Chapter 26: What the Hell Did You Come Here For?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Howls the Iron Axe who was standing in front of Baiyi was obviously an experienced man. Just by glancing at Baiyi, he could roughly estimate the innate capabilities of his opponent. Even if that militia body armour of Baiyi was covered with a thick cloak, he still appeared to be thin and feeble. His weapon was not as big and powerful-looking as his opponent who was carrying a long-handled axe. From appearance alone, he did look like a small chick standing in front of the powerful Howls the Iron Axe.
"Come on, little guy! Come and lick your daddy's ass!" Howls the Iron Axe snarled and tried to intimidate him with all kinds of foul languages. The big axe on his hand was also being waved around in front of him. Yet, there was no movement at all from his feet. It looked like he was just standing at the same spot waiting for Baiyi to take the initiative to attack.
Judging from how Howls the Iron Axe was posturing with his offensive weapon but was actually maintaining a defensive stance at the same time, it was apparent to Baiyi that the man was afraid that Baiyi would take him down with just one blow. With a closer look, one could see that the axe was still in perfect condition... It seemed like this guy was more of an actor than an arena fighter.
"COME ON! You softie! My axe is very thirsty now!" The opponent continued to provoke Baiyi. And so, under the booing of the spectators, Baiyi quickly took huge strides towards him as he waved his long sword in front of him in a standard attacking manner with moderate speed. To the experienced Howls, he thought he could easily see through the trajectory of the sword. Gripping his axe with confidence, he used it to parry in front of him. He even relaxed the strength of his arm a little to prevent Baiyi's sword from dropping from impact.
What happened next showed that the dedicated actor, Mr. Howls' fear was completely unwarranted. Not only was Baiyi's grip on his sword firm, he even infused some Chi Prowess into it, causing the sword to hum in a peculiar way. The moment the sword clashed with the finely made iron axe, not even a spark could be seen. Instead, like a hot knife slicing into butter, Baiyi's sword soundlessly cut the axe in two. No sound was made at all throughout the process. Before the opponent even realized what had happened, the tip of the sword was already pointed at his throat.
That was the new sword tactic that the Second Walker had developed after studying Earth's culture. Infusing Chi Prowess into the surface of the weapon to trigger a vibration of high frequency, it imitated Earth's polymer vibration cutting technology. Even the most common weapon would turn invincible with that technique. The technique did not require a high amount of Chi Prowess but it did require a superb control skills.
That combination of modern and ancient skills was named the Broken Sword Technique 1 by the Knight. Even if one were to look past the naming style that was reminiscent of Martial Arts novels, using that technique to defeat Howls who did not even know how to use the Chi Shield was a little too much. Even if Baiyi had sliced his opponent in two, the sword would not have a single drop of blood on it due to the Chi's high-speed vibration.
"Ummm... T-this..." Howls the Iron Axe was caught in an embarassing situation at that point. To be honest, he still had not figured out what exactly had happened. All he felt was just a sudden lightness in his arm and then, the axe that was as thick as a kid's arm was sliced into two parts? Did I just lose?
The spectators and the host were also taken aback by such a bizarre scene. For a time, the originally chaotic arena became silent. Everybody was stunned for a long time until the host cautiously said, "Erm... well... I-I-It seems like there's some sort of... um... an accident here? I-I'm sorry but I don't think I'm seeing this clearly. Is our Iron Axe being pointed at with a sword to his throat? Er... Will he admit defeat now? I-I-Is the legendary 16 winning streak about to end?"
Unlike the usual, the spectators did not erupt into cheers and applause seeing such scene. Instead, only whispers could be heard around the arena. How could the match ended so abruptly without any action at all? There could not have been a more awkward scene.
Clearly, Howls the Iron Axe did not want it to end in such a way. Of course he was unwilling to end his winning streak just like that. If he admitted his defeat, he was afraid that he would have to bid goodbye to this stage forever. So, even if there was a sword pointing at his neck, he tightly gripped the axe handle and began to think of some ways and means that he could use to turn the situation around.
Unfortunately, all of his actions did not escape Baiyi's eyes. Noticing that his opponent refused to admit defeat and was even thinking of resisting, Baiyi impatiently tapped Howls' chin with his sword. His head that was covered with the cloak gave a small jerk, implying that he had already noticed the small movements. Baiyi also slightly pressed the tip of the sword forward, grazing the skin of his opponent.
The pain coming from the vulnerable part of his body eventually woke Howls up. He immediately understood that the man in front of him was a ruthless person who would kill a person in a flash. He was helpless and had no other choice but to release the handle of the broken axe and raised his arms up to surrender.
