novelno Chapter 1285 Battle
Chapter 1285 Battle
Lin Yi leaned against the pine tree trunk, placed Bubuwang under his armpits and beside his legs, then crossed his arms and comfortably leaned against it.
The rough texture of the tree bark pressed against his back through his clothes, and a few snowflakes hanging on the pine needles were shaken off by his movements, sliding down his collar and into his neck. The icy feeling made him shrink his neck slightly.
The snow in the center of the valley was stirred up by the three people's strength and flew everywhere.
Fine snowflakes were swirled up by the air currents, forming white vortexes in the air that enveloped the three figures. From Lin Yi's perspective, he could only see blurry outlines rapidly crisscrossing in the white snow curtain. Occasionally, flashes of sword light or flames would pierce through the snow curtain, drawing a dazzling bright line against the gray sky.
While they were attacking each other, they were all paying close attention to Lin Yi's direction.
Su Xiao's movement trajectory always remained in the middle of the valley and on the side away from Lin Yi. He never lingered in the direction of the pine forest for more than a second.
As the three fought, Hugh was the first to retreat deeper into the valley.
The moment Hugh retreated, Su Xiao's blade flashed towards Quan Yu.
Quan Yu dodged to the side, and the bluish-green blade of light grazed past his ear, severing a few strands of his silver-white hair, which then drifted away in the air.
Quan Yu did not pursue. His silver-white sword blade blocked Su Xiao's path, and then he leaped back several steps, creating a safe distance between himself and Su Xiao.
The three of them stopped moving at the same time within those few seconds, their eyes met briefly in the air, and then they all looked towards the depths of the valley.
The mountains in that direction were steeper than elsewhere, with almost vertical cliffs. Long icicles hung from the gray-black rock faces, swaying gently in the wind and clattering together with a clear, tinkling sound.
At the base of the mountain wall, there is an irregular gap, as if it was cracked from the inside by something. The rock wall at the edge of the gap curls outward in a radial pattern, and the gravel is scattered on the snow in front of the gap, mostly covered by the newly fallen snow, with only some blurry edges showing.
They wanted to fight, but didn't want to involve Lin Yi.
The valley was too narrow, with steep cliffs on both sides, and the aftershocks of the battle could easily reach the edges.
A pit a meter deep was formed, with pebbles and ice shards flying everywhere. Several pieces hit the tree trunk in front of Lin Yi with a dull thud.
If we continue playing here, there will eventually come a time when we can't stop.
It's not that they don't want to accept the attack; it's that at a certain stage of the battle, instinctive reactions override rational judgment. At that point, the attack is no longer the result of deliberate control, but rather an instinctive reaction made by the body under extreme tension.
That kind of attack holds nothing back, leaves no room for maneuver, and has only one purpose—to kill the opponent.
They won't be able to control themselves then, let alone pay attention to the direction and range of their attacks.
Therefore, they had to shift their battlefield.
The three figures eventually turned into three tiny black dots and disappeared into the shadows deep in the mountains.
The valley fell silent again.
Snowflakes fell from the sky, landing on the snow and mud crushed by the battle, layer upon layer covering and burying the traces of the fight.
Bubuwang stood up from beside Lin Yi's legs, its four legs on the snow, and trotted a few steps in the direction where Su Xiao had disappeared. Then it stopped, turned back to look at Lin Yi, and let out a low whimper.
"don’t worry."
Bubuwang has followed Su Xiao through so many worlds, seen Su Xiao besieged, seen Su Xiao being chased, seen Su Xiao being driven to the brink of despair, and seen Su Xiao lying in the ruins covered in blood.
But it never saw Su Xiao lose.
It's not that I've never lost, but that I've never truly lost.
In those battles, Su Xiao might be at a disadvantage for a period of time, be suppressed by his opponent at a certain stage, or be injured or even on the verge of death in a certain confrontation, but the final result would always be the same—Su Xiao would stand while his opponent would fall.
Bubuwang's tail swayed gently behind it, a sign that it was relaxing.
Lin Yi leaned against the tree trunk, his gaze fixed on the three directions that had disappeared into the depths of the valley.
