At that moment, only a blurry shadow was left in Xu Huai Shang's line of sight. She knew very well in her heart that this was a speed that she would be unable to catch up to. However, she did not have any intention of throwing the battle. If anything, her focus only had gotten sharper…
Since the two grenades are of the same model and he pulled off the safety at the same time, then it will mean that the explosions will occur within the same second… Xu Huai Shang was calculating quickly in her mind. It is quite impossible that he will be holding the grenades when they go off… so…
Even when she was caught in that dangerous situation, she still managed to come to the correct response—no matter how crazed Feng Bujue was acting, that was only part of the psychological warfare that he was playing. He was not going to blow himself up just to have the match end in a tie when he had the upper hand. That did not make any logical sense.
As she predicted, before the grenades went off, Feng Bujue suddenly stopped. The two grenades flow forward carried by inertia. Feng Bujue kicked against the ground under his feet and swiftly leaped backward to safety. The two grenades landed perfectly around the two sides of Xu Huai Shang and they surrounded her within their range of explosion.
Normally speaking, at that moment, she had two solutions to this problem that she had found herself in: one was to jump high into the air and two was to skip backward away from the explosions as fast as she could. However… Xu Huai Shang's sharp battle instinct and experience told her to pick a third choice, and that was to rush forward.
The butterfly swords in her grasps twirled as she shot forward. Her arms pulled taut with muscles as she readied to slash at her target. The two grenades brushed past her and landed behind her, at the spot where she was standing earlier. Boom, boom! Two consecutive explosions followed one after another. The explosion occurred about 7 to 8 meters behind Xu Huai Shang. The shrapnel did not cause much damage to Xu Huai Shang. If anything, the pushing force from the explosion helped propel her forward, allowing her to get closer to Feng Bujue than she normally would.
"You have a very fast reflex…" Feng Bujue praised. "But your body does not move as fast as your reflex… If you rush at me like this, I am afraid you won't be able to hold on for even 30 seconds…" A golden light materialized in his hand. His middle finger and index finger plucked a poker card seemingly out of thin air and he let it loose…
Pew!
Blood splashed… but no one fell.
"Hmm?" This was the first time Feng Bujue felt surprised in this battle and that was definitely not a good sign…
"Hahahaha…" Xu Huai Shang was laughing. Even though there was a ghastly wound that cut through her throat but the expression on her face was not of a person who was about to lose.
"So, this is your final trump card…" Feng Bujue's eyes moved downward and he saw the object that Xu Huai Shang was holding in her palm…
———
Item Name: Pill of the Eight Afterglow
Item Type: Others
Quality: Legendary
Special Effect: Unknown
Remark: A holy relic that has been soaked in the blood of a goddess
Xu Huai Shang came across this object by accident in a Team Survival Nightmare Mode scenario. It was kept inside a hidden room alongside a human skull at Tomioka Castle. Beside this item was a scroll and the scroll was essentially a skill card.
———
Name: Soul Advent
Skill Card Property: Special skill, can only be used once
Skill Type: Sorcery
Effect: Summon the power of the legendary swordsmen from the supernatural world (effect will last for 5 minutes)
Exhaust: Pill of the Eight Afterglow (The skill can be activated by having one's blood drop on the Pill of the Eight Afterglow at the moment of death)
Learning Requirement: Level more than 40, this skill card cannot be traded after it has been obtained
Remark: Under the condition of Soul Advent, the player's Life Points, Stamina Points, and Sorcery Points will become limitless, and the skill bar will break through the number limit. All the known bladed skills will be available to use by the player. After the skill is over, the player's Life Points, Stamina Points, and Sorcery Points will return back to 1 percent, and the player will be immune to any recovery effect within 3 minutes.
———
"I planned to reserve this skill for Sky Swallowing Phantom Dawn." Xu Huai Shang's tone suddenly became level. The holy relic in her hand was slowly disappeared in a pool of white light. "I have fought with him once and that was the only time in my life when I have felt total despair…" She paused for a moment before continuing. "I am surprised… that you would give me the same feeling." When she spoke, the wound around her neck was recovering with a speed that was visible to one's naked eye.
By then, Feng Bujue had retreated to more than 10 meters away. When Xu Huai Shang used her skill, his instinct told him that he was in grave danger.
"If you have only been using 32 percent of your full ability…" Xu Huai Shang said as she slid her left sword back into the sheath and changed to holding one sword with both hands. "Then I suggest you respond with your full potential now, or else…" The short sword that she was holding suddenly exploded with enormous Qi. The aura of the blade was so powerful that it became physical. The air around the blade coagulated into something concrete. The blade itself took on the quality of light and expanded three times its original size.
