Kartikeya: "Come on then King of Kuoh. Show me what you're capable of"

I take a step forward, knowing that I still didn't understand what happened before.

I immediately recieve a slash across the stomach. As I react to it, I am hit with 5 more which nearly bring me to my knees.

"He's a tricky one"

I think about his attacks and when they landed.

"Amost instantly. Not one slash felt delayed"

I observe Kartikeya carefully making sure not to take my eyes off of him. I take a step forward again as I feel a barrage of swords impale me at once.

I stand my ground, only getting pushed back about a foot.

"He didn't move. Doesn't look like he's hitting me from far away.. super speed?"

I put my hand over Empyrean Musashi which causes him to squint his eyes.

In a flash, I drew my sword out but my body still drew blood from my chest and back.

"I did not hit anything. My clairvoyance saw him before me in that second. If it was super speed, then he should of been injured at that moment.. then~"

Y/n: "*chuckles* I get it now"

I push my hair back while arrogantly laughing at Kartikeya.

Y/n: "Honestly, I didn't take the son of Shiva as one to take hostages. Quite the embarrassing thing, isn't it~?"

Karitkeya: "What did you say?"

He was furious from the glare that he sent. He loosened his grip on Eucliwood's neck enough for me to shoot 2 swords out.

Y/n: "Just as predic-"

I receive another 5 slashes across my chest as my body immediately begins to regenerate it. Back with Eu, the swords disappeared just before hitting her.

"I'm seeing him in different places with my Clairvoyance.. If what I'm guessing is correct, I think I have a way to defeat him"

I fire to my right just as he appeared again, but my weapons don't reach their target.

I receive a slash across my cheek as I used my future eye sight to see the attack, yet it still landed.

I launch another 3 swords just behind me as he appeared, but quickly disappeared again.

"It isn't super speed after all~"

My Clairvoyance isn't failing me, it is indeed seeing him in those spots. He's simply evading them..

Y/n: "Kartikeya"

He appears a few feet in front of me with his sword drawn.

Kartikeya: "I assume you've already seen through my ruse, King of Kuoh?"

He was furious while I grin smugly as my wounds healed up.

Y/n: "The ability to stop time~"

Kartikeya: "Now what will you do about it?"

Y/n: "Empyrean.."

His eyes widen as he disappears.

Y/n: "Musashi!!"

I release the sword out of its sheath and slash the air infront of me. I immediately receive some cuts all over my back and another one across my eye.

Y/n: "You messed up in letting me get this weapon out"

Time around us was still stopped and Kartikeya was behind me. He coughs up some blood while nearly falling to his knees.

Kartikeya: "Lots of talk for someone who can't use his powers"

Y/n: "I don't need Babylon. All I need is this"

I had tried activating my abilities before speaking and noticed that nothing besides Musashi was usable.

As I hold my sword out, I start to move freely in stopped time. He rose up and cleaned the blood off his mouth as he had a massive cut across his stomach.

Kartikeya: "But in stopped time, wounds don't heal. None but mine"

Y/n: "I guess I'm just gonna have to take you down while avoiding as much damage as possible"

Kartikeya: I'll ask you this, is the sword the reason you're able to do this?"

Y/n: "Void and Reality isn't the only thing this thing cuts"

Kartikeya: "*chuckles* That so?"

Y/n: "Let's just say a good friend in white of mine also helped me buff it a bit too"

Kartikeya: "Well, isn't that annoying as well"

His wound had finished healing and was ready to fight. On the contrary, my wounds failed to heal and I was unable to use anything besides my Empyrean Musashi.

"His timestop ability is on another level from that Vampire boy of Rias, but is it infinite in stopping? No. There has to be a timer to it. It has to be long since he's in no hurry to attack"

We take a step forward as I continue my brain storming.

"Having said that, I'll open my Clairvoyance upon time returning. I'll attack with Babylon when it sees him and tire him out until a sword lands"

We bring our swords back as the inevitable battle was drawing near.

"Wait.. Could that work too?"

Our blades clash as he moves quickly to try an attack from behind. However, sneak attacks by utilizing speed is not something new to me.

I block his attack and swing a few times to keep him in the defensive.

Kartikeya: "As wise as my father spoke"

Y/n: "Seeing the same moves over and over, you tend to pick up on things quickly"

I shove him back as I bring my blade up.

Kartikeya: "You left yourself open!!"

He swings horizontally and makes a cut across my belly.

Y/n: "Sacrifices come with winning"

I bring my sword down just as he jumps back.

Kartikeya: "Useless-!!"

He immediately tenses up upon seeing a cut in space left behind.

Y/n: "I ain't just aiming for you"

The space around us shatters as time returns back to normal.

Kartikeya: "You-!!"

He quickly tries to dodge the swords but another one from a different angle impaled Kartikeya in the back.

As he continued to dodge the swords, I quickly began to heal my wounds as my Clairvoyance saw every opening I could gain.

"Next one is a kill shot"

He disappears just as a sword was supposed to hit him in the head, from what I saw with Clairvoyance.

I immediately swung behind me as reality shatters again upon our blades clashing.

Kartikeya: "YOU BASTARD!!"

I push him back as I noticed what happened.

Y/n: "Back with the time stop?"

