Only the heavens knew what Red Maple's attack style was, but he managed to deal almost 100k damage to me with a ranged Thunderball. This kind of attack power was definitely on par with a top-tier mage like Luo River God of the Capital. If I wasn't mistaken, the Thunder God's Ball was the same as my Coiling Dragon Revolution. It was a dual-type skill that dealt the most damage to all types of armor.
I couldn't just sit around and wait for my death. After retreating almost ten yards, I stomped the ground and charged toward my opponent as fast as I could.
Red Maple's eyes were brimming with fighting spirit. Laughing loudly, he raised his sword and growled, "The MVP of the China server is only so-so. Die!"
It was Fire God Flurry again, and it was about 5 yards away. Red Maple's grasp of distance was impeccable, and he had calculated the timing perfectly. The moment the Fire God Flurry was about to hit me, I didn't even have time to react.
However, it was obvious that Red Maple had underestimated my reaction speed. Just as the [Fire God Flurry] was about to touch my nose, I exerted strength in my Divine Martial War Boots and stomped on the ground. My entire body turned 45 degrees to the side and zigzagged my opponent's attack, dodging his attack. In just 0.15 seconds, I changed directions again and completed a perfect zigzagging slash. The blade of my sword slashed through my opponent's armor, and the hilt of my sword fiercely smashed into Red Maple's face!
"Bang!"
Blood splattered everywhere, and Red Maple's front teeth were nearly knocked out of his head. I took the opportunity to chase after him and unleashed Burning Blade Slash!
"Ah?!"
Red Maple was shocked. He knew how powerful the skill was, so he bent his body slightly and took a defensive stance behind the blade.
Bang bang bang!
Three fiery sword energies hit Red Maple and dealt a lot of damage. Three damage numbers popped up above his head — 39029!
“42828！”
“52989！”
Even though he was in Guard, Red Maple still lost 130k + HP. He was scared out of his wits, and before he could react, I had already closed in on him. I raised my war boot and kicked him in the stomach!
"Get out of my way!"
"Bang!" Red Maple couldn't block it and was sent tumbling away. The clash between two Divine Generals was extremely intense.
While rolling, Red Maple twisted his sword and forcefully stopped the momentum. He suddenly jumped up and opened his hand. Wind energy surged as he shouted, "Wind Dragon Revolution!"
"Hua hua …"
It was an AoE spell! I shuddered and lost another 60k + HP. Tenacity of the Dead instantly pulled me back to full health and charged toward Red Maple without any hesitation. I parried his attack with a clang, then spun around and slashed Red Maple's shoulder!
"Ah!"
“49291！”
The number one swordsman of the Japan server couldn't keep up with my lightning-fast sword attack. He was hit by a basic attack. Red Maple's eyes were filled with anger as he stomped on the ground and zigzagged past my sword, aiming for my waist.
Making a prompt decision, he raised his Dragon God Shield and slapped away Red Maple's sword attack. At the same time, he moved his feet and dodged Red Maple's attack in two consecutive S-shaped arcs. He stood firmly behind Red Maple and caught him off guard. The spiraling battle tactic's agility was the uniqueness of this battle tactic. He could stop anywhere and attack from anywhere!
The Taiji diagram appeared beneath my feet, and the Purple Ying Sword glowed with indigo flames. Then, I used Universe Break to stab Red Maple from the back!
“110293！”
Red Maple let out a scream of pain. Even with a healing skill, I still managed to drop him to low health. He hurriedly turned around and gathered his divine power around his arms. Finally, he used his Divine General Skill — Maple Kill!
Hua hua hua...
Countless maple leaves rose from the ground and shot toward me.
I gritted my teeth and tossed the Purple Ying Sword at lightning speed. A dragon-shaped energy swirled around the blade as it penetrated Red Maple's body. You're asking to die if you're faster than me!
"120399. Fans like to read: Maple Kill!"
I took three quick steps backward and successfully dodged Maple Kill's attack. The Divine General Skill's attack power was definitely high, but it took too long to cast. It couldn't do anything to a player of my skill level at all.
"Patter …"
Red Maple's face turned ashen as he collapsed to the ground. His last sliver of HP was gone, but I still had 35% HP left. It was more than enough for me to win.
1: 0. I was in the lead for now!
… …
The music inside the game couldn't drown out the thunderous applause and cheers coming from outside the stadium. This match was a perfect match, and both Red Maple and I treated each other like mortal enemies. We didn't use our weapons to fight, and we used our skills to kill each other as efficiently as possible. This was a true duel to the death!
That being said, Red Maple's speed and swordsmanship were obviously incredible. Unfortunately, he was still slightly inferior to me. The gap between top-tier players was fatal, and Red Maple's tactics were slightly inferior to Candlelight Shadow's. It wasn't a huge gap, but it was enough to determine the final result.
"Do your best, big bro! One more round, and we'll win!" Beiming Xue said with a giggle while holding her Ice Soul Feather.
Lian Xin stabbed her scepter into the ground and said, "Do your best, Lu Chen!"
He Yi smiled but didn't say anything. Clearly, she was very confident in this match.