As the axe fell on the bluestone floor, two crisp clanking sound could be heard. Quickly getting his emotions under control, the host's voice was back to the previous frivolous state as he said to the spectators, "Well then! We have a winner here! Howls the Iron Axe just admitted defeat! His winning streak is over at long last! The winner of this round is... SVEN THE ROGUE KNIGHT! Although I think I prefer calling him Sven the Cow! But this is not the point, the point is that this lucky cow has just defeated a powerful and strong opponent! Now that he has won his first game, shall we give him a round of applause and reward him?"
Once again, the host tried to lift the atmosphere that had died down but this time, he failed. Not only did the spectators did not give out any cheer, they started booing and jeering instead. In the past, they would usually throw down gold coins to the winner as a reward but all the attendants that were standing under the spectator seats received were piles of peels and even spit. All of them were expressing their dissatisfaction towards the match in a straightforward manner.
In truth, the kind of matches that they wanted to see was the intense and exaggerated performance of the battering-and-snarling kind and not this rather inexplicable in-the-blink-of-an-eye defeat. They did not know that a real battle between two powerful beings was in fact, fast paced and usually lasted only a few rounds before it came to an end. There were not many battles that would drag out for too long. Let alone those type of fights where the person who was engaged in battle would recall all sorts of memories while yelling out embarrassing lines and dialogues. 2 Who the freaking hell would have the spare energy to think about the bond between friends when there was a person slashing his sword towards you? Those were the type of scene that would only show up in animes or movies.
Even when the Lich was being chased by 25 super powerful beings --- it could also be considered as the moment when he was finally f*cked and got the comeuppance he deserved--- the whole battle process had not taken more than two hours.
But of course, the actor Mr. Howls had zero clue about all those things. Before he left the arena, he gave a sympathetic look to Baiyi and said in a low voice, "Dude! Do you even know how it works around here?"
Baiyi became speechless and walked silently back to the waiting area. Then, he asked the Second Walker in his mind, Was that your superb sword skills? Looking at the plates of peels and trash that were being sent over by the attendants, he could not help but said, That's supposed to be plates and plates of gold!
"How would I know that things would turn out this way? The arena that I joined last time was particularly cruel and bloody! I did not know that the arena has completely degenerated into a large theater production now!" the Knight said with great frustration. "What else can I do in this era of regression? I'm also disappointed!"
No no no! This could be considered as a type of progression maybe? Abandoning those violent and bloody culture is the way forward for society I suppose? After all, this is a standardized arena. As a place of public entertainment, it's best not to hurt other people, let alone killing them. I think maybe they should think about changing their name to The Arena of Harmony and Prosperity, Baiyi remarked sarcastically in his heart.
And compared to the two people in the center of the arena, the main point of the show was the betting tray wasn't it? The host that was still outside on the arena was aware of this as well as he quickly changed his words and said, "Well, the addition of a strong new player is no doubt a good news to all of us! I guess Mr. Sven the Cow who won the first round without so much as lifting his finger is going to continue the next match! Perhaps, the long awaited exciting show is going to take place VERY SOON! The betting plates are now ready in place! What are you still waiting for? Let's watch the real excitement, shall we?"
Through his reminder, the spectators realized that the main entertainment was actually the betting part. Therefore, they started to pay attention on the betting sheets that the attendants passed to them. Once again, the atmosphere gradually began to return to normal.
At that point, sitting in a VIP box with the best view was a beautiful young woman. Next to her was a seemingly inconspicuous black Soul Armature. The surface of the bright and clean armour was covered with the faint lines of Magical Runes, it added a low-key but luxurious look to the armor.
The box belonged to the Dole family. There was no doubt that a person who was able to sit inside was somebody who was wealthy. The armour that was made from black gold was more than enough to prove that point.
"Undine, don't you intend to join the fun?" Lying on the big soft sofa lazily, the Soul Armature asked the beauty. One of his hands was holding the betting sheets while the other was playing with a gold coin, he had an engrossed look on his face.
"Go play by yourself. I don't have any interest in this vile hobby. Accompanying you here today is a bad choice all by itself," the beauty said bluntly. Dressed in a bold knight uniform, the plunging neckline of her uniform that reached her navel generously revealed the white skin of her chest as well as a hint of her cleavage. Her face looked similar to those blossoming young girls from the Celestial Fortress Academy but hidden deep in her eyes, there was a penetrating look of composure in them. With the distinctive charm of a mature woman that she possesed, there was a difference between her and those female students.
Her maturity certainly was not reflected in the youthfulness that could be seen from her face. Her young appearance combined with her mature disposition showed that her strength was definitely extraordinary.