Chapter 289: Goals Achieved
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
Facing Einherjar Wannabe's Ice Finger, Lie Jian only hesitated for a very brief second, then continued his attack. Lie Jian knew that the shift in his flow of movements would open up a tiny gap, but he didn't expect his opponent to be able to change his GN force attribute immediately and take advantage of the small opening. Lie Jian didn't falter; instead, he cranked up the intensity of the flame and bore down his fist on Einherjar Wannabe.
As soon as Wang Tong's finger jabbed at the center pressure point of the Lie Jian's palm, his brow furrowed. The force Wang Tong had encountered in Lie Jian's palm was not an offensive one, but defensive.
Lie Jian twisted his face into a laugh as he clenched his fingers into a fist, holding firmly onto Wang Tong's finger, he was about to twist the finger off of his opponent's hand. However, Wang Tong reacted before he could do that as he jabbed the clenched fist with two of his other fingers and broke its hold. The two fighters broke off the engagement and retreated at lightning speed.
Lie Jian rubbed his hand as it was still painful after being jabbed by Wang Tong's icy finger. Wang Tong had also become more alert, realizing that his opponent was not only agile, but also very cunning.
Wang Tong conceded that he had never met an opponent like Lie Jian in the PA system.
Wang Tong's performance also exceeded Lie Jian's expectation. He had thought to use this fight as a practice, but it was evident that not only was Einherjar Wannabe powerful, he was also smart and experienced.
Wang Tong struck again, his fist roaring like the Fist of the Racing Tiger did. Despite the similarity in Wang Tong's Layered Fist of Tong and the Fist of the Racing Tiger, Wang Tong preferred his technique due to its unique hidden ability to break his opponent's defense. After weeks of practice, Wang Tong felt that he had already mastered the technique, and therefore, was eager to see how Lie Jian was able to defend against it.
Lie Jian threw his fist at Wang Tong's—fist against fist.
The two fighters both focused heavily on offense, and they were equally experienced and possessed equally deadly tactics. Therefore, a reckless fight with no regard for technical finesse was inevitable. It was almost impossible to defeat their opponent using superior techniques alone, because both of them were too busy countering each other's attacks to think of any meaningful strategies on the spot.
The fight had quickly turned into a competition of more GN force and damage output. Wang Tong could feel that his opponent had already doubled his GN output. However, the Poison Fire was not able to harm Wang Tong's tactics of the Blade even the slightest. Wang Tong's lightning force started to gain intensity, and after a few dozen punches, Wang Tong seemed to have gained a slight edge over Lie Jian. This development had turned everyone's expectation around as both witnesses, and Lie Jian himself had expected Lie Jian to be the one who would control the flow of the combat.
Michaux was caught off guard to see that although the power in Einherjar Wannabe's attacks was greater than that of Lie Jian, he had consumed less soul energy than his martian counterpart.
Patroclus closed his eyes, but his observation was even sharper than Michaux. He had noticed that the most significant difference between the two players was in their fighting tempo.
It was evident to Patroclus that both fighters were trying to control the flow of the combat, and so far, the odds were against Lie Jian.
Patroclus believed that Einherjar Wannabe, as the heir of the Blade Warrior, would eventually win the fight.
The Dower's always believed that only the heir of the Blade Warrior would be deemed a worthy opponent. Therefore, the Dower had kept quiet for centuries, waiting for their real opponent to appear.
The aloofness of the Dower had given them the reputation of being unambitious. However, that was far from the truth, because House Dower had devoted themselves to making the human world a better place. They were concerned by the corruption on earth and the recklessness of the Martians, and they considered the two factions hidden dangers to the integrity of human civilization. House of Dower was convinced that if they could become the head of the three factions, and replace the earth and martian bureaucrats with Ivantians, the world would be a much better place. However, all of those dreams were simply that, dreams. Dowers knew that as soon as the Blade Warrior returned, he would have the ability to shatter the perfect world they had created, and he would for sure. The Blade Warrior was a firm believer that it was the imperfections that defined the human race.
Wang Tong's marled personality seemed to be a living proof of Blade Warrior's unswerving faith in imperfection.
