Chapter 51: Exhilarating
With a booming crash, Ironfeather King stomped down, the shockwave spreading from him as the epicenter. Su Xiao, who had just completed his spatial penetration, was pushed back by the impact. His longsword, originally aimed at piercing Ironfeather King, could only slash out a blade aura in a feint.
A metallic clang rang out as the hooked-blade spear shattered the blade aura. The next moment, Ironfeather King took a step back, gripping his spear with both hands. His eyes locked onto Su Xiao as the hooked-blade spear suddenly thrust forward.
The overwhelming, domineering aura made the hairs on Su Xiao's body stand on end. He absolutely could not retreat now. If he did... he would die!
The hooked-blade spear pierced through the air with a sonic boom, louder than the thunderclaps in the sky.
*Blade Path Sword: Time.*
*Thump!*
Everything around slowed down. Su Xiao no longer needed to stab his longsword into the ground to use *Blade Path Sword: Time*, which had been a major flaw. After his arduous training in the Land of All Beings, he could now activate it simply by holding the longsword horizontally in front of him.
The rapidly thrusting hooked-blade spear suddenly slowed as it entered the domain of *Time*. Sensing this, Ironfeather King immediately withdrew his spear. Unfortunately, he was 0.01 seconds too slow. That was the opening.
Su Xiao surged forward two steps, closing the distance to just two meters. Although the hooked-blade spear was long, its effective range without emitting a spear aura was only about three to four meters.
*Blade Path Sword: Extreme.*
The longsword slashed downward. Ironfeather King had no choice but to pull back his spear to block.
*Clang!*
Sparks flew high into the air. Ironfeather King grunted in pain. *Extreme* was no easy blow to withstand.
Seizing the moment when Ironfeather King was knocked back half a step, Su Xiao sheathed his longsword and began a brief power-up. If Ironfeather King mishandled the situation, among the next ten-plus slashes, the seventh or eighth would have a chance to sever Ironfeather King's head.
The longsword was drawn, and a cyan-blue blade aura shot out. Su Xiao simultaneously unleashed three Azure Demons.
Sharpness, saturated with bloodlust—that was the impression Su Xiao gave Ironfeather King. The exhilarating exchange of techniques had rekindled the fire in Ironfeather King's "cold" blood.
Blood burning, a faint red gleam appeared in Ironfeather King's pupils. He was no kindly old man; he was a conqueror on the battlefield. The number of people he had killed was in the hundreds of thousands, if not more.
"Ha!"
Ironfeather King roared, sweeping his hooked-blade spear horizontally.
A circular spear aura suddenly expanded, passing just over Su Xiao's head. At that moment, Su Xiao had his left foot forward and one hand pressed to the ground. That was... close. A fraction of a second slower, and his upper body would have been cleaved off.
"My blood is boiling, Bai Ye!"
Ironfeather King shouted, leaping low. After spinning once in midair, he completed his power-up. Gripping the hooked-blade spear with both hands, he brought it down in a nearly brutal overhead strike.
*Thump!*
Dirt exploded beside Su Xiao as he sidestepped. The flying soil struck his face, stinging painfully.
The moment Su Xiao landed, the hooked-blade spear thrust toward him, aiming straight for his head.
Su Xiao tilted his head slightly, dodging the spear. But Ironfeather King twisted the shaft and pulled back. The straight hook below the spear blade shot toward Su Xiao's nape. The thrust and the hook had been planned from the moment Ironfeather King brought the spear down.
Dodging was now clearly impossible. Taking advantage of the opening created by Ironfeather King's thrust, Su Xiao lunged forward.
Facing Su Xiao's ferocious aura, Ironfeather King abandoned the idea of dragging back his spear. Instead, he reversed the shaft, swinging the butt end toward Su Xiao.
With a tearing sound, the longsword sliced along the spear's butt end. Just as the blade and shaft were about to separate, Su Xiao suddenly increased the force in his grip.
A strong vibration traveled through the metal shaft into Ironfeather King's hands. For a moment, his hooked-blade spear nearly slipped from his grasp.
*Hummm~*
The spear blade vibrated. Ironfeather King released the spear, raised his hand, and slapped the shaft with full force while bending low.
