The Gods' Decree 197 Self-Inflicted

Undergoing the recent battle with the grand elder was a real turning point for Taf. Currently, he sat within the world of the s.p.a.ce stone. 

Now he felt as though he could dissect the different elements of the battle noting the areas where he fell short. Yet he could only wryly smile as there were far too many. 

His previous use of his arts against a master seemed truly childish. It was crude and unbecoming, words prior he would never a.s.sociate with him and his fighting prowess. 

If he had not engaged in battle with the grand elder at the moment he would have felt quite good defeating, Dar, the way he did. 

Then venture home and try to polish his elements for the next month or two. His eyes now, however, were now opened to how feeble his existence was at the moment.

No wonder the Draconian told both himself and May never to measure themselves against anyone but the old monsters if they were to think themselves geniuses.

So if that is the case doesn't that mean there are geniuses within the World of G.o.ds similar to old Perth? Maybe they are a bit older than he is but Taf was not one to yield to anyone.

'I'm quite lacking at the moment, this will not do.' 

He lamented with an unblinking stare into the distance. He was sure the Draconian didn't expect him to as of yet have the strength equaling the grand elder but Taf had subconsciously set himself a marker.

Perhaps it was the manner of the beating that made him have this determination. Even facing Marco and Benzalo two lord realms Taf knew he would have won eventually.

Within the last five years, he has ways battled with certainty in knowing, in the end, he would be the victor. Yet with only a golden illuminated finger she demolished him in a one-sided affair.

He wouldn't have felt as bad if this had been some heavenly technique used by the grand elder but it was apparently just a similar technique to his iron body.

This highlighted that during his battles he was too reliant on his brute strength. What made it even more perplexing was that by relying only on his brain and brute strength he had forgotten some parts of himself.

While being a mortal his body was quite vulnerable therefore he ensured his attack and defense were intertwined. Yet now with his gain in strength, he has mostly focused on attack and not the defensive aspect. 

Even when he was in full-on attack mode it was essentially brute force and not precision. Pummeling his enemies while his body also to a beating of its own. If he was a mortal would he still have fought like this? He would have been berated and called an idiot by the old man.

All it would have taken is an accurately placed dagger and his entrails would have been exposed for all to see.

This was what the Grand Elder highlighted each time he attacked, it was callous of him indeed as he left endless openings. She could have ended his life from the very first time he attacked.

'It's almost as if I have forgotten Old Man Ming's training. This needs to be rectified, but how?'

Taf thought as he sat beside a lake illuminated by the three glowing moons.

Seconds became minutes and minutes turned into hours. From time to time he would stand up testing each of his art. Whether earth, fire, darkness, or light, they all were tested over and over.

'My qi is excessive thus the reasoning subconsciously I exert a significant amount when engaged in battle. This is a flaw disguised as a blessing.'

He closely examined his dantian and indeed this was the case. He fought unhindered knowing that he could outlast his opponent. Yet this leads to complacency in the end. 

As he recalled the battle with the grand elder Taf noted how composed she was while controlling her qi being his exact opposite.

The mastery of her qi was phenomenal. Then something dawned on him. Even though she was not fully covered in gold with her qi ignited he felt the brunt of her full attacks from that finger.

How was it possible to exert such strength with only a finger? Though she was a martial king at no point did she use this to her advantage when attacking? If she did he would have been totally pulverized.

Therefore it was as though he was facing an actual mid-level lord. How does a mid-level lord exude such overbearing strength from one finger? 

'Could I do the same while my iron body is active.'

Taf questioned himself as he called forth, 

?Elemental Art (Earth) Iron Body?

Soon all of Taf's body was covered in iron sheen as he commanded the s.p.a.ce stone to conjure a ma.s.sive boulder.

Boom!

A large ma.s.s of hardened earth suddenly dropped in front of Taf.

'd.a.m.n! is things trying to kill me?'

He yelled as the boulder barely missed his feet nearly crus.h.i.+ng it to paste.

'Ok let's try a series of tests to see our current state.'

He felt on the boulder as to get a sense of its durability. Then he curled his iron hand into a fist before blasting into the center of the boulder.

Brk!

A huge fist indentation could now be seen within the center of the boulder with spider webs spreading from its nucleus.

'As expected.' Taf examined the cracks memorizing them in order to have something to compare with his next attack.

'Now let's see the power of a finger compared to a fist.'

He then pointed one of his iron fingers out before thrusting it forward violently forward into the st.u.r.dy rock.

Brk!

A small piece of the rock no larger than a baseball felt. Yet there was only silence from Taf. If one were to look upon his face they would see his eyes becoming watery.

'Mother### Beep beep beep!!!

He hollered to the skies cursing while epithets reeled off his tongue. His finger throbbed as though it now had a heart of its own.

When he glanced down on his finger it was only grotesquely bent backward, swollen evidently dislocated. It took a few minutes before Taf had the courage to place his dislocated finger in its right position.

CRRK!

AAWW!

'It's a good thing May isn't around or else I would have surely gotten an earful about my cursing.'

Taf thought as he sighed in relief before discarding his art and requested the s.p.a.ce tone to conjure a small pile of snow which he then rested his injured finger.

'Evidently I am no grand elder. How did she accomplish this feat?' Taf wondered after seeing the state which he now found himself after the self-inflicted injury.

While in this thought a buzzing sound could then be heard coming from his ear.

Unedited Version

To be continued...