Kartikeya: "Your life is mine in this battle!!"

Y/n: "Many claim it, but none are worthy of it"

He quickly rushes me as I block or redirect his attacks elsewhere.

Kartikeya: "This blade doesn't just a ordinary blade either"

He kicks me back as he points his blade forward. He slashes the air as I receive a cut to my back.

I'm surprised by the sudden attack and he uses the confusion to continue to eliminate me.

I block his attempts but notice him swing and miss despite the distance. I quickly go to take advantage when I sense something wrong. The immediate moment of me taking a step forward, a massive cut forms across my stomach, up to my shoulder.

I fall back and see he swing up. I jump to the side in time to see a cut in space appear.

Y/n: "What was that?"

Kartikeya: "Time isn't just stopped. It is also my world to do with what I want. What you just saw was a past attack that I did and missed. They are all across this field of stopped time"

I use Empyrean Musashi to help myself up.

Kartikeya: "Whenever I want to draw them out, I can. I'm incharge of the rules here. This is what makes me one of the strongest in this competition and direct competitor Y/n. I trained for so long until I could face you"

He began to laugh to himself as he slowly began to walk around me while keeping his distance.

Kartikeya: "I suppose I can get cocky a bit since you aren't entirely capable of beating me in my world. I'm incharge of this stopped time for the next 3 minutes. I gave you warning shots at the beginning because I wanted you to be aware of it"

He stopped and observed me as I gathered myself up.

Kartikeya: "I wanted to beat you without you holding back. I wanted to show you.. that I'm powerful and worthy of your attention. Take your arms Champion of Humanity. Come and face this God of War"

He was serious. I cracked my neck a bit as I analyze my wounds.

Y/n: "You want me to be serious?.. Well, you definitely earned it"

Kartikeya: "I'll settle this now"

Y/n: "I'm not gonna beat your ass for this though"

He stopped as I raised my blade.

Kartikeya: "Pardon?"

Y/n: "You put your hands on MY Eucliwood. I'm about to beat your ass for that. I'm about to teach you WHY they call me the God Slayer"

Kartikeya: ".. Hehe.. AHAHAHAHA!!! Is that so-?!"

He was caught surprised as I quickly blitz him.

Kartikeya: "I told you Y/n!!"

A previous slash is evoked and cuts me across the face but I was unfazed.

Kartikeya: "Huh?!"

I swung and put my Monsterous Strength into it. I leaves a cut in space and immediately causes it to shatter, returning us back.

Kartikeya: "You damn bastard!!"

My Beast Eye locks in and fires a sniper shot that completely obliterates his right arm.

He furiously steps back and launches dozens of slashes over to me but because we weren't in stopped time, my wounds began to heal.

Y/n: "Tricks won't work on me"

Kartikeya: "You think I'm some sort of one trick pony?!"

He cuts the space in front of me, causing my Clairvoyance to kick in. I jump away and shoot swords at it. The swords almost come to a complete stop, as if the space around them had their time slowed.

Kartikeya: "I can do more than that!!"

He disappears but immediately reappears in front of me. I move just in time to block his attack and see him disappear.

I swing downwards as we enter his warped space again.

Y/n: "I'll admit this, you definitely are the strongest I've faced outside of the beasts"

Kartikeya: "Ain't that a compliment?!"

I get a slash across my neck as I cut time again and revert it back to normal.

"The plan is avoid serious injuries or I'm needing to cut his time stop.. having said that-"

He rushes over to me as I wait for my throat to heal my vocal cords.

"There's always a delay in the triggering of his time stop"

Kartikeya: "Come on King of Kuoh!!"

My Clairvoyance sees him disappearing again and it was time.

Kartikeya: "DIE!!"

He disappears as predicted.

"Now!!"

Y/n: "NEGA GENESIS!!"

The bubble summons around me just as time stops.

Kartikeya: "The hell?!"

He drops down outside it as the area bubble stops growing.

Y/n: "Kartikeya, you can play around with stopped time.. but this pocket is mine. I judge what happens in this space"

I summon a sword and look at it. I reach out to it and inscribe a Rune of speed.

Y/n: "And in this space, I want my swords to be unaffected by time"

It turns gray as I look over to the God infront of them.

Y/n: "I'd dodge if I were you"

It launches at immeasurable speed and nearly decapitates him. It leaves a cut across his cheek as he's left in bewilderment from something besides me moving in stopped time.

Kartikeya: "How did you..?!"

Y/n: "You really should of finished me off instead of playing with your food"

I summon a throne while opening many gates.

Y/n: "You had the chance to eliminate me if you had simply took me out on the first try.. Arrogance is fit for kings but it can be a detriment when not taking the enemy serious"

Swords appear as the speed rune are immediately engraved on them.

Y/n: "I am not like those kings Kartikeya. I take every enemy into account and do everything to crush them"

I fire them as Kartikeya uses his time stopped slashes to cut down or straight up block them.

Y/n: "But, I suppose I should play around too~?"

I grin as Kartikeya slowly begins to get exhausted.

Y/n: "Let this be understood. Many may claim to be my equal, but none are worthy of that spot. Only I decide who sitting at 2nd place, because nobody will take number 1 from me~"