Feng Bujue's mind was warning him of the danger. This was not a situation where he could handle with bare hands anymore. He quickly took out his weapons, which were a stool and a military shovel. He held one in each hand. Supposedly, he was a dual-wielding fighter… But he looked more like he was going to work the farm…
…
"Oh! Look, the fatal wound on Xu Huai Shang is miraculously recovering! What is going on?" Hwa Xiong shouted, "But it does not look like she used any medic skill earlier…"
Pan Feng added, "Based on my experience… there is a high chance that she has activated some kind of 'transformation' skill, but it is a type of skill that does not change her appearance."
Dear readers, do not be tricked by their commentary, these two were not as astute as they made themselves out to be… Actually, this whole commentary was just a show perpetrated by the two.
The image of the battle that was viewed by the two GMs was different from the one broadcasted on the big screen and shown to the public. Other than the normal fighting scene, they had access to something called 'Battle Diary' that was compiled by the system. This function allowed the two GMs to see and know the type of skills and items that have been used by the players in the tournament. Nevertheless, I feel like we should cut them some slack because, without the aid from the system, this commentator job would be incredibly hard to do…
Of course, details like how much Life Points and Stamina Points that each player had left was not revealed by the Battle Diary. This was to prevent the commentators from accidentally leaking and predicting the result of the battle before it even ended.
"Well done! Our goddess is the greatest! I knew she will not lose to a pervert like that!"
"Shang Shang, slaughter that cocky pervert!"
"It has been more than 30 seconds already. See told you the man is nothing but a walking bag of lies! Haha! Look at how dumb he is!"
"Go, Shang Shang! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!"
Another commotion erupted among the audience. Seeing the table turned on Feng Bujue, the majority of the audience was quite glad.
"It seems like she has changed into a completely different person…" Xiao Tan commented as he studied the girl on the screen. He scratched his chin and continued. "The way she grips her blade, the movement of her feet, the distance that she keeps with Brother Jue, the way of her breathing…" He said ominously, "This is quite impressive…"
"Humph… Now this is more like it." Passing Rain revealed a rare smile. "Now this is where the real fun starts."
Atobe-sama turned toward her with shock. "Hey… big sister, whose side are you on? And what is that joyous expression on your face… Don't tell me, you are actually secretly hoping for Xu Huai Shang to win?"
Passing Rain smiled in response, she gave nothing more. If she was being honest with herself, naturally she was on Brother Jue's side, but… for some reason, she wanted to see Brother Jue suffer a bit.
…
And now we return to the colosseum…
"Spirit form, drying pole," Xu Huia Shang said, and the blade morphed. The blade that seemed to be forged from light became narrower for several centimeters.
"That sounds very familiar…" Feng Bujue mumbled to himself. "Whose weapon is that again…"
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Xu Huai Shang ignored him. She took one tentative forward. Then with the tip of the blade flinging into the air, she leaped into a circle rising like a moon. Beautiful yet deathly arcs of blades came at Feng Bujue… Tsubame Rokuren!
Feng Bujue moved back for half a step as he raised both the stool and the military shovel as response to the onslaught. He dug his heels into the ground, hoping to gain stability from the solidity of the earth. His opponent was flying in the air, turning her body to unleash a flurry of slashes. If he fought her head-on, then definitely it was Brother Jue who would have the upper hand, and after Xu Huai Shang was knocked off onto the ground, Feng Bujue would have more openings to deliver counterattack.
But to his consternation… After two blinding clangs, the two 'weapons' that Feng Bujue was holding were bounced away from the impact… Thankfully he held onto them tight enough and barely held on as the stool and military shovel were about to slip from his grasp. However, his arms were knocked backward involuntarily, and his feet slipped back for more than 8 steps before he managed to find a steady footing again.
What the f*ck? Feng Bujue cursed internally, and he mocked, What the hell is going on… And what is the weapon she is using? A sorcery weapon that contains the spirit of the best swordsman in the history of mankind?
"You managed to block that, huh?" Xu Huai Shang ended the skill and landed lightly on the ground like a graceful butterfly. "But… that was just the beginning." She took no time for a break as she went into another move. She materialized before Brother Jue and thankfully the latter reacted fast and quickly assumed a defensive position.
Three skills were used in quick succession, Hiken Tsubame Gaeshi, Hiken: Sasameyuki, and Hiken: Taiyō no honō.
Xu Huai Shang's iai jutsu was smooth and practiced. Her single move could take down a horde of an army. Feng Bujue had a hard time dealing with such a masterful display of sword skill. When he focused on defending one slash, there would be another coming at him from another side. He had the intention to counter, but his body could not move fast enough to keep up with his intention. He was too busy blocking to mount any counter. If not for the aid from Soul's Eye, he would be in serious injury already.
