Chapter 252: Chapter: 252 Vivian vs the clown.[4]

The moment Vivian spoke the words, “Xi Realm,” something changed.

Dark shadows began to rise from his body.

At first, they were thin, like smoke. Then they grew thicker, heavier, moving like living things. They twisted around his arms, his shoulders, his back, as if they were answering his call.

The air around them turned cold.

The clown’s eyes widened.

For the first time, his expression lost its ease.

He tried to move, to pull his hand away, but Vivian’s grip was too strong. His wrist felt like it was locked in iron.

The shadows stretched outward.

Slow at first.

Then faster.

In just a moment, they spread in every direction, covering the space around both of them. It was like a dark curtain was closing in.

The light faded.

The storm outside felt distant. Vivian looked at him calmly.

“Now I will finish this,” he said, a faint grin forming on his face.

The shadows were just about to close completely—

Then—

The clown’s expression changed.

His lips curled upward.

“Kekeke… got you,” he said, his voice low but sharp.

The grin on his face widened as his eyes turned cold.

Then he spoke in a steady, almost solemn tone.

“Intuition… Nullification.”

In the next instant—

A burst of blue light exploded from his body.

It spread out like a wave, fast and forceful. The shadows that were reaching out from Vivian stopped the moment they touched that light.

Then—

They began to fade.

“What…?” Vivian’s eyes widened slightly.

But he did not panic.

His grip tightened, and without wasting even a second, he raised his sword and brought it down.

A clean, direct strike.

But the clown moved at that exact moment.

The hand that had been struggling suddenly changed position.

GRAB!

He caught Vivian’s wrist.

At the same time, his other hand shot forward and grabbed the hand holding the sword.

Both of Vivian’s arms were locked.

Before Vivian could react—

THUK!!

The clown’s legs slammed forward.

Both feet struck Vivian’s stomach with full force.

The impact was heavy.

Vivian’s body bent from the hit as he was sent flying backward.

At that exact moment, the shadows around him disappeared completely.

Not just fading—

They were swallowed by the blue light.

Gone.

“Guh—!!”

Vivian stopped mid-air for a moment as his body folded slightly. His hand moved to his stomach, gripping it tightly.

A bit of saliva slipped from his mouth.

“Cough… cough…!”

His face turned pale, and the veins on his forehead stood out as the pain spread through his body.

He forced himself to steady his breathing and slowly lifted his head.

His eyes locked onto the clown.

“What… kind of messed up intuition is that?” he muttered.

“Nullification…? What the hell…”

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Tch… damn it…”

His brows tightened.

“If I had known…” he muttered under his breath.

He clicked his tongue in frustration.

For a moment, he closed his eyes.

Then he opened them slightly.

“…Damn it.”

He could feel it clearly.

He couldn’t use it anymore.

Not now.

“…I can’t use it for the rest of the day,” he said quietly.

A wave of regret passed through him, but it didn’t stay long.

The clown had completely shut down his intuition.

Not weakened.

Not delayed.

Completely nullified.

“I didn’t think something like this even existed…” Vivian said under his breath.

He took a slow, deep breath.

Then another.

“Haa…”

His shoulders relaxed slightly as he forced his heart to calm down.

“I can’t lose focus over this.”

His voice was low, but steady now.

“Xi Realm was one of my strongest cards… but what’s done is done.”

He exhaled slowly. His eyes cleared.

The frustration faded, replaced by calm.

When he looked up again, there was no hesitation left in his gaze.

“Now…”

He adjusted his grip on his sword.

“I just need another way to defeat him.”

Across from him, the clown stood quietly, the blue light still faintly flickering around his body.

“What happened?!”

Bloody Mary’s voice roared across the sky as he rushed toward Vivian.

His massive wings cut through the air as he closed the distance in an instant.

Vivian pushed himself up despite the pain still burning in his stomach. Without wasting time, he jumped and landed on Bloody Mary’s head.

“Retreat,” he said in a low voice.

There was no hesitation in his tone.

“I don’t think I can end this fight today.”

Bloody Mary glanced back slightly, then gave a short snort.

“Alright!”

He didn’t argue.

His wings spread wide, and in the next moment, he turned and shot away from the battlefield at high speed.

