Chapter 134 I Did Not See That Coming

In that instant, only a blurred phantom remained in Xu Huaishang's vision. She understood in her heart that she could no longer keep up with such speed.

But she had no intention of giving up; instead, her focus intensified...

"Since those two grenades are the same model and were pulled at the same time, the explosions must occur in the same second..." Xu Huaishang thought rapidly. "He wouldn't hold the grenades to blow me up... so..."

Even in the face of danger, she made a very correct judgment—no matter how crazy Feng Bujue seemed, it was only part of a psychological warfare tactic; he wouldn't self-destruct when he had the advantage.

Sure enough, as the moment of explosion approached, Feng Bujue suddenly stopped abruptly, using inertia to throw the two grenades, then leaping backward off the ground.

The two explosives flew toward Xu Huaishang's sides in a pincer formation, vaguely enclosing her. Generally, she had two options at this point: one was to jump upwards, and the other was to retreat rapidly.

But... Xu Huaishang's keen combat intuition led her to choose a third path: charging forward.

She crossed the dual blades in her hands, advancing straight ahead, two strikes ready to be unleashed. The two grenades passed her by, the distance growing ever wider.

*Boom, boom*—two explosions sounded almost simultaneously.

The explosions occurred seven or eight meters behind Xu Huaishang, and the flying shrapnel did not cause her too much damage. Instead, the shockwave from the explosions became her aid, allowing her to successfully close in on the retreating Feng Bujue.

"Quite the sharp response..." Feng Bujue muttered. "But the speed is still too slow... If you charge over like that, you won't even last thirty seconds..." A golden glint flashed in his hand, and a playing card held between the index and middle fingers of his right hand suddenly sliced out...

*Chi*—

Blood, sprayed...

The person, however, did not fall.

"Hmm?" For the first time in this battle, Feng Bujue felt surprised, and that was not a good sign...

"Heh..." Xu Huaishang was smiling, even though a ghastly gash had been cut across her neck. The expression on her face, however, did not resemble that of someone about to be defeated.

"So, this is your trump card?" Feng Bujue's gaze shifted downward, and he saw something in Xu Huaishang's hand...

[Name: Hachi-jing Xia Maru]

[Type: Other]

[Quality: Legendary]

[Effect: Unknown]

[Note: A sacred object once imbued with the blood of a goddess]

This item was something Xu Huaishang had accidentally found in a team nightmare scenario. It and a skull were kept together in a hidden room in "Amakusa Castle." Next to this item was also a scroll, which was essentially a skill card:

[Name: Spirit Descent]

[Skill Card Attribute: Special Skill, disappears after one use]

[Skill Category: Spiritual Art]

[Effect: Summons the power of swordsmen from another world (lasts five minutes)]

[Consumption: Hachi-jing Xia Maru (can only be activated by pouring the blood of imminent death onto the Hachi-jing Xia Maru)]

[Learning Requirement: Level 40 or above, cannot be traded after picking up this skill card]

[Note: In Spirit Descent state, Survival, Stamina, and Spiritual Art values are all infinitely positive; the skill bar will break the quantity limit, and all the swordmasters' moves can be used at will. After the skill ends, Survival, Stamina, and Spiritual Art values become 1%, and you cannot be affected by beneficial items within three minutes.]

"This move was originally reserved for dealing with [Devouring Sky Ghost骁]," Xu Huaishang's tone suddenly became very calm, and the sacred object in her hand was gradually turning into white light and dissipating. "I fought him once, and that was the only time I felt completely hopeless in battle..." She paused for a moment. "I didn't expect... you gave me the same feeling." As she spoke, the wound on her neck healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

By this time, Feng Bujue had already retreated more than ten meters away. The moment the other party activated the skill, he instinctively felt a great danger.

"If you really only used 32% of your strength just now..." Xu Huaishang said as she sheathed the sword in her left hand and switched to a single sword in both hands. "Then I suggest you go all out immediately, otherwise..." The short sword in her right hand suddenly unleashed a towering killing intent. The sword energy materialized, and the blade transformed into a form of light, extending three times its length.

