Chapter 86: Huge's Envy
Crisscrossing sword scars lay before Huge. Though he appeared relaxed while holding the black flame sword, he knew the situation well. After fighting until now, the enemy's speed had dropped by at least half. Under these circumstances, even in close combat, he couldn't gain an advantage. Once that ability was countered, and with the black flame giant unable to recover, the situation would become very unfavorable.
With a tearing sound, the black flame sword slashed across Su Xiao's shoulder. He didn't care about this injury at all. This was already the fourth time he had been paralyzed. The paralysis duration was so long that even if he entered a spatial penetration state, he couldn't fully endure through it.
If it happened just once more, the paralysis would last at least two seconds. Once that situation occurred, the battle would be over. Giving an enemy like Huge more than two seconds to attack with full force, Su Xiao didn't think he could withstand it.
Just now, Su Xiao had roughly figured out what that sudden numbness was all about.
The biggest problem lay in the scattered black flames around the area. Something was using these flames as a medium to move.
After leaving Huge's body, these black flames became "independent entities." The black flames themselves weren't the key point; the key was that "object" which could only appear within the black flames and could move through them.
This "object" had some characteristics of a living thing. Its body was inanimate, but its soul was alive. It was this thing affecting Su Xiao, causing him to suddenly enter a paralyzed state.
Moreover, there was some connection between Su Xiao and that object. Based on his speculation, it was likely formed at the start of the battle when he was burned by the black flames.
Huge was willing to endure the Blood Beast's attack and temporarily lose the black flame giant's assistance just to spread black flames across the peak. This was the reason. He was setting up a "big net," and this "net" was closing in at a steady pace.
In Su Xiao's view, fighting Huge was actually quite interesting. If one's combat intelligence was insufficient, they would eventually be caught by the opponent's opportunity and bombarded to death.
Su Xiao only had one chance. When that "object" controlled him, it would briefly appear within some black flame. It couldn't be sensed or seen with the naked eye, but when it paralyzed him, if he focused his perception, he could feel the "object's" location for an instant.
The current situation was that Huge wouldn't easily use that ability again. As long as that "object" persisted, Su Xiao's speed would be greatly reduced. For Huge, this was a significant advantage. If he could stall until the black flame giant recovered, his winning chance would be over ninety percent.
Several sword scars were distributed across Su Xiao's chest. Black flames still burned on the wounds, continuously causing soul damage.
Huge's speed was increasing, but he was the type to know when to stop. Huge clearly understood in his heart that comparing techniques with Su Xiao made him a mere junior. The reason he could fight Su Xiao in close combat was mainly due to the Soul Puppet. Without the Soul Puppet's influence, he could only honestly manipulate black flames from a distance.
The black flame sword slashed several afterimages in front of Su Xiao. Though his speed had drastically decreased, his close combat experience was rich enough.
Ding!
Sparks flew. Su Xiao slashed the black flame sword away with his blade. The difference in strength forced Huge to step back half a step. That half step nearly cost him his life.
A flaw.
Su Xiao kicked straight forward. Due to his greatly reduced speed, he was enveloped by the surging black flames.
Bang!
Within the black flames, Su Xiao's kick landed on Huge's chest. In an instant, Huge seemed to hear all the muscles in his body "wailing."
Most of Huge's body went numb. The sharp blade tip approached before his eyes.
The blade tip abruptly stopped before Huge's brow. Su Xiao was paralyzed again. Just as Huge was about to leap back, he felt a sharp pain in his chest.
With a bang, the flesh on Huge's chest exploded, leaving a bowl-sized bloody hole. In the next moment, a similarly sized hole burst open on Su Xiao's chest.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Huge covered his mouth with one hand, coughing loudly as blood gushed from between his fingers.
Huge shifted his gaze to a patch of black flames over ten meters away. A puppet about half a meter tall collapsed within the black flames, its chest pierced by Banishment.
'Good thing it didn't pierce through.'
This thought appeared in Su Xiao's mind. Huge, who was coughing continuously, had the same thought. If it had pierced through, the joke would have been too big—both sides would have died together.
The Soul Puppet was destroyed. Huge felt regret. In another five minutes, he could have extracted part of his soul from the Soul Puppet. At that point, destroying the Soul Puppet wouldn't reflect the injury back to the enemy but would instead plunge the enemy into prolonged soul paralysis.
With a whoosh, the black flame giant appeared behind Huge. Huge shook the blood from his hand. He was heavily injured, but fortunately, the enemy wasn't much better off.
"You... that... what was that thing?"
Huge's face showed obvious astonishment because the bloody hole on Su Xiao's chest had disappeared. If not for the torn clothing, there would be no sign he was injured.
In that instant, Huge admitted he was envious.
Su Xiao tossed aside the used injection gun. This was the [Honor Recovery Potion (Sixth Rank)], his strongest recovery potion.
[Announcement: Combatant Quanyu (Feather Race) has fallen. Mont (Demon Race) temporarily holds Overlord Medal ×2.]
[Announcement: With only three combatants remaining, combatant Mont (Demon Race) has submitted Overlord Medal ×2.]
[Announcement: Mont (Demon Race) has taken the last place in this Strongest Warrior Tournament.]
[Announcement: Mont (Demon Race) has obtained the Origin Stone!]
...
Seeing this announcement, Su Xiao knew that Mont had defeated Quanyu and killed him. Although victorious, Mont's injuries should also be severe.
Counting Mont, only three combatants remained. After Mont submitted his held Overlord Medals to the Void Tree, he became the last place (third place).
Huge also received the announcement. If there were two among the ten combatants unwilling to be second place, it would be Su Xiao and Huge.
Only three known Black Maple Trees existed in the void. One was at the lowest level of the Black Abyss, owned by the Blade Demon. The second was guarded by the Abyssal Dragon, located in a remote part of the void.
The last one was on Arcane Eternal Star. For spellcasters, the Black Maple Tree was indeed precious, but not an entirely unattainable resource. Given Huge's status in Arcane Eternal Star and his personal growth potential, as long as he made certain contributions, it was entirely possible to obtain Black Maple Tree branches.
As for the [Origin Stone], Huge had never even heard of it. His original plan was to first fight Su Xiao. If he could win, he'd take the first-place reward. If he couldn't win, the first place would naturally go to the victor Su Xiao, the second place to Mont (the old demons needed Black Maple Tree branches to extend their lives), and he himself would take the last place and claim the Origin Stone.
Huge never expected Quanyu to be so fragile that Mont directly killed him.
This result left Huge very frustrated. Ironically, 99.99% of void races would covet the Black Maple Tree branches, but at this moment, neither Su Xiao nor Huge particularly wanted them. One had his own tree at home and could use it freely, while the other's faction had one, and he could obtain it with some effort.
"Fate... truly is an interesting thing."
The black smoke on Huge's body burst into flames. The black flame giant behind him drew its bow and nocked an arrow. With a bang, a black flame arrow left the string.