Chapter 338 A Trickster’s Battle
The ticking sounds of the countdown resounded in my ears. It was finally about to begin——
“3！”
“2！”
“1！”
Holding the Emperor Qin’s Sword, I commanded my Flaming Tiger G.o.d to dash forward with me. When we were about 10 yards away from Q-sword, I immediately positioned my sword as wind energy surged. My movement and attack speed increased by 8% through [Haste]; I darted desperately toward Q-Sword. At the same time, my Flaming Tiger G.o.d roared as it grew in size and rushed forward, its four paws covered in raging flames!
With an icy stare, Q-sword also charged toward us with his Frost Beast.
“Ding! ”
Five stars floated above the Emperor Qin’s Sword and targeted Q-Sword. I then heavily struck a [Combo]!
Sparks rose from underneath Q-Sword’s boots as he abruptly came to a stop, dodging the first two attacks from the [Combo]. At the same time, he raised his arm. ‘Ding! Ding!’ Quickly blocking the remaining two attacks that were coming from both the left and right sides. The fifth and final attack hit against his shoulder armor with a “Keng!” before fiercely throwing a punch toward my chest. What a bold move!
Once I felt pressure on my chest, I immediately turned and knocked away Q-Sword’s arm with my right shoulder. With my Emperor Qin Sword, I then struck him with a normal attack to his back as I was turning, bringing out 1400+ damage. At the same time, I put force into my left Divine Battle Boot, causing the air to turn.’Pi, Pa, Pi, Pa!’ The green tiles beneath my foot to crack as I unleashed a vicious kick!
“Peng! ”
The kick instantly hit Q-Sword’s chest and sent him flying back a good ten meters. However, once Q-Sword retreated, a [Skyshaker Slash] landed on my shoulder, dealing enormous damage ——
1719！
……
“Shashasha…… ”
As his battle boots slid along the stone floor, Q-Sword knelt to the ground with one knee. He then sprung at me, his sword poised to attack. His handsome face was filled with determination, just like mine. In a battle between two high attack players like Q-Sword and I, victory must be decided quickly. There would be no protracted battles between the both of us!
With a jolt of my arm, I swiftly decided to change my attack plan. My Emperor Qin’s Sword abruptly slashed toward my right with a [Wind Blade]; I’ll kill the Frost Beast first before Q-Sword himself!
As the Frost Beast roared, Q-Sword had already activated [Ice Armor] and its defense increased drastically!
1721！
My Emperor Qin Sword could only deal this little damage. Even after the little tiger cub used [Burstfire Raid] and raged past the Frost Beast, it still had 50% health left. Yet, Q-Sword had already charged forward with his sword, demanding my life like the King of the Underworld.
“Hua! ”
The sound of the blade cutting through the air resounded. As I slashed on the body of Frost Beast, it’s frost began to coil around my arms and legs, reducing my movement speed. Unable to perform a quick dodge, I could only lean to the side and block the attack.”Keng” the sound rang out as I was forced back by Q-Sword’s strikes. I hastily positioned myself; and when the moment presented itself, raised my sword and used [Seven Star Fragment Slash]!
“Hong! ”
Q-Sword and his Frost Beast were both hit. Simultaneously, the Flaming Tiger G.o.d lifted its head and roared. [Fierce Roar]!
“Oh no…… ”
Q-Sword’s expression changed. He had underestimated my ability to judge. While he and his Frost Beast were grouped together, my AoE skill would naturally land on both of them. His losses from this weren’t small!
Slightly bending both of his knees, Q-Sword suddenly leaped over as his left foot kicked heavily onto my chest. The him that had comparable strength had used the momentum to apply an even greater force, so naturally I couldn’t withstand the attack. I picked up my Emperor Qin’s Sword and rapidly retreated several steps. I waved my hand for a [Heal] and recovered 1200 health!
Lifting my head up, I heard the screech of a hawk. Q-Sword was jumping at me with his sword raised with a [Hawk Slash]!
“Peng!”
1938！
I retreated several steps. I trembled at the realization that Q-Sword was fighting as if his life was on the line. I immediately activated [Shield of the Crimson Dragon] and put my Emperor Qin’s Sword in front of my chest to block. As expected, Q-Sword violently started cutting towards me with a [Fierce Tiger Burst]+[Icy Spear]!
