Chapter 4: The Slaughter Blade
Linley turned his head to look at his younger brother, smiling as he said, "Wharton, challenging someone of that strength directly—you seem quite confident."
Wharton said confidently, "Relax, big brother. Among those of the same rank, when have we Dragonblood Warriors ever feared anyone?"
"You should have that confidence."
Linley glanced at the distant figure of Blumer disappearing around a corner. "That Blumer—I noticed the sword on him earlier. It seems a bit special."
"Yeah, Blumer's sword is fast. Back during the selection for registered disciples, he was famous for his swift sword. But if the sword is fast, the attack power naturally won't be too strong. He can beat normal ninth-rank experts, but with my defense, even if he stabs me, he probably can't break through it." Wharton was utterly confident. "Back then, if the registered disciple selection had been a one-on-one challenge to determine the final victor, the final pick probably wouldn't have been him."
Linley smiled and patted Wharton on the shoulder. "Alright, what are the War God's Sect's registered disciples anyway? Let's go back."
As members of the ultimate warrior clan, Linley and Wharton had grown up with a sense of pride.
*******
Blumer quickly reported the challenge to the Emperor, 'Joan.' His Majesty Joan sent someone to ask Wharton if the matter was true. Once he confirmed it, Joan immediately ordered preparations for this duel, representing two great geniuses.
Especially after news of the duel spread, the entire imperial capital's populace grew excited.
One was a personally taught disciple of the War God, a ninth-rank expert, Blumer.
The other was a member of the Dragonblood Warrior clan, a genius of the O'Brien Academy, Wharton!
Most importantly—
Both geniuses were said to be fond of the Empire's Seventh Princess. With people's natural love for gossip, they readily assumed the two were dueling for the princess's favor. All sorts of rumors about Wharton, Blumer, and Nina began spreading through the streets and alleys of the imperial capital.
In the eastern district of the capital, at the Fushi Road Earl's mansion, in the training grounds at the back.
Linley and Wharton stood at opposite ends of the training ground. In the distance, the steward Hill, Hillman, Barker, and a group of others were watching.
For the duel on the 24th, Wharton was determined to win.
Linley looked straight at Wharton. "Wharton, since that Blumer is famous for his fast sword, I'll use a fast sword to spar with you now. Don't hold back at all—use all your strength."
"Yes, big brother." Wharton, bare-chested, began his transformation directly.
Cyan dragon scales covered Wharton's entire body, including his hands and feet, and his nails grew sharp. A dragon tail emerged from his rear, and a dragon horn appeared on his forehead.
His eyes were black, though occasionally a glint of gold flashed through them.
"So this is the true form of the clan's Dragonblood Warrior transformation." Linley saw his brother's transformation and sighed inwardly, then shouted, "Wharton, go all out. Now!"
"Got it."
Wharton's eyes lit up. His powerful legs stomped hard against the ground, leaving a hole in it. With a blur, he charged at Linley, both hands gripping the bloodstained war blade, Slaughter.
"Lifting the light as if it were heavy!" Linley's Bloodviolet Godsword, seeming as heavy as ten thousand jun, moved slowly to block the war blade Slaughter. Yet, deceptively, it intercepted the blade.
"Bang!" The two forces collided.
Linley felt as if he'd been struck by a massive meteor; the astonishing impact transmitted directly through the Bloodviolet Godsword.
"His strength is indeed monstrous. A normal swing matches the power of my 'lifting the light as if it were heavy' in human form." Linley admired inwardly. The Dragonblood Warrior's strength was truly terrifying.
Linley spun his body like a whirlwind, easily dodging Wharton.
"Swish!"
Nine streaks of purple light flashed. This was merely the ordinary speed of the Bloodviolet Godsword. In Linley's view, Blumer's fast sword would be impressive if it reached the Bloodviolet Softsword's normal level.
Wharton tapped his toes and retreated swiftly, simultaneously using the war blade Slaughter to block Linley's attacks at high speed.
But he only managed to block six of the sword lights. Linley still landed three consecutive stabs on Wharton's body. This was Linley's normal attack in human form.
"Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!"
Three metallic sounds rang out. The cyan scales on Wharton's body only showed three white spots.
"Haha... Wharton, it seems if I don't use some real strength, I can't even hurt you." Linley laughed heartily, feeling very pleased.
Wharton looked seriously at his big brother. "Big brother, go all out."
In human form, Linley was only at the early ninth rank.
But Wharton, after transforming, was a ninth-rank peak Dragonblood Warrior. His strength, battle qi, and defense all far surpassed Linley's.
"Master, if you hold back any more, you'll be getting pushed around by Wharton," Gates shouted from the side.
Linley shook his head with a faint smile.
"Wharton, be careful."
Linley's expression turned serious. He moved at extreme speed, and the entire training ground seemed to be filled with a gale. Linley's speed reached a terrifying level.
"Whoosh!" The Bloodviolet Godsword slashed directly at Wharton, even carrying the surrounding spatial pressure toward him.
Momentum!
Wharton felt unprecedented pressure, but facing such a predicament only stirred his battle-hungry blood. With a low growl, he erupted with his Dragonblood battle qi, unleashing a violent force through the war blade Slaughter—
"Zzzz—"
It tore through the locked space and collided directly with Linley's Bloodviolet Godsword.
