Chapter 109: Heated Battle
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Tehrn
The jaw-dropping action in the arena had shocked the students from both schools including t.i.ta. No one had expected w.a.n.g Tong to be able to counter Apache"s attack.
t.i.ta had never thought that w.a.n.g Tong would be able to stand against Apache, he considered w.a.n.g Tong an unctuous no-account who liked to rub shoulders with popular students such as Ma Xiaoru and w.a.n.g Ben. Although w.a.n.g Tong had demonstrated his unmatched ability in s.p.a.ce battle simulation, proving his rightful place among his friends, his combat ability had caught t.i.ta off guard.
"Atta boy, you do have one or two tricks up under your sleeve," Apache said.
"More than one or two, I have prepared a bagful of them just for you." w.a.n.g Tong shrugged.
Apache let out a loud and abrupt laughter and hacked the curved blade at w.a.n.g Tong without a warning. The blade flew mercilessly at w.a.n.g Tong with full force. Apache had marked w.a.n.g Tong as a somewhat strong opponent and was determined to finish him off.
The curved blade whizzed on top of w.a.n.g Tong"s skull as w.a.n.g Tong wrenched a fist to block it. Although w.a.n.g Tong had used his flesh as a weapon, his fist was protected by a s.h.i.+eld of GN force. w.a.n.g Ben had experienced this strange combination at first hand and was injured by it.
The fist and the steel clashed a few times, making loud clanks. During the previous battle in which Apache had defeated Hu Yangxuan, Apache had been more conservative in spending his energy comparing to the barrage of forceful attacks that he was pouring onto w.a.n.g Tong just then. To everyone"s surprise, w.a.n.g Tong didn"t waver. The more experienced fighters like Ma Xiaoru quickly registered what this meant for w.a.n.g Tong"s true strength.
Apache had sensed the same kind of thirst for blood in w.a.n.g Tong that was also in him and reckoned that he should do whatever he could to finish the fight quickly; otherwise, he might be in a difficult situation.
Five minutes had pa.s.sed, and the two combatants had engrossed themselves in the combat. Apache eventually relented the strategic disguises over his tactics and revealed unbelievable speed that he could achieve when he executed his tactics with full intent.
In contrary to w.a.n.g Ben"s Tactics of the Racing Tiger which was characterized by its unstoppable force, Apache"s tactics gave him inhuman speed. Both of his movements and attacks were faster than his opponent which accentuated the deadly force packed within the strikes.
However, despite being under the rain of lethal attacks, w.a.n.g Tong still held his ground firmly.
Apache"s attacks were well structured and calculated, interwoven with his own unique fighting styles to form an epitome of combat theory and practicality. On the other hand, w.a.n.g Tong"s movement did not seem to be planned; he seemed to be acting on a whim. Nonetheless, it was responsive and effective.
One might mistake w.a.n.g Tong"s fighting style as the so-called "Think not, but go with nature" due to the similarity, but that required a much deeper understanding of the philosophy of cultivation that w.a.n.g Tong did not possess.
His actions seemed spontaneous and lacked calculations, but it was able to avert the crisis every time, and at a few occasions, even to disrupt the pace of his opponent.
Apache sprung up and bore down on w.a.n.g Tong with sharp blades. w.a.n.g Tong didn"t hesitate and delivered a high kick at Apache. w.a.n.g Tong"s foot traced a curve in the air; it started with an elegant curve, and then the curve bent eerily in a direction that seemed impossible.
Everyone was surprised by w.a.n.g Tong"s attack as they realized the technique that was used: The Campus Arc.
w.a.n.g Tong twisted his hips and lowered his upper body to add more weight to the kick; the maneuver also helped him to dodge Apache"s attack. With w.a.n.g Tong"s foot only a few inches away from him, Apache"s explosive GN force had saved the day as he pushed his body to spun to the side while blocking the kick with one of his arms. As Apache"s hand felt the force of the kick, he loosened his body immediately to ride on that force and eventually turned w.a.n.g Tong"s attack into a strong wind that helped him to sail out of harm"s way.
Apache"s body flew away from w.a.n.g Tong with the help of the kick but was unharmed by it. When Apache gathered himself, they were about twenty feet away from each other.
Both of them started to control their breath, knowing that they had met a worthy opponent, and this fight was likely to be longer than they had expected.
Apache had a taste of w.a.n.g Tong"s attack and felt its lethal power. He conceded that the haphazard way in which w.a.n.g Tong"s moves were executed was a façade, and hidden underneath was the strength that exceeded all of his younger cla.s.smates in Bernabeu.
Apache twirled the curved blades in his hands, planning his next move. After a while, he said, "The audience has become impatient, let"s show them a real fight."
"I hope you talked less." w.a.n.g Tong smirked at him.
A faint discomfort flashed across Apache"s face; this was the first time an opponent had jested him in a public arena.
Without thinking any further, Apache dashed forward and pa.s.sed through the 20 feet of distance in a blink of an eye. w.a.n.g Tong saw a knee bas.h.i.+ng at him, and it was already too late to react. The impact sent w.a.n.g Tong flying, but one of his feet was quickly caught by Apache while he was still in the air. Apache threw w.a.n.g Tong"s body down with a twist of the arm and then he flipped w.a.n.g Tong"s body around so that w.a.n.g Tong"s face was going to kiss the curved blade he had already place on the ground with sharp edge pointing up.
The crowd boiled over after seeing this deadly combo, shocked by Apache"s brutal methods, and thought that w.a.n.g Tong"s defeat was evident.
This brutal and merciless move was the results of years of bloodshed and killing in the special unit. This combo was capable of sending a sense of impending doom that would have paralyzed any ordinary fighter.
However...
In the fleeting moment right before the impact, w.a.n.g Tong dodged out of the way. Apache suddenly lost his balance, and being carried by the momentum, he crashed onto the floor. Apache supported himself with two hands; it was evident that he had taken the full impact of his own attack.
Apache rose to his feet and licked the blade, a streak a blood tainted the smooth and sharp surface of the edge.
The blade had carved a wound into the side of w.a.n.g Tong"s neck; blood seeped out from the deep cut.
In that infinitesimally short movement, w.a.n.g Tong had avoided the lethal strike aimed at his artery by biting firmly onto the blade. With an almost impossible twirling of his body, w.a.n.g Tong even managed to break free from Apache"s iron grip.
w.a.n.g Tong wiped away the blood on his neck; he didn"t seem to be scared nor wavering after such a close escape.
Right then, Apache knew that his opponent was a rather exceptional fighter. He was aware that no ordinary fighter would be unaffected by the horror of such a life and death moment unless the fighter felt that he had no need to be afraid... or the fighter was utterly insane.
w.a.n.g Tong could smell his own blood in the air, and it engaged him. A crimson light flashed in w.a.n.g Tong"s eyes, and he darted toward Apache.
Apache watched as his opponent unleashed his first attack. w.a.n.g Tong"s movement was not as fast as Apache, but his footsteps were strange, almost otherworldly. The length of w.a.n.g Tong"s stride seemed to disagree with the distance he had traveled, making one question his own judgment.
This was the visual trick that came with one of the top four footwork technique among the Confederation trope: the Inch Step. The other three were the Ivantian “b.u.t.terfly Dash”, the Martian “a.s.sault Stride”, and the Kaedeian “Phantom Move”.
The Inch Step looked straight forward, but it was very complicated and impossible to be mastered by a first-year student such as w.a.n.g Tong.