Chapter 374: War and Chaos (4)
"Is the manager ready? He's really motivated. What about Trek? ...Okay, I understand. Be safe."
Chu Hengkong cut off the communication, turned around and asked, "Are you all ready?"
Qing Xia raised her hand: "I need a kiss that gives me strength! Otherwise I might lose! Ah, it hurts."
Chu Hengkong poked her forehead hard: "A lot of people will be watching soon, be serious."
"I understand. I will win~" Qing Xia covered her forehead, "But, will winning solve the problem? It seems that no one will change their minds just because of a duel."
"Of course not. This battle is just an excuse." Chu Hengkong said, "Reasons can guide thinking, but they can't change the status quo. The key to solving problems is always people and power."
Qingxia nodded repeatedly: "I see~~ That's why Xiaoye is the key."
The two of them looked at the other end of the preparation room. Miss Canxinzhe was sitting on a bench with an expression of extreme stomach pain. Her face looked so bad that it would not be surprising if she vomited in the next second.
They took advantage of this competition to formulate a small plan, and Qingye was the core of this plan.
"I sent a letter a long time ago, but... the reply from the headmaster hasn't arrived yet..." Qing Ye covered his face, "What if the headmaster disagrees? Wouldn't that be a lie about military intelligence? If the truth is discovered, the first person they'll kill will be me!!"
"Do you feel the psychological burden already?" Chu Hengkong patted her shoulder vigorously, "Think about your ambitions."
Fander chimed in: "You are the woman who is going to drive the entire Shura Island into the battlefield!"
"Please, both of you, be quiet. You're losing your fighting spirit!"
Qing Ye took a few deep breaths and stood up with his two swords in hand.
"Okay, let's get started."
Vander was very impressed: "I said she has the talent to become a dictator."
"Be careful or I'll really chop you, One-Eyed Squid."
"Come on, come on~"
Qingye emerged from the preparation room amid cheers, only to be greeted by glaring sunlight and a surging roar of voices. The oval-shaped dueling arena, resembling a stadium, was packed with people. Almost half the entire barracks had gathered to watch this fateful duel. She knew that not only the barracks, but also the citizens of the rest of the lineage were watching the duel, with hundreds of millions of eyes fixed on her.
The referee was none other than Second Captain Huan Ge himself. He raised his hand in the center of the dueling arena and shouted, "According to the ancient traditions of the military camp, the victor is justice. Now begins the Ironthorn Crown's first 'Justice' Arena Tournament!"
"First match, 3 points to win! Both players enter!"
The independent contestant took the stage first amidst cheers. He was a tree-man clad in full armor, wielding a broadsword. Huan Ge introduced him, "Independent, from the second team of the Ironthorn Crown, Path of Unity Sephiroth 3, 'Green Blade' Glaru."
"Go, Glaru!" "Let them know our determination to protect the sacred tree!" "Don't lose to outsiders!"
The audience had reason to be confident. Unlike those pampered Transformers, Glaru was a powerful individual who had fought his way through the battlefield.
His character and strength are absolutely first-rate. If he were not too young, he would have already crossed the first abyss.
Huang Ge pointed to the other side: "The allied faction, born in the Shura Island Guangshi family, the Canxin path point 3, Guangshi Qingye!"
The cheers of support suddenly stopped, replaced by a flurry of discussion. "That Guangshi family?" "People from Shura Island?" "Why would a prestigious family of the Zanshin..."
Amidst the chatter, Qingye walked onto the duel arena, ignoring the commotion around him as he saluted his opponent. Glaru meticulously returned the salute, and both sides took up their positions. He calmly calculated before the drums sounded, signaling the start of battle.
"Everyone, take your positions..."
Having been on the front lines for so long, he knew the characteristics of the Zanshinja of each school very well. The Zanshinja of the Kotoki family generally prided themselves on speed, while the Wuxiang Nishinryu would more or less utilize the manipulation of light and shadow.
The opponent probably has a wide range of tactics. With their high speed, a quick attack is likely hopeless. So, I'll use my tree-man strengths to my advantage and rely on my endurance to withstand the first blow...
"preparation……"
He held his sword upright and held his breath.
Wait for the enemy's stamina to run out and reveal a flaw, then counterattack!
"Begin! End! The winner is Guang Shi Qing Ye!"
...?
what happens?
In Glaru's mind, the start and end sounded in quick succession. There wasn't even a moment's pause between them. Was the captain too nervous and called out the wrong number? Was he the one who made a mistake in this situation?
Then, a sudden onset of pain forced him to turn his head. He realized he was no longer in the ring, but mired in a pile of sawdust, surrounded by fighters as bewildered as he was.
——In that instant, the enemy knocked him from the ring back to the independence faction’s base camp!
A video recording, slowed down five hundred times, replayed above the duel arena. At the start sound, the Zanshin rushed out like a flash, swung his scabbard to strike back his opponent, and returned to his spot, sheathed. His movements were fluid and seamless, everything moving at a speed so fast it felt like a phantom in the sunlight.
There was complete silence inside and outside the duel arena.
Huan Ge clapped his hands loudly, like a naive young man who couldn't grasp the atmosphere. "Excellent skills! Superb swordsmanship, worthy of a genius from the prestigious Guangshi family. I just don't know why a genius from Shura Island would come to our city-state to participate in the war."
Qingye returned the gift with ancient etiquette, saying openly, "I've come here to convey Shura Island's resolve. Shura Island is also part of the allied forces. The city-state is in dire straits, and the Lord has specifically ordered my Guangshi clan to bring the island's elite troops to its aid. Shura Island's reinforcements are already on the way, and the remnants already on the front lines will not retreat!"