With a whoosh, the hooked-blade spear spun. The blade swept over Ironfeather King's head, heading straight for Su Xiao.
Su Xiao slashed forward with all his might. With a loud crash, the hooked-blade spear was sent flying upward.
*Boom!*
A sharp pain shot through Su Xiao's abdomen, sending him flying backward.
Ironfeather King leaped high. But just as he grabbed the hooked-blade spear, Banishment suddenly thrust toward him.
Every exchange between the two was fraught with hidden killing intent. Su Xiao was like this, and so was Ironfeather King.
*Pfft.*
Banishment sank into Ironfeather King's chest, immediately splitting apart and heading for his heart and lungs.
Midair, Ironfeather King held the hooked-blade spear in his left hand, raised his right hand, and slapped his own chest with full force.
With a dull thud, a large section of Ironfeather King's chest caved in. The fragmented form of Banishment pierced through his back, all of it forced out of his body by the slap.
Ironfeather King landed. Blood gradually soaked through his loose clothing. From releasing the spear, slapping the shaft, to finally kicking Su Xiao away, it had been nonstop. Moreover, when Su Xiao landed, Ironfeather King had other killing moves waiting, but Banishment had interrupted them.
Both Su Xiao and Ironfeather King were wounded. However, given their vitality, injuries of this degree were nothing.
Su Xiao crouched several dozen meters away. Blood dripped from his chin. He became even more vigilant. In a battle of techniques like this, it wouldn't drag on for days or hours. At the fastest, it could be decided in tens of seconds or within half an hour.
Dragon-Slaying Flash was sheathed. Su Xiao gripped the hilt with his right hand and the scabbard with his left, holding the blade horizontally in front of him. Cyan Steel Shadow Energy enveloped the sheathed sword, turning it a dark blue. Su Xiao's aura grew sharper—this was the starting stance of Absolute Shadow Flash.
"Absolute Shadow..."
Su Xiao vanished from his spot, reappearing in front of Ironfeather King.
*Clang!*
Dragon-Slaying Flash was deflected by the spear. Absolute Shadow Flash was interrupted, but that was what Su Xiao wanted. He had never intended to clash ultimate moves with Ironfeather King. Ironfeather King wouldn't do that, and neither would Su Xiao. He used Absolute Shadow Flash only to create a "flaw," because his Dragon Shadow Flash ability had recovered, allowing him to penetrate space again.
Su Xiao staggered back. His longsword uncontrollably rose, leaving him wide open.
With a bang, Ironfeather King leaped backward. Against an ordinary enemy, he would have thrust his spear into the opening. But he didn't. That was the mark of a Spear Grandmaster.
"Heh."
A smile appeared on Su Xiao's face. His feigned opening had been seen through. After all, his opponent was a Spear Grandmaster.
The moment Ironfeather King landed, he began gathering power. Sensing Ironfeather King's increasingly dangerous aura, Su Xiao vanished again. He absolutely could not let Ironfeather King unleash the technique he was charging. Absolutely not.
In a critical moment, Su Xiao lunged forward with a thrust. When he was three meters from Ironfeather King, the latter interrupted his charging technique and swung his spear.
*Clang!*
The spear blade and sword edge clashed. Su Xiao used the momentum to fly backward. But Ironfeather King had already swept his spear upward.
*Clang!*
Su Xiao lost his balance. That "mistake" in the forward thrust had put him in a complete "disadvantage."
Ironfeather King went berserk, unleashing a barrage of spear techniques. He seemed determined to shred Su Xiao to pieces before he could land.
Blade and spear clashed continuously. After blocking over a dozen strikes, Su Xiao's right arm began to go numb.
*War Soul: Vertical.*
Ironfeather King crouched low, executing a seemingly ordinary horizontal spear sweep. But as the spear swept out, blood flames ignited on the hooked-blade spear.
*Whoosh!*
All the maple trees within a hundred meters shattered. The fallen leaves on the ground turned to powder.
Ironfeather King's move was terrifying, but it couldn't harm Su Xiao, who was in a spatial penetration state.
Su Xiao suddenly appeared behind Ironfeather King, slashing with his longsword.
*Clang!*
The blade was blocked by the metal shaft. Just as Ironfeather King prepared to spin and sweep, Su Xiao appeared in front of him. After breaking through the third limit, Dragon Shadow Flash could be forcibly used, though the cooldown would be greatly extended for a time.
