Chapter 196 – An Equal Clash?
Completely perfect moves might not exist in this world, but the simplistic design of this move would be enough to suppress an opponent during a fight.
Cecil was very familiar with this move and each thrust he made didn’t require any thought behind it. This was the most frightening part of the move and was also why those strong academies and clans were so scary. The combat techniques they owned had gone through numerous trials and revisions by their users.
An example of such a technique was the Flaming Lotus Dance owned by the a.s.sa.s.sin Clan. Strictly speaking, the move was an absolute secret but had still been completely broken apart and understood by others. Even so, it continued to be pa.s.sed down through the clan. When such a complicated technique was practiced to the point where it became second nature to a person, the possibility of having the move be seen through and countered became extremely small. With its instantaneous revolutions, how quick would one’s reflexes have to be in order to guarantee a proper counter?
While w.a.n.g Zhong did shock Cecil, his specialized sword formation would still be hard to defend against. This went for those familiar with his sword-wielding style, nevermind a stranger like w.a.n.g Zhong.
The technique still had three swords in it. These three swords were a fatal set within Adolf’s sword formation.
Cecil’s momentum and speed quickly rose to the peak. All of w.a.n.g Zhong’s movements had been completely seen through by him!
But right at that moment, w.a.n.g Zhong, who had already been forced into a miserable state, suddenly started to sway before him.
He had seen those movements before. During the day, Grai had used those exact same movements to dodge and evade Adonis’ Wind Sword technique. It was Swaying Steps. Just seeing the set of steps wasn’t of any use. One had to personally experience it to feel its mysteriousness and ingenuity. To be frank, Cecil hadn’t cared much for it as he believed he would be able to see through his opponent.
Nevertheless, he made a miscalculation.
The very instant those swaying steps were shown, Cecil hesitated. His opponent’s center of gravity became very unstable, and the likelihood of his attack landing on air increased. This thought rang through Cecil’s mind for a fleeting second, yet he still had to launch his attack. Nevertheless, that split-second moment of hesitation was enough to put him at a disadvantage.
Ceng, ceng, ceng…
The most fatal three sword strike all landed on thin air.
Scarlet took in the entire spectacle and felt her heart about to burst from her mouth. From her point of view, Cecil’s attacks had been just about to land on w.a.n.g Zhong when suddenly, he began to display Grai’s signature Swaying Steps…
When had he learned that? Hadn’t he spent all of his time practicing with the crosswheels every day?
Positioning and step movements were very important to a long-ranged soldier, but it didn’t reach a degree of being comparable with a close-ranged soldier or an a.s.sa.s.sin. Furthermore, w.a.n.g Zhong’s long-ranged attacks seemed to stagnate at the level of just having good aim and a good posture.
She wasn’t looking down on him, but the truth was that his rune bow and arrow was indeed at that level. While w.a.n.g Zhong was very good at maintaining a good view of the situation and also at arranging combat strategies and implementation of theoretical knowledge, he simply wasn’t suited for solo fights.
Now that she was watching the confident and carefree-looking w.a.n.g Zhong inside the combat grounds, she suddenly felt as though she were gazing at an entirely different person. Exactly who was the real w.a.n.g Zhong?
This strength… While it wasn’t at the level of Grai or Cecil, he could definitely become an ace of Tianjing, their true captain.
Cecil was shocked and surprised after realizing his thirteen slashes had landed on thin air. w.a.n.g Zhong wasn’t one to let the former regain his footing, however, as his sword was already rus.h.i.+ng over to attack.
It was the same sword formation, the same sword array. It was Adolf’s Thirteen Slashes!
When faced with this consummate skill that originated from Adolf Academy, no one was more familiar with it than Cecil. He had already identified it when the second slash was launched.
What… what the h.e.l.l is this!?
Ding, ding, ding, ding…
The two rune swords clashed against each other and a soul power burst out. Cecil hastily suppressed the shock and astonishment in his mind and retreated a dozen meters back.
