Chapter 75: A clash between Spears [6]
The moment the remnants of the shattered Eclipse dispersed into the air, neither of them allowed the distance to remain.
Klein’s foot pressed into the fractured ground and launched him forward while Shui Yinran stepped in at the exact same instant.
Their spears collided again.
CLANG-!!!
Their weapons grinded against one another while mana surged violently through his arms and the shafts locked at an angle as each tried to dominate the center line.
Klein twisted his wrist first, rotating the spear inward in a tight, controlled motion, attempting to slide along her weapon and break her guard from the inside rather than overpowering it directly.
Shui Yinran responded instantly and her grip shifted as she allowed the pressure to pass through rather than resisting it head-on.
Her spear tilted just enough to redirect his force while her body stepped forward into his space, collapsing the already minimal distance between them.
Their shoulders nearly collided.
The sound of metal scraping against metal rang sharply as their weapons slid against each other.
"Brat, you got some great talent... how about this? If I defeat you, you will become my disciple."
His gaze narrowed "Alright. And if I defeat you, you will become my disciple."
Upon hearing this, her eyes gleamed witn annoyance "The first thing I am going to do after I make you my disciple is beat you to a pulp, you rascal."
Klein’s eyes sharpened as he released one hand from the spear for a second and drove his elbow toward her ribs.
Shui Yinran rotated her torso just enough for the strike to graze instead of land cleanly, while at the same time her spear snapped upward in a short, compact motion aimed directly at Klein’s jaw.
Klein leaned back just enough to avoid the direct hit, but the shaft still clipped his chin, snapping his head slightly to the side as he immediately re-gripped his spear and forced it downward, attempting to trap her weapon between his own shaft and forearm.
THAK-
The lock lasted less than a second.
Shui Yinran stepped in deeper and her free hand shot forward, grabbing the middle section of Klein’s spear while her own weapon rotated sharply as the blunt end whipped toward his abdomen with explosive force.
Klein reacted instantly, twisting his body sideways as the strike grazed past him, but the proximity meant he couldn’t fully evade, and the impact still clipped his side, sending a jolt through his core.
He stepped forward further in.
Closing the distance even more.
Now they were nearly chest to chest.
Klein drove his knee upward toward her midsection, forcing her to release her grip on his weapon to block, while at the same time he rotated his spear in a tight arc, aiming to hook behind her shoulder and break her posture.
Shui Yinran dropped her arm to intercept the knee while her spear shifted along the hook, slipping out of the bind with a subtle redirection before snapping forward in a short thrust aimed at his throat.
The distance was too close.
But Klein saw it and tilted his head just enough for the blade to pass beside his neck.
With the same motion, he countered and his spear shaft slammed diagonally into her collarbone with reinforced force.
THUD-
The impact landed and she adjusted her stance instantly as her foot stepped behind his, hooking his leg while her upper body pressed forward, using his own momentum against him.
In the next instant, Klein’s balance broke.
Her spear rotated again, this time driving the shaft horizontally toward his ribs at point-blank range.
He reacted by tightening his core and bringing his elbow down to intercept and the collision sent a sharp vibration through his arm.
Both of them stepped back, creating a small distance between them.
An exhilarated smile appeared on Shui Yinran’s lips after the small exchange in close combat "I like you even more, brat."
Placing the spear on his shoulder, he replied "Sorry, i am not interested in bitches."
Her gaze condensed "Let’s see if that mouth of yours still works when you’re on the ground."
The air around her spear bent inward as the flow of spear intent condensed along the blade in a smooth, crescent alignment.
Shui Yinran stepped forward.
Her movement was neither fast nor slow, yet the distance between them vanished as if space itself had been shortened and her spear was already in motion before Klein could register the initiation.
"Dark Moon: Fourth Form- Half-Moon Rend."
The attack came as a curved slash, but it was not a simple arc.
The crescent formed along her blade detached mid-swing, splitting into overlapping layers of compressed energy that tore forward in a widening trajectory.
Each layer had a slightly offset timing that made it impossible to fully read or block in a single motion.
It is not one strike.
It is many strikes, hidden within one strike.
Klein’s pupils shrank as the layered crescent closed in ’Fourth form, huh.’
Retreat would fail.
Blocking would fail.
Only one option remained.
His breathing steadied and he stepped into the ’Boundary.’
The white aura of Spear Intent compressed completely into the blade "...You’re not the only one who knows it."
His spear moved.
"Dark Moon..."
The motion was clean with no excess movement.
"...Full Moon Eclipse."
The moment the words left his mouth, the technique manifested.
Unlike the fragmented, layered crescents of Half-Moon Rend, Klein’s strike formed a perfect circle, as if an entire moon has been condensed into a single, flawless edge.
Then, he slashed.
The Full Moon Eclipse cut through her technique with terrifying precision as each layer was intercepted, broken, and devoured within the rotation.
For a fraction of a second, the two techniques resisted.
Then, Klein’s broke through.
SHHHHRAAAATTT!!!
The Half-Moon Rend collapsed and shattered into fragments of dispersing shadow as the Full Moon Eclipse tore through its core and continued forward as it advanced toward Shui Yinran.
Shui Yinran’s eyes shook in terror ’That technique just now... was it sixth? seventh? How does he even know that? Even I don’t-’
’Also his focus, did he just enter ’boundary’?’
She moved instantly and her spear snapped into position as she redirected the remaining force, twisting her body to let the majority of the attack pass while deflecting the core just enough to avoid a direct hit.
Even so, the edge of the Eclipse grazed her.
SHHK-
A clean cut traced across her side, tearing through her fabric and drawing a sharp line of blood as the residual force pushed her back several steps.
’Shit. I was awe struck by his technique, I lost my focus for a moment.’
She glanced at the young man standing in front of her ’It’s like... I am fighting an absolute genius in spear.’
’His close-range combat, the Dark Moon technique, his spear intent, that absurd mana and now Boundary...’
’What the hell, how can there be someone like this?’
"Block this."
His words snapped her out of her thoughts instantly.
Her pupils shrank and her instincts flared as she sensed the shift in the atmosphere.
Klein raised his spear.
Both hands gripped firmly along the shaft as he lifted it above his head as he poured all of his remaining mana and spear intent into one single point.
A deep, rumbling vibration spread outward as cracks widened beneath Klein’s feet as the ground was unable to withstand the pressure gathering above it while the surrounding mana surged violently, spiraling upward toward the raised spear like a storm being pulled into a singular axis.
Shui Yinran’s expression changed ’This is a killing move.’
Above Klein, something formed.
At first, it was only a distortion, then it took shape.
An enormous phantom spear manifested in the air, towering dozens of meters high.
The spear pointed downward, aligning perfectly with Klein’s weapon.
[Trait: Spear Body Unity has been acquired.]
’...Original Spear: Absolute Zero.’
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