Chapter 224 - Leon vs. Long Tian (1/2)

”The winner is Feng Chen.”

Song Yazhu declared the end of the fight. As expected, Feng Chen was the winner. Yet, the opposition shown by He Fen had amazed everyone. A young man who had previously been a complete nobody had managed to advance to the quarter-finals of a first-class tournament.

Not only had he beaten strong opponents with an impressive background, but he had also managed to put Feng Chen in trouble enough to make him use the Phoenix Breath, one of the most powerful techniques in possession of the Feng Family. This alone was an amazing result.

”Your flames are still too little intense. But there is indeed a possibility that the Bifang Bird could fly at the same altitude as the Phoenix. I hope that day will happen as soon as possible.” Feng Chen whispered to He Fen.

Although the latter was unconscious, Feng Chen wanted to compliment him for the way he had fought. Meanwhile, the Academy's supporting martial artists took the unconscious He Fen away to medicate him.

Those who lost were treated directly by the Academy staff to ensure the martial artist's complete recovery. After all, serious or even fatal injuries were a real risk: a simple spirit soldier was unable to heal such wounds alone and in a short time. And that was to Hei's advantage.

Mia, Lilian, Mareo, and Haruno were currently busy healing Hei. His injuries required the intervention of all four of them if they were to get him back in the optimal fighting condition the next day. Therefore, they wouldn't have had the opportunity to deal with Feng Chen as well. Either way, they trusted the Academy staff and knew He Fen was in good hands.

”And now the last match of the day. To take the field will be the Imperial Prince Long Tian and Leon.”

Song Yazhu called out the names of the next two fighters. This match would also be the last of the tournament's quarter-finals and decreed the four semi-finalists' last.

Long Tian and Leon answered Song Yazhu's call. There was no chatter between them as they approached the fighting stage. Both were full of determination and could see the d.e.s.i.r.e for victory in the opponent's eyes.

”Let the fight begin!” Song Yazhu started the fight.

Peng!

The two fighters instantly activated their spirit power and dashed forward as they summoned their weapons. Leon's greatsword then fell from top to bottom, taking advantage of the size advantage. Still, Long Tian's hooked swords, however thin they looked when compared to such a greatsword, didn't move at all. Instead, they took full impact and stopped the greatsword in midair.

'As I thought. Although they appear thin, they are heavy. Is it because of the material they were made of or because of a technique?' Leon analyzed as he tried to push his greatsword down.

”Repel.”

Long Tian used his repulsion technique, thrusting Leon's sword upward. Then he tried a thrust using his right hook sword.

Stab!

The hook sword moved quickly forward, but Leon deftly dodged to the side. Even though he had Spirit Metal armor weighing him down, he had trained hard to learn how to fight without it being an obstacle to his movements. Of course, in that state, he couldn't hope to match martial artists like Hei in speed who possessed swift movement techniques or quick attack fighting styles. However, there was to be said that with the defense provided by the spirit armor, he had to worry much less about being hit.

'My armor gives me an extra layer of protection. But even it has a limit. As far as I can, I must avoid the blows.'

Leon made his greatsword descend again. Once again, the hook swords blocked his attack without a hint of vacillation.

”Repel.”

Leon's greatsword was raised high again as Long Tian tried another thrust. This time, however, the speed of the thrust was faster than before. Fortunately, Leon was already ready.

”Sky Fist.”

Peng!

Leon's left fist filled with spirit power as he advanced. The armor and sword collided halfway, making a loud clang.

'It feels like I hit a mountain wall ... If it weren't for my armor, even a normal hit like this could do me damage.'

”Double Repulsion.”

As Long Tian said this, Leon felt something pull his fist outward. Simultaneously, he felt his greatsword being pulled back so that he couldn't lower it forward.

Long Tian gave a heavy kick to the pit of his stomach, hitting the metal armor. This made Leon take several steps back, but he remained standing. However, although he hadn't taken any damage, he felt the power of that kick that took his breath away for a second.

”Your armor is as strong as I thought it would be. Surely there is to congratulate the blacksmith for creating such a piece. Nonetheless, in the end, it remains just an armor. The engraved formations are what make it special. I have to confess that Lian's skill as an array maker amazes me.” Long Tian said with a smile. He was sincerely impressed by that masterful work of union between blacksmithing and arrays.

”Thank you. But its toughness isn't the only thing it has. Offensive Array, Continuous Emission, activate!” Leon activated one of the arrays engraved on his armor.

'According to Lian's analysis, Long Tian can manipulate the spirit power in the air to attract or repel the targets he selects. To prevent him from doing this, I should use a technique to disturb or destroy the external environment's spirit power. Alternatively, I should emit an amount of spirit power capable of overcoming the attractive or repulsive force.

Unfortunately, I don't have such a technique, but luckily Lian doesn't have a match to fight today, and she could work all night on the array. So now, let's see how effective the new array is.'

Offensive Array, Continuous Emission. It was the name of the new array installed by Lian in Leon's armor. More than a new array per se, it was a modification of the previous model she had created. As a co-creator, it wasn't wrong to regard Leon's armor as her own creation. Therefore, also taking advantage of the fact that she had no matches to play, she made her best to help Leon.

Leon charged forward with his greatsword raised. This time, instead of a slash, he tried a horizontal cut as Long Tian had easily countered it in the previous two fights.

”Repel.”

Long Tian pointed his right sword at the approaching greatsword. This time he had decided not to use both swords to defend himself. Instead, he would block with only a single sword so as to counterattack immediately.

”Advance!” Leon yelled as he heard his greatsword stop.

As if responding to his cry, his armor lit up, revealing a series of engravings that were previously invisible. Then his spirit power flared up as if it had been set on fire and covered the greatsword. As a result, the weapon gained even more power and advanced.

Rip!

There was a sharp crack as if something had been torn. The sword's blade overpowered the force that was repelling it, thus managing to move forward.

Bam!