… …
Swhoosh!
Red Maple entered the arena for the second time and held his weapon. He looked at me coldly and said, "Don't think that you can prove your strength just because you won one round. The real battle has just begun!"
I smiled but didn't say anything. It was better to use my sword as a weapon to prove my strength. Everyone else would just watch as normal.
The countdown began again, and Red Maple activated Great Earth Cyclone. Glaring at me fiercely, he growled, "I'm going to make you die a horrible death this round!"
I waved the Purple Ying Sword and said, "How about this? I won't activate Great Earth Cyclone, so people won't say that the China players are bullying you. Come, let's have a showdown between two first-rate players!"
It was obvious that I would be at a huge disadvantage in terms of stats if I didn't activate Great Earth Transformation against Red Maple. That being said, Red Maple couldn't afford to lose, so he braced himself and activated Great Earth Cyclone. The moment the countdown hit zero, Red Maple rushed toward me with his sword in hand and attacked me!
Swhoosh swhoosh swhoosh!
The three lightning-fast strikes were enough to show everyone that the title of the number one player in the Japan server wasn't just for show. Even so, I remained as calm as a lake in my heart and a clear mind. Almost every move Red Maple made was within my grasp, and I swung the Purple Ying Sword at lightning speed!
Chiang chiang!
After parrying two attacks in a row, I raised my sword to block the third one!
"Bang!"
“29487！”
Not only did I manage to block the attack, I lost so much HP. I was at a disadvantage without Great Earth Transformation.
Red Maple's attack didn't falter at all. He swung his sword and condensed a ball of lightning in his left fist. I also raised my left fist and used my Magic Piercing Fist to meet his fist! My Magic Piercing Fist
"Bang!"
The energy dissipated, and both of us took a few steps backward. A numbing sensation came from our arms, but we didn't wait for the numbness to subside. We immediately raised our swords and attacked again. Once our rhythm was disrupted, we would be in real danger.
Speed against speed. Red Maple's strategy was clear as day. He pushed past my Guard and leaped into the air, kicking me in the chest with his kneecaps. Great Earth Transformation had boosted my stats by so much that my Parry wasn't as effective as I wanted it to be. Everyone else was just watching as if they were normal.
I reacted quickly. Before the tightness in my chest disappeared, I twisted my body and moved in an arc. I grabbed Red Maple's waist armor and forcefully dragged him down from midair. Right when he was about to hit the ground, Red Maple's body suddenly bounced up and he kicked me with his right leg.
I spun around and smashed down with my left arm. With a "peng", Red Maple's right leg was sent flying toward him. Then, I used the momentum to charge forward and accurately hit Red Maple's chin with my armored knee!
Thud!
“39092！”
The attack was so fast that Red Maple definitely wasn't expecting it. I passed by Red Maple's body and swung Burning Blade Slash at him again!
Bang bang bang!
Red Maple looked like he was about to be beaten to a pulp. He hurriedly raised his arm and used Divine General Skill — Maple Kill!
I quickly retreated and pressed three golden seals into my palm. At the same time, I raised the Dragon God Shield and used Ghost Deity Shield to block Maple Kill!
“69929！”
Maple Kill's attack power was incredible, but my Ancient Seals dealt over 100k damage to Red Maple. In the blink of an eye, he was at critical health again.
Thud thud thud...
As I moved in an arc, I raised my arm again. God Binding Art!
Swhoosh!
Red Maple was immediately bound by the God Binding Art. However, in the instant that he was bound, he activated War God Rampage and dodged the binding effect. His face flushed red with anger, and he bellowed, "Dammit! I'll kill you! I'll kill you for sure!"
I quickly retreated and opened my palm. Icy Cyclone Domain rained down on Red Maple. Icicles shot out and continuously deleted Red Maple's HP. Just as he was charging toward me, I leaned forward and threw my sword. The Dragon Soul circled around the blade and pierced through Red Maple's body with the force of a thunderbolt!
“592880！”
A huge damage number rose above Red Maple's head. Coiling Dragon Revolution actually boosted the Purple Ying Sword's Attack by 5x. This meant that Red Maple was doomed for the rest of the match.
Thud!
Red Maple abruptly dropped to his knees and stared at me with a grimace. "Just you wait! I'll remember you, Broken Halberd Sinks Into Sand! I, Red Maple, swear that I'll take revenge on you with the tens of millions of troops of Purple Grape City!"
I replied indifferently, "We're the ones who should take revenge!"
Thud! Red Maple collapsed to the ground and turned into a wisp of light. With that, it was time to announce that Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls had entered the quarter-finals with a score of 3: 0!
… …
Swhoosh!
Beiming Xue hugged my arm excitedly when we reached the edge of the arena. "Big bro, your mechanics are amazing!
That Red Maple's swordsmanship is unparalleled, but that title is nothing but a joke in front of big bro! "
Lian Xin said meaningfully, "Red Maple's swordsmanship is unparalleled, but big bro's swordsmanship isn't the only thing he's good at. His tactics, positioning, and skill mastery are all top-notch!"
I blushed. "Stop praising me …"
… …