Shuzi and Xie Hui clashed in battle, their spears dancing in dazzling arcs, blades flashing. It was a pure test of speed, with neither gaining an advantage. Shuzi did his best to keep up with Xie Hui's pace, whose abilities were more troublesome; during close-quarters combat, his blade attacks were concealed within his strikes.
To fully defend, Shuzi had to continuously swing his spear, which blurred into an invisible afterimage. Thus, they engaged in a high-speed, passionate battle, neither having unleashed their full power, a contest of combat awareness. The two were closely matched, and both knew this fight was likely to be the final one.
This battle, which had lasted seven days, should have concluded. The prolonged engagement was beneficial to the Xie Ling race, as humans had limited energy. Another day and they might not be able to defeat their opponents. The Xie Ling race's internal energy did not rely on absorbing ambient energy; their core provided an endless supply. Shuzi's side was struggling immensely with the sustained combat.
The Xie Ling race's energy supply was not limitless, but it was significant. Seven days represented their final threshold, which was why the other two battlefronts erupted into life-or-death duels on this very day. Whether victory was guaranteed depended on their own strategies after fully understanding their opponents.
The spear thrust forward, delivering hundreds of strikes per second. The spearhead collided with the twin blades, creating a constant clanging. Waves surged, formed purely by the shockwaves of the collisions.
Both the spear and the twin blades retreated, steadying themselves. Shuzi spoke, "Your twin blades are inadequate! If he possessed your abilities, this battle would have ended long ago."
The person being spoken of was Chen Tian. The disparity between Xie Hui's twin blades and Chen Tian's was immense. Chen Tian had only recently begun practicing with twin blades, having trained for just a few months. If he had possessed such abilities, Shuzi admitted that he would have been instantly defeated by sheer combat awareness and skill alone.
"Silver-tongued. Then let me show you my true form."
They had been in a warm-up state until now. Now, he no longer held back. A demonic aura enveloped him, and his twin blades were encased in armor, their sharpness increased severalfold. His aura condensed into scales that adorned his body, enhancing his defense.
Xie Hui's arm blades were tightly clasped, his hands gripping the twin blades.
"Four-blade style?"
Shuzi touched his forehead. This combat style was a first for him. After all, dual-wielding was the limit. Was this guy actually using a four-blade style? Twin blades in his hands, and twin blades on his arms.
"Indeed. It seems you know a thing or two. In my four-blade state, you won't have any chance to react."
He stepped forward, vanishing from sight. Shuzi gripped his spear, his senses on high alert, scanning the surroundings. He couldn't perceive any aura; the opponent seemed to have ceased to exist.
"No, that's an illusion. His speed is just too great, making his aura undetectable."
He analyzed the situation calmly. Instantly, four flashes of blade light erupted from all directions—above, below, left, and right. He didn't know where the attacks were coming from, only that he had to defend. Shuzi held his spear in one hand and swept it in a 180-degree arc, deflecting two blade strikes. He then brought the spear to his waist, spinning his body, the spearhead following suit. The blades and the spearhead collided with explosive force.
He retreated, surveying the surrounding space. He couldn't even see a shadow of his opponent. How fast were they? He had to find a way to restrict that speed, or this battle would be lost.
He never imagined such a situation would arise. He was completely on the defensive, unable to even perceive his opponent's body. This was too passive. This couldn't continue. His expression remained calm, his mind racing to find a solution.
If this continued, his demise was certain. He had to face the storm of hundreds of blade attacks, originating from unknown points in space. He could only defend passively, controlling his spear to create a barrier that enveloped him, temporarily resisting the onslaught.
Soon, his mind conceived a highly risky plan.
"It seems this is the only way. I'll take a gamble."
He had no choice but to gamble. If it succeeded, he would win; if it failed, his opponent would win. The loser faced the danger of annihilation.
This method was theoretically sound, but the risk was extremely high. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be advised, but the current situation left him no other choice.
If Chen Tian were here, it would be different. Chen Tian's observational skills were far superior. As Chen Tian was not present, he had to rely on himself.
The barrier began to crack under the relentless blade attacks, shattering soon after. At the moment of shattering, Shuzi stood his ground, completely still, as if unconscious, his eyes closed. He braced himself to endure the blades, which sliced through his body bit by bit. Blood flowed, and soon his body was a mangled mess, with no intact parts.
This continued for a long time. Just as he was about to collapse, his body instinctively reacted. His spear shot out, aimed directly behind him. With two piercing sounds, the twin blades and the spear simultaneously impaled the opponent.
He opened his eyes, a smile playing on his lips. "It seems I won."
"Damn you, you... I... Why did I die first?"
The spear was withdrawn. That single thrust had shattered the opponent's core, and losing the core meant losing one's life.
In reality, Xie Hui had anticipated Shuzi's plan. The fatal blow was a gamble.
Unfortunately for Xie Hui, Shuzi was prepared. While enduring the barrage of attacks, he had subtly shifted his core a short distance, thus avoiding a mutual destruction scenario.
Xie Hui had not accounted for Shuzi enduring the attacks as bait for this move. The crucial factor was the relocation of his core. While enduring the attacks, he had moved his core away.
The location where his twin blades had struck was where his core had been moved from. Xie Hui had believed the best outcome would be mutual death, but he had been outmaneuvered and died first.
The twin blades, now ownerless, began to dissipate. Shuzi gasped for breath, his body still bleeding. The cost of this battle was immense. Although his core had been moved, the twin blades had still struck him partially.
He was incapacitated for a short period and required recovery. His strength was still diminishing as he headed towards the fortress.
After all, in one-on-one combat, no one else wanted to interfere, as it would spoil the fun. Battles should be fought to the fullest.
The three battlefronts had concluded. At this moment, on the maiden's battlefield, she met Xie Chi's every attack with one of her own, mirroring his every move.
She had never experienced such a frustrating battle. This woman's ability was simply too much of a counter to her.
As long as her moves were caught by those eyes, her attacks would be copied, and the scene would be replicated.
Even the power was almost identical. This was...
For the first time, she felt powerless. This was too much of a counter. Xie Chi's ability was to release skills without restriction; she could unleash any skill she desired. Her previous battles were all about overwhelming opponents with a barrage of skills.
This was the first time she had encountered such a situation, and it sent shivers down her spine.
"Can you not copy my moves? If you have the ability, show me your true skills."
"This humble maiden knows no other skills. After all, I simply enjoy imitating. If you have the ability, why not stop using your moves?"
"Uh!!"
Her words seemed entirely logical. Why not just stop using moves? Wait, no. This was her only fighting style. If she abandoned her moves, would she still be an opponent?
She was almost tricked. What should she do? She was quite anxious.