Chapter 656 - Slaying Xiang Yan
“Fuck……this is embarrassing……”
Having been sent back to the ringside, Jing Ke could only shrug helplessly: “I actually got done in by Li Xiao Yao’s baby sister……”
Ye Lai, lifted up his battleaxe, and chuckled: “Definitely a shameful display, do better next round!”
“Mmm!”
Round 2. This time Jing Ke was much more conservative. Cautiously relying on stun+strike combos as well as parrying Meng Yao’s onslaughts, he managed to preserve his own HP and drained hers dry by the end of their third collision; taking back 1 point.
Round 3. Jing Ke’s luck ran out. Right at the start of the match, he took on the full effects of a critical hit by Meng Yao. Left with just 50% of his HP, he stubbornly refused to pop a potion’s CD and instead, relied on HP Drain over another endurance contest.
And then right when [Jing Ke] was about to make his third attempt at a combo, the ring on Meng Yao’s right hand suddenly start turning and a green glow enshrouded Jing Ke. The effect was displayed on the bottom of the wide-screen broadcast: Rage Skill [Recovery Ban] - For 7 seconds, no methods of recovery can be used! The CD that he had been so unwilling to waste was suddenly wasted and a brutal follow-up combo from Meng Yao subsequently took him down.
2:1！
Unbelievable. Meng Yao had actually managed to win a point for the team.
Wolf, especially was just a step from tearing up from laughter. Slapping Old K’s back; he yelled, “How’s that huh, Old K? Did I not tell you that ring is good stuff? You even dared to claim it’s just a ‘Gold tier ring’ with ‘no redeeming value’! You got anything to say now? What, you thought Meng Yao’s skill level is like yours? That ring could only show it’s true worth in the hands of someone like her…….”
Old K sheepishly grinned: “Ah, Meng Yao’s true skill is indeed an eye opener. She was actually able to take down Jing Ke…….”
……
Soon it was the second match, [Ye Lai] VS [Yue Yao Yan].
As someone personally recruited by Wan Er, Yue Yao Yan was definitely a capable fighter and commander. But unfortunately, she was still far from Ye Lai’s level. What’s worse, she was a Knight so there wasn’t any advantage against Ye Lai who was also a heavy armored class. He trounced her soundly with a 2:0.
1:1 tie!
Third match, Cang Lei VS Babel Buddha
Beyond everyone’s expectations, Dong Cheng Lei, normally considered a 3rd rate player, just barely lost in a 1:2 to his opponent. At the same time, everyone could see just how frightening Babel Buddha’s agility is. A Wind Swordsman’s attack and movement speed is on a level that completely eclipsed Cang Lei’s.
2:1 Meng Yao’s team was now teetering on the edge.
Fourth Match. The deciding round. The moment Babel Buddha entered the ring, he switched his gear and turned from an agile swordsman to a tank build. It even had a 30% damage reflection bonus with it. Cang Lei might as well have committed self-mutilation as he hacked away at him. Through the use of the hidden class skill [Wind Pulse], Babel Buddha restrained both his opponents in place for Ye Lai to deal damage to them. This vanguard & striker tactic completely suppressed the Cang Lei and Death God’s Elegy duo’s teamwork.
3:1, Team Meng Yao was now out automatically. The fifth match was no different on top of that. A complete pulverization….. 4:1. And that’s how this little sister of mine ended her exploits in this Wings of Heroes Cup. But still, to enter the top 16 in her very first tournament, that’s quite some luck there.
……
Meng Yao, Yue Yao Yan, Ah Lei and the rest left the stage, helmets in hand and a smile on their faces, and exchanged greeting with their opponents. Hmm, not bad. That kind of open-mindedness is what’s important.
Not long after, Fei Er ascended the stage once more. Notifying everyone that Group B’s matches will start immediately.