The wind screamed around them as they moved.

But Vivian was not resting.

Not even for a second.

His eyes stayed locked on the clown behind them.

He had no intention of running away completely.

He just needed time.

Time for his intuition to return.

“Keep him within range,” Vivian said calmly.

Bloody Mary understood immediately and adjusted his speed. He kept a careful distance—not too close, not too far.

Close enough to attack.

Far enough to avoid being caught.

Vivian stood steady on his head, his sword ready.

From time to time—

SLASH!

A sharp arc of energy flew toward the clown.

He kept attacking, not to win, but to pressure.

To delay.

To think.

“…Should I use my Genesis Heart now?” Vivian thought as he sent another slash forward.

For a moment, he considered it seriously.

Then—

“No.”

He rejected the idea.

“I’m only at the early stage of Grandmaster…”

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“My Genesis Heart is still too weak compared to those at the late stage.”

Using it now would not give him enough advantage.

And it might cost him more than it was worth.

“Tch…”

He clicked his tongue again.

“I never thought there would be an intuition like that…”

The thought kept coming back.

Again and again.

No matter how much he tried to ignore it.

Nullification.

It had completely shut down his strongest card.

His Xi Realm.

Once activated, it was supposed to trap the enemy completely.

Inside it—

Their intuition would fail.

Their mana would drop.

They wouldn’t even be able to control elements properly.

It was overwhelming.

Almost absolute.

But—

“It’s hard to trap someone inside it…” Vivian muttered.

That was its weakness.

That was why he had waited so long for the perfect moment.

And when he finally used it—

It was erased.

Cleanly.

“…Damn it.”

Before he could think further—

“Intuition: Spear of Darkness!”

The clown’s voice rang out from behind them.

Vivian’s eyes snapped toward him.

The distance between them was still around a hundred meters, but that didn’t matter.

“Hey—!”

“I know!”

Bloody Mary didn’t even let him finish.

He had already turned.

Far behind them, the clown stood in the air, completely steady.

In his hand—

A spear formed.

Dark.

Thin.

Like smoke, yet solid.

It twisted slightly, giving off a cold and dangerous feeling.

Then—

He threw it.

The spear shot forward.

Fast.

Too fast.

It moved like a needle cutting through water, smooth and silent.

“Breath,” Vivian said.

“ROOOAAARRR!!”

Bloody Mary didn’t wait.

A massive breath burst from his mouth, rushing forward like a storm.

The two attacks met—

But—

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The spear sliced straight through the breath.

Clean.

Effortless.

It didn’t slow down.

Not even a little.

Vivian’s brows tightened.

“Earth… hear my call!”

The moment his voice fell—

RUMBLE… RUMBLE… RUMBLE…!

The ground far below responded.

Huge chunks of earth broke free and shot upward into the sky.

They gathered quickly—

Forming a thick, solid wall in front of Vivian.

Layer after layer.

Dense.

Heavy.

Built to stop anything.

But—

BOOM!!

The spear pierced through it.

Like it wasn’t even there.

The wall shattered apart in seconds.

Fragments of earth scattered in all directions.

And the spear kept coming.

Straight at him.

“Hmph!”

Vivian let out a sharp snort.

He stepped forward.

His grip on the sword tightened.

“Fire. Wind.”

The elements gathered around his blade, wrapping it in heat and force.

Then—

He swung.

BOOM!!

The sword and the spear collided.

The impact shook the air.

Vivian’s body was pushed backward instantly.

His feet slid as he tried to hold his ground.

“Ghh—!”

He gritted his teeth hard.

Blood slipped from the corner of his mouth.

The force behind the spear was overwhelming.

His eyes widened slightly.

It was stronger than he expected.

“Aaahhhhhhh!!”

He roared, refusing to give in.

Step.

He forced his foot forward.

Then another.

But the spear kept pushing.

Relentless.

“You’re not enough!!” he shouted, his voice filled with defiance.

With a final effort, he twisted his sword.

Changed the angle.

The trajectory shifted slightly—

But not enough.

The spear slid past his blade.

And in the next instant—

It was already in front of his chest.

Too close.

Too fast.

—Chink.

A sharp sound echoed.

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