Feng Bujue thought that things were not looking good. This was not a situation that could be dealt with bare-handed. He quickly took out the folding stool and military shovel, one in each hand, wielding them like dual weapons... except that his appearance looked as if he was going to mine coal...

............

"Oh! Everyone, please see, the fatal wound of Xu Huaishang has healed instantly! What's going on?" Hua Xiong exclaimed, "It doesn't look like she used any medical skills..."

Pan Feng continued, "Based on my experience... it is possible that she has activated some kind of 'transformation' skill, but there is no obvious change in appearance."

Don't think that these two are really that high-end... In fact, these two are just putting on an act. The game screen seen by the GMs is different. In addition to the general combat footage, they can also see the "combat log" listed by the system on a split screen; they know which items and skills the players have used. Without this function as an aid, the commentary work of these two would be really difficult...

Of course, the specific numerical values of how much health and stamina the two players have left are not in the combat log. This is to prevent the commentators from prematurely predicting the outcome inadvertently.

"Great! Goddess is the strongest! She will definitely not lose!"

"Kill that arrogant kid!"

"Thirty seconds have passed! You got slapped in the face! Haha!"

"Huaishang, go! Chop him to death!"

The audience erupted in another burst of noise, and everyone was clearly happy to see the reversal of Feng Bujue's situation.

"It's like she suddenly became another person..." Xiao Tan stared at the screen thoughtfully, "The hand gesture of holding the sword, the steps of the feet, the distance from the opponent, the breathing method..." He pondered, "Very powerful..."

"Hmph... that's more like it." Si Yu actually showed a smile, "It's going to be interesting next."

Atobe turned his head in surprise, "Hey... Boss, what's with that expression... You wouldn't tell me that you actually support Xu Huaishang, would you?"

Si Yu smiled without saying a word. In terms of position, she naturally still stood on Jue-ge's side. It's just... she also wanted to see Feng Bujue suffer a bit.

............

Looking back at the arena...

"Jisaku. Mumei." Xu Huaishang spoke, and the sword moved, the light-cast blade suddenly becoming a few points narrower.

"Sounds familiar..." Feng Bujue muttered, "Whose weapon is that again..."

Xu Huaishang ignored him, stepped forward, and with a twist of the blade, flew into the air.

A gorgeous arc-shaped slash came on its own... [Flying Swallow Six-Link Slash]!

Feng Bujue took half a step back, raising the folding stool and military shovel in a crossed position, ready to defend. His feet were on the ground, making it easier to borrow strength; the opponent was in mid-air, spinning and reversing the slash. In a head-on collision, Jue-ge undoubtedly had the advantage, and there were more follow-up changes.

Unexpectedly... after two *铮铮* sounds, the two "weapons" in Feng Bujue's hands were knocked away...

Fortunately, his grip was extremely strong, and he managed not to let go of the folding stool and military shovel, but his arms involuntarily lifted diagonally backward, and he had to retreat seven or eight steps before barely standing firm.

"WTF?" Feng Bujue cursed in his heart, complaining, "Are you kidding me... What item did she use just now? A spiritual weapon containing a lifetime of power from a peerless master?"

"Can you still block it..." Xu Huaishang retracted her move and landed lightly. "But... this is just the beginning."

As she spoke, her figure moved, and she suddenly appeared in front of Jue-ge. The latter reacted extremely quickly, meeting the attack with a block.

[Secret Sword. Fine Snow] [Secret Sword. Dream Haze] [Secret Sword. Sun Flare] Three more moves were unleashed in succession.

Xu Huaishang's iaijutsu was natural and seamless, and her attacks were powerful. Feng Bujue only felt that he was stretched thin when blocking, and his strength was lacking. If it weren't for the assistance of Soul Intent, he would probably have been severely injured.

"Something's not right... this isn't just getting stronger." Feng Bujue thought, "It's like a completely different person is fighting me..."

"Hmph... let's see how long you can last!" Xu Huaishang had already gained the upper hand, and she was becoming more and more comfortable with the [Spirit Descent] state. She twisted her wrist, and the blade became a few points longer, and a faint purple light appeared. This time, the weapon transformed by the flowing light was the famous sword of the Ancient Yin One-Sword Style—Ume Uguisu Doku (Plum and Bush Warbler Poison).

