Chapter 45: Tactics of the Enchantress-Round One (2/2)
This technique was called the ”Enchantress's Deception”. It was a psychological attack to confuse the opponent's visual senses, to disturb their inner balance, and eventually, to make them crumble from inside. However, as Ma Xiaoru dashed forward to strike the supposedly weakened opponent, she revealed an infinitesimally small imprint of her true form, and it was more than enough for Wang Tong to see through the visual illusion. He then thrust his sword without any hesitation to meet the incoming attack.
The fact that Wang Tong was able to see through the Enchantress's Deception shocked Samantha in a very pleasant way. ”Luck has favored me after all,” she thought to herself.
The two fighters charged toward each other with drastically different styles. Ma Xiaoru's seemingly casual advance had hidden more than what it revealed, aloft but deceptive. On the other hand, Wang Tong had placed everything beneath the plain view, but he had managed to conceal no less, thanks to his chaotic and shambolic execution.
When the two swords eventually collided, the impact sent a loud clank that pierced through the air. Ma Xiaoru's first attack was merely an attempt to probe Wang Tong's strength. This overdose of cautiousness was not entirely without personal motives. Unsure of her infatuation-tinted imagination, she had feared that the real Wang Tong might let her down and feared even more that she might hurt Wang Tong's feeling should she unleash her full strength and defeat him with ease.
However, the numbness in Ma Xiaoru's palm taught her something about Wang Tong's true strength, but it also comforted her.
”Brother Wang, now we will fight.”
Her grip tightened, whitening her knuckles, she shifted her weight left and right before taking a half step back and hunkered down in a stance that was unmistakably the starting position of the sword technique: The Enchantress's Sword.
A gale swept across the room as Ma Xiaoru tapped deeper into the source of her power. She turned a half pirouette, raised the hilt of the sword to about her face and pointed the sharp tip directly at Wang Tong. Amidst another icy wind that had seemingly come out from nowhere, she executed a full pirouette in the opposite direction, and while cutting the sword edge downward, the tip of the sword traced an arc in the air. The sudden change of direction resulted in an undulation that started from the center of the sword, propagating to the very tip, and making the tip to trace two arcs within the first. This was the potent technique of the Enchantress's Sword: the Triple Arc of the Enchantress.
Ma Xiaoru finished the move in a swift and elegant motion, looking dazzlingly beautiful. The power of her strike was no less in magnitude than her beauty. Even the slightest distraction would have spawned Wang Tong's doom, and Ma Xiaoru's enchanting appearance was undoubtedly not helping him in that respect.
He was less than a fraction of a second slower than he should have, and his sword was nearly pried away by the force of the impact. Almost immediately, Wang Tong registered that Ma Xiaoru's deadly force did not come out from her dantian alone, but also her tenacious body.
Wang Tong's mind raced, and suddenly he saw the gravity simulator. ”Physical training.” Wang Tong nodded slightly, ”That's what made her hit so much heavier than the others.”
Despite Ma Xiaoru's amenable appearance, the rigorous training had molded her into a fearsome fighter who was capable of executing the most physically demanding maneuvers and unleash GN forces of unmatched magnitudes.
Wang Tong could feel his throat dried by the fume of belligerence inside of him, making him thirst for more thrill of the battle. Truth be told, Ma Xiaoru was the strongest opponent Wang Tong had ever faced since he came back from Norton. Wang Ben could have taken that title if not for his failed operation.
Ma Xiaoru's second attack quickly ensued; it came so fast that Wang Tong had no time to evade, forcing him to block the assault at point blank.
Hu Yangxuan's breath was caught in his throat. He doubted that Wang Tong would be able to come out unharmed.
Wang Tong clumsily yanked his sword in an attempt to block the attack. The two swords clanked, and Ma Xiaoru stumbled back; her body shaken by the force of the impact. Wang Tong had countered her combo attack without much effort.
”Ma Xiaoru, please don't conserve your strength. Otherwise, you won't be able to defeat me.” Wang Tong stood proudly. Regardless of Ma Xiaoru's intention in conserving her power, it was not the fight he wanted.
”My apologies, fellow brother.” Seriousness flashed across Ma Xiaoru's face. The pain had finally awakened her from her infatuation, and she came to term with the fact that Wang Tong might be even stronger than her.
Ma Xiaoru struck again, this time she did it with full force. She infused her blade with GN power, and as it cut through the air, the edge stirred up an icy gale. The tip of the sword pulsated violently, making it impossible to block.
Wang Tong closed in, but instead of blocking, he maneuvered suddenly to his side. The sudden change in direction had caught Ma Xiaoru off guard, and her strike missed the target.
Before she had time to steady herself, she registered Wang Tong's counter attack as a wild gale brushed at the back of her neck.