Something is not right… This is more than a pure increase in strength. Feng Bujue assessed the change in his opponent and thought to himself. It is like she has changed into a different person completely to fight with me…
"Humph… We will see how much longer you can hold on!" Xu Huai Shang knew that she had the upper hand now and she was slowly getting into the usage of Soul Advent. Her familiarity with it was getting more and more firm with each minute. She twisted her wrist and the blade itself grew for another few centimeters and it was now glowing a faded purplish light. This time the blade had changed into the famed blade of the swordsman, Genjuro Kibagami, Baoi Doku.
After the sword of Xu Huai Shang transformed, she charged once more time forward. She did not need to watch her exhaustion and thus she could continue to use as many skills as she wanted. "Hyakki Satsu!" Xu Huai Shang once again teleported to before Feng Bujue. The sword bloomed with a sharp aura, like a swallowing wave. The sword wielder slithered around her opponent like a lightning dragon.
Feng Bujue finally could not resist it anymore. He originally wanted to retain some energy in this battle but based on the situation that he was in, there was no choice but to give it everything he got. "You are the one who forced me to do this!" He said as he kicked underneath him and somersaulted into the air. Brother Jue with the buff from Body Enhancement Spell would be able to leap at least 20 meters into the air with a simple jump.
After the man vaulted into the air of the colosseum, he leaned his body to the side and used an awkward pose to use Geppo. He started to spin on his own axis like a spinning top. Half a second later, using the centrifugal force from his spin, he used his single leg and unleashed Kankyaku repeatedly. The slashing kick that was supposed to be an arc now spun downward toward his opponent like a tornado.
"Do you think only you know how to shout out a skill's name before you use them?!" Feng Bujue continued to kick as he shouted at the top of his lungs. "Take this! This is the skill that I have just come up with on the spot, Nine Suns Thunder Sparks Fly Ferocious Dragon Drill!"
The viewers before the screen all could not help but feel a bit cheated. "That is Wang Xiao Hu's ultimate, isn't it?! You copycat!"
At that moment, Xu Huai Shang had also leaped into the air to chase after her opponent… her intention was to continue the assault, but Brother Jue moved faster than she was. And this short period of time difference became Brother Jue's opening to launch a counterattack.
"Che… Sakura Slash!" To everyone's surprise, while she was in the air, Xu Huai Shang managed to use a skill. She grabbed her sword and lashed before her. The sword aura cut forward in a screen of sakura pink slate. The sakura screen layered upon each other like a mirage and she used that block Feng Bujue's energy tornado.
"Humph… what about this then. Gomu Gomu no Ono!" Feng Bujue stopped spinning and then raised his leg above his head and then kicked heavily down. He used Kankyaku again and a thick arc of air slash flew downward.
"That has nothing to do with rubber or battle axe!" Xu Huai Shang corrected him… but that was not the point. At that moment, she pulled out the left sword that she had left in the sheath earlier. She combined it now with her right sword and the two melted into one and transformed into a Japanese naginata. It still looked like it was forged from light itself. This was the blade of Kyoshiro Senryo, Caring Wife.
"If you do not like that name, how about I name it Wolf Fang Moon Bite? What do you think?" Feng Bujue asked.
"Aragotoshi Kyoshiro 'Ketsuniku no Mai'!" Xu Huai Shang spun with the naginata around her as she seemed to turn into a tornado itself as she headed toward Feng Bujue. The cuts from the tornado dissipated the Kankyaku and she was soon close to Feng Bujue himself.
"What do you think you know how to spin?! Do you think I am afraid of you?!" Feng Bujue opened both of his arms wide while holding the stool and the military shovel. He mimicked his opponent as he lunged downward. "Dance of Fire!" But not before shouting a skill name of Kyoshiro Senryo himself…
Ping ping! Kiang!
The two players bounced against each other to create a metallic crescendo. Sparks flew everywhere and the air was cutting. The energy thickened in the air above the coliseum, it collected like a mist.
…
In the market, the crowd was silent. All they could sense was awe and shock…
This match was undeniably the most exciting match since the start of the Tournament of the Best. Even though the battle between Smiling Divine Question and Vishnu was about another impressive fight between two players on the top 20 combat stat rankings but their match was not as flashy and heart-palpating as this match. After all, Xu Huai Shang was using super powerful skills that were only available to her due to the use of legendary quality item. Its power level compared to Descent of the War Demon was not less than it. The level and quality of this match, since the moment Xu Huai Shang used Soul Advent had entered another dimension altogether.
"Xu Huai Shang, we are always behind you!"
"Please do not lose! Shang Shang…"
"That pervert is surprisingly stubborn. He is like an annoying cockroach…"
"That thing is more like a monster! How did he manage to hold on for so long with just a simple stool and a f*cking shovel…"
The crowd's resentment directed toward Feng Bujue did not decrease but… underlying that was an additional layer of respectful fear.