But Linley's Bloodviolet Godsword trembled, instantly transforming into six sword shadows. At such close range, Wharton couldn't block with the war blade Slaughter in time.
"Ha!" Wharton clenched his left hand into a fist, its surface flowing with cyan light. The fist, as big as a sandbag, shot directly at the approaching shadows.
"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"
The six sword shadows materialized again. The Bloodviolet Godsword stabbed directly into Wharton's body. The terrifying penetrating force made Wharton's body shudder.
Lifting the light as if it were heavy! Fast as lightning!
In the blink of an eye, Linley stabbed four times in the same spot on Wharton's body. The consecutive attacks pierced through Wharton's battle qi and scale defense, touching the surface of his skin and flesh.
Having broken through the scales, Linley immediately withdrew his sword and retreated.
Wharton stood there stunned, then looked up at Linley in disbelief. "Big brother, how are you so fast?" Even he couldn't react in time, showing how brief the moment was. Yet Linley had delivered four stabs in that short span.
"This is called fast? If I reach my limit, even in this state, I can deliver six stabs in a row. This is pure speed, nothing profound. But if I use Wind Ripple..." A hint of a smile appeared at the corner of Linley's mouth. "In an instant, I can deliver hundreds of stabs, or even more!"
Where there is wind, there is the sword.
The terror of Wind Ripple lies in its speed—as fast as teleportation. But at that speed, each stab's power can't be too strong. Yet hundreds of stabs accumulated are still astonishing.
"Hundreds of stabs?" Wharton was shocked. "Well... it's a good thing Blumer's speed is far from yours. If he were that fast, I'd just concede."
"Don't harbor any wishful thinking." Linley scolded coldly. "Wharton, do you know Blumer's top speed?"
"No... I don't know." Wharton shook his head.
"Attack me with your strongest move," Linley said seriously.
"Yes, big brother." Wharton also grew solemn. "This move is one I created after comprehending 'lifting the heavy as if it were light.' I call it 'One Blade, Certain Death.'" Wharton gripped the war blade Slaughter with both hands, its edge gleaming with a cold metallic sheen.
Linley had a faint smile.
"The name has quite a killing aura." Linley held the Bloodviolet Godsword with one hand.
"Whoosh!" Wharton's speed reached its limit in an instant. In the blink of an eye, he was before Linley. The war blade Slaughter, like a drifting leaf, 'floated' toward Linley.
It seemed slow, yet in a blur, it was right in front of Linley. Facing this blade, Linley felt a bloody, violent aura.
Linley dared not be careless.
"Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!"...
Linley, like the sun, radiated countless purple lights. The purple sword beams struck the war blade 'Slaughter' at extreme speed. The terrifying attack power originally contained in the blade was completely neutralized under the impact of the countless purple lights.
"Bang!" The war blade Slaughter was knocked away. Wharton himself was struck by several purple sword shadows and sent flying.
Wharton coughed twice, rubbed his chest, and stood up.
"Not bad. The power is impressive," Linley remarked. "It took sixteen consecutive stabs to neutralize your attack." Using Wind Ripple, each stab's power was reduced.
In truth, if Linley used a full-power stab, its attack power would probably be about a quarter of Wharton's slash.
Theoretically, four full-power stabs from Linley would be enough to block the opponent's attack.
"By all logic, no ninth-rank expert should be your match. Unless the opponent is also an ultimate warrior, they might have a chance to fight you," Linley said.
"And," Linley looked at Wharton, "you need to learn to control your battle qi flexibly and shift your body. Try not to let the opponent strike the same spot multiple times."
Wharton nodded.
"Master," a guard ran in and reported respectfully, "Master, there's someone outside named Reno who says he's looking for Master Linley."
"Reno?" Linley's eyes lit up.
Linley forgot about continuing the discussion with his brother and rushed straight toward the mansion's main gate. He hadn't seen his fourth brother, 'Reno,' in nine years.
Reaching the front courtyard, Linley slowed his pace.
Looking at the figure at the gate, Linley felt as if a lifetime had passed. His most unrestrained youth had been spent with those three brothers—not blood brothers, but closer than kin. The four of them often went to Azure Heaven to drink and have fun.
Thinking back, how carefree it was.
And now, Reno—
Reno wore a simple robe, but his posture was straight. Long years in the military had given him a soldier's unique bearing. And now, Reno was also nearly 1.9 meters tall.
"Fourth brother!"
Reno, who had been waiting at the gate, heard the voice and looked over. His eyes lit up. The Linley of now was different from the past—the once dazzling genius had become more restrained and steady. "Third brother!"
"Haha..."
The two brothers rushed together and embraced in a bear hug.
"I never expected you to join the military, fourth brother. It's been almost seven or eight years, hasn't it? Standing at the gate just now, I almost didn't recognize you. I was wondering which army officer had shown up here," Linley teased.
Reno punched Linley in the chest. "Third brother, damn it, I had no choice about joining the military. My old man forced me. What could I do?"
"Luckily, I'm on leave this time. Yale sent word that you'd probably reached the capital by now. I came back and figured I'd find you at your brother's place. And sure enough, here you are."
"Haha, come on, let's talk inside."
The good brothers, separated for nearly nine years, had a mountain of things to say. After nine years apart, the two youths of yesteryear were now accomplished young men.