He quickly reviewed the three men's combat strength and current status in his mind and came to a conclusion that surprised him somewhat.
Of the three, Quan Yu posed a greater threat to Su Xiao than Hugh.
This conclusion might seem unbelievable to outsiders.
But Lin Yi doesn't care about reputation, battle record, or those superficial things.
He only looked at the combat system. Although Hugh's black flames were powerful, his combat system had a fatal flaw when fighting Su Xiao—he was a spellcaster.
Spellcasters are inherently countered by spell destroyers; this is not a matter of strength, but a systemic counter.
The reason why spell destroyers are called spell destroyers is because their very existence is a negation of the spellcaster.
The annihilation effect of the power of the Blue Steel Shadow on elemental forces is something ingrained in the blood of the Spellbreakers; it cannot be compensated for by talent or effort.
Hugh fought Mond, was caught in the blast wave of the Twin Stars, and also fought with Voldy. The uncontrolled elemental damage within him had spread to his elbows, and his condition was much worse than before.
Hugh's current combat strength is probably less than 70% of his peak strength. With less than 70% of his strength, he is going to fight against a Destroyer of Laws in full force. The outcome is almost a foregone conclusion.
But Quan Yu is different; Quan Yu's combat system is a combination of soul-based combat and swordsmanship mastery.
While the power of the Blue Steel Shadow is formidable, its annihilation effect is primarily targeted at elemental powers, and its effectiveness against soul-based abilities is limited.
Of course, this is just a theoretical analysis.
In actual combat, many variables need to be considered, such as whether Quan Yu's swordsmanship can break through Su Xiao's defenses, and how long the two can maintain their stamina and condition.
However, from the perspective of combat system alone, Quan Yu is indeed more suitable to fight against Su Xiao than Hugh.
As for the conflict between Hugh and Quan Yu, that's another matter entirely.
Lin Yi snapped out of his thoughts, took out a roast chicken from his storage space, tore open the packaging, and took a bite.
He chewed a few times, but his mouth felt extremely dry, so he took out a bottle of water from his storage space, unscrewed the cap, and took a big gulp.
The water temperature became very low at this temperature, making his throat feel tight, but the icy feeling actually made him a little clearer-headed.
Bubuwang got up from the ground, moved closer to him, and sniffed at his elbow.
Lin Yi broke off a small piece and held it to its mouth. Bubuwang opened its mouth, took it, chewed it twice, and then indicated that it wanted more.
Snowflakes drifted behind Lin Yi, watching Bubuwang eat jerky like a child observing an animal he had never seen before.
"That...what is it?" Xue's voice was very soft, with a hint of uncertainty and hesitation, as if she was afraid of disturbing Lin Yi's meal, but she really couldn't help but ask.
“Dog,” Lin Yi said.
What is a dog?
Lin Yi thought about it and felt that this question was not easy to answer, since she didn't even know what a mammal was.
"An animal. It can make noise, run, wag its tail, and is very loyal to its owner."
Xue nodded as if she understood, then looked back towards the depths of the valley.
From her vantage point, she couldn't see Su Xiao and the other two; all she could see were the steep mountain walls, their surfaces gleaming a dull gray in the hazy sunlight, and the short pines below, swaying precariously in the wind.
"Will they be alright?"
"I don't know." After saying that, Lin Yi stuffed the last piece of roast chicken into his mouth, chewed it a few times, swallowed it, and then drank a mouthful of water.
His right arm was still somewhat stiff under his robe. With even a slightly larger movement, you could feel the muscles under his skin tightening slightly, like a rubber band stretched to its limit, ready to snap at any moment.
The feeling wasn't exactly painful, but it was uncomfortable, like something was stuck in a bone crevice that you couldn't shake off no matter how you moved.
Lin Yi took out a blanket from his storage space and laid it on the ground. He lay down on the blanket and pulled the other half of it over himself.
Bubuwang ran over from the side, circled around Lin Yi, found a gap at the edge of the blanket and crawled in, resting its head on Lin Yi's arm, curling its body into a ball, and gently wagging its tail inside the blanket.
