Many Tricks Up His Sleeve

Sean's eyes were like two huge lightbulbs—round, bright, and locked firmly onto the iron rod in Yinsen's hand.

"Just as I thought! These two youngsters have Magic Stone Equipment!"

He turned to look at Arthur in the distance. The greatsword in the blond youth's hand did not seem particularly special. Either it had some hidden ability that had not been used yet, or his Magic Stone Item was something else rather than that weapon.

"It doesn't matter. You two are going to die anyway!"

The moment the thought of killing them for their treasures arose, the faintly playful attitude Sean had maintained until now was thrown into some forgotten corner.

"Tch!" Yinsen could naturally see what Sean was planning. He had no favorable impression of this Pirate Leader either, much less any intention of showing mercy.

When he had been surrounded earlier, he noticed that this man had remained still for a long time. That was why he had deliberately used the Lightning Ability of the iron rod—since this man frequently robbed others of their belongings, he would surely be extremely interested in a weapon with special abilities. Perhaps it would lure him over.

Otherwise, why would he need to go to such trouble just to deal with a few lackeys? Having made up for much of his theoretical knowledge recently and resumed practicing Basic Swordsmanship under Arthur's guidance, Yinsen could have killed these lackeys with the sword in his hand alone, even without using the Magic Equipment on his body.

But there was no point in that. If he killed all the lackeys and the other side realized something was wrong, what if they simply opened fire with the cannons? Therefore, eliminating Sean was still the safest option.

Even amid the chaotic battle, Yinsen kept a clear head and made the most correct judgment.

Things were progressing in the direction he had hoped for.

"You want it?"

Yinsen spun the iron rod in his hand and deliberately released a little lightning. The dancing arcs of electricity traced a beautiful curve along with his movements, while the crackling sounds frightened the nearby sailors into instinctively taking a large step back. In truth, they were already far enough away.

"If you want it, that depends on whether you have the strength to take it."

The unceasing provocation finally began to make Sean lose his reason. Coupled with the Magic Stone Equipment right before his eyes, he could no longer control the greed in his heart.

"Kid, since you're looking to die, I'll grant your wish!"

Sean did not use the Magic Stone Gauntlet on his left hand. Instead, he reached behind his back and pulled out a Short-Handled Double-Edged Axe. Only someone as tall and powerfully built as Sean could carry such a battle axe on his back without it being visible from the front.

Yinsen was startled when such a large weapon suddenly appeared. From the sound of the axe tearing through the air as it swung, he realized that the burly man before him possessed astonishing strength.

I can't meet him head-on!

Yinsen shifted his body slightly to the side. His longsword first made a motion as if to block, but just as the two weapons were about to collide, he suddenly twisted his wrist. Rather than clash head-on with the axe, the sword slid away along the force of its descending chop. His feet moved swiftly as well, allowing him to evade Sean's thunderous strike.

Dodging was not Yinsen's true goal. After sidestepping the blow, the iron rod in his left hand, which had been poised to strike all along, took the opportunity to tap the battle axe. A crisp clang of metal rang out, followed by a blinding burst of lightning.

Most of the people present saw nothing but white. By the time they could see clearly again, the two men in the center had each retreated, leaving an open space between them as they faced off.

Quite a few sailors turned their eyes toward their captain. They found that their formerly invincible boss was not in good shape. Not only was his axe-wielding right hand trembling uncontrollably, but veins bulged across his forehead. His eyes were bloodshot and bulging as though they might pop out.

"Damn it! I'll tear you to pieces!" Sean raised his axe again and chopped at Yinsen's head.

Yinsen had not truly injured him with that last strike. He had merely caused him to suffer a small loss. Sean had no desire to experience that half-numb sensation again. Not to mention that if he had not been experienced enough to roll away in advance—even if it was an unsightly move—Yinsen might have killed him on the spot.

Fortunately, the Lightning Power Yinsen had unleashed earlier had erupted so fiercely that it functioned like a Flashbang for most people—though a small number had been unaffected. Those people looked at their captain rather strangely. However, the authority Sean had built up over the years was too great, and none dared show any expression for fear of angering their captain and bringing trouble upon themselves.

But not everyone aboard was one of Sean's men. Arthur had no reason to give him any "face," and a highly amused smile appeared on his face. As a knight, Arthur did not utter any insults or mockery. But he was still a youth, incapable of remaining unfazed by everything. Seeing such an amusing scene, he could not help finding it funny, while also feeling that the move was rather embarrassing—especially when someone so huge was forced into that kind of action.

