Chapter 66: Wang Ben’s Double
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Tehrn
Some techniques, such as the one used by Skyscraper, were complicated enough so that it was impossible to be imitated, thereby, it narrowed down the possible origins of this mysterious fighter to one of the two groups: the Military and the Templar’s Court. Nowhere else would they train fighters to strike with their upper and lower limbs in such peculiar rhythm that made the attacks as deadly as it was unpredictable.
Wang Tong’s movement was faster. The moment Wang Tong caught his opponent’s knee bash with one hand; his free hand had delivered six blade-like arm strikes.
Six deadly strikes at the same time.
The tremendous force threw Skyscrapers into the air and shattered his METAL. When he thudded back onto the ground, he laid on a bed of what was left of his METAL suit.
Everyone’s breath was caught in their throat as they were wondering if the match had ended so quickly. Cheers erupted when Skyscrapers sprinted back to his feet and casually brushed away the remaining pieces of METAL suit still hanging on his cloth.
Wang Tong quickly conceded that it was not the METAL suit that had saved his life, it was his strength. A new-found curiosity flashed across Wang Tong’s eyes as he realized that his opponent was not just quick handed.
“You are as strong as they had said.” Skyscraper scratched his head. He narrowed his lips as if conceding certain fact, and then he said, “I will have to use weapons, should you permit.”
Wang Tong extended his arm toward the weapon rack and gestured Skyscraper to help himself to any weapon of his choice. Wang Tong was not worried even the slightest of losing the fight, for, his intention of fighting was not to win but to challenge himself. Skyscraper’s unconventional strike technique was refreshing, and Wang Tong was eager to find out what his opponent could muster up with a weapon.
Skyscraper removed a pair of curved blades. The glint of the sharp edge reflected in Wang Tong’s eyes. Skyscraper had chosen a pair of Alpha Blade. The curve of the blade mimicked that of the Skyscraper’s blade-like arm strike. The similarity quickly drew out the audiences’ speculation of his blade technique- the Aeromancer’s Bane. The blade-like arm strike was merely a dumb-downed version of the technique since the technique was meant to be used with blades. It went without saying that the pair of blades would breathe a new life into the already stunningly-powerful, blade-like arm strike.
Skyscraper dashed toward Wang Tong ferociously, his footwork was firm but nimble, revealing the strenuous training he had received, whose original was still a mystery.
When the attack landed, no one could see exactly what was happening. The pair of Alpha blades turned into a shapeless shadow under the lightning movement, and only the glint of their sharp edges flashed from time to time. The blade howled as each strike cut through the air like cutting open a fish’s belly. Wang Tong started to pull back to allow himself some time to get used to the unprecedented intensity. Nevertheless, he remained calm. Wang Tong knew that although his opponent’s attacks were deadlier than it had ever been, his techniques had remained the same.
Meanwhile in the real world, Wang Ben watched the screen unblinkingly. He paid particular attention to Wang Tong’s movements, reading the elusive intention within even the smallest maneuvers. Wang Tong’s movement was short but effective at dodging attacks; his positioning was intuitive but exhausted his opponent’s move effortlessly.
Wang Ben narrowed his eyes. “What a brilliant change of pace!” he murmured as he conceded that Wang Tong’s victory was evident. In a whim of anticipation, Wang Ben’s blood boiled, and he clenched his fists, “If only I could show him the Fist of the Racing Tiger.”
A wave of excited shouts erupted in the arena and pulled Wang Ben’s attention back to the heated match. He heard someone screaming, “The Aura!”
Wang Ben quickly noticed that the shapeless shadow caused by the movement of the Alpha blade had taken on a hue of yellow. The whir of the blades was also turning louder by the second.
On the giant screen above the arena, the soul energy readings sore up and eventually settled around one hundred and fifty-six. Beside the soul readings were the indicators of the strength of the attacks, converted into units of earth gravity “g”, and it was then sitting at 8g.
This intensity was beyond the level of GN force of any academy students. People quickly speculated that it was highly likely that this Skyscraper was a professional soldier, if not from a special unit.
It was common knowledge that the blade’s aura was deadly upon contact, so the audiences lamented over Wang Tong’s carelessness. Should Wang Tong have played it safe and wore a METAL suit, the advantage of the blade aura could be alleviated. But then in the arena, Wang Tong was left with only one option: evade the attack entirely. This disadvantage would undoubtedly turn the tide of the fight.
Skyscraper gradually forced Wang Tong into a corner and finally grasped an opportunity to unleash his coup de grace: The “X”.
As soon as Miao Xiu saw the familiar move of the “X”, he leaped out of his seat and shouted, “Hey! He was one of our special units!”
The special unit of the Templar’s Court was a base for training gifted humans: those that were born with supernatural abilities. There were rumors that they had recently recruited a freakishly strong student, who excelled at physical strength and speed.
This must be the Skyscraper.
If not because of Skyscraper’s older appearance that concealed his age, Miao Xiu would have recognized him as soon as he saw the blade’s aura.
Skyscraper was confident that he would end this fighter with his killing strike. No one could have escaped the attack that was infused with the power of the blade aura. The blade fell, and the edge glinted one last time as Wang Tong suddenly bore down on Skyscraper.
A blaring roar of a ferocious tiger.
A racing fist, that fished all.
When the deafening roar finally settled down, people saw Skyscraper lying on the ground, two curved blades scattered aside. Wang Ben leaped out of his chair, “The Fist of the Racing Tiger!”
With the loud roar still lingering inside of their eyes, the audience was dumbstruck. They had thought that no one should have come out of the “X” unharmed since it was impossible to evade the blade aura.
Wang Tong did not evade, he simply stroke back, and all it took was one punch to pin his opponent to the ground, face down.
“Can he still stand up?”
“What a strange match! Wasn’t he supposed to be a rookie? Yet, he was able to use the blade aura?”
“What aura? He is eating the dirt now.”
On the ground, the stoic face of Skyscraper finally held some painful expression. Slowly, he struggled to stand up, inch by inch. No one was breathing as they were cheering for him in their minds. Skyscraper’s face suddenly lost the last bit of expression, and he collapsed back onto the ground. The fight was over.
Wang Ben gritted his teeth, trying to contain his seething emotions. “The Fist of the Racing Tiger…” a few words escaped his mouth.
It was true that the TPA was full of surprises. First was Einherjar Wannabe, then it was Skyscraper who looked like 26 but was only 16. There were only a handful of fighters that could have achieved the blade aura at his age. But, he had lost the fight and was defeated by the even bigger mystery of TPA: Einherjar Wannabe.
This fight had opened the floodgates of speculations on online forums about the identity of the mysterious Einherjar Wannabe.
After all, not everyone could replicate their opponent’s renowned tactics after only seeing it once.