Team [Fang Ge Que] VS Team [Li Mu]..... a confrontation between [Zhan Long] and [Legend]. Not long after, both team’s setup appeared on the broadcast——
1V1: Enchanted Painting LV-116 Swordsman VS General Wang Jian LV-115 Swordsman
1V1: Fang Ge Que LV-121 Archmage VS General Bai Qi LV-114 Berserker
1V1: Xuan Yuan Feng LV-116 Knight VS General Li Mu LV-115 Swordsman
2V2: Enchanted Painting LV-116 Swordsman VS General Wang Jian LV-115 Swordsman
Fang Ge Que LV-121 Archmage General Li Mu LV-115 Swordsman
5V5：ALL VS ALL
……
Even before he went on stage, Li Mu gave off the feeling as if he was about to walk to his doom. I could only give him a pat on the shoulder: “No need to cry. You won’t lose anything when you already have nothing to begin with. Just go give them a run for their money. If you somehow win, we’ll treat you to a meal, and if you lose, no one would blame you.”
Li Mu nodded: “Thanks for the ‘encouragement’……”
Wang Jian laughed: “The first match is against Enchanted Painting, hehe, I’ve always wanted to try my hand against that chick. The legendary [Pulse Break Style]......”
Bai Qi: “You’ve dueled with Boss quite a bit already so you should have an idea on how to counter it. Just make sure you don’t get 2:0.”
“Relax!”
……
Soon, both sides confirmed their entries into the ring. After a short sponsored commercial, the camera quickly switched to Enchanted Painting’s figure. A short and slender figure, clad entirely in black heavy armour, she stood in the ring. A faintly glowing longsword in hand and her face of mirth looked towards Wang Jian.
“Within [Zhan Long]’s heavy armour class players, you’re in the top 5 right?
Wang Jian paused for a bit, then smiled: “Maybe not. [Zhan Long]’s heavy armour class is full of ‘hidden dragons & crouching tigers’. With my skill level, I just barely count as cannon fodder……”
Enchanted Painting couldn’t hold back a giggle: “Suit yourself. Whatever, I planned on taking down all of [Zhan Long]’s heavy armoured experts one by one anyway!”
“Then bring it!”
……
Wang Jian’s steadfast figure shook, [Glacial Armor]+[Dou Qi Armor]+[Dou Qi Protection] the three defensive abilities stacked up. The former 2 of which can greatly boost his base defense while the latter can greatly reduce the damage received. As such, it will be impossible for an opponent to take him down in a short period of time. A chilling light flashed and this punk was already rushing towards this deadly foe. Without any hesitation, he raised his arm for a [Flying Sword]!
Whoosh!
[Flying Sword] was similar to my own [Blade Spin] except that it can only be operated once. However, the offensive power of that one time is much stronger than each of mine individually. It is something that must be dodged whenever possible.
Enchanted Painting’s coordination was undoubtedly top tier at the least. A ranged physical attack with such a small AOE coverage could never hit someone like her. With a small twist of her boots, her body flickered for a split second, and she completely avoided the attack.
ShhhhhhShhhhhhhhhShhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
The sound of cutting wind approached. Wang Jian, under the effects of [Haste], arrived! In a flash, he initiated a normal sweeping attack. By not using a skill, it seemed he also understood that his opponent’s high record of successful skill breaks wa not to be underestimated. Therefore, before the time was right, he must not use any offensive abilities.
Clang!
Sparks flew. Enchanted Painting successfully parried his strike and immediately closed in on him in one go. A tender shoulder dipped down and heavily rammed into his chest followed by the appearance of a golden light flashing all around her. It’s the indication of a Heaven-rank skill being used! A level 11 [Combo] surged forth. Having hidden her swordhand with her cloak beforehand, she was able to land almost all 6 consecutive hits on [Wang Jian] uninterrupted.
Wang Jian managed to bring up his left arm just in time to block the very last hit. Then followed up with a [Skyshaker Slash] in retaliation. Right after that, his body blurred! [Blade Rush]!
Kaching!
Shrouded in light shaped like a sword, his figure penetrated straight through Enchanted Painting’s body. Immediately, Wang Jian turned around and in an impressive display of speed, consecutively activated [Halberd Whirlwind] + [Sword Break].
But who would’ve guessed that Enchanted Painting was even faster. Blocking the tip of [Sword Break]’s attack with her left gauntlet, her right leg raised up and firmly stomped against Wang Jian’s thigh. Her swordhand moved at the same time for a coordinated strike…
CLANG—— a set of impressive blue words “Successful Skill Break!” shot up! At the same time, [Wang Jian] was left in a state of stun animation. A chain of [Break Armor Slash] + [Thunderclap Slash] closely followed.