1210！
997！
Closely after, the wind began to rise and a combo came – [Six Directional Thunder]!
In the midst of the fierce storm, I kept my defensive stance. I drank down a potion and recovered 3000 health while activating [Dragon Knight’s Recovery] at the same time!
Seeing my health rise and fall, Q-Sword’s eyes slowly began to reveal a sense of despair. His body abruptly charged forward as his blade’s tip penetrated my chest plate. His attack was closely followed with a [Destruction Wolf Formation]!
I continued to defend as I commanded my Flaming Tiger G.o.d to begin fiercely attacking Q-Sword’s back with a [Flame Claw]+[Blood Drain]. The two attacks pulled Q-Sword’s health straight into critical levels. After a round of attacks, Q-Sword retreated as he gulped down a potion!
“Pa!”
I immediately grabbed onto Q-Sword’s blade, ignoring the pain as I kneed him in the stomach. The time to strike back had finally arrived!
My Emperor Qin’s Sword flashed and sent a [Combo]+[Fierce Ice Blade]. Q-Sword hurriedly activated [Spark Armor], giving him an enormous increase in defense for 7 seconds. I, however, was such a strong opponent that after dealing a series of skills and combos, I dragged Q-Sword’s already critical health even lower as he was pushed back 10 meters. I spread open one hand and before he could recover anymore health, cast [Great Realm of Desolation]!
2422！
A large damage number flew out! Q-Sword’s knees weakened and he suddenly knelt to the ground. His last bit of health had disappeared.
……
1:0 I was victorious in the first round!
A cheer came from the outside. Wan Er, Dong Cheng and Qing Qian were jumping up and down. Old K had raised his battle axe and laughed out loud, “[Zhan Long] Guild Master, strong and unrivaled!”
Song Han had picked up his dagger and calmly stood there with a big smile, “Hmph, Brother Xiao Yao truly is sharp. To think that you could win against Q-Sword like that. Too impressive. Q-Sword is second in CBN battle rankings and is an extremely remarkable person. On top of that, he just defeated several other high rankers like Jian Feng Han so he’s pretty confident in himself. Brother Xiao Yao, you won this round beautifully!”
General Li Mu crossed his arms over his chest and smiled, “There was a miscalculation in Q-Sword’s tactics. The moment he decided to attack the Guild Master first, he was fated to lose. Guild Master’s defense and stamina are just too strong. Q-Sword can’t kill you off in a short time period……”
“Yup!”
Soon, the second round began!
“Shua!” A ray of light brought Q-Sword and his pet Frost Beast back into the arena. He looked at me from afar and smirked, “Li Xiao Yao, you truly aren’t a disappointment. I’m starting to like the idea of you as my opponent more and more!”
I grinned and replied, “Same for me!”
With that, we waited for the countdown to reach 0 –
“3！”
“2！”
“1！”
Suddenly, Q-Sword gave a barely noticeable sign that he was charging forward. As expected, he came right at me with his Frost Beast, his blade pointing in my direction. This was…… a test strike?
I instinctively dodged the attack, then retaliated with my own. I did not expect, however, that Q-Sword was only faking it. His longsword went straight at the Flaming Tiger G.o.d behind me. Sure enough, he had changed his plan of attack and was going after my little tiger!
I quickly commanded the Flaming Tiger G.o.d to activate [Flame Armor]!
A burst of flame suddenly weaved around the little tiger, increasing its defense. Then, at that moment, Q-Sword suddenly turned around with his blade flashing a dazzling light. He took the chance to heavily land a hit onto my chest while I was commanding my little tiger!
[Afterglow Slash]
1722！
My body suddenly jolted and my mind suddenly went blank. Oh no, I’ve been stunned. [Afterglow Slash]’s stun lasted 1.5 seconds. It wasn’t long, but it sure as h.e.l.l wasn’t short either!
Q-Sword roared out and immediately activated a [Combo]+[Skyshaker Slash]
764！
774！
727！
718！
711！
2218！
Within moments, all of my health was gone!
……
My knees suddenly weakened and my body evaporated into a light that flew out of the arena!
1:1 Q-Sword made his comeback!
