Chapter 56: Not Bad
The small giant grabbed the Realm Severing Thread wrapped around his neck with one hand, exerting force to try and snap it. Finding the thread sturdy, he decisively abandoned that approach. Holding the sword hilt with one hand and gripping the blade with the other, he pulled downward as if cutting into his own palm.
Sizzle~
Sparks flew as scratches appeared on the armor of the small giant's palm, and the Realm Severing Thread tangled around the greatsword was released.
From this series of actions, it was clear how rich the small giant's combat experience was. Upon realizing he couldn't break free from the Realm Severing Thread, he immediately gave up futile struggles and prioritized freeing his weapon, ensuring he still had the power to fight.
Su Xiao tightened the Realm Severing Thread, leaning his body back. This time, the thread only bound the small giant's neck, pulled taut.
The sudden force made the small giant stumble a step. He lifted his toes, landing on his heels to maintain balance.
"Ha!"
The small giant roared, swinging his greatsword in a side slash toward Su Xiao, aiming to cut him in half.
Su Xiao suddenly released the Realm Severing Thread in his hand. Because the small giant's entire center of gravity was leaning back to resist the thread's pull, Su Xiao's sudden release caused the small giant to stagger back two steps, distorting his slash so it only cut diagonally upward.
The small giant no longer cared about the direction of his slash. What he needed now was to maintain his center of gravity. He absolutely could not fall; falling would mean death or at least severe injury. Size had its advantages, but also its disadvantages.
The small giant leaned forward to stabilize his center of gravity, but Su Xiao pulled the Realm Severing Thread again, using all his strength.
This pull, combined with the small giant's own forward momentum, caused his body to lean severely forward. With the thread strangling his neck, he ended up plummeting headfirst toward Su Xiao.
While his body was midair, the small giant arched his back, positioning the greatsword to block his left side. Su Xiao's left side held the Realm Severing Thread. If he wanted to slash at the small giant, he would have to strike from the right. Since Su Xiao and the small giant faced each other, Su Xiao's right was the small giant's left. The greatsword preemptively predicted Su Xiao's slash direction, a split-second judgment.
This instinctive defensive awareness could not be gained through training alone; it came only after countless life-and-death experiences.
In this situation, Su Xiao seemed to have only one choice: thrust his blade forward. But doing so carried high risk. If one strike didn't severely wound the small giant, the latter would seize the opportunity to counterattack.
The small giant's body plunged headfirst toward Su Xiao. In that instant, though their languages differed, combat itself was a language. Both were already engaged in a battle of combat intellect.
Should he suppress the small giant with a heavy side slash, or risk a thrust to inflict serious injury? This was the choice Su Xiao faced.
On the small giant's side, he closely observed Su Xiao's subtle movements. As soon as Su Xiao made the starting motion for a slash or thrust, he would execute the strategy he had already conceived to defend and then counterattack.
Su Xiao raised the Dragon-Slaying Flash to the side, as if preparing a side slash.
Seeing this, the small giant grinned beneath his helmet. But in the next moment, his smile vanished, though his eyes burned with excitement—the thrill of meeting a worthy opponent.
Su Xiao's blade-raising motion was merely a feint. The lethal strike was actually aimed at his lower body.
Su Xiao arched his body, stepping back with his left leg and leaning sideways. A force generated from the ground traveled through his right leg, into his waist, and finally to his left leg.
He kicked forward with all his might, much like kicking a soccer ball. But what he kicked was not a ball—it was the small giant's helmeted head. The small giant was already lunging forward, and as Su Xiao lifted his foot, the small giant seemed to offer his head for the kick.
Boom!
A dull thud echoed. The energy shield wrapped around Su Xiao's left leg shattered. Before the small giant could land headfirst, he was sent flying by the kick. His direction suddenly changed from forward to backward, and his entire body flipped midair once, showing just how powerful the kick was.
Blood gushed from the gaps in the helmet. A clear dent in the shape of a footprint was visible on the helmet's faceplate, and large cracks spread across the metal head.
A small giant five meters tall, clad in full armor, was kicked into a midair flip. What a shocking visual effect! The audience erupted.
But the battle wasn't over. The small giant landed with a thud. Despite such a heavy blow, he immediately performed a kip-up to his feet, grabbed his helmet, pressed the mechanism at his neck, and removed it.
