Chapter 13: Tactics
Jose K. was very strong. His intelligence attribute was as high as 90 points, but his various abilities indicated that he was not particularly adept at one-on-one combat.
If Jose K. were thrown onto a battlefield, not only would the combat effectiveness of the soldiers around him skyrocket, making them fearless of death, but his development direction of Holy Power alone would allow him to wreak havoc on the battlefield.
According to Su Xiao's perception, Jose K. had generated at least hundreds of thousands of fine needles from his Holy Power. These needles were so small as to be invisible and were coated with a deadly poison.
If Jose K. used this ability on a battlefield, he would slaughter enemies in droves; even a minor injury would be fatal.
Years of fighting on battlefields meant Jose K. possessed extremely rich combat experience.
Facing such an enemy, the best way to engage was to break through a single point.
Loud crashes echoed within the castle. Su Xiao leaped between the walls, dodging the invisible fine needles.
Jose K.'s gaze remained fixed on Su Xiao. His goal was not to kill Su Xiao, but to buy time. If an opportunity arose, he certainly wouldn't hold back.
A large swarm of fine needles tracked Su Xiao. Although Su Xiao's dodging seemed clumsy, he was actually not in danger. Moreover, he discovered that the Azure Steel Shadow energy was extremely effective against Holy Power. As long as he coated his blade with Azure Steel Shadow energy, all the needles he cut would evaporate into thin air.
Compared to Su Xiao, Jose, standing in the distance, was suffering much more. Every time Su Xiao used Azure Steel Shadow energy to devour Holy Power, it felt like needles stabbing into Jose's forehead.
Su Xiao leaped up from a wall, thrust one hand into the ceiling, and hung his body in midair. The Counter Shield beside him expanded outward, deflecting a large number of fine needles.
Opportunity.
Su Xiao severed his connection with the Counter Shield and planted both feet on it.
With a bang, Su Xiao in midair charged straight at Jose K. As he surged forward, his long sword slashed repeatedly, cutting away large swaths of Holy Power needles.
Watching Su Xiao dive towards him, Jose K. raised his arm in front of his face and clenched his fist. A surge of Holy Power appeared above Su Xiao, forming an invisible giant arm.
This giant arm also clenched its fist and punched downward.
The position of this punch was extremely tricky. It wasn't aimed directly at Su Xiao, but rather predicted his forward trajectory. If Su Xiao continued his dive, he would definitely be hammered into the ground by this punch.
Su Xiao was in midair with no leverage. He immediately formed an energy shield with 20 points of strength in front of him, severed the energy link, and slapped his hand onto the energy shield.
Bang!
The energy shield exploded, and Su Xiao's forward momentum was reversed, sending him backward.
Boom!
The invisible fist smashed down, leaving a clear fist imprint in the marble floor.
Su Xiao landed in a crouch. The muscles in his legs bulged slightly, and the ground beneath his feet quickly cracked. The next moment, Su Xiao, breaking through a wave of air, disappeared from his spot, leaving crisscrossing cracks all over the surrounding floor.
"Hmm?"
Jose K. was somewhat surprised. He had already judged Su Xiao's direction of advance—straight towards him from the front.
One must know that in front of Jose K. were hundreds of thousands of hair-thin needles. These needles were suspended in the air, invisible to the naked eye. This was a trap.
A series of crisp sounds rang out. Su Xiao, wrapped in the Counter Shield, charged into the needles. He immediately felt a resistance, but he could still push forward.
The distance closed rapidly. Ten meters, eight meters, seven meters.
"So that's the plan. Too young."
Jose K.'s hand made a grasping motion in the air. The hundreds of thousands of hair-thin needles in front of him stabbed towards the Counter Shield, enveloping it.
Jose K. clenched both fists. Two giant arms formed from Holy Power appeared above Su Xiao. Although the Counter Shield blocked them, taking this hit would be far from pleasant.