Patroclus could feel the heavy weight on his shoulder, but he was also confident in his ability. So, he doubted if Einherjar Wannabe could truly stop him.
In the arena, Lie Jian held his ground firmly and started to gradually increase his soul energy to counter Wang Tong's deadly attacks. Every attack delivered by Wang Tong meant death, and every move carried the thirst for blood. Wang Tong's extremely violent and reckless fighting style seemed to make the Martian's attack pale under comparison in terms of aggressiveness.
Despite the minimal edge he held over his opponent, Wang Tong conceded that it would be difficult for him to dominate the arena completely. Wang Tong sensed that Lie Jian had concealed his real power in front of Patroclus, unwilling to reveal the coup de grace to his ultimate rival.
In contrast to the empty and quiet arena, the outside area was packed with excited audience. Thousands of pairs of eyes glued to the display board showing the comparison of the two fighter's current soul energy readings. Looking at the insurmountable numbers, most academy students felt both admiration and despair. Among these students, many were even from the S-Class Academies.
What really sounded impossible was the fact that Einherjar Wannabe was able to reach the same level of defense and offense ability as his opponent, but with less soul energy.
Was this really possible?
Was he one of the Dowers?
If that were the case, at least it would offer some sensible explanation to the mysterious fighter's power, since Dower was also one of the five Great Houses.
Was he a genius?
Not likely. There had always been a ceiling as to how much inborn talent could improve one's overall power, and Einherjar Wannabe’s ability was well above that upper limit.
In addition, no genius would be able to achieve such high degree of accomplishment in all aspects of being a fighter, but Einherjar Wannabe had done just that. He had perfect tactics, techniques, skills as well as control. It was impossible!
The fight had gone on for ten minutes, and Lie Jian still wasn't able to gain the upper hand after changing half a dozen techniques. On the other hand, Wang Tong's attack seemed to come with a greater frequency and vigor. Lie Jian could sense that his opponent had also reserved his strength and concealed his real power.
Lie Jian started to wish that Patroclus was not present.
The two fighter's fists collided, releasing a shock wave that jolted both fighters. Wang Tong took a dozen steps back and quickly gathered himself, but Lie Jian stumbled back and wasn't able to regain his balance until a few seconds later. It was a clear sign that Wang Tong's power was superior to Lie Jian, and it vexed the Martian to have lost his face in front of the spectators. Lie Jian finally decided to unleash his real power regardless of the presence of Patroclus.
Suddenly, Patroclus appeared in the arena.
"I felt like this fight had turned into a waste of time. Perhaps you two could rearrange another fight and just call it off for the day?"
"I agree. It really isn't my thing to fight in the PA anyways. It felt weird." Lie Jian agreed.
The other three looked at Einherjar Wannabe, waiting for his reply.
Wang Tong knew they had finally risen to his bait. "Alright, see you all at the pan-solar system tournament! You will find what you are looking for there!"
"I will be there!" Patroclus had been waiting for the invitation ever since he walked into the arena. He was eager to re-enact the scene of that epic battle centuries ago, and he yearned to rewrite the history. As a powerful fighter, nothing would intrigue him more than changing the course of history using his fighting abilities.
Lie Jian and Michaux looked at each other for a while and then Lie Jian broke the silence, "Very well, I will be there too."
Michaux still looked calm. Although he wanted to accept the offer, it was against the doctrines of his sect. Wang Tong threw Michaux a side-glance and then said, "Michaux, have you heard of something called spiritual essence? "
A shock came over Michaux as lights flashed in his eyes, "What do you know about the spiritual essence?"
"Come to the tournament, and I will tell you." Einherjar Wannabe cracked a wry smile. He had since learned that Mr. Wannabe had existed in the form of spiritual essence, instead of soul energy.
"I will be there for sure." Michaux agreed to Wang Tong's request without any hesitation. It was the first time that he had ever heard of the word "spiritual essence" coming from someone other than a divine master
Wang Tong nodded in satisfaction. He had reached his goal and made the tournament into an even more exciting event.
Wang Tong knew that the more powerful fighters were involved in the tournament, the larger its impact would be, and he hoped that he could eventually make a large enough impact to drive the real culprit behind his serious of unfortunate events out of the shades.
Einherjar Wannabe signed off.