The details of the small giant's face were now indistinguishable—his face was covered in blood, and a flat tooth had pierced through his lip. The only thing visible was his messy, long black hair.
The small giant gripped his helmet and hurled it toward Su Xiao. The lower half of the helmet still had the Realm Severing Thread wrapped around it.
Whoosh~
The metal helmet flew toward the advancing Su Xiao. He sidestepped with his upper body, dodging while continuing his forward charge. He casually released the Realm Severing Thread from under the helmet, retracting it as the high-speed spinning reel whirred.
In an instant, the two closed in again. Su Xiao was unscathed, while the small giant was in a state of severe concussion.
In the small giant's vision, Su Xiao now appeared as a blur. Helpless, he could only swing his sword in a horizontal slash forward.
Su Xiao didn't stop his charge; instead, he leaped into the air. The sweeping greatsword passed beneath his feet.
Normally, jumping during combat was inadvisable, but it depended on the situation. Right now, jumping was a good choice.
While dodging the horizontal slash, Su Xiao closed in on the small giant. Cyan Steel Shadow Energy clung to the blade of the Dragon-Slaying Flash.
He swung the blade in a side slash, wide and powerful.
Pfft.
The long blade cut through the small giant's side waist. One slash broke through armor and defense. Blood stained the Dragon-Slaying Flash as the blade entered near the abdomen and exited from the lower back—clean and decisive, a single cut through. The Light Gold quality, +12 enhanced Dragon-Slaying Flash was indeed that sharp.
Su Xiao didn't slash randomly. This cut severed the large muscle group on the small giant's side back, making it impossible for him to turn around now.
As the large muscle group on his side back was severed, the small giant knew he was finished. But in the next moment, excruciating pain spread through his body—the true damage from the Cyan Steel Shadow Energy. Moreover, the attached ability of Cyan Steel Shadow, Soul Electrocution, triggered.
Soul Electrocution: When Cyan Steel Shadow Energy burns an enemy's mana, there is a 12% chance to trigger one of three abnormal statuses: Paralysis, Immobilization, or Dizziness. The duration of the abnormal status is 0.2 to 3 seconds.
The small giant triggered Paralysis, lasting 0.6 seconds.
Su Xiao's figure crossed paths with the small giant, leaving a trail of blood droplets in the air. In the next moment, he turned around, facing the small giant's back.
Blade light flashed. Two slash marks appeared on the lower part of the small giant's thighs. These two cuts severed the tendons in both legs. As for why he didn't go for a decapitation—that was the advantage of size. Jumping earlier was fine, but now he absolutely could not leave the ground.
Thud. The small giant fell to his knees. The control effect of Soul Electrocution wore off. He propped himself up with one hand on the ground and turned his head to look at Su Xiao.
The blood-covered small giant smiled. As he smiled, he raised the arm holding the sword to the side and threw the greatsword backward with all his might—a full-power throw.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~
The high-speed spinning greatsword flew toward Su Xiao, wrapped in a layer of blood-red energy.
If this attack struck him head-on, Su Xiao would be dead or crippled. But he wouldn't be hurt by such an attack, no matter how strong the force.
A four-meter-high, three-meter-wide energy shield appeared in front of Su Xiao. He pressed one hand against the shield, his gaze fixed on the incoming greatsword. Just as the high-speed spinning blade was about to hit the shield, he tilted it.
Crack! The energy shield shattered. Su Xiao stepped back a few paces. The blood-red greatsword flew diagonally upward with a roar, eventually crashing into the protective barrier at the edge of the arena with a boom. Nearby spectators jumped up in fright.
The life-or-death strike failed. Would the small giant give up resistance? The answer was no. He curled his tongue, rolling the tooth that had pierced his lip into his mouth.
The small giant took a deep breath, his abdominal armor lifting slightly.
Ptoo!
The small giant expelled all the air from his lungs. Half of his tongue flew out. Compared to that half-tongue, the broken tooth was far more lethal.
Su Xiao tilted his head, his black hair flying, dodging the tooth that could have pierced his skull.
"Hahahaha."
The small giant burst into wild laughter. He hooked his hand into the chest armor, and with a creak, he forcibly pried off a small piece of metal. Clutching it in his hand, he used it as a weapon.
"Not bad."
Su Xiao smiled at the small giant. He stomped the ground beneath him, and the yellow sand exploded under his foot as he vanished from the spot.