Chapter 110

Chapter 110Breaking the moment, the rearguard cast spells on Trident, engulfing the three in light.

One spell increased physical strength.

One spell enhanced dexterity.

One spell reinforced weapons.

One spell sharpened senses.

One spell amplified destructive power.

One spell could protect them from a single fatal attack.

In just a few seconds, dozens of support spells were cast on the spearmen, explosively expanding their power. Leonard had never faced opponents who fought with proper magical support. He’d never even seen anything like it, and he couldn’t guess how much more powerful Tenth Degree External Force Tier martial artists could become with assistance from mages.

Here they come.

The one standing in the middle took half a step forward, his spear thrusting forward half a beat earlier. Even though his processing speed was tens of times faster now, it didn’t cause any imbalance, and his movements were still sharp.

Leonard was impressed, but he raised his swords too.

Cl—ang!

Even the sound of metal clashing had slowed down. And so, the fierce battle between the swordsman and the spearmen began.

Two swords versus three spears.

Five blades flashed with light as they weaved among each other like spiderwebs. Their movements were so swift and dizzying that there was no room for intricate strategies. The only thing they could do was trust in the martial arts skills and experience carved into their bodies.

It was a fight between warriors who already exceeded the standards of the External Force Tier significantly, though they had not yet reached the Transcendence Tier.

Trident. A very fitting name!

Leonard grinned. It had been a while since he had come across martial arts worth his attention. There was no name more suitable for a style including three spearmen.

With the triplet in the middle at the lead, the other two spearmen assisted and protected, making feints and moving unpredictably, creating an inescapable trap like the maw of a tiger.

Swish!

A spearhead grazed Leonard’s ear, slashing a few of his hairs, which fluttered away in the wind. Every single time he blocked or dodged a fatal blow from the main spear, there was a bothersome follow-up attack from one of the other two spears, as if they’d been waiting the whole time. Though the pattern itself was clear and simple, the triplets constantly changed their roles and positions, making it so that their opponent couldn’t read their movements. After spending decades together, there wasn’t a single thing out of place.

None of their techniques can be called sophisticated, but their moves are made up of combinations of basic movements that they have thoroughly refined, making their attacks nearly flawless. Very good.

Leonard was faster than Trident, even with their dozens of support spells. Yet his two swords could not break through the three spears.

Just like their perfectly coordinated attacks, the triplets’ defenses boasted the same mastery, and they stayed in place.

They were on equal footing.

...This boy is unfathomable. He’s impossibly talented.

Not only can he hold us off all by himself, we can’t gain a single edge. I fear what he will become.

He’s a monster under the guise of a genius. We have to kill him here.

The triplets’ training in martial arts and group tactics created something of an iron wall, which impressed Leonard, yet the sight of the boy with shining eyes instilled fear in them.

Their reaction was perfectly natural. Other than Masters, they had never come across an opponent who could single-handedly hold their own against them until this day.

Clang!

The three spears bled into a dark red in unison. Their Auras showed a clear intent to kill. Their fight was no longer simply an exchange of blows.

When Leonard saw, he ignited his own sword energy with a delighted expression on his face.

Five Elements Sword Qi

Nether Blade

Trident’s Aura used the fire element. So, he would face them with Black Tortoise Qi, which represented the water element.

Spears have a clear advantage against swords. A weapon that can one-sidedly hit from a larger distance is at least three times more effective.

But there was something that could be used alongside short-range weapons to negate that advantage: a shield. It could deflect jabs and knock spears aside, and it was the standard strategy when fighting spearmen. Leonard would use the Black Tortoise Form to protect himself.

And he would push forward relentlessly until his opponents were within range of his sword.

As soon as he raised his two swords and took a single step forward, a spear came flying in to stop him from getting closer.

Burning with the crimson Aura, the spearhead was seriously dangerous.

Though Leonard’s body was strong enough to withstand cuts from blades, he couldn’t let his guard down against opponents who used piercing attacks. Though they could possibly not penetrate all the way to his bones, they would pierce right through his skin and shred his muscles.

