The battle had temporarily lost its spectacle. The Dueling Arena between Magic Users had also turned into a boring, tedious war of attrition.
Theoretically speaking, whether defending or attacking, Samimi’s mana consumption was greater.
However, Samimi was famously known for having a “large mana pool.” Coupled with the Blessing of the Goddess, in a contest of maximum mana, Samimi undoubtedly held the advantage.
So, who would run out first in the end? It was hard to say; the outcome wasn’t clear yet.
So, let’s shift the scene and look at the neighboring “Three Heroes Battle Lu Bu.”
Blue Ghost and Red Ghost had ignited their Battle Aura, attacking with all their might. Their movements became faster, more elusive and illusory. Their blades, Enchanted with Blood Qi, made each strike heavier and more vicious.
The Hero Sword Saint was forced to retreat step by step. Facing the crimson blade strikes of the Twin Ghosts, her curving sword techniques were rendered useless.
Because her swordsmanship had its limits; at the very least, the opponent’s movements and speed had to remain within the “human” range.
However, the Twin Ghosts, with their awakened Blood Qi, had entered a superhuman realm. Their movements could no longer be predicted using normal knowledge of human anatomy.
They could perform bizarre [Reverse Blade Flow] techniques by bending their joints in ways impossible for a normal human.
This was a strange skill they hadn’t used during their duel with Niubao the day before yesterday. It was likely a tactic specifically developed to deal with the Hero Sword Saint.
Her precise, scalpel-like sword techniques relied on observing an enemy’s subtle movements to predict their next action. But facing movements that completely defied common sense, this prediction ability failed.
‘No matter how you slash, it will be blocked by a shield’—this had been proven before. Yet, this bizarre blade style was effective against the Hero Sword Saint!
After all, the Twin Heroes had also suffered against the shameless, double-shield-wielding Saints before.
To be honest, the Hero Sword Saint, like the Holy Knight Order, possessed a hidden attribute of [Prophecy of the Main Character], a role specifically designed to brutally defeat the protagonist.
And the Hero Sword Saint was even more excessive. A woman who held the title of “Strongest Against Monsters,” yet possessed a fast-sword technique with [Special Attack Against the Human Race].
Otherwise, it would be hard to break through defenses. As mentioned before, heavy weapons with wide, sweeping motions were best against Magic Beasts.
The Red Tassel Sword in her hand, however, could be called the lightest weapon in history, specialized in piercing human vital points—an extremely rare murder weapon.
Ultimately, the strategy the Twin Heroes developed to deal with the Hero Sword Saint was simple:
Since she could predict “human” movements, then—as long as their own movements were not human, she couldn’t predict them!
The Twin Heroes’ blade techniques became irregular, bestial. Each slash seemed impossible for a human to execute; it couldn’t even be called a “blade technique” anymore.
“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!” The blade winds howled!
To confuse her opponent, Blue Ghost even used the back of her blade to smash, the hilt to jab, occasionally mixing in low kicks to the shins, groin kicks, and eye pokes.
Every Villainous trick was deployed. Every part of her body was a lethal weapon; every joint was a blade.
“Niubao, now I’ll teach you the real technique.”
Red Ghost was even more underhanded. She simply lifted her leg, kicking up a cloud of sand that smeared onto Cresia’s eyepatch.
Fortunately, she was wearing the eyepatch. If sand got into her eyes, it would have been over.
Niubao learned! Next time he came to the Dueling Arena, he’d also wear an eyepatch to prevent being tricked.
Despicable! Utterly despicable! But this was the path to victory!
Blue Ghost and Red Ghost indeed had the Hero Sword Saint suppressed, beating her down relentlessly. Her soft sword couldn’t effectively parry.
She could only keep retreating, giving up all advantageous positions. Continuing like this would only leave her passively taking hits, with no opening for a counterattack.
Furthermore, Blue Ghost’s “Snow Reflecting Mad Blade” carried a freezing effect. Cresia’s arms were gradually feeling the cold. Though it was just “feeling cold,” in a duel between master swordsmen, cold hands had an enormous impact.
A complete collapse—this described the situation perfectly.
“Cresia has been forced into a corner all at once!”
“What kind of despicable blade technique is this?”
“Nowhere to escape, she’s going to lose!”
The battle situation reversed in an instant. No one expected the Hero Sword Saint to lose so quickly and so thoroughly. The audience gasped in surprise.
But the members of the Poetry Guild of the Third Region showed little emotional fluctuation. Each wore a heavy, solemn expression, lost in thought.
However, the true experts felt the battle wouldn’t end so simply. Blue Ghost and Red Ghost felt the same. They had already unveiled their hidden, targeted killing move, all to force the Hero Sword Saint to reveal her trump card.
Could they win? They’d leave it to fate!
“Thud!” Cresia’s back hit the protective wall of the arena. This time, there was truly no way to retreat.
“Shing!” Blue Ghost suddenly sheathed her blade, then drew it with great force, actually slashing out a crescent moon-shaped, icy blade of energy that shot straight at Cresia.
This strike was well-considered—a Iaijutsu absolutely could not be used in front of Cresia. Daring to sheathe your blade before her was seeking death.
So, Blue Ghost created distance first, then sheathed her blade to unleash a long-range blade energy slash. This way, she didn’t have to worry about the soft sword exploiting the drawing motion for a counterattack.
No skill, all wisdom for victory!
“Surviving out here relies on brains! Now you know why your guild is third and ours is first, right?” Blue Ghost taunted while using her dirty tricks.
No wonder she could team up with Samimi; they were cut from the same cloth, birds of a feather, a pack of scoundrels.
“Crack!” With nowhere to dodge, Cresia could only swing her sword to block.
The Red Tassel Sword shattered the wintery blade energy. But even shattered, the energy still spread a chilling frost mist around her—the most despicable of the despicable.
The Hero Sword Saint’s outer garment was now covered in frost. The freezing energy had penetrated her body; the situation was truly dire now.
She suddenly swung her sword backhandedly through the air. For a moment, no one knew what she was doing.
“No other choice…” Cresia murmured softly.
What?
“You’re finally getting serious?” Blue Ghost’s playful smile vanished. She was clearly one strike away from defeating the Sword Saint, yet she stopped.
Cresia’s eyepatch split down the middle, finally revealing the hidden eyes beneath.
Everyone in the spectator stands craned their necks to see—
They were a pair of very ordinary eyes. Pale, colorless pupils with no focus, seemingly unable to see.
She… was actually blind?
Red Ghost began to sweat. “So that’s it…”
Blue Ghost also seemed to realize something.
“That legendary training method… it actually exists?” Red Ghost exclaimed.
“What is it exactly?” Niubao quickly followed, hoping to secretly learn.
“Haven’t you read any books?” Blue Ghost said flatly. “Using a special method to render the eyes half-blind is an extremely cruel form of training.”
“It’s called [Quan Tui]… also known as [Quan Yan].”
“It’s a cultivation method for better comprehending ‘Qi’.”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.