The battle continued deep in the valley, the sounds coming from afar, becoming blurred after being reflected and refracted multiple times by the mountain walls.
Lin Yi closed his eyes, clearing those chaotic thoughts from his mind. He didn't know how much time had passed—maybe a few minutes, maybe half an hour.
A loud noise yanked him out of his slumber.
Lin Yi opened his eyes, the blanket slipped off him, and Bubuwang bounced off his arm.
My eardrums regained their function after a few seconds, followed by a series of loud thuds from above, like a rain of stones hitting the ground with a chaotic, brittle sound.
Several pebbles flew through the pine trees and landed on the snow beside him, creating several deep dents. Snowflakes flew everywhere, some hitting his face, and the icy sensation brought him fully awake.
Lin Yi looked up, and a huge cyan-blue blade of light flew past overhead.
The moment the blade struck the mountaintop, the mountaintop exploded.
The mountain's rock walls expanded outward from the inside under the impact of the bluish-green light, and those rocks that could not withstand the pressure burst open from the inside, sending countless fragments of rock flying outward from the mountaintop.
The snow on the mountaintop turned into a white mist during the explosion, which mixed with the rubble and filled the entire sky.
The mountaintop is split in two, with a deep crack extending downwards from the summit. The rock walls on both sides of the crack are smooth as mirrors, and the cross-section gleams dimly in the hazy sunlight.
Without a doubt, Su Xiao has already gotten serious.
In the previous battle, Su Xiao had been holding back, keeping the scale and power of his sword strikes within a relatively low range so as not to cause too much damage to the surrounding environment.
But that sword light was different. Judging from the fluctuations it emitted, Su Xiao did not hold back at all in this strike, pouring all his power into it.
An attack of this magnitude could not be a probe, nor could it be a test of endurance; it was aimed at killing.
It's unclear whether this slash is aimed at Hugh or Izumi.
Lin Yi sat up from the blanket, folded it neatly, and put it back into his storage space. Bubuwang jumped off his lap, stood on the snow, and looked up at Su Xiao in the distance.
Neither Hugh nor Quan Yu will feel good after taking this blow.
The erosion of the Blue Steel Shadow power on the wound is a pain that cannot be endured by willpower alone. Willpower can only keep you from crying out, from collapsing, and from falling down.
But the pain is still there, never lessening, like a red-hot iron knife slicing across every inch of your skin, repeatedly, back and forth, until you feel that your body no longer belongs to you.
The moment that cyan-blue blade flashed past, the situation on the core battlefield changed drastically.
Quan Yu glanced at the wound that stretched across his chest, and a bead of cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
The wound started below the left collarbone, extended diagonally downwards to the right, crossed the entire chest, and ended at the right waist.
Just a few minutes ago, he and Su Xiao were still fighting hand-to-hand.
The two remained within the effective attack range of the Dragon Slayer and the silver-white blade. At this distance, any strike could be the decisive blow that decides the outcome.
Quan Yu prefers this distance; his mastery of swordsmanship allows him to maximize his advantages at this range, using precise thrusts and agile changes of direction to suppress his opponent.
His swordsmanship was not the kind of sweeping, wide-ranging slashes, but rather leaned more towards thrusting and cutting. The trajectory of the blade in the air was very short, but each strike was precisely aimed at the opponent's vital points.
Su Xiao's swordsmanship is different.
The length of the Dragon Slayer Sword is longer than that of Izumi's rapier, giving it a wider attack range. However, at close range, the long sword becomes a weakness because it requires more space to rotate, making it easy to be suppressed by the opponent's weapon in close combat.
Su Xiao should have been well aware of this, but instead of retreating to create distance, he chose to continue engaging Quan Yu at close range.
Quan Yu initially thought that Su Xiao had been pushed to the limit and had made a tactical mistake.
His silver-white sword thrust out repeatedly, each strike precisely aimed at Su Xiao's vital points: throat, chest, and abdomen.
Su Xiao used his Dragon Slayer Flash to continuously parry, and sparks flew between the two as their swords clashed.