After Xu Huaishang changed swords, she charged up again. She didn't need to worry about consumption at all, and she attacked as she pleased, "Hyakki Korosu (Hundred Demon Kill)!" Before she finished speaking, she had once again killed Feng Bujue's side. The sword energy bloomed like a raging wave; the shrinking ground step was like an electric dragon.

Feng Bujue finally couldn't bear it anymore. He originally wanted to save some strength in this match, but now it seemed that he had to use all his skills. "This is forcing me to get serious!" As he said that, he stepped on the ground and rushed into the sky.

Now, in the Spirit Consciousness Gathering Body Technique state, Jue-ge could jump at least twenty meters from the ground in one leap.

He leaped into the sky above the arena, immediately adopting a side-lying posture, and used [Moon Step] in a very awkward position. For a time, he spun strangely like a top. Half a second later, using the momentum of the spinning kick, he continuously released [Rankyaku (Tempest Kick)] with one foot.

What should have been an arc-shaped slashing kick was now drilling down like a tornado.

"You think you're the only one who shouts out move names when attacking!" Feng Bujue shouted while performing the technique, "Watch my self-created Nine Suns Thunderbolt Electric Light Crazy Dragon Drill!"

The audience in front of the main screen collectively complained, "That's clearly Wang Xiaohu (Dragon Tiger Gate)'s move!"

At this moment, Xu Huaishang had also jumped into the air... She originally wanted to chase after the opponent, but after all, Jue-ge jumped before her. This brief time difference became the gap for a counterattack.

"Hmph... Oka Senbonzakura (Cherry Blossom Petal Shred)!" Xu Huaishang actually raised her hand and slashed in mid-air where she could not borrow any force. The blooming sword energy turned into a light panel of cherry pink, turning out layers of afterimages, resisting the energy shock released by Feng Bujue.

"Tch... Gomu Gomu no Gigant Axe (Rubber Giant Axe)!" Feng Bujue stopped spinning, kicked his legs high over his head, and slammed down with his heel, releasing [Rankyaku (Tempest Kick)] again, a thick arc of light crashed down.

"It's neither rubber nor an axe!" Xu Huaishang actually complained again... but this was not the point.

At this moment, she drew the sword sheathed in her left hand, and together with the handle of the right hand sword, the two instantly merged into one, turning into a long-handled katana, still a light-cast blade. This was the weapon of Senryo Kyoshiro—Sewa Nyobo (Caring Wife).

"Then how about I call it Getsuga Tensho next time?" Feng Bujue said.

"Ketsufu Dokugaku (Blood Wind Spinning Top)!" Xu Huaishang held the sword and turned continuously, rolling up like a whirlwind, and the revolving outward sword energy quickly stirred and scattered the slash of Rankyaku, and in a blink of an eye, it had approached Feng Bujue himself.

"Who's afraid of who, I'll spin too!" Feng Bujue spread his arms, waving the folding stool and military shovel, imitating the opponent's movements and attacking downwards, "Ketsuen Kyobu (Blood Smoke Mad Dance)!" He also shouted out a move of Senryo Kyoshiro...

*Bang bang zheng zheng*—

The weapons of the two collided, sparks scattered, fighting spirit collapsed, the air above the arena was blurred, and the energy in the air was like misty air, condensed but not dispersed.

............

In the mall, the audience was silent again, and all they could feel was shock...

This match was undoubtedly the most exciting one since the start of the Peak Hegemony. Although the match between Laughing at the Sky and Vishnu was also a direct dialogue between players ranked in the top 20, the battle between those two was far less gorgeous and exciting than this one.

Xu Huaishang was after all using a super-powerful skill that could only be activated by consuming legendary items, and its skill characteristics could only be said to be as good as or better than the Demon Fighting Advent. The level of this battle had been raised to another level from the moment she activated the skill.

"Xu Huaishang, go!"

"Don't lose! Huaishang..."

"That kid is a bit too tenacious..."

"That guy is a monster! He can actually hold on with a folding stool and a military shovel..."

The crowd's dislike for Mad Bujue had not diminished, but... they had added a bit of awe to their emotions.

