Strength? Technique?

In the fighting arena, veteran boxers often said one thing: weight determined the class, and class crushed technique.

No matter how masterful a lightweight champion's skills were, when he faced an opponent far beyond his weight class, there was often only one outcome—being ground to dust beneath absolute strength and mass.

Before a purely physical collision, even the most exquisite evasion seemed feeble and powerless. Much less when the other man possessed both technique and strength.

Xia Lin now understood that all too deeply.

Gorgash's enormous body was itself a terrifying weapon.

The pressure of the wind he raised as he charged, the tremors from his heavy footsteps shattering the ground, and the frenzied Killing Intent burning in his single eye—cold enough to freeze a person's very soul—all proclaimed the vast disparity in strength.

He was like a giant bear gone mad, while Xia Lin was, at most, a slightly nimble wounded wild dog.

But this was not, in the end, a world governed solely by the laws of physics.

There was magic here, alchemical potions here, and a sliver of hope.

Xia Lin spat out the bloody froth in his mouth and felt a scorching force raging through his body.

It was the effect of a low-grade strength potion, like a fire lit within him, forcibly squeezing his muscles and bones dry in exchange for a brief surge of power.

That little strength was still not enough to confront the enraged Orc chieftain head-on. But with Gorgash having lost his reason to pain and humiliation, leaving behind nothing but savage brute force... perhaps technique finally had a place to shine.

This was exactly what Xia Lin needed. This moment was what he had gambled on!

"Come on, green-skinned bastard!" Xia Lin growled, barely raising the bent longsword.

He focused his mind and once more connected with the scant Arcane energy within him.

Buzz...

A pale blue halo spread over the twisted blade again like ripples across water.

The magic weapon was online once more.

Gorgash's roar closed in like rolling thunder!

His massive battle-axe tore through the air with a piercing shriek, tracing a simple, brutal arc so fast it inspired despair as it came crashing down at Xia Lin's head.

He had completely abandoned defense and tactics. His eyes held only the mad desire to smash this despicable bug before him into pulp!

Can't take it head-on! Redirect the force!

Xia Lin's mind whirred madly, adrenaline surging to its limit.

Facing the gigantic axe descending like a collapsing mountain, he not only did not retreat, but suddenly stepped forward at an angle in a "passing step." At the same time, he sharply lowered his center of gravity, dropping into an almost half-crouched stance.

Gripping the enchanted longsword with both hands, he did not stupidly use its edge to meet the blow. Instead, he angled the stronger section of the blade near the guard upward like a solid slope. Turning the edge slightly aside, he used the angle formed by the sword's spine and part of its flat to meet the weaker point of force transmission near the head of Gorgash's giant axe.

It was a low defensive stance intended to use angle and structural strength to deflect and shed a heavy strike from above.

Clang—!!!

The screech of metal grinding against metal nearly tore apart his eardrums, and sparks burst forth like fireworks.

Xia Lin felt a savage shockwave race wildly up the sword, nearly smashing his entire body into the ground!

It felt as if the bones in his arms were groaning under an unbearable burden. Both arms went utterly numb, the wounds in the webs of his hands that had only just stopped bleeding split open again, and even the strength granted by the potion seemed insignificant before that impact.

But... he had succeeded!

Through precise control of the angle, the lowering of his center of gravity, and the subtle timing difference created by stepping forward to meet the attack, he had successfully "slid" away the main force of Gorgash's enraged strike!

Because he had exerted too much force and missed his attack, Gorgash's huge body stiffened for an instant and pitched forward. His weapon was also briefly "bound" low by Xia Lin's blade.

Seizing the instant when the weapon was blocked and the old force had run its course—

Xia Lin fiercely twisted his waist and hips, pouring all his strength into the sword. Using the point where the blade met the axe haft as a fulcrum, he did not resist head-on. Instead, following Gorgash's forward momentum, he viciously pressed down and pulled! Like a coiling motion, he shattered his opponent's balance.

The deadly Axe Blade slid past his sword spine and shoulder with a terrifying howl of wind, then hacked viciously into the ground beside him, throwing up a spray of soil and shredded grass.

Gorgash had never imagined that this "bug," after enduring such a heavy blow, would still have the strength to launch such an exquisite counterattack.

He only felt the arm gripping his axe drawn downward by a deft force. His footing faltered, and his massive body involuntarily tipped forward, leaving him wide open!

Xia Lin drove off the ground. The Ring of Swift Wind flashed once more! His body shot forth like an arrow loosed from its bow, sliding along the side of Gorgash's unbalanced body and instantly circling to his rear flank—his blind spot.

The longsword flowing with pale blue Arcane Radiance was like death's scythe, carrying all of Xia Lin's hope and fury as it slashed fiercely at Gorgash's thick, nearly unprotected neck!

Riiip—!!!

The enchanted blade easily tore through the Orc's tough, knotted muscles, severing thick blood vessels and neck bones.

Scalding green blood reeking of a powerful stench sprayed out like a fountain, splattering Xia Lin from head to toe.

Gorgash's enormous head, its single eye still wide open with madness and disbelief, flew into the air!

The huge headless body swayed twice, then crashed down like a felled giant tree.

Xia Lin spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, wiped away the blood blurring his vision, and endured the agonizing pain that felt as though his whole body had been torn apart. Half-kneeling on the ground, he braced himself with the badly bent and warped longsword, laboriously settling back into his stance.

After a brief silence, the remaining Orc Warriors around him erupted into shocked, chaotic roars.

Their chieftain, the powerful Bonecrusher Gorgash, had actually been killed by this human who looked too weak to withstand a gust of wind?!

The fierce presence Xia Lin displayed in slaying their leader, along with the bent longsword still emitting a faint magical glow, stunned the remaining six Orcs for a moment. They surrounded Xia Lin, threatening growls rumbling in their throats, yet hesitated, not daring to rush forward at once.

At that moment, Xia Lin's vision swam in waves of black. The side effects of the Strength Potion surged over him like a tide; every muscle in his body felt as if it were being torn apart, and even the seams of his bones groaned beneath the unbearable strain.

Killing Gorgash had nearly drained every last bit of his strength.

Quietly, Xia Lin fished out a Healing Potion he had bought earlier from his Space Bag. Taking advantage of the Orcs' hesitation, he swiftly gulped it down.

The icy liquid brought a measure of relief, but it could not conceal the weakness rooted deep within his body.

A more cunning Orc seemed to have noticed Xia Lin's frailty. A vicious gleam flashed in its eyes as it raised its battleaxe, preparing to launch the first attack.

The other Orcs immediately caught on as well, roaring as they closed in.

The first Orc's battleaxe was already chopping down at his head with a howl of wind!

Bzz!

A round, semi-transparent shield of light, as though cast from molten gold, appeared out of thin air before Xia Lin, firmly blocking the immense force of the battleaxe.

The Axe Blade struck the light shield without even raising a single ripple, let alone shaking it in the slightest.

The axe-wielding Orc was jolted backward again and again by the tremendous recoil, its face filled with shock.

Then, a pair of warm yet powerful hands gently rested on Xia Lin's swaying shoulders.

A young man's voice, as bright as sunlight and brimming with confidence, sounded by his ear:

"You've worked hard. Leave the rest to me."