THUD……..
Stuck in the stun animation, Wang Jian had no way to restore any HP before perishing.
Round 2 followed almost instantly.
Wang Jian did not let the outcome of the first round get to him. Unhesitantly taking the initiative once more, he acknowledged that once Enchanted Painting took the offensive, he’ll have no chances at all. As if replaying the first round, he once more got position on her with a [Blade Rush] followed by a [Halberd Whirlwind]. Raging wind surrounded his sword as it trembled slightly, like it’s about to burst.
Nothing escaped Enchanted Painting’s eyes though. Rapidly closing again, her sword moved to interrupt Wang Jian’s attack and her right leg struck out at the same time. Only by ruining his balance, would the Skill Break have the highest chance of success.
But, right when the Skill Break was about to succeed, Wang Jian suddenly made his move. [Halberd Whirlwind] prematurely ended, and it was replaced with a surge of pressure coming from his feet. At this very moment, against an Enchanted Painting who has lost her balance during the unsuccessful attempt, he activated a custom combo. A giant crimson “A” followed by the bloody words [Slaying Xiang Yan] flew up.
MOTHERF******! That punk has actually already managed to create his own rank A combo! He must’ve kept it under wraps all this time in order to show it off here in the spotlights!
A straight jab pierced through Enchanted Painting’s chestplate. Then a low sweep to trip her was followed with a high kick to send her flying. After that was another sweeping slash finally being chained into a heavy smash to strike her down to the ground. Enchanted Painting’s HP basically bottomed out in midair. And even before she came in contact with the ground, [Halberd Whirlwind] was triggered once more. This time, even if she was Little Demon herself, she still wouldn’t be able to make a comeback from this. She hit the ground, accompanied by a brief whimper, and was dead.
1:1! The scores were equal! Everyone was dumbfounded. We’d always known that Wang Jian was a strong fighter but no one knew exactly to what extent. Until now. Against an SSS tier player like Enchanted Painting, he was able to match her blow for blow!
Round 3. This time, the results reversed once more and Enchanted Painting got to show off. Following a successful [Skill Break], her “S” class custom combo [Charm Dance] sent Wang Jian straight into critical health. Finishing up with a [Flying Sword], he immediately bit the dust.
1:2! Wang Jian ultimately lost the match. However, his performance was remarkable and had allowed for me and Wan Er to confirm one thing. In the coming days, no matter if it was the guild wars or nation wars, Wang Jian’s battle and tactical prowess had proven that he can be a dependable commander in his own right. Within our [Zhan Long], only such people were truly worthy of the title “General”.
……
Second Match. General Bai Qi VS Fang Ge Que
This match did not go against expectations. In fact, Fang Ge Que took Bai Qi down continuously without even needing to use that many skills, in a 2:0 taking the match easily. Fang Ge Que was a clever person. Especially when it came to important events such as this Wings of Heroes Cup. He is dead-set on victory and would not carelessly reveal his true abilities to anyone. And definitely not when there was an audience full of rivals at hand.
Third Match. General Li Mu VS Xuan Yuan Feng
……
Swoosh!
Clad in a set of exquisite plate armor, and a heavy shield in hand, Xuan Yuan Feng appeared in the ring. Although he was lacking the supplemental boost from a mount, his vigor still could not be concealed. [Legend]’s #1 Knight. Considered best in the nation when it came to balancing between offensive power, defensive power and high health. Even when facing a player of Li Mu’s caliber, he did not hold back on mocking him a bit: “Li Mu...oh Li Mu...... you actually did not make it to [Zhan Long]’s main team? What a shame…. Without the backup from Xiao Yao Zi Zai and Cang Tong, you have no chance of winning against us [Legend].”
Li Mu tightly gripped his sword and flashed back a grin: “You can forget about it if you think you can sow discord in [Zhan Long]. I, Li Mu, know my place. I also know that we, of the [Valiant Bravery] camp, cannot defeat [Legend]. But you know what? I know that I can clobber you and that’s good enough for me!”