Chapter 109: Heated Battle
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Tehrn
The jaw-dropping action in the arena had shocked the students from both schools including Tita. No one had expected Wang Tong to be able to counter Apache's attack.
Tita had never thought that Wang Tong would be able to stand against Apache, he considered Wang Tong an unctuous no-account who liked to rub shoulders with popular students such as Ma Xiaoru and Wang Ben. Although Wang Tong had demonstrated his unmatched ability in space battle simulation, proving his rightful place among his friends, his combat ability had caught Tita 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." Wang Tong shrugged.
Apache let out a loud and abrupt laughter and hacked the curved blade at Wang Tong without a warning. The blade flew mercilessly at Wang Tong with full force. Apache had marked Wang Tong as a somewhat strong opponent and was determined to finish him off.
The curved blade whizzed on top of Wang Tong's skull as Wang Tong wrenched a fist to block it. Although Wang Tong had used his flesh as a weapon, his fist was protected by a shield of GN force. Wang 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 Wang Tong just then. To everyone's surprise, Wang Tong didn't waver. The more experienced fighters like Ma Xiaoru quickly registered what this meant for Wang Tong's true strength.
Apache had sensed the same kind of thirst for blood in Wang 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 passed, 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 Wang 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, Wang 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, Wang 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 Wang 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 Wang 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 Wang Tong with sharp blades. Wang Tong didn't hesitate and delivered a high kick at Apache. Wang 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 Wang Tong's attack as they realized the technique that was used: The Campus Arc.
Wang 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 Wang 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 Wang Tong's attack into a strong wind that helped him to sail out of harm's way.
Apache's body flew away from Wang 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 Wang Tong's attack and felt its lethal power. He conceded that the haphazard way in which Wang Tong's moves were executed was a façade, and hidden underneath was the strength that exceeded all of his younger classmates 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." Wang 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 passed through the 20 feet of distance in a blink of an eye. Wang Tong saw a knee bashing at him, and it was already too late to react. The impact sent Wang Tong flying, but one of his feet was quickly caught by Apache while he was still in the air. Apache threw Wang Tong's body down with a twist of the arm and then he flipped Wang Tong's body around so that Wang 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 Wang 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, Wang 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 Wang Tong's neck; blood seeped out from the deep cut.
In that infinitesimally short movement, Wang Tong had avoided the lethal strike aimed at his artery by biting firmly onto the blade. With an almost impossible twirling of his body, Wang Tong even managed to break free from Apache's iron grip.
Wang 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.
Wang Tong could smell his own blood in the air, and it engaged him. A crimson light flashed in Wang Tong's eyes, and he darted toward Apache.
Apache watched as his opponent unleashed his first attack. Wang Tong's movement was not as fast as Apache, but his footsteps were strange, almost otherworldly. The length of Wang 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 “Butterfly Dash”, the Martian “Assault 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 Wang Tong.