She displayed her sword in the sunlight. It was the long sword "Miansheng" that was a symbol of martial honor!
"Lord Wu Zun has specially sent me here to deliver the news and stabilize the army's morale. Everything I said before is true, and I have Lord Wu's sword as proof!"
The Second Order was in uproar, and the soldiers were shocked. The core members of the independence faction hurriedly looked at Silan: "General..."
"It's true." Silan confirmed, "I've seen that knife. Guang Shimingwu never leaves it alone... After all, it belongs to his brother..."
Silain's voice became lower and lower, and he stared at Qingye's other dagger.
Isn't that "Long Yu"? How could the other sword Ye Xing had lost, a weapon that had long since vanished into the mists of history, reappear now?
Did she retrieve the knife for her ancestor? Then, were the ones who broke through the wilderness earlier really Chu Hengkong and his men?
Silain was momentarily bewildered. He was a true veteran, and he understood better than anyone what this meant. With these two blades in hand, and the merit of destroying the Heavenly Prison, this young woman was the future of Shura Island.
Even if what she said in the ring was a lie, Chunhe Wu Zun would make it true. Because she was the hero who broke through the Heavenly Prison, what she said was true, and it had to be true!
"Even if reinforcements arrive, victory is not guaranteed..."
"The enemy is stronger!"
"Everyone knows how to play word games. A small boat is also a reinforcement!"
Silain was slow to express his stance, and the pro-independence officers grew increasingly anxious. One of his closest associates whispered, "General, reinforcements are almost here. Should we...should we still rebel?"
Silain sighed: "You said it was a 'rebellion'. Don't you know who is right and who is wrong?"
He didn't wait for anyone to respond, silently walking towards the ring. The independents were all overwhelmed by this heavy news, and the scene was so chaotic that no one cared about the general who was about to take the stage.
This is ridiculous, Thrain thought. This is all ridiculous.
Soldiers clash in the barracks, while outsiders intervene to uphold justice. A bill of independence is passed under the guise of saving the nation, while a scoundrel Speaker, popularly supported by the people, steps down. A good commander steps down. The new general is caught in a dilemma. The ignorant masses engage in a tug-of-war with a rope twisted from the lives of their own soldiers.
Everyone saw it clearly. But what could he do? He couldn't stand up anymore, but he had made up his mind. Tens of millions, hundreds of millions, hoped he would speak out. The future was still uncertain, and the dead watched from afar. All his hesitations pushed him to take the steps he had taken now.
A meaningless battle.
"Great..." Silain muttered to himself, "Ring match... what a great idea..."
He threw away his crutches, held his head high, and stepped onto the ring in his military uniform, unsure of who he was preserving this dignity for. Huan Ge's loud voice echoed throughout the arena: "Second round, 4 points to win!"
"Independent, from the second team of the Iron Crown, Path of Unity Sephiroth 4, 'Veteran' Silain!"
"Allied faction, unaffiliated freedom fighter, Path to Unity Sephiroth 4, pure flaw!"
The opposing player came on stage. It was the red-haired girl who had been laughing at the joke in the bar. At this moment, she exuded an overwhelming vitality, the pressure was almost suffocating.
What do you mean by "no power affiliation"? They're definitely warriors fighting their way out of the Heavenly Prison. If they really got into a fight, it would be over in less than a second.
Silain smiled and calmly took out his hidden weapon. If this could only bolster the warriors' morale, then the battle wouldn't be in vain. Huange beat the drum.
"start!"
Silain vanished in an instant, invisible wings obscuring his form. He hurled hidden weapons from 16 different directions, bladed knives silently piercing the air. He had previously overseen the development of the Fourth Squadron's assassination techniques, a technique reserved for scouts on the battlefield.
Qingxia moved slightly, and the leaves brushed past her. She twitched her ears, seeming a little confused: "Huh..."
Silain wouldn't let this opportunity slip away. No matter what caused her to lose focus, the enemy wouldn't stop. He threw two flying knives at Qingxia's eyes, using a unique force. Qingxia casually picked up two fallen leaves and threw them back.
The leaves collided in mid-air. They fell simultaneously. Even the force was the same. A terrifying learning ability.
Silane subconsciously shifted his tactics. Though it meant little to victory or defeat, the habit of fighting was ingrained into his bones. The blade traced a strange pentagram-like path, and Qingxia countered with an equally strange flying knife. Collision, fall, change again, three feints, one direct strike...
Completely ignoring the feint's flying knife attack, he struck first and broke the offensive. Then, he switched to a scimitar formation...
"Um……"
Silan stood there in astonishment. While he was thinking, the enemy had already taken the lead and launched a strike with a trajectory like a falling leaf of a scimitar.
Qingxia twitched her ears and asked, "Old man, why do you know my family's hidden weapon technique? Is this a compulsory course for your race?"
"No..." Silane showed up in a daze, "This is... my family heirloom..."
"Family heirloom? Is that so?"
Something in the old man's heart trembled uncontrollably. The red-haired girl smiled brightly at him and said, "Well, do you know Grandpa Silar?"
——
"His ears are a little longer than yours, his eyes are a lighter color, and he likes to hold his food in his paws like a hamster when he eats..."
By the time he reacted, his emotions had already driven him to blurt out the words.
"Are you still alive?!"
The old man shouted like a drowning man who saw a life-saving straw.
"Is Siral still alive?!"
(End of this chapter)
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