Thus, although he did not openly mock him, Arthur's subtle expression still affected Sean. On top of that, some of his subordinates could not control their expressions either, and Sean noticed every one of them.

He did not want to look, but even if he tried not to care, he could not control himself. The more he looked, the fiercer his rage became. In the end, the enraged Sean launched a furious assault on Yinsen.

The barrage left Yinsen scrambling. In his fury, Sean swung his axe much faster than before, and Yinsen could no longer dodge as calmly as he had earlier.

His mental reactions allowed him to clearly "see" every one of Sean's movements, but his physical speed could not keep up with his mind. At times, he was forced to make compromises, choosing passive defenses that would cause him the least harm.

As the number of blocks increased, the clang of metal rang out more and more frequently. Arthur's expression was no longer as relaxed as before.

He knew that Yinsen's strength was his weakness. Although he was a few years older than Arthur, he had practiced swordsmanship for far too short a time. In addition, poor nutrition in his early years meant that his Physical Fitness was not merely lacking—it could even be called poor.

If he were not still young enough to have a chance to make up for it, Arthur would never have advised him to continue practicing swordsmanship. He would have instead told him to find another, more suitable means of staying alive—for example, using the various Magic Items he excelled at making to arm himself was a Good Choice. He also seemed rather talented in that area.

At the moment, Sean was somehow maintaining a certain degree of rationality even in his fury, choosing the fighting method most favorable to himself. If this continued, Yinsen would only suffer more and more.

However, Arthur was not worried that Yinsen would suffer grievous injury or even lose his life. Though they had not known each other long, Arthur already had a detailed understanding of Yinsen's abilities—this guy liked constantly adding to the tricks up his sleeve. He was currently fighting with only swordsmanship and that iron rod capable of discharging electricity. Besides wanting to test the results of his training, it was even more likely that he was searching for the right opportunity.

If Yinsen knew what Arthur was thinking at that moment, he would probably praise his young companion a few times. Arthur was exactly right: he was using Sean to test his swordsmanship, while also looking for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.

It was simply that Sean's attacks, though violent, were not disordered. He had not left any opening for Yinsen, which was why Yinsen had continued to hold himself back.

Since there's no opening, then I'll make one.

Yinsen circled around Sean for a while longer. Then he saw the burly man take a huge step forward and suddenly swing his axe at Yinsen's longsword. This time, Sean did not attack with the blade of the axe. Instead, he used its flat side to strike, smashing it toward Yinsen's sword as though swinging an enormous paddle.

He wants to knock my weapon away? Yinsen's eyes lit up. An opportunity!

He deliberately slowed his motion to withdraw the sword by half a beat, pretending that the prolonged battle had greatly drained his stamina and affected his movements. He even made a show of desperately pulling his sword back, as if doing everything he could to avoid having Sean knock his weapon away in one strike.

Seeing this, Sean put even more strength into the blow. Then he smashed the great axe solidly into Yinsen's longsword. A slightly muffled sound rang out, and the sword shot away with a whoosh before embedding itself in the nearby mast with a thud.

"Die!"

Having succeeded, the experienced Sean neither mocked him nor wasted words. He adjusted his stance and immediately gathered the rest of his strength for another chop.

This time, he put all his power into the blow. The strike carried an unstoppable momentum—at that force and from that posture, this attack would either cleave Yinsen apart solidly, or, if it struck empty air, leave Sean wide open to be killed in return.

He was confident that the young man before him absolutely could not dodge this strike, nor could he possibly block the axe. As for using the iron rod to parry? It did not matter. So long as the magic stone was not damaged, he could simply hire someone to forge it into another piece of equipment, making it into a weapon better suited to him.

Perhaps a Lightning Battle Axe would be a good choice!

Sean had already begun considering what kind of weapon would better suit his mighty and imposing self. As for Yinsen before him, he was already a dead man in Sean's eyes.

What Sean had not expected was that Yinsen, whom he had already regarded as dead, calmly held his right wrist across the path of the descending battle axe.

"A desperate struggle?"

Let alone a mere wrist—he would not have been able to stop this axe strike even with both arms!

But something Sean had never expected happened. Before he could even make sense of it, a semi-transparent Round Shield radiating waves of cold air suddenly appeared before the young man's wrist, effortlessly blocking his all-out blow.

"What? Impossible!"

Though he wanted to pull back and retreat, he had exhausted all his strength and was frozen in a rigid posture, completely unable to move. He could only watch helplessly as the young man extended his empty right hand toward him and said, "Farewell, Hand of Flame."

Wishing everyone a happy Lunar New Year, good fortune in the Year of the Dog, and overflowing wealth!