to perform them. Yet, some instinctive parts of his mind allowed him to come up with attacks.

Alexander's offensive was the very opposite of Ulpia's. She embodied perfection and smoothness, while he only used raw power to keep up with her.

The sudden charge caught Ulpia off-guard. Alexander had dodged three attacks in a row and was shooting directly at her. He didn't have the time to raise his arms or summon other abilities, but that ferocious advance could become a technique when he used his incredible body as a weapon.

<br/>Ulpia crossed her arms right before Alexander slammed on her. The impact flung her in the distance, but she quickly restored her balance to resume her offensive.

Alexander didn't try to challenge Ulpia in raw speed. He could win if he relied on enough innate abilities, but that would deplete his energy reserves quickly.

Instead, Alexander decided to wait for Ulpia to approach him so that he could focus his full attention on winning small exchanges. Ulpia didn't seem to have ranged abilities anyway, so the tactic felt more than sound.

Ulpia reappeared in front of Alexander in less than a second, but the latter attacked before she could enter her battle stance. A shockwave came out of his right elbow and made his arm shoot forward to intercept his opponent.

Alexander's fingers transformed into claws that gained metallic properties as they approached Ulpia. Scarlet sparks also came out of their sharp tips to enhance their destructive abilities, but part of the skin underneath shattered due to the massive amount of power accumulated in such small spots.

Ulpia disregarded the incoming threat to pour more power into her attack. Alexander's clawed hand pierced Ulpia's shoulder, but she used that blow to rotate on herself and deliver an incredible punch to his face.

The exchange saw Ulpia and Alexander shooting in opposite directions. Blood flowed out of Alexander's nose, and his face trembled due to the damage to his skull. As for Ulpia, she noticed that her left arm had stopped moving according to her commands.

Alexander and Ulpia stopped themselves at the same time. The sky shone at their side, and battles raged everywhere around them, but their eyes remained on their opponent.

A single second of hesitation could lead to severe injuries due to how quickly each exchange happened. Outsiders wouldn't even understand who was gaining the upper hand, but that didn't apply to Alexander and Ulpia.

"You hit hard," Alexander commented as he tried to keep his bleeding nose still while his skull mended itself.

Alexander would never waste time talking in similar situations, but the matter was different now. He had to wait for Ulpia to charge at him to express his superiority, and his innate abilities allowed him to recover faster anyway.

"You are a tough opponent," Ulpia sighed as she glanced at her pierced shoulder. "It has been a long time since someone hurt me so deeply."

"You should have come out of the sky more often," Alexander mocked. "You can't expect solitary training to match the benefits of an adventurous life."

"You were too weak to be a worthy challenge back then," Ulpia revealed. "I had to be patient and see if Caesar could deliver as promised. I must admit that he was right all along."

"Did you cut a deal with Caesar just to get a good opponent?" Alexander wondered. "That sounds extreme."

"No deals," Ulpia stated. "He just told me that I would find a good training dummy during the final battle."

"This training dummy hurt you deeply," Alexander laughed as he pointed his eyes on Ulpia's injured shoulder. "I wonder if you can even fight me in that state."

"Do you think I didn't prepare for a similar situation?" Ulpia questioned as a faint white aura seeped out of her back. "My world focuses on physical attacks. I'm obviously able to keep moving as long as life burns inside it."

The white aura transformed into a tall avatar that carried Ulpia's features. It resembled a big copy of her that took its spot behind her back. Yet, the faint puppet soon stepped forward to envelop her in its dim light.

Tendrils shot out of the avatar's edges to land on Ulpia's body and fuse with it. The dim figure began to shrink once it established a connection, and it soon disappeared under her skin.

Alexander inspected the scene carefully. He knew that the avatar didn't carry any unique ability. It was nothing more than energy expressing the results of Ulpia's hard work.

The injury on Ulpia's shoulder also remained open after the avatar fused with her. However, a pale halo came out of the wound to reveal that the copy didn't simply disappear. It only stood right below her skin.

The ability of the avatar became evident when Ulpia stretched her left arm. Blood leaked from her injury, but she didn't seem affected by that, and the same went for her movements. She had regained complete control over that part of her body.