When those final three swords came piercing over, cold sweat had erupted from his entire body. If his opponent’s soul power hadn’t been so weak, he would’ve truly lost his life. Those on the offensive had some degree of an advantage and when that was coupled with the sharp and incisive attack of the sword formation, defending became more difficult and unbearable.
w.a.n.g Zhong didn’t rush in to pursue Cecil. He just pointed his sword casually toward the ground after forcing his opponent into a retreat. A smile was displayed on his face, making it seem as though he was enjoying the fight. “You didn’t use this move during the day, right? Adolf Academy’s combat techniques are really interesting. This included the most optimal combination of three false, one real inside a word formation. The final additional sword was even better than the rest. It’s a pity that using three swords was just a bit much!”
When w.a.n.g Zhong completed his statement, both Cecil and Scarlet felt as though their world had turned upside down.
Cecil was very familiar with Adolf’s Thirteen Slashes and had memorized every single change to every single sword move. It was natural for him to make instantaneous decisions in order to evade the previous barrage. But even though he managed to do so, the danger posed by the final two swords hadn’t been completely avoided and his coat had actually be cut.
Adolf Academy’s consummate skills couldn’t be so casually pa.s.sed to others. Did this guy actually learn it after seeing me use it just once?
It is indeed true that sword arrays are cla.s.sified as moves that were visible to the naked eye. After all, one doesn’t need to examine the input of soul power required or the utilization of strength and could just learn it by sight and with a firm a.n.a.lysis. Even so, this b.a.s.t.a.r.d only saw it once! Furthermore, it was just a glimpse of the myriad of changes the move encompa.s.sed yet he was able to reveal all thirteen strikes! What the h.e.l.l is this!?
And in this situation, he actually said Adolf Academy’s famous technique had flaws!?
What was worse for Cecil was that he could faintly understand that his opponent’s words had been correct.
Every time he executed the final three strikes in succession, he felt they were actually a bit redundant, as though he wasn’t outputting enough soul power. Cecil had long blamed it on his insufficient strength. But if he could change the three swords into one sword with all of his might, what would the result be?
Scarlet was now completely dumbstruck. Was this still w.a.n.g Zhong? The archer? He was actually able to fight on equal grounds with Cecil using a sword! No, he even had a slight advantage! Although she wasn’t clear as to what w.a.n.g Zhong had meant with his words, Cecil’s expression actually showed he couldn’t refute!?
An archer actually gave guidance to Adolf Academy’s captain on the sword?
Regardless of how knowledgeable he was during her probing discussions with him, or his tenacious display during the group training, or his matchless excellence with the crosswheel inside the Prodigy Society, or even the formulation of strategies he made for the compet.i.tion today…
Scarlet never once a.s.sumed w.a.n.g Zhong to be an expert. All along she had just felt he was outstanding due to his thoughts and tenacity. Maybe it was due to her being close to him, but she was more mindful of w.a.n.g Zhong as a person and had overlooked such thoughts. But how could a person like this be a weakling?
Once she thought carefully about it, Barran’s combat technique and eruption had also been taught by him. This…
w.a.n.g Zhong’s casual and relaxed figure continued to grow larger in Scarlet’s eyes. It had reached the point of even getting… increasingly more handsome!
She couldn’t bear it anymore and rubbed her cheeks. Scarlet could feel the slight feverish temperature come from her face. She felt a bit dizzy. I really drank too much today. I’m even starting to hallucinate.
While Scarlet contemplated her dizziness, the fight at the center of the hall continued on. No one continued to use Adolf’s Thirteen Continuous Slashes as the sword formation had long since been seen through and was no longer a threat.
After a few bursts of metallic clangs echoed from the two swords, w.a.n.g Zhong;s body began to sway once more. In reaction to this, Cecil’s body began to revolve like a top.
Pateroff’s Spiral Das.h.!.+
Since he couldn’t get a read on his opponent’s movements, he wouldn’t let w.a.n.g Zhong read his! During such a high-speed rotational dash, even Cecil could only rely on his subconscious instincts. It wasn’t possible for him to know where his sword would land.
But w.a.n.g Zhong knew.
CLANG!
The instant they made contact, neither of them was willing to give an inch. Two swords struck accurately against each other. Cecil’s rotational force traveled along his body and into his sword, forcing w.a.n.g Zhong back two steps. At the same time, Cecil’s rotating figure had also stopped, the inertia from forcibly halting having rushed straight through his chest in successive waves. He suddenly lost his stability after delivering the strike.
Yet another equal clash.