Chapter 1318: Chapter 1065: The Swordsman
To tell the truth, this head-hugging, squatting defensive posture really wasn’t suitable for such a rough and tough guy. But if he could accept a name like "Little Ai," what was a mere head-hugging squat in the face of death?
The moment Little Ai squatted down, a blade’s light had already swept past. An Exoskeleton Clan bladewielder was attacking! They were experts at seizing opportunities, and this time using Little Ai as cover, they approached from Elsa’s blind spot, aiming for a fatal strike! But all that was heard was a clang, as a Light Wing had already blocked the blade’s light! All of this occurred right above Little Ai’s head, who by now was nearly scared out of his wits, even feeling the impact of the collision between the Light Wing and the blade’s light on his scalp!
When the first strike failed to hit its mark, the Exoskeleton Clan bladewielder didn’t hesitate to turn and move out of the Light Wing’s attack range. But he had already created an opportunity for his comrades. More Exoskeleton Clan bladewielders began their successive assaults, their movements in perfect sync, akin to a person directing their own limbs, always attacking from the hardest angles for Elsa to defend against, and quickly retreating after a failed attempt, giving Elsa no chance to counterattack. At this moment, there were a total of fifteen Exoskeleton Clan bladewielders surrounding her, their onslaught as fierce as a tempest, stunning all other warriors watching them. They had long known the strength of these Exoskeleton Clan bladewielders, and how formidable they became when they coordinated their attacks. But to be powerful to this extent, that was something they had never witnessed before.
In fact, on this eternal battlefield, most of the time the battles were dominated by large troop engagements, and since the Exoskeleton Clan bladewielders were strong on their own, there was seldom an opportunity for them to employ this kind of encircling tactic. But once deployed, this tactic was an all-or-nothing commitment!
However, gradually, people began to notice another fact—this little princess from the Celestial Clan was really strong!
Even though she was only on the defensive, her Light Wing defense was virtually impregnable! Fifteen Exoskeleton Clan bladewielders attacked in rotation, yet not a single one could lay a hand on her!
But the chief of the Exoskeleton Clan bladewielders knew that both parties were merely probing each other. Whether it was himself or Elsa, it was the same. Elsa even seemed somewhat nonchalant!
Suddenly, the chief of the Exoskeleton Clan bladewielders roared, "Battle Formation Completion! Demon-slaying Extermination!"
Instantly, the Fighting Aura of all Exoskeleton Clan bladewielders erupted dramatically, emitting a mutual Resonance. In this Resonance, the long blades in the hands of each bladewielder all vibrated intensely, their bright radiance flickering along the blades!
"Hm?" Elsa uttered in confusion, feeling the pressure from her opponents.
"Princess Elsa, if you do not put forth your full effort in what is to come, I’m afraid today will be the day you fall!" the chief of the Exoskeleton Clan bladewielders declared loudly.
These words reflected the great confidence of the Exoskeleton Clan bladewielders.
Elsa nodded, reached out her hand to grasp her Light Wing, and with a fierce twist, there was a crisp snap as she broke off a section of it!
The broken-off section of Light Wing resembled the long blades held by the Exoskeleton Clan bladewielders, except that its glow was even brighter!
"Since you’ve unleashed your most prized blade arts, it would be absolutely impolite for me to continue fighting you with the same attitude, so, I’ve decided to grant you an honorable death," she declared.
With that, Elsa held the end of the Light Wing with both hands, and it transformed into a blade of light as she assumed a peculiar starting stance.
Seeing this stance, the chief of the Exoskeleton Clan bladewielders suddenly realized that this princess named Elsa was not just strong in simple terms—she actually knew the art of the blade!
In fact, Elsa’s blade arts mentor was none other than Long Yi. As a martial arts master, Long Yi was fascinated with various combat skills, whether unarmed or with weapons, he was adept in all. As for the blade arts, Long Yi had even combined the strengths of Eastern blade techniques with Western swordplay to create his own unique set of fighting skills.
However, to tell the truth, even Long Yi himself admitted that his invented blade technique was a bit too idealistic as it required tremendous reaction ability and control from the practitioner. Since Long Yi’s combat style involved either fists or missiles and cannons, he himself was unsure about the effectiveness of these fighting skills. Initially, he had taught them to Elsa out of boredom, and now Elsa had decided to employ them.
"Go!"
At the chief’s command, three bladewielders charged from three different directions. As they charged out, the resonating Fighting Aura immediately converged around them, forming a powerful energy barrier.
"Die!" the bladewielder charging at Elsa bellowed as he swept his blade horizontally toward her neck. Elsa shifted her feet slightly and flicked her blade of light upwards. A clanging sound was heard as the mighty slash was deflected by the light blade! The bladewielder, whose blade was deflected, was left wide open—an absolute taboo for a bladewielder. He hurriedly tried to retract his blade and retreat, but in the next moment, Elsa had used the momentum from deflecting the blade to spin around, sweeping her blade across the bladewielder’s abdomen.