Therefore, he blocked it with his shield.

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Black Tortoise First Form: Soul Deflecting Shell Mirror

He smoothly drew a circle with the sword in his left hand, the black sword energy trailing behind his movements to create a shield.

A moment later, the spearhead hit its surface.

Clang!

It was deflected and made a strange sound. The triplet was taken by surprise, and he froze up. Leonard took another step forward and raised his sword.

The three of them, keenly aware of the importance of maintaining distance, swiftly prepared for their next move and attacked with their spears using the same strategy that had let them stay ahead thus far.

Three shards of light flew toward a single target.

It’ll be hard to block them all using the Soul Deflecting Mirror. That technique is typically only used to block individual attacks anyway.

There was a more effective Form that could be used when one was outnumbered.

His dual blades drew arcs resembling crescent moons. One moved clockwise, while the other moved counterclockwise.

People who used straight attacks such as jabs were extremely weak to attacks that came in from the side. If the spearhead was thrown even the slightest bit off course, it could ruin the aim.

Five Elements Style

Black Tortoise Ninth Form: Great Moon Anti-Yin Mirror

The attack aiming upward was thrown downward, and the attack aiming downward was thrown upward. The spears that would have pierced through his heart were knocked aside.

Clack! Clack!

The spears, which had been moving as if they were of one mind, tangled each other.

“What?!” the triplets exclaimed in unison.

Nothing like this had ever happened since they mastered their group tactics. Dumbfounded, all three pulled back their weapons. They had to retreat a few steps and regain control of this mess.

But they made a big, dangerous mistake by making their intentions visible to Leonard.

They were already within range of his swords.

Five Elements Style, Two Gods

East Azure Dragon and West White Tiger

Crazy Wind Swift Lightning

The Black Tortoise Qi fell back after being used for a shield, and two other types of energy ignited. He called the Azure Dragon into his right sword, and the White Tiger into his left sword.

One swift, one heavy.

One sword created a vortex as if it were a storm, while the other moved in succession and swung down to cut off their escape.

“Nghhh—!”

“Haaaa!”

“Guh!”

The combination would have already torn the average person into shreds, but Trident’s teamwork was truly exceptional.

They stacked their spears to block the swing of the White Tiger Form by distributing its force. And though they were bleeding from the injuries inflicted by the Azure Dragon Form, no arteries or vital points had been hit. The spells the mages had cast on them had surely done their part.

“You shouldn’t celebrate just yet.”

Leonard had one final trick up his sleeve. Trident wasn’t able to throw off all the force of Swift Lightning, leaving an opening. He invoked the dual principle.

Five Elements Style

Two Profound Divine Principles: Dragon Tiger Double Assault

The sword in his right hand cut off one of their heads, drenching another in blood. The White Tiger came down upon the second triplet, leaving only one to die a gruesome death.

“Ahhhhh—!!” the last remaining brother cried as he ran in, but considering how the three had lost as a team, there was nothing he could do by himself.

Leonard deflected the desperate attack of his spear, using the opening to stab him a single time. The final triplet collapsed over the bloody bodies of his brothers as the life left him.

Leonard calmly looked down at the pile of corpses. “Since the three of you died on the same day at the same time, your journey to the afterlife will not be lonely.”

With that word of farewell, he smoothly turned around and assumed a new stance.

The other explorers, shocked by Trident’s loss, were a little late to react to his movement.

That was a fatal mistake to make in front of someone as powerful as Leonard.

Five Elements Sword Qi

Flying Twin Thunder Swords

Before the mages could even finish speaking some short incantations, two bolts of lightning lit up in the darkness.

“High Class mages are quite dangerous, you know. I’ll kill you first.”

The lightning pierced through one Class 5 mage and even one Class 6 mage, instantly killing them with no room to recover. Even if they had tools such as healing artifacts, nothing could be done for a blow to the heart or brain. The defensive spells they usually had active were too weak to block a serious attack from Leonard.

