Chapter 38: The Fist of the Racing Tiger (1/2)

Chapter 38: The Fist of the Racing Tiger

Translator: OneshotwonderEditor: Tehrn

TPA players in the audience seats shook their heads, feeling worried for Wang Tong's situation and even more for his intelligence. Only an irrational fool plays with fire. The Wraith III had a reputation for putting up a nasty fight and, in the past, it had spoiled many TPA players’ fun and forced them to taste defeat.

Unless the opponent had an advanced anti-stealth ability, the wearer of the Wraith III could slip underneath any fighter's senses while he delivered a lethal blow.

Unable to sense his opponent's movement, Wang Tong was struck by an unseen force, and it threw his body into the air before it thudded on the ground. Wang Tong had now tasted the power of the Wraith III.

Crazy Diamond's retaliation was a tit for tat, and it should have also ended the match with a victory that was as cheap as bok choy.

The IPA players instinctively shouted out a wave of cheers, laced with jesting laughter.

Wang Tong picked himself up before the cheers had subsided. He rubbed his chest where he was hit and muttered, ”Holy cow, that hurts!” Wang Tong counted himself lucky that this was not in a real battle, in which case, this blow would have been lethal.

Disgruntled about the fact that his strike had not finished the opponent as he had expected, Crazy Diamond attempted another stealthy attack.

Sensing the impending danger, Wang Tong was a half-move ahead of his opponent and dodged out of harm's way just in time.

Wraith III users were the most unscrupulous even by IPA players' standards. Their overpowered ability was a downright bug in the system, which had filled the wearer with over-confidence. When Crazy Diamond saw that his strike had been dodged, his eyes were red with rage, and he attacked again, only to be dodged once more.

Inside the arena, a comical show was on display: Wang Tong fumbled about to avoid the attacks of an unseen enemy as he lurched across the field as if he was mentally unsound.

In the real world, no one could conceal their presence to the degree that the Wraith III did in the game. This METAL suit was made entirely for the sake of entertainment but was at the expense of the TPA players' agony. The dice had been loaded from the beginning of the game.

Every strike had been a near miss for Wang Tong. He could only detect his opponent's movement through the infinitesimally small ripples in the air, which were stirred up by Crazy Diamond's brash blows.

Although these ripples felt like loud and definite warnings, the ensuing attack was so swift that it allowed almost no time for Wang Tong to react.

”Calm down, I must be calm,” Wang Tong reminded himself.

Wang Tong attempted to detect his opponent's move using his soul energy, but that had been proven ineffectual. With only the air ripple as his clue, Crazy Diamond's movements were elusive and unpredictable and were always ahead of Wang Tong's.

Despite being trapped in a fairly dire situation, Wang Tong felt hopeful. He might as well figure out an effective countermeasure now, rather than letting it frustrate him in the sleepless nights after the defeat.

”Konnng!”

After a few short bursts of airwaves immediately the same number of blows ensued, each deadlier than the last. With his luck spent, Wang Tong was eventually hit by one of the strikes. Crimson blood gushed out from Wang Tong's right arm that he had lifted to protect his body. Wang Tong immediately countered the assault with a left-hand punch, but the enemy had already moved away.

Pain alerted Wang Tong's mind lighting up a fire in his eyes. A blurred outline of a husky figure appeared out of thin air, and it presented itself in front of Wang Tong.

Crazy Diamond had deduced the incredible power of Wang Tong from the fact that he had survived the fight so long by solely relying on the signals in air ripples. He should have felt satisfied at the thought of injuring such a powerful opponent, but his eyes had betrayed his real feelings.

Sadness, anguish, and indignation, these feelings could not change the wicked reality of having being born into a household that boasted its tradition of METAL fighters; he had to forfeit the honor, for reasons beyond his own grasp.

As Crazy Diamond was mired in his thoughts, his frustration overtook him, and he lashed out toward Wang Tong in fury. ”Dodge this!” The sword whizzed in the air as it flew toward Wang Tong.

Crazy Diamond watched as the sword missed Wang Tong before a fist flew toward him. He retreated to safety out of instinct and was again confused about how he had missed Wang Tong.