But Su Xiao wasn't blocking; he was testing.
He was looking for an opportunity that could deliver a fatal blow.
The opportunity is here.
Quan Yu thrust his sword toward Su Xiao's throat, but Su Xiao dodged it by turning his head. In that instant, Quan Yu's body stiffened slightly.
It wasn't because he made a mistake, but because anyone needs a very short adjustment period after a full-scale attack.
Su Xiao captured this moment.
Instead of retracting and striking as usual, Zhanlongshan pushed forward from the parrying position, the tip of the blade passing under Quan Yu's sword and heading straight for his chest.
This strike was at least twice as fast as before. Quan Yu instinctively wanted to retreat and create distance, but his body was still stiff from the previous strike and had not fully recovered. As his feet left the ground, the tip of the blade touched the fabric of his chest.
Just then, Su Xiao launched a surprise attack.
A massive cyan-blue blade of light exploded from the blade of the Dragon Slayer Sword. The light exploded at a distance of less than an arm's length, giving Quan Yu no time to react.
When you unleash your ultimate ability in someone's face, how should I put it? It's like you're taking advantage of your ability to control the timing and direction of your ultimate, launching a theoretically impossible attack when your opponent is caught off guard.
A bluish-green blade flashed past Quan Yu, less than ten centimeters from the tip of his nose.
He could feel the stinging sensation of the wildly crackling arcs of electricity on the blade touching his skin; the tiny currents exploded on his face, numbing his skin.
He managed to dodge it.
It's not about prediction or reaction, but about luck.
The instant the blade flashed, his body instinctively performed an almost impossible maneuver—his feet left the ground, his upper body arched backward, and he completed a bridge-like motion in mid-air.
Then Su Xiao's second strike came.
Quan Yu's body was still leaning back in mid-air, her feet had not yet touched the ground, and she was suspended in mid-air in an inverted C shape.
In this posture, he has no leverage; his waist supports the weight of his upper and lower body, and his muscles, stretched to their limit, have almost lost their ability to contract.
Su Xiao's slash wasn't coming down from above; it was a downward sweeping motion.
The tip of the Dragon Slayer sword rose from the ground, its trajectory perfectly matching the trajectory of his body leaning back, like two trains traveling in opposite directions on the same track, with no way to avoid it.
Although the power of the Blue Steel Shadow was developed specifically to counter elemental forces, it has been continuously improved by the Slayers over countless generations, and is no longer simply an elemental nemesis.
Its core mechanism is to find the path of energy flow within the target's body and then block, devour, or annihilate it. This is derived from the combat philosophy of the Destroyer of Laws. Whether you are elemental power, soul power, or life force, as long as the energy within your body is flowing, it can find your energy circuit.
Most forces crumble at the slightest touch in the face of the power of Blue Steel Shadow.
This is not an exaggeration, it is the truth.
Moreover, the corrosive power of the Blue Steel Shadow is more painful than the power of the Abyss.
The erosion of the abyss's power is like a silent invader, infiltrating your core without your awareness. By the time you realize it, it has completely taken over your body, leaving you no room to struggle.
Therefore, the pain from the power of the abyss is very low in the early stages, so low that you can hardly feel it. Only when it erodes your consciousness will you feel that intense pain surging from the depths of your soul, but by then it is too late.
The power of Camille is different; its pain erupts the instant it is struck.
It doesn't consult with you, and it doesn't give you any room for maneuver.
Like a red-hot iron knife, it inserts directly into your nerve endings through the cut, spreading upwards along the energy circuits in your body.
The power of Camille is similar to pulling your nerves out of your skin and then smearing them with alcohol over and over again. If one application isn't painful enough, then apply it ten times. If ten applications aren't painful enough, then apply it a hundred times.
It can cause your nerves to lose their normal function under extreme stimulation, making you unable to think or make any effective response in extreme pain.
If your willpower isn't strong enough, you'll lose consciousness the instant you're hit by the knife, and then be killed by your opponent while unconscious.
It's all thanks to Quan Yu's strong willpower; otherwise, she would have collapsed long ago. (End of Chapter)