Still, their deaths seemed to bring the explorers to their senses. They recreated their battle line, and attacks cast by the strongest members of the Rank A team came flying in from all directions.

“Chain Lightning!”

“Paralyze! Shit, why isn’t it working?!”

“He must have an artifact that protects him from afflictions! Focus on offensive spells, support spells, and terrain spells! You’ll die the moment you let your guard down!”

“Don’t mistake him for a greenhorn! He’s as strong as our captain!”

Leonard ripped through the net of lightning with a single swing of his sword and slowly gathered the mana inside him. He had long since recovered the energy he’d expended while fighting Trident by taking a few breaths. It wasn’t proper Breath Circulation, but it was enough.

At least I’ll never lose in a battle of attrition in this world.

As long as he didn’t excessively use an augmented energy shield or an Augmented Qi Shield, it was nearly impossible for him to run out of mana. Not only was energy deeply ingrained in his blood vessels, but the Five Elements True Dragon Ring, which beat in place of his heart, also absorbed and circulated mana fast. Just those two things went beyond the norm, but if Leonard reached the Transcendence Tier, it might no longer be appropriate to call him human.

He cut off the distracting thoughts.

“Here I come.” The boy lunged forward.

Five Elements and Six Divinities Art

Lunar Turtleback Art

Water Current Step

Water Current Step could break through attacks coming from all directions, so there was no technique more suitable for this battle. There was no one who piqued his interest like Trident had anyway, so he beat aside any explorers trying to block his way as he aimed for the rearguard.

He moved like flowing water, knocking down five or six people until he reached his target, a mage who was looking at him as if he were a ghost.

The mage’s head flew into the air. An explorer who would have cost tens of thousands of gold to hire thus died a futile death. The others, after failing to do their job, rushed Leonard’s backside in a panic. But before their weapons even reached him, Leonard raised his two swords and blocked their attack.

Five Elements Style

White Tiger Fifth Form Variation

Heavenly Steel Shockwave Tremor

When their blades met, there was an enormous shockwave.

The explorers, who were in close range, were hurled back by the explosion, some coughing up blood.

“Gah!”

“Cough!”

“Sh-Shock Bound?! No, it’s not. But how...?”

Heavenly Steel Wave was an intermediate-level internal energy technique that could only be used when the user made contact with the opponent’s weapon or the opponent themselves. Leonard had expanded the range, which made it weaker and left the targets with minor injuries instead of killing them instantly as the attack would in its original form. Still, it wasn’t bad.

Because shockwaves spread in a circular shape, it even pushed back the enemies trying to attack him from behind.

The range is too small. I should work on that.

The shockwave didn’t even travel ten meters before it fizzled out like a gale turning into a breeze. It was hardly effective as an attack to break an enemy’s formation.

Throughout the battle, Leonard had been testing out martial arts techniques that he had played through his head. No matter how prolific he was at embodying his Visualizations, he couldn’t replicate them perfectly in real life.

Luckily, he still had dozens of opponents left.

“—Hey, what’s with this mess?” a voice came from behind him. “You guys said you’d be fine without me, but you’re getting your asses beat?”

A chill went down Leonard’s spine. As soon as he felt it, he leaped forward and pivoted to point his sword at the newcomer.

He didn’t need to ask who it was.

Other than Pablo, there was only one other person in Moby Dick who could intimidate him.

“You will never be able to win this fight without me. Good grief.”

Four cutlasses clattered at the man’s waist, and he looked at the boy with striking eyes.

The man standing in front of Leonard was the perfect image of a vagabond swordsman. His demeanor made Leonard wonder why the man followed Pablo in the first place.

His frame was around the captain’s size, perhaps a little smaller, and he seemed to be in his mid-thirties, which made sense for someone in the Transcendence Tier. He made quite the sight, with his shaggy hair that resembled a bird’s nest and his armor that had been reduced to rags with its rips and tears.

“...Herman Melville.”

He was Moby Dick’s second-in-command, a man whose origins and abilities were shrouded in mystery.