…
At the coliseum, the two exchanged blows and the result was still undecided. But as time went down, Xu Huai Shang who was at the bottom, felt the pressure from the gravity greater than her opponent. Regarding that, she knew it herself. She did not want to push further lest she crossed the line of no return, therefore, she pulled back her aggression, turned around, and ended this crossfire. Relief washed over Feng Bujue. His both arms were about to turn into noodles already. Thankfully, his opponent had let up at that moment… to give him a chance to take a much-needed rest and breather.
"You were lying earlier, weren't you…" Xu Huai Shang floated down the air like a goddess descending from heaven. She had a smile that spoke of triumph and relish on her face. "The 32 percent that you speak of, that was a lie, wasn't it? You were already fighting at your full capacity."
Feng Bujue was also being pulled to the ground, he scoffed. "You really wish to fight me at my full potential that much…?" He paused for a moment. "The version that is about 3 times stronger than I am now…"
"Humph… If you can back those words up with actual proof, then honestly I would be glad to witness it." Xu Huai Shang landed on the ground. The long naginata was split into two again and made into a double blade. The light of the blade transformed once more and this time it became two Taichi blades, one longer than the other.
Feng Bujue also landed safely. His eyes naturally traveled to the weapon of his opponent. "Let me guess… This time it is Jubei Yagyu and the twin protectors of Yamato, Steel Tiger, and Sukehiro."
"Even with the skill list available to me, I won't be able to memorize all the skill name and their corresponding weapons… But you can rattle them off so easily," Xu Huai Shang commented. "In a way, you are quite an impressive character."
"Based on my observation so far, the thing that you used earlier…" Feng Bujue continued to say, "Enables you to gain all the skill set of all the characters from the game series, Samurai Showdown. Your swords also obtain the ability to change its form and adopt the appearance of the weapon of any character." He spoke as he put the stool and military shovel back into his inventory. "Other than that, from your attack rhythm and skill choice, I believe you do not need to worry about the exhaust of the skills that you use. You can use as many of them as you want when you are under this condition." He opened both of his arms wide and smiled with a shrug. "But for such a powerful condition… I trust there is a time limit to it, right?"
Xu Huai Shang's heart squeezed when she heard that. It was nothing too shocking to hear Feng Bujue give the first two statements. It only proved that the man was very much an otaku and spent too much time playing or studying the game series, Samurai Showdown, but to be able to pinpoint the last statement so clearly, that was not as easy…
When facing the occasion where the opponent's power level had a sudden and tremendous increase and on top of that, being endlessly assaulted, the first thing a person would be concerned about would be the problem imminent to them, but Feng Bujue's thought went further, deeper, and more than that. Even during the intensive fight, he managed to make a calm, collected, and more importantly, accurate assessment of the situation.
"Even if you know that, what does it change?" Before Xu Huai Shang finished the sentence, she had already made her move. After she used her skill, she did not show any sign of agitation or being in a hurry because she wanted to create a sense of psychological illusion that might trick her opponent into believing that she could maintain this condition as long as she preferred. And from there, her opponent would be frightened and thus had their composure shattered.
However, the reaction of this Feng Bujue shattered her expectation. He did not show any trace of being scared; he was so calm that it honestly angered her…
At this point, Xu Huai Shang had no reason to pretend to be calm and spend time to chat with her opponent anymore. If he wanted to chat, then they could chat in the middle of battle.
"Indeed, what could it change…" When Feng Bujue mumbled that under his breath, he too activated Descent of the War Demon…
Perhaps some of the quicker readers among you might ask: Why did not Brother Jue use Descent of War Demon and combine it with Body Enhancement Spell from the start of the match? Then, Xu Huai Shang would definitely be eliminated before she knew what even happened to her. Actually, the answer to that question was not that complicated, that was because Descent of the War Demon had too big of a price to pay. Once it was used, it was a road of no return. If Feng Bujue was unable to kill his opponent within the time limit, then the only thing he could do was to wait for death to come…
Just like Xu Huai Shang did not know much about Feng Bujue, the same could be said in reverse. Feng Bujue did not have much information on Xu Huai Shang. He did not know what kind of skills Xu Huai Shang had. What if she had a skill that could make her immune from all sorts of damage within a set amount of time, or she had a skill that could make her undetectable… Then once the 3 minutes time limit of the War Demon status was over, Brother Jue would end up as helpless as a beached whale.
But now, Feng Bujue was pushed to the point of being killed if he did not use that skill, so… there was nothing to hold him back anymore.
A black energy surged into the sky and in the blink of an eye, the sky darkened like a veil had been pulled over it. Fear was like a pair of invisible hands that curled around Xu Huai Shang's throat. She stopped. She could feel… an extremely scary presence… Was about to descend before her…
"This is what 100 percent looks like…" Feng Bujue was surrounded in a layer of chaotic and tumultuous black aura. His eyes were still calm and collected but within… lit an endless abyss of bloodlust. "Remember, you asked for this…"