*Pfft.*
The longsword cut across Ironfeather King's throat. But he acted as if unharmed, thrusting his hooked-blade spear at Su Xiao's head.
The spear blade rapidly approached. Su Xiao didn't dodge or evade. Instead, he countered with a slash at Ironfeather King's head.
*Pfft!*
The spear blade grazed past Su Xiao's neck, leaving a deep gash on his side. Dragon-Slashing Flash also cut across Ironfeather King's face, but it didn't reach his brain.
This trade of injuries seemed to favor Su Xiao as the heavier loser. But to him, it was worth it. This was the key to victory—the most crucial slash of the battle.
*War Soul: Crimson Iron.*
*Blade Path Sword: Extreme.*
The longsword and spear blade collided. A shockwave surged. Blood sprayed. Both Su Xiao and Ironfeather King stepped back.
The moment Ironfeather King took that step, a ringing sound filled his mind. Just now, Su Xiao had attached a micro-sized Banishment to the tip of his blade, using the slash to let it invade Ironfeather King's head.
Seizing Ironfeather King's brief moment of disorientation, Su Xiao raised his blade and slashed at his neck.
*Clang!*
The blade left a cut on the metal shaft. Even in his dazed state, Ironfeather King instinctively blocked with the shaft. What terrifying combat instinct.
A red gleam flickered on the tip of Dragon-Slashing Flash. It pierced Ironfeather King's chest, directly through his heart.
*Click~*
Cracks suddenly appeared on the hooked-blade spear. Then it shattered with a bang. Several metal fragments embedded themselves in Su Xiao's body.
Su Xiao stepped back. Dragon-Slashing Flash was pulled from Ironfeather King's chest. Just as he prepared to continue with a flurry of slashes, a stabbing pain came from his chest cavity, freezing his body.
Ironfeather King held the upper half of the broken spear. The hook blade was gone, leaving only the tip.
*Blade Path Sword: Azure Demon.*
A cyan-blue blade aura shot out, sweeping across Ironfeather King's head and slicing off a piece of his skull. Despite this injury, Ironfeather King didn't fall. He swung the half-spear horizontally, sending out a blood-red spear aura.
A gleam seemed to shine in Ironfeather King's eyes. He had seized the opportunity. If he could push Su Xiao back three more steps, victory would be his.
With a tearing sound, blood splashed from Su Xiao's chest. But he grabbed at the blood in midair.
Using the blood in his hand, a fist-sized Blood Beast formed. He hurled the miniature Blood Beast.
"Roar!"
Though small, the Blood Beast's aura was astonishing. It lunged straight at Ironfeather King's face.
*Boom!*
Blood energy exploded. Ironfeather King's head tilted back.
Su Xiao stepped forward. Dark blue smoke rose from Dragon-Slashing Flash.
*Blade Path Sword: Demon Blade!*
The longsword left a dark blue trail in the air, finally cutting across Ironfeather King's chest.
Ironfeather King stood still. The broken spear slipped from his hand, clattering to the ground.
"Truly... exhilarating."
With those words, Ironfeather King fell. Maple leaves scattered.
Su Xiao gasped for breath. His health was down to 16.8%. He had won because, during the head-on clash, he attached a micro-sized Banishment to his blade, using the strike to let it invade Ironfeather King's head.
Without that opportunity, if they had continued fighting, there was an eighty percent chance Su Xiao would have died. Ironfeather King's hooked-blade spear was simply too difficult to block. As for using a flashy, improvised move to kill him—like pinching the blade with two fingers to extend its range—don't be ridiculous. Such tricks worked wonders against rare opponents, but against Ironfeather King, he had to fight steadily.
Every slash Su Xiao made required him to consider subsequent variations and how Ironfeather King would counter. Both were Grandmaster-level technique users. If Su Xiao dared to use such a flashy move, Ironfeather King would unceremoniously take his head.
In the maple forest, Su Xiao flicked the blood off his blade, then sheathed his longsword. A cold wind blew, drying the fine sweat on his body. A slight chill spread over him, and he let out a long breath. Fighting Ironfeather King had been exhilarating for him as well.
Ironfeather King... slain!