Outside, I calmly stood there. Beside me, Wan Er softly said, “It’s nothing, you just lost one round. Continue to do your best!”
Li Mu raised a fist and said, “Q-Sword’s battle tactics are extremely cunning. On top of that, he hid his [Afterglow Slash] which is kind of a crucial skill. You couldn’t even activate [Shield of the Crimson Dragon]. This round’s loss wasn’t too unjust. But thankfully, he already revealed his [Afterglow Slash] in the previous round which meant that all his cards are already on the table!”
I nodded my head with an invigorating smile, said, “Yep, it doesn’t matter. The third round will determine who’s the victor!”
Wan Er lightly smiled and said, “Alright. Looking at your self-confident smile, I don’t have to worry anymore!”
……
“Shua!”
I was sent into the arena again, it was the decisive battle!
We didn’t waste any time for words and just glared at each other. I finally made a decision. Even though I’ve been honing my reflexes on [Destiny] and my battle tactics had already reached a higher level, my instantaneous decision-making was still lacking and my reaction speed was still slightly slower than Q-Sword’s. Otherwise, the [Afterglow Slash] should have not hit me before and even if it did, I should’ve used [Shield of the Crimson Dragon] beforehand to keep a defensive stance so that no matter what happened, I wouldn’t have been killed within 1.5 seconds.
The two of us were silent as we waited for the countdown to finish –
“3！”
“2！”
“1！”
The tie-breaker, begins!
After last battle’s miserable defeat, I completely changed my stance. Not only did I forgo all thoughts of defending, I was also actively on the offensive. I picked up my Emperor Qin’s Sword and charged diagonally forward. The angle of my charge just happened to be aimed right at Q-Sword. This type of dash could only be performed by experts like Jian Feng Han. It was a skill that could be considered even above the level of a top tier expert.
“Kong!”
The Flaming Tiger G.o.d pounced toward Q-Sword from the side and ferociously swiped his claws as my Emperor Qin’s Sword attacked him straight on. Against such an oppressive offense, Q-Sword only smiled and abruptly slid to the side. With a sweep of his sword, “Keng!” he used his blade to block my Emperor Qin’s Sword. Simultaneously, he used his sword to cut right into the head of my Flaming Tiger G.o.d. Then, he moved three steps to the side and activated [Fierce Tiger Slash] and aimed it right at me!
I didn’t give in in the slightest while I violently thrust my sword through his body before turning and giving him a taste of my [Wind Blade]!
1642！
2311！
Q-Sword took the hit but waved his longsword as well, activating a [Fierce Tiger Slash]+[Skyshaker Slash] at the same time. On top of that the [Fierce Tiger Slash] dealt critical damage!
4626！
1982！
I was astonished. Luckily I had cast a [Heal] the second [Fierce Tiger Slash] fell, pulling up my health a bit. At the same time I also activated [Dragon Knight’s Recovery]. As we pa.s.sed each other, both our healths fell to critical levels. Our potions were also on cooldown, and so for 60 seconds neither of us could recover!
“Puchi!”
As cold wind brushed past his back, Q-Sword violently lashed out and activated [Destruction Wolf Formation]!
My heart froze as I hastily activated [Shield of the Crimson Dragon] to face the onslaught!
“Hmmm!”
In the midst of the destructive light, Q-Sword’s longsword began glowing again, it was another [Afterglow Slash]!
“Keng!”
I heavily pierced my Emperor Qin’s Sword into the stone tiles and forced my body forward. My right Divine Battle Boot suddenly kicked out!
“Peng!”
The force of my kick broke through Q-Sword’s [Afterglow Slash]!
……
“Sha Sha Sha…….”
Q-Sword rolled back a few meters, a look of shock colored his face. With a wave of my arms, I activated [Great Realm of Desolation] while, at the same instance, commanded Flaming Tiger G.o.d to used [Fierce Roar].
“Sh*t……..”
Q-Sword’s eyes were full of despair.
7124！
1772！
[Great Realm of Desolation] dealt the final blow. This strike ended Q-Sword’s journey in the [Rise of Heroes] tournament.
……
2:1！
The sound of the system notice reverberated through the air.
“Ding”
System Notice: Player “Xiao Yao Zi Zai” has defeated “Q-Sword” and successfully entered the top 4.