The two giant fists, clasped together, hammered down at Su Xiao. The dome-shaped Counter Shield was smashed into the ground. Cracks appeared on the Counter Shield, and thousands of hair-thin needles drilled into it through these gaps.
"Not good!"
Jose K., standing in place, immediately tried to lunge forward, but a cold, sharp sensation came from behind him.
Puchi.
Blood splattered. Jose K.'s back was slashed open, revealing his pale white spine. His body was very tough, after all, his stamina attribute was as high as 88 points. If the Dragon-Slaying Flash hadn't been upgraded to Gold quality, significantly increasing its sharpness, it likely wouldn't have been able to break through Jose K.'s muscular defense.
Not only that, Jose K.'s intelligence attribute of 90 points only yielded 120 mana points. Where did the rest of his mana go? The answer was that it was converted into life force.
A stinging sensation spread inside Jose K. When the Azure Steel Shadow energy invaded his body, it didn't unleash very high true damage, because Jose K. didn't have much energy inside him; he tended to release his energy externally during combat.
Su Xiao, holding the long sword, was not inside the Counter Shield. The moment the Counter Shield was smashed into the ground, he had used the Dragon Shadow Flash ability to penetrate space and arrive at Jose K.'s side-rear.
After taking Su Xiao's slash, Jose K. was seriously injured. Even worse, a numbing sensation spread throughout his body, and now he couldn't even move a finger.
The Realm Severing Thread on Su Xiao's left arm shot out, precisely wrapping around Jose K.'s neck. He had just delivered a full-powered slash, and turning back for a second slash would clearly be a waste of time.
Hum~
The [Kinetic Combat Boots] on Su Xiao's right foot were covered in fiery red patterns. Kinetic Activation (Active) was triggered.
Kinetic Activation (Active): Quickly activates the Kinetic Combat Boots. After the internal micro-titanium variable kinetic device is activated, kick-type attack speed +15%, kick-type attack intensity +27%, and grants a Shatter effect.
...
At the same time, the Wood Spirit attached itself to the Kinetic Combat Boots and switched to attack mode.
Su Xiao lowered his body, shifting his center of gravity to his right leg. Power originated from the ground, traveled up his right leg, and ultimately gathered in his waist.
Su Xiao executed a side kick with his right leg. The power stored in his waist transmitted to his right leg, finally channeling all of it into his right foot.
Hum...
The core engine of the Kinetic Combat Boots overloaded. Su Xiao's right foot could even feel the high temperature generated by the 'Titanium Variable Kinetic Engine'.
At this moment, Su Xiao's movements seemed to slow down. His side kick directly struck Jose K.'s side. The clear sound of ribs breaking came, and fragments of torn muscle tissue slowly splattered into the air.
Time flow returned to normal.
Dong!
A blast of air spread out. Jose K. didn't even grunt; he was sent flying horizontally.
While kicking Jose K. away, Su Xiao flipped the Dragon-Slaying Flash in his hand, changing from a forward grip to a reverse grip. He crouched down and thrust the Dragon-Slaying Flash into the ground.
As the Dragon-Slaying Flash pierced the ground, Su Xiao, his left hand wrapped in a metal bracer, grabbed the Realm Severing Thread. Just before kicking Jose K. away, he had looped the Realm Severing Thread around the opponent's neck.
With a bang, gravel flew. Su Xiao was dragged forward by an extremely strong pulling force, but this force quickly disappeared. A head was cleanly severed by the Realm Severing Thread.
Boom, boom, boom...
A headless body crashed through several walls of the castle in succession, finally blasting out of the castle. It then immediately smashed through the courtyard wall, and after crashing through who knows how many civilian houses, the rumbling finally ceased.
A battle is not about comparing attributes, but about on-the-spot performance + combat IQ + combat literacy + terrain utilization + weapon usage + enemy-self analysis, etc.
If Jose K. was the king of group battles, then Su Xiao was the king of one-on-one duels. And now, the two were in a one-on-one fight.