The bladewielder realized the gravity of the situation, abandoning his long blade and retreating with all his might, yet he still suffered a massive gash across his belly!
And had he been a fraction slower, he would have been bisected at the waist by Elsa!
But the fight was not over yet! The initial attack by the first bladewielder was meant to draw Elsa’s attention, and as Elsa struck down the first bladewielder, the second and third were already charging at her from behind!
However, Elsa faced them the next moment.
Clang!
Clang!
Similarly, two voices rang out as two long blades, coming from different directions, were simultaneously deflected by Elsa’s Light Blade! And in the blink of an eye, the next moment saw those two people cut in half by the Light Blade!
Three blades fell to the ground; the first swordsman, who had his belly sliced open, had already retreated. The wound on his abdomen was continuously bleeding out, showing no sign of healing. The other two swordsmen had their bodies directly cut in half. Normally, such injuries would be considered trivial, but this time, they found that they could no longer reassemble their bodies!
"Little Ai, go and collect those long blades," Elsa commanded.
Little Ai, who had been stunned, dumbly ran over and carried the three long blades of the Exoskeleton Clan swordsmen back to Elsa’s side. Elsa methodically planted each long blade in the ground before her. She then beckoned to the swordsmen in the distance, "Come on, continue."
This was the sword technique invented by Long Yi.
Medieval sword techniques in the West were primarily based on block and counterattack, a consequence of heavier weaponry and armor. Using heavy weapons for blocking and countering was a fundamental element of most medieval swordplay. Oriental sword techniques, however, differed; their blades were sharp and thin, so much so that even cutting down a few people on the battlefield would damage them. Therefore, the essence of Oriental sword techniques was to swiftly kill the enemy, aiming for vital points and delivering a fatal blow.
And Long Yi’s technique was known as the "deflection-counter" skill.
It utilized blocking to create a huge opening for the opponent, and then, at that moment, delivered a swift and fatal blow. In the world of the past, this technique would only have been possible in video games. But in this world, it was entirely different, especially for Elsa, who wielded it with ease.
The Light Blade was pure energy, with an extremely low mass. Upon contact with an opponent’s weapon, the Light Blade exploded with energy, creating an opening, and then its wielder decided how to deliver the next blow based on the inertia of the swing. With the sharpness of the Light Blade, without special defensive measures, being sliced in two was almost a given.
By then, the leader of the Exoskeleton Clan swordsmen had discerned Elsa’s technique, which, in fact, was not highly advanced; the sole requirement was precision! It involved judging the opponent’s imminent attack at that instant, choosing the most appropriate angle and force for interception while also preparing for the counterattack!
It was the epitome of perfect defense and counterstrike technique!
"All of you, step back!" the leader of the Exoskeleton Clan swordsmen ordered. "Let me personally experience her swordsmanship!"
"Leader!" The surrounding swordsmen instantly became tense. Elsa’s dominance had inspired fear in these proud swordsmen.
"Silence! Do not interfere with my battle!" the leader of the Exoskeleton Clan swordsmen roared, and all the surrounding swordsmen immediately held their tongues.
It wasn’t until then that the leader slowly drew his long blade.
Unlike the ordinary swordsmen, this long blade was dark red in color.
"My battle blade, named Blood Slash, has followed me for over fifty years, slaying countless enemies. Today, let Blood Slash and I experience your power!" the leader said to Elsa with a serious glow in his eyes.
Elsa glanced at her Light Wing in hand and said, "This is my Light Wing. If we count every moment, it has been with me for less than a year. It just cut through an enemy for the first time just now; but since it seems the foe’s not dead, there’s no notable record to boast about."
Elsa’s words were quite a letdown, but they were the truth.
The leader of the Exoskeleton Clan swordsmen, with blade in both hands, was enveloped in surging Fighting Aura. His Fighting Aura was different from the others’, a deep blood-red color, filled with a tang of blood as it burst forth. Spooky howls emanated from the blade, a sound that could distract someone of even slightly weaker resolve. In a duel of this caliber, even a momentary distraction could have disastrous consequences.
Elsa could clearly feel the formidable aura of her opponent, who was undoubtedly a master. If she wished to win in swordplay, Elsa would have to give it her all.
At that moment, Elsa focused all her concentration and slightly lowered her posture, ready for all that was to come.
Suddenly, both moved at the same time.
A red and a white light collided instantly, and then Elsa appeared at the position of the leader of the Exoskeleton Clan swordsmen, while he, in turn, appeared where Elsa had just been.
They had clashed with one strike!
Yet they were evenly matched!
But, Little Ai was dumbfounded. You rushed out there, leaving me behind? (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit qidian.com to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)