............

In the arena, the two sides were comparing their ultimate moves, fighting inextricably.

But as time went on, the influence of gravity on Xu Huaishang, who was in the lower position, became more and more obvious. She was naturally aware of this. She didn't want to compete for this moment and this place, so she probed with the sword, turned around and left, ending this confrontation.

Feng Bujue was relieved, his two arms were almost exhausted, fortunately, the opponent retracted at this time... allowing him to catch his breath.

"You lied, didn't you..." Xu Huaishang floated in the air, a hint of smug smile on her pretty face, "Your so-called 32% is actually your full strength, right?"

Feng Bujue was also falling, he snorted coldly, "You want to fight with my full strength that much..." He paused, "The me that is three times stronger than now..."

"Hmph... if that's really the case, I really want to see it." Xu Huaishang suddenly landed, and the long-handled weapon in her hand was divided into two again, becoming a dual sword state.

The light shape of the blade changed again, becoming two katana, one long and one short.

Feng Bujue also landed safely and stood still, his eyes falling directly on his opponent's weapons: "Let me guess... this time it's Yamato no Kami Hidetora. Sukehirō."

"I can't even memorize all the skills and corresponding weapon names in the skill list... but you can directly say them." Xu Huaishang replied, "In a sense, you are indeed quite powerful."

"According to my speculation, the thing you used just now..." Feng Bujue continued, "Allowed you to obtain the martial arts of all the characters in Samurai Shodown, and your sword also has the ability to change, and can become the weapon of any character." As he spoke, he put the folding stool and military shovel back into his bag, "In addition... Judging from your attack rhythm and skill selection, I guess the consumption of your moves can be ignored." He spread his hands and smiled, "This state... I'm afraid it has a certain duration, right?"

Xu Huaishang was secretly shocked when she heard this. Being able to say the first two things was nothing. At most, it could only show that this guy was very otaku and knew the settings of Samurai Shodown like the back of his hand; but being able to say the last one was not easy...

When the opponent's strength suddenly increased and launched a series of fierce attacks, the most important thing people would consider was how to solve the immediate problem, but Feng Bujue thought more, deeper, and further. In the midst of the fierce battle, he had already made a calm and accurate judgment.

"What can you change by knowing?" Xu Huaishang's words were not finished, and her figure moved again.

After activating the skill, she did not show any impatience, because she wanted to create an illusion psychologically, so that the opponent thought that this strengthening ability would continue indefinitely, so as to produce fear and mess up her position.

However, the reaction of this [Mad Bujue] was shocking. Not to mention being afraid, he was so calm that he was annoying...

Now that things had reached this point, Xu Huaishang had no reason to pretend to be calm and chat with the other party. If she wanted to talk, she would talk in battle.

"What can you change..." Feng Bujue muttered this sentence and activated [Demon Fighting Advent]...

Maybe some people will ask, why didn't Jue-ge use the combination of [Demon Fighting Advent] plus [Spirit Consciousness Gathering Body Technique] to attack with all his strength from the beginning, so that Xu Huaishang would definitely be caught off guard and be killed in seconds.

In fact, this matter is not complicated, because the price of [Demon Fighting Advent] is too great. Once it is used, it is equivalent to cutting off the back road. If you fail to end the battle within the time limit, then all you can do is wait to die...

Feng Bujue didn't know much about Xu Huaishang. He didn't know what skills the other party had. In case Xu Huaishang had some kind of specific life-saving skill that could prevent her from being killed in seconds, or hid herself... then once the three minutes of the Demon Fighting state passed, Jue-ge could only lie on the ground and be ravaged.

But at this moment, Feng Bujue had been forced to the point where he was likely to be killed if he didn't use his skills. Then... there was nothing to worry about.

Black energy soared into the sky, and the color of the wind and clouds changed in an instant.

Fear, like a pair of invisible hands, strangled Xu Huaishang's throat. Her movements stagnated, and she felt... some extremely terrifying existence... had descended in front of her.

"100%, that's about it..." Feng Bujue was shrouded in a layer of raging, violent black aura. His expression was still gloomy and calm. But in his eyes... there was endless fanatic fighting intent, "You asked for this..."