Contrary to everyone's expectations, Huang reached behind him and pulled out a bow—a long, sleek, black weapon that nearly matched his height. As he gave a sharp jerk of his shoulders, his pristine white cape was dramatically flung into the air. In the same fluid motion, he nocked an arrow and released it, sending the cape soaring even higher.
The crowd was stunned. "What is he doing?" echoed across the arena, as disbelief washed over the spectators. Enjoy exclusive adventures from m-v l'-NovelFire
"A blind archer? This has to be a joke!"
"He's chosen the wrong opponent," someone scoffed. "Duan Da is going to close the gap so fast, he won't even have time to react."
Duan Da, seemingly sharing the crowd's skepticism, assessed the situation with the confidence of a seasoned warrior. A ranged fighter, he thought with a smirk. All I need to do is close the distance. With that, he pulled out his dagger and, after taking a deep breath, dashed toward Huang, his figure blurring with incredible speed.
To the crowd's surprise, Huang smiled beneath his mask and surged forward as well.
"What is he doing? He should be retreating, not charging!" someone in the audience questioned, confusion spreading like wildfire.
As the two closed in on each other, Huang unleashed a volley of arrows with unerring precision, each shot aimed directly at the advancing Duan Da. Despite the rapid pace of his attack, Huang continued moving forward, never breaking stride.
Duan Da, with the agility of a thunder leopard, dodged the first arrows with deft jumps, twisting his body in midair to avoid the deadly projectiles. But Huang was relentless—another series of arrows followed almost immediately, cutting off Duan Da's every escape route.
Duan Da twisted left and right, evading the first and second arrows with ease. When the third arrow came hurtling toward him, he realized he had no time to dodge. He raised his dagger to deflect it, but the force behind the shot was far greater than he anticipated. The impact pushed him back as he landed, the force of it vibrating through his arm.
Undeterred, Huang released yet another arrow as he continued to close the gap. This time, Duan Da gritted his teeth and gathered his energy for a counterattack. But as the arrow sped toward him, it seemed almost feeble—barely carrying any force at all. The light shot bounced off his dagger harmlessly, leaving him momentarily baffled.
"He can make power shots and simple shots look the same—what sorcery is this?" Duan Da thought, his mind racing as he tried to make sense of his opponent's tactics. Despite the chaos, Huang's momentum never wavered, his approach steady and unyielding.
In a desperate attempt to regain the upper hand, Duan Da scraped his dagger against the ground, creating an eerie sound meant to distract and intimidate. Then, with a burst of energy, he dashed forward again, his shoes flashing red as he activated his blood tool. Using his feline agility, he vanished from sight, reappearing behind Huang in a blur, ready for a lethal backstab.
"Huang is incredibly strong for a newcomer. But he's exerting so much focus—he shouldn't be able to hold on much longer," someone speculated, noting the intensity of Huang's concentration.
But in Huang's mind, the battle was already nearing its end. He had effectively caged the leopard, wounding not just Duan Da's body but his pride as well. Now was the time to strike the final blow, to end the hunt.
Duan Da was trapped in a spiral of confusion and despair. He couldn't comprehend how Huang seemed to anticipate his every move, almost as if he was ensnared in a web of fate that Huang had woven around him. Each attack Duan Da launched was met with a counter so precise, it felt as though Huang could see through him—like a giant, all-seeing eye was monitoring his every move.
The more he tried to break free, the more he found himself sinking into a quicksand of guilt and frustration. His senses, once sharp and reliable, now betrayed him, and he was left flailing in a relentless assault that bore no fruit.
Desperation gripped him, and he decided to increase his speed, launching a faster, more furious attack. But as he closed in, instead of landing a blow, his dagger was met with the resounding clash of Huang's bow. The impact echoed like a thunderclap, and before Duan Da could react, Huang's foot connected with his face in a vicious stomp.
The force of the stomp sent a shockwave rippling through the arena, drawing the attention of every spectator. Duan Da was thrown back, airborne from the sheer impact. But Huang didn't let him recover. In a blur, Huang vanished and reappeared above the falling Duan Da, delivering another brutal stomp that sent him crashing into the stage floor.
Huang didn't stop there. He descended like a bolt of lightning, his foot crashing down on Duan Da again and again. Each stomp was harder, more devastating than the last, driving Duan Da deeper into the ground. Duan Da, sprawled and broken on the floor, tried desperately to muster any strength he had left, but it was a futile effort.
The stomps reverberated through the arena like thunderclaps, the sound almost painful in its intensity.
The crowd was frozen in shock, witnessing a display of raw, primal brutality that was rarely seen in their world.
Just as suddenly as it began, the stomping stopped. In the silence that followed, the arrow Huang had shot into the air at the beginning of the fight descended from the sky, landing perfectly at his feet. The arrow carried the cape, which draped itself over Huang's shoulders as if guided by divine will.
Huang stood tall, his form radiating dominance, godly in its perfection, transcendent in its poise. He was s a conqueror, a force of nature. The spectators, who moments ago had been stunned into silence, erupted into cheers.
"Huang! Huang! Huang!"
"He's so cool! Look at him—like a real emperor!" a girl in the crowd screamed, her voice trembling with excitement.
"I need a replay of that match! How does he predict so perfectly? Can he see the future?